I see her not dispirit
I see her not dispirited, not weak, but well, remembering that she has seen dark times before, indeed with a kind of instinct that she sees a little better in a cloudy day., Ralph Waldo Emerson, US essayist poet (1803 1882)
Some people never go c
Some people never go crazy. What truly horrible lives they must lead., Charles Bukowski, From Betting on the Muse,
We cannot control the
We cannot control the evil tongues of others but a good life enables us to disregard them., Cato the Elder, Roman orator politician (234 BC 149 BC)
Everyone has a purpose
Everyone has a purpose in life. Perhaps yours is watching television., David Letterman, US comedian television host (1947 )
Cowardice asks the que
Cowardice asks the question is it safe? Expediency asks the question is it politic? Vanity asks the question is it popular? But conscience asks the question is it right? And there comes a time when one must take a position that is neither safe, nor politic, nor popular but one must take it because it is right., Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.,
No man has a good enou
No man has a good enough memory to be a sucessful liar., Abrahm Lincoln,
Change does not change
Change does not change tradition. It strengthens it. Change is a challenge and an opportunity, not a threat., Prince Philip of England,
Fix it up, wear it out
Fix it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without., Pioneer Motto,
You can never learn le
You can never learn less, you can only learn more., Keith Degreen,
The reward for a thing
The reward for a thing well done is to have done it., Ralph Waldo Emerson, US essayist poet (1803 1882)
Time flies like an arr
Time flies like an arrow. Fruit flies like a banana., Lisa Grossman,
The greatest pleasure
The greatest pleasure in life is doing what people say you cannot do., Walter Bagehot, English economist journalist (1826 1877)
No act of kindness, no
No act of kindness, no matter how small, is wasted., Aesop, Greek slave fable author (620 BC 560 BC)
Where religion is triv
Where religion is trivialized, one is unlikely to find persecution., Charles Krauthammer,
No man who ever held t
No man who ever held the office of president would congratulate a friend on obtaining it., John Adams, US diplomat politician (1735 1826)
The great can protect
The great can protect themselves, but the poor and humble require the arm and shield of the law., Andrew Jackson, 1821,
I cannot expect to per
I cannot expect to perform the task with equal ability and success., Martin Van Buren, taking over from Andrew Jackson in 1837, 8th President of US (1782 1862)
Money does not change
Money does not change the sickness, only the symptoms., John Steinbeck, The Winter of our Discontent, US novelist (1902 1968)
Most people live ninet
Most people live ninety percent in the past, seven percent in the present, and that only leaves three percent for the future., John Steinbeck, The Winter of our Discontent, US novelist (1902 1968)
Let us make one point,
Let us make one point, that we meet each other with a smile, when it is difficult to smile. Smile at each other, make time for each other in your family., Mother Teresa, in her Nobel lecture, Indian humanitarian missionary (1910 1997)
The measuring rod of a
The measuring rod of a civilization is the prosperity of the masses. , Albert Emily Vail, Transforming Light (pg 254),
Once we believe in our
Once we believe in ourselves, we can risk curiosity, wonder, spontaneous delight, or any experience that reveals the human spirit., e.e. cummings,
No matter how smart yo
No matter how smart you are, you spend most of your day being an idiot., Scott Adams, The Dilbert Future, US cartoonist (1957 )
Talents are best nurtu
Talents are best nurtured in solitude but character is best formed in the stormy billows of the world., Johan Wolfgang von Goethe,
I am not afraid of tom
I am not afraid of tomorrow, for I have seen yesterday and I love today., William Allen White,
To accomplish great th
To accomplish great things, we must not only act but also dream, not only plan but also believe., Anatole France, French novelist (1844 1924)
Always laugh when you
Always laugh when you can. It is cheap medicine., Lord Byron, English poet satirist (1788 1824)
It is better to die st
It is better to die standing on your feet, than live the rest of your life on your knees, Emiliano Zapata,
The world is so empty
The world is so empty if one thinks only of mountains, rivers and cities, but to know that there is someone who, though distant, thinks and feels with us this makes the earth for us an inhabited garden., Johan Wolfgang von Goethe,
I have made this lette
I have made this letter long because i have not the time to make it shorter., Blaise Pascal, Lettres Proviciales (1657), French mathematician, physicist (1623 1662)
I wish to have no conn
I wish to have no connection with any ship that does not sail fast for I intend to go in harm’s way., John Paul Jones,
Thank God I have done
Thank God I have done my duty., Horation Nelson, Admiral British Navy, dying words,
Hit hard, hit fast, hi
Hit hard, hit fast, hit often., William Bull Halsey, Admiral, USN,
Mystery is underrated,
Mystery is underrated, and understanding is overrated., Larry McMurtry, Flim Flam Essays on Hollywood, US author (1936 )
We will not tire, we w
We will not tire, we will not falter, and we will not fail., George W. Bush, Speech after 9.11.2008 attacks, 43rd President of US (1946 )
We are all here for a
We are all here for a spell get all the good laughs you can., Will Rogers, US humorist showman (1879 1935)
And now, like the old
And now, like the old soldier of that ballad, I now close my military career, and just fade away...an old soldier who tried to do his duty, as God gave him the light to see that duty. Goodbye., Gen. Douglas MacArthur, Farewell address, quoted on We Interrupt This Broadcast CDROM,
War is a continuation
War is a continuation of politics by other means., Carl Von Clausewitz, quoted by Gene Hackman in Crimson Tide,
We sleep safe in our b
We sleep safe in our beds because rough men stand ready in the night to visit violence on those who would do us harm. , George Orwell, English essayist, novelist, satirist (1903 1950)
Springtime is the land
Springtime is the land awakening. The March winds are the morning yawn., Lewis Grizzard,
The eye sees only what
The eye sees only what the mind is prepared to comprehend., Henri Bergson, 18591938, French author, mystic, philosopher (1859 1941)
If we would build on a
If we would build on a sure foundation in friendship, we must love friends for their sake rather than for our own., Charlotte Bronte, English novelist (1816 1855)
My business is not to
My business is not to remake myself, But make the absolute best of what God made., Robert Browning, English poet (1812 1889)
To be really great in
To be really great in little things, to be truly noble and heroic in the insipid details of everyday life, is a virtue so rare as to be worthy of canonization., Harriet Beecher Stowe, US abolitionist novelist (1811 1896)
Laziness may appear at
Laziness may appear attractive, but work gives satisfaction., Anne Frank, German Jewish diarist (1929 1945)
Live among men as if G
Live among men as if God beheld you speak to God as if men were listening., Seneca, Epistles, Roman dramatist, philosopher, politician (5 BC 65 AD)
Look twice before you
Look twice before you leap., Charlotte Bronte, English novelist (1816 1855)
Friendship is one of t
Friendship is one of the sweetest joys of life. Many might have failed beneath the bitterness of their trial had they not found a friend., Charles Spurgeon,
Man is tormented by no
Man is tormented by no greater anxiety than to find someone quickly to whom he can hand over that great gift of freedom with which the illfated creature is born., Fyodor Dostoevsky, The Brothers Karamazov, Russian novelist (1821 1881)
You can get everything
You can get everything in life you want if you will just help enough other people get what they want., Zig Ziglar, Secrets of Closing the Sale, 1984,
You miss 100 percent o
You miss 100 percent of the shots you never take., Wayne Gretzky, Canadian hockey player (1961 )
In the business world,
In the business world, the rearview mirror is always clearer than the windshield., Warren Buffett, US financier investment businessman (1930 )
The real hero is alway
The real hero is always a hero by mistake he dreams of being an honest coward like everybody else., Umberto Eco, Travels in Hyperreality, Italian novelist semiotician (1932 )
In the absences of a d
In the absences of a decent time machine, fiction remains the most sturdy vehicle for visiting other eras., Tom Nolan, in The Wall Street Journal,
The person who makes a
The person who makes a success of living is the one who see his goal steadily and aims for it unswervingly. That is dedication., Cecil B. DeMille, US movie producer (1881 1959)
If a problem has no so
If a problem has no solution, it may not be a problem, but a fact not to be solved, but to be coped with over time., Shimon Peres, Israeli (Polishborn) politician (1923 )
It is not because thin
It is not because things are difficult that we do not dare it is because we do not dare that they are difficult., Seneca, Roman dramatist, philosopher, politician (5 BC 65 AD)
No one has a finer com
No one has a finer command of language than the person who keeps his mouth shut., Sam Rayburn, US politician (1882 1961)
A sailor without a des
A sailor without a destination cannot hope for a favorable wind., Leon Tec, M.D.,
Brains, like hearts, g
Brains, like hearts, go where they are appreciated., Robert S. McNamara, former U.S. Secretary of Defense, US businessman (1916 )
The ability to focus a
The ability to focus attention on important things is a defining characteristic of intelligence., Robert J. Shiller, Irrational Exuberance,
How do you define God?
How do you define God? Like this. A God I could understand, at least potentially, was infinitely more interesting and relevant than one that defied comprehension., Robert J. Sawyer, Calculating God, 2000, Canadian science fiction writer (1960 )
The right things to do
The right things to do are those that keep our violence in abeyance the wrong things are those that bring it to the fore., Robert J. Sawyer, Calculating God, 2000, Canadian science fiction writer (1960 )
General principles sho
General principles should not be based on exceptional cases., Robert J. Sawyer, Calculating God, 2000, Canadian science fiction writer (1960 )
Learning to ignore thi
Learning to ignore things is one of the great paths to inner peace., Robert J. Sawyer, Calculating God, 2000, Canadian science fiction writer (1960 )
Honor does not have to
Honor does not have to be defended., Robert J. Sawyer, Calculating God, 2000, Canadian science fiction writer (1960 )
Get not your friends b
Get not your friends by bare compliments, but by giving them sensible tokens of your love., Socrates, Greek philosopher in Athens (469 BC 399 BC)
Not wanting to die was
Not wanting to die was another universal constant, it seemed., Robert J. Sawyer, Calculating God, 2000, Canadian science fiction writer (1960 )
Envy can be a positive
Envy can be a positive motivator. Let it inspire you to work harder for what you want., Robert Bringle, quoted in Redbook,
The reward for conform
The reward for conformity was that everyone liked you except yourself., Rita Mae Brown, Venus Envy, US author and social activist )
When you build bridges
When you build bridges you can keep crossing them., Rick Pitino, Lead to Success,
Speak what you think t
Speak what you think today in hard words and tomorrow speak what tomorrow thinks in hard words again, though it contradict every thing you said today., Ralph Waldo Emerson, SelfReliance, 1841, US essayist poet (1803 1882)
Do not go where the pa
Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail., Ralph Waldo Emerson, US essayist poet (1803 1882)
When you win, say noth
When you win, say nothing. When you lose, say less., Paul Brown, US football coach owner (1908 1991)
The best thing to give
The best thing to give to your enemy is forgiveness to an opponent, tolerance to a friend, your heart to your child, a good example to a father, deference to your mother, conduct that will make her proud of you to yourself, respect to all men, charity., Francis Maitland Balfour,
When you relinquish th
When you relinquish the desire to control your future, you can have more happiness., Nicole Kidman, in The Scotsman,
Let no one ever come t
Let no one ever come to you without leaving better and happier., Mother Teresa, Indian humanitarian missionary (1910 1997)
May your walls know jo
May your walls know joy May every room hold laughter and every window open to great possibility., Maryanne RadmacherHershey, 1995,
Humor is a rubber swor
Humor is a rubber sword it allows you to make a point without drawing blood., Mary Hirsch,
The moment of victory
The moment of victory is much too short to live for that and nothing else., Martina Navratilova, US (Czechoslovakianborn) tennis player (1956 )
Purchase not friends b
Purchase not friends by gifts when thou ceasest to give, such will cease to love., Thomas Fuller, English clergyman historian (1608 1661)
His mother had often s
His mother had often said, When you choose an action, you choose the consequences of that action. She had emphasized the corollary of this axiom even more vehemently: when you desired a consequence you had damned well better take the action that would create it., Lois McMaster Bujold, Memory, 1996, US science fiction author )
I am who I choose to b
I am who I choose to be. I always have been what I chose…though not always what I pleased., Lois McMaster Bujold, Memory, 1996, US science fiction author )
How could you be a Gre
How could you be a Great Man if history brought you no Great Events, or brought you to them at the wrong time, too young, too old?, Lois McMaster Bujold, Memory, 1996, US science fiction author )
He who receives a bene
He who receives a benefit should never forget it he who bestow should never remember it., Pierre Charron,
Crime does not pay ...
Crime does not pay ... as well as politics., Alfred E. Newman,
You try to give away w
You try to give away what you want yourself., Lois McMaster Bujold, Memory, 1996, US science fiction author )
Children might or migh
Children might or might not be a blessing, but to create them and then fail them was surely damnation., Lois McMaster Bujold, Barrayar, 1991, US science fiction author )
But pain... seems to m
But pain... seems to me an insufficient reason not to embrace life. Being dead is quite painless. Pain, like time, is going to come on regardless. Question is, what glorious moments can you win from life in addition to the pain?, Lois McMaster Bujold, Barrayar, 1991, US science fiction author )
Our children change us
Our children change us…whether they live or not., Lois McMaster Bujold, Barrayar, 1991, US science fiction author )
My home is not a place
My home is not a place, it is people., Lois McMaster Bujold, Barrayar, 1991, US science fiction author )
The great art of givin
The great art of giving consists in this: the gift should cost very little and yet be greatly coveted, so that it may be the more highly appreciated., Baltasar Gracian,
An honor is not dimini
An honor is not diminished for being shared., Lois McMaster Bujold, Shards of Honor, 1986, US science fiction author )
Exile, for no other mo
Exile, for no other motive than ease, would be the last defeat, with no seed of future victory in it., Lois McMaster Bujold, Shards of Honor, 1986, US science fiction author )
A weapon is a device f
A weapon is a device for making your enemy change his mind., Lois McMaster Bujold, The Vor Game, 1990, US science fiction author )
No great deed, private
No great deed, private or public, had ever been undertaken in a bliss of certainty., Leon Wieseltier, in The New Republic,
A loving person lives
A loving person lives in a loving world. A hostile person lives in a hostile world. Everyone you meet is your mirror., Ken Keyes Jr., Handbook of Higher Consciousness,
Civilization is the ar
Civilization is the art of living in towns of such size the everyone does not know everyone else., Julian Jaynes, The Origin of Consciousness,
When you have given no
When you have given nothing, ask for nothing., Albanian Proverb,
A good home must be ma
A good home must be made, not bought., Joyce Maynard, Domestic Affairs,
Life itself is a quota
Life itself is a quotation., Jorge Luis Borges, Argentine novelist poet (1899 1986)
America is a vast cons
America is a vast conspiracy to make you happy., John Updike, Problems and Other Stories, US author (1932 )
Dig where the gold isâ
Dig where the gold is…unless you just need some exercise., John M. Capozzi, Why Climb the Corporate Ladder When You Can Take the Elevator?,
I have always thought
I have always thought the actions of men the best interpreters of their thoughts., John Locke, English empiricist philosopher (1632 1704)
It is not giving child
It is not giving children more that spoils them it is giving them more to avoid confrontation., John Gray, Children Are From Heaven,
Competition is a painf
Competition is a painful thing, but it produces great results., Jerry Flint, in Forbes,
One kind word can warm
One kind word can warm three winter months., Japanese proverb,
Be charitable before w
Be charitable before wealth makes thee covetous., Sir Thomas Browne, (1605 1682)
Call it a clan, call i
Call it a clan, call it a network, call it a tribe, call it a family. Whatever you call it, whoever you are, you need one., Jane Howard, Families,
You are today where yo
You are today where your thoughts have brought you you will be tomorrow where your thoughts take you., James Lane Allen,
Cats regard people as
Cats regard people as warmblooded furniture., Jacquelyn Mitchard, The Deep End of the Ocean,
Wonder is what sets us
Wonder is what sets us apart from other life forms. No other species wonders about the meaning of existence or the complexity of the universe or themselves., Herbert W. Boyer, cofounder of Genentech, Inc., cofounder of Genentech, Inc. )
Assumptions are the te
Assumptions are the termites of relationships., Henry Winkler, US television actor (1945 )
The most important wor
The most important work you and I will ever do will be within the wall of our own homes., Harold B. Lee, US Mormon clergyman (1899 1973)
Life is full of obstac
Life is full of obstacle illusions., Grant Frazier,
To freely bloom that
To freely bloom that is my definition of success., Gerry Spence, How to Argue and Win Every Time,
He who confers a favor
He who confers a favor should at once forget it, if he is not to show a sordid ungenerous spirit. To remind a man of a kindness conferred and to talk of it, is little different from reproach., Demosthenes, Greek orator politician in Athens (384 BC 322 BC)
Americans are overreac
Americans are overreachers overreaching is the most admirable of the many American excesses., George F. Will, Statecraft as Soulcraft, US editor, commentator, columnist (1941 )
Anonymity is the trues
Anonymity is the truest expression of altruism., Eric Gibson, in The Wall Street Journal,
It is very strange tha
It is very strange that the years teach us patience that the shorter our time, the greater our capacity for waiting., Elizabeth Taylor, A Wreath of Roses, British movie actress (1932 )
Money was never a big
Money was never a big motivation for me, except as a way to keep score. The real excitement is playing the game., Donald Trump, Trump: Art of the Deal, US real estate construction development businessman (1946 )
If you are not critici
If you are not criticized, you may not be doing much., Donald H. Rumsfeld, Secretary of Defense, US Secretary of Defense (1932 )
Let us hope that we ar
Let us hope that we are all preceded in this world by a love story., Don Snyder, Of Time and Memory,
Wisdom is knowing what
Wisdom is knowing what to do next virtue is doing it., David Starr Jordan, The Philosophy of Despair, US biologist, educator, ichthyologist (1851 1931)
Do it now. It is not s
Do it now. It is not safe to leave a generous feeling to the cooling influences of the world., Thomas Guthrie,
I hear and I forget. I
I hear and I forget. I see and I remember. I do and I understand., Confucius, Chinese philosopher reformer (551 BC 479 BC)
Gardens and flowers ha
Gardens and flowers have a way of bringing people together, drawing them from their homes., Clare Ansberry, The Women of Troy Hill,
Anger makes you smalle
Anger makes you smaller, while forgiveness forces you to grow beyond what you were., Cherie CarterScott, If Love Is a Game, These Are the Rules,
To know oneself is to
To know oneself is to study oneself in action with another person., Bruce Lee, Tao of Jeet Kune Do, US martial arts expert movie actor (1940 1973)
Not a shred of evidenc
Not a shred of evidence exists in favor of the idea that life is serious., Brendan Gill,
An unhurried sense of
An unhurried sense of time is in itself a form of wealth., Bonnie Friedman, in New York Times,
Your most unhappy cust
Your most unhappy customers are your greatest source of learning., Bill Gates, Business @ The Speed of Thought, US computer software designer industrialist (1955 )
September tries its be
September tries its best to have us forget summer., Bern Williams,
Sooner or later we all
Sooner or later we all quote our mothers., Bern Williams,
You may delay, but tim
You may delay, but time will not., Benjamin Franklin, US author, diplomat, inventor, physicist, politician, printer (1706 1790)
Well done is better th
Well done is better than well said., Benjamin Franklin, US author, diplomat, inventor, physicist, politician, printer (1706 1790)
The first step to gett
The first step to getting the things you want out of life is this: Decide what you want., Ben Stein,
Great ability develops
Great ability develops and reveals itself increasingly with every new assignment., Baltasar Gracian,
It is better to sleep
It is better to sleep on things beforehand than lie awake about them afterward., Baltasar Gracian,
All truth passes throu
All truth passes through three stages. First, it is ridiculed. Second, it is violently opposed. Third, it is accepted as being selfevident., Arthur Schopenhauer, German philosopher (1788 1860)
I believe in an open m
I believe in an open mind, but not so open that your brains fall out., Arthur Hays Sulzberger,
A mind troubled by dou
A mind troubled by doubt cannot focus on the course to victory., Arthur Golden, Memoirs of a Geisha,
True luck consists not
True luck consists not in holding the best of the cards at the table luckiest is he who knows just when to rise and go home., John Hay, Distichs, latter 19th century, US author politician (1838 1905)
Concentration comes ou
Concentration comes out of a combination of confidence and hunger., Arnold Palmer, US golfer (1929 )
Pleasure in the job pu
Pleasure in the job puts perfection in the work., Aristotle, Greek critic, philosopher, physicist, zoologist (384 BC 322 BC)
If your success is not
If your success is not on your own terms, if it looks good to the world but does not feel good in your heart, it is not success at all., Anna Quindlen,
They always say time c
They always say time changes things, but you actually have to change them yourself., Andy Warhol, The Philosophy of Andy Warhol, US artist (1928 1987)
What makes something s
What makes something special is not just what you have to gain, but what you feel there is to lose., Andre Agassi, on Charlie Rose, US tennis player (1970 )
I see my body as an in
I see my body as an instrument, rather than an ornament., Alanis Morissette, Canadian singer/songwriter (1974 )
It is a mistake to try
It is a mistake to try to look too far ahead. The chain of destiny can only be grasped one link at a time., Sir Winston Churchill, British politician (1874 1965)
The secret of happine
The secret of happiness is to make others believe they are the cause of it., Al Batt, in National Enquirer,
You cannot escape the
You cannot escape the responsibility of tomorrow by evading it today., Abraham Lincoln, 16th president of US (1809 1865)
If they give you ruled
If they give you ruled paper, write the other way., Juan Ramon Jiminez,
The louder he talked o
The louder he talked of his honor, the faster we counted our spoons., Ralph Waldo Emerson, US essayist poet (1803 1882)
The only obligation to
The only obligation to which in advance we may hold a novel, without incurring the accusation of being arbitrary, is that it be interesting., Henry James, British (US born) author (1843 1916)
She had an unequalled
She had an unequalled gift... of squeezing big mistakes into small opportunities. , Henry James, British (US born) author (1843 1916)
She was a woman who, b
She was a woman who, between courses, could be graceful with her elbows on the table., Henry James, British (US born) author (1843 1916)
Courage is contagious.
Courage is contagious. When a brave man takes a stand,the spines of others are often stiffened., Billy Graham,
You better live your b
You better live your best and act your best and think your best today, for today is the sure preparation for tomorrow and all the other tomorrows that follow., Harriet Martineau, English economist novelist (1802 1876)
When I was young, I us
When I was young, I used to think that wealth and power would bring me happiness... I was right., Gahan Wilson,
Live free or die death
Live free or die death is not the worst of evils., General John Stark,
Shame is that intrinsi
Shame is that intrinsic meter of our own heart to tell us that we have failed to follow our own moral compass., LaDawnna Burnett, (1975), Letters on Ethics,
My sense of God is my
My sense of God is my sense of wonder about the Universe., Albert Einstein, US (Germanborn) physicist (1879 1955)
The Stone Age came to
The Stone Age came to an end not for a lack of stone, and the oil age will end, but not for a lack of oil., Zaki Yamani, (chief architect of OPEC),
All art is quite usele
All art is quite useless., Oscar Wilde, The Picture of Dorian Gray, the preface, Irish dramatist, novelist, poet (1854 1900)
It is the spectator, a
It is the spectator, and not life, that art really mirrors., Oscar Wilde, The Picture of Dorian Gray, the preface, Irish dramatist, novelist, poet (1854 1900)
All art is at once sur
All art is at once surface and symbol. Those who go beneath the surface do so at their own peril. Those who read the symbol do so at their own peril., Oscar Wilde, The Picture of Dorian Gray, the preface, Irish dramatist, novelist, poet (1854 1900)
When we are happy we a
When we are happy we are always good, but when we are good we are not always happy., Oscar Wilde, The Picture of Dorian Gray, chapter 6, Irish dramatist, novelist, poet (1854 1900)
Do not protect yoursel
Do not protect yourself by a fence, but rather by your friends., Czech Proverb,
Courage is resistance
Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear not absence of fear., Mark Twain, US humorist, novelist, short story author, wit (1835 1910)
The gods do not protec
The gods do not protect fools. Fools are protected by more capable fools., Larry Niven, Ringworld,
Shame is that intrinst
Shame is that intrinstic meter of our own heart to tell us that we have failed to follow our own moral compass., LaDawnna Burnett (1975 ), Letters on Ethics,
Grief and tragedy and
Grief and tragedy and hatred are only for a time. Goodness, remembrance and love have no end., George W. Bush, 43rd President of US (1946 )
Nothing in the world i
Nothing in the world is as certain as death., Jean Froissart, 1359,
Now, now my good man,
Now, now my good man, this is no time for making enemies. , Voltaire, on his deathbed in response to a priest asking that he renounce Satan, French author, humanist, rationalist, satirist (1694 1778)
Dogs feel very strongl
Dogs feel very strongly that they should always go with you in the car, in case the need should arise for them to bark violently at nothing right in your ear., Dave Barry, US columnist humorist (1947 )
Look for strengths in
Look for strengths in people, not weakness for good, not evil. Most of us find what we search for., J. Wilbur Chapman,
A mind stretched by a
A mind stretched by a new idea can never go back to its original dimensions., Oliver Wendel Holmes, Jr.,
Chew before you swallo
Chew before you swallow., George W. Bush, On TV, about his passing out eating a pretzel, 43rd President of US (1946 )
Go often to the house
Go often to the house of thy friend for weeds soon choke up the unused path., Scandinavian Proverb,
I have learned that yo
I have learned that you cannot make someone love you. All you can do is be someone who can be loved, the rest is up to them., Lauren Edwards,
"I am" is reportedly t
"I am" is reportedly the shortest sentence in the English language. Could it be that I do is the longest sentence? , George Carlin, US comedian and actor (1937 )
If a pig loses its voi
If a pig loses its voice, is it disgruntled? , George Carlin, US comedian and actor (1937 )
When someone asks you,
When someone asks you, A penny for your thoughts, and you put your two cents in, what happens to the other penny? , George Carlin, US comedian and actor (1937 )
Why is the man (or wom
Why is the man (or woman) who invests all your money called a broker?, George Carlin, US comedian and actor (1937 )
I thought about how mo
I thought about how mothers feed their babies with tiny little spoons and forks so I wondered, what do Chinese mothers use? Toothpicks?, George Carlin, US comedian and actor (1937 )
May the hinges of our
May the hinges of our friendship never grow rusty., Irish Proverb,
The only way to have a
The only way to have a friend is to be one., Ralph Waldo Emerson, US essayist poet (1803 1882)
Hatred does not cease
Hatred does not cease by hatred, but only by love this is the eternal rule., Buddha, Indian philosopher religious leader (563 BC 483 BC)
Courage is found in un
Courage is found in unlikely places. , J. R. R. Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring, British scholar fantasy novelist (1892 1973)
No man knows how bad h
No man knows how bad he is till he has tried very hard to be good., C. S. Lewis, English essayist juvenile novelist (1898 1963)
Was it doubted that th
Was it doubted that those who corrupt their own bodies conceal themselves?, Walt Whitman, Leaves of Grass, US poet (1819 1892)
Has anyone supposed it
Has anyone supposed it lucky to be born? I hasten to inform him or her that it is just as lucky to die, and I know it., Walt Whitman, Leaves of Grass, US poet (1819 1892)
Justice: To seek it, o
Justice: To seek it, one must be willing to give up the right to privacy, as nothing more private will become more public., Brian K. Blackden, 1996,
We will not have peace
We will not have peace by afterthought., Norman Cousins, US editor essayist (1912 1990)
I believe that individ
I believe that individuals can make a difference in society. Since periods of change such as the present one come so rarely in human history, it is up to each of us to make the best use of our time to help create a happier world., The Dalai Lama, 1992 Speech, Tibetan Buddhist religious leader (1935 )
This is an important a
This is an important announcement. This is flight 121 to Los Angeles. If your travel plans today do not include Los Angeles, now would be a perfect time to disembark., Douglas Adams, So Long and Thanks For All The Fish, English humorist science fiction novelist (1952 2001)
Tradition is laziness.
Tradition is laziness., Gustav Mahler,
To be great is to be m
To be great is to be misunderstood., Ralph Waldo Emerson, US essayist poet (1803 1882)
The fact was I had the
The fact was I had the vision... I think everyone has... what we lack is the method. , Jack Kerouac, US novelist (1922 1969)
There is so much time
There is so much time and so little to do strike that, reverse it., Willy Wonka, Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory,
They say the sun never
They say the sun never sets over the British Empire, but it rises every morning. The sky must get awfully crowded., Steven Wright, US comedian and actor (1955 )
Three people can keep
Three people can keep a secret so long as two of them are dead., Benjamin Franklin, US author, diplomat, inventor, physicist, politician, printer (1706 1790)
I am loving before I a
I am loving before I am patriotic: I am human before I am American., A. F. Shaw,
The truth may be out t
The truth may be out there, but the lies are inside your head., Terry Pratchett, A Discworld Novel,
Never refuse any advan
Never refuse any advance of friendship, for if nine out of ten bring you nothing, one alone may repay you., Madame de Tencin,
I believe this nation
I believe this nation should commit itself, to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to the earth., John F. Kennedy, in a speech on May 25 1961, US Democratic politician (1917 1963)
She had wit, she had g
She had wit, she had grace, she had beauty But above all, she had truth., Leo Tolstoy, Anna Karenina, Russian mystic novelist (1828 1910)
When I see an adult on
When I see an adult on a bicycle, I do not despair for the future of the human race. , H. G. Wells, English author, historian, utopian (1866 1946)
Far better is to dare
Far better is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checkered by failure, than to take rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy much nor suffer much, because they live in the grey twilight that knows not victory nor defeat. , Theodore Roosevelt, The Man in the Arena, 26th president of US (1858 1919)
Practical efficiency i
Practical efficiency is common, and lofty idealism not uncommon it is the combination which is necessary, and the combination is rare , Theodore Roosevelt, An Autobiography, 26th president of US (1858 1919)
I was not born to be f
I was not born to be forced. I will breathe after my own fashion., Henry David Thoreau, Resistance to Civil Government, US Transcendentalist author (1817 1862)
I came into this world
I came into this world, not chiefly to make this a good place to live in, but to live in it, be it good or bad., Henry David Thoreau, Resistance to Civil Government, US Transcendentalist author (1817 1862)
Experience: that most
Experience: that most brutal of teachers. But you learn, my God do you learn., C.S. Lewis,
Doctors pour drugs of
Doctors pour drugs of which they know little, to cure diseases of which they know less, into patients of whom they know nothing., Moliere, French actor comic dramatist (1622 1673)
Be more prompt to go t
Be more prompt to go to a friend in adversity than in prosperity., Chilo,
A teacher affects eter
A teacher affects eternity He can never tell where his influence stops., Henry Adams, US author, autobiographer, historian (1838 1918)
Sometimes we do a thin
Sometimes we do a thing in order to find out the reason for it. Sometimes our actions are questions not answers., John Le Carre, Magnus Pym in A Perfect Spy, English suspense novelist (1931 )
There is no such thing
There is no such thing as a natural death: nothing that happens to a man is ever natural, since his presence calls the world into question. All men must die: but for every man his death is an accident and, even if he knows it and consents to it, an unjustifiable violation., Simone de Beauvoir, A Very Easy Death,
I have no mercy or com
I have no mercy or compassion for a society that crushes people, and then penalizes them for not being able to stand up under the weight., Malcom X, My counselor, Mrs. Ross,
I have no mercy or com
I have no mercy or compassion in me for a society that will crush people, and then penalize them for not being able to stand up under the weight., Malcolm X, The Autobiography of Malcolm X, US black nationalist leader (1925 1965)
The last Christian die
The last Christian died on the cross. , Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche,
The only time you ever
The only time you ever run out of chances is when you stop taking them., Patty Labelle,
If a man does not make
If a man does not make new acquaintances as he advances through life, he will soon find himself alone. A man should keep his friendships in constant repair., Samuel Johnson, English author, critic, lexicographer (1709 1784)
Education is a progre
Education is a progressive discovery of our own ignorance., Will Durant, US historian (1885 1981)
Men of genius are ofte
Men of genius are often dull and inert in society, as a blazing meteor when it descends to earth, is only a stone., Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, US poet (1807 1882)
Time engraves our face
Time engraves our faces with all the tears we have not shed., Natalie Clifford Barney,
Friendship is born at
Friendship is born at that moment when one person says to another: What! You too? I thought I was the only one., C. S. Lewis, English essayist juvenile novelist (1898 1963)
Perhaps of all the cre
Perhaps of all the creations of man, language is the most astonishing., Gyles Lytton Sitrachy,
The idea that Bill Gat
The idea that Bill Gates has appeared like a knight in shining armour to lead all customers out of a mire of technological chaos neatly ignores the fact that it was he, by peddling secondrate technology, who led them into it in the first place., Douglas Adams, The Guardian, English humorist science fiction novelist (1952 2001)
To know oneself is to
To know oneself is to study oneself in action with another person., Bruce Lee, Tao of Jeet Kune Do, Ohara Publications, US martial arts expert movie actor (1940 1973)
The least of things wi
The least of things with a meaning is worth more in life than the greatest of things without it. , Carl Jung, Modern Man in Search of a Soul, Swiss psychologist (1875 1961)
I feel sure that no gi
I feel sure that no girl would go to the altar if she knew all., Queen Victoria,
Be courteous to all, b
Be courteous to all, but intimate with few, and let those few be well tried before you give them your confidence. True friendship is a plant of slow growth, and must undergo and withstand the shocks of adversity before it is entitled to the appellation., George Washington, First president of US (1732 1799)
It is better to be unh
It is better to be unhappy alone than unhappy with someone else., Marilyn Monroe, US actress (1926 1962)
A successful man is on
A successful man is one who makes more money than his wife can spend. A successful woman is one who can find such a man., Lana Turner,
I usually make up my m
I usually make up my mind about a man in ten seconds and I very rarely change it., Margaret Thatcher, British politician (1925 )
To really know is scie
To really know is science to merely believe you know is ignorance., Hippocrates, Greek physician (460 BC 377 BC)
Blues is easy to play,
Blues is easy to play, but hard to feel., Jimi Hendrix, Quoted in Charles Shaar Murray,Crosstown Traffic, ch. 6 (1989).,
A welltied tie is the
A welltied tie is the first serious step in life., Oscar Wilde, Irish dramatist, novelist, poet (1854 1900)
Ambition is a dream wi
Ambition is a dream with a 1.05.2008 engine., Elvis Presley, US rock singer (1935 1977)
The time to repair the
The time to repair the roof is when the sun is shining., John F. Kennedy, US Democratic politician (1917 1963)
The true university of
The true university of these days is a collection of books., Thomas Carlyle, Scottish author, essayist, historian (1795 1881)
When I have a kid, I w
When I have a kid, I wanna put him in one of those strollers for twins, then run around the mall looking frantic., Steven Wright, US comedian and actor (1955 )
Darkness cannot drive
Darkness cannot drive out darkness only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate only love can do that. , Dr. Martin Luther King,
Any tool is a weapon i
Any tool is a weapon if you hold it right., Ani DiFranco,
True compassion is mor
True compassion is more than flinging a coin to a beggar it is not haphazard and superficial. It comes to see that an edifice that produces beggars needs restructuring., Martin Luther King,
Give me liberty, or gi
Give me liberty, or give me death., Patrick Henry, a speech before the American Revolution, US orator, patriot, politician in American Revolution (1736 1799)
There are only two way
There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is., Albert Einstein, US (Germanborn) physicist (1879 1955)
Whoever it was who sea
Whoever it was who searched the heavens with a telescope and found no God would not have found the human mind if he had searched the brain with a microscope., George Santayana, US (Spanishborn) philosopher (1863 1952)
We can forgive a man f
We can forgive a man for making a useful thing, as long as he does not admire it. The only excuse for making a useless thing is that one admires it intensely. All art is quite useless., Oscar Wilde, Irish dramatist, novelist, poet (1854 1900)
If history repeats its
If history repeats itself, and the unexpected always happens, how incapable must man be of learning from experience., George Bernard Shaw, Irish dramatist socialist (1856 1950)
There is nothing easie
There is nothing easier than lopping off heads and nothing harder than developing ideas., Fyodor Dostoevsky, Russian novelist (1821 1881)
Necessity knows no law
Necessity knows no law., Publilius Syrus, (~100 BC)
Work and acquire, and
Work and acquire, and thou hast chained the wheel of Chance., Ralph Waldo Emerson, US essayist poet (1803 1882)
If you want to bake an
If you want to bake an apple pie from scratch, you must first create the Universe. , Carl Sagan, US astronomer popularizer of astronomy (1934 1996)
We can forgive a child
We can forgive a child who is afraid of the dark the real tragedy of life is when men are afraid of the light., Plato, Greek author philosopher in Athens (427 BC 347 BC)
It is only about thing
It is only about things that do not interest one that one can give really unbiased opinions, which is no doubt the reason why an unbiased opinion is always valueless. , Oscar Wilde, Irish dramatist, novelist, poet (1854 1900)
Hope is not the convic
Hope is not the conviction that something will turn out well, but the certainty that something makes sense, regardless of how it turns out., Vaclev Havel,
I am an invisible man.
I am an invisible man. No, I am not a spook like those who haunted Edgar Allan Poe nor am I one of your Hollywoodmovie ectoplasms. I am invisible, understand, simply because people refuse to see me., Ralph Ellison, The Invisible Man,
Nothing, at last, is s
Nothing, at last, is sacred but the integrity of your own mind., Ralph Waldo Emerson, US essayist poet (1803 1882)
When it is dark enough
When it is dark enough, you can see the stars., Ralph Waldo Emerson, US essayist poet (1803 1882)
From the age of six, I
From the age of six, I have known that I was sexy. And let me tell you it has been hell, sheer hell, waiting to do something about it., Bette Davis, US movie actress (1908 1989)
The quality will remai
The quality will remain when the price is forgotten., Henry Royce,
We are what we repeate
We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act but a habit., Aristotle, Greek critic, philosopher, physicist, zoologist (384 BC 322 BC)
We should manage our f
We should manage our fortunes as we do our health enjoy it when good, be patient when it is bad, and never apply violent remedies except in an extreme necessity., Francois de La Rochefoucauld, French author moralist (1613 1680)
Conscience is the inne
Conscience is the inner voice that warns us somebody may be looking., H. L. Mencken, A Mencken Chrestomathy (1949), US editor (1880 1956)
Common sense is the kn
Common sense is the knack of seeing things as they are and doing things as they ought to be done., Josh Billings, US Humorist (1818 1885)
The most exhausting th
The most exhausting thing you can do is to be inauthentic. , Anne Morrow Lindbergh,
The first hope of a pa
The first hope of a painter who feels hopeful about painting is the hope that the painting will move, that it will live outside its frame., Gertrude Stein, US author in France (1874 1946)
We have art so that we
We have art so that we shall not die of reality., Nietzsche,
Human speech is a crac
Human speech is a cracked cauldron on which we knock out tunes for dancing bears, when we wish to conjure pity from the stars., Gustave Flaubert, Madame Bovary, French realist novelist (1821 1880)
Who is rich? He who is
Who is rich? He who is content. Who is that? Nobody., Benjamin Franklin, US author, diplomat, inventor, physicist, politician, printer (1706 1790)
Paranoia is a finer sc
Paranoia is a finer scale of reality., Michael W. Moore,
For every prohibition
For every prohibition you create you also create an underground., Jello Biafra,
Service to others is t
Service to others is the rent you pay for your room here on earth., Muhammad Ali, US boxer (1942 )
As blushing will somet
As blushing will sometimes make a whore pass for a virtuous woman, so modesty may make a fool seem a man of sense., Jonathan Swift, Irish essayist, novelist, satirist (1667 1745)
Depend not on fortune,
Depend not on fortune, but on conduct., Publilius Syrus, (~100 BC)
Wit ought to be a glor
Wit ought to be a glorious treat, like caviar. Never spread it about like marmalade., Noel Coward, English actor, dramatist, songwriter (1899 1973)
Sharks are as tough as
Sharks are as tough as those football fans who take their shirts off during games in Chicago in January, only more intelligent., Dave Barry, US columnist humorist (1947 )
Almost nobody dances s
Almost nobody dances sober, unless they happen to be insane., H. P. Lovecraft, US horror supernatural author (1890 1937)
We are what we pretend
We are what we pretend to be, so we must be careful what we pretend to be., Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.,
If you are not critici
If you are not criticized, you may not be doing much., Donald H. Rumsfeld, US Secretary of Defense, US Secretary of Defense (1932 )
If a problem has no so
If a problem has no solution, it may not be a problem, but a fact not to be solved, but to be coped with over time., Shimon Peres, Israeli (Polishborn) politician (1923 )
The real hero is alway
The real hero is always a hero by mistake he dreams of being an honest coward like everybody else., Umberto Eco, Travels in Hyperreality (Harcourt), Italian novelist semiotician (1932 )
The only interesting a
The only interesting answers are those which destroy the questions., Susan Sontag, US author critic (1933 )
Great artists have no
Great artists have no country., Alfred du Masset,
What did my hands do b
What did my hands do before they held you?, Sylvia Plath, US novelist poet (1932 1963)
A slave begins by dema
A slave begins by demanding justice and ends by wanting to wear a crown., Albert Camus, French existentialist author philosopher (1913 1960)
I talk to God, but the
I talk to God, but the sky is empty., Sylvia Plath, US novelist poet (1932 1963)
What omniscience has m
What omniscience has music! So absolutely impersonal, yet every sufferer feels his secret sorrow soothed., Ralph Waldo Emerson, US essayist poet (1803 1882)
When one door of happi
When one door of happiness closes, another opens but often we look so long at the closed door that we do not see the one which has been opened for us., Helen Keller, US blind deaf educator (1880 1968)
How can a question be
How can a question be answered that asks a lifetime of questions?, Norman Maclean, A River Runs Through It,
The best argument agai
The best argument against democracy is a five minute talk with the average voter., Sir Winston Churchill, British politician (1874 1965)
I have the simplest of
I have the simplest of tastes. I am always satisfied with the best., Oscar Wilde, Irish dramatist, novelist, poet (1854 1900)
Pause you who read thi
Pause you who read this, and think for a moment of the long chain of iron or gold, of thorns or flowers, that would never have bound you, but for the formation of the first link on one memorable day., Charles Dickens, Great Expectations, English novelist (1812 1870)
In politics, absurdity
In politics, absurdity is not a handicap., Napoleon Bonaparte, French general politician (1769 1821)
Always forgive your en
Always forgive your enemies nothing annoys them so much., Oscar Wilde, Irish dramatist, novelist, poet (1854 1900)
We can easily forgive
We can easily forgive a child who is afraid of the dark the real tragedy of life is when men are afraid of the light., Plato, Greek author philosopher in Athens (427 BC 347 BC)
The man who views the
The man who views the world at 50 the same as he did at 20 has wasted 30 years of his life. , Muhammad Ali, Playboy Nov. 1975, US boxer (1942 )
Tyranny cannot defeat
Tyranny cannot defeat the power of ideas., Helen Keller, US blind deaf educator (1880 1968)
Music is a moral law.
Music is a moral law. It gives soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination, a charm to sadness, and life to everything. , Plato, Greek author philosopher in Athens (427 BC 347 BC)
All changes, even the
All changes, even the most longed for, have their melancholy for what we leave behind us is a part of ourselves we must die to one life before we can enter another., Anatole France, French novelist (1844 1924)
Ultimately, contentmen
Ultimately, contentment is more a shift in attitude than a change in circumstances., Linda Dillow, Calm My Anxious Heart,
The tragedy of life is
The tragedy of life is what dies in the hearts and souls of people while they live. , Albert Einstein, US (Germanborn) physicist (1879 1955)
Let no one think of me
Let no one think of me that I am humble or weak or passive let them understand I am of a different kind: dangerous to my enemies, loyal to my friends. To such a life glory belongs., Euripedes, Medea,
Forgive many things in
Forgive many things in others nothing in yourself., Ausonius,
No one will ever win t
No one will ever win the battle of the sexes, because there is too much fraternizing with the enemy., Henry Kissinger, US (Germanborn) diplomat scholar (1923 )
For I dipped into the
For I dipped into the future, as far as human eye could see, saw a vision of the world, and all the wonder that would be., Alfred Lord Tennyson, English poet (1809 1892)
It is entirely possibl
It is entirely possible to win against the enemy, it is possible, even, to kill the enemy... and still be defeated by the battle., Walter Wangerin, Jr., Book of the Dun Cow,
And the wild regrets,
And the wild regrets, and the bloody sweats, None knew so well as I: For he who lives more lives than one More deaths than one must die., Oscar Wilde, The Ballad of Reading Gaol, Irish dramatist, novelist, poet (1854 1900)
Making money is art an
Making money is art and working is art and good business is the best art of all., Andy Warhol, US artist (1928 1987)
Life without music wou
Life without music would be a mistake., Friedrich Nietzsche, Thus Spoke Zarathustra, German philosopher (1844 1900)
One must still have ch
One must still have chaos in oneself to give birth to a dancing star. , Friedrich Nietzsche, Thus Spoke Zarathustra, German philosopher (1844 1900)
It is nobler to declar
It is nobler to declare oneself wrong than to insist on being right especially when one is right., Friedrich Nietzsche, Thus Spoke Zarathustra, German philosopher (1844 1900)
In a friend one should
In a friend one should have ones best enemy. You should be closest to him with your heart when you resist him., Friedrich Nietzsche, Thus Spoke Zarathustra, German philosopher (1844 1900)
Those that respect the
Those that respect the law and love sausage should watch neither being made., Mark Twain, US humorist, novelist, short story author, wit (1835 1910)
Despise not any man, a
Despise not any man, and do not spurn anything for there is no man who has not his hour, nor is there anything that has not its place., Ben Azai, Mishna,
If liberty means anyth
If liberty means anything at all, it means the right to tell people what they do not want to hear., George Orwell, English essayist, novelist, satirist (1903 1950)
If you never did, you
If you never did, you should. These things are fun and fun is good!, Dr. Seuss, US author illustrator (1904 1991)
The job of the artist
The job of the artist is to deepen the mystery., Sir Francis Bacon, English author, courtier, philosopher (1561 1626)
Evil is always possibl
Evil is always possible. Goodness is a difficulty., Anne Rice,
I have the worlds larg
I have the worlds largest seashell collection. You may have seen it, I keep it spread out on beaches all over the world., Steven Wright, US comedian and actor (1955 )
To be nobody but yours
To be nobody but yourself, in a world which is doing its best, night and day, to make you everybody else, means to fight the hardest battle which any human being can fight and never stop fighting., E. E. Cummings,
Never in the history o
Never in the history of mankind have so many owed so much to so few., Sir Winston Churchill, Reffering to the RAF, British politician (1874 1965)
Under conditions of ty
Under conditions of tyranny it is far easer to act than to think. , Hanna Arendt, 1906 1975,
The greatest giver of
The greatest giver of alms is cowardice., F. Nietzsche, The Wanderer and His Shadow,
People do not like to
People do not like to think. If one thinks, one must reach conclusions. Conclusions are not always pleasant. , Helen Keller, US blind deaf educator (1880 1968)
I can accept anthing,
I can accept anthing, except what seems to be the easiest for most people: the halfway, the almost, the justabout, the inbetween., Ayn Rand, US (Russianborn) novelist (1905 1982)
Enjoy the little thing
Enjoy the little things, for one day you may look back and realize they were the big things., Robert Brault,
We are not necessarily
We are not necessarily doubting that God will do the best for us we are wondering how painful the best will turn out to be., C.S. Lewis,
The greatness of a nat
The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated., Mahatma Gandhi, 1869 1948, Indian ascetic nationalist leader (1869 1948)
The most important per
The most important persuasion tool you have in your entire arsenal is integrity. , Zig Ziglar,
It is a far better thi
It is a far better thing that I do, than I have ever done it is a far, far better rest that I go to than I have ever known., Charles Dickens, A Tale Of Two Cities, English novelist (1812 1870)
Give a man a fire and
Give a man a fire and keep him warm for a day. Light a man on fire and he will be warm for rest of his life., Anonymous,
Keep your fears to you
Keep your fears to yourself, but share your courage with others., Robert Louis Stevenson, Scottish author (1850 1894)
The stage lost a fine
The stage lost a fine actor, just as science lost an acute reasoner, when he became a specialist in crime., Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Dr. John H. Watson, referring to Sherlock Holmes, in A Scandal in Bohemia, British mystery author physician (1859 1930)
Passion governs, and s
Passion governs, and she never governs wisely., Benjamin Franklin, In response to the situation of the colonists, US author, diplomat, inventor, physicist, politician, printer (1706 1790)
Never apologize for sh
Never apologize for showing feeling. When you do so, you apologize for truth., Benjamin Disraeli, British politician (1804 1881)
It is what you learn a
It is what you learn after you know it all that counts., John Wooden, US basketball coach (1910 )
Laughter is the shorte
Laughter is the shortest distance between two people., Victor Borge, US (Danishborn) comedian pianist (1909 2000)
I still find each day
I still find each day to short for all the thoughts I want to think, all the walks I want to take, all the books I want to read, and all the friends I want to see., John Burrough,
I know no method to se
I know no method to secure the repeal of bad, obnoxious, or unjust laws so effective as their strict execution., Ulysses S. Grant, US general politician (1822 1885)
No one ever understood
No one ever understood disaster until it came., Josephine Herbst,
The hottest places in
The hottest places in hell are reserved for those who, in time of great moral crisis, maintain their neutrality. , Dante Alighieri,
The extreme limit of w
The extreme limit of wisdom that is what the public calls madness., Jean Cocteau, French dramatist, director, poet (1889 1963)
Trying to define yours
Trying to define yourself is like trying to bite your own teeth., Alan Watts,
As long as there are f
As long as there are fools and rascals, there will be religions., Voltaire, Letter to Frederick, 1767, French author, humanist, rationalist, satirist (1694 1778)
When you come to a for
When you come to a fork in the road, take it., Yogi Berra, quoted in Sports Illustrated, US baseball player, coach, manager (1925 )
If you are a terror to
If you are a terror to many, then beware of many., Ausonius,
Ninety percent of all
Ninety percent of all mental errors are in your head., Yogi Berra, Sports Illustrated, US baseball player, coach, manager (1925 )
We trained hard, but i
We trained hard, but it seemed that every time we were beginning to form up into teams we would be reorganised. I was to learn later in life that we tend to meet any new situation by reorganising: and a wonderful method it can be for creating the illusion of progress, while producing confusion, inefficiency and demoralisation., Caius Petronius, Roman Consul, 66 A.D.,
Victorious warriors wi
Victorious warriors win first and then go to war, while defeated warriors go to war first then seek to win., Sun Tzu,
Nothing important can
Nothing important can be taught, only learned., Dale Dauten, from a 1997 column,
Life has taught us tha
Life has taught us that love does not consist in gazing at each other, but in looking outward together in the same direction., Antoine de SaintExupery, French writer (1900 1944)
Is there anything wors
Is there anything worse than being blind? Yes, a man with sight and no vision., Helen Keller, US blind deaf educator (1880 1968)
A woman is like a teab
A woman is like a teabag, you never know how strong she is until you put her in hot water., Mae West, US movie actress (1892 1980)
Education is the abili
Education is the ability to listen to almost anything without losing your temper., Robert Frost, US poet (1874 1963)
You have to have confi
You have to have confidence in your ability, and then be tough enough to follow through., Rosalynn Carter, Wife of jimmy Carter, 39th president, US wife of Jimmy Carter 1946 (1927 )
I know of no more enco
I know of no more encouraging fact than the unquestioned ability of a man to elevate his life by conscious endeavor., Henry David Thoreau, US Transcendentalist author (1817 1862)
Keep your fears to you
Keep your fears to yourself, but share your courage with others., Robert Louis Stevenson, Scottish author (1850 1894)
The mind can also be a
The mind can also be an erogenous zone., Raquel Welch,
The remarkable thing a
The remarkable thing about the human mind is its range of limitations., Celia Green,
It is slavery to live
It is slavery to live in the mind unless it has become part of the body., Kahlil Gibran, Lebanese artist poet in US (1883 1931)
Talent is what you po
Talent is what you possess genius is what possesses you., Malcolm Cowley,
The secret of happine
The secret of happiness is this: Let your interests be as wide as possible, and let your reactions to the things and persons that interest you be as far as possible friendly rather that hostile., Bertrand Russell, British author, mathematician, philosopher (1872 1970)
A person reveals his c
A person reveals his character by nothing so clearly as the joke he resents., G. C. Lichtenberg,
Hanging is too good fo
Hanging is too good for a man who makes puns he should be drawn and quoted., Fred Allen, US radio comedian (1894 1956)
We must always have ol
We must always have old memories and young hopes., Arsene Houssaye,
God gave us memory tha
God gave us memory that we might have roses in December., James M. Barrie, Scottish dramatist novelist (1860 1937)
One thing you will pro
One thing you will probably remember well is anytime you forgive and forget., Franklin P. Jones,
Let the fear of danger
Let the fear of danger be a spur to prevent it he that fears not, gives advantage to the danger., Francis Quarles, English poet (1592 1644)
Men seldom make passes
Men seldom make passes At girls who wear glasses., Dorothy Parker, US author, humorist, poet, wit (1893 1967)
The thirdrate mind is
The thirdrate mind is only happy when it is thinking with the majority. The secondrate mind is only happy when it is thinking with the minority. The firstrate mind is only happy when it is thinking., A. A. Milne, English juvenile author (1882 1956)
Man is born free, but
Man is born free, but everywhere he is in chains., Jean Jacques Rousseau, The Social Contract, French political philosopher (1712 1778)
Few people are capable
Few people are capable of expressing with equanimity opinions which differ from the prejudices of their social environment. Most People are even incapable of forming such opinions., Albert Einstein, US (Germanborn) physicist (1879 1955)
When all think alike,
When all think alike, no one thinks very much., Albert Einstein, US (Germanborn) physicist (1879 1955)
Kindness in words crea
Kindness in words creates confidence. Kindness in thinking creates profoundness. Kindness in giving creates love., LaoTzu, Chinese philosopher (604 BC 531 BC)
I have nothing to decl
I have nothing to declare but my genius., Oscar Wilde, As he passed through customs, Irish dramatist, novelist, poet (1854 1900)
The sad news is, nobod
The sad news is, nobody owes you a career. Your career is literally your business. You own it as a sole proprietor. You have one employee: yourself. You need to accept ownership of your career, your skills and the timing of your moves., Andrew Grove, Cofounder and Chairman of Intel Corporation, Only the Paranoid Survive,
Conservatives are not
Conservatives are not necessarily stupid, but most stupid people are conservatives., John Stuart Mill, English economist philosopher (1806 1873)
The question is not wh
The question is not what you look at but what you see., Thoreau,
There is no substitute
There is no substitute for hard work., Thomas Edison,
Progress is impossible
Progress is impossible without change, and those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything., George Bernard Shaw, Irish dramatist socialist (1856 1950)
Try not to become a ma
Try not to become a man of success but rather try to become a man of value., Albert Einstein, US (Germanborn) physicist (1879 1955)
We only do well the th
We only do well the things we like doing., Colette, French novelist (1873 1954)
The great enemy of cle
The great enemy of clear language is insincerity., George Orwell, English essayist, novelist, satirist (1903 1950)
Unless I accept my fau
Unless I accept my faults, I will most certainly doubt my virtues., Hugh Prather,
I recommend that you t
I recommend that you take care of the minutes, for the hours will take care of themselves., Lord Chesterfield, (1694 1773)
Use what talents you h
Use what talents you have the woods would have little music if no birds sang their song except those who sang best., Reverend Oliver G. Wilson,
Humility is the embarr
Humility is the embarrassment you feel when you tell people how wonderful you are., Laurence Peter,
The stupid neither for
The stupid neither forgive or forget the naive forgive and forget the wise forgive but do not forget., Thomas Szasz,
Even a stopped clock i
Even a stopped clock is right two times a day., Marie von EbnerEschenbach,
Children are likely to
Children are likely to live up to what you believe of them., Lady Bird Johnson, US wife of Lyndon Johnson 1934 (1912 )
Think like a man of ac
Think like a man of action, act like a man of thought., Henri Bergson, French author, mystic, philosopher (1859 1941)
If we had no winter, t
If we had no winter, the spring would not be so pleasant., Anne Bradstreet, American poet (1612 1672)
My girlfriend sleeps i
My girlfriend sleeps in a queensized bed and I sleep in a court jestersized bed., Steven Wright, I Have a Pony, US comedian and actor (1955 )
War connot be avoided
War connot be avoided it can only be postponed to the others advantage., Niccolo Machiavelli, Italian dramatist, historian, philosopher (1469 1527)
If an injury has to be
If an injury has to be done to a man it should be so severe that his vengeance need not be feared., Niccolo Machiavelli, Italian dramatist, historian, philosopher (1469 1527)
Ambition is so powerfu
Ambition is so powerful a passion in the human breast, that however high we reach we are never satisfied., Niccolo Machiavelli, Italian dramatist, historian, philosopher (1469 1527)
If you treat an indivi
If you treat an individual as he is, he will remain as he is. But if you treat him as if he were what he ought to be and could be, he will become what he ought and could be., Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, German dramatist, novelist, poet, scientist (1749 1832)
Ah, what shall I be at
Ah, what shall I be at fifty, should nature keep me alive, if I find the world so bitter when I am but twentyfive?, Alfred, Lord Tennyson,
Think not those faithf
Think not those faithful who praise all thy words and actions but those who kindly reprove thy faults., Socrates, Greek philosopher in Athens (469 BC 399 BC)
He admits there are tw
He admits there are two sides to every question: his own and the wrong side., Channing Pollock,
Greatness is not in we
Greatness is not in were we stand, but in what direction we are moving. We must sail sometimes with the wind, and somtimes agaisnt it but sail we must. And not drift, nor lie at anchor. , Oliver Wendell Holmes, US author physician (1809 1894)
When you learn, teach.
When you learn, teach. When you get, give. , Maya Angelou, US author poet (1928 )
Luck is a tag given by
Luck is a tag given by the mediocre to account for the accomplishments of genius., Robert A. Heinlein,
The greatest productiv
The greatest productive force is human selfishness., Robert A. Heinlein,
A poet that reads his
A poet that reads his verse in public may have other nasty habits., Robert A. Heinlein,
In the end, we will re
In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends., Martin Luther King, Jr.,
Obstacles are what you
Obstacles are what you see when you take your eyes off the goal., Vince Lombardi, US football coach (1913 1970)
The tree of liberty gr
The tree of liberty grows only when watered by the blood of tyrants., Bertrand Barere de Vieuzac,
Conceal a flaw, and th
Conceal a flaw, and the world will imagine the worst., Marcus Valerius Martialis, (40 AD 103 AD)
The greatest pleasure
The greatest pleasure in life is doing what people say you cannot do., Walter Bagehot, English economist journalist (1826 1877)
New Jersey needs a her
New Jersey needs a hero. Bon Jovi does not count., Kurt Angle, Gold Medal Olympic Wrestler,
If you sit by the rive
If you sit by the river long enough, you will see the body of your enemy float by., Japanese Proverb, Also quoted in the movie Rising Sun,
Is the chemical aftert
Is the chemical aftertaste the reason why people eat hot dogs, or is it some kind of bonus?, Neil Gaiman,
Well may we say God sa
Well may we say God save the Queen, because nothing will save the GovernorGeneral., Gough Whitlam, Prime Minister of Australia, in a speech in 1975.,
The future belongs to
The future belongs to those who can rise above the confines of the earth., Alfred North Whitehead, From the viewbook of EmbryRiddle Aeronautical University, English mathematician philosopher (1861 1947)
The spirit, the will t
The spirit, the will to win, and the will to excel are the things that endure. These qualities are so much more important than the events that occur., Vince Lombardi, US football coach (1913 1970)
The game is afoot., Si
The game is afoot., Sir Arther Connan Doyle, Sherlock Holmes,
And once again Mr. She
And once again Mr. Sherlock Holmes is free to devote his life to examining those interesting little problems which the complexity of human life so pletifuly presents., Sir Arther Connan Doyle, Sherlock Holmes,
Endeavor to be always
Endeavor to be always patient of the faults and imperfections of others for thou has many faults and imperfections of thine own that require forbearance. If thou are not able to make thyself that which thou wishest, how canst thou expect to mold another in conformity to thy will?, Thomas a Kempis, German mystic religious author (1380 1471)
It is the responsibili
It is the responsibility of the sender to make sure the receiver understands the message., Joseph Batten,
The state has no busin
The state has no business in the bedrooms of the nation., Pierre Trudeau, CBC Archives, Canadian politician (1919 2000)
Of all sad words of to
Of all sad words of tongue and pen the saddest are these, what might have been., John Greenleaf Whittier,
We thought we were run
We thought we were running away from the grownups, and now we are the grownups., Margaret Atwod,
Keep your eyes to the
Keep your eyes to the sunshine and you cannot see the shadows., Helen Keller, US blind deaf educator (1880 1968)
All our final decision
All our final decisions are made in a state of mind that is not going to last. , Marcel Proust, French novelist (1871 1922)
We shall not cease fro
We shall not cease from our exploration, and at the end of all our exploring, we shall arrive where we started and know the place for the first time., T.S. Eliott,
It must be considered
It must be considered that there is nothing more difficult to carry out, nor more doubtful of success, nor more dangerous to handle, than to initiate a new order of things. For the reformer has enemies in all those who would profit by the old order, only lukewarm defenders in all those who would profit by the new., Machiavelli,
Friendship is unnecess
Friendship is unnecessary, like philosophy, like art...It has no survival value rather it is one of those things that give value to survival., C. S. Lewis, English essayist juvenile novelist (1898 1963)
Be to her virtues very
Be to her virtues very kind. Be to her faults a little blind., Matthew Prior, English diplomat poet (1664 1721)
Love goes out the door
Love goes out the door when money comes innuendo., Groucho Marx, Duck Soup 1934, US comedian with Marx Brothers (1890 1977)
I broke something toda
I broke something today, and I realized I should break something once a week...to remind me how fragile life is., Andy Warhol, US artist (1928 1987)
I walk ahead of myself
I walk ahead of myself in perpetual expectancy of miracles., Anais Nin, US (Frenchborn) author diarist (1903 1977)
A man cannot be said t
A man cannot be said to succeed in this life who does not satisfy one friend., Henry David Thoreau, US Transcendentalist author (1817 1862)
All this will not be f
All this will not be finished in the first 100 days. Nor will it be finished in the first 1 days, nor in the life of this administration, nor even perhaps in our lifetime on this planet. But let us begin., John F. Kennedy, inaugural address, 1961, US Democratic politician (1917 1963)
My boy will learn by w
My boy will learn by what I am and what I do far more than what I tell him., Norman Lewis Smith,
For none of us can eve
For none of us can ever express the exact measure of his needs or his thoughts or his sorrows and human speech is like a cracked kettle on which we tap crude rhythms for bears to dance to, while we long to make music that will melt the stars., Gustave Flaubert, Charles Bovary, French realist novelist (1821 1880)
No matter how much you
No matter how much you disagree with your kin, if you are a thoroughbred you will not discuss their shortcomings with the neighbors., Tom Thompson,
If only it were all so
If only it were all so simple! If only there were evil people somewhere committing evil deeds, and it were necessary only to separate them from the rest of us and destroy them. But the line dividing good and evil cuts through the heart of every human being. And who is willing to destroy a piece of his own heart?, Alexander Solzhenitsyn, The Gulag Archipelago, Russian author dissident in US (1918 )
Everything in the worl
Everything in the world has a spirit which is released by its sound., Oscar Fischinger,
A composer is a guy wh
A composer is a guy who goes around forcing his will on unsuspecting air molecules, often with the assistance of unsuspecting musicians., Frank Zappa, US musician, singer, songwriter (1940 1993)
If I only had an hour
If I only had an hour to chop down a tree, I would spend the first 45 minutes sharpening my axe., Abraham Lincoln, 16th president of US (1809 1865)
The only people for me
The only people for me are the mad ones, the ones who are mad to live, mad to talk, mad to be saved...the ones who never yawn or say a commonplace thing, but burn, burn, burn, like fabulous yellow roman candles exploding like spiders across the stars., Jack Kerouac, On the Road, US novelist (1922 1969)
It is not easy to find
It is not easy to find happiness in ourselves, and it is not possible to find it elsewhere., Agnes Repplier, US essayist (1855 1950)
If you cannot get rid
If you cannot get rid of the family skeleton, you may as well make it dance., George Bernard Shaw, Irish dramatist socialist (1856 1950)
If a man does not keep
If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer. Let him step to the music he hears, how ever measured or far away., Henry David Thoreau, US Transcendentalist author (1817 1862)
....it is better to su
....it is better to succeed with success than failure. , George W. Bush Jan. 21 2001 Inauguration speech,
The price of seeing is
The price of seeing is silence., Marge Piercy, Circles in the Water Intruding,
Love is the extremely
Love is the extremely difficult realization that something other than oneself is real. , Iris Murdoch, British novelist (1919 1999)
We are like sculptors,
We are like sculptors, constantly carving out of others the image we long for, need, love or desire, often against reality, against their benefit, and always, in the end, a disappointment, because it does not fit them., Anais Nin, US (Frenchborn) author diarist (1903 1977)
Lakes, rivers, streams
Lakes, rivers, streams...all are water and all travel to the same destination. So it is with religion., Muhammed Ali, in a television interview,
Fear Not. What is not
Fear Not. What is not real, never was and never will be. What is real, always was and cannot be destroyed. , The Bhagavad Gita, The Bhagavad Gita, The Bhagavad Gita as translated by Eknath Easwaran,
Perfect as the wing of
Perfect as the wing of a bird may be, it will never enable the bird to fly if unsupported by the air. Facts are the air of science. Without them a man of science can never rise., Ivan Pavlov, Russian physiologist (1849 1936)
A leader must be const
A leader must be constantly aware of the power of his words .... and his silences., Simon MacDonald,
Love is not blind it
Love is not blind it sees more, not less. But because it sees more, it is willing to see less., Rabbi Julius Gordon,
We are what we repeate
We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit. , Aristotle, Greek critic, philosopher, physicist, zoologist (384 BC 322 BC)
Wrinkles should merely
Wrinkles should merely indicate where smiles have been., Mark Twain, US humorist, novelist, short story author, wit (1835 1910)
Any life, no matter ho
Any life, no matter how long and complex it may be, is made up of a single moment the moment in which a man finds out, once and for all, who he is., Jorge Luis Borges, Argentine novelist poet (1899 1986)
I dwell in possiblitie
I dwell in possiblities., Emily Dickinson, US poet (1830 1886)
Failure is defined by
Failure is defined by our reaction to it., Oprah Winfrey, O Magazine February 2001 issue, US actress television talk show host (1954 )
If you can actually co
If you can actually count your money you are not really a rich man., J. Paul Getty, US oil industrialist (1892 1976)
God give me strength t
God give me strength to face a fact though it slay me., Thomas H. Huxley, English biologist (1825 1895)
Computers are useless.
Computers are useless. They can only give you answers., Pablo Picasso, Spanish Cubist painter (1881 1973)
Unlike those who prete
Unlike those who pretend to be immaculate, fallen angels are usually more intriguing because their earthliness is heavenly., Carl Polloi,
Nobody ever died of la
Nobody ever died of laughter., Max Beerbohm, English author and satirist (1872 1956)
Approach each new prob
Approach each new problem not with a view of finding what you hope will be there, but to get the truth, the realities that must be grappled with. You may not like what you find. In that case you are entitled to try to change it. But do not deceive yourself as to what you do find to be the facts of the situation., Bernard M. Baruch, US businessman politician (1870 1965)
I should not talk so m
I should not talk so much about myself if there were anybody else whom I knew as well., Henry David Thoreau, Walden, Economy., US Transcendentalist author (1817 1862)
When one door of happi
When one door of happiness closes, another one opens, but often we look so long at the closed door that we do not see the one that has been opened to us., Helen Keller, US blind deaf educator (1880 1968)
Everything was beautif
Everything was beautiful and nothing hurt., Kurt Vonnegut, God Bless You, Dr. Kevorkian, US novelist (1922 )
There is no man living
There is no man living that cannot do more than he thinks he can!, Henry Ford, US automobile industrialist (1863 1947)
The only freedom which
The only freedom which deserves the name is that of pursuing our own good in our own way, so long as we do not attempt to deprive others of theirs, or impede their efforts to obtain it. Each is the proper guardian of his own health, whether bodily, or mental or spiritual. Mankind are greater gainers by suffering each other to live as seems good to themselves, than by compelling each to live as seems good to the rest., John Stuart Mill, On Liberty, 1859, English economist philosopher (1806 1873)
He who lets the world,
He who lets the world, or his own portion of it, choose his plan of life for him, has no need of any other faculty than the apelike one of imitation. He who chooses his plan for himself, employs all his faculties. He must use observation to see, reasoning and judgment to foresee, activity to gather materials for decision, discrimination to decide, and when he has decided, firmness and selfcontrol to hold to his deliberate decision. , John Stuart Mill, On Liberty, 1859, English economist philosopher (1806 1873)
No one can be a great
No one can be a great thinker who does not recognize that as a thinker it is his first duty to follow his intellect to whatever conclusions it may lead. Truth gains more even by the errors of one who, with due study, and preparation, thinks for himself, than by the true opinions of those who only hold them because they do not suffer themselves to think., John Stuart Mill, On Liberty, 1859, English economist philosopher (1806 1873)
The real voyage of dis
The real voyage of discovery consists, not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes., Marcel Proust, French novelist (1871 1922)
Never underestimate yo
Never underestimate your own ignorance., Albert Einstein, speech, US (Germanborn) physicist (1879 1955)
Raise your sail one fo
Raise your sail one foot and you get ten feet of wind., Chinese Proverb,
Show me a thoroughly s
Show me a thoroughly satisfied man, and I will show you a failure., Thomas Edison,
Washington DC is the o
Washington DC is the only place in America where people put bumper stickers on their cars the day *after* the election., Cokie Roberts, TV interview in either 1992 or 1996,
Horses lend us the win
Horses lend us the wings we lack., Pam Brown, 1928,
Some of my best leadin
Some of my best leading men have been dogs and horses., Elizabeth Taylor, British movie actress (1932 )
By failing to prepare,
By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail., Benjamin Franklin, US author, diplomat, inventor, physicist, politician, printer (1706 1790)
The man who moves a mo
The man who moves a mountain begins by carrying away small stones., Confucius, Chinese philosopher reformer (551 BC 479 BC)
Luck is what you have
Luck is what you have left over after you give 100%., Langston Coleman,
Thus let me live, unse
Thus let me live, unseen, unknown thus unlamented let me die steal from the world, and not a stone tell where I lie., Alexander Pope, Ode to Solitude, English poet satirist (1688 1744)
He had a heart that co
He had a heart that could have held the empire of the world and, in the end, he had to content himself with a cellar., Gaston Leroux, The Phantom of the Opera,
I like this place, and
I like this place, and willingly would waste my time in it., William Shakespeare, As You Like It, Greatest English dramatist poet (1564 1616)
Everything beautiful h
Everything beautiful has its moment, and then passes away. , Luis Cernada,
Brilliance is born of
Brilliance is born of desperation., Jayanth Komarneni,
When bad men combine,
When bad men combine, the good must associate else they will fall, one by one, an unpitied sacrifice in a contemptible struggle., Edmund Burke, Irish orator, philosopher, politician (1729 1797)
Only those who will ri
Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go. , T.S. Elliot,
Vile deeds like poison
Vile deeds like poison weeds bloom well in prison air, it is only what is good in man, that wastes and withers there. , Oscar Wilde, The Ballad of Reading Gaol, Irish dramatist, novelist, poet (1854 1900)
Lots of people are wil
Lots of people are willing to die for the person they love, which is a pity, for it is a much grander thing to live for that person. , Jason Hurst,
Our generation has an
Our generation has an incredible amount of realism, yet at the same time it loves to complain and not really change because if it does change then it won’t have anything to complain about., Tori Amos,
Idolatry is committed,
Idolatry is committed, not merely by setting up false gods, but also by setting up false devils by making men afraid of war or alcohol, or economic law, when they should be afraid of spiritual corruption and cowardice., Gilbert Chesterton,
If there is a sin agai
If there is a sin against life, it consist perhaps not so much in despairing of life as hoping for another life and in eluding the implacable grandeur of this life. Albert Camus , Albert Camus, French existentialist author philosopher (1913 1960)
Prove all things hold
Prove all things hold fast that which is good., Bible, New Testament, I Thessalonians,
Insignificant events c
Insignificant events can take on monumental proportions when your head is full of practically nothing. , Grace Slick,
Men judge generally mo
Men judge generally more by the eye than by the hand, for everyone can see and few can feel. Every one sees what you appear to be, few really know what you are., Niccolo Machiavelli, The Prince, Italian dramatist, historian, philosopher (1469 1527)
O, I am slain!, Willia
O, I am slain!, William Shakespeare, Hamlet. Polonius says this as Hamlet kills him behind the curtain., Greatest English dramatist poet (1564 1616)
The most eminent virtu
The most eminent virtue is doing simply what we have to do. , Jose Maria Peman, Spanish writer, El Divino Impaciente,
Tomorrow is the most i
Tomorrow is the most important thing in life. Comes into us at midnight, very clean. When it arrives it is perfect. It puts itself in our hands. It hopes we learned something from yesterday. , Unknown, Epitaph on headstone of actor John Wayne (author unknown), Quotations by unknown authors )
Do not follow where th
Do not follow where the path may lead. Go instead where there is no path and leave a trail., Muriel Strode,
The man who follows a
The man who follows a crowd will never be followed by a crowd., R. S. Donnell,
The future belongs to
The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams., Eleanor Roosevelt, US diplomat reformer (1884 1962)
It is common sense to
It is common sense to take a method and try it. If it fails, admit it frankly and try another. But above all, try something., Franklin D. Roosevelt, 32nd president of US (1882 1945)
The outofwork actor we
The outofwork actor wears out more than shoe leather. The very sensibilities that make him an artist are shattered by the disregard he is shown as a human being., Bette Davis, The Lonely Life(1962). Chapter Four., US movie actress (1908 1989)
The proof of a poet is
The proof of a poet is that his country absorbs him as affectionately as he has absorbed it., Walt Whitman, Preface to Leaves of Grass, 1855, US poet (1819 1892)
Obstacles are those fr
Obstacles are those frightful things you see when you take your eyes off your goal., Henry Ford, US automobile industrialist (1863 1947)
The pain passes. The b
The pain passes. The beauty remains., Auguste Renoir,
Not everything that co
Not everything that counts can be counted, and not everything that can be counted counts., Albert Einstein, US (Germanborn) physicist (1879 1955)
To know the road ahead
To know the road ahead, ask those coming back., Chinese Proverb,
At points of clarity,
At points of clarity, I realize that my life on earth is meaningless, and that I am merely a pawn in a bigger game. A game I cannot possible understand or have control of. Thankfully, before depression sets in, I drift back into my cloudy, bewildered daily routine., Joel Patrick Warneke,
There is a schizophren
There is a schizophrenic nature in modern politics. A leader is expected to have a religious faith but he is not supposed to let it influence him in his duties. Somehow, the truths that determine everything else about his existence are not allowed to influence how he conducts himself in public life. Not only that, his principles are usually considered so personal that the public is not even allowed to know for certain what they are. This passes for noble statecraft in our time. It was once thought cowardice., Stephen Mansfield,
Experience: that most
Experience: that most brutal of teachers. But you learn, my God do you learn., C.S. Lewis, Chicken Soup for the Soul (book),
She said she usually c
She said she usually cried at least once each day not because she was sad, but because the world was so beautiful and life was so short., Brian Andreas,
The comfort of having
The comfort of having a friend may be taken away, but not that of having had one., Seneca, Roman dramatist, philosopher, politician (5 BC 65 AD)
A woman is like a tea
A woman is like a tea bag you never know how strong she is until she gets in hot water., Eleanor Roosevelt, US diplomat reformer (1884 1962)
It makes no difference
It makes no difference if I burn my bridges behind me I never retreat., Fiorello LaGuardia, New York City Mayor,
You cannot acquire exp
You cannot acquire experience by making experiments. You cannot create experience. You must undergo it., Albert Camus, French existentialist author philosopher (1913 1960)
We live in a world whe
We live in a world where lemonade is made from aritificial flavoring and furniture polish is made from real lemons, Alfred E. Neuman, The HalfWit and Wisdom of Alfred E. Neuman (MAD magazine),
Justice Marshall has m
Justice Marshall has made his decision. Let him enforce it., Andrew Jackson,
Everyone should free t
Everyone should free their mind and soul. Some are ready to free them now, and some will be ready to free them in the future. Some will never be ready and that is what makes their lives not worth living., Emad Hasan,
No machine can replace
No machine can replace the human spark: spirit, compassion, love and understanding., Louis V. Gerstner Jr.,
Hope is the thing with
Hope is the thing with feathers That perches in the soul. And sings the tune Without the words, and never stops at all., Emily Dickinson, US poet (1830 1886)
People judge you not b
People judge you not by the size of your feet, but by whether your socks match., Space Ghost, Space Ghost Musical Barbcue,
Emancipate yourself fr
Emancipate yourself from mental slavery none but ourselves can free our minds., Bob Marley,
No pessimist ever disc
No pessimist ever discovered the secrets of the stars, or sailed to uncharted land, or opened a new doorway for the human spirit., Helen Keller, US blind deaf educator (1880 1968)
Do not follow where th
Do not follow where the path may lead...Go instead where there is no path and leave a trail., Robert Frost, US poet (1874 1963)
Any intelligent fool c
Any intelligent fool can make things bigger and more complex ... it takes a touch of genius and a lot of courage to move in the opposite direction., Albert Einstein, US (Germanborn) physicist (1879 1955)
Did you exchange a wal
Did you exchange a walkon part in a war, for a leading role in a cage?, Pink Floyd, song Wish You Were Here,
Praise will come to th
Praise will come to those whose kindness leaves you without debt., Neil Finn, track #12 on his album Try Whistling This,
We are not separate fr
We are not separate from spirit, we are in it., Plontius,
Do not anticipate trou
Do not anticipate trouble, or worry about what may never happen. Keep in the sunlight., Benjamin Franklin, US author, diplomat, inventor, physicist, politician, printer (1706 1790)
So, throughout life, o
So, throughout life, our worst weaknesses and meannesses are usually committed for the sake of the people whom we most despise., Charles Dickens, Great Expectations, English novelist (1812 1870)
New knowledge is the m
New knowledge is the most valuable commodity on earth. The more truth we have to work with, the richer we become., Kurt Vonnegut, Breakfast of Champions, US novelist (1922 )
The silent bear no wit
The silent bear no witness against themselves., Aldous Huxley, English critic novelist (1894 1963)
All that happens means
All that happens means something nothing you do is ever insignificant., Aldous Huxley, English critic novelist (1894 1963)
Love is an endless mys
Love is an endless mystery, for it has nothing else to explain it., Rabindranath Tagore, Whisperings. The Inspirational Writings of Rabindranath Tagore on Nature, Love and Life.,
You think your pains a
You think your pains and heartbreaks are unprecedented in the history of the world, but then you read. It was books that taught me that the things that tormented me were the very things that connected me with all the people who were alive, or who have ever been alive., James Baldwin, US author (1924 1987)
Before we set our hear
Before we set our hearts too much upon anything, let us examine how happy those are who already possess it., Francois de La Rochefoucauld, French author moralist (1613 1680)
Common sense is the co
Common sense is the collection of prejudices acquired by age eighteen., Albert Einstein, (attributed), US (Germanborn) physicist (1879 1955)
Work is the curse of t
Work is the curse of the drinking class., Oscar Wilde, Irish dramatist, novelist, poet (1854 1900)
You can change an outf
You can change an outfit, you can outfit change, or both., Kenneth Cole, fashion show speech,
Instant gratification
Instant gratification takes too long., Carrie Fisher, US author movie actress (1956 )
Keep your face to the
Keep your face to the sunshine and you cannot see the shadow., Helen Kelller,
Only those who risk go
Only those who risk going too far can possibly find out how far they can go., T.S. Eliot,
The very idea of freed
The very idea of freedom presupposes some objective moral law which overarches rulers and ruled alike., C. S. Lewis, The Poison of Subjectivism (from Christian Reflections p. 108), English essayist juvenile novelist (1898 1963)
The men who really bel
The men who really believe in themselves are all in lunatic asylums., G. K. Chesterton, Orthodoxy p. 14, English author mystery novelist (1874 1936)
Use, do not abuse neit
Use, do not abuse neither abstinence nor excess ever renders man happy., Voltaire, French author, humanist, rationalist, satirist (1694 1778)
To the person in the b
To the person in the bell jar, blank and stopped as a dead baby, the world itself is a bad dream., Sylvia Plath, The Bell Jar, US novelist poet (1932 1963)
I think we agree, the
I think we agree, the past is over., George W. Bush, On his meeting with John McCain, Dallas Morning News, May 10 2000, 43rd President of US (1946 )
Gravitation cannot be
Gravitation cannot be held responsible for people falling in love., Albert Einstein, US (Germanborn) physicist (1879 1955)
The battle for the min
The battle for the mind of Ronald Reagan was like the trench warfare of World War I: never have so many fought so hard for such barren terrain., Peggy Noonan, special assistant and speech writer to Reagan, 198488, US speechwriter for George Bush (1950 )
A computer lets you ma
A computer lets you make more mistakes faster than any invention in human history, with the possible exceptions of handguns and tequila., Mitch Ratcliffe,
To get the best out of
To get the best out of a man go to what is best in him., Daniel Considine,
I am a part of all I h
I am a part of all I have seen., Alfred Lord Tennyson, English poet (1809 1892)
No one could make a gr
No one could make a greater mistake than he who did nothing because he could do only a little., Edmund Burke, Irish orator, philosopher, politician (1729 1797)
I would rather be ashe
I would rather be ashes than dust. I would rather that my spark should burn out in a brilliant blaze than it should be stifled by a dryrot. I would rather be a superb meteor, every atom of me in a magnificient glow, than a sleepy and permanent planet. The proper function of man is to live, not to exist. I shall not waste my days trying to prolong them. I shall use my time., Jack London, Personal Credo, US adventurer, author, sailor (1876 1916)
They say that the wage
They say that the wages of sin is death. But after taxes its just a tired feeling really., Paula Poundstone, HBO standup routine,
I believe I shall,in s
I believe I shall,in some shape or other,always exist and, with all the inconveniences human life is liable to, I shall not object to a new edition of mine, hoping, however, that the errata of the last may be corrected., Benjamin Franklin, US author, diplomat, inventor, physicist, politician, printer (1706 1790)
Hatred does not cease
Hatred does not cease in this world by hating, but by not hating this is an eternal truth., Buddha, The Dhammapada, Indian philosopher religious leader (563 BC 483 BC)
Inhabitants of underde
Inhabitants of underdeveloped nations and victims of natural disasters are the only people who have ever been happy to see soybeans., Fran Leibowitz, Metropolitan Life,
It has been proven bey
It has been proven beyond a shadow of a doubt that you miss 100,00% of the shots you do not take., Wayne Gretski,
Always do right. This
Always do right. This will gratify some people and astonish the rest., Mark Twain, US humorist, novelist, short story author, wit (1835 1910)
Paranoia means having
Paranoia means having all the facts., William S. Burroughs, US author (1914 )
We shall not cease fro
We shall not cease from exploration and the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we started and know the place for the first time., T. S Eliot,
Flatter me, and I may
Flatter me, and I may not believe you. Critisize me, and I may not like you. Ignore me, and I may not forgive you., William A. Ward,
Choose a job you love,
Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life., Confucious,
After the bare requisi
After the bare requisites of living and reproducing, man wants most to leave some record of himself, a proof, perhaps, that he has really existed. He leaves his proof on wood, on stone, or on the lives of other people. This deep desire exists in everyone, from the boy who scribbles on a wall to the Buddha who etches his image in the race mind. Life is so unreal. I think that we seriously doubt that we exist and go about trying to prove that we do., John Steinbeck, The Pastures of Heaven, p 56, US novelist (1902 1968)
Nothing is more depre
Nothing is more depressing than the conviction that one is not a hero., George Moore,
He drew a circle that
He drew a circle that shut me out Heretic, rebel, a thing to flout. But Love and I had the wit to win: We drew a circle that took him in., Edwin Markham,
If you would convince
If you would convince a man that he does wrong, do right. Men will believe what they see., Henry David Thoreau, US Transcendentalist author (1817 1862)
If you put tomfoolery
If you put tomfoolery into a computer, nothing comes out of it but tomfoolery. But this tomfoolery, having passed through a very expensive machine, is somehow enobled and noone dares criticize it., Pierre Gallois,
I learned this, at lea
I learned this, at least, by my experiment that if one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours. He will put some things behind, will pass an invisible boundary new, universal, and more liberal laws will begin to establish themselves around and within him or the old laws be expanded, and interpreted in his favor in a more liberal sense, and he will live with the license of a higher order of beings. In proportion as he simplifies his life, the laws of the universe will appear less complex, and solitude will not be solitude, nor poverty poverty, nor weakness weakness. If you have built castles in the air, your work need not be lost that is where they should be. Now put the foundations under them., Henry David Thoreau, Walden, pp. 323 324, US Transcendentalist author (1817 1862)
Cursed be he that move
Cursed be he that moves my bones., William Shakespeare, Epitaph on his gravestone, Greatest English dramatist poet (1564 1616)
Let me not to the marr
Let me not to the marriage of true minds Admit impediments: love is not love Which alters when it alteration finds., William Shakespeare, Sonnet cxvi, Greatest English dramatist poet (1564 1616)
Farewell! thou art too
Farewell! thou art too dear for my possessing., William Shakespeare, Sonnet lxxxvii, Greatest English dramatist poet (1564 1616)
I have not slept one w
I have not slept one wink., William Shakespeare, Cymbeline, Act 3 scene 4, Greatest English dramatist poet (1564 1616)
The game is up., Willi
The game is up., William Shakespeare, Cymbeline, Act 3 scene 3, Greatest English dramatist poet (1564 1616)
I have Immortal longin
I have Immortal longings in me., William Shakespeare, Antony and Cleopatra, Act 5 scene 2, Greatest English dramatist poet (1564 1616)
So act that your princ
So act that your principle of action might safely be made a law for the whole world., Immanuel Kant, German philosopher (1724 1804)
Age cannot wither her,
Age cannot wither her, nor custom staleHer infinite variety., William Shakespeare, Antony and Cleopatra, Act 2 scene 2, Greatest English dramatist poet (1564 1616)
Small to greater matte
Small to greater matters must give way., William Shakespeare, Antony and Cleopatra, Act 2 scene 2, Greatest English dramatist poet (1564 1616)
My salad days,When I w
My salad days,When I was green in judgment., William Shakespeare, Antony and Cleopatra, Act 1 scene 5, Greatest English dramatist poet (1564 1616)
I understand a fury in
I understand a fury in your words,But not the words., William Shakespeare, Othello, Act 4 scene 2, Greatest English dramatist poet (1564 1616)
O, beware, my lord, of
O, beware, my lord, of jealousy!It is the greeneyed monster which doth mockThe meat it feeds on., William Shakespeare, Othello, Act 3 scene 3, Greatest English dramatist poet (1564 1616)
Keep five yards from a
Keep five yards from a carriage, ten yards from a horse, and a hundred yards from an elephant but the distance one should keep from a wicked man cannot be measured., Indian Proverb,
Speak to me as to thy
Speak to me as to thy thinkings, As thou dost ruminate, and give thy worst of thoughts The worst of words., William Shakespeare, Othello, Act 3 scene 3, Greatest English dramatist poet (1564 1616)
Excellent wretch! Perd
Excellent wretch! Perdition catch my soul,But I do love thee! and when I love thee not, Chaos is come again., William Shakespeare, Othello, Act 3 scene 3, Greatest English dramatist poet (1564 1616)
I am not merry but I d
I am not merry but I do beguileThe thing I am, by seeming otherwise., William Shakespeare, Othello, Act 2 scene 1, Greatest English dramatist poet (1564 1616)
I will wear my heart u
I will wear my heart upon my sleeveFor daws to peck at., William Shakespeare, Othello, Act 1 scene 1, Greatest English dramatist poet (1564 1616)
The gods are just, and
The gods are just, and of our pleasant vicesMake instruments to plague us., William Shakespeare, King Lear, Act 5 scene 3, Greatest English dramatist poet (1564 1616)
Pray you now, forget a
Pray you now, forget and forgive., William Shakespeare, King Lear, Act 4 scene 7, Greatest English dramatist poet (1564 1616)
The worst is notSo lon
The worst is notSo long as we can say, This is the worst., William Shakespeare, King Lear, Act 4 scene 1, Greatest English dramatist poet (1564 1616)
Oh, that way madness l
Oh, that way madness lies let me shun that., William Shakespeare, King Lear, Act 3 scene 4, Greatest English dramatist poet (1564 1616)
Nothing will come of n
Nothing will come of nothing., William Shakespeare, King Lear, Act 1 scene 1, Greatest English dramatist poet (1564 1616)
Every minute you are t
Every minute you are thinking of evil, you might have been thinking of good instead. Refuse to pander to a morbid interest in your own misdeeds. Pick yourself up, be sorry, shake yourself, and go on again., Evelyn Underhill,
Although the last, not
Although the last, not least., William Shakespeare, King Lear, Act 1 scene 1, Greatest English dramatist poet (1564 1616)
Now cracks a noble hea
Now cracks a noble heart. Good night sweet prince:And flights of angels sing thee to thy rest!, William Shakespeare, Hamlet, Act 5 scene 2, Greatest English dramatist poet (1564 1616)
The rest is silence.,
The rest is silence., William Shakespeare, Hamlet, Act 5 scene 2, Greatest English dramatist poet (1564 1616)
A hit, a very palpable
A hit, a very palpable hit., William Shakespeare, Hamlet, Act 5 scene 2, Greatest English dramatist poet (1564 1616)
We know what we are, b
We know what we are, but know not what we may be., William Shakespeare, Hamlet, Act 3 scene 5, Greatest English dramatist poet (1564 1616)
So full of artless jea
So full of artless jealousy is guilt,It spills itself in fearing to be spilt., William Shakespeare, Hamlet, Act 4 scene 5, Greatest English dramatist poet (1564 1616)
I must be cruel, only
I must be cruel, only to be kind:Thus bad begins, and worse remains behind., William Shakespeare, Hamlet, Act 3 scene 4, Greatest English dramatist poet (1564 1616)
My words fly up, my th
My words fly up, my thoughts remain below:Words without thoughts never to heaven go., William Shakespeare, Hamlet, Act 3 scene 3, Greatest English dramatist poet (1564 1616)
The lady doth protest
The lady doth protest too much, methinks., William Shakespeare, Hamlet, Act 3 scene 2, Greatest English dramatist poet (1564 1616)
O, woe is me,To have s
O, woe is me,To have seen what I have seen, see what I see!, William Shakespeare, Hamlet, Act 3 scene 1, Greatest English dramatist poet (1564 1616)
I have heard of your p
I have heard of your paintings too, well enough God has given you one face, and you make yourselves another., William Shakespeare, Hamlet, Act 3 scene 1, Greatest English dramatist poet (1564 1616)
Be thou as chaste as i
Be thou as chaste as ice, as pure as snow, thou shalt not escape calumny. Get thee to a nunnery, go., William Shakespeare, Hamlet, Act 3 scene 1, Greatest English dramatist poet (1564 1616)
The devil hath power T
The devil hath power To assume a pleasing shape., William Shakespeare, Hamlet, Act 2 scene 2, Greatest English dramatist poet (1564 1616)
What a piece of work i
What a piece of work is a man! how noble in reason! how infinite in faculty! in form and moving how express and admirable! in action how like an angel! in apprehension how like a god!, William Shakespeare, Hamlet, Act 2 scene 2, Greatest English dramatist poet (1564 1616)
Prefer loss to the wea
Prefer loss to the wealth of dishonest gain the former vexes you for a time the latter will bring you lasting remorse., Chilo,
There is nothing eithe
There is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so., William Shakespeare, Hamlet, Act 2 scene 2, Greatest English dramatist poet (1564 1616)
Brevity is the soul of
Brevity is the soul of wit., William Shakespeare, Hamlet, Act 2 scene 2, Greatest English dramatist poet (1564 1616)
There are more things
There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio,Than are dreamt of in your philosophy., William Shakespeare, Hamlet, Act 1 scene 5, Greatest English dramatist poet (1564 1616)
Every man has business
Every man has business and desire, Such as it is., William Shakespeare, Hamlet, Act 1 scene 5, Greatest English dramatist poet (1564 1616)
Leave her to heaven An
Leave her to heaven And to those thorns that in her bosom lodge, To prick and sting her., William Shakespeare, Hamlet, Act 1 scene 5, Greatest English dramatist poet (1564 1616)
Something is rotten in
Something is rotten in the state of Denmark., William Shakespeare, Hamlet, Act 1 scene 4, Greatest English dramatist poet (1564 1616)
But to my mind, though
But to my mind, though I am native here And to the manner born, it is a custom More honoured in the breach than the observance., William Shakespeare, Hamlet, Act 1 scene 4, Greatest English dramatist poet (1564 1616)
Neither a borrower nor
Neither a borrower nor a lender be For loan oft loses both itself and friend, And borrowing dulls the edge of husbandry. This above all: to thine own self be true, And it must follow, as the night the day, Thou canst not then be false to any man., William Shakespeare, Hamlet, Act 1 scene 3, Greatest English dramatist poet (1564 1616)
Love truth, and pardon
Love truth, and pardon error., Voltaire, French author, humanist, rationalist, satirist (1694 1778)
Clothes make the man.
Clothes make the man. Naked people have little or no influence on society., Mark Twain, US humorist, novelist, short story author, wit (1835 1910)
He was a man, take him
He was a man, take him for all in all, I shall not look upon his like again., William Shakespeare, Hamlet, Act 1 scene 2, Greatest English dramatist poet (1564 1616)
Frailty, thy name is w
Frailty, thy name is woman!, William Shakespeare, Hamlet, Act 1 scene 2, Greatest English dramatist poet (1564 1616)
A little more than kin
A little more than kin, and less than kind., William Shakespeare, Hamlet, Act 1 scene 2, Greatest English dramatist poet (1564 1616)
Out, damned spot! out,
Out, damned spot! out, I say!, William Shakespeare, Macbeth, Act 5 scene 1, Greatest English dramatist poet (1564 1616)
By the pricking of my
By the pricking of my thumbs,Something wicked this way comes. Open, locks, Whoever knocks!, William Shakespeare, Macbeth, Act 4 scene 1, Greatest English dramatist poet (1564 1616)
Double, double toil an
Double, double toil and trouble Fire burn, and cauldron bubble., William Shakespeare, Macbeth, Act 4 scene 1, Greatest English dramatist poet (1564 1616)
The attempt and not th
The attempt and not the deed Confounds us., William Shakespeare, Macbeth, Act 2 scene 2, Greatest English dramatist poet (1564 1616)
Is this a dagger which
Is this a dagger which I see before me, The handle toward my hand? Come, let me clutch thee. I have thee not, and yet I see thee still. Art thou not, fatal vision, sensible To feeling as to sight? or art thou but A dagger of the mind, a false creation, Proceeding from the heatoppressed brain?, William Shakespeare, Macbeth, Act 2 scene 1, Greatest English dramatist poet (1564 1616)
Our envy of others dev
Our envy of others devours us most of all., Alexander Solzhenitsyn, Russian author dissident in US (1918 )
There is a tide in the
There is a tide in the affairs of men Which taken at the flood, leads on to fortune Omitted, all the voyage of their life Is bound in shallows and in miseries., William Shakespeare, Julius Caesar, Act 4 scene 3, Greatest English dramatist poet (1564 1616)
For Brutus is an honou
For Brutus is an honourable man So are they all, all honourable men., William Shakespeare, Julius Caesar, Act 3 scene 2, Greatest English dramatist poet (1564 1616)
Friends, Romans, count
Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears I come to bury Caesar, not to praise him. The evil that men do lives after them The good is oft interred with their bones., William Shakespeare, Julius Caesar, Act 3 scene 2, Greatest English dramatist poet (1564 1616)
Cry Havoc, and let sli
Cry Havoc, and let slip the dogs of war., William Shakespeare, Julius Caesar, Act 3 scene 1, Greatest English dramatist poet (1564 1616)
How many ages hence Sh
How many ages hence Shall this our lofty scene be acted over In states unborn and accents yet unknown!, William Shakespeare, Julius Caesar, Act 3 scene 1, Greatest English dramatist poet (1564 1616)
Et tu, Brute!, William
Et tu, Brute!, William Shakespeare, Julius Caesar, Act 3 scene 1, Greatest English dramatist poet (1564 1616)
Cowards die many times
Cowards die many times before their deaths The valiant never taste of death but once. Of all the wonders that I yet have heard, It seems to me most strange that men should fear Seeing that death, a necessary end, Will come when it will come., William Shakespeare, Julius Caesar, Act 2 scene 2, Greatest English dramatist poet (1564 1616)
But, for my own part,
But, for my own part, it was Greek to me., William Shakespeare, Julius Caesar, Act 1 scene 2, Greatest English dramatist poet (1564 1616)
Beware the ides of Mar
Beware the ides of March., William Shakespeare, Julius Caesar, Act 1 scene 2, Greatest English dramatist poet (1564 1616)
We have seen better da
We have seen better days., William Shakespeare, Timon of Athens, Act 4 scene 2, Greatest English dramatist poet (1564 1616)
Every man has his faul
Every man has his fault, and honesty is his., William Shakespeare, Timon of Athens, Act 3 scene 1, Greatest English dramatist poet (1564 1616)
Good night, good night
Good night, good night! parting is such sweet sorrow, That I shall say good night till it be morrow., William Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet, Act 2 scene 2, Greatest English dramatist poet (1564 1616)
O Romeo, Romeo! wheref
O Romeo, Romeo! wherefore art thou Romeo?, William Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet, Act 2 scene 2, Greatest English dramatist poet (1564 1616)
But, soft! what light
But, soft! what light through yonder window breaks? It is the east, and Juliet is the sun., William Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet, Act 2 scene 1, Greatest English dramatist poet (1564 1616)
Throw your heart over
Throw your heart over the fence and the rest will follow., Norman Vincent Peale, US clergyman (1898 1993)
The end crowns all, An
The end crowns all, And that old common arbitrator, Time, Will one day end it., William Shakespeare, Troilus and Cressida, Act 4 scene 5, Greatest English dramatist poet (1564 1616)
A horse! a horse! my k
A horse! a horse! my kingdom for a horse!, William Shakespeare, King Richard III, Act 5 scene 4, Greatest English dramatist poet (1564 1616)
An honest tale speeds
An honest tale speeds best, being plainly told., William Shakespeare, King Richard III, Act 4 scene 3, Greatest English dramatist poet (1564 1616)
And many strokes, thou
And many strokes, though with a little axe, Hew down and fell the hardesttimbered oak., William Shakespeare, King Henry VI Part III, Act 2 scene 1, Greatest English dramatist poet (1564 1616)
The gaudy, blabbing, a
The gaudy, blabbing, and remorseful day Is crept into the bosom of the sea., William Shakespeare, King Henry VI Part II, Act 4 scene 1, Greatest English dramatist poet (1564 1616)
There is occasions and
There is occasions and causes why and wherefore in all things., William Shakespeare, King Henry V, Act 5 scene 1, Greatest English dramatist poet (1564 1616)
What people say you ca
What people say you cannot do, you try and find that you can., Henry David Thoreau, US Transcendentalist author (1817 1862)
Uneasy lies the head t
Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown., William Shakespeare, King Henry IV Part II, Act 2 scene 1, Greatest English dramatist poet (1564 1616)
He hath eaten me out o
He hath eaten me out of house and home., William Shakespeare, King Henry IV Part II, Act 2 scene 1, Greatest English dramatist poet (1564 1616)
If all the year were p
If all the year were playing holidays, To sport would be as tedious as to work., William Shakespeare, King Henry IV Part I, Act 1 scene 2, Greatest English dramatist poet (1564 1616)
This royal throne of k
This royal throne of kings, this sceptred isle, This earth of majesty, this seat of Mars, This other Eden, demiparadise, This fortress built by Nature for herself Against infection and the hand of war, This happy breed of men, this little world, This precious stone set in the silver sea, Which serves it in the office of a wall Or as a moat defensive to a house, Against the envy of less happier lands, This blessed plot, this earth, this realm, this England., William Shakespeare, King Richard II, Act 2 scene 1, Greatest English dramatist poet (1564 1616)
This England never did
This England never did, nor never shall, Lie at the proud foot of a conqueror., William Shakespeare, King John, Act 5 scene 7, Greatest English dramatist poet (1564 1616)
Life is as tedious as
Life is as tedious as a twicetold tale Vexing the dull ear of a drowsy man., William Shakespeare, King John, Act 3 scene 4, Greatest English dramatist poet (1564 1616)
If this were played up
If this were played upon a stage now, I could condemn it as an improbable fiction., William Shakespeare, Twelfth Night, Act 3 scene 4, Greatest English dramatist poet (1564 1616)
Make the best use of w
Make the best use of what is in your power, and take the rest as it happens., Epictetus, Roman (Greekborn) slave Stoic philosopher (55 AD 135 AD)
The fool doth think he
The fool doth think he is wise, but the wise man knows himself to be a fool., William Shakespeare, As You Like It, Act 5 scene 1, Greatest English dramatist poet (1564 1616)
True is it that we hav
True is it that we have seen better days., William Shakespeare, As You Like It, Act 1 scene 7, Greatest English dramatist poet (1564 1616)
Hereafter, in a better
Hereafter, in a better world than this, I shall desire more love and knowledge of you., William Shakespeare, As You Like It, Act 1 scene 2, Greatest English dramatist poet (1564 1616)
The little foolery tha
The little foolery that wise men have makes a great show., William Shakespeare, As You Like It, Act 1 scene 2, Greatest English dramatist poet (1564 1616)
Enjoy present pleasure
Enjoy present pleasures in such a way as not to injure future one., Seneca, Roman dramatist, philosopher, politician (5 BC 65 AD)
It is a wise father th
It is a wise father that knows his own child., William Shakespeare, The Merchant of Venice, Act 2 scene 2, Greatest English dramatist poet (1564 1616)
The devil can cite Scr
The devil can cite Scripture for his purpose., William Shakespeare, The Merchant of Venice, Act 1 scene 3, Greatest English dramatist poet (1564 1616)
My meaning in saying h
My meaning in saying he is a good man, is to have you understand me that he is sufficient., William Shakespeare, The Merchant of Venice, Act 1 scene 3, Greatest English dramatist poet (1564 1616)
I dote on his very abs
I dote on his very absence., William Shakespeare, The Merchant of Venice, Act 1 scene 2, Greatest English dramatist poet (1564 1616)
When he is best, he is
When he is best, he is a little worse than a man and when he is worst, he is little better than a beast., William Shakespeare, The Merchant of Venice, Act 1 scene 2, Greatest English dramatist poet (1564 1616)
I thank God I am as ho
I thank God I am as honest as any man living that is an old man and no honester than I., William Shakespeare, Much Ado about Nothing, Act 3 scene 1, Greatest English dramatist poet (1564 1616)
Silence is the perfect
Silence is the perfectest herald of joy: I were but little happy, if I could say how much., William Shakespeare, Much Ado about Nothing, Act 2 scene 1, Greatest English dramatist poet (1564 1616)
Friendship is constant
Friendship is constant in all other things Save in the office and affairs of love: Therefore all hearts in love use their own tongues Let every eye negotiate for itself And trust no agent., William Shakespeare, Much Ado about Nothing, Act 2 scene 1, Greatest English dramatist poet (1564 1616)
He wears his faith but
He wears his faith but as the fashion of his hat., William Shakespeare, Much Ado about Nothing, Act 1 scene 1, Greatest English dramatist poet (1564 1616)
Small cheer and great
Small cheer and great welcome makes a merry feast., William Shakespeare, The Comedy of Errors, Act 3 scene 1, Greatest English dramatist poet (1564 1616)
They say, best men are
They say, best men are moulded out of faults, And, for the most, become much more the better For being a little bad., William Shakespeare, Measure for Measure, Act 5 scene 1, Greatest English dramatist poet (1564 1616)
Truth is truth To the
Truth is truth To the end of reckoning., William Shakespeare, Measure for Measure, Act 5 scene 1, Greatest English dramatist poet (1564 1616)
The hand that hath mad
The hand that hath made you fair hath made you good., William Shakespeare, Measure for Measure, Act 3 scene 1, Greatest English dramatist poet (1564 1616)
The law hath not been
The law hath not been dead, though it hath slept., William Shakespeare, Measure for Measure, Act 2 scene 2, Greatest English dramatist poet (1564 1616)
Some rise by sin, and
Some rise by sin, and some by virtue fall., William Shakespeare, Measure for Measure, Act 2 scene 1, Greatest English dramatist poet (1564 1616)
Our doubts are traitor
Our doubts are traitors, And make us lose the good we oft might win By fearing to attempt., William Shakespeare, Measure for Measure, Act 1 scene 4, Greatest English dramatist poet (1564 1616)
This is the third time
This is the third time I hope good luck lies in odd numbers.... There is divinity in odd numbers, either in nativity, chance, or death., William Shakespeare, The Merry Wives of Windsor, Act 5 scene 1, Greatest English dramatist poet (1564 1616)
Your hearts are mighty
Your hearts are mighty, your skins are whole., William Shakespeare, The Merry Wives of Windsor, Act 4 scene 1, Greatest English dramatist poet (1564 1616)
I cannot tell what the
I cannot tell what the dickens his name is., William Shakespeare, The Merry Wives of Windsor, Act 3 scene 2, Greatest English dramatist poet (1564 1616)
We have some salt of o
We have some salt of our youth in us., William Shakespeare, The Merry Wives of Windsor, Act 2 scene 3, Greatest English dramatist poet (1564 1616)
This is the short and
This is the short and the long of it., William Shakespeare, The Merry Wives of Windsor, Act 2 scene 2, Greatest English dramatist poet (1564 1616)
We burn daylight., Wil
We burn daylight., William Shakespeare, The Merry Wives of Windsor, Act 1 scene 4, Greatest English dramatist poet (1564 1616)
Thou art the Mars of m
Thou art the Mars of malcontents., William Shakespeare, The Merry Wives of Windsor, Act 1 scene 3, Greatest English dramatist poet (1564 1616)
If there be no great l
If there be no great love in the beginning, yet heaven may decrease it upon better acquaintance, when we are married and have more occasion to know one another: I hope, upon familiarity will grow more contempt., William Shakespeare, The Merry Wives of Windsor, Act 1 scene 1, Greatest English dramatist poet (1564 1616)
It is a familiar beast
It is a familiar beast to man, and signifies love., William Shakespeare, The Merry Wives of Windsor, Act 1 scene 1, Greatest English dramatist poet (1564 1616)
I will make a Starcham
I will make a Starchamber matter of it., William Shakespeare, The Merry Wives of Windsor, Act 1 scene 1, Greatest English dramatist poet (1564 1616)
Come not within the me
Come not within the measure of my wrath., William Shakespeare, The Two Gentlemen of Verona, Act 5 scene 4, Greatest English dramatist poet (1564 1616)
How use doth breed a h
How use doth breed a habit in a man!, William Shakespeare, The Two Gentlemen of Verona, Act 5 scene 4, Greatest English dramatist poet (1564 1616)
That man that hath a t
That man that hath a tongue, I say, is no man,If with his tongue he cannot win a woman., William Shakespeare, The Two Gentlemen of Verona, Act 3 scene 1, Greatest English dramatist poet (1564 1616)
Observe your enemies,
Observe your enemies, for they first find out your faults., Antisthenes, Greek philosopher at Athens (445 BC 365 BC)
O, how this spring of
O, how this spring of love resembleth The uncertain glory of an April day!, William Shakespeare, The Two Gentlemen of Verona, Act 1 scene 3, Greatest English dramatist poet (1564 1616)
Homekeeping youth have
Homekeeping youth have ever homely wits., William Shakespeare, The Two Gentlemen of Verona, Act 1 scene 1, Greatest English dramatist poet (1564 1616)
Merrily, merrily shall
Merrily, merrily shall I live now, Under the blossom that hangs on the bough., William Shakespeare, The Tempest, Act 5 scene 1, Greatest English dramatist poet (1564 1616)
A kind Of excellent du
A kind Of excellent dumb discourse., William Shakespeare, The Tempest, Act 3 scene 3, Greatest English dramatist poet (1564 1616)
He that dies pays all
He that dies pays all debts., William Shakespeare, The Tempest, Act 3 scene 2, Greatest English dramatist poet (1564 1616)
Misery acquaints a man
Misery acquaints a man with strange bedfellows., William Shakespeare, The Tempest, Act 2 scene 2, Greatest English dramatist poet (1564 1616)
A very ancient and fis
A very ancient and fishlike smell., William Shakespeare, The Tempest, Act 2 scene 2, Greatest English dramatist poet (1564 1616)
The fringed curtains o
The fringed curtains of thine eye advance., William Shakespeare, The Tempest, Act 1 scene 2, Greatest English dramatist poet (1564 1616)
Full fathom five thy f
Full fathom five thy father lies Of his bones are coral made Those are pearls that were his eyes: Nothing of him that doth fade But doth suffer a seachange Into something rich and strange., William Shakespeare, The Tempest, Act 1 scene 2, Greatest English dramatist poet (1564 1616)
Fill all thy bones wit
Fill all thy bones with aches., William Shakespeare, The Tempest, Act 1 scene 2, Greatest English dramatist poet (1564 1616)
I will be corresponden
I will be correspondent to command, And do my spiriting gently., William Shakespeare, The Tempest, Act 1 scene 2, Greatest English dramatist poet (1564 1616)
From the stillvexed Be
From the stillvexed Bermoothes., William Shakespeare, The Tempest, Act 1 scene 2, Greatest English dramatist poet (1564 1616)
My library Was dukedom
My library Was dukedom large enough., William Shakespeare, The Tempest, Act 1 scene 2, Greatest English dramatist poet (1564 1616)
Like one Who having in
Like one Who having into truth, by telling of it, Made such a sinner of his memory, To credit his own lie., William Shakespeare, The Tempest, Act 1 scene 2, Greatest English dramatist poet (1564 1616)
Enjoy when you can, an
Enjoy when you can, and endure when you must., Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, German dramatist, novelist, poet, scientist (1749 1832)
I, thus neglecting wor
I, thus neglecting worldly ends, all dedicated To closeness and the bettering of my mind., William Shakespeare, The Tempest, Act 1 scene 2, Greatest English dramatist poet (1564 1616)
What seest thou elseIn
What seest thou elseIn the dark backward and abysm of time?, William Shakespeare, The Tempest, Act 1 scene 2, Greatest English dramatist poet (1564 1616)
Now would I give a tho
Now would I give a thousand furlongs of sea for an acre of barren ground., William Shakespeare, The Tempest, Act 1 scene 1, Greatest English dramatist poet (1564 1616)
I would fain die a dry
I would fain die a dry death., William Shakespeare, The Tempest, Act 1 scene 1, Greatest English dramatist poet (1564 1616)
Cherish your own emoti
Cherish your own emotions and never undervalue them., Robert Henri, US painter (1865 1929)
Never discourage anyon
Never discourage anyone...who continually makes progress, no matter how slow., Plato, Greek author philosopher in Athens (427 BC 347 BC)
Learn as much by writi
Learn as much by writing as by reading., Lord Acton,
Cats are intended to t
Cats are intended to teach us that not everything in nature has a function., Unknown, Quotations by unknown authors )
Make hunger thy sauce,
Make hunger thy sauce, as a medicine for health., Thomas Tusser, 1524,
If hunger makes you ir
If hunger makes you irritable, better eat and be pleasant., Sefer Hasidim,
Preach not to others w
Preach not to others what they should eat, but eat as becomes you, and be silent., Epictetus, Roman (Greekborn) slave Stoic philosopher (55 AD 135 AD)
When you have a number
When you have a number of disagreeable duties to perform, always do the most disagreeable first., Josiah Quincy,
Put even the plainest
Put even the plainest woman into a beautiful dress and unconsciously she will try to live up to it., Lady DuffGordon, English dressmaker (1863 1935)
Know, first, who you a
Know, first, who you are and then adorn yourself accordingly., Epictetus, Roman (Greekborn) slave Stoic philosopher (55 AD 135 AD)
Boys will be boys, and
Boys will be boys, and so will a lot of middleaged men., Kin Hubbard, (1868 1930)
If you shoot at mimes,
If you shoot at mimes, should you use a silencer?, Steven Wright, US comedian and actor (1955 )
My candle burns at bot
My candle burns at both endsIt will not last the nightBut ah, my foes, and oh, my friends It gives a lovely light., Edna St. Vincent Millay, A Few Figs from Thistles, 1920, US poet (1892 1950)
Never grow a wishbone,
Never grow a wishbone, daughter, where your backbone ought to be., Clementine Paddleford,
People ask for critici
People ask for criticism, but they only want praise., W. Somerset Maugham, Of Human Bondage, 1915, English dramatist novelist (1874 1965)
It was such a lovely d
It was such a lovely day I thought it was a pity to get up., W. Somerset Maugham, Our Betters, 1923, English dramatist novelist (1874 1965)
In this life he laughs
In this life he laughs longest who laughs last., John Masefield, Window in Bye Street, 1912, English author (1878 1967)
Politics is war withou
Politics is war without bloodshed while war is politics with bloodshed., Mao TseTung, Chinese Communist politician (1893 1976)
Once a newspaper touch
Once a newspaper touches a story, the facts are lost forever, even to the protagonists., Norman Mailer, Esquire, June 1960, US journalist novelist (1923 )
The medium is the mess
The medium is the message., Marshall McLuhan, Understanding Media, 1964, Canadian author, educator, philosopher (1911 1980)
The new electronic int
The new electronic interdependence recreates the world in the image of a global village., Marshall McLuhan, Gutenberg Galaxy, 1962, Canadian author, educator, philosopher (1911 1980)
While the State exists
While the State exists, there can be no freedom. When there is freedom there will be no State., Lenin, State and Revolution, 1919, Russian Communist politician revolutionary (1870 1924)
To accomplish great th
To accomplish great things, we must dream as well as act., Anatole France, French novelist (1844 1924)
Lord Ronald said nothi
Lord Ronald said nothing he flung himself from the room, flung himself upon his horse and rode madly off in all directions., Stephen Leacock, Nonsense Novels,1911, Canadian economist humorist (1869 1944)
The great nations have
The great nations have always acted like gangsters, and the small nations like prostitutes., Stanley Kubrick, in Guardian, June 5 1963, British (USborn) movie director (1928 )
Art does not reproduce
Art does not reproduce the visible rather, it makes visible., Paul Klee, Creative Credo, 1920, Swiss Abstractionist painter (1879 1940)
We must learn to live
We must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools., Martin Luther King Jr., Speech at St. Louis, March 22 1964, US black civil rights leader clergyman (1929 1968)
Injustice anywhere is
Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere., Martin Luther King Jr., Letter from Birmingham Jail, April 16 1963, US black civil rights leader clergyman (1929 1968)
The ultimate measure o
The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy., Martin Luther King Jr., Strength to Love, 1963, US black civil rights leader clergyman (1929 1968)
Nothing in all the wor
Nothing in all the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity., Martin Luther King Jr., Strength to Love, 1963, US black civil rights leader clergyman (1929 1968)
I believe that unarmed
I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word in reality. That is why right, temporarily defeated, is stronger than evil triumphant., Martin Luther King Jr., Accepting Nobel Peace Prize, Dec. 10 1964, US black civil rights leader clergyman (1929 1968)
I think that I shall n
I think that I shall never seeA poem lovely as a tree., Joyce Kilmer, Trees (poem), 1914, US poet (1886 1918)
Those who make peacefu
Those who make peaceful revolution impossible will make violent revolution inevitable., John F. Kennedy, In a speech at the White House, 1962, US Democratic politician (1917 1963)
And so, my fellow amer
And so, my fellow americans: ask not what your country can do for you ask what you can do for your country. My fellow citizens of the world: ask not what America will do for you, but what together we can do for the freedom of man., John F. Kennedy, Inaugural address, January 20 1961, US Democratic politician (1917 1963)
If a free society cann
If a free society cannot help the many who are poor, it cannot save the few who are rich., John F. Kennedy, Inaugural address, January 20 1961, US Democratic politician (1917 1963)
...probably the greate
...probably the greatest concentration of talent and genius in this house except for perhaps those times when Thomas Jefferson ate alone., John F. Kennedy, Describing a dinner for Nobel Prize winners, 1962, US Democratic politician (1917 1963)
Mankind must put an en
Mankind must put an end to war or war will put an end to mankind., John F. Kennedy, Speech to UN General Assembly, Sept. 25 1961, US Democratic politician (1917 1963)
Where love rules, ther
Where love rules, there is no will to power, and where power predominates, love is lacking. The one is the shadow of the other., Carl Jung, On the Psychology of the Unconciousness, 1917, Swiss psychologist (1875 1961)
As far as we can disce
As far as we can discern, the sole purpose of human existence is to kindle a light in the darkness of mere being., Carl Jung, Memories, Dreams, Reflections, 1962, Swiss psychologist (1875 1961)
Castles in the air th
Castles in the air they are so easy to take refuge in. And so easy to build, too., Henrik Ibsen, The Master builder, 1892 act 3, Norwegian dramatist (1828 1906)
Most human beings have
Most human beings have an almost infinite capacity for taking things for granted., Aldous Huxley, Themes and Variations, 1950, English critic novelist (1894 1963)
Experience is not what
Experience is not what happens to a man it is what a man does with what happens to him., Aldous Huxley, Texts and Pretexts, 1932, English critic novelist (1894 1963)
Facts do not cease to
Facts do not cease to exist because they are ignored., Aldous Huxley, Proper Studies, 1927, English critic novelist (1894 1963)
Either war is obsolete
Either war is obsolete or men are., R. Buckminster Fuller, New Yorker, Jan. 8 1966, US architect engineer (1895 1983)
Anatomy is destiny., S
Anatomy is destiny., Sigmund Freud, Collected Writings, 1924, Austrian psychologist (1856 1939)
If you would be a real
If you would be a real seeker after truth, it is necessary that at least once in your life you doubt, as far as possible, all things., Rene Descartes, French mathematician philosopher (1596 1650)
Science without religi
Science without religion is lame, religion without science is blind., Albert Einstein, Science, Philosophy and Religion: a Symposium, 1941, US (Germanborn) physicist (1879 1955)
If A is success in lif
If A is success in life, then A equals x plus y plus z. Work is x y is play and z is keeping your mouth shut., Albert Einstein, Observer, Jan. 15 1950, US (Germanborn) physicist (1879 1955)
The unleashed power of
The unleashed power of the atom has changed everything save our modes of thinking and we thus drift toward unparalleled catastrophe., Albert Einstein, Telegram, 24 May 1946, US (Germanborn) physicist (1879 1955)
At any rate, I am conv
At any rate, I am convinced that He [God] does not play dice., Albert Einstein, In a letter to Max Born, 1926, US (Germanborn) physicist (1879 1955)
Mediocrity knows nothi
Mediocrity knows nothing higher than itself, but talent instantly recognizes genius., Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, (Sherlock Holmes) Valley of Fear, 1915, British mystery author physician (1859 1930)
How often have I said
How often have I said to you that when you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth?, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, (Sherlock Holmes) The Sign of Four, 1890, British mystery author physician (1859 1930)
The case has, in some
The case has, in some respects, been not entirely devoid of interest., Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, (Sherlock Holmes) A Case of Identity, 1892, British mystery author physician (1859 1930)
It has long been an ax
It has long been an axiom of mine that the little things are infinitely the most important., Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, (Sherlock Holmes) A Case of Identity, 1892, British mystery author physician (1859 1930)
You see, but you do no
You see, but you do not observe., Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, (Sherlock Holmes) A Scandal in Bohemia, 1892, British mystery author physician (1859 1930)
Let a good man do good
Let a good man do good deeds with the same zeal that the evil man does bad ones., The Belzer Rabbi,
Since a politician nev
Since a politician never believes what he says, he is quite surprised to be taken at his word., Charles De Gaulle, French general politician (1890 1970)
In science the credit
In science the credit goes to the man who convinces the world, not the man to whom the idea first occurs., Sir Francis Darwin, Eugenics Review, April 1914, (1848 1925)
The chief business of
The chief business of the American people is business., Calvin Coolidge, Speech in Washington, Jan. 17 1925, 30th president of US (1872 1933)
There is no right to s
There is no right to strike against the public safety by anybody, anywhere, any time., Calvin Coolidge, in a telegram, 1919, 30th president of US (1872 1933)
Literature is the art
Literature is the art of writing something that will be read twice journalism what will be read once., Cyril Connolly, Enemies of Promise (1938), (1903 1974)
The worst tragedy for
The worst tragedy for a poet is to be admired through being misunderstood., Jean Cocteau, French dramatist, director, poet (1889 1963)
Whose life is it anywa
Whose life is it anyway?, Brian Clark, Play title, (1932 )
Do definite good first
Do definite good first of all to yourself, then to definite persons., John Lancaster Spalding,
The empires of the fut
The empires of the future are the empires of the mind., Sir Winston Churchill, Speech at Harvard University, September 6 1943, British politician (1874 1965)
I cannot forecast to y
I cannot forecast to you the action of Russia. It is a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma: but perhaps there is a key. That key is Russian national interest., Sir Winston Churchill, Radio speech, 1939, British politician (1874 1965)
Many forms of Governme
Many forms of Government have been tried, and will be tried in this world of sin and woe. No one pretends that democracy is perfect or allwise. Indeed, it has been said that democracy is the worst form of government except all those other forms that have been tried from time to time., Sir Winston Churchill, Hansard, November 11 1947, British politician (1874 1965)
The British nation is
The British nation is unique in this respect. They are the only people who like to be told how bad things are, who like to be told the worst., Sir Winston Churchill, Hansard, June 10 1941, British politician (1874 1965)
So they [the Governmen
So they [the Government] go on in strange paradox, decided only to be undecided, resolved to be irresolute, adamant for drift, solid for fluidity, allpowerful to be impotent., Sir Winston Churchill, Hansard, November 12 1936, British politician (1874 1965)
Now this is not the en
Now this is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning., Sir Winston Churchill, Speech in November 1942, British politician (1874 1965)
From Stettin in the Ba
From Stettin in the Baltic to Trieste in the Adriatic an iron curtain has descended across the Continent., Sir Winston Churchill, Speech in March 1946, British politician (1874 1965)
If we attend continual
If we attend continually and promptly to the little that we can do, we shall ere long be surprised to find how little remains that we cannot do., Samuel Butler, English composer, novelist, satiric author (1835 1902)
Here is the answer whi
Here is the answer which I will give to President Roosevelt... We shall not fail or falter we shall not weaken or tire. Neither the sudden shock of battle nor the longdrawn trials of vigilance and exertion will wear us down. Give us the tools and we will finish the job., Sir Winston Churchill, Radio speech, 1941, British politician (1874 1965)
One is left with the h
One is left with the horrible feeling now that war settles nothing that to win a war is as disastrous as to lose one., Agatha Christie, Autobiography (1977), English mystery author (1890 1976)
As soon as questions o
As soon as questions of will or decision or reason or choice of action arise, human science is at a loss., Noam Chomsky, in a television interview, US activist linguist (1928 )
The rich are the scum
The rich are the scum of the earth in every country., G. K. Chesterton, Flying Inn (1914), English author mystery novelist (1874 1936)
All slang is a metapho
All slang is a metaphor, and all metaphor is poetry., G. K. Chesterton, Defendant (1901), English author mystery novelist (1874 1936)
Literature is a luxury
Literature is a luxury fiction is a necessity., G. K. Chesterton, Defendant (1901), English author mystery novelist (1874 1936)
All I need to make a c
All I need to make a comedy is a park, a policeman and a pretty girl., Charlie Chaplin, in My Autobiography (1964), British actor, director, screenwriter (1889 1977)
Youth is something ver
Youth is something very new: twenty years ago no one mentioned it., Coco Chanel, French fashion designer perfumer (1883 1971)
I like trees because t
I like trees because they seem more resigned to the way they have to live than other things do., Willa Cather, O Pioneers! (1913), US novelist (1873 1947)
Determine never to be
Determine never to be idle...It is wonderful how much may be done if we are always doing., Thomas Jefferson, 3rd president of US (1743 1826)
We should live our liv
We should live our lives as though Christ were coming this afternoon., Jimmy Carter, Spech in March 1976, US diplomat Democratic politician (1924 )
You know what charm is
You know what charm is: a way of getting the answer yes without having asked any clear question., Albert Camus, La Chute (The Fall),1956, French existentialist author philosopher (1913 1960)
The postman always rin
The postman always rings twice., James M. Cain, Book title, US crime novelist screenwriter (1892 1977)
It has been said that
It has been said that the love of money is the root of all evil. The want of money is so quite as truly., Samuel Butler, Erewhon (1872), English composer, novelist, satiric author (1835 1902)
Politics is the art of
Politics is the art of the possible., Otto Von Bismarck, remark, Aug. 11 1867, German Prussian politician (1815 1898)
I think we might be go
I think we might be going a bridge too far., Sir Frederick Browning, (1896 1965)
The way to win an atom
The way to win an atomic war is to make certain it never starts., Omar Bradley, Speech to Boston Chamber of Commerce, 1948, US general (1893 1981)
When a dog bites a man
When a dog bites a man, that is not news, because it happens so often. But if a man bites a dog, that is news., John B. Bogart, (1848 1921)
He was born an English
He was born an Englishman and remained one for years., Brendan Behan, Hostage (1958), Irish author dramatist (1923 1964)
We are all born mad. S
We are all born mad. Some remain so., Samuel Beckett, Waiting for Godot (1955), Irish author, dramatist, novelist in France (1906 1989)
Vladimir: That passed
Vladimir: That passed the time.Estragon: It would have passed in any case.Vladimir: Yes, but not so rapidly., Samuel Beckett, Waiting for Godot (1955), Irish author, dramatist, novelist in France (1906 1989)
A platitude is simply
A platitude is simply a truth repeated until people get tired of hearing it., Stanley Baldwin, English politician (1867 1947)
No moral system can re
No moral system can rest solely on authority., A. J. Ayer, Humanist Outlook, (1910 1989)
One cannot review a ba
One cannot review a bad book without showing off., W. H. Auden, US (Englishborn) critic poet (1907 1973)
Some books are undeser
Some books are undeservedly forgotten none are undeservedly remembered., W. H. Auden, US (Englishborn) critic poet (1907 1973)
One, a robot may not i
One, a robot may not injure a human being, or through inaction, allow a human being to come to harmTwo, a robot must obey the orders given it by human beings except where such orders would conflict with the First Law Three, a robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Laws., Isaac Asimov, Laws of Robotics from I. Robot, 1950, US science fiction novelist scholar (1920 1992)
Under conditions of ty
Under conditions of tyranny it is far easier to act than to think., Hannah Arendt, US (Germanborn) historian social philosopher (1906 1975)
I know why the caged b
I know why the caged bird sings., Maya Angelou, Quoting a lyric by Paul Laurence Dunbar, US author poet (1928 )
Float like a butterfly
Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee., Muhammad Ali, Catch phrase, US boxer (1942 )
Open your mouth and pu
Open your mouth and purse cautiously, and your stock of wealth and reputation shall, at least in repute, be great., Johann Georg von Zimmermann,
Be discreet in all thi
Be discreet in all things, and so render it unnecessary to be mysterious about any., Arthur Wellesley, (first Duke of Wellington), British general politician (1769 1852)
Do not consider painfu
Do not consider painful what is good for you., Euripides, Greek tragic dramatist (484 BC 406 BC)
Remember not only to s
Remember not only to say the right thing in the right place, but far more difficult still, to leave unsaid the wrong thing at the tempting moment., Benjamin Franklin, US author, diplomat, inventor, physicist, politician, printer (1706 1790)
You might as well fall
You might as well fall flat on your face as lean over too far backward., James Thurber, US author, cartoonist, humorist, satirist (1894 1961)
The number of guests a
The number of guests at dinner should not be less than the number of the Graces nor exceed that of the Muses, i.e., it should begin with three and stop at nine., Marcus Terentius Varro, Roman scholar (116 BC 27 BC)
At a dinner party one
At a dinner party one should eat wisely but not too well, and talk well but not too wisely., W. Somerset Maugham, English dramatist novelist (1874 1965)
Thou shouldst eat to l
Thou shouldst eat to live not live to eat., Socrates, Greek philosopher in Athens (469 BC 399 BC)
Before God we are all
Before God we are all equally wise and equally foolish., Albert Einstein, US (Germanborn) physicist (1879 1955)
When you encounter dif
When you encounter difficulties and contradictions, do not try to break them, but bend them with gentleness and time., Saint Francis de Sales,
Act as if it were impo
Act as if it were impossible to fail., Dorothea Brande,
Few things are impossi
Few things are impossible to diligence and skill. Great works are performed not by strength, but perseverance., Samuel Johnson, English author, critic, lexicographer (1709 1784)
Never despair but if y
Never despair but if you do, work on in despair., Edmund Burke, Irish orator, philosopher, politician (1729 1797)
The roots of true achi
The roots of true achievement lie in the will to become the best that you can become., Harold Taylor,
Take time to deliberat
Take time to deliberate, but when the time for action has arrived, stop thinking and go in., Napoleon Bonaparte, French general politician (1769 1821)
Do not fear death so m
Do not fear death so much, but rather the inadequate life., Bertolt Brecht, The Mother, 1932, German Communist dramatist (1898 1956)
Wait until it is night
Wait until it is night before saying that it has been a fine day., French Proverb,
Be careful about readi
Be careful about reading health books. You may die of a misprint., Mark Twain, US humorist, novelist, short story author, wit (1835 1910)
If you greatly desire
If you greatly desire something, have the guts to stake everything on obtaining it., Brendan Francis,
Never expose yourself
Never expose yourself unnecessarily to danger a miracle may not save you...and if it does, it will be deducted from your share of luck or merit., The Talmud,
Never be a cynic, even
Never be a cynic, even a gentle one. Never help out a sneer, even at the devil., Vachel Lindsay, US poet (1879 1931)
Seize the moment of ex
Seize the moment of excited curiosity on any subject to solve your doubts for if you let it pass, the desire may never return, and you may remain in ignorance., William Wirt, US politician (1772 1834)
Rest satisfied with do
Rest satisfied with doing well, and leave others to talk of you as they please., Pythagoras, Greek mathematician, philosopher, scientist (582 BC 507 BC)
Reprove thy friend pri
Reprove thy friend privately commend him publicly., Solon, Greek lawgiver politician in Athens (638 BC 559 BC)
There is no den in the
There is no den in the wide world to hide a rogue. Commit a crime and the earth is made of glass. Commit a crime, and it seems as if a coat of snow fell on the ground, such as reveals in the woods the track of every partridge, and fox, and squirrel., Ralph Waldo Emerson, US essayist poet (1803 1882)
In the modern world of
In the modern world of business, it is useless to be a creative original thinker unless you can also sell what you create. Management cannot be expected to recognize a good idea unless it is presented to them by a good salesman., David M. Ogilvy,
If you bow at all, bow
If you bow at all, bow low., Chinese Proverb,
He that climbs the tal
He that climbs the tall tree has won right to the fruit., Sir Walter Scott, Scottish author novelist (1771 1832)
Fall seven times, stan
Fall seven times, stand up eight., Japanese Proverb,
Live as brave men and
Live as brave men and if fortune is adverse, front its blows with brave hearts., Cicero, Roman author, orator, politician (106 BC 43 BC)
This hath not offended
This hath not offended the king., Sir Thomas More, As he drew his beard aside upon placing his head on the block, From Bacon, English author, courtier, humanist, saint (1478 1535)
A little wonton money,
A little wonton money, which burned out the bottom of his purse., Sir Thomas More, Works, English author, courtier, humanist, saint (1478 1535)
They wonder much to he
They wonder much to hear that gold, which in itself is so useless a thing, should be everywhere so much esteemed, that even men for whom it was made, and by whom it has its value, should yet be thought of less value than it is., Sir Thomas More, Utopia, English author, courtier, humanist, saint (1478 1535)
Nature made him, and t
Nature made him, and then broke the mold., Ludovico Ariosto, Orlando Furioso, Italian epic poet (1474 1533)
Whoever desires to fou
Whoever desires to found a state and give it laws, must start with assuming that all men are bad and ever ready to display their vicious nature, whenever they may find occasion for it., Niccolo Machiavelli, Discourse upon the First Ten Books of Livy, Italian dramatist, historian, philosopher (1469 1527)
There is no other way
There is no other way of guarding oneself against flattery than by letting men understand that they will not offend you by speaking the truth but when everyone can tell you the truth, you lose their respect., Niccolo Machiavelli, The Prince, Italian dramatist, historian, philosopher (1469 1527)
Have courage for the g
Have courage for the great sorrows of life and patience for the small ones and when you have laboriously accomplished your daily task, go to sleep in peace. God is awake., Victor Hugo, French dramatist, novelist, poet (1802 1885)
There are three classe
There are three classes of intellects: one which comprehends by itself another which appreciates what others comprehend and a third which neither comprehends by itself nor by the showing of others the first is the most excellent, the second is good, and the third is useless., Niccolo Machiavelli, The Prince, Italian dramatist, historian, philosopher (1469 1527)
When neither their pro
When neither their property nor their honor is touched, the marjority of men live content., Niccolo Machiavelli, The Prince, Italian dramatist, historian, philosopher (1469 1527)
A prince should theref
A prince should therefore have no other aim or thought, nor take up any other thing for his study but war and it organization and discipline, for that is the only art that is necessary to one who commands., Niccolo Machiavelli, The Prince, Italian dramatist, historian, philosopher (1469 1527)
Since love and fear ca
Since love and fear can hardly exist together, if we must choose between them, it is far safer to be feared than loved., Niccolo Machiavelli, The Prince, Italian dramatist, historian, philosopher (1469 1527)
I say, thou mad March
I say, thou mad March hare., John Skelton, Replication Against Certain Young Scholars, English humorist poet (1460 1529)
The world wants to be
The world wants to be deceived., Sebastian Brant, The Ship of Fools, German humanist poet (1457 1521)
Iron rusts from disue
Iron rusts from disue stagnant water loses its purity and in cold weather becomes frozen even so does inaction sap the vigor of the mind., Leonardo da Vinci, The Notebooks, Italian engineer, painter, sculptor (1452 1519)
As a wellspent day bri
As a wellspent day brings happy sleep, so life well used brings happy death., Leonardo da Vinci, The Notebooks, Italian engineer, painter, sculptor (1452 1519)
Intellectual passion d
Intellectual passion dries out sensuality., Leonardo da Vinci, The Notebooks, Italian engineer, painter, sculptor (1452 1519)
You cannot run away fr
You cannot run away from a weakness you must sometimes fight it out or perish. And if that be so, why not now, and where you stand?, Robert Louis Stevenson, Scottish author (1850 1894)
Talk of nothing but bu
Talk of nothing but business, and dispatch that business quickly., Aldus Manutius, Placard on the door of the Aldine Press, Italian printer (1449 1515)
I know all except myse
I know all except myself., Francois Villon, Ballade des Menus Propres, French poet (1431 1463)
First keep the peace w
First keep the peace within yourself, then you can also bring peace to others., Thomas a Kempis, Imitation of Christ, 1420, German mystic religious author (1380 1471)
And when he is out of
And when he is out of sight, quickly also is he out of mind., Thomas a Kempis, Imitation of Christ, German mystic religious author (1380 1471)
Be not angry that you
Be not angry that you cannot make others as you wish them to be, since you cannot make yourself as you wish to be., Thomas a Kempis, Imitation of Christ, German mystic religious author (1380 1471)
Who will bell the cat?
Who will bell the cat?, William Langland, The Vision of Piers Plowman, English poet (1332 1400)
Manners maketh man., W
Manners maketh man., William of Wykeham, Motto of Winchester College and New College, Oxford, (1324 1404)
Rarely do great beauty
Rarely do great beauty and great virtue dwell together., Petrarch, De Remedies, Italian humanist, lyric poet, scholar (1304 1374)
A great flame follows
A great flame follows a little spark., Dante Alighieri, The Divine Comedy, Italian national epic poet (1265 1321)
If the present world g
If the present world go astray, the cause is in you, in you it is to be sought., Dante Alighieri, The Divine Comedy, Italian national epic poet (1265 1321)
Consider your origin y
Consider your origin you were not born to live like brutes, but to follow virtue and knowledge., Dante Alighieri, The Divine Comedy, Italian national epic poet (1265 1321)
A fair request should
A fair request should be followed by the deed in silence., Dante Alighieri, The Divine Comedy, Italian national epic poet (1265 1321)
He listens well who ta
He listens well who takes notes., Dante Alighieri, The Divine Comedy, Italian national epic poet (1265 1321)
There is no greater so
There is no greater sorrowThan to be mindful of the happy timeIn misery., Dante Alighieri, The Divine Comedy, Italian national epic poet (1265 1321)
All hope abandon, ye w
All hope abandon, ye who enter here!, Dante Alighieri, The Divine Comedy, Italian national epic poet (1265 1321)
In the middle of the j
In the middle of the journey of our life I came to myself within a dark wood where the straight way was lost., Dante Alighieri, The Divine Comedy, Italian national epic poet (1265 1321)
Three things are nece
Three things are necessary for the salvation of man: to know what he ought to believe to know what he ought to desire and to know what he ought to do., Saint Thomas Aquinas, Two Precepts of Charity, Italian saint theologian (1225 1274)
Ask advice only of you
Ask advice only of your equals., Danish Proverb,
He who comes first, ea
He who comes first, eats first. [Familiar as: First come first served.], Eike von Repkow, (~1220)
Do not hold as gold al
Do not hold as gold all that shines as gold., Alain de Lille, (~1202)
You will find somethin
You will find something more in woods than in books. Trees and stones will teach you that which you can never learn from masters., Saint Bernard, Epistle, French abbot saint (1090 1153)
He who has a thousand
He who has a thousand friends has not a friend to spare,And he who has one enemy will meet him everywhere., Ali ibnAbiTalib, A Hundred Sayings, (602 AD 661 AD)
Whoever destroys a sin
Whoever destroys a single life is as guilty as though he had destroyed the entire world and whoever rescues a single life earns as much merit as though he had rescued the entire world., The Talmud, Mishna. Sanhedrin,
I was in love with lov
I was in love with loving., Saint Augustine, Confessions, Carthaginian author, saint, church father (354 AD 430 AD)
Let him who desires pe
Let him who desires peace prepare for war., Flavius Vegetius Renatus, (~375 AD)
No one can harm the ma
No one can harm the man who does himself no wrong., Saint John Chrysostom, Letter to Olympia, saint, church father, patriarch (347 AD 407 AD)
Never look a gift hors
Never look a gift horse in the mouth., Saint Jerome, On the Epistle to the Ephesians, church father saint (374 AD 419 AD)
Never give advice unle
Never give advice unless asked., German Proverb,
When the stomach is fu
When the stomach is full, it is easy to talk of fasting., Saint Jerome, Letter, church father saint (374 AD 419 AD)
The scars of others sh
The scars of others should teach us caution., Saint Jerome, Letter, church father saint (374 AD 419 AD)
The face is the mirror
The face is the mirror of the mind, and eyes without speaking confess the secrets of the heart., Saint Jerome, Letter, church father saint (374 AD 419 AD)
A fat paunch never bre
A fat paunch never breeds fine thoughts., Saint Jerome, Letter, church father saint (374 AD 419 AD)
No athlete is crowned
No athlete is crowned but in the sweat of his brow., Saint Jerome, Letter, church father saint (374 AD 419 AD)
An unstable pilot stee
An unstable pilot steers a leaking ship, and the blind is leading the blind straight to the pit. The ruler is like the ruled., Saint Jerome, Letter, church father saint (374 AD 419 AD)
The friendship that ca
The friendship that can cease has never been real., Saint Jerome, Letter, church father saint (374 AD 419 AD)
Never advise anyone to
Never advise anyone to go to war or to marry., Spanish Proverb,
When you are at Rome l
When you are at Rome live in the Roman style when you are elsewhere live as they live elsewhere., Saint Ambrose, Taylor, Italian saint church father (339 AD 397 AD)
Out of the frying pan
Out of the frying pan into the fire., Quintus Septimius Tertullianus, De Carne Christi, Carthaginian church father (160 AD 230 AD)
Truth persuades by tea
Truth persuades by teaching, but does not teach by persuading., Quintus Septimius Tertullianus, Adversus Valentinianos, Carthaginian church father (160 AD 230 AD)
Think not disdainfully
Think not disdainfully of death, but look on it with favor for even death is one of the things that Nature wills., Marcus Aurelius Antoninus, Meditations, Roman Emperor, A.D. 161180 (121 AD 180 AD)
Very little is needed
Very little is needed to make a happy life., Marcus Aurelius Antoninus, Meditations, Roman Emperor, A.D. 161180 (121 AD 180 AD)
Nothing happens to any
Nothing happens to anybody which he is not fitted by nature to bear., Marcus Aurelius Antoninus, Meditations, Roman Emperor, A.D. 161180 (121 AD 180 AD)
Whatever is in any way
Whatever is in any way beautiful hath its source of beauty in itself, and is complete in itself praise forms no part of it. So it is none the worse nor the better for being praised., Marcus Aurelius Antoninus, Meditations, Roman Emperor, A.D. 161180 (121 AD 180 AD)
How much time he gains
How much time he gains who does not look to see what his neighbor says or does or thinks, but only at what he does himself, to make it just and holy., Marcus Aurelius Antoninus, Meditations, Roman Emperor, A.D. 161180 (121 AD 180 AD)
The universe is change
The universe is change our life is what our thoughts make it., Marcus Aurelius Antoninus, Meditations, Roman Emperor, A.D. 161180 (121 AD 180 AD)
People who ask our adv
People who ask our advice almost never take it. Yet we should never refuse to give it, upon request, for it often helps us to see our own way more clearly., Brendan Francis,
By a tranquil mind I m
By a tranquil mind I mean nothing else than a mind well ordered., Marcus Aurelius Antoninus, Meditations, Roman Emperor, A.D. 161180 (121 AD 180 AD)
Never esteem anything
Never esteem anything as of advantage to you that will make you break your word or lose your selfrespect., Marcus Aurelius Antoninus, Meditations, Roman Emperor, A.D. 161180 (121 AD 180 AD)
You will find rest fro
You will find rest from vain fancies if you perform every act in life as though it were your last., Marcus Aurelius Antoninus, Meditations, Roman Emperor, A.D. 161180 (121 AD 180 AD)
His only fault is that
His only fault is that he has no fault., Pliny the Younger, Letters, Roman author politician (62 AD 114 AD)
That indolent but agre
That indolent but agre
An object in possessio
An object in possession seldom retains the same charm that it had in pursuit., Pliny the Younger, Letters, Roman author politician (62 AD 114 AD)
It is the rare fortuen
It is the rare fortuene of these days that one may think what one likes and say what one thinks., Cornelius Tacitus, Histories, Roman historian politician (55 AD 117 AD)
You should pray for a
You should pray for a sound mind in a sound body., Juvenal, Satires, Roman poet satirist (55 AD 127 AD)
The people that once b
The people that once bestowed commands, consulships, legions, and all else, now concerns itself no more, and longs eagerly for just two things bread and circuses!, Juvenal, Satires, Roman poet satirist (55 AD 127 AD)
Never trust the advice
Never trust the advice of a man in difficulties., Aesop, Greek slave fable author (620 BC 560 BC)
Count it the greatest
Count it the greatest sin to prefer life to honor, and for the sake of living to lose what makes life worth having., Juvenal, Satires, Roman poet satirist (55 AD 127 AD)
Who will guard the gua
Who will guard the guards themselves?(quis custodiet ipsos custodes?), Juvenal, Satires, Roman poet satirist (55 AD 127 AD)
It is not easy for men
It is not easy for men to rise whose qualities are thwarted by poverty., Juvenal, Satires, Roman poet satirist (55 AD 127 AD)
What is the first busi
What is the first business of one who practices philosophy? To get rid of selfconceit. For it is impossible for anyone to begin to learn that which he thinks he already knows., Epictetus, Discourses, Roman (Greekborn) slave Stoic philosopher (55 AD 135 AD)
Only the educated are
Only the educated are free., Epictetus, Discourses, Roman (Greekborn) slave Stoic philosopher (55 AD 135 AD)
When you close your do
When you close your doors, and make darkness within, remember never to say that you are alone, for you are not alone nay, God is within, and your genius is within. And what need have they of light to see what you are doing?, Epictetus, Discourses, Roman (Greekborn) slave Stoic philosopher (55 AD 135 AD)
For to err in opinion,
For to err in opinion, though it be not the part of wise men, is at least human., Plutarch, Morals, Greek biographer moralist (46 AD 120 AD)
When the candles are o
When the candles are out all women are fair., Plutarch, Morals, Greek biographer moralist (46 AD 120 AD)
An old doting fool, wi
An old doting fool, with one foot already in the grave., Plutarch, Morals, Greek biographer moralist (46 AD 120 AD)
The very spring and ro
The very spring and root of honesty and virtue lie in good education., Plutarch, Morals, Greek biographer moralist (46 AD 120 AD)
Never take the advice
Never take the advice of someone who has not had your kind of trouble., Sidney J. Harris,
Perseverance is more p
Perseverance is more prevailing than violence and many things which cannot be overcome when they are together, yield themselves up when taken little by little., Plutarch, Lives, Greek biographer moralist (46 AD 120 AD)
Virtue extends our day
Virtue extends our days: he live two lives who relives his past with pleasure., Marcus Valerius Martialis, Epigrams, (40 AD 103 AD)
A man who lives everyw
A man who lives everywhere lives nowhere., Marcus Valerius Martialis, Epigrams, (40 AD 103 AD)
Conceal a flaw, and th
Conceal a flaw, and the world will imagine the worst., Marcus Valerius Martialis, Epigrams, (40 AD 103 AD)
Everyone ought to wors
Everyone ought to worship God according to his own inclinations, and not to be constrained by force., Flavius Josephus, Life, JewishRoman historian turncoat (37 AD 100 AD)
Those who wish to appe
Those who wish to appear wise among fools, among the wise seem foolish., Quintilian, De Institutione Oratoria, Roman rhetorician )
A liar should have a g
A liar should have a good memory., Quintilian, De Institutione Oratoria, Roman rhetorician )
One good turn deserves
One good turn deserves another., Gaius Petronius, (~66 AD)
The best plan is to pr
The best plan is to profit by the folly of others., Pliny the Elder, Natural History, Roman scholar scientist (23 AD 79 AD)
The advice of friends
The advice of friends must be received with a judicious reserve we must not give ourselves up to it and follow it blindly, whether right or wrong., Pierre Charron,
There is always someth
There is always something new out of Africa., Pliny the Elder, Natural History, Roman scholar scientist (23 AD 79 AD)
Indeed, what is there
Indeed, what is there that does not appear marvelous when it comes to our knowledge for the first time? How many things, too, are looked upon as quite impossible until they have been actually effected?, Pliny the Elder, Natural History, Roman scholar scientist (23 AD 79 AD)
In comparing various a
In comparing various authors with one another, I have discovered that some of the gravest and latest writers have transcribed, word for word, from former works, without making acknowledgment., Pliny the Elder, Natural History, Roman scholar scientist (23 AD 79 AD)
Would that the Roman p
Would that the Roman people had a single neck [to cut off their head]., Caligula (Gaius Caesar), From Suetonius, Roman emperor 037041 (12 AD 41 AD)
There is no great geni
There is no great genius without some touch of madness., Seneca, Epistles, Roman dramatist, philosopher, politician (5 BC 65 AD)
Fire is the test of go
Fire is the test of gold adversity, of strong men., Seneca, Epistles, Roman dramatist, philosopher, politician (5 BC 65 AD)
It is better, of cours
It is better, of cours, to know useless things than to know nothing., Seneca, Epistles, Roman dramatist, philosopher, politician (5 BC 65 AD)
You can tell the chara
You can tell the character of every man when you see how he receives praise., Seneca, Epistles, Roman dramatist, philosopher, politician (5 BC 65 AD)
It is quality rather t
It is quality rather than quantity that matters., Seneca, Epistles, Roman dramatist, philosopher, politician (5 BC 65 AD)
In giving advice, seek
In giving advice, seek to help, not please, your friend., Solon, Greek lawgiver politician in Athens (638 BC 559 BC)
The best ideas are com
The best ideas are common property., Seneca, Epistles, Roman dramatist, philosopher, politician (5 BC 65 AD)
It is not the man who
It is not the man who has too little, but the man who craves more, that is poor., Seneca, Epistles, Roman dramatist, philosopher, politician (5 BC 65 AD)
To add insult to injur
To add insult to injury., Phaedrus, Fables, Roman author of fables (15 BC 50 AD)
Time the devourer of a
Time the devourer of all things., Ovid, Metamorphoses, Roman poet (43 BC 17 AD)
We can learn even from
We can learn even from our enemies., Ovid, Metamorphoses, Roman poet (43 BC 17 AD)
Nothing is stronger th
Nothing is stronger than habit., Ovid, Ars Amatoria, Roman poet (43 BC 17 AD)
To be loved, be lovabl
To be loved, be lovable., Ovid, Ars Amatoria, Roman poet (43 BC 17 AD)
Absence makes the hear
Absence makes the heart grow fonder., Sextus Propertius, Elegies, Roman poet (? 15 BC)
Let no one be willing
Let no one be willing to speak ill of the absent., Sextus Propertius, Elegies, Roman poet (? 15 BC)
Let each man pass his
Let each man pass his days in that wherein his skill is greatest., Sextus Propertius, Elegies, Roman poet (? 15 BC)
Speech is a mirror of
Speech is a mirror of the soul: as a man speaks, so is he., Publilius Syrus, (~100 BC)
I have often regretted
I have often regretted my speech, never my silence., Publilius Syrus, (~100 BC)
It is a consolation to
It is a consolation to the wretched to have companions in misery., Publilius Syrus, (~100 BC)
Let a fool hold his to
Let a fool hold his tongue and he will pass for a sage., Publilius Syrus, (~100 BC)
Prosperity makes frien
Prosperity makes friends, adversity tries them., Publilius Syrus, (~100 BC)
Better be ignorant of
Better be ignorant of a matter than half know it., Publilius Syrus, (~100 BC)
No one knows what he c
No one knows what he can do till he tries., Publilius Syrus, (~100 BC)
At my lemonade stand I
At my lemonade stand I used to give the first glass away free and charge five dollars for the second glass. The refill contained the antidote., Emo Phillips, US comedian )
It takes a long time t
It takes a long time to bring excellence to maturity., Publilius Syrus, (~100 BC)
Pardon one offense, an
Pardon one offense, and you encourage the commission of many., Publilius Syrus, (~100 BC)
It is a very hard unde
It is a very hard undertaking to seek to please everybody., Publilius Syrus, (~100 BC)
You should go to a pea
You should go to a pear tree for pears, not to an elm., Publilius Syrus, (~100 BC)
Money alone sets all t
Money alone sets all the world in motion., Publilius Syrus, (~100 BC)
Every day should be pa
Every day should be passed as if it were to be our last., Publilius Syrus, (~100 BC)
No man is happy who do
No man is happy who does not think himself so., Publilius Syrus, (~100 BC)
It is not every questi
It is not every question that deserves an answer., Publilius Syrus, (~100 BC)
Do not turn back when
Do not turn back when you are just at the goal., Publilius Syrus, (~100 BC)
It is only the ignoran
It is only the ignorant who despise education., Publilius Syrus, (~100 BC)
One needs to be slow t
One needs to be slow to form convictions, but once formed they must be defended against the heaviest odds., Mahatma Gandhi, Indian ascetic nationalist leader (1869 1948)
We desire nothing so m
We desire nothing so much as what we ought not to have., Publilius Syrus, (~100 BC)
Nothing can be done at
Nothing can be done at once hastily and prudently., Publilius Syrus, (~100 BC)
No one should be judge
No one should be judge in his own case., Publilius Syrus, (~100 BC)
Never promise more tha
Never promise more than you can perform., Publilius Syrus, (~100 BC)
A rolling stone gather
A rolling stone gathers no moss., Publilius Syrus, (~100 BC)
The fear of death is m
The fear of death is more to be dreaded than death itself., Publilius Syrus, (~100 BC)
It is a bad plan that
It is a bad plan that admits of no modification., Publilius Syrus, (~100 BC)
The judge is condemned
The judge is condemned when the criminal is absolved., Publilius Syrus, (~100 BC)
Treat your friend as i
Treat your friend as if he might become an enemy., Publilius Syrus, (~100 BC)
Remember that what you
Remember that what you believe will depend very much on what you are., Noah Porter, US clergyman, educator, philosopher (1811 1892)
Anyone can hold the he
Anyone can hold the helm when the sea is calm., Publilius Syrus, (~100 BC)
There are some remedie
There are some remedies worse than the disease., Publilius Syrus, (~100 BC)
A fair exterior is a s
A fair exterior is a silent recommendation., Publilius Syrus, (~100 BC)
What is left when hono
What is left when honor is lost?, Publilius Syrus, (~100 BC)
For a good cause, wron
For a good cause, wrongdoing is virtuous., Publilius Syrus, (~100 BC)
While we stop to think
While we stop to think, we often miss our opportunity., Publilius Syrus, (~100 BC)
Many receive advice, f
Many receive advice, few profit by it., Publilius Syrus, (~100 BC)
A good reputation is m
A good reputation is more valuable than money., Publilius Syrus, (~100 BC)
The loss which is unkn
The loss which is unknown is no loss at all., Publilius Syrus, (~100 BC)
To do two things at on
To do two things at once is to do neither., Publilius Syrus, (~100 BC)
The time to stop talki
The time to stop talking is when the other person nods his head affirmatively but says nothing., Henry S. Haskins,
He doubly benefits the
He doubly benefits the needy who gives quickly., Publilius Syrus, (~100 BC)
It is better to learn
It is better to learn late than never., Publilius Syrus, (~100 BC)
As men, we are all equ
As men, we are all equal in the presence of death., Publilius Syrus, (~100 BC)
Better late than never
Better late than never., Titus Livius, History, Roman author historian (59 BC 17 AD)
Young men, hear an old
Young men, hear an old man to whom old men hearkened when he was young., Caesar Augustus, from Plutarch, Apothegms, Roman politician (63 BC 14 AD)
I found Rome a city of
I found Rome a city of bricks and left it a city of marble., Caesar Augustus, from Suetonius, Augustus, Roman politician (63 BC 14 AD)
He wins every hand who
He wins every hand who mingles profit with pleasure., Horace, Epistles, Roman lyric poet satirist (65 BC 8 BC)
It is when I struggle
It is when I struggle to be brief that I become obscure., Horace, Epistles, Roman lyric poet satirist (65 BC 8 BC)
The years as they pass
The years as they pass plunder us of one thing after another., Horace, Epistles, Roman lyric poet satirist (65 BC 8 BC)
Once a word has been a
Once a word has been allowed to escape, it cannot be recalled., Horace, Epistles, Roman lyric poet satirist (65 BC 8 BC)
Think to yourself that
Think to yourself that every day is your last the hour to which you do not look forward will come as a welcome surprise., Horace, Epistles, Roman lyric poet satirist (65 BC 8 BC)
The covetous man is ev
The covetous man is ever in want., Horace, Epistles, Roman lyric poet satirist (65 BC 8 BC)
He who has begun has h
He who has begun has half done. Dare to be wise begin!, Horace, Epistles, Roman lyric poet satirist (65 BC 8 BC)
Make money, money by f
Make money, money by fair means if you can, if not, but any means money., Horace, Epistles, Roman lyric poet satirist (65 BC 8 BC)
To flee vice is the be
To flee vice is the beginning of virtue, and to have got rid of folly is the beginning of wisdom., Horace, Epistles, Roman lyric poet satirist (65 BC 8 BC)
It is not the rich man
It is not the rich man you should properly call happy, but him who knows how to use with wisdom the blessings of the gods, to endure hard poverty, and who fears dishonor worse than death, and is not afraid to die for cherished friends or fatherland., Horace, Odes, Roman lyric poet satirist (65 BC 8 BC)
Many brave men lived b
Many brave men lived before Agamemnon but all are overwhelmed in eternal night, unwept, unknown, because they lack a sacred poet., Horace, Odes, Roman lyric poet satirist (65 BC 8 BC)
With you I should love
With you I should love to live, with you be ready to die., Horace, Odes, Roman lyric poet satirist (65 BC 8 BC)
Force without wisdom f
Force without wisdom falls of its own weight., Horace, Odes, Roman lyric poet satirist (65 BC 8 BC)
Whoever cultivates the
Whoever cultivates the golden mean avoids both the poverty of a hovel and the envy of a palace., Horace, Odes, Roman lyric poet satirist (65 BC 8 BC)
Trumpet in a herd of e
Trumpet in a herd of elephants crow in the company of cocks bleat in a flock of goats., Malayan Proverb,
In adversity remember
In adversity remember to keep an even mind., Horace, Odes, Roman lyric poet satirist (65 BC 8 BC)
Seize the day, put no
Seize the day, put no trust in the morrow![Carpe diem, quam minimum credula postero.], Horace, Odes, Roman lyric poet satirist (65 BC 8 BC)
Cease to ask what the
Cease to ask what the morrow will bring forth. And set down as gain each day that Fortune grants., Horace, Odes, Roman lyric poet satirist (65 BC 8 BC)
Life grants nothing to
Life grants nothing to us mortals without hard work., Horace, Satires, Roman lyric poet satirist (65 BC 8 BC)
We rarely find anyone
We rarely find anyone who can say he has lived a happy life, and who, content with his life, can retire from the world like a satisfied guest., Horace, Satires, Roman lyric poet satirist (65 BC 8 BC)
There is measure in al
There is measure in all things., Horace, Satires, Roman lyric poet satirist (65 BC 8 BC)
Believe one who has pr
Believe one who has proved it. Believe an expert., Virgil, Aeneid, Roman epic poet (70 BC 19 BC)
Fortune favors the bra
Fortune favors the brave., Virgil, Aeneid, Roman epic poet (70 BC 19 BC)
Each of us bears his o
Each of us bears his own Hell., Virgil, Aeneid, Roman epic poet (70 BC 19 BC)
One of the best rules
One of the best rules in conversation is, never to say a thing which any of the company can reasonably wish had been left unsaid., Jonathan Swift, Irish essayist, novelist, satirist (1667 1745)
Yield not to evils, bu
Yield not to evils, but attack all the more boldly., Virgil, Aeneid, Roman epic poet (70 BC 19 BC)
Whatever it is, I fear
Whatever it is, I fear Greeks even when they bring gifts., Virgil, Aeneid, Roman epic poet (70 BC 19 BC)
I have known sorrow an
I have known sorrow and learned to aid the wretched., Virgil, Aeneid, Roman epic poet (70 BC 19 BC)
Love conquers all thin
Love conquers all things let us too surrender to Love., Virgil, Eclogues, Roman epic poet (70 BC 19 BC)
Let us go singing as f
Let us go singing as far as we go: the road will be less tedious., Virgil, Eclogues, Roman epic poet (70 BC 19 BC)
A snake lurks in the g
A snake lurks in the grass., Virgil, Eclogues, Roman epic poet (70 BC 19 BC)
To like and dislike th
To like and dislike the same things, that is indeed true friendship., Sallust, The War with Catiline, Roman historian politician (86 BC 34 BC)
Ambition drove many me
Ambition drove many men to become false to have one thought locked in the breast, another ready on the tongue., Sallust, The War with Catiline, Roman historian politician (86 BC 34 BC)
The renown which riche
The renown which riches or beauty confer is fleeting and frail mental excellence is a splendid and lasting possession., Sallust, The War with Catiline, Roman historian politician (86 BC 34 BC)
What is food to one, i
What is food to one, is to others bitter poison., Lucretius, De Rerum Natura, Roman Epicurean poet, philosopher, scientist (96 BC 55 BC)
Nothing can be created
Nothing can be created from nothing., Lucretius, De Rerum Natura, Roman Epicurean poet, philosopher, scientist (96 BC 55 BC)
Such evil deeds could
Such evil deeds could religion prompt., Lucretius, De Rerum Natura, Roman Epicurean poet, philosopher, scientist (96 BC 55 BC)
It is not these wellfe
It is not these wellfed longhaired men that I fear, but the pale and the hungrylooking., Julius Caesar, from Plutarch, Lives, Roman author, general, politician (100 BC 44 BC)
Et tu, Brute.[You also
Et tu, Brute.[You also, Brutus.], Julius Caesar, from Suetonius, Lives of the Caesars, Roman author, general, politician (100 BC 44 BC)
Veni, vidi, vici.[I ca
Veni, vidi, vici.[I came, I saw, I conquered], Julius Caesar, from Suetonius, Lives of the Caesars, Roman author, general, politician (100 BC 44 BC)
Men willingly believe
Men willingly believe what they wish., Julius Caesar, De Bello Gallico, Roman author, general, politician (100 BC 44 BC)
Endless money forms th
Endless money forms the sinews of war., Cicero, Philippics, Roman author, orator, politician (106 BC 43 BC)
A friend is, as it wer
A friend is, as it were, a second self., Cicero, De Amicitia, Roman author, orator, politician (106 BC 43 BC)
Be contented when you
Be contented when you have got all you want., Holbrook Jackson,
The shifts of Fortune
The shifts of Fortune test the reliability of friends., Cicero, De Amicitia, Roman author, orator, politician (106 BC 43 BC)
Let the punishment mat
Let the punishment match the offense., Cicero, De Legibus, Roman author, orator, politician (106 BC 43 BC)
If a man aspires to th
If a man aspires to the highest place, it is no dishonor to him to halt at the second, or even at the third., Cicero, Orator, Roman author, orator, politician (106 BC 43 BC)
The freedom of poetic
The freedom of poetic license., Cicero, Pro Publio Sestio, Roman author, orator, politician (106 BC 43 BC)
History is the witness
History is the witness that testifies to the passing of time it illumines reality, vitalizes memory, provides guidance in daily life and brings us tidings of antiquity., Cicero, Pro Publio Sestio, Roman author, orator, politician (106 BC 43 BC)
Law stands mute in the
Law stands mute in the midst of arms., Cicero, Pro Milone, Roman author, orator, politician (106 BC 43 BC)
The longest part of th
The longest part of the journey is said to be the passing of the gate., Marcus Terentius Varro, On Agriculture, Roman scholar (116 BC 27 BC)
Do not spoil what you
Do not spoil what you have by desiring what you have not but remember that what you now have was once among the things only hoped for., Epicurus, Greek philosopher (341 BC 270 BC)
I bid him look into th
I bid him look into the lives of men as though into a mirror, and from others to take an example for himself., Terence, Adelphoe, Roman comic dramatist (185 BC 159 BC)
Fortune helps the brav
Fortune helps the brave., Terence, Phormio, Roman comic dramatist (185 BC 159 BC)
I have everything, yet
I have everything, yet have nothing and although I possess nothing, still of nothing am I in want., Terence, Eunuchus, Roman comic dramatist (185 BC 159 BC)
In fact, nothing is sa
In fact, nothing is said that has not been said before., Terence, Eunuchus, Roman comic dramatist (185 BC 159 BC)
Charity begins at home
Charity begins at home., Terence, Andria, Roman comic dramatist (185 BC 159 BC)
Moderation in all thin
Moderation in all things., Terence, Andria, Roman comic dramatist (185 BC 159 BC)
There is no witness so
There is no witness so dreadful, no accuser so terrible as the conscience that dwells in the heart of every man., Polybius, History, Greek historian (205 BC 118 BC)
Those who know how to
Those who know how to win are much more numerous than those who know how to make proper use of their victories., Polybius, History, Greek historian (205 BC 118 BC)
Enjoy your own life wi
Enjoy your own life without comparing it with that of another., Marquis de Condorcet, French politician (1743 1794)
He plants trees to ben
He plants trees to benefit another generation., Caecilius Statius, Synephebi, (220 BC 168 BC)
An orator is a good ma
An orator is a good man who is skilled in speaking., Cato the Elder, from Seneca the Elder, Controversiae, Roman orator politician (234 BC 149 BC)
I would much rather ha
I would much rather have men ask why I have no statue, than why I have one., Cato the Elder, from Plutarch, Lives, Roman orator politician (234 BC 149 BC)
Wise men profit more f
Wise men profit more from fools than fools from wise men for the wise men shun the mistakes of fools, but fools do not imitate the successes of the wise., Cato the Elder, from Plutarch, Lives, Roman orator politician (234 BC 149 BC)
Even though work stops
Even though work stops, expenses run on., Cato the Elder, On Agriculture, Roman orator politician (234 BC 149 BC)
On action alone be thy
On action alone be thy interest,Never on its fruits.Let not the fruits of action be thy motive,Nor be thy attachment to inaction., Bhagavad Gita, Chapter 2, (250 BC 250 AD)
For certain is death f
For certain is death for the bornAnd certain is birth for the deadTherefore over the inevitableThou shouldst not grieve., Bhagavad Gita, Chapter 2, (250 BC 250 AD)
Practice yourself what
Practice yourself what you preach., Titus Maccius Plautus, Asinaria, Roman comic dramatist (254 BC 184 BC)
Nothing is there more
Nothing is there more friendly to a man than a friend in need., Titus Maccius Plautus, Epidicus, Roman comic dramatist (254 BC 184 BC)
No man is wise enough
No man is wise enough by himself., Titus Maccius Plautus, Miles Gloriosus, Roman comic dramatist (254 BC 184 BC)
Do not throw the arrow
Do not throw the arrow which will return against you., Kurdish Proverb,
Patience is the best r
Patience is the best remedy for every trouble., Titus Maccius Plautus, Rudens, Roman comic dramatist (254 BC 184 BC)
There are occasions wh
There are occasions when it is undoubtedly better to incur loss than to make gain., Titus Maccius Plautus, Captivi, Roman comic dramatist (254 BC 184 BC)
Not by age but by capa
Not by age but by capacity is wisdom acquired., Titus Maccius Plautus, Trinummus, Roman comic dramatist (254 BC 184 BC)
What is yours is mine,
What is yours is mine, and all mine is yours., Titus Maccius Plautus, Trinummus, Roman comic dramatist (254 BC 184 BC)
Give me where to stand
Give me where to stand, and I will move the earth., Archimedes, from Pappus of Alexandria, Collectio, Greek inventor, mathematician, physicist (287 BC 212 BC)
Another such victory o
Another such victory over the Romans, and we are undone., Pyrrhus, from Plutarch, Lives, king of Epirus 306b302b, 297b272b (319 BC 272 BC)
Though boys throw ston
Though boys throw stones at frogs in sport, the frogs do not die in sport, but in earnest., Bion, Greek bucolic poet (~100 BC)
Keep your broken arm i
Keep your broken arm inside your sleeve., Chinese Proverb,
The goal of life is li
The goal of life is living in agreement with nature., Zeno, from Diogenes Laertius, Lives of Eminent Philosophers, Greek philosopher (335 BC 264 BC)
Time is the most valua
Time is the most valuable thing a man can spend., Theophrastus, from Diogenes Laertius, Lives of Eminent Philosophers, Greek botanist, humorist, naturalist (300 BC 287 BC)
Pleasure is the beginn
Pleasure is the beginning and the end of living happily., Epicurus, from Diogenes Laertius, Lives of Eminent Philosophers, Greek philosopher (341 BC 270 BC)
Death is nothing to us
Death is nothing to us, since when we are, death has not come, and when death has come, we are not., Epicurus, from Diogenes Laertius, Lives of Eminent Philosophers, Greek philosopher (341 BC 270 BC)
The man who runs may f
The man who runs may fight again., Menander, Monostikoi (Single Lines), Greek comic dramatist (342 BC 292 BC)
It is not white hair t
It is not white hair that engenders wisdom., Menander, Unidentified fragment, Greek comic dramatist (342 BC 292 BC)
I call a fig a fig, a
I call a fig a fig, a spade a spade., Menander, Unidentified fragment, Greek comic dramatist (342 BC 292 BC)
Deus ex machina [A god
Deus ex machina [A god from the machine], Menander, The Woman Possessed with a Divinity, Greek comic dramatist (342 BC 292 BC)
Whom the gods love die
Whom the gods love dies young., Menander, The Double Deceiver, Greek comic dramatist (342 BC 292 BC)
Riches cover a multitu
Riches cover a multitude of woes., Menander, Lady of Andros, Greek comic dramatist (342 BC 292 BC)
When you meet your ant
When you meet your antagonist, do everything in a mild and agreeable manner. Let your courage be as keen, but at the same time as polished, as your sword., Richard Brinsley Sheridan, Irish dramatist politician (1751 1816)
The best victory is wh
The best victory is when the opponent surrenders of its own accord before there are any actual hostilities...It is best to win without fighting., Suntzu, Chinese general military strategist (~400 BC)
Victorious warriors wi
Victorious warriors win first and then go to war, while defeated warriors go to war first and then seek to win., Suntzu, Chinese general military strategist (~400 BC)
A military operation i
A military operation involves deception. Even though you are competent, appear to be incompetent. Though effective, appear to be ineffective., Suntzu, Chinese general military strategist (~400 BC)
Cherish that which is
Cherish that which is within you, and shut off that which is without., Chuangtzu, On Tolerance, (369 BC 286 BC)
He who pursues fame at
He who pursues fame at the risk of losing his self is not a scholar., Chuangtzu, The Great Supreme, (369 BC 286 BC)
Great wisdom is genero
Great wisdom is generous petty wisdom is contentious. Great speech is impassioned, small speech cantankerous., Chuangtzu, On Leveling All Things, (369 BC 286 BC)
Men must be decided on
Men must be decided on what they will not do, and then they are able to act with vigor in what they ought to do., Mencius, Works, Chinese Confucian philosopher (371 BC 289 BC)
Sincerity is the way o
Sincerity is the way of Heaven., Mencius, Works, Chinese Confucian philosopher (371 BC 289 BC)
Never has a man who ha
Never has a man who has bent himself been able to make others straight., Mencius, Works, Chinese Confucian philosopher (371 BC 289 BC)
Nothing is easier than
Nothing is easier than selfdeceit. For what each man wishes, that he also believes to be true., Demosthenes, Third Olynthiac, Greek orator politician in Athens (384 BC 322 BC)
Every advantage in the
Every advantage in the past is judged in the light of the final issue., Demosthenes, First Olynthiac, Greek orator politician in Athens (384 BC 322 BC)
Misfortune shows those
Misfortune shows those who are not really friends., Aristotle, Eudemian Ethics, Greek critic, philosopher, physicist, zoologist (384 BC 322 BC)
A likely impossibility
A likely impossibility is always preferable to an unconvincing possibility., Aristotle, Rhetoric, Greek critic, philosopher, physicist, zoologist (384 BC 322 BC)
A whole is that which
A whole is that which has beginning, middle and end., Aristotle, Rhetoric, Greek critic, philosopher, physicist, zoologist (384 BC 322 BC)
It is simplicity that
It is simplicity that makes the uneducated more effective than the educated when addressing popular audiences., Aristotle, Rhetoric, Greek critic, philosopher, physicist, zoologist (384 BC 322 BC)
Evil draws men togethe
Evil draws men together., Aristotle, Rhetoric, Greek critic, philosopher, physicist, zoologist (384 BC 322 BC)
Law is order, and good
Law is order, and good law is good order., Aristotle, Politics, Greek critic, philosopher, physicist, zoologist (384 BC 322 BC)
The basis of a democra
The basis of a democratic state is liberty., Aristotle, Politics, Greek critic, philosopher, physicist, zoologist (384 BC 322 BC)
Well begun is half don
Well begun is half done., Aristotle, Politics (quoting a proverb), Greek critic, philosopher, physicist, zoologist (384 BC 322 BC)
If liberty and equalit
If liberty and equality, as is thought by some are chiefly to be found in democracy, they will be best attained when all persons alike share in the government to the utmost., Aristotle, Politics, Greek critic, philosopher, physicist, zoologist (384 BC 322 BC)
A state is not a mere
A state is not a mere society, having a common place, established for the prevention of mutual crime and for the sake of exchange...Political society exists for the sake of noble actions, and not of mere companionship., Aristotle, Politics, Greek critic, philosopher, physicist, zoologist (384 BC 322 BC)
They should rule who a
They should rule who are able to rule best., Aristotle, Politics, Greek critic, philosopher, physicist, zoologist (384 BC 322 BC)
Again, men in general
Again, men in general desire the good, and not merely what their fathers had., Aristotle, Politics, Greek critic, philosopher, physicist, zoologist (384 BC 322 BC)
Even when laws have be
Even when laws have been written down, they ought not always to remain unaltered., Aristotle, Politics, Greek critic, philosopher, physicist, zoologist (384 BC 322 BC)
It is the nature of de
It is the nature of desire not to be satisfied, and most men live only for the gratification of it., Aristotle, Politics, Greek critic, philosopher, physicist, zoologist (384 BC 322 BC)
He who is unable to li
He who is unable to live in society, or who has no need because he is sufficient for himself, must be either a beast or a god., Aristotle, Politics, Greek critic, philosopher, physicist, zoologist (384 BC 322 BC)
Nature does nothing us
Nature does nothing uselessly., Aristotle, Politics, Greek critic, philosopher, physicist, zoologist (384 BC 322 BC)
Man is by nature a pol
Man is by nature a political animal., Aristotle, Politics, Greek critic, philosopher, physicist, zoologist (384 BC 322 BC)
Above all things, neve
Above all things, never be afraid. The enemy who forces you to retreat is himself afraid of you at that very moment., Andre Maurois, French author (1885 1967)
With regard to excelle
With regard to excellence, it is not enough to know, but we must try to have and use it., Aristotle, Nichomachean Ethics, Greek critic, philosopher, physicist, zoologist (384 BC 322 BC)
We make war that we ma
We make war that we may live in peace., Aristotle, Nichomachean Ethics, Greek critic, philosopher, physicist, zoologist (384 BC 322 BC)
To enjoy the things we
To enjoy the things we ought and to hate the things we ought has the greatest bearing on excellence of character., Aristotle, Nichomachean Ethics, Greek critic, philosopher, physicist, zoologist (384 BC 322 BC)
To be conscious that w
To be conscious that we are perceiving or thinking is to be conscious of our own existence., Aristotle, Nichomachean Ethics, Greek critic, philosopher, physicist, zoologist (384 BC 322 BC)
Without friends no one
Without friends no one would choose to live, though he had all other goods., Aristotle, Nichomachean Ethics, Greek critic, philosopher, physicist, zoologist (384 BC 322 BC)
We must as second best
We must as second best...take the least of the evils., Aristotle, Nichomachean Ethics, Greek critic, philosopher, physicist, zoologist (384 BC 322 BC)
It is possible to fail
It is possible to fail in many ways...while to succeed is possible only in one way., Aristotle, Nichomachean Ethics, Greek critic, philosopher, physicist, zoologist (384 BC 322 BC)
For the things we have
For the things we have to learn before we can do them, we learn by doing them., Aristotle, Nichomachean Ethics, Greek critic, philosopher, physicist, zoologist (384 BC 322 BC)
One swallow does not m
One swallow does not make a summer., Aristotle, Nichomachean Ethics, Greek critic, philosopher, physicist, zoologist (384 BC 322 BC)
Piety requires us to h
Piety requires us to honor truth above our friends., Aristotle, Nichomachean Ethics, Greek critic, philosopher, physicist, zoologist (384 BC 322 BC)
The best armor is to k
The best armor is to keep out of range., Italian Proverb,
All men by nature desi
All men by nature desire knowledge., Aristotle, Metaphysics, Greek critic, philosopher, physicist, zoologist (384 BC 322 BC)
In all things of natur
In all things of nature there is something of the marvelous., Aristotle, Parts of Animals, Greek critic, philosopher, physicist, zoologist (384 BC 322 BC)
Time crumbles things e
Time crumbles things everything grows old under the power of Time and is forgotten through the lapse of Time., Aristotle, Physics, Greek critic, philosopher, physicist, zoologist (384 BC 322 BC)
Education is the best
Education is the best provision for old age., Aristotle, from Diogenes Laertius, Lives of Eminent Philosophers, Greek critic, philosopher, physicist, zoologist (384 BC 322 BC)
I have gained this by
I have gained this by philosophy: that I do without being commanded what others do only from fear of the law., Aristotle, from Diogenes Laertius, Lives of Eminent Philosophers, Greek critic, philosopher, physicist, zoologist (384 BC 322 BC)
What is a friend? A si
What is a friend? A single soul dwelling in two bodies., Aristotle, from Diogenes Laertius, Lives of Eminent Philosophers, Greek critic, philosopher, physicist, zoologist (384 BC 322 BC)
Hope is a waking dream
Hope is a waking dream., Aristotle, from Diogenes Laertius, Lives of Eminent Philosophers, Greek critic, philosopher, physicist, zoologist (384 BC 322 BC)
Liars when they speak
Liars when they speak the truth are not believed., Aristotle, from Diogenes Laertius, Lives of Eminent Philosophers, Greek critic, philosopher, physicist, zoologist (384 BC 322 BC)
[When asked what was t
[When asked what was the proper time for supper] If you are a rich man, whenever you please and if you are a poor man, whenever you can., Diogenes the Cynic, from Diogenes Laertius, Lives of Eminent Philosophers, (412 BC 323 BC)
Have I inadvertently s
Have I inadvertently said some evil thing?, Phocion, from Plutarch, Apothegms, Greek general politician in Athens (402 BC 318 BC)
You are young, my son,
You are young, my son, and, as the years go by, time will change and even reverse many of your present opinions. Refrain therefore awhile from setting yourself up as a judge of the highest matters., Plato, Dialogues, Theatetus, Greek author philosopher in Athens (427 BC 347 BC)
The greatest penalty o
The greatest penalty of evildoing namely, to grow into the likeness of bad men., Plato, Dialogues, Theatetus, Greek author philosopher in Athens (427 BC 347 BC)
You cannot conceive th
You cannot conceive the many without the one., Plato, Dialogues, Parmenides, Greek author philosopher in Athens (427 BC 347 BC)
The soul of man is imm
The soul of man is immortal and imperishable., Plato, The Republic, Greek author philosopher in Athens (427 BC 347 BC)
There are three arts w
There are three arts which are concerned with all things: one which uses, another which makes, and a third which imitates them., Plato, The Republic, Greek author philosopher in Athens (427 BC 347 BC)
The people have always
The people have always some champion whom they set over them and nurse into greatness...This and no other is the root from which a tyrant springs when he first appears he is a protector., Plato, The Republic, Greek author philosopher in Athens (427 BC 347 BC)
Bodily exercise, when
Bodily exercise, when compulsory, does no harm to the body but knowledge which is acquired under compulsion obtains no hold on the mind., Plato, The Republic, Greek author philosopher in Athens (427 BC 347 BC)
I have hardly ever kno
I have hardly ever known a mathematician who was capable of reasoning., Plato, The Republic, Greek author philosopher in Athens (427 BC 347 BC)
Astronomy compels the
Astronomy compels the soul to look upwards and leads us from this world to another., Plato, The Republic, Greek author philosopher in Athens (427 BC 347 BC)
The direction in which
The direction in which education starts a man will determine his future life., Plato, The Republic, Greek author philosopher in Athens (427 BC 347 BC)
Wealth is the parent o
Wealth is the parent of luxury and indolence, and poverty of meanness and viciousness, and both of discontent., Plato, The Republic, Greek author philosopher in Athens (427 BC 347 BC)
Everything that deceiv
Everything that deceives may be said to enchant., Plato, The Republic, Greek author philosopher in Athens (427 BC 347 BC)
The beginning is the m
The beginning is the most important part of the work., Plato, The Republic, Greek author philosopher in Athens (427 BC 347 BC)
Mankind censure injust
Mankind censure injustice fearing that they may be the victims of it, and not because they shrink from committing it., Plato, The Republic, Greek author philosopher in Athens (427 BC 347 BC)
When there is an incom
When there is an income tax, the just man will pay more and the unjust less on the same amount of income., Plato, The Republic, Greek author philosopher in Athens (427 BC 347 BC)
He who is of calm and
He who is of calm and happy nature will hardly feel the pressure of age, but to him who is of an opposite disposition youth and age are equally a burden., Plato, The Republic, Greek author philosopher in Athens (427 BC 347 BC)
False words are not on
False words are not only evil in themselves, but they infect the soul with evil., Plato, Dialogues, Phaedo, Greek author philosopher in Athens (427 BC 347 BC)
The partisan, when he
The partisan, when he is engaged in a dispute, cares nothing about the rights of the question, but is anxious only to convince his hearers of his own assertions., Plato, Dialogues, Phaedo, Greek author philosopher in Athens (427 BC 347 BC)
Must not all things at
Must not all things at the last be swallowed up in death?, Plato, Dialogues, Phaedo, Greek author philosopher in Athens (427 BC 347 BC)
The hour of departure
The hour of departure has arrived, and we go our ways I to die, and you to live. Which is better God only knows., Socrates, in Plato, Dialogues, Apology, Greek philosopher in Athens (469 BC 399 BC)
If you treat people ri
If you treat people right they will treat you right ninety percent of the time., Franklin D. Roosevelt, 32nd president of US (1882 1945)
Assuming either the Le
Assuming either the Left Wing or the Right Wing gained control of the country, it would probably fly around in circles., Pat Paulsen,
No evil can happen to
No evil can happen to a good man, either in life or after death., Plato, Dialogues, Apology, Greek author philosopher in Athens (427 BC 347 BC)
The unexamined life is
The unexamined life is not worth living for man., Socrates, in Plato, Dialogues, Apology, Greek philosopher in Athens (469 BC 399 BC)
Friends have all thing
Friends have all things in common., Plato, Dialogues, Phaedrus, Greek author philosopher in Athens (427 BC 347 BC)
Criticism comes easier
Criticism comes easier than craftsmanship., Zeuxis, Greek painter (~400 BC)
This only is denied to
This only is denied to God: the power to undo the past., Agathon, from Aristotle, Nicomachean Ethics, (448 BC 400 BC)
High thoughts must hav
High thoughts must have high language., Aristophanes, Frogs, 405 B.C., Greek Athenian comic dramatist (450 BC 388 BC)
Shall I crack any of t
Shall I crack any of those old jokes, master,At which the audience never fail to laugh?, Aristophanes, Frogs, 405 B.C., Greek Athenian comic dramatist (450 BC 388 BC)
Under every stone lurk
Under every stone lurks a politician., Aristophanes, Thesmophoriazusae, 410 B.C., Greek Athenian comic dramatist (450 BC 388 BC)
Let each man exercise
Let each man exercise the art he knows., Aristophanes, Wasps, 422 B.C., Greek Athenian comic dramatist (450 BC 388 BC)
This is what extremely
This is what extremely grieves us, that a man who never foughtShould contrive our fees to pilfer, on who for his native landNever to this day had oar, or lance, or blister in his hand., Aristophanes, Wasps, 422 B.C., Greek Athenian comic dramatist (450 BC 388 BC)
You have all the chara
You have all the characteristics of a popular politician: a horrible voice, bad breeding, and a vulgar manner., Aristophanes, Knights, 424 B.C., Greek Athenian comic dramatist (450 BC 388 BC)
We secure our friends
We secure our friends not by accepting favors but by doing them., Thucydides, Peloponnesian War, Greek historian (471 BC 400 BC)
Prayer indeed is good,
Prayer indeed is good, but while calling on the gods a man should himself lend a hand., Hippocrates, Regimen, Greek physician (460 BC 377 BC)
Many admire, few know.
Many admire, few know., Hippocrates, Regimen, Greek physician (460 BC 377 BC)
A wise man should cons
A wise man should consider that health is the greatest of human blessings, and learn how by his own thought to derive benefit from his illnesses., Hippocrates, Regimen in Health, Greek physician (460 BC 377 BC)
Idleness and lack of o
Idleness and lack of occupation tend nay are dragged towards evil., Hippocrates, Decorum, Greek physician (460 BC 377 BC)
Things that are holy a
Things that are holy are revealed only to men who are holy., Hippocrates, Law, Greek physician (460 BC 377 BC)
There are in fact two
There are in fact two things, science and opinion the former begets knowledge, the latter ignorance., Hippocrates, Law, Greek physician (460 BC 377 BC)
Healing is a matter of
Healing is a matter of time, but it is sometimes also a matter of opportunity., Hippocrates, Precepts, Greek physician (460 BC 377 BC)
As to diseases make a
As to diseases make a habit of two things to help, or at least, to do no harm., Hippocrates, Epidemics, Greek physician (460 BC 377 BC)
Word is a shadow of a
Word is a shadow of a deed., Democritus, Fragment 145, Greek philosopher (460 BC 370 BC)
I am not an Athenian o
I am not an Athenian or a Greek, but a citizen of the world., Socrates, from Plutarch, Of Banishment, Greek philosopher in Athens (469 BC 399 BC)
Bad men live that they
Bad men live that they may eat and drink, whereas good men eat and drink that they may live., Socrates, from Plutarch, How a Young Man Ought to Hear Poems, Greek philosopher in Athens (469 BC 399 BC)
I know nothing except
I know nothing except the fact of my ignorance., Socrates, from Diogenes Laertius, Lives of Eminent Philosophers, Greek philosopher in Athens (469 BC 399 BC)
There is only one good
There is only one good, knowledge, and one evil, ignorance., Socrates, from Diogenes Laertius, Lives of Eminent Philosophers, Greek philosopher in Athens (469 BC 399 BC)
Having the fewest want
Having the fewest wants, I am nearest to the gods., Socrates, from Diogenes Laertius, Lives of Eminent Philosophers, Greek philosopher in Athens (469 BC 399 BC)
There are two sides to
There are two sides to every question., Protagoras, from Diogenes Laertius, Lives of Eminent Philosophers, Greek philosopher (485 BC 421 BC)
Man is the measure of
Man is the measure of all things., Protagoras, Fragment 1, Greek philosopher (485 BC 421 BC)
In soft regions are bo
In soft regions are born soft men., Herodotus, The Histories of Herodotus, Greek historian traveler (484 BC 430 BC)
Labor to keep alive in
Labor to keep alive in your breast that little spark of celestial fire called conscience., George Washington, First president of US (1732 1799)
This is the bitterest
This is the bitterest pain among men, to have much knowledge but no power., Herodotus, The Histories of Herodotus, Greek historian traveler (484 BC 430 BC)
Not snow, no, nor rain
Not snow, no, nor rain, nor heat, nor night keeps them from accomplishing their appointed courses with all speed., Herodotus, The Histories of Herodotus, Greek historian traveler (484 BC 430 BC)
Neither snow, nor rain
Neither snow, nor rain, nor heat, nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds., Herodotus, Inscription, New York City Post Office, adapted from Herodotus, Greek historian traveler (484 BC 430 BC)
Great deeds are usuall
Great deeds are usually wrought at great risks., Herodotus, The Histories of Herodotus, Greek historian traveler (484 BC 430 BC)
Haste in every busine
Haste in every business brings failures., Herodotus, The Histories of Herodotus, Greek historian traveler (484 BC 430 BC)
Force has no place whe
Force has no place where there is need of skill., Herodotus, The Histories of Herodotus, Greek historian traveler (484 BC 430 BC)
It is better to be env
It is better to be envied than pitied., Herodotus, The Histories of Herodotus, Greek historian traveler (484 BC 430 BC)
If a man insisted alwa
If a man insisted always on being serious, and never allowed himself a bit of fun and relaxation, he would go mad or become unstable without knowing it., Herodotus, The Histories of Herodotus, Greek historian traveler (484 BC 430 BC)
In peace, children int
In peace, children inter their parents war violates the order of nature and causes parents to inter their children., Herodotus, The Histories of Herodotus, Greek historian traveler (484 BC 430 BC)
Men trust their ears l
Men trust their ears less than their eyes., Herodotus, The Histories of Herodotus, Greek historian traveler (484 BC 430 BC)
The gods visit the sin
The gods visit the sins of the fathers upon the children., Euripides, Phrixus, Greek tragic dramatist (484 BC 406 BC)
Whoso neglects learnin
Whoso neglects learning in his youth,Loses the past and is dead for the future., Euripides, Phrixus, Greek tragic dramatist (484 BC 406 BC)
Every man is like the
Every man is like the company he is wont to keep., Euripides, Phoenix, Greek tragic dramatist (484 BC 406 BC)
When good men die thei
When good men die their goodness does not perish,But lives though they are gone. As for the bad,All that was theirs dies and is buried with them., Euripides, Temenidae, Greek tragic dramatist (484 BC 406 BC)
Waste not fresh tears
Waste not fresh tears over old griefs., Euripides, Alexander, Greek tragic dramatist (484 BC 406 BC)
Time will explain it a
Time will explain it all. He is a talker, and needs no questioning before he speaks., Euripides, Aeolus, Greek tragic dramatist (484 BC 406 BC)
A bad beginning makes
A bad beginning makes a bad ending., Euripides, Aegeus, Greek tragic dramatist (484 BC 406 BC)
You have to have confi
You have to have confidence in your ability, and then be tough enough to follow through., Rosalynn Carter, US wife of Jimmy Carter 1946 (1927 )
The company of just an
The company of just and righteous men is better than wealth and a rich estate., Euripides, Aegeus, Greek tragic dramatist (484 BC 406 BC)
Slow but sure moves th
Slow but sure moves the might of the gods., Euripides, The Bacchae, circa 407 B.C., Greek tragic dramatist (484 BC 406 BC)
Talk sense to a fool a
Talk sense to a fool and he calls you foolish., Euripides, The Bacchae, circa 407 B.C., Greek tragic dramatist (484 BC 406 BC)
The day is for honest
The day is for honest men, the night for thieves., Euripides, Iphigenia in Tauris, circa 412 B.C., Greek tragic dramatist (484 BC 406 BC)
I care for riches, to
I care for riches, to make giftsTo friends, or lead a sick man back to healthWith ease and plenty. Else small aid is wealthFor daily gladness once a man be doneWith hunger, rich and poor are all as one., Euripides, Electra, 413 B.C., Greek tragic dramatist (484 BC 406 BC)
Leave no stone unturne
Leave no stone unturned., Euripides, Heraclidae, circa 428 B.C., Greek tragic dramatist (484 BC 406 BC)
My tongue swore, but m
My tongue swore, but my mind was still unpledged., Euripides, Hippolytus, 428 B.C., Greek tragic dramatist (484 BC 406 BC)
In this world second t
In this world second thoughts, it seems, are best., Euripides, Hippolytus, 428 B.C., Greek tragic dramatist (484 BC 406 BC)
There is one thing alo
There is one thing alonethat stands the brunt of life throughout its course:a quiet conscience., Euripides, Hippolytus, 428 B.C., Greek tragic dramatist (484 BC 406 BC)
I know indeed what evi
I know indeed what evil I intend to do,but stronger than all my afterthoughts is my fury,fury that brings upon mortals the greatest evils., Euripides, Medea, 431 B.C., Greek tragic dramatist (484 BC 406 BC)
When love is in excess
When love is in excess it brings a man nor honor nor any worthiness., Euripides, Medea, 431 B.C., Greek tragic dramatist (484 BC 406 BC)
There is no benefit in
There is no benefit in the gifts of a bad man., Euripides, Medea, 431 B.C., Greek tragic dramatist (484 BC 406 BC)
Time cancels young pai
Time cancels young pain., Euripides, Alcestis, 438 B.C., Greek tragic dramatist (484 BC 406 BC)
I have found power in
I have found power in the mysteries of thought,exaltation in the changing of the MusesI have been versed in the reasonings of menbut Fate is stronger than anything I have known., Euripides, Alcestis, 438 B.C., Greek tragic dramatist (484 BC 406 BC)
You were a stranger to
You were a stranger to sorrow: therefore Fate has cursed you., Euripides, Alcestis, 438 B.C., Greek tragic dramatist (484 BC 406 BC)
Dishonor will not trou
Dishonor will not trouble me, once I am dead., Euripides, Alcestis, 438 B.C., Greek tragic dramatist (484 BC 406 BC)
Light be the earth upo
Light be the earth upon you, lightly rest., Euripides, Alcestis, 438 B.C., Greek tragic dramatist (484 BC 406 BC)
A sweet thing, for wha
A sweet thing, for whatever time,to revisit in dreams the dear dad we have lost., Euripides, Alcestis, 438 B.C., Greek tragic dramatist (484 BC 406 BC)
A second wifeis hatefu
A second wifeis hateful to the children of the firsta viper is not more hateful., Euripides, Alcestis, 438 B.C., Greek tragic dramatist (484 BC 406 BC)
Never say that marriag
Never say that marriage has more of joy than pain., Euripides, Alcestis, 438 B.C., Greek tragic dramatist (484 BC 406 BC)
To him who is in fear
To him who is in fear everything rustles., Sophocles, Acrisius, Greek tragic dramatist (496 BC 406 BC)
Truly, to tell lies is
Truly, to tell lies is not honorablebut when the truth entails tremendous ruin,To speak dishonorably is pardonable., Sophocles, Creusa, Greek tragic dramatist (496 BC 406 BC)
It made our hair stand
It made our hair stand up in panic fear., Sophocles, Oedipus at Colonus, Greek tragic dramatist (496 BC 406 BC)
One wordFrees us of al
One wordFrees us of all the weight and pain of life:That word is love., Sophocles, Oedipus at Colonus, Greek tragic dramatist (496 BC 406 BC)
The good befriend them
The good befriend themselves., Sophocles, Oedipus at Colonus, Greek tragic dramatist (496 BC 406 BC)
Be civil to all sociab
Be civil to all sociable to many familiar with few friend to one enemy to none., Benjamin Franklin, US author, diplomat, inventor, physicist, politician, printer (1706 1790)
Stranger in a strange
Stranger in a strange country., Sophocles, Oedipus at Colonus, Greek tragic dramatist (496 BC 406 BC)
Rash indeed is he who
Rash indeed is he who reckons on the morrow, or haply on days beyond it for tomorrow is not, until today is past., Sophocles, Trachiniae, Greek tragic dramatist (496 BC 406 BC)
Knowledge must come th
Knowledge must come through action you can have no test which is not fanciful, save by trial., Sophocles, Trachiniae, Greek tragic dramatist (496 BC 406 BC)
A prudent mind can see
A prudent mind can see room for misgiving, lest he who prospers would one day suffer reverse., Sophocles, Trachiniae, Greek tragic dramatist (496 BC 406 BC)
Death is not the worst
Death is not the worst rather, in vainTo wish for death, and not to compass it., Sophocles, Electra, Greek tragic dramatist (496 BC 406 BC)
There is no happiness
There is no happiness where there is no wisdomNo wisdom but in submission to the gods.Big words are always punished,And proud men in old age learn to be wise., Sophocles, Antigone, Greek tragic dramatist (496 BC 406 BC)
Wisdom outweighs any w
Wisdom outweighs any wealth., Sophocles, Antigone, Greek tragic dramatist (496 BC 406 BC)
The ideal conditionWou
The ideal conditionWould be, I admit, that men should be right by instinctBut since we are all likely to go astray,The reasonable thing is to learn from those who can teach., Sophocles, Antigone, Greek tragic dramatist (496 BC 406 BC)
Be neither too remote
Be neither too remote nor too familiar., Prince Charles, of Wales, British prince (1948 )
Grief teaches the stea
Grief teaches the steadiest minds to waver., Sophocles, Antigone, Greek tragic dramatist (496 BC 406 BC)
How dreadful it is whe
How dreadful it is when the right judge judges wrong!, Sophocles, Antigone, Greek tragic dramatist (496 BC 406 BC)
Nobody likes the man w
Nobody likes the man who brings bad news., Sophocles, Antigone, Greek tragic dramatist (496 BC 406 BC)
I have nothing but con
I have nothing but contempt for the kind of governor who is afraid, for whatever reason, to follow the course that he knows is best for the State and as for the man who sets private friendship above the public welfare I have no use for him either., Sophocles, Antigone, Greek tragic dramatist (496 BC 406 BC)
For God hates utterlyT
For God hates utterlyThe bray of bragging tongues., Sophocles, Antigone, Greek tragic dramatist (496 BC 406 BC)
Time eases all things.
Time eases all things., Sophocles, Oedipus Rex, Greek tragic dramatist (496 BC 406 BC)
The greatest griefs ar
The greatest griefs are those we cause ourselves., Sophocles, Oedipus Rex, Greek tragic dramatist (496 BC 406 BC)
Make yourself necessar
Make yourself necessary to somebody. Do not make life hard to any., Ralph Waldo Emerson, US essayist poet (1803 1882)
As long as people will
As long as people will accept crap, it will be financially profitable to dispense it., Dick Cavett, US comedian television host (1936 )
It is not righteousne
It is not righteousness to outrageA brave man dead, not even though you hate him., Sophocles, Ajax, Greek tragic dramatist (496 BC 406 BC)
Men of ill judgment of
Men of ill judgment oft ignore the goodThat lies within their hands, till they have lost it., Sophocles, Ajax, Greek tragic dramatist (496 BC 406 BC)
Trees, though they are
Trees, though they are cut and lopped, grow up again quickly, but if men are destroyed, it is not easy to get them again., Pericles, from Plutarch, Lives, Greek politician in Athens (490 BC 429 BC)
Wait for that wisest o
Wait for that wisest of all counselors, Time., Pericles, from Plutarch, Lives, Greek politician in Athens (490 BC 429 BC)
The descent to Hades i
The descent to Hades is the same from every place., Anaxagoras, from Diogenes Laertius, Lives of Eminent Philosophers, Greek astronomer philosopher (500 BC 428 BC)
Words have a longer li
Words have a longer life than deeds., Pindar, Nemean Odes, Greek lyric poet (522 BC 443 BC)
His resolve is not to
His resolve is not to seem, but to be, the best., Aeschylus, The Seven Against Thebes, Greek tragic dramatist (525 BC 456 BC)
I know how men in exil
I know how men in exile feed on dreams of hope., Aeschylus, Agamemnon, Greek tragic dramatist (525 BC 456 BC)
Vigorous writing is co
Vigorous writing is concise., William Strunk Jr., The Elements of Style, 1919,
Death is better, a mil
Death is better, a milder fate than tyranny., Aeschylus, Agamemnon, Greek tragic dramatist (525 BC 456 BC)
It is in the character
It is in the character of very few men to honor without envy a friend who has prospered., Aeschylus, Agamemnon, Greek tragic dramatist (525 BC 456 BC)
Time as he grows old t
Time as he grows old teaches all things., Aeschylus, Prometheus Bound, Greek tragic dramatist (525 BC 456 BC)
Words are the physicia
Words are the physicians of the mind diseased., Aeschylus, Prometheus Bound, Greek tragic dramatist (525 BC 456 BC)
I have with me two god
I have with me two gods, Persuasion and Compulsion., Themistocles, from Plutarch, Lives, Greek general politician in Athens (527 BC 460 BC)
I choose the likely ma
I choose the likely man in preference to the rich man I want a man without money rather than money without a man., Themistocles, from Plutarch, Lives, Greek general politician in Athens (527 BC 460 BC)
It is better to hide i
It is better to hide ignorance, but it is hard to do this when we relax over wine., Heraclitus, On the Universe, Greek philosopher (540 BC 480 BC)
If you would be pungen
If you would be pungent, be brief for it is with words as with sunbeams the more they are condensed, the deeper they burn., Robert Southey, English poet (1774 1843)
The road up and the ro
The road up and the road down is one and the same., Heraclitus, On the Universe, Greek philosopher (540 BC 480 BC)
You could not step twi
You could not step twice into the same river for other waters are ever flowing on to you., Heraclitus, On the Universe, Greek philosopher (540 BC 480 BC)
Much learning does not
Much learning does not teach understanding., Heraclitus, On the Universe, Greek philosopher (540 BC 480 BC)
Nature is wont to hide
Nature is wont to hide herself., Heraclitus, On the Universe, Greek philosopher (540 BC 480 BC)
Nothing endures but ch
Nothing endures but change., Heraclitus, from Diogenes Laertius, Lives of Eminent Philosophers, Greek philosopher (540 BC 480 BC)
All is flux, nothing s
All is flux, nothing stays still., Heraclitus, from Diogenes Laertius, Lives of Eminent Philosophers, Greek philosopher (540 BC 480 BC)
Without an acquaintanc
Without an acquaintance with the rules of propriety, it is impossible for the character to be established., Confucius, The Confucian Analects, Chinese philosopher reformer (551 BC 479 BC)
There are three things
There are three things which the superior man guards against. In youth...lust. When he is strong...quarrelsomeness. When he is old...covetousness., Confucius, The Confucian Analects, Chinese philosopher reformer (551 BC 479 BC)
To be able to practice
To be able to practice five things everywhere under heaven constitutes perfect virtue...[They are] gravity, generosity of soul, sincerity, earnestness, and kindness., Confucius, The Confucian Analects, Chinese philosopher reformer (551 BC 479 BC)
By nature, men are nea
By nature, men are nearly alike by practice, they get to be wide apart., Confucius, The Confucian Analects, Chinese philosopher reformer (551 BC 479 BC)
Beware of dissipating
Beware of dissipating your powers strive constantly to concentrate them. Genius thinks it can do whatever it sees others doing, but is sure to repent of every illjudged outlay., Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, German dramatist, novelist, poet, scientist (1749 1832)
Virtue is more to man
Virtue is more to man than either water or fire. I have seen men die from treading on water and fire, but I have never seen a man die from treading the course of virtue., Confucius, The Confucian Analects, Chinese philosopher reformer (551 BC 479 BC)
The superior man canno
The superior man cannot be known in little matters, but he may be entrusted with great concerns. The small man may not be entrusted with great concerns, but he may be known in little matters., Confucius, The Confucian Analects, Chinese philosopher reformer (551 BC 479 BC)
What you do not want d
What you do not want done to yourself, do not do to others., Confucius, The Confucian Analects, Chinese philosopher reformer (551 BC 479 BC)
What the superior man
What the superior man seeks is in himself. What the mean man seeks is in others., Confucius, The Confucian Analects, Chinese philosopher reformer (551 BC 479 BC)
If a man takes no thou
If a man takes no thought about what is distant, he will find sorrow near at hand., Confucius, The Confucian Analects, Chinese philosopher reformer (551 BC 479 BC)
The determined scholar
The determined scholar and the man of virtue will not seek to live at the expense of injuring their virtue. They will even sacrifice their lives to preserve their virtue complete., Confucius, The Confucian Analects, Chinese philosopher reformer (551 BC 479 BC)
Recompense injury with
Recompense injury with justice, and recompense kindness with kindness., Confucius, The Confucian Analects, Chinese philosopher reformer (551 BC 479 BC)
The superior man is mo
The superior man is modest in his speech, but exceeds in his actions., Confucius, The Confucian Analects, Chinese philosopher reformer (551 BC 479 BC)
He who speaks without
He who speaks without modesty will find it difficult to make his words good., Confucius, The Confucian Analects, Chinese philosopher reformer (551 BC 479 BC)
When you cannot get a
When you cannot get a compliment any other way pay yourself one., Mark Twain, US humorist, novelist, short story author, wit (1835 1910)
The man who in view of
The man who in view of gain thinks of righteousness who in the view of danger is prepared to give up his life and who does not forget an old agreement however far back it extends such a man may be reckoned a complete man., Confucius, The Confucian Analects, Chinese philosopher reformer (551 BC 479 BC)
The scholar who cheris
The scholar who cherishes the love of comfort is not fit to be deemed a scholar., Confucius, The Confucian Analects, Chinese philosopher reformer (551 BC 479 BC)
The firm, the enduring
The firm, the enduring, the simple, and the modest are near to virtue., Confucius, The Confucian Analects, Chinese philosopher reformer (551 BC 479 BC)
He with whom neither s
He with whom neither slander that gradually soaks into the mind, nor statements that startle like a wound in the flesh, are successful may be called intelligent indeed., Confucius, The Confucian Analects, Chinese philosopher reformer (551 BC 479 BC)
To go beyond is as wro
To go beyond is as wrong as to fall short., Confucius, The Confucian Analects, Chinese philosopher reformer (551 BC 479 BC)
While you are not able
While you are not able to serve men, how can you serve spirits [of the dead]?...While you do not know life, how can you know about death?, Confucius, The Confucian Analects, Chinese philosopher reformer (551 BC 479 BC)
The people may be made
The people may be made to follow a path of action, but they may not be made to understand it., Confucius, The Confucian Analects, Chinese philosopher reformer (551 BC 479 BC)
The superior man is sa
The superior man is satisfied and composed the mean man is always full of distress., Confucius, The Confucian Analects, Chinese philosopher reformer (551 BC 479 BC)
Is virtue a thing remo
Is virtue a thing remote? I wish to be virtuous, and lo! Virtue is at hand., Confucius, The Confucian Analects, Chinese philosopher reformer (551 BC 479 BC)
I am not one who was b
I am not one who was born in the possession of knowledge I am one who is fond of antiquity, and earnest in seeking it there., Confucius, The Confucian Analects, Chinese philosopher reformer (551 BC 479 BC)
Worry a little bit eve
Worry a little bit every day and in a lifetime you will lose a couple of years. If something is wrong, fix it if you can. But train yourself not to worry. Worry never fixes anything., Mary Hemingway,
With coarse rice to ea
With coarse rice to eat, with water to drink, and my bended arm for a pillow I have still joy in the midst of these things. Riches and honors acquired by unrighteousness are to me as a floating cloud., Confucius, The Confucian Analects, Chinese philosopher reformer (551 BC 479 BC)
The man of virtue make
The man of virtue makes the difficulty to be overcome his first business, and success only a subsequent consideration., Confucius, The Confucian Analects, Chinese philosopher reformer (551 BC 479 BC)
Virtue is not left to
Virtue is not left to stand alone. He who practices it will have neighbors., Confucius, The Confucian Analects, Chinese philosopher reformer (551 BC 479 BC)
The cautious seldom er
The cautious seldom err., Confucius, The Confucian Analects, Chinese philosopher reformer (551 BC 479 BC)
When we see men of wor
When we see men of worth, we should think of equaling them when we see men of a contrary character, we should turn inwards and examine ourselves., Confucius, The Confucian Analects, Chinese philosopher reformer (551 BC 479 BC)
The superior man...doe
The superior man...does not set his mind either for anything, or against anything what is right he will follow., Confucius, The Confucian Analects, Chinese philosopher reformer (551 BC 479 BC)
I have not seen a pers
I have not seen a person who loved virtue, or one who hated what was not virtuous. He who loved virtue would esteem nothing above it., Confucius, The Confucian Analects, Chinese philosopher reformer (551 BC 479 BC)
Things that are done,
Things that are done, it is needless to speak about...things that are past, it is needless to blame., Confucius, The Confucian Analects, Chinese philosopher reformer (551 BC 479 BC)
When you know a thing,
When you know a thing, to hold that you know it and when you do not know a thing, to allow that you do not know it this is knowledge., Confucius, The Confucian Analects, Chinese philosopher reformer (551 BC 479 BC)
Learning without thoug
Learning without thought is labor lost thought without learning is perilous., Confucius, The Confucian Analects, Chinese philosopher reformer (551 BC 479 BC)
Better be despised for
Better be despised for too anxious apprehensions, than ruined by too confident security., Edmund Burke, Irish orator, philosopher, politician (1729 1797)
[The superior man] act
[The superior man] acts before he speaks, and afterwards speaks according to his actions., Confucius, The Confucian Analects, Chinese philosopher reformer (551 BC 479 BC)
He who exercises gover
He who exercises government by means of his virtue may be compared to the north polar star, which keeps its place and all the stars turn towards it., Confucius, The Confucian Analects, Chinese philosopher reformer (551 BC 479 BC)
When you have faults,
When you have faults, do not fear to abandon them., Confucius, The Confucian Analects, Chinese philosopher reformer (551 BC 479 BC)
Have no friends not eq
Have no friends not equal to yourself., Confucius, The Confucian Analects, Chinese philosopher reformer (551 BC 479 BC)
Hold faithfulness and
Hold faithfulness and sincerity as first principles., Confucius, The Confucian Analects, Chinese philosopher reformer (551 BC 479 BC)
If a man withdraws his
If a man withdraws his mind from the love of beauty, and applies it as sincerely to the love of the virtuous if, in serving his parents, he can exert his utmost strength if, in serving his prince, he can devote his life if in his intercourse with his friends, his words are sincere although men say that he has not learned, I will certainly say that he has., Confucius, The Confucian Analects, Chinese philosopher reformer (551 BC 479 BC)
Fine words and an insi
Fine words and an insinuating appearance are seldom associated with true virtue., Confucius, The Confucian Analects, Chinese philosopher reformer (551 BC 479 BC)
Union gives strength.,
Union gives strength., Aesop, The Bundle of Sticks, Greek slave fable author (620 BC 560 BC)
Obtain from yourself a
Obtain from yourself all that makes complaining useless. No longer implore from others what you yourself can obtain., Andre Gide, French critic, essayist, novelist (1869 1951)
We would often be sorr
We would often be sorry if our wishes were gratified., Aesop, The Old Man and Death, Greek slave fable author (620 BC 560 BC)
The gods help them tha
The gods help them that help themselves., Aesop, Hercules and the Wagoner, Greek slave fable author (620 BC 560 BC)
Put your shoulder to t
Put your shoulder to the wheel., Aesop, Hercules and the Wagoner, Greek slave fable author (620 BC 560 BC)
Thinking to get at onc
Thinking to get at once all the gold the goose could give, he killed it and opened it only to find nothing., Aesop, The Goose with the Golden Eggs, Greek slave fable author (620 BC 560 BC)
I will have nought to
I will have nought to do with a man who can blow hot and cold with the same breath., Aesop, The Man and the Satyr, Greek slave fable author (620 BC 560 BC)
Beware lest you lose t
Beware lest you lose the substance by grasping at the shadow., Aesop, The Dog and the Shadow, Greek slave fable author (620 BC 560 BC)
Any excuse will serve
Any excuse will serve a tyrant., Aesop, The Wolf and the Lamb, Greek slave fable author (620 BC 560 BC)
Be content with your l
Be content with your lot one cannot be first in everything., Aesop, Juno and the Peacock, Greek slave fable author (620 BC 560 BC)
It is thrifty to prepa
It is thrifty to prepare today for the wants of tomorrow., Aesop, The Ant and the Grasshopper, Greek slave fable author (620 BC 560 BC)
People often grudge ot
People often grudge others what they cannot enjoy themselves., Aesop, The Dog in the Manger, Greek slave fable author (620 BC 560 BC)
Complain to one who ca
Complain to one who can help you., Yugoslav Proverb,
Selfconceit may lead t
Selfconceit may lead to selfdestruction., Aesop, The Frog and the Ox, Greek slave fable author (620 BC 560 BC)
It is not only fine fe
It is not only fine feathers that make fine birds., Aesop, The Jay and the Peacock, Greek slave fable author (620 BC 560 BC)
A crust eaten in peace
A crust eaten in peace is better than a banquet partaken in anxiety., Aesop, The Town Mouse and the Country Mouse, Greek slave fable author (620 BC 560 BC)
Familiarity breed cont
Familiarity breed contempt., Aesop, The Fox and the Lion, Greek slave fable author (620 BC 560 BC)
Slow and steady wins t
Slow and steady wins the race., Aesop, The Hare and the Tortoise, Greek slave fable author (620 BC 560 BC)
No act of kindness, no
No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted., Aesop, The Lion and the Mouse, Greek slave fable author (620 BC 560 BC)
I am sure the grapes a
I am sure the grapes are sour., Aesop, The Fox and the Grapes, Greek slave fable author (620 BC 560 BC)
Do not count your chic
Do not count your chickens before they are hatched., Aesop, The Milkmaid and Her Pail, Greek slave fable author (620 BC 560 BC)
Reason is immortal, al
Reason is immortal, all else mortal., Pythagoras, from Diogenes Laertius, Lives of Eminent Philosophers, Greek mathematician, philosopher, scientist (582 BC 507 BC)
Always imitate the beh
Always imitate the behavior of the winners when you lose., Anonymous,
The Way of Heaven is t
The Way of Heaven is to benefit others and not to injure.The Way of the sage is to act but not to compete., Laotzu, The Way of Laotzu, Chinese philosopher (604 BC 531 BC)
To know that you do no
To know that you do not know is the best.To pretend to know when you do not know is a disease., Laotzu, The Way of Laotzu, Chinese philosopher (604 BC 531 BC)
When armies are mobili
When armies are mobilized and issues are joined,The man who is sorry over the fact will win., Laotzu, The Way of Laotzu, Chinese philosopher (604 BC 531 BC)
I have three treasures
I have three treasures. Guard and keep them:The first is deep love,The second is frugality,And the third is not to dare to be ahead of the world.Because of deep love, one is courageous.Because of frugality, one is generous.Because of not daring to be ahead of the world, one becomes the leader of the world., Laotzu, The Way of Laotzu, Chinese philosopher (604 BC 531 BC)
People are difficult t
People are difficult to govern because they have too much knowledge., Laotzu, The Way of Laotzu, Chinese philosopher (604 BC 531 BC)
A journey of a thousan
A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step., Laotzu, The Way of Laotzu, Chinese philosopher (604 BC 531 BC)
The more laws and orde
The more laws and order are made prominent,The more thieves and robbers there will be., Laotzu, The Way of Laotzu, Chinese philosopher (604 BC 531 BC)
He who knows does not
He who knows does not speak.He who speaks does not know., Laotzu, The Way of Laotzu, Chinese philosopher (604 BC 531 BC)
There is no calamity g
There is no calamity greater than lavish desires.There is no greater guilt than discontentment.And there is not greater disaster than greed., Laotzu, The Way of Laotzu, Chinese philosopher (604 BC 531 BC)
The softest things in
The softest things in the world overcome the hardest things in the world.Through this I know the advantage of taking no action., Laotzu, The Way of Laotzu, Chinese philosopher (604 BC 531 BC)
Better fare hard with
Better fare hard with good men than feast it with bad., Thomas Paine, US patriot political philosopher (1737 1809)
As for me, except for
As for me, except for an occasional heart attack, I feel as young as I ever did., Robert Benchley, US actor, author, humorist (1889 1945)
My Karma ran over your
My Karma ran over your dogma., Unknown, Quotations by unknown authors )
When the highest type
When the highest type of men hear Tao,They diligently practice it.When the average type of men hear Tao,They half believe in it.When the lowest type of men hear Tao,They laugh heartily at it.Without the laugh, there is no Tao., Laotzu, The Way of Laotzu, Chinese philosopher (604 BC 531 BC)
He who knows others is
He who knows others is wiseHe who know himself is enlightened., Laotzu, The Way of Laotzu, Chinese philosopher (604 BC 531 BC)
To be worn out is to b
To be worn out is to be renewed., Laotzu, The Way of Laotzu, Chinese philosopher (604 BC 531 BC)
To have little is to p
To have little is to possess.To have plenty is to be perplexed., Laotzu, The Way of Laotzu, Chinese philosopher (604 BC 531 BC)
Manifest plainness,Emb
Manifest plainness,Embrace simplicity,Reduce selfishness,Have few desires., Laotzu, The Way of Laotzu, Chinese philosopher (604 BC 531 BC)
He who loves the world
He who loves the world as his body may be entrusted with the empire., Laotzu, The Way of Laotzu, Chinese philosopher (604 BC 531 BC)
The best [man] is like
The best [man] is like water.Water is good it benefits all things and does not compete with them.It dwells in [lowly] places that all disdain.This is why it is so near to Tao., Laotzu, The Way of Laotzu, Chinese philosopher (604 BC 531 BC)
When the people of the
When the people of the world all know beauty as beauty,There arises the recognition of ugliness.When they all know the good as good,There arises the recognition of evil., Laotzu, The Way of Laotzu, Chinese philosopher (604 BC 531 BC)
Know the right moment.
Know the right moment., Pittacus, (The Seven Sages) from Diogenes Laertius, Lives of Eminent Philosophers,
Forsake not an old fri
Forsake not an old friend for the new is not comparable to him: a new friend is as new wine when it is old, thou shalt drink it with pleasure., Bible, Old Testament,
Not even the gods figh
Not even the gods fight against necessity., Simonides, from Plato, Dialogues, Protagoras, Greek poet (556 BC 468 BC)
Do not speak ill of th
Do not speak ill of the dead., The Seven Sages, from Diogenes Laertius, Lives of Eminent Philosophers, (650 BC 550 BC)
Know thyself., Thales,
Know thyself., Thales, (The Seven Sages) from Diogenes Laertius, Lives of Eminent Philosophers, Greek philosopher scientist (640 AD 546 AD)
Observe due measure, f
Observe due measure, for right timing is in all things the most important factor., Hesiod, Greek didactic poet (~800 BC)
The dawn speeds a man
The dawn speeds a man on his journey, and speeds him too in his work., Hesiod, Greek didactic poet (~800 BC)
Do not seek evil gains
Do not seek evil gains evil gains are the equivalent of disaster., Hesiod, Greek didactic poet (~800 BC)
A bad neighbor is a mi
A bad neighbor is a misfortune, as much as a good one is a great blessing., Hesiod, Greek didactic poet (~800 BC)
He harms himself who d
He harms himself who does harm to another, and the evil plan is most harmful to the planner., Hesiod, Greek didactic poet (~800 BC)
Often an entire city h
Often an entire city has suffered because of an evil man., Hesiod, Greek didactic poet (~800 BC)
Dreams surely are diff
Dreams surely are difficult, confusing, and not everything in them is brought to pass for mankind. For fleeting dreams have two gates: one is fashioned of horn and one of ivory. Those which pass through the one of sawn ivory are deceptive, bringing tidings which come to nought, but those which issue from the one of polished horn bring true results when a mortal sees them., Homer, The Odyssey, Greek epic poet (800 BC 700 BC)
Be very circumspect in
Be very circumspect in the choice of thy company. In the society of thine equals thou shalt enjoy more pleasure in the society of thy superiors thou shalt find more profit. To be the best in the company is the way to grow worse., Francis Quarles, English poet (1592 1644)
Nothing feebler than a
Nothing feebler than a man does the earth raise up, of all the things which breathe and move on the earth, for he believes that he will never suffer evil in the future, as long as the gods give him success and he flourishes in his strength but when the blessed gods bring sorrows too to pass, even these he bears, against his will, with steadfast spirit, for the thoughts of earthly men are like the day which the father of gods and men brings upon them., Homer, The Odyssey, Greek epic poet (800 BC 700 BC)
The gods, likening the
The gods, likening themselves to all kinds of strangers, go in various disguises from city to city, observing the wrongdoing and the righteousness of men., Homer, The Odyssey, Greek epic poet (800 BC 700 BC)
Even his griefs are a
Even his griefs are a joy long after to one that remembers all that he wrought and endured., Homer, The Odyssey, Greek epic poet (800 BC 700 BC)
It is equally wrong to
It is equally wrong to speed a guest who does not want to go, and to keep one back who is eager. You ought to make welcome the present guest, and send forth the one who wishes to go., Homer, The Odyssey, Greek epic poet (800 BC 700 BC)
The wine urges me on,
The wine urges me on, the bewitching wine, which sets even a wise man to singing and to laughing gently and rouses him up to dance and brings forth words which were better unspoken., Homer, The Odyssey, Greek epic poet (800 BC 700 BC)
It is tedious to tell
It is tedious to tell again tales already plainly told., Homer, The Odyssey, Greek epic poet (800 BC 700 BC)
There is a time for ma
There is a time for many words, and there is also a time for sleep., Homer, The Odyssey, Greek epic poet (800 BC 700 BC)
Among all men on the e
Among all men on the earth bards have a share of honor and reverence, because the muse has taught them songs and loves the race of bards., Homer, The Odyssey, Greek epic poet (800 BC 700 BC)
Evil deeds do not pros
Evil deeds do not prosper the slow man catches up with the swift., Homer, The Odyssey, Greek epic poet (800 BC 700 BC)
So it is that the gods
So it is that the gods do not give all men gifts of grace neither good looks nor intelligence nor eloquence., Homer, The Odyssey, Greek epic poet (800 BC 700 BC)
We are quick to flare
We are quick to flare up, we races of men on the earth., Homer, The Odyssey, Greek epic poet (800 BC 700 BC)
All strangers and begg
All strangers and beggars are from Zeus, and a gift, though small, is precious., Homer, The Odyssey, Greek epic poet (800 BC 700 BC)
May the gods grant you
May the gods grant you all things which your heart desires, and may they give you a husband and a home and gracious concord, for there is nothing greater and better than this when a husband and wife keep a household in oneness of mind, a great woe to their enemies and joy to their friends, and win high renown., Homer, The Odyssey, Greek epic poet (800 BC 700 BC)
A small rock holds bac
A small rock holds back a great wave., Homer, The Odyssey, Greek epic poet (800 BC 700 BC)
The minds of the everl
The minds of the everlasting gods are not changed suddenly., Homer, The Odyssey, Greek epic poet (800 BC 700 BC)
All men have need of t
All men have need of the gods., Homer, The Odyssey, Greek epic poet (800 BC 700 BC)
A young man is embarra
A young man is embarrassed to question an older one., Homer, The Odyssey, Greek epic poet (800 BC 700 BC)
Think like a wise man
Think like a wise man but communicate in the language of the people., William Butler Yeats, Irish dramatist poet (1865 1939)
For rarely are sons si
For rarely are sons similar to their fathers: most are worse, and a few are better than their fathers., Homer, The Odyssey, Greek epic poet (800 BC 700 BC)
You ought not to pract
You ought not to practice childish ways, since you are no longer that age., Homer, The Odyssey, Greek epic poet (800 BC 700 BC)
Look now how mortals a
Look now how mortals are blaming the gods, for they say that evils come from us, but in fact they themselves have woes beyond their share because of their own follies., Homer, The Odyssey, Greek epic poet (800 BC 700 BC)
By their own follies t
By their own follies they perished, the fools., Homer, The Odyssey, Greek epic poet (800 BC 700 BC)
Thus have the gods spu
Thus have the gods spun the thread for wretched mortals: that they live in grief while they themselves are without cares for two jars stand on the floor of Zeus of the gifts which he gives, one of evils and another of blessings., Homer, The Iliad, Greek epic poet (800 BC 700 BC)
The fates have given m
The fates have given mankind a patient soul., Homer, The Iliad, Greek epic poet (800 BC 700 BC)
It is entirely seemly
It is entirely seemly for a young man killed in battle to lie mangled by the bronze spear. In his death all things appear fair. But when dogs shame the gray head and gray chin and nakedness of an old man killed, it is the most piteous thing that happens among wretched mortals., Homer, The Iliad, Greek epic poet (800 BC 700 BC)
Miserable mortals who,
Miserable mortals who, like leaves, at one moment flame with life, eating the produce of the land, and at another moment weakly perish., Homer, The Iliad, Greek epic poet (800 BC 700 BC)
I too shall lie in the
I too shall lie in the dust when I am dead, but now let me win noble renown., Homer, The Iliad, Greek epic poet (800 BC 700 BC)
Cleanliness and order
Cleanliness and order are not matters of instinct they are matters of education, and like most great things, you must cultivate a taste for them., Benjamin Disraeli, British politician (1804 1881)
Once harm has been don
Once harm has been done, even a fool understands it., Homer, The Iliad, Greek epic poet (800 BC 700 BC)
The outcome of the war
The outcome of the war is in our hands the outcome of words is in the council., Homer, The Iliad, Greek epic poet (800 BC 700 BC)
Of men who have a sens
Of men who have a sense of honor, more come through alive than are slain, but from those who flee comes neither glory nor any help., Homer, The Iliad, Greek epic poet (800 BC 700 BC)
It is not unseemly for
It is not unseemly for a man to die fighting in defense of his country., Homer, The Iliad, Greek epic poet (800 BC 700 BC)
It is not possible to
It is not possible to fight beyond your strength, even if you strive., Homer, The Iliad, Greek epic poet (800 BC 700 BC)
You will certainly not
You will certainly not be able to take the lead in all things yourself, for to one man a god has given deeds of war, and to another the dance, to another lyre and song, and in another widesounding Zeus puts a good mind., Homer, The Iliad, Greek epic poet (800 BC 700 BC)
There is a fullness of
There is a fullness of all things, even of sleep and love., Homer, The Iliad, Greek epic poet (800 BC 700 BC)
There is a strength in
There is a strength in the union even of very sorry men., Homer, The Iliad, Greek epic poet (800 BC 700 BC)
It was built against t
It was built against the will of the immortal gods, and so it did not last for long., Homer, The Iliad, Greek epic poet (800 BC 700 BC)
Level with your child
Level with your child by being honest. Nobody spots a phony quicker than a child., Mary MacCracken,
Even when someone batt
Even when someone battles hard, there is an equal portion for one who lingers behind, and in the same honor are held both the coward and the brave man the idle man and he who has done much meet death alike., Homer, The Iliad, Greek epic poet (800 BC 700 BC)
Hateful to me as the g
Hateful to me as the gates of Hades is that man who hides one thing in his heart and speaks another., Homer, The Iliad, Greek epic poet (800 BC 700 BC)
A generation of men is
A generation of men is like a generation of leaves the wind scatters some leaves upon the ground, while others the burgeoning wood brings forth and the season of spring comes on. So of men one generation springs forth and another ceases., Homer, The Iliad, Greek epic poet (800 BC 700 BC)
He lives not long who
He lives not long who battles with the immortals, nor do his children prattle about his knees when he has come back from battle and the dread fray., Homer, The Iliad, Greek epic poet (800 BC 700 BC)
The glorious gifts of
The glorious gifts of the gods are not to be cast aside., Homer, The Iliad, Greek epic poet (800 BC 700 BC)
A multitude of rulers
A multitude of rulers is not a good thing. Let there be one ruler, one king., Homer, The Iliad, Greek epic poet (800 BC 700 BC)
A councilor ought not
A councilor ought not to sleep the whole night through, a man to whom the populace is entrusted, and who has many responsibilities., Homer, The Iliad, Greek epic poet (800 BC 700 BC)
Whoever obeys the gods
Whoever obeys the gods, to him they particularly listen., Homer, The Iliad, Greek epic poet (800 BC 700 BC)
Just think of the trag
Just think of the tragedy of teaching children not to doubt., Clarence Darrow, US defense lawyer (1857 1938)
If you are very valian
If you are very valiant, it is a god, I think, who gave you this gift., Homer, The Iliad, Greek epic poet (800 BC 700 BC)
He knew the things tha
He knew the things that were and the things that would be and the things that had been before., Homer, The Iliad, Greek epic poet (800 BC 700 BC)
People who throw kisse
People who throw kisses are hopelessly lazy., Bob Hope, US (Englishborn) actor comedian (1903 2003)
Words are the pen of t
Words are the pen of the heart, but music is the pen of the soul., Shneur Zalman,
Education is life itse
Education is life itself., John Dewey, US educator, Pragmatist philosopher, psychologist (1859 1952)
Ah, summer, what power
Ah, summer, what power you have to make us suffer and like it., Russell Baker, US columnist journalist (1925 )
If you do not think ab
If you do not think about the future, you cannot have one., John Galsworthy,
If you have a fallback
If you have a fallback plan, you will fall back., Nedra Carroll,
Never give a child a s
Never give a child a sword., Latin Proverb,
Only the educated are
Only the educated are free., Epictetus, Roman (Greekborn) slave Stoic philosopher (55 AD 135 AD)
Pain is inevitable. Su
Pain is inevitable. Suffering is optional., M. Kathleen Casey,
It is better to die on
It is better to die on your feet than to live on your knees., Emiliano Zapata,
The first prerogative
The first prerogative of an artist in any medium is to make a fool of himself., Pauline Kael,
To travel hopefully is
To travel hopefully is a better thing than to arrive., Robert Louis Stevenson, Scottish author (1850 1894)
I...have never been ab
I...have never been able to find out precisely what feminism is. I only know that people call me a feminist when I express sentiments that differentiate me from a doormat, or a prostitute., Rebecca West, Irish critic, journalist, novelist (1892 1983)
Immature poets imitate
Immature poets imitate mature poets steal., T.S. Eliot,
When the reviews are b
When the reviews are bad, I tell myself that they can join me as I cry all the way to the bank., Liberace, US pianist (1919 1987)
Grown ups never unders
Grown ups never understand anything for themselves, and it is tiresome for children to be always and forever explaining things to them., Antoine de SaintExupery, French writer (1900 1944)
Farmers are the only i
Farmers are the only indispensable people on the face of the earth., Ambassador Li Zhaoxing, PRC, Idaho Grain, Fall 2000 p.8,
Opportunity is missed
Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work., Thomas A. Edison, 18471931, US inventor (1847 1931)
It is never too late t
It is never too late to become what we might have been., George Eliot, 18191880, English novelist (1819 1880)
Some people get angry
Some people get angry because God put thorns on roses, while others praise him for putting roses among thorns., Anonymous,
To really enjoy the be
To really enjoy the better things in life, one must have first experienced the things they are better than., Oscar Homolka,
Put more trust in nobi
Put more trust in nobility of character than in an oath., Solon, Greek lawgiver politician in Athens (638 BC 559 BC)
Artificial Intelligenc
Artificial Intelligence is no match for natural stupidity., Unknown, Quotations by unknown authors )
Start where you are. U
Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can., Arthur Ashe,
The truth is easiest t
The truth is easiest to disprove its defenses are down., Steve Aylett, Toxicology (a book, 1999),
One golfer a year is h
One golfer a year is hit by lightning. This may be the only evidence we have of God’s existence., Steve Aylett, Atom (a novel, 2000),
I believe that what wo
I believe that what woman resents is not so much giving herself in pieces as giving herself purposelessly., Anne Morrow Lindbergh,
Nothing we human being
Nothing we human beings do is without emotion., Pete Townshend,
The person who says it
The person who says it cannot be done should not interrupt the person doing it., Chinese Proverb, The Graduates Book of Wisdom,
When one is grateful f
When one is grateful for something too good for common thanks, writing is less unsatisfactory than speechone does not, at least, hear how inadequate the words are., George Eliot, English novelist (1819 1880)
For a true writer each
For a true writer each book should be a new beginning where he tries again for something that is beyond attainment. He should always try for something that has never been done or that others have tried and failed. Then sometimes, with great luck, he will succeed., Ernest Hemingway, in his Nobel Prize acceptance speech, US author journalist (1899 1961)
In attempts to improve
In attempts to improve your character, know what is in your power and what is beyond it., Francis Thompson, English poet (1859 1907)
There is nothing more
There is nothing more contagious on this planet than enthusiasm., Carlos Santana, Television programaired on VH1, september 2000,
We are all in the gutt
We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars., Oscar Wilde, Irish dramatist, novelist, poet (1854 1900)
Once in a while you ge
Once in a while you get shown the light in the stangest of places if you look at it right., Jerry Garcia, Scarlet Bergonias,
Without a dream to lig
Without a dream to light your way, the world is a very dark place., Marrion Zimmer Bradley,
If once a man indulges
If once a man indulges himself in murder, very soon he comes to think little of robbing and from robbing he next comes to drinking and Sabbathbreaking, and from that to incivility and procrastination., Thomas De Quincey,
States should have the
States should have the right to enact... laws...particularly to end the inhumane practice of ending a life that otherwise could live., George W. Bush, Gov. of Texas, state leading in executions, 43rd President of US (1946 )
Courage means going ag
Courage means going against majority opinion in the name of the truth., Válcav Havel, parade, Times Picayune,
You cannot dream yours
You cannot dream yourself into a character you must hammer and forge yourself one., James A. Froude, English historian (1818 1894)
There are seven sins i
There are seven sins in the world: Wealth without work, Pleasure without conscience, Knowledge without character, Commerce without morality, Science without humanity, Worship without sacrifice and politics without principle., Mahatma Gandhi, Indian ascetic nationalist leader (1869 1948)
Nothing in the world m
Nothing in the world makes people so afraid as the influence of independentminded people., Albert Einstein, 18791955, US (Germanborn) physicist (1879 1955)
A threat is basically
A threat is basically a means for establishing a bargaining position by inducing fear in the subject. When a threat is used, it should always be implied that the subject himself is to blame by using words such as You leave me no other choice but to..., CIA Manual,
Create like a god. Com
Create like a god. Command like a king. Work like a slave!, Constantin Brancusi,
I believe that the gre
I believe that the great Creator has put ores and oil on this earth to give us a breathing spell. As we exhaust them, we must be prepared to fall back on our farms, which is God’s true storehouse and can never be exhausted. We can learn to synthesize material for every human need from things that grow., George Washington Carver,
I foresee the time whe
I foresee the time when industry shall no longer denude the forests which require generations to mature, nor use up the mines which were ages in the making, but shall draw its materials largely from the annual produce of the fields., Henry Ford, 1934, US automobile industrialist (1863 1947)
In the end, our societ
In the end, our society will be defined not only by what we create but by what we refuse to destroy., John C. Sawhill,
First make yourself un
First make yourself unpopular, then people will take you seriously., Konrad Adenauer, 18761967,
If people let governme
If people let government decide what foods they eat and what medicines they take, their bodies will soon be in as sorry a state as are the souls of those who live under tyranny., Thomas Jefferson, 3rd president of US (1743 1826)
While my interest in n
While my interest in natural history has added very little to my sum of achievement, it has added immeasurably to my sum of enjoyment in life., Theodore Roosevelt, 26th president of US (1858 1919)
The difference between
The difference between God and the historians consists above all in the fact that God cannot alter the past., Samuel Butler, 18351902, English composer, novelist, satiric author (1835 1902)
To be proud of virtue
To be proud of virtue is to poison oneself with the antidote., Benjamin Franklin, ?, US author, diplomat, inventor, physicist, politician, printer (1706 1790)
Whenever it is in any
Whenever it is in any way possible, every boy and girl should choose as his life work some occupation which he should like to do anyhow, even if he did not need the money., William Lyon Phelps,
When life itself seems
When life itself seems lunatic, who knows where madness lies? Perhaps to be too practical may be madness. To surrender dreams, this may be madness. To seek treasures where there is only trash...Too much sanity may be madness, and maddest of all is to see life as it is and not as it should be., Miguel De Cervantes, Don Quixote de la Mancha, Spanish adventurer, author, poet (1547 1616)
My kittens look at me
My kittens look at me like little angels, and always after doing something especially devilish., Jamie Ann Hunt,
We judge ourselves by
We judge ourselves by what we are capable of doing, while others judge us by what we have already done., Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, US poet (1807 1882)
The man who views the
The man who views the world at 50 the same as he did at 20 has wasted 30 years of his life., Muhammad Ali, US boxer (1942 )
From what we get, we c
From what we get, we can make a living what we give, however, makes a life., Arthur Ashe,
The first casualty whe
The first casualty when war comes is truth., Hiram Warren Johnson, (1917),
Imagination is the rea
Imagination is the reality of the dreamer., Scott Ringenbach,
If you want the rainbo
If you want the rainbow, you have to put up with the rain., Dolly Parton,
Great dancers are not
Great dancers are not great because of their technique, they are great because of their passion., Martha Graham, US choreographer dancer (1893 1991)
Do what you can with w
Do what you can with what you have, where you are., Theodore Roosevelt, 26th president of US (1858 1919)
What we do is less tha
What we do is less than a drop in the ocean. But if it were missing, the ocean would lack something., Mother Teresa, Indian humanitarian missionary (1910 1997)
Happiness is a perfume
Happiness is a perfume you cannot pour on others with out getting a few drops on yourself., Ralph Waldo Emerson, US essayist poet (1803 1882)
If you have no confide
If you have no confidence in self you are twice defeated in the race of life. With confidence you have won even before you started., Marcus Garvey,
Fear can keep us up al
Fear can keep us up all night long, but faith makes one fine pillow., Philip Gulley,
Whoever said love is b
Whoever said love is blind is dead wrong. Love is the only thing that lets us see each other with the remotest accuracy…, Martha Beck,
Life is like a ten spe
Life is like a ten speed bicycle. Most of us have gears we never use., Charles M. Schulz, US cartoonist (1922 2000)
To hate a man because
To hate a man because he was born in another country, because he speaks a different language, or because he takes a different view of this subject or that, is a great folly. Desist, I implore you, for we are all equally human...Let us have but one end in view, the welfare of humanity., John Comenius,
To me there is somethi
To me there is something thrilling and exalting in the thought that we are drifting forward into a splendid mysteryinto something that no mortal eye hath yet seen, and no intelligence has yet declared., E. H. Chapin,
We think so because ot
We think so because other people all think so or because after all, we do think so or because we were told so, and think we must think so or because we once thought so, and think we still think so or because, having thought so, we think we will think so., Henry Sedgwick,
Politics is the pursui
Politics is the pursuit of trivial men who, when they succeed at it, become important in the eyes of more trivial men., George Jean Nathan, US drama critic editor (1882 1958)
...in order that a man
...in order that a man may be happy, it is necessary that he should not only be capable of his work, but a good judge of his work., John Ruskin, English critic, essayist, reformer (1819 1900)
Government is not reas
Government is not reason it is not eloquence it is force. Like fire, it is a dangerous servant and a fearful master., George Washington, First president of US (1732 1799)
Necessity is the plea
Necessity is the plea for every infringement of human freedom. It is the argument of tyrants it is the creed of slaves., William Pitt,
I never knew an earlyr
I never knew an earlyrising, hardworking, prudent man, careful of his earnings, and strictly honest who complained of bad luck., Henry Ward Beecher, US abolitionist clergyman (1813 1887)
Your representative ow
Your representative owes you, not his industry only, but judgment and he betrays, instead of serving you, if he sacrifices it to your opinion., Edmund Burke, Speech to the electors of Bristol. 3 Nov. 1774, Irish orator, philosopher, politician (1729 1797)
I told you I was sick.
I told you I was sick., Erma Bombeck, on her tombstone, US author humorist (1927 1996)
Think wrongly if you p
Think wrongly if you please, but in all cases think for yourself., Doris Lessing,
We are the hero of our
We are the hero of our own story., Mary McCarthy,
Courage is fear that h
Courage is fear that has said its prayers., Maya Angelou, US author poet (1928 )
What lies behind us an
What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us., Ralph Waldo Emerson, US essayist poet (1803 1882)
If women understood an
If women understood and exercised their power they could remake the world., Emily Taft Douglas,
Do not let the body be
Do not let the body be dragged along by mind nor the mind be dragged along by the body, Miyamoto Musashi,
The concept of progre
The concept of progress acts as a protective mechanism to shield us from the terrors of the future., Frank Herbert, US science fiction novelist (1920 1986)
In the hearts and mind
In the hearts and minds of the people, the grapes of wrath were growing heavy for the vintage., John Steinbeck, The Grapes of Wrath, US novelist (1902 1968)
If indeed you must be
If indeed you must be candid, be candid beautifully., Kahlil Gibran, Lebanese artist poet in US (1883 1931)
Life.....is a series o
Life.....is a series of dogs., George Carlin, US comedian and actor (1937 )
You can do anything th
You can do anything that you wanna do. All you gotta do is to put your brain into it. Take your time and educate your mind., Coolio, The Winner,
If you want a quality,
If you want a quality, act as if you already had it., William James, US Pragmatist philosopher psychologist (1842 1910)
The superior man is mo
The superior man is modest in his speech, but excels in his actions., Confucius, Chinese philosopher reformer (551 BC 479 BC)
As each child looks at
As each child looks at the world through innocent eyes all they can see, Is the worlds way of life and the way they think their lives should be., Kandice Hehner, Innocent Eyes,
I decided long ago nev
I decided long ago never to walk in anyone’s shadow. If I fail, if I succeed, at least I’ll live as I believe., Whitney Houston, The Greatest Love Of All,
The person who knows h
The person who knows how will always have a job. The person who knows why will always be his boss., Diane Ravitch,
It is never too late t
It is never too late to give up your prejudices., Henry David Thoreau, US Transcendentalist author (1817 1862)
Always be ready to spe
Always be ready to speak your mind and a base man will avoid you., William Blake, English engraver, illustrator, poet (1757 1827)
Treat people as if the
Treat people as if they were what they should be, and you help them become what they are capable of becoming., Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, German dramatist, novelist, poet, scientist (1749 1832)
Concern should drive u
Concern should drive us into action and not into depression., Karen Horney,
Free your mind, and th
Free your mind, and the rest will follow. Be colorblind, don’t be so shallow., En Vogue, Free Your Mind,
People are ridiculous
People are ridiculous only when they try or seem to be that which what they are not., Giacomo Leopardi,
The game of life is no
The game of life is not so much in holding a good hand as playing a poor hand well., H.T. Leslie,
Be slow in choosing a
Be slow in choosing a friend, slower in changing., Benjamin Franklin, US author, diplomat, inventor, physicist, politician, printer (1706 1790)
Imagination is more im
Imagination is more important than knowledge., Albert Einstein, US (Germanborn) physicist (1879 1955)
No one knows what he c
No one knows what he can do until he tries., Publilius Syrus, (~100 BC)
Courage is the power t
Courage is the power to let go of the familiar., Raymond Lindquist,
To make a man happy, f
To make a man happy, fill his hands with work., Frederick E. Crane,
Look at a stone cutter
Look at a stone cutter hammering away at his rock, perhaps a hundred times without as much as a crack showing in it. Yet at the hundredandfirst blow it will split in two, and I know it was not the last blow that did it, but all that had gone before., Jacob A. Riis,
A good garden may have
A good garden may have some weeds., Thomas Fuller, English clergyman historian (1608 1661)
The mere sense of livi
The mere sense of living is joy enough., Emily Dickinson, US poet (1830 1886)
He who limps still wal
He who limps still walks., Stanislaw Lec,
Patience is often mere
Patience is often merely the guise of Cowardice., C. Lee Hopkin,
Always behave like a d
Always behave like a duck keep calm and unruffled on the surface but paddle like the devil underneath., Jacob Braude,
For what are posession
For what are posessions but things we guard for fear we might need them tomorrow?, Kahlil Gibron, (book) The Profit,
I always knew i would
I always knew i would look back on my tears and laugh but i never tought i would look back on the laughter and cry, Unknown, Quotations by unknown authors )
to be yourself in a wo
to be yourself in a world that is doing its best, day and night to make you like everybody elseis to fight the hardest battle any human being can fight., e.e. cummings,
Dreams can become a re
Dreams can become a reality when we possess a vision that is characterized by the willingness to work hard, a desire for excellence and a belief in our right and our responsibility to be equal members of society., Janet Jackson,
We are behaving like p
We are behaving like people without compassion and love for the most vulnerable section of society. The children of the universe are without a spokesperson, they are voiceless…We are all touched by the atrocities committed against children: sexual, physical abuse, child slave labor, educational neglect. We feel ashamed. Angry. Appalled. But there is no action…No action., Michael Jackson,
The man who has no ima
The man who has no imagination has no wings., Muhammad Ali, US boxer (1942 )
Each new day is a blan
Each new day is a blank page in the diary of your life. The secret of success is in turning that diary into the best story you possibly can., Douglas Pagels, A Wonderful Resolution For The New Year!,
A critic is a legless
A critic is a legless man who teaches running., Channing Pollock,
Keep cool and you comm
Keep cool and you command everybody., Louis de SaintJust, French politician revolutionary (1767 1794)
Problems are only oppo
Problems are only opportunities in work clothes., Henry J. Kaiser, US industrialist (1882 1967)
Success has made failu
Success has made failures of many men., Cindy Adams,
If you live to be a hu
If you live to be a hundred, I want to live to be a hundred minus one day, so I never have to live without you., Winnie the Pooh,
True friendship is lik
True friendship is like sound health the value of it is seldom known until it be lost., Charles Caleb Colton, (1780 1832)
If you should die befo
If you should die before me, ask if you could bring a friend., Stone Temple Pilots,
The reward of a thing
The reward of a thing well done is to have done it., Ralph Waldo Emerson, US essayist poet (1803 1882)
Always aim for achieve
Always aim for achievement, and forget about success., Helen Hayes, US actress (1900 1993)
Each day comes bearing
Each day comes bearing its own gifts. Untie the ribbons., Ruth Ann Schabaker,
It does not matter how
It does not matter how slowly you go, so long as you do not stop., Confucius, Chinese philosopher reformer (551 BC 479 BC)
Never fear the want of
Never fear the want of business. A man who qualifies himself well for his calling, never fails of employment., Thomas Jefferson, 3rd president of US (1743 1826)
Fear makes strangers o
Fear makes strangers of people who should be friends., Shirley MacLaine, US movie actress (1934 )
If you want the rainbo
If you want the rainbow, you gotta put up with the rain., Dolly Parton,
Above all, try somethi
Above all, try something., Franklin Delano Roosevelt,
Ain’t no mountain th
Ain’t no mountain that I can’t climb, baby, Michael Jackson, Leave Me Alone,
The world is moved not
The world is moved not only by the mighty shoves of the heroes, but also by the aggregate of the tiny pushes of each honest worker., Helen Keller, US blind deaf educator (1880 1968)
Prejudice is ignorance
Prejudice is ignorance., Michael Jackson,
Look who’s standing
Look who’s standing if you please, ‘though you tried to bring me to my knees., Michael Jackson, 2Bad,
It’s a wonder man ca
It’s a wonder man can eat at all, when things are big that should be small., Jamiroquai, Virtual Insanity,
We can always take but
We can always take but never give., Jamiroquai, Virtual Insanity,
Don’t go chasin’ w
Don’t go chasin’ waterfalls. Please stick to the rivers and the lakes that you’re used to., TLC, Waterfalls,
Wear the old coat and
Wear the old coat and buy the new book., Austin Phelps,
Imagine there’s no c
Imagine there’s no countries, it isn’t hard to do nothing to kill or die for, and no religion too. Imagine all the people living life in peace., John Lennon, Imagine, English singer songwriter (1940 1980)
If you wanna make the
If you wanna make the world a better place, take a look at yourself, then make that change., Michael Jackson, Man In The Mirror,
You keep changin’ th
You keep changin’ the rules and I can’t play the game. I can’t take it much longer. I think I might go insane., Michael Jackson and Janet Jackson, Scream,
A quotation, like a pu
A quotation, like a pun, should come unsought, and then be welcomed only for some propriety of felicity justifying the intrusion., Robert Chapman,
Be as careful of the b
Be as careful of the books you read, as of the company you keep for your habits and character will be as much influenced by the former as by the latter., Paxton Hood,
Acting is the most min
Acting is the most minor of gifts and not a very highclass way to earn a living. After all, Shirley Temple could do it at the age of four., Katharine Hepburn, US actress (1907 2003)
I prefer the company o
I prefer the company of peasants because they have not been educated sufficiently to reason incorrectly., Michel de Montaigne, French essayist (1533 1592)
Never read a book thro
Never read a book through merely because you have begun it., John Witherspoon, US clergyman, educator, politician (1723 1794)
America is a large, fr
America is a large, friendly dog in a very small room. Every time it wags its tail, it knocks over a chair., Arnold Toynbee, English historian historical philosopher (1889 1975)
To die for an idea it
To die for an idea it is unquestionably noble. But how much nobler it would be if men died for ideas that were true!, H. L. Mencken, US editor (1880 1956)
It is the wretchedness
It is the wretchedness of being rich that you have to live with rich people., Logan Pearsall Smith, Afterthoughts 1931 In the World, (1865 1946)
There is no fate that
There is no fate that cannot be surmounted by scorn., Albert Camus, French existentialist author philosopher (1913 1960)
It is dangerous for a
It is dangerous for a national candidate to say things that people might remember., Eugene McCarthy, US politician (1916 )
It was one of those pe
It was one of those perfect English autumnal days which occur more frequently in memory than in life., P. D. James,
The multitude of books
The multitude of books is making us ignorant., Voltaire, French author, humanist, rationalist, satirist (1694 1778)
To know all is not to
To know all is not to forgive all. It is to despise everybody., Quentin Crisp,
Be bold and mighty pow
Be bold and mighty powers will come to your aid., Basil King,
The fascination of sho
The fascination of shooting as a sport depends almost wholly on whether you are at the right or wrong end of the gun., P. G. Wodehouse, British humorist novelist in US (1881 1975)
There ought to be one
There ought to be one day just one when there is open season on senators., Will Rogers, US humorist showman (1879 1935)
Women should be obscen
Women should be obscene and not heard., Groucho Marx, US comedian with Marx Brothers (1890 1977)
Nothing can so alienat
Nothing can so alienate a voter from the political system as backing a winning candidate., Mark B. Cohen,
If we were not all so
If we were not all so interested in ourselves, life would be so uninteresting that none of us would be able to endure it., Arthur Schopenhauer, German philosopher (1788 1860)
The male is a domestic
The male is a domestic animal which, if treated with firmness, can be trained to do most things., Jilly Cooper,
If mankind minus one w
If mankind minus one were of one opinion, then mankind is no more justified in silencing the one than the one if he had the power would be justified in silencing mankind., John Stuart Mill, English economist philosopher (1806 1873)
Misogynist: A man who
Misogynist: A man who hates women as much as women hate one another., H. L. Mencken, US editor (1880 1956)
Education is a stateco
Education is a statecontrolled manufactory of echoes., Norman Douglas,
To knock a thing down,
To knock a thing down, especially if it is cocked at an arrogant angle, is a deep delight of the blood., George Santayana, US (Spanishborn) philosopher (1863 1952)
It is necessary to try
It is necessary to try to surpass oneself always this occupation ought to last as long as life., Queen Christina, of Sweden, 16291689, Swedish queen 16321654 (1626 1689)
In all recorded histor
In all recorded history there has not been one economist who has had to worry about where the next meal would come from., Peter Drucker,
Patriotism is often an
Patriotism is often an arbitrary veneration of real estate above principles., George Jean Nathan, US drama critic editor (1882 1958)
Life is a zoo in a jun
Life is a zoo in a jungle., Peter De Vries,
Washington is the only
Washington is the only place where sound travels faster than light., C. V. R. Thompson,
Criticism is prejudice
Criticism is prejudice made plausible., H. L. Mencken, US editor (1880 1956)
It is the dull man who
It is the dull man who is always sure, and the sure man who is always dull., H. L. Mencken, US editor (1880 1956)
Treat all disasters as
Treat all disasters as if they were trivialities but never treat a triviality as if it were a disaster., Quentin Crisp,
There are painters who
There are painters who transform the sun to a yellow spot, but there are others who with the help of their art and their intelligence, transform a yellow spot into the sun., Pablo Picasso, Spanish Cubist painter (1881 1973)
You have to know how t
You have to know how to accept rejection and reject acceptance., Ray Bradbury, advice to writers, US science fiction author (1920 )
A lawyer starts life g
A lawyer starts life giving $500 worth of law for $5 and ends giving $5 worth for $500., Benjamin H. Brewster, US lawyer (1816 1888)
A magician pulls rabbi
A magician pulls rabbits out of hats. An experimental psychologist pulls habits out of rats., Anonymous,
Some editors are faile
Some editors are failed writers, but so are most writers., T. S. Eliot, British (USborn) critic, dramatist poet (1888 1965)
The best way to become
The best way to become acquainted with a subject is to write a book about it., Benjamin Disraeli, British politician (1804 1881)
If all economists were
If all economists were laid end to end, they would not reach a conclusion., George Bernard Shaw, Irish dramatist socialist (1856 1950)
Reading this book is l
Reading this book is like waiting for the first shoe to drop., Ralph Novak,
He who postpones the h
He who postpones the hour of living rightly is like the rustic who waits for the river to run out before he crosses., Horace, Roman lyric poet satirist (65 BC 8 BC)
Your manuscript is bot
Your manuscript is both good and original, but the part that is good is not original and the part that is original is not good., Samuel Johnson, (attributed), English author, critic, lexicographer (1709 1784)
Censorship, like chari
Censorship, like charity, should begin at home but, unlike charity, it should end there., Clare Booth Luce, US diplomat, dramatist, journalist, politician (1903 1987)
Making duplicate copie
Making duplicate copies and computer printouts of things no one wanted even one of in the first place is giving America a new sense of purpose., Andy Rooney, US news commentator (1919 )
No man ever listened h
No man ever listened himself out of a job., Calvin Coolidge, 30th president of US (1872 1933)
So much of what we cal
So much of what we call management consists in making it difficult for people to work., Peter Drucker,
I have never let my sc
I have never let my schooling interfere with my education., Mark Twain, US humorist, novelist, short story author, wit (1835 1910)
I respect faith, but d
I respect faith, but doubt is what gets you an education., Wilson Mizner, US screenwriter (1876 1933)
When you have only two
When you have only two pennies left in the world, buy a loaf of bread with one, and a lily with the other., Chinese Proverb,
Every man serves a use
Every man serves a useful purpose: A miser, for example, makes a wonderful ancestor., Laurence J. Peter, US educator writer (1919 1988)
Finance is the art of
Finance is the art of passing money from hand to hand until it finally disappears., Robert W. Sarnoff,
I quit therapy because
I quit therapy because my analyst was trying to help me behind my back., Richard Lewis,
Lawyers spend a great
Lawyers spend a great deal of their time shoveling smoke., Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr., US jurist (1841 1935)
When men are pure, law
When men are pure, laws are useless when men are corrupt, laws are broken., Benjamin Disraeli, British politician (1804 1881)
Communism is like one
Communism is like one big phone company., Lenny Bruce, (1923 1966)
Get all the fools on y
Get all the fools on your side and you can be elected to anything., Frank Dane,
If your daily life see
If your daily life seems poor, do not blame it blame yourself, tell yourself that you are not poet enough to call forth its riches., Rainer Maria Rilke, German lyric poet (1875 1926)
I never vote for anyon
I never vote for anyone I always vote against., W. C. Fields, US actor (1880 1946)
The Constitution gives
The Constitution gives every American the inalienable right to make a damn fool of himself., John Ciardi, US poet (1916 1986)
Every decent man is as
Every decent man is ashamed of the government he lives under., H. L. Mencken, US editor (1880 1956)
Bite off more than you
Bite off more than you can chew, then chew it. Plan more than you can do, then do it., Anonymous,
If the English languag
If the English language made any sense, a catastrophe would be an apostrophe with fur., Doug Larson,
A lot of people like s
A lot of people like snow. I find it to be an unnecessary freezing of water., Carl Reiner,
I do not want people t
I do not want people to be agreeable, as it saves me the trouble of liking them., Jane Austen, English novelist (1775 1817)
Money frees you from d
Money frees you from doing things you dislike. Since I dislike doing nearly everything, money is handy., Groucho Marx, US comedian with Marx Brothers (1890 1977)
What some people mista
What some people mistake for the high cost of living is really the cost of high living., Doug Larson,
Against logic there is
Against logic there is no armor like ignorance., Laurence J. Peter, US educator writer (1919 1988)
A cynic is a man who,
A cynic is a man who, when he smells flowers, looks around for a coffin., H. L. Mencken, US editor (1880 1956)
Vigorous let us be in
Vigorous let us be in attaining our ends, and mild in our method of attainment., Lord Newborough, Motto,
Arguments are to be av
Arguments are to be avoided they are always vulgar and often convincing., Oscar Wilde, Irish dramatist, novelist, poet (1854 1900)
Live in such a way tha
Live in such a way that you would not be ashamed to sell your parrot to the town gossip., Will Rogers, US humorist showman (1879 1935)
I never took hallucino
I never took hallucinogenic drugs because I never wanted my consciousness expanded one unnecessary iota., Fran Lebowitz, US writer and humorist (1950 )
Reminds me of my safar
Reminds me of my safari in Africa. Somebody forgot the corkscrew and for several days we had to live on nothing but food and water., W. C. Fields, US actor (1880 1946)
A lie can travel halfw
A lie can travel halfway around the world while the truth is putting on its shoes., Mark Twain, (attributed), US humorist, novelist, short story author, wit (1835 1910)
There are only two way
There are only two ways of telling the complete truthanonymously and posthumously., Thomas Sowell, (1930 )
A little sincerity is
A little sincerity is a dangerous thing, and a great deal of it is absolutely fatal., Oscar Wilde, The Critic as Artist, part 2 1891, Irish dramatist, novelist, poet (1854 1900)
Oh, what a tangled web
Oh, what a tangled web we weave when first we practice to believe., Laurence J. Peter, paraphrasing Sir Walter Scott, US educator writer (1919 1988)
The Romans would never
The Romans would never have found time to conquer the world if they had been obliged first to learn Latin., Heinrich Heine, German critic poet (1797 1856)
To disagree with three
To disagree with threefourths of the British public is one of the first requisites of sanity., Oscar Wilde, Irish dramatist, novelist, poet (1854 1900)
Turn the world over on
Turn the world over on its side and everything loose will land in Los Angeles., Frank Lloyd Wright, US architect (1869 1959)
Behind the phony tinse
Behind the phony tinsel of Hollywood lies the real tinsel., Oscar Levant, (1906 1972)
I have just returned f
I have just returned from Boston. It is the only sane thing to do if you find yourself up there., Fred Allen, in a letter to Groucho Marx, 1953, US radio comedian (1894 1956)
The town where I grew
The town where I grew up has a zip code of EIEIO., Martin Mull, US comedian and actor (1943 )
We have really everyth
We have really everything in common with America nowadays except, of course, language., Oscar Wilde, The Canterville Ghost, 1882, Irish dramatist, novelist, poet (1854 1900)
If you aspire to the h
If you aspire to the highest place, it is no disgrace to stop at the second, or even the third, place., Cicero, Roman author, orator, politician (106 BC 43 BC)
I write down everythin
I write down everything I want to remember. That way, instead of spending a lot of time trying to remember what it is I wrote down, I spend the time looking for the paper I wrote it down on., Beryl Pfizer,
Never give a party if
Never give a party if you will be the most interesting person there., Mickey Friedman,
I can forgive Alfred N
I can forgive Alfred Nobel for having invented dynamite, but only a fiend in human form could have invented the Nobel Prize., George Bernard Shaw, Irish dramatist socialist (1856 1950)
She runs the gamut of
She runs the gamut of emotions from A to B., Dorothy Parker, speaking of Katharine Hepburn, US author, humorist, poet, wit (1893 1967)
Know how to ask. There
Know how to ask. There is nothing more difficult for some people, nor for others, easier., Baltasar Gracian,
It is fun to be in the
It is fun to be in the same decade with you., Franklin D. Roosevelt, in a letter to Winston Churchill, 32nd president of US (1882 1945)
Skiing combines outdoo
Skiing combines outdoor fun with knocking down trees with your face., Dave Barry, US columnist humorist (1947 )
To err is humanand to
To err is humanand to blame it on a computer is even more so., Robert Orben,
Part of the inhumanity
Part of the inhumanity of the computer is that, once it is competently programmed and working smoothly, it is completely honest., Isaac Asimov, US science fiction novelist scholar (1920 1992)
Most conversations are
Most conversations are simply monologues delivered in the presence of witnesses., Margaret Millar,
The prime purpose of e
The prime purpose of eloquence is to keep other people from talking., Louis Vermeil,
Television news is lik
Television news is like a lightning flash. It makes a loud noise, lights up everything around it, leaves everything else in darkness and then is suddenly gone., Hodding Carter,
My father hated radio
My father hated radio and could not wait for television to be invented so he could hate that too., Peter De Vries,
Ask, and it shall be g
Ask, and it shall be given you Seek, and ye shall find Knock, and it shall be opened unto you., Bible, New Testament, Matthew 7:7,
Anyone who goes to a p
Anyone who goes to a psychiatrist ought to have his head examined., Samuel Goldwyn, US (Polishborn) movie producer (1882 1974)
Imagine what it would
Imagine what it would be like if TV actually were good. It would be the end of everything we know., Marvin Minsky,
Imitation is the since
Imitation is the sincerest form of television., Fred Allen, US radio comedian (1894 1956)
Television is more int
Television is more interesting than people. If it were not, we would have people standing in the corners of our rooms., Alan Corenk,
The length of a film s
The length of a film should be directly related to the endurance of the human bladder., Alfred Hitchcock, In Simon Rose, Classic Film Guide (1995), British movie director (1899 1980)
Autobiography is an un
Autobiography is an unrivaled vehicle for telling the truth about other people., Philip Guedalla, English author popular historian (1889 1944)
In literature as in lo
In literature as in love, we are astonished at what is chosen by others., Andre Maurois, French author (1885 1967)
It is only an auctione
It is only an auctioneer who can equally and impartially admire all schools of art., Oscar Wilde, The Critic as Artist, 1891, Irish dramatist, novelist, poet (1854 1900)
A painting in a museum
A painting in a museum hears more ridiculous opinions than anything else in the world., Edmond de Goncourt, French artist novelist (1822 1896)
Before you contradict
Before you contradict an old man, my fair friend, you should endeavor to understand him., George Santayana, US (Spanishborn) philosopher (1863 1952)
The murals in restaura
The murals in restaurants are on par with the food in museums., Peter De Vries,
The significant proble
The significant problems we have cannot be solved at the same level of thinking with which we created them., Albert Einstein, (attributed), US (Germanborn) physicist (1879 1955)
The days of the digita
The days of the digital watch are numbered., Tom Stoppard, British dramatist screenwriter (1937 )
Humanity is acquiring
Humanity is acquiring all the right technology for all the wrong reasons., R. Buckminster Fuller, US architect engineer (1895 1983)
He who builds a better
He who builds a better mousetrap these days runs into material shortages, patentinfringement suits, work stoppages, collusive bidding, discount discriminationand taxes.", H. E. Martz,
It is a far, far bette
It is a far, far better thing to have a firm anchor in nonsense than to put out on the troubled sea of thought., John Kenneth Galbraith, US (Canadianborn) administrator economist (1908 )
Only exceptionally rat
Only exceptionally rational men can afford to be absurd., Allan Goldfein,
If you go in for argum
If you go in for argument, take care of your temper. Your logic, if you have any, will take care of itself., Joseph Farrell,
If a cluttered desk is
If a cluttered desk is the sign of a cluttered mind, what is the significance of a clean desk?, Laurence J. Peter, US educator writer (1919 1988)
Consistency is the las
Consistency is the last refuge of the unimaginative., Oscar Wilde, Irish dramatist, novelist, poet (1854 1900)
The absence of alterna
The absence of alternatives clears the mind marvelously., Henry Kissinger, US (Germanborn) diplomat scholar (1923 )
Confusion is always th
Confusion is always the most honest response., Marty Indik,
The advantage of a bad
The advantage of a bad memory is that one enjoys several times the same good things for the first time., Friedrich Nietzsche, German philosopher (1844 1900)
He is indebted to his
He is indebted to his memory for his jests and to his imagination for his facts., Richard Brinsley Sheridan, Irish dramatist politician (1751 1816)
Ours is the age that i
Ours is the age that is proud of machines that think and suspicious of men who try to., H. Mumford Jones, US critic educator (1892 1980)
Do not judge men by me
Do not judge men by mere appearances for the light laughter that bubbles on the lip often mantles over the depths of sadness, and the serious look may be the sober veil that covers a divine peace and joy., E. H. Chapin,
Never try to tell ever
Never try to tell everything you know. It may take too short a time., Norman Ford,
An intelligence test s
An intelligence test sometimes shows a man how smart he would have been not to have taken it., Laurence J. Peter, US educator writer (1919 1988)
An intellectual is a m
An intellectual is a man who takes more words than necessary to tell more than he knows., Dwight D. Eisenhower, US general Republican politician (1890 1969)
It is impossible to de
It is impossible to defeat an ignorant man in argument., William G. McAdoo, US industrialist, lawyer, politician (1863 1941)
The incompetent with n
The incompetent with nothing to do can still make a mess of it., Laurence J. Peter, US educator writer (1919 1988)
Since we cannot know a
Since we cannot know all that there is to be known about anything, we ought to know a little about everything., Blaise Pascal, French mathematician, physicist (1623 1662)
Only dull people are b
Only dull people are brilliant at breakfast., Oscar Wilde, An Ideal Husband, 1893 Act I, Irish dramatist, novelist, poet (1854 1900)
There is much pleasure
There is much pleasure to be gained from useless knowledge., Bertrand Russell, British author, mathematician, philosopher (1872 1970)
Happiness makes up in
Happiness makes up in height for what it lacks in length., Robert Frost, US poet (1874 1963)
Keeping your clothes w
Keeping your clothes well pressed will keep you from looking hard pressed., Coleman Cox,
Cockroaches and social
Cockroaches and socialites are the only things that can stay up all night and eat anything., Herb Caen,
Part of the secret of
Part of the secret of success in life is to eat what you like and let the food fight it out inside., Mark Twain, US humorist, novelist, short story author, wit (1835 1910)
I no longer prepare fo
I no longer prepare food or drink with more than one ingredient., Cyra McFadden,
Poets have been myster
Poets have been mysteriously silent on the subject of cheese., G. K. Chesterton, English author mystery novelist (1874 1936)
Beware so long as you
Beware so long as you live, of judging people by appearances., La Fontaine,
No matter how rich you
No matter how rich you become, how famous or powerful, when you die the size of your funeral will still pretty much depend on the weather., Michael Pritchard,
We seem to believe it
We seem to believe it is possible to ward off death by following rules of good grooming., Don Delillo,
The man who says he is
The man who says he is willing to meet you halfway is usually a poor judge of distance., Laurence J. Peter, US educator writer (1919 1988)
Give me the luxuries o
Give me the luxuries of life and I will willingly do without the necessities., Frank Lloyd Wright, US architect (1869 1959)
The greatest use of li
The greatest use of life is to spend it for something that will outlast it., William James, US Pragmatist philosopher psychologist (1842 1910)
Life is an unbroken su
Life is an unbroken succession of false situations., Thornton Wilder, US dramatist novelist (1897 1975)
We think in generaliti
We think in generalities, but we live in detail., Alfred North Whitehead, English mathematician philosopher (1861 1947)
We are continually fac
We are continually faced with a series of great opportunities brilliantly disguised as insoluble problems., John W. Gardner, US administrator (1912 )
Your first appearance,
Your first appearance, he said to me, is the gauge by which you will be measured try to manage that you may go beyond yourself in after times, but beware of ever doing less., Jean Jacques Rousseau, French political philosopher (1712 1778)
I think that somehow,
I think that somehow, we learn who we really are and then live with that decision., Eleanor Roosevelt, US diplomat reformer (1884 1962)
Some people are born o
Some people are born on third base and go through life thinking they hit a triple., Barry Switzer, US football coach (1937 )
Life being what it is,
Life being what it is, one dreams of revenge., Paul Gauguin, French PostImpressionist painter (1848 1903)
Life is like playing a
Life is like playing a violin in public and learning the instrument as one goes on., Samuel Butler, English composer, novelist, satiric author (1835 1902)
Eat a third and drink
Eat a third and drink a third and leave the remaining third of your stomach empty. Then, when you get angry, there will be sufficient room for your rage., Babylonian Talmud, tractate Gittin,
I hope that while so m
I hope that while so many people are out smelling the flowers, someone is taking the time to plant some., Herbert Rappaport,
I like long walks, esp
I like long walks, especially when they are taken by people who annoy me., Noel Coward, English actor, dramatist, songwriter (1899 1973)
Always forgive your en
Always forgive your enemies nothing annoys them so much., Oscar Wilde, Irish dramatist, novelist, poet (1854 1900)
Never have children, o
Never have children, only grandchildren., Gore Vidal, US author dramatist (1925 )
The best way to keep c
The best way to keep children home is to make the home atmosphere pleasantand let the air out of the tires., Dorothy Parker, US author, humorist, poet, wit (1893 1967)
You know that children
You know that children are growing up when they start asking questions that have answers., John J. Plomp,
Never do anything when
Never do anything when you are in a temper, for you will do everything wrong., Baltasar Gracian,
My parents only had on
My parents only had one argument in fortyfive years. It lasted fortythree years., Cathy Ladman,
I take my children eve
I take my children everywhere, but they always find their way back home., Robert Orben,
The denunciation of th
The denunciation of the young is a necessary part of the hygiene of older people, and greatly assists in the circulation of their blood., Logan Pearsall Smith, Afterthoughts 1931 Age and Death, (1865 1946)
I was so naive as a ki
I was so naive as a kid I used to sneak behind the barn and do nothing., Johnny Carson, US comedian television host (1925 2005)
People who get nostalg
People who get nostalgic about childhood were obviously never children., Bill Watterson, Calvin and Hobbes, US cartoonist (1958 )
We are born charming,
We are born charming, fresh and spontaneous and must be civilized before we are fit to participate in society., Judith Martin, (Miss Manners),
When anger rises, thin
When anger rises, think of the consequences., Confucius, Chinese philosopher reformer (551 BC 479 BC)
The chief obstacle to
The chief obstacle to the progress of the human race is the human race., Don Marquis, US humorist (1878 1937)
To err is human to for
To err is human to forgive, infrequent., Franklin P. Adams, US journalist (1881 1960)
Never forget what a ma
Never forget what a man says to you when he is angry., Henry Ward Beecher, US abolitionist clergyman (1813 1887)
Anybody can win unless
Anybody can win unless there happens to be a second entry., George Ade, US dramatist humorist (1866 1944)
He who would leap high
He who would leap high must take a long run., Danish Proverb,
Keep away from people
Keep away from people who try to belittle your ambitions. Small people always do that, but the really great make you feel that you, too, can become great., Mark Twain, US humorist, novelist, short story author, wit (1835 1910)
It is not enough to ai
It is not enough to aim you must hit., Italian Proverb,
First say to yourself
First say to yourself what you would be and then do what you have to do., Epictetus, Roman (Greekborn) slave Stoic philosopher (55 AD 135 AD)
If you refuse to be ma
If you refuse to be made straight when you are green, you will not be made straight when you are dry., African Proverb,
We must learn to be st
We must learn to be still in the midst of activity and to be vibrantly alive in repose., Indira Gandhi, Indian politician (1917 1984)
Any sufficiently advan
Any sufficiently advanced bureaucracy is indistinguishable from molasses., Unknown, Quotations by unknown authors )
Make up your mind to a
Make up your mind to act decidedly and take the consequences. No good is ever done in this world by hesitation., Thomas H. Huxley, English biologist (1825 1895)
Having once decided to
Having once decided to achieve a certain task, achieve it at all costs of tedium and distaste. The gain in selfconfidence of having accomplished a tiresome labor is immense., Arnold Bennett,
For the things we have
For the things we have to learn before we can do them, we learn by doing them., Aristotle, Nichomachean Ethics, Greek critic, philosopher, physicist, zoologist (384 BC 322 BC)
To find a fault is eas
To find a fault is easy to do better may be difficult., Plutarch, Greek biographer moralist (46 AD 120 AD)
We could never learn t
We could never learn to be brave and patient, if there were only joy in the world., Helen Keller, US blind deaf educator (1880 1968)
It is better to be hat
It is better to be hated for what you are than to be loved for what you are not., Andre Gide, French critic, essayist, novelist (1869 1951)
Any reviewer who expre
Any reviewer who expresses rage and loathing for a novel is preposterous. He or she is like a person who has put on full armor and attacked a hot fudge sundae., Kurt Vonnegut, US novelist (1922 )
Let us so live that wh
Let us so live that when we come to die even the undertaker will be sorry., Mark Twain, US humorist, novelist, short story author, wit (1835 1910)
Most powerful is he wh
Most powerful is he who has himself in his own power., Seneca, Roman dramatist, philosopher, politician (5 BC 65 AD)
Some people imagine th
Some people imagine that nuclear war will mean instant and painless death. But for millions this will not be the case. The accounts of the injured at Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and of the doctors who tried to tend them, witness to the horrors and torments which would be magnified thousands of times over in the kinds of attack we analyse here. . ., Stan Openshaw Doomsday,
Setting loose on the b
Setting loose on the battlefield weapons that are able to learn may be one of the biggest mistakes mankind has ever made. It could also be one of the last., Richard Forsyth Machine Learning for Expert Systems,
Humility must always b
Humility must always be the portion of any man who receives acclaim earned in the blood of his followers and the sacrifices of his friends., Dwight David Eisenhower, address at Guildhall, London, 7/12/45,
War is just to those t
War is just to those to whom war is necessary., Titus Livius, Roman author historian (59 BC 17 AD)
Before a war military
Before a war military science seems a real science, like astronomy but after a war it seems more like astrology., Rebecca West, Irish critic, journalist, novelist (1892 1983)
If we had less statema
If we had less statemanship we could get along with fewer battleships., Mark Twain, US humorist, novelist, short story author, wit (1835 1910)
pixel, n.: A mischievo
pixel, n.: A mischievous, magical spirit associated with screen displays. The computer industry has frequently borrowed from mythology: Witness the sprites in computer graphics, the demons in artificial intelligence, and the trolls in the marketing department., Jeff Meyer,
If you wish your merit
If you wish your merit to be known, acknowledge that of other people., Oriental Proverb,
I have a cat named Tra
I have a cat named Trash. In the current political climate it would seem that if I were trying to sell him (at least to a Computer Scientist), I would not stress that he is gentle to humans and is selfsufficient, living mostly on field mice. Rather, I would argue that he is objectoriented., Roger King,
Life was simple before
Life was simple before World War II. After that, we had systems., G. Hopper,
Where a calculator on
Where a calculator on the ENIAC is equpped with 18 vaccuum tubes and weighs 30 tons, computers in the future may have only 1 vaccuum tubes and perhaps weigh 1 12 tons., Popular Mechanics, March 1949,
Any sufficiently advan
Any sufficiently advanced bug is indistinguishable from a feature., Kulawiec,
It is against the grai
It is against the grain of modern education to teach children to program. What fun is there in making plans, acquiring discipline in organizing thoughts, devoting attention to detail, and learning to be selfcritical?, Alan Perlis,
Pick battles big enoug
Pick battles big enough to matter, small enough to win., Jonathan Kozol,
An apprentice carpente
An apprentice carpenter may want only a hammer and saw, but a master craftsman employs many precision tools. Computer programming likewise requires sophisticated tools to cope with the complexity of real applications, and only practice with these tools will build skill in their use., Robert L. Kruse, Data Structures and Program Design,
All programmers are pl
All programmers are playwrights and all computers are lousy actors., Unknown, Quotations by unknown authors )
Artificial Intelligenc
Artificial Intelligence: the art of making computers that behave like the ones in movies, Bill Bulko,
Computer Science is no
Computer Science is no more about computers than astronomy is about telescopes., Professor Edsger Dijkstra,
PL1, the fatal disease
PL1, the fatal disease, belongs more to the problem set than to the solution set., Professor Edsger Dijkstra,
It is practically impo
It is practically impossible to teach good programming style to students that have had prior exposure to BASIC as potential programmers they are mentally mutilated beyond hope of regeneration., Professor Edsger Dijkstra,
If the automobile had
If the automobile had followed the same development cyclee as the computer, a RollsRoyce would today cost $100, get a million miles per gallon, and explode once a year, killing everyone inside.", Robert X. Cringely, InfoWorld,
Selfrespect is the cor
Selfrespect is the cornerstone of all virtue., John Herschel, English astronomer (1792 1871)
And, of course, you ha
And, of course, you have the commercials where savvy businesspeople Get Ahead by using their MacIntosh computers to create the ultimate American business product: a really sharplooking report., Dave Barry, US columnist humorist (1947 )
The danger from comput
The danger from computers is not that they will eventually get as smart as men, but that we will meanwhile agree to meet them halfway.", Bernard Avishai,
A politician will alwa
A politician will always tip off his true belief by stating the opposite at the beginning of the sentence. For maximum comprehension, do not start listening until the first clause is concluded. Begin instead at the word but which begins the second, or active, clause. This is the way to tell a liberal from a conservative before they tell you. Thus: I have always believed in a strong national defense, second to none, but ... (a liberal, about to propose a $20 billion defense cut)., Frank Mankiewicz,
What you do speaks so
What you do speaks so loud that I cannot hear what you say., Ralph Waldo Emerson, US essayist poet (1803 1882)
Today, a successful Co
Today, a successful Congressman has the fundraising ability of a hooker trying to raise cab fare home...., John L. Jackley, New York Times, 10/29/90, p. A15.,
No one who has read of
No one who has read official documents needs to be told how easy it is to conceal the essential truth under the apparently candid and all disclosing phrases of a voluminous and particularizing report...., Woodrow Wilson, _Congressional Government_, p. 109, 28th president of US (1856 1924)
Political history is l
Political history is largely an account of mass violence and of the expenditure of vast resources to cope with mythical fears and hopes., Murray Edelman, _Politics as Symbolic Action_, p. 1,
Every man is wise when
Every man is wise when attacked by a mad dog fewer when pursued by a mad woman only the wisest survive when attacked by a mad notion., Robertson Davies,
When a dog bites a man
When a dog bites a man that is not news, but when a man bites a dog that is news., Charles Anderson Dana,
The purpose of a liber
The purpose of a liberal arts education is to learn that a person can like both cats *and* dogs!, Sonjay Anand,
Because I have loved l
Because I have loved life, I shall have no sorrow to die., Amelia Burr,
Heaven goes by favour.
Heaven goes by favour. If it went by merit, you would stay out and your dog would go in., Mark Twain, US humorist, novelist, short story author, wit (1835 1910)
If men menstruated, th
If men menstruated, they would brag about how much and for how long., Gloria Steinem, US feminist (1934 )
Feminism is the radica
Feminism is the radical concept that women are people., Cheris Kramarae Paula Treichler,
A single death is a tr
A single death is a tragedy, a million deaths is a statistic., Joseph Stalin, Georgian Soviet politician (1879 1953)
Too many people are th
Too many people are thinking of security instead of opportunity. They seem more afraid of life than death., James F. Byrnes, US jurist politician (1879 1972)
"A penny for your thou
"A penny for your thoughts?" A dollar for your death., Felix and Oscar, from the Odd Couple,
One must have a heart
One must have a heart of stone to read the death of Little Nell without laughing., Oscar Wilde, Irish dramatist, novelist, poet (1854 1900)
And what is a good cit
And what is a good citizen? Simply one who never says, does or thinks anything that is unusual. Schools are maintained in order to bring this uniformity up to the highest possible point. A school is a hopper into which children are heaved while they are still young and tender therein they are pressed into certain standard shapes and covered from head to heels with official rubberstamps., H. L. Mencken, US editor (1880 1956)
Human history becomes
Human history becomes more and more a race between education and catastrophe., H.G. Wells,
If you sincerely desir
If you sincerely desire a _truly_ wellrounded education, you must study the extremists, the obscure and nutty. You need the balance! Your poor brain is already being impregnated with middleoftheroad crap, twentyfour hours a day, _no matter what_. Network TV, newspapers, radio, magazines at the supermarket... even if you never watch, read, listen, or leave your house, even if you are deaf and blind, the _telepathic pressure alone_ of the uncountable normals surrounding you will insure that you are automatically well grounded in consensus reality., Rev. Ivan Stang High Weirdness By Mail,
A little learning is a
A little learning is a dangerous thing but a lot of ignorance is just as bad., Bob Edwards,
Any fool can tell the
Any fool can tell the truth, but it requires a man of some sense to know how to lie well., Samuel Butler, English composer, novelist, satiric author (1835 1902)
Curiosity is the very
Curiosity is the very basis of education and if you tell me that curiosity killed the cat, I say only the cat died nobly., Arnold Edinborough,
Our American professor
Our American professors like their literature clear, cold, pure and very dead., Sinclair Lewis, US novelist (1885 1951)
It is the mark of an e
It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it., Aristotle, Greek critic, philosopher, physicist, zoologist (384 BC 322 BC)
The two most abundant
The two most abundant things in the universe are hydrogen and stupidity., Harlan Ellison.,
Education makes a peop
Education makes a people easy to lead, but difficult to drive easy to govern but impossible to enslave., Baron Henry Peter Brougham,
Education is the best
Education is the best provision for old age., Aristotle, Greek critic, philosopher, physicist, zoologist (384 BC 322 BC)
Knowledge is expensive
Knowledge is expensive., Hanna Gray, current president of the University of Chicago,
If God dropped acid, w
If God dropped acid, would he see people?, Steven Wright, US comedian and actor (1955 )
A man is too apt to fo
A man is too apt to forget that in this world he cannot have everything. A choice is all that is left him., H. Mathews,
A cap of good acid cos
A cap of good acid costs five dollars and for that you can hear the Universal Symphony with God singing solo and the Holy Ghost on drums., Hunter S. Thompson, US journalist (1939 2005)
For example, in Year 1
For example, in Year 1 that useless letter c would be dropped to be replased either by k or s, and likewise x would no longer be part of the alphabet. The only kase in which c would be retained would be the ch formation, which will be dealt with later. Year 2 might reform w spelling, so that which and one would take the same konsonant, wile Year 3 might well abolish y replasing it with i and Iear 4 might fiks the gj anomali wonse and for all. Jenerally, then, the improvement would kontinue iear bai iear with Iear 5 doing awai with useless double konsonants, and Iears 6.12.2008 or so modifaiing vowlz and the rimeining voist and unvoist konsonants. Bai Iear 15 or sou, it wud fainali bi posibl tu meik ius ov thi ridandant letez c, y and x bai now jast a memori in the maindz ov ould doderez tu riplais ch, sh, and th rispektivli. Fainali, xen, aafte sam 20 iers ov orxogrefkl riform, wi wud hev a lojikl, kohirnt speling in ius xrewawt xe Ingliyspiking werld., Mark Twain, A Plan for the Improvement of English Spelling, US humorist, novelist, short story author, wit (1835 1910)
Experience consists of
Experience consists of experiencing that which one does not wish to experience, quoted by Freud in Jokes and Their Relation To The Unconscience?,
Experience is a hard t
Experience is a hard teacher. She gives the test first and the lessons afterwards., anonymous,
Experience is what cau
Experience is what causes a person to make new mistakes instead of old ones., anonymous,
We should be careful t
We should be careful to get out of an experience only the wisdom that is in itand stop there lest we be like the cat that sits down on a hot stove lid. She will never sit on a hot stove lid againand that is well but also she will never sit down on a cold one anymore., Mark Twain, US humorist, novelist, short story author, wit (1835 1910)
If history repeats its
If history repeats itself, and the unexpected always happens, how incapable must Man be of learning from experience., George Bernard Shaw, Irish dramatist socialist (1856 1950)
What a price we pay fo
What a price we pay for experience, when we must sell our youth to buy it., Javan,
There was a blithe cer
There was a blithe certainty that came from first comprehending the full Einstein field equations, arabesques of Greek letters clinging tenuously to the page, a gossamer web. They seemed insubstantial when you first saw them, a string of squiggles. Yet to follow the delicate tensors as they contracted, as the superscripts paired with subscripts, collapsing mathematically into concrete classical entities potential mass forces vectoring in a curved geometry that was a sublime experience. The iron fist of the real, inside the velvet glove of airy mathematics., Gregory Benford Timescape,
How did Biot arrive at
How did Biot arrive at the partial differential equation? [the heat conduction equation] . . . Perhaps Laplace gave Biot the equation and left him to sink or swim for a few years in trying to derive it. That would have been merely an instance of the way great mathematicians since the very beginnings of mathematical research have effortlessly maintained their superiority over ordinary mortals., Clifford Truesdell,
The mathematician live
The mathematician lives long and lives young the wings of his soul do not early drop off, nor do its pores become clogged with the earthy particles blown from the dusty highways of vulgar life., James Joseph Sylvester,
...it is certain that
...it is certain that the real function of art is to increase our selfconsciousness to make us more aware of what we are, and therefore of what the universe in which we live really is. And since mathematics, in its own way, also performs this function, it is not only aesthetically charming but profoundly significant. It is an art, and a great art., John W.N. Sullivan,
If you can give your s
If you can give your son or daughter only one gift, let it be enthusiasm., Bruce Barton,
I will not go so far a
I will not go so far as to say that to construct a history of thought without profound study of the mathematical ideas of successive epochs is like omitting Hamlet from the play which is named after him. . . But it is certainly analogous to cutting out the part of Ophelia. This simile is singularly exact. For Ophelia is quite essential to the play, she is very charming and a little mad., Alfred North Whitehead, English mathematician philosopher (1861 1947)
The most extensive com
The most extensive computation known has been conducted over the last billion years on a planetwide scale: it is the evolution of life. The power of this computation is illustrated by the complexity and beauty of its crowning achievement, the human brain., David Rogers, Weather Prediction Using a Genetic Memory,
There is an astonishin
There is an astonishing imagination, even in the science of mathematics... We repeat, there was far more imagination in the head of Archimedes than in that of Homer., Voltaire, French author, humanist, rationalist, satirist (1694 1778)
You can not apply math
You can not apply mathematics as long as words still becloud reality., Hermann Weyl,
God does not care abou
God does not care about our mathematical difficulties. He integrates empirically., Albert Einstein, US (Germanborn) physicist (1879 1955)
Philosophy is a game w
Philosophy is a game with objectives and no rules. Mathematics is a game with rules and no objectives., Anonymous,
Mathematics transfigur
Mathematics transfigures the fortuitous concourse of atoms into the tracery of the finger of God., Herbert Westren Turnbull,
My specific goal is to
My specific goal is to revolutionize the future of the species. Mathematics is just another way of predicting the future., Ralph Abraham,
Never help a child wit
Never help a child with a task at which he feels he can succeed., Maria Montessori, Italian educator physician (1870 1952)
You know, my Friends,
You know, my Friends, with what a brave CarouseI made a Second Marriage in my house Divorced old barren Reason from my Bed,And took the Daughter of the Vine to Spouse.For Is and Isnot though with Rule and LineAnd Upanddown by Logic I define, Of all that one should care to fathom, IWas never deep in anything but Wine., from the Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam (Translation by Edward Fitzgerald),
The greatest way to li
The greatest way to live with honor in this world is to be what we pretend to be., Socrates, Greek philosopher in Athens (469 BC 399 BC)
My formula for living
My formula for living is quite simple. I get up in the morning and I go to bed at night. In between, I occupy myself as best I can., Cary Grant, US movie actor (1904 1986)
Not till we are lost,
Not till we are lost, in other words, not till we have lost the world, do we begin to find ourselves, and realize the infinite extent of our relations., Henry David Thoreau, US Transcendentalist author (1817 1862)
We are here to add to
We are here to add to the sum of human goodness. To prove the thing exists. And however futile each individual act of courage or generosity, selfsacrifice or graceit still proves the thing exists. Each act adds to the fund. It needs replenishment. Not only because evil flourishes, and is, most indefensibly, defended. But because goodness is no longer a respectable aim in life. The hound of hell, envy, has driven it from the house., Josephine Hart, Sin,
We owe a deep debt of
We owe a deep debt of gratitude to Adam, the first great benefactor of the human race: he brought death into the world., Mark Twain, US humorist, novelist, short story author, wit (1835 1910)
Nothing in the entire
Nothing in the entire universe ever perishes, believe me, but things vary, and adopt a new form. The phrase being born is used for beginning to be something different from what one was before, while dying means ceasing to be the same. Though this thing may pass into that, and that into this, yet the sums of things remains unchanged., Ovid, Metamorphoses, Roman poet (43 BC 17 AD)
No one can build his s
No one can build his security upon the nobleness of another person., Willa Cather, US novelist (1873 1947)
The only completely co
The only completely consistent people are the dead., Aldous Huxley, English critic novelist (1894 1963)
He is one of those pep
He is one of those peple who would be enormously improved by death, H.H. Munro (Saki),
What I look forward to
What I look forward to is continued immaturity followed by death., Dave Barry, US columnist humorist (1947 )
The marvel of all hist
The marvel of all history is the patience with which men and women submit to burdens unnecessarily laid upon them by their governments., William H. Borah,
The spirit of resistan
The spirit of resistance to government is so valuable on certain occasions that I wish it to be always kept alive., Thomas Jefferson, 3rd president of US (1743 1826)
The real question of g
The real question of government versus private enterprise is argued on too philosophical and abstract a basis. Theoretically, planning may be good. But nobody has ever figured out the cause of government stupidity and until they do (and find the cure) all ideal plans will fall into quicksand., Richard Feynman, US educator physicist (1918 1988)
Every culture has its
Every culture has its distinctive and normal system of government. Yours is democracy, moderated by corruption. Ours is totalitarianism, moderated by assassination., Unknown Russian,
Beware of too much lau
Beware of too much laughter, for it deadens the mind and produces oblivion., The Talmud,
A thing can be true an
A thing can be true and still be desperate folly., Richard Adams, _Watership Down_,
It is fatal to be righ
It is fatal to be right when the rest of the world is wrong., Brother Theodore,
Pardon him, Theodotus:
Pardon him, Theodotus: he is a barbarian, and thinks that the customs of his tribe and island are the laws of nature., George Bernard Shaw, Ceasar and Cleopatra, Irish dramatist socialist (1856 1950)
Nature is earlier than
Nature is earlier than man, but man is earlier than natural science., von Weizsacker,
He who wonders discove
He who wonders discovers that this in itself is wonder., M. C. Escher, Dutch artist (1898 1972)
There is nothing more
There is nothing more practical than a good theory., Leonid Ilich Brezhnev, quoted in V Rich, Nature, 1977 270 pp4701,
network: anything reti
network: anything reticulated or decussated, with interstices between the intersections, from the Dictionary of Samuel Johnson,
Live TV died in the la
Live TV died in the late 1950s, electronic bulletin boards came along in the mid1980s, meaning there was about a 25year gap when it was difficult to put your foot in your mouth and have people all across the country know about it., Mark Leeper,
Where so many hours ha
Where so many hours have been spent in convincing myself that I am right, is there not some reason to fear I may be wrong?, Jane Austen, English novelist (1775 1817)
It can be shown that f
It can be shown that for any nutty theory, beyondthefringe political view, or strange religion there exists a proponent on the Net. The proof is left as an exercise for your killfile., unattributed truth from r.g.frp,
The basic notion under
The basic notion underlying USENET is the flame., Chuq Von Rospach,
The opposite of a corr
The opposite of a correct statement is a false statement. But the opposite of a profound truth may well be another profound truth., Niels Bohr, Danish physicist (1885 1962)
A technique succeeds i
A technique succeeds in mathematical physics, not by a clever trick, or a happy accident, but because it expresses some aspect of a physical truth., O.G. Sutton,
I know that most men,
I know that most men, including those at ease with problems of the greatest complexity, can seldom accept even the simplest and most obvious truth if it be such as would oblige them to admit the falsity of conclusions which they have delighted in explaining to colleagues, which they have proudly taught to others, and which they have woven, thread by thread, into the fabric of their lives., Leo Tolstoy, Russian mystic novelist (1828 1910)
Truth never comes into
Truth never comes into the world but like a bastard, to the ignominy of him that brought her birth., John Milton, English poet (1608 1674)
Everything has got a m
Everything has got a moral if you can only find it., Lewis Carroll, English author recreational mathematician (1832 1898)
The least deviation fr
The least deviation from truth will be multiplied later., Aristotle, Greek critic, philosopher, physicist, zoologist (384 BC 322 BC)
I stopped believing in
I stopped believing in Santa Claus when I was six. Mother took me to see him in a department store and he asked for my autograph., Shirley Temple, US actress, dancer, diplomat (1928 )
I live in the Manageri
I live in the Managerial Age, in a world of Admin. The greatest evil is not now done in those sordid dens of crime that Dickens loved to paint. It is not done even in concentration camps and labour camps. In those we see its final result. But it is conceived and ordered (moved, seconded, carried, and minuted) in clean, carpeted, warmed and welllighted offices, by quiet men with white collars and cut fingernails and smoothshaven cheeks who do not need to raise their voices. Hence, naturally enough, my symbol for Hell is something like the bureaucracy of a police state or the office of a thoroughly nasty business concern., C. S. Lewis, English essayist juvenile novelist (1898 1963)
Capitalism is the asto
Capitalism is the astounding belief that the most wickedest of men will do the most wickedest of things for the greatest good of everyone, John Maynard Keynes, English economist (1883 1946)
I like less the story
I like less the story that a frog if put in cold water will not bestir itself if that water is heated up slowly and gradually and will in the end let itself be boiled alive, too comfortable with continuity to realize that continuous change at some point may become intolerable and demand a change in behavior., Charles Handy The Age of Unreason,
Fine art and pizza del
Fine art and pizza delivery, what we do falls neatly in between!, David Letterman, US comedian television host (1947 )
The worst crime agains
The worst crime against working people is a company which fails to operate at a profit., Samuel Gompers, said in 1908,
One can never consent
One can never consent to creep when one feels an impulse to soar., Helen Keller, US blind deaf educator (1880 1968)
The market is not an i
The market is not an invention of capitalism. It has existed for centuries. It is an invention of civilization., Mikhail Gorbachev, June 8 1990,
It is not from the ben
It is not from the benevolence of the butcher, the brewer, or the baker, that we expect our dinner, but from their regard to their own selfinterest. We address ourselves, not to their humanity but to their selflove, and never talk to them of our own neccessities but of their advantages., Adam Smith,
All last year we tried
All last year we tried to teach him English, and the only word he learned was million., Tommy Lasorda, on pitcher Fernando Valenzuela,
What you are shouts so
What you are shouts so loud in my ears I cannot hear what you say., Ralph Waldo Emerson, US essayist poet (1803 1882)
I think I am a verb.,
I think I am a verb., R. Buckminster Fuller, US architect engineer (1895 1983)
Man does not live by w
Man does not live by words alone, despite the fact that he sometimes has to eat them., Adlai E. Stevenson Jr., US diplomat Democratic politician (1900 1965)
I have found you an ar
I have found you an argument: but I am not obliged to find you an understanding., Samuel Johnson, English author, critic, lexicographer (1709 1784)
Aim at the sun, and yo
Aim at the sun, and you may not reach it but your arrow will fly far higher than if aimed at an object on a level with yourself., Joel Hawes,
"Where did you put it?
"Where did you put it?" Put what? You know? Where do you think? Oh., Nicholas Negroponte, Director of the MIT Media Lab, stating his ideal model of humancomputer interaction,
For I am a Bear of Ver
For I am a Bear of Very Little Brain, and big words Bother me., Winnie the Pooh,
Sticks and stones will
Sticks and stones will break our bones, but words will break our hearts..., Robert Fulghum, US author Unitarian clergyman (1937 )
...exaggerated turns o
...exaggerated turns of speech conceal mediocre affections: as if the fulness of the soul might not sometimes overflow in the emptiest of metaphors, since no one, ever, can give the exact measurements of his needs, nor of his conceptions, nor of his sufferings, and the human word is like a cracked cauldron upon which we beat out melodies fit for making bears dance when we are trying to move the stars to pity., Gustave Flaubert, Madame Bovary, ch. 12, French realist novelist (1821 1880)
There is a certain age
There is a certain age at which a child looks at you in all earnestness and delivers a long, pleased speech in all the true inflections of spoken English, but with not one recognizable syllable. There is no way you can tell the child that if language had been a melody, he had mastered it and done well, but that since it was in fact a sense, he had botched it utterly., Annie Dillard, _Pilgrim at Tinker Creek_,
Language exists only o
Language exists only on the surface of our consciousness. The great human struggles are played out in silence and in the ability to express oneself., Franz Xavier Kroetz,
Be on the alert to rec
Be on the alert to recognize your prime at whatever time of your life it may occur., Muriel Spark, British author (1918 )
Of the delights of thi
Of the delights of this world, man cares most for sexual intercourse, yet he has left it out of his heaven., Mark Twain, US humorist, novelist, short story author, wit (1835 1910)
A sympathetic Scot sum
A sympathetic Scot summed it all up very neatly in the remark, You should make a point of trying every experience once, excepting incest and folk dancing., Sir Arnold Bax, British composer (1883 1953)
Meetings are an addict
Meetings are an addictive, highly selfindulgent activity that corporations and other organizations habitually engage in only because they cannot actually masturbate., Alain van der Heide,
We have staked the who
We have staked the whole future of American civilization, not upon the power of government, far from it. We have staked the future of all of our political institutions upon the capacity of mankind of selfgovernment upon the capacity of each and all of us to govern ourselves, to control ourselves, to sustain ourselves according to the Ten Commandments of God., James Madison, (attributed), 4th president of US (1751 1836)
Politics is made up la
Politics is made up largely of irrelevancies., Dalton Camp,
I gather, young man, t
I gather, young man, that you wish to be a Member of Parliament. The first lesson that you must learn is, when I call for statistics about the rate of infant mortality, what I want is proof that fewer babies died when I was Prime Minister than when anyone else was Prime Minister. That is a political statistic., Sir Winston Churchill, British politician (1874 1965)
To look backward for a
To look backward for a while is to refresh the eye, to restore it, and to render it the more fit for its prime function of looking forward., Margaret Fairless Barber,
Politicians should rea
Politicians should read science fiction, not westerns and detective stories., Arthur C. Clarke, English physicist science fiction author (1917 )
Political language an
Political language and with variations this is true of all political parties, from Conservatives to Anarchists is designed to make lies sound truthful and murder respectable, and to give an appearance of solidity to pure wind., George Orwell, 1946, English essayist, novelist, satirist (1903 1950)
Numerous politicians h
Numerous politicians have seized absolute power and muzzled the press. Never in history has the press seized absolute power and muzzled the politicians., David Brinkley, US television newscaster (1920 2003)
How good bad music and
How good bad music and bad reasons sound when we march against an enemy., Friedrich Nietzsche, German philosopher (1844 1900)
Sure there is music ev
Sure there is music even in the beauty, and the silent note which Cupid strikes, far sweeter than the sound of an instrument. For there is music wherever there is harmony, order and proportion and thus far we may maintain the music of the spheres for those well ordered motions, and regular paces, though they give no sound unto the ear, yet to the understanding they strike a note most full of harmony., Sir Thomas Browne, (1605 1682)
Without music, life wo
Without music, life would be a mistake., Friedrich Nietzsche, German philosopher (1844 1900)
I see music as the aug
I see music as the augmentation of a split second of time., Erin Cleary,
No Voice but oh! the s
No Voice but oh! the silence sank like music on my heart., Samuel Taylor Coleridge, English critic poet (1772 1834)
Philosophy is the high
Philosophy is the highest music., Plato, Greek author philosopher in Athens (427 BC 347 BC)
My teen angst has a bo
My teen angst has a body count., Veronica Heathers,
I have a perfect cure
I have a perfect cure for a sore throat: cut it., Alfred Hitchcock, British movie director (1899 1980)
There is no salvation
There is no salvation in becoming adapted to a world which is crazy., Henry Miller, The Colossus of Maroussi (1941), US author (1891 1980)
Confusion is a word we
Confusion is a word we have invented for an order which is not understood., Henry Miller, US author (1891 1980)
Chaos is the score upo
Chaos is the score upon which reality is written., Henry Miller, US author (1891 1980)
[On recognizing China]
[On recognizing China] But if you recognize anyone it does not mean you like them. For instance, we all recognize the right honourable gentleman the member for Ebbw Vale., Sir Winston Churchill, British politician (1874 1965)
It might be said that
It might be said that Lord Rosebery outlived his future by ten years and his past by more than twenty., Sir Winston Churchill, British politician (1874 1965)
There but for the grac
There but for the grace of God goes God., Sir Winston Churchill, British politician (1874 1965)
If heaven is going to
If heaven is going to be full of people like Hardie, well, the Almighty can have them to himself., Sir Winston Churchill, British politician (1874 1965)
Who will relieve me of
Who will relieve me of this Wuthering Height, Sir Winston Churchill, British politician (1874 1965)
[He] looks at foreign
[He] looks at foreign affairs through the wrong end of a municipal drainpipe., Sir Winston Churchill, British politician (1874 1965)
If crime went down 100
If crime went down 100%, it would still be 50 times higher than it shoud be., Councilman John Bowman commenting on the high crime in Washington,
I want to gain 1,5 or
I want to gain 1,5 or 2 yards, whichever comes first., George Rogers, Saints running back,
While you are away, mo
While you are away, movie stars are taking your women. Robert Redford is dating your girlfriend, Tom Selleck is kissing your lady, Bart Simpson is making love to your wife., Baghdad Betty, Iraqi radio announcer, to gulf war troops,
I first saw President
I first saw President Reagan as a foot, highly polished brown cordovan wagging merrily on a hassock. I spied it through the door. It was a beautiful foot, sleek. Such casual elegance and clean lines! But not a big foot, not formidable, maybe a little ...frail. I imagined cradling it in my arms, protecting it from unsmooth roads., Peggy Noonan, speechwriter for the Reagan administration, US speechwriter for George Bush (1950 )
Half this game is 90,0
Half this game is 90,00% mental., Danny Ozark, manager of the Phillies,
My fellow astronauts..
My fellow astronauts..., Dan Quayle, beginning a speech at an Apollo 11 anniversary celebration, US Republican politician (1947 )
Wherever I have gone i
Wherever I have gone in this country, I have found Americans., Alf Landon, during his speech in his presidential campaign against FDR,
The demonstration that
The demonstration that no possible combination of known substances, known forms of machinery and known forms of force, can be united in a practical machine by which man shall fly long distances through the air, seems to the writer as complete as it is possible for the demonstration of any physical fact to be., Simon Newcomb (declared in 1901),
1. At the rise of the
1. At the rise of the hand of the policeman, stop rapidly. Do not pass him or otherwise disrespect him. 2.10.2008 If pedestrian obstacle your path, tootle horn melodiously. If he continue to obstacle, tootle horn vigorously and utter vocal warning such as Hi, Hi. [...] 5.10.2008 Beware of greasy corner where lurk skid demon. Cease step on, approach slowly, round cautiously, resume step on gradually., from an official Japanese guide for Englishspeaking drivers, 1936,
I was not lying. I sai
I was not lying. I said things that later on seemed to be untrue., Richard Nixon, discussing Watergate,
Equal Rights were crea
Equal Rights were created for everyone., contesant in 1990 Mr. New Jersey Male pageant,
How would it be if we
How would it be if we discovered that aliens only stopped by earth to let their kids take a leak?, Jay Leno, US comedian television host (1950 )
Man is to himself the
Man is to himself the most wonderful object in nature for he cannot conceive what the body is, still less what the mind is, and least of all how a body should be united to a mind. This is the consummation of his difficulties, and yet it is his very being., Blaise Pascal, Pensees(II,72), French mathematician, physicist (1623 1662)
Man is but a reed, the
Man is but a reed, the most feeble thing in nature, but he is a thinking reed. The entire universe need not arm itself to crush him. A vapour, a drop of water, suffices to kill him. But if the universe were to crush him, man would still be more noble than that which killed him, because he knows that he dies and the advantage which the universe has over him the universe knows nothing of this., Blaise Pascal, quoted by Rebecca West in BLACK LAMB AND GREY FALCON: A JOURNEY THROUGH YUGOSLAVIA, 1940, French mathematician, physicist (1623 1662)
The effort to understa
The effort to understand the universe is one of the very few things that lifts human life a little above the level of farce and gives it some of the grace of tragedy., Steven Weinberg, US physicist (1933 )
Human consciousness ar
Human consciousness arose but a minute before midnight on the geological clock. Yet we mayflies try to bend an ancient world to our purposes, ignorant perhaps of the messages buried in its long history. Let us hope that we are still in the early morning of our April day., Stephen Jay Gould, US author, naturalist, paleontologist, popularizer of science (1941 2002)
Be humble for you are
Be humble for you are made of dung. Be noble for you are made of stars., Serbian proverb,
Fools admire, but men
Fools admire, but men of sense approve., Alexander Pope, English poet satirist (1688 1744)
[George Bush] has rais
[George Bush] has raised taxes on the people driving pickup trucks and lowered taxes on the people riding in limousines. We can do better., Bill Clinton, Democratic National Convention, July 16 1992, 42nd president of the United States (1946 )
We have come through a
We have come through a strange cycle in programming, starting with the creation of programming itself as a human activity. Executives with the tiniest smattering of knowledge assume that anyone can write a program, and only now are programmers beginning to win their battle for recognition as true professionals. Not just anyone, with any background, or any training, can do a fine job of programming. Programmers know this, but then why is it that they think that anyone picked off the street can do documentation? One has only to spend an hour looking at papers written by graduate students to realize the extent to which the ability to communicate is not universally held. And so, when we speak about computer program documentation, we are not speaking about the psychology of computer programming at all except insofar as programmers have the illusion that anyone can do a good job of documentation, provided he is not smart enough to be a programmer., Gerald Weinberg, The Psychology of Computer Programming,
The process of prepari
The process of preparing programs for a digital computer is especially attractive, not only because it can be economically and scientifically rewarding, but also because it can be an aesthetic experience much like composing poetry or music., Donald E. Knuth,
The primary purpose of
The primary purpose of the Data statement is to give names to constants instead of referring to pi as 3.141592653589793 at every appearance, the variable Pi can be given that value with a Data statement and used instead of the longer form of the constant. This also simplifies modifying the program, should the value of pi change., Fortran manual for Xerox Computers,
If debugging is the ar
If debugging is the art of removing bugs, then programming must be the art of inserting them., Unknown, Quotations by unknown authors )
A good name, like good
A good name, like good will, is got by many actions and lost by one., Lord Jeffery,
If there is, in fact,
If there is, in fact, a Heaven and a Hell, all we know for sure is that Hell will be a viciously overcrowded version of Phoenix..., Hunter S. Thompson, Generation of Swine, US journalist (1939 2005)
...to emphasize the af
...to emphasize the afterlife is to deny life. To concentrate on Heaven is to create hell. In their desperate longing to transcend the disorderliness, friction, and unpredictability that pesters life in their desire for a fresh start in a tidy habitat, germfree and secured by angels, religious multitudes are gambling the only life they may ever have on a dark horse in a race that has no finish line.", Tom Robbins, _Skinny Legs and All_, 1990 p. 305., US novelist (1936 )
We have just enough re
We have just enough religion to make us hate, but not enough to make us love, one another., Jonathan Swift, Irish essayist, novelist, satirist (1667 1745)
The more I study relig
The more I study religions the more I am convinced that man never worshipped anything but himself., Sir Richard F. Burton,
If Beethoven had been
If Beethoven had been killed in a plane crash at the age of 22 it would have changed the history of music... and of aviation., Tom Stoppard, British dramatist screenwriter (1937 )
A celibate clergy is a
A celibate clergy is an especially good idea, because it tends to suppress any hereditary propensity toward fanaticism., Carl Sagan, Contact, US astronomer popularizer of astronomy (1934 1996)
Faith: not *wanting* t
Faith: not *wanting* to know what is true., Friedrich Nietzsche, German philosopher (1844 1900)
In Christianity neithe
In Christianity neither morality nor religion come into contact with reality at any point., Friedrich Nietzsche, German philosopher (1844 1900)
I never write Metropol
I never write Metropolis for seven cents because I can get the same price for city. I never write policeman because I can get the same money for cop., Mark Twain, US humorist, novelist, short story author, wit (1835 1910)
When I give food to th
When I give food to the poor, they call me a saint. When I ask why the poor have no food, they call me a communist., Dom Helder Camara,
Your motivation? Your
Your motivation? Your motivation is your pay packet on Friday. Now get on with it., Noel Coward, English actor, dramatist, songwriter (1899 1973)
I can be expected to l
I can be expected to look for truth but not to find it., Denis Diderot, French author, encyclopedist, philosopher (1713 1784)
The road to truth is l
The road to truth is long, and lined the entire way with annoying bastards, Alexander Jablokov The Place of No Shadows,
There are two kinds of
There are two kinds of men who never amount to much: those who cannot do what they are told and those who can do nothing else., Cyrus H. Curtis, US publisher (1850 1933)
I want to know the tru
I want to know the truth, however perverted that may sound., Stephen Wolfram,
A lie can travel halfw
A lie can travel halfway round the world while the truth is putting on its shoes., Mark Twain, US humorist, novelist, short story author, wit (1835 1910)
I never could tell a l
I never could tell a lie that anybody would doubt, nor a truth that anybody would believe., Mark Twain, US humorist, novelist, short story author, wit (1835 1910)
What is the difference
What is the difference between unethical and ethical advertising? Unethical advertising uses falsehoods to deceive the public ethical advertising uses truth to deceive the public., Vilhjalmur Stefanss,
The folly of mistaking
The folly of mistaking a paradox for a discovery, a metaphor for a proof, a torrent of verbiage for a spring of capital truths, and oneself for an oracle, is inborn in us., Paul Valery, French critic poet (1871 1945)
Scientists are the eas
Scientists are the easiest to fool. They think in straight, predictable, directable, and therefore misdirectable, lines. The only world they know is the one where everything has a logical explanation and things are what they appear to be. Children and conjurorsthey terrify me. Scientists are no problem against them I feel quite confident., Zambendorf, _Code of the Lifemaker_ by James P. Hogan,
All that is necessary
All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing., Edmund Burke, Irish orator, philosopher, politician (1729 1797)
I almost think it is t
I almost think it is the ultimate destiny of science to exterminate the human race., Thomas Love Peacock,
The most merciful thin
The most merciful thing in the world, I think, is the inability of the human mind to correlate all its contents. We live on a placid island of ignorance in the midst of black seas of infinity, and it was not meant that we should voyage far. The sciences, each straining in its own direction, have hitherto harmed us little but some day the piecing together of dissociated knowledge will open up such terrifying vistas of reality, and of our frightful position therein, that we shall either go mad from the revelation or flee from the deadly light into the peace and safety of a new dark age., H.P. Lovecraft, The Call of Cthulhu,
What can I wish to the
What can I wish to the youth of my country who devote themselves to science? ...Thirdly, passion. Remember that science demands from a man all his life. If you had two lives that would not be enough for you. Be passionate in your work and in your searching., Ivan Pavlov, Russian physiologist (1849 1936)
The sciences do not tr
The sciences do not try to explain, they hardly even try to interpret, they mainly make models. By a model is meant a mathematical construct which, with the addition of certain verbal interpretations, describes observed phenomena. The justification of such a mathematical construct is solely and precisely that it is expected to work., John Von Neumann,
Books must follow scie
Books must follow sciences, and not sciences books., Sir Francis Bacon, English author, courtier, philosopher (1561 1626)
Science would be ruine
Science would be ruined if (like sports) it were to put competition above everything else, and if it were to clarify the rules of competition by withdrawing entirely into narrowly defined specialties. The rare scholars who are nomadsbychoice are essential to the intellectual welfare of the settled disciplines., Benoit Mandelbrot,
...a science is said t
...a science is said to be useful if its development tends to accentuate the existing inequalities in the destribution of wealth, or more directly promotes the destruction of human life., G.H. Hardy,
It is not fair to ask
It is not fair to ask of others what you are unwilling to do yourself., Eleanor Roosevelt, US diplomat reformer (1884 1962)
The avoidance of taxes
The avoidance of taxes is the only intellectual pursuit that still carries any reward., John Maynard Keynes, English economist (1883 1946)
That young girl is one
That young girl is one of the least benightedly unintelligent organic life forms it has been my profound lack of pleasure not to be able to avoid meeting., Marvin, _Life, the Universe, and Everything_ by Douglas Adams,
Over the past ten year
Over the past ten years, for the first time, intelligence had become socially correct for girls., Tom Wolfe, Bonfire of the Vanities, US author journalist (1931 )
The intelligent man is
The intelligent man is one who has successfully fulfilled many accomplishments, and is yet willing to learn more., Ed Parker, Grandmaster, American Kenpo.,
Man has made use of hi
Man has made use of his intelligence, he invented stupidity., Remy de Gourmont,
So far as I can rememb
So far as I can remember, there is not one word in the Gospels in praise of intelligence., Bertrand Russell, British author, mathematician, philosopher (1872 1970)
What a distressing con
What a distressing contrast there is between the radiant intelligence of the child and the feeble mentality of the average adult., Sigmund Freud, Austrian psychologist (1856 1939)
Let us overthrow the t
Let us overthrow the totems, break the taboos. Or better, let us consider them cancelled. Coldly, let us be intelligent., Pierre Trudeau, Canadian politician (1919 2000)
Dignity consists not i
Dignity consists not in possessing honors, but in the consciousness that we deserve them., Aristotle, Greek critic, philosopher, physicist, zoologist (384 BC 322 BC)
...no man of genuinely
...no man of genuinely superior intelligence has ever been an actor. Even supposing a young man of appreciable mental powers to be lured upon the stage, as philosophers are occasionally lured into bordellos, his mind would be inevitably and almost immediately destroyed by the gaudy nonsense issuing from his mouth every night., H. L. Mencken, US editor (1880 1956)
I think that God in cr
I think that God in creating man somewhat overestimated his ability., Oscar Wilde, Irish dramatist, novelist, poet (1854 1900)
In the beginning Man c
In the beginning Man created God and in the image of Man created he him., "Aqualung" Jethro Tull,
An apology for the dev
An apology for the devil: it must be remembered that we have heard one side of the case. God has written all the books., Samuel Butler, English composer, novelist, satiric author (1835 1902)
God created sex. Pries
God created sex. Priests created marriage., Voltaire, French author, humanist, rationalist, satirist (1694 1778)
After all, he thought
After all, he thought he was God., FBI agent on why it was difficult to negotiate with David Koresh,
.... You ask, What is
.... You ask, What is our policy? I will say It is to wage war, by sea, land and air, with all our might and with all the strength that God can give us: to wage war against a monstrous tyranny, never surpassed in the dark lamentable catalogue of human crime. That is our policy. You ask, What is our aim? I can answer with one word: Victory victory at all costs, victory in spite of all terror, victory however long and hard the road may be for without victory there is no survival., Sir Winston Churchill, 1940 in his first address as the newly appointed Prime Minister., British politician (1874 1965)
Men are equal it is no
Men are equal it is not birth but virtue that makes the difference., Voltaire, French author, humanist, rationalist, satirist (1694 1778)
Very little is known a
Very little is known about the War of 1812 because the Americans lost it., Eric Nicol,
[The U.S. victory in G
[The U.S. victory in Gulf war was] a stirring victory for the forces of aggression., Dan Quayle, 4.11.1991 (reported in Esquire, 8/92), US Republican politician (1947 )
Vietnam is a jungle. Y
Vietnam is a jungle. You had jungle warfare. Kuwait, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, you have sand. [There is no need to worry about a protracted war because] from a historical basis, Middle East conflicts do not last a long time., Dan Quayle, 10.02.1990 (reported in Esquire, 8/92), US Republican politician (1947 )
To conquer the enemy w
To conquer the enemy without resorting to war is the most desirable. The highest form of generalship is to conquer the enemy by strategy., Ancient Chinese Warlord,
Take the diplomacy out
Take the diplomacy out of war and the thing would fall flat in a week., Will Rogers, US humorist showman (1879 1935)
No poor bastard ever w
No poor bastard ever won a war by dying for his country. He won it by making other bastards die for their country., General George Patton,
A nation is a society
A nation is a society united by delusions about its ancestry and by a common hatred of its neighbors., Dean Inge,
Every gun that is made
Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired signifies in the final sense, a theft from those who hunger and are not fed, those who are cold and are not clothed. This world in arms is not spending money alone. It is spending the sweat of its laborers, the genius of its scientists, the hopes of its children. This is not a way of life at all in any true sense. Under the clouds of war, it is humanity hanging on a cross of iron., Dwight David Eisenhower, 1953,
We should have had soc
We should have had socialism already, but for the socialists., George Bernard Shaw, Irish dramatist socialist (1856 1950)
To the biologist the p
To the biologist the problem of socialism appears largely as a problem of size. The extreme socialists desire to run every nation as a single business concern. I do not suppose that Henry Ford would find much difficulty in running Andorra or Luxembourg on a socialistic basis. He has already more men on his payroll than their population. It is conceivable that a syndicate of Fords, if we could find them, would make Belgium Ltd. or Denmark Inc. pay their way. But while nationalization of certain industries is an obvious possibility in the largest of states, I find it no easier to picture a completely socialized British Empire or United States than an elephant turning somersaults or a hippopotamus jumping a hedge., J.B.S. Haldane, On Being the Right Size in the 1928 book Possible Worlds,
Get your facts first,
Get your facts first, and then you can distort them as much as you please. (Facts are stubborn, but statistics are more pliable.), Mark Twain, US humorist, novelist, short story author, wit (1835 1910)
A fact is a simple sta
A fact is a simple statement that everyone believes. It is innocent, unless found guilty. A hypothesis is a novel suggestion that no one wants to believe. It is guilty, until found effective., Edward Teller, US (Hungarianborn) physicist (1908 2003)
It is a capital mistak
It is a capital mistake to theorize before one has data. Insensibly one begins to twist facts to suit theories, instead of theories to suit facts., Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, British mystery author physician (1859 1930)
Our view. . . is that
Our view. . . is that it is an essential characteristic of experimentation that it is carried out with limited resources, and an essential part of the subject of experimental design to ascertain how these should be best applied or, in particular, to which causes of disturbance care should be given, and which ought to be deliberately ignored., Sir Ronald A. Fisher,
Be wiser than other pe
Be wiser than other people, if you can, but do not tell them so., Lord Chesterfield, (1694 1773)
The true worth of an e
The true worth of an experimenter consists in his pursuing not only what he seeks in his experiment, but also what he did not seek., Claude Bernard, French physiologist (1813 1878)
Why think? Why not try
Why think? Why not try the experiment?, John Hunter,
Every now and then whe
Every now and then when your life gets complicated and the weasels start closing in, the only cure is to load up on heinous chemicals and then drive like a bastard from Hollywood to Las Vegas ... with the music at top volume and at least a pint of ether., Hunter S. Thompson, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, US journalist (1939 2005)
What can be more palpa
What can be more palpably absurd than the prospect held out of locomotives travelling twice as fast as stagecoaches?, The Quarterly Review (England), March 1825,
Inventions reached the
Inventions reached their limit long ago, and I see no hope for further development., Julius Frontinus, 1st century A.D.,
No flying machine will
No flying machine will ever fly from New York to Paris ... [because] no known motor can run at the requisite speed for four days without stopping., Orville Wright,
There is no reason for
There is no reason for any individual to have a computer in their home., Ken Olsen, CEO DEC 1977, US computer engineer industrialist (1926 )
It is difficult to say
It is difficult to say what is impossible, for the dream of yesterday is the hope of today and the reality of tomorrow., Robert H. Goddard, US physicist pioneer rocket engineer (1882 1945)
It would appear that w
It would appear that we have reached the limits of what it is possible to achieve with computer technology, although one should be careful with such statements, as they tend to sound pretty silly in 5 years., John Von Neumann (ca. 1949),
After several minutes
After several minutes of utterly dull conversation I began to think of her not as a woman but as a human, then not as a human but as an animal, then not as an animal but as a source of highgrade protein., Mark Gooley,
The friendly cow all r
The friendly cow all red and white, I love with all my heart: She gives me cream with all her might to eat with apple tart., Robert Louis Stevenson, Scottish author (1850 1894)
The ultimate test of a
The ultimate test of a relationship is to disagree but hold hands., Alexander Penney,
When one is trying to
When one is trying to do something beyond his known powers it is useless to seek the approval of friends. Friends are at their best in moments of defeat., Henry Miller, US author (1891 1980)
Each friend represents
Each friend represents a world in us, a world not born until they arrive, and it is only by this meeting that a new world is born., Anais Nin, US (Frenchborn) author diarist (1903 1977)
Truth, springs from ag
Truth, springs from agrument amongst friends., David Hume, Scottish historian philosopher (1711 1776)
Only enemies speak the
Only enemies speak the truth friends and lovers lie endlessly, caught in the web of duty., Stephen King, Roland from The Last Gunslinger, US horror novelist screenwriter (1947 )
Few things in life are
Few things in life are more embarrassing than the necessity of having to inform an old friend that you have just got engaged to his fiancee., W.C. Fields,
A book of quotations .
A book of quotations . . . can never be complete., Robert M. Hamilton,
Because he did not hav
Because he did not have time to read every new book in his field, the great Polish anthropologist Bronislaw Malinowski used a simple and efficient method of deciding which ones were worth his attention: Upon receiving a new book, he immediately checked the index to see if his name was cited, and how often. The more Malinowski the more compelling the book. No Malinowski, and he doubted the subject of the book was anthropology at all., Neil Postman,
Where is human nature
Where is human nature so weak as in the bookstore?, Henry Ward Beecher, US abolitionist clergyman (1813 1887)
There is as much diffe
There is as much difference between us and ourselves as there is between us and others., Michel de Montaigne, French essayist (1533 1592)
Nobody can be exactly
Nobody can be exactly like me. Sometimes even I have trouble doing it., Tallulah Bankhead, US movie actress (1903 1968)
Man is never honestly
Man is never honestly the fatalist, nor even the stoic. He fights his fate, often desperately. He is forever entering bold exceptions to the rulings of the bench of gods. This fighting, no doubt, makes for human progress, for it favors the strong and the brave. It also makes for beauty, for lesser men try to escape from a hopeless and intolerable world by creating a more lovely one of their own., H. L. Mencken, US editor (1880 1956)
Any impatient student
Any impatient student of mathematics or science or engineering who is irked by having algebraic symbolism thrust upon him should try to get along without it for a week., Eric Temple Bell,
Mathematicians are lik
Mathematicians are like Frenchmen: whatever you say to them they translate into their own language, and forthwith it is something entirely different., Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, German dramatist, novelist, poet, scientist (1749 1832)
Unquestionably, there
Unquestionably, there is progress. The average American now pays out twice as much in taxes as he formerly got in wages., H. L. Mencken, US editor (1880 1956)
The hardest thing in t
The hardest thing in the world to understand is the income tax., Albert Einstein, US (Germanborn) physicist (1879 1955)
Next to being shot at
Next to being shot at and missed, nothing is really quite as satisfying as an income tax refund., F. J. Raymond,
Look, we play the Star
Look, we play the Star Spangled Banner before every game. You want us to pay income taxes, too?, Bill Veeck, Chicago White Sox,
Be wary of strong drin
Be wary of strong drink. It can make you shoot at tax collectors and miss., Lazarus Long, Time Enough for Love,
All the taxes paid ove
All the taxes paid over a lifetime by the average American are spent by the government in less than a second., Jim Fiebig,
All the big corporatio
All the big corporations depreciate their possessions, and you can, too, provided you use them for business purposes. For example, if you subscribe to the Wall Street Journal, a businessrelated newspaper, you can deduct the cost of your house, because, in the words of U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice Warren Burger in a landmark 1979 tax decision: Where else are you going to read the paper? Outside? What if it rains?, Dave Barry, Sweating Out Taxes, US columnist humorist (1947 )
All [zoos] actually of
All [zoos] actually offer to the public in return for the taxes spent upon them is a form of idle and witless amusement, compared to which a visit to a penitentiary, or even to a State legislature in session, is informing, stimulating and ennobling., H. L. Mencken, US editor (1880 1956)
Cats seem to go on the
Cats seem to go on the principle that it never does any harm to ask for what you want., Joseph Wood Krutch, US author critic (1893 1970)
Who can believe that t
Who can believe that there is no soul behind those luminous eyes!, Theophile Gautier,
The only mystery about
The only mystery about the cat is why it ever decided to become a domesticated animal, Sir Compton MacKenzie,
Difficulties strengthe
Difficulties strengthen the mind, as labor does the body., Seneca, Roman dramatist, philosopher, politician (5 BC 65 AD)
If toast always lands
If toast always lands butterside down, and cats always land on their feet, what happen if you strap toast on the back of a cat and drop it?, Steven Wright, US comedian and actor (1955 )
You see, wire telegrap
You see, wire telegraph is a kind of a very, very long cat. You pull his tail in New York and his head is meowing in Los Angeles. Do you understand this? And radio operates exactly the same way: you send signals here, they receive them there. The only difference is that there is no cat., Albert Einstein, when asked to describe radio, US (Germanborn) physicist (1879 1955)
Women and cats do as t
Women and cats do as they damned well please, and men and dogs had best learn to live with it., Alan Holbrook,
The idea of an incarna
The idea of an incarnation of God is absurd: why should the human race think itself so superior to bees, ants, and elephants as to be put in this unique relation to its maker? . . Christians are like a council of frogs in a marsh or a synod of worms on a dunghill croaking and squeaking for our sakes was the world created., Julian the Apostate,
If we take in our hand
If we take in our hand any volume of divinity or school metaphysics, for instance let us ask, Does it contain any abstract reasoning concerning quantity or number? No. Does it contain any experimental reasoning concerning matter of fact and existence? No. Commit it then to the flames: for it can contain nothing but sophistry and illusion., David Hume, Scottish historian philosopher (1711 1776)
For the skeptic there
For the skeptic there remains only one consolation: if there should be such a thing as superhuman law it is administered with subhuman inefficiency., Eric Ambler,
The man who has nothin
The man who has nothing to boast of but his illustrious ancestry is like the potato the best part under ground., Thomas Overbury, English courtier poet (1581 1613)
I have the distinction
I have the distinction of speaking to you from one of the few countries that still has a communist party., Dennis Miller, MCing the 1991 Emmies,
Usenet is like a herd
Usenet is like a herd of performing elephants with diarrhea massive, difficult to redirect, aweinspiring, entertaining, and a source of mind boggling amounts of excrement when you least expect it., Gene Spafford, 1992,
This place makes Maybe
This place makes Mayberry look like a think tank., Dennis Miller (told to me by a CV employee),
Earthly minds, like mu
Earthly minds, like mud walls, resist the strongest batteries and though, perhaps, somethimes the force of a clear argument may make some impression, yet they nevertheless stand firm, keep out the enemy, truth, that would captivate or disturbe them., John Locke, English empiricist philosopher (1632 1704)
Knowledge is not a ser
Knowledge is not a series of selfconsistent theories that converges toward an ideal view it is rather an ever increasing ocean of mutually incompatible (and perhaps even incommensurable) alternatives, each single theory, each fairy tale, each myth that is part of the collection forcing the others into greater articulation and all of them contributing, via this process of competition, to the development of our consciousness., Paul Feyerabend,
The whole problem with
The whole problem with news on television comes down to this: all the words uttered in an hour of news coverage could be printed on page of a newspaper. And the world cannot be understood in one page., Neil Postman,
There are, however, pe
There are, however, people in this world who seldom pick up a newspaper, people who, when watching television, sneer in displeasure and change channels at the first glimpse of an anchorperson. While such willfully uninformed citizens are rare, emerging from seclusion only to serve on juries in trials of great national significance, they do exist., Joe Keenan,
Stay away from needle
Stay away from needle drugs. Richard Nixon is the only dope worth shooting., Abbie Hoffman, US radical activist (1936 1989)
He who fights with mon
He who fights with monsters might take care lest he thereby become a monster. And if you gaze for long into an abyss, the abyss gazes also into you., Friedrich Nietzsche, German philosopher (1844 1900)
What a glorious garden
What a glorious garden of wonders the lights of Broadway would be to anyone lucky enough to be unable to read., G.K. Chesterton,
The story so far: In t
The story so far: In the beginning the Universe was created. This has made a lot of people very angry and has been widely regarded as a bad move., Douglas Adams, The Restaurant at the End of the Universe, English humorist science fiction novelist (1952 2001)
[F]or academic men to
[F]or academic men to be happy, the universe would have to take shape. All of philosophy has no other goal: it is a matter of giving a frock coat to what is, a mathematical frock coat. On the other hand, affirming that the universe resembles nothing and is only formless amounts to saying that the universe is something like a spider or spit., Battaille,
Shallow men believe in
Shallow men believe in luck. Strong men believe in cause and effect., Ralph Waldo Emerson, US essayist poet (1803 1882)
Although the whole of
Although the whole of this life were said to be nothing but a dream and the physical world nothing but a phantasm, I should call this dream or phatasm real enough, if, using reason well, we were never deceived by it., Baron Gottfried Wilhelm von Leibniz,
Nature gets credit whi
Nature gets credit which should in truth be reserved for ourselves: the rose for its scent, the nightingale for its song and the sun for its radiance. The poets are entirely mistaken. They should address their lyrics to themselves and should turn them into odes of self congratulation on the excellence of the human mind., Alfred North Whitehead, English mathematician philosopher (1861 1947)
My own suspicion is th
My own suspicion is that the universe is not only queerer than we suppose, but queerer than we *can* suppose., J.B.S. Haldane, On Being the Right Size in the 1928 book Possible Worlds,
What happens depends o
What happens depends on our way of observing it or on the fact that we observe it., Werner Heisenberg,
We have to remember th
We have to remember that what we observe is not nature in itself but nature exposed to our method of questioning., Werner Heisenberg,
A reasonable probabili
A reasonable probability is the only certainty., E.W. Howe,
For every living creat
For every living creature that succeeds in getting a footing in life there are thousands or millions that perish. There is an enormous random scattering for every seed that comes to life. This does not remind us of intelligent human design. If a man in order to shoot a hare, were to discharge thousands of guns on a great moor in all possible directions if in order to get into a locked room, he were to buy ten thousand casual keys, and try them all if, in order to have a house, he were to build a town, and leave all the other houses to wind and weather assuredly no one would call such proceedings purposeful and still less would anyone conjecture behind these proceedings a higher wisdom, unrevealed reasons, and superior prudence., J.W.N. Sullivan,
He who will not econom
He who will not economize will have to agonize., Confucius, Chinese philosopher reformer (551 BC 479 BC)
The fathers of the fie
The fathers of the field had been pretty confusing: John von Neumann speculated about computers and the human brain in analogies sufficiently wild to be worthy of a medieval thinker, and Alan Turing thought about criteria to settle the question of whether machines can think, a question of which we now know that it is about as relevant as the question of whether submarines can swim., Professor Edsger Dijkstra, at the ACN South Central Regional Conference, Austin, Texas, 16 to 18 Novemver 1984,
Thus, be it understood
Thus, be it understood, to demonstrate a theorem, it is neither necessary nor even advantageous to know what it means....[A] machine might be imagined where the assumptions were put in at one end, while the theorems came out at the other, like the legendary Chicago machine where the pigs go in alive and come out transformed into hams and sausages. No more than these machines need the mathematician know what he does., Henri Poincare, French mathematician physicist (1854 1912)
That all our knowledge
That all our knowledge begins with experience, there is indeed no doubt....but although our knowledge originates WITH experience, it does not all arise OUT OF experience., Immanuel Kant, German philosopher (1724 1804)
The most merciful thin
The most merciful thing in the world . . . is the inability of the human mind to correlate all its contents., H.P. Lovecraft,
Do not commit your poe
Do not commit your poems to pages alone, sing them I pray you., Virgil, Roman epic poet (70 BC 19 BC)
Adjectives are the pot
Adjectives are the potbelly of poetry., R.Z. Sheppard, book critic,
Since the printing pre
Since the printing press came into being, poetry has ceased to be the delight of the whole community of man it has become the amusement and delight of the few., John Masefield, English author (1878 1967)
It is with words as wi
It is with words as with sunbeams. The more they are condenced, the deeper they burn., Robert Southey, English poet (1774 1843)
Poetry is to hold judg
Poetry is to hold judgment on your soul., Henrik Ibsen, Norweigen Playwright, Norwegian dramatist (1828 1906)
Poetry is the language
Poetry is the language in which man explores his own amazement., Christopher Fry,
Whoever in discussion
Whoever in discussion adduces authority uses not intellect but memory., Leonardo da Vinci, Italian engineer, painter, sculptor (1452 1519)
The test of an author
The test of an author is not to be found merely in the number of his phrases that pass current in the corner of newspapers...but in the number of passages that have really taken root in younger minds., Thomas Higginson,
Quotations (such as ha
Quotations (such as have point and lack triteness) from the great old authors are an act of reverence on the part of the quoter, and a blessing to a public grown superficial and external., Louise Guiney,
Next to the originator
Next to the originator of a good sentence is the first quoter of it. I hate quotations. Tell me what you know., Ralph Waldo Emerson, US essayist poet (1803 1882)
A quotation, like a pu
A quotation, like a pun, should come unsought, and then be welcomed only for some propriety of felicity justifying the intrusion., Robert Chapman,
A person reveals his c
A person reveals his character by nothing so clearly as the joke he resents., Georg Christoph Lichtenberg, (1742 1799)
With just enough of le
With just enough of learning to misquote., Lord Byron, English poet satirist (1788 1824)
Confound those who hav
Confound those who have said our remarks before us., Aelius Donatus,
The ability to quote i
The ability to quote is a serviceable substitute for wit., W. Somerset Maugham, English dramatist novelist (1874 1965)
A facility for quotati
A facility for quotation covers the absence of original thought., Lord Peter Wimsey, Gaudy Night,
God gave us our memori
God gave us our memories so that we might have roses in December., J.M. Barrie,
Most modern calendars
Most modern calendars mar the sweet simplicity of our lives by reminding us that each day that passes is the anniversary of some perfectly uninteresting event., Oscar Wilde, Irish dramatist, novelist, poet (1854 1900)
One of the keys to hap
One of the keys to happiness is a bad memory., Rita Mae Brown, US author and social activist )
If you were to destroy
If you were to destroy in mankind the belief in immortality, not only love but every living force maintaining the life of the world would at once be dried up. Moreover, nothing then would be immoral, everything would be permissible, even cannibalism., Brothers Karamazov, Pt 1 Bk i, Ch 6,
We gladly feast on tho
We gladly feast on those who would subdue us ... not just pretty words, Fester., Morticia Addams from the Addams Family movie,
Never be entirely idle
Never be entirely idle but either be reading, or writing, or praying or meditating or endeavoring something for the public good., Thomas a Kempis, German mystic religious author (1380 1471)
An undefined problem h
An undefined problem has an infinite number of solutions., Robert A. Humphrey,
Tongue a variety of m
Tongue a variety of meat, rarely served because it clearly crosses the line between a cut of beef and a piece of dead cow., Bob Ekstrom, Pitt, MN,
Theories should be as
Theories should be as simple as possible, but not simpler., Albert Einstein, US (Germanborn) physicist (1879 1955)
Entia non sunt multipl
Entia non sunt multiplicanda praeter necessitatem (Entities must not be multiplied beyond necessity.), William Occam,
Anyone who is not shoc
Anyone who is not shocked by quantum theory has not understood it., Niels Bohr, Danish physicist (1885 1962)
Whenever you fall, pic
Whenever you fall, pick up something, Oswald Theodore Avery,
Barring that natural e
Barring that natural expression of villainy which we all have, the man looked honest enough., Mark Twain, A Curious Dream (1872), US humorist, novelist, short story author, wit (1835 1910)
Adults are just obsole
Adults are just obsolete children and the hell with them., Dr. Seuss a.k.a. Theodore Giesel,
Give a man a fish and
Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime., Chinese Proverb,
Morality is the herdin
Morality is the herdinstinct in the individual., Friedrich Nietzsche, German philosopher (1844 1900)
The only unnatural sex
The only unnatural sexual act is that which you cannot perform., Alfred Kinsey,
This coffee plunges in
This coffee plunges into the stomach...the mind is aroused, and ideas pour forth like the battalions of the Grand Army on the field of battle.... Memories charge at full gallop...the light cavalry of comparisons deploys itself magnificently the artillery of logic hurry in with their train of ammunition flashes of wit pop up like sharpshooters., Honore de Balzac, French realist novelist (1799 1850)
Strategy is buying a b
Strategy is buying a bottle of fine wine when you take a lady out for dinner. Tactics is getting her to drink it., Frank Muir,
Everything that can be
Everything that can be invented has been invented., Charles H. Duell, Commissioner, U.S. patent office, 1899 (attributed),
Water generally flows
Water generally flows downhill in this area., Bob Bennett, WDIV News 4 Detroit, reporting on a flood that destroyed some suburban basement apartments.,
It was mentioned on CN
It was mentioned on CNN that the new prime number discovered recently is four times bigger then the previous record., John Blasik,
The affections are lik
The affections are like lightning You cannot tell where they will strike till they have fallen, Jean Baptiste Lacoraire,
There is no excellent
There is no excellent beauty that hath not some strangeness in the proportion., Sir Francis Bacon, English author, courtier, philosopher (1561 1626)
I would rather see the
I would rather see the portrait of a dog that I know, than all the allegorical paintings they can show me in the world., Samuel Johnson, English author, critic, lexicographer (1709 1784)
Time is dead as long a
Time is dead as long as it is being clicked off by little wheels only when the clock stops does time come to life., William Faulkner, US novelist (1897 1962)
Los Angeles seems endl
Los Angeles seems endlessly held between these extremes: of light and dark of surface and depth. Of the promise, in brief, of a meaning always hovering on the edge of significance., Graham Clarke,
LA needs the cleansing
LA needs the cleansing of a great disaster or founding of a barricaded commune., Peter Plagens,
In the South of Califo
In the South of California has gathered the larges and most miscellaneous assortment of Messiahs, Sorcerers, Saints and Seers known to the history of aberrations., Farnsworth Crowder,
On thinking about Hell
On thinking about Hell, I gather My brother Shelley found it was a place Much like the city of London. I Who live in Los Angeles and not in London Find, on thinking about Hell, that it must be Still more like Los Angeles., Bertolt Brecht, German Communist dramatist (1898 1956)
From Mount Hollywood,
From Mount Hollywood, Los Angeles looks rather nice, enveloped in a haze of changing colors. Actually, and in spite of all the healthful sunshine and ocean breezes, it is a bad place full of old, dying people, who were born old of tired pioneer parents, victims of America full of curious wild and poisonous growths, decadent religious cults and fake science, and wildcat enterprises, which, with their aim for quick profit, are doomed to collapse and drag down multitudes of people., Louis Adamic,
You can rot here witho
You can rot here without feeling it., John Rechy,
Here is an artificial
Here is an artificial city which has been pumped up under forced draught, inflated like a balloon, stuffed with rural humanity like a goose with corn...endeavoring to eat up this too rapid avalanche of anthropoids, the sunshine metropolis heaves and strains, sweats and becomes popeyed, like a young boa constrictor trying to swallow a goat. It has never imparted an urban character to its incoming population for the simple reason that it has never had any character to impart. On the other hand, the place has the manners, culture and general outlook of a huge country village., Morrow Mayo,
Los Angeles, it should
Los Angeles, it should be understood, is not a mere city. On the contrary, it is, and has been since 1888 a commodity something to be advertised and sold to the people of the United States like automobiles, cigarettes and mouth wash., Morrow Mayo,
Nothing is at last sac
Nothing is at last sacred but the integrity of your own mind., Ralph Waldo Emerson, US essayist poet (1803 1882)
A foolish consistency
A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds, adored by little statesman and philosophers and divines., Ralph Waldo Emerson, US essayist poet (1803 1882)
No trumpets sound when
No trumpets sound when the important decisions of our life are made. Destiny is made known silently., Agnes de Mille, US choreographer dancer (1909 1993)
Through and through th
Through and through the world is infested with quantity. To talk sense is to talk quantities, It is no use saying the nation is large how large? It is no use s aying that radium is scarce how scarce? You can not evade quantity. You may fly to poetry and music and quantity and number will face you in your rhythms and your octaves., Alfred North Whitehead, English mathematician philosopher (1861 1947)
For after all what is
For after all what is man in nature? A nothing in relation to infinity, all in relation to nothing, a central point between nothing and all and infinitely far from understanding either. The ends of things and their beginnings are impregnably concealed from him in an impenetrable secret. He is equally incapable of seeing the nothingness out of which he was drawn and the infinite in which he is engulfed., Blaise Pascal, French mathematician, physicist (1623 1662)
Nobel prize money is a
Nobel prize money is a lifebelt thrown to a swimmer who has already reached the shore in safety., George Bernard Shaw, Irish dramatist socialist (1856 1950)
Too many of us look up
Too many of us look upon Americans as dollar chasers. This is a cruel libel, even if it is reiterated thoughtlessly by the Americans themselves., Albert Einstein, US (Germanborn) physicist (1879 1955)
Experience teaches slo
Experience teaches slowly and at the cost of mistakes., James A. Froude, English historian (1818 1894)
A liberal is a man too
A liberal is a man too broadminded to take his own side in a quarrel., Robert Frost, US poet (1874 1963)
Conservatives are not
Conservatives are not necessarily stupid, but most stupid people are conservatives., John Stuart Mill, English economist philosopher (1806 1873)
We all live in the pro
We all live in the protection of certain cowardices which we call our principles., Mark Twain, US humorist, novelist, short story author, wit (1835 1910)
Do not fear death so m
Do not fear death so much but rather the inadequate life., Bertolt Brecht, German Communist dramatist (1898 1956)
Believe me! The secret
Believe me! The secret of reaping the greatest fruitfulness and the greatest enjoyment from life is to live dangerously!, Friedrich Nietzsche, German philosopher (1844 1900)
Secret thoughts and op
Secret thoughts and open countenance will go safely over the whole world., Scipione Alberti,
O God, that men should
O God, that men should put an enemy in their mouths to steal away their brains!, Othello,
A mind once stretched
A mind once stretched by a new idea never regains its original dimension., Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr., US jurist (1841 1935)
I not only use all the
I not only use all the brains that I have, but all that I can borrow., Woodrow Wilson, 28th president of US (1856 1924)
If little else, the br
If little else, the brain is an educational toy., Tom Robbins, US novelist (1936 )
I bet the human brain
I bet the human brain is a kludge., Marvin Minsky,
The anatomical juxtapo
The anatomical juxtaposition of 2 orbicularis oris muscles in a state of contraction., Dr. Henry Gibbons,
Documentation is like
Documentation is like sex: when it is good, it is very, very good and when it is bad, it is better than nothing., Dick Brandon,
True love comes quietl
True love comes quietly, without banners or flashing lights. If you hear bells, get your ears checked., Erich Segal,
Do not expose your Las
Do not expose your LaserWriter to fire or intense heat., Apple LaserWriter manual,
This document describe
This document describes the usage and input syntax of the Unix Vax11 assembler As. As is designed for assembling code produced by the C compiler certain concessions have been made to handle code written directly by people, but in general little sympathy has been extended., Berkeley Vax/Unix Assembler Reference Manual (1983),
The use of COBOL cripp
The use of COBOL cripples the mind its teaching should, therefore, be reguarded as a criminal offense., E.W. Dijkstra,
... it is important to
... it is important to realize that any lock can be picked with a big enough hammer., Sun System Network Admin manual,
Five senses an incurab
Five senses an incurably abstract intellect a haphazardly selective memory a set of preconceptions and assumptions so numerous that I can never examine more than minority of them never become conscious of them all. How much of total reality can such an apparatus let through?, C. S. Lewis, English essayist juvenile novelist (1898 1963)
The effort to understa
The effort to understand the universe is one of the very few things that lifts human life a little above the level of farce, and gives it some of the grace of tragedy., Steven Weinberg, US physicist (1933 )
There is no need to sa
There is no need to sally forth, for it remains true that those things which make us human are, curiously enough, always close at hand. Resolve then, that on this very ground, with small flags waving and tiny blasts of tiny trumpets, we have met the enemy, and not only may he be ours, he may be us., Walt Kelly, US animator cartoonist (1913 1973)
The secret of being bo
The secret of being boring is to say everything., Voltaire, French author, humanist, rationalist, satirist (1694 1778)
How is the Empire?, Ge
How is the Empire?, George V, last words, 21 January 1936.,
I realize that patriot
I realize that patriotism is not enough. I must have no hatred or bitterness towards anyone., Edith Cavell, last words, before her execution by the Germans, 12 October 1915.,
Put out the light., Th
Put out the light., Theodore Roosevelt, last words, 6 January 1919, 26th president of US (1858 1919)
So little doneso much
So little doneso much to do., Cecil John Rhodes (Founder of the Rhodes Scholarships), last words, 1902.,
I have tried so hard t
I have tried so hard to do the right., Grover Cleveland, last words, 1908.,
Let us cross the river
Let us cross the river, and rest under the trees., Thomas Jonathan [Stonewall] Jackson, last words, 10 May 1863.,
Now comes the mystery.
Now comes the mystery., Henry Ward Beecher, last words, 8 March 1887., US abolitionist clergyman (1813 1887)
The world is my countr
The world is my country, all mankind are my brethren, and to do good is my religion., Thomas Paine, US patriot political philosopher (1737 1809)
Strike the tent., Robe
Strike the tent., Robert E. Lee, last words, 12 October 1870., USConfederate general (1807 1870)
I now have no time to
I now have no time to be tired., Wilhelm I, last words, 8 March 1888.,
I still live., Daniel
I still live., Daniel Webster, last words, 24 October 1852., US diplomat, lawyer, orator, politician (1782 1852)
Chief of the Army., Na
Chief of the Army., Napoleon Bonaparte, last words, 1821, French general politician (1769 1821)
This is the last of ea
This is the last of earth! I am content., John Quincy Adams, last words, 21 February 1848., US diplomat politician (1767 1848)
Thank God, I have done
Thank God, I have done my duty. Kiss me, Hardy., Adm. Horatio Nelson, last words, 21 Oct 1805.,
I only regret that I h
I only regret that I have but one life to lose for my country., Nathan Hale, last words, 22 September 1776, US martyr patriot in American Revolution (1755 1776)
It is well, I die hard
It is well, I die hard, but I am not afraid to go., George Washington, last words, 14 December 1799., First president of US (1732 1799)
Show my head to the pe
Show my head to the people, it is worth seeing., Georges Jacques Danton, to his executioner,
Readers are plentiful
Readers are plentiful thinkers are rare., Harriet Martineau, English economist novelist (1802 1876)
An idealist is one who
An idealist is one who, on noticing that a rose smells better than a cabbage, concludes that it will also make better soup., H. L. Mencken, US editor (1880 1956)
More light! Give me mo
More light! Give me more light!, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, German dramatist, novelist, poet, scientist (1749 1832)
Is it the Fourth?, Tho
Is it the Fourth?, Thomas Jefferson, 3rd president of US (1743 1826)
Jefferson still surviv
Jefferson still survivies., John Adams, last words after a lifetime competing with Thomas Jefferson, US diplomat politician (1735 1826)
Goodnight, Lord Byron,
Goodnight, Lord Byron, last words, English poet satirist (1788 1824)
This is no time to mak
This is no time to make new enemies., Voltaire, when asked on his deathbed to forswear Satan., French author, humanist, rationalist, satirist (1694 1778)
They can conquer who b
They can conquer who believe they can., Virgil, Roman epic poet (70 BC 19 BC)
Why yes a bulletproof
Why yes a bulletproof vest., James Rodges, a murderer, on his final request before the firing squad,
Drink to me., Pablo Pi
Drink to me., Pablo Picasso, last words, Spanish Cubist painter (1881 1973)
Friends applaud, the c
Friends applaud, the comedy is over., Ludwig von Beethoven, last words,
Now comes the mystery.
Now comes the mystery., Henry Ward Beecher, last words, US abolitionist clergyman (1813 1887)
...the fog is rising.,
...the fog is rising., Last words of Emily Dickinson,
The society which scor
The society which scorns excellence in plumbing as a humble activity and tolerates shoddiness in philosophy because it is an exaulted activity will have neither good plumbing nor good philosophy...neither its pipes nor its theories will hold water., John W. Gardner, US administrator (1912 )
...in the lexicon of t
...in the lexicon of the political class, the word sacrifice means that the citizens are supposed to mail even more of their income to Washington so that the political class will not have to sacrifice the pleasure of spending it., George Will Newsweek, 2/22/93,
A knave a rascal an ea
A knave a rascal an eater of broken meats a base, proud, shallow, beggarly, threesuited, hundredpound, filthy, worstedstocking knave a lilylivered, actiontaking knave, a whoreson, glassgazing, superserviceable finical rogue onetrunkinheriting slave one that wouldst be a bawd, in way of good service, and art nothing but the composition of a knave, beggar, coward, pandar, and the son and heir of a mongrel bitch: one whom I will beat into clamorous whining, if thou deniest the least syllable of thy addition., Earl of Kent, _The_Tragedy_of_King_Lear_,
A selfbalancing, 28joi
A selfbalancing, 28jointed adaptorbased biped an electrochemical reduction plant, integral with segregated stowages of special energy extracts in storage batteries, for subsequent actuation of thousands of hydraulic and pneumatic pumps, with motors attached 62 miles of capillaries...., R. Buckminster Fuller, US architect engineer (1895 1983)
Fear is the tax that c
Fear is the tax that conscience pays to guilt., George Sewell,
The poor wish to be ri
The poor wish to be rich, the rich wish to be happy, the single wish to be married, and the married wish to be dead., Ann Landers, US advice columnist (1918 2002)
I married the first ma
I married the first man I ever kissed. When I tell my children that, they just about throw up., Barbara Bush, US wife of George Bush 1945 (1925 )
Warning signs that lov
Warning signs that lover is bored: 1.10.2008 Passionless kisses 2.10.2008 Frequent sighing 3.10.2008 Moved, left no forwarding address., Matt Groening, US cartoonist satirist (1954 )
The charity that haste
The charity that hastens to proclaim its good deeds, ceases to be charity, and is only pride and ostentation., William Hutton,
Women with pasts inter
Women with pasts interest men... they hope history will repeat itself., Mae West, US movie actress (1892 1980)
SUREFIRE SINGLES AD: F
SUREFIRE SINGLES AD: Famous Writer needs woman to organize his life and spend his money. Loves to turn off Sunday football and go to the Botanical Gardens with that special someone. Will obtain plastic surgery if necessary., Joe Bob Briggs,
Women are cursed, and
Women are cursed, and men are the proof., Rosanne Barr,
I require three things
I require three things in a man. He must be handsome, ruthless and stupid., Dorothy Parker, US author, humorist, poet, wit (1893 1967)
Never date a woman you
Never date a woman you can hear ticking., Mark Patinkin,
Have you ever dated so
Have you ever dated someone because you were too lazy to commit suicide?, Judy Tenuta,
Generosity is giving m
Generosity is giving more than you can, and pride is taking less than you need., Kahlil Gibran, Lebanese artist poet in US (1883 1931)
Love is an exploding c
Love is an exploding cigar we willingly smoke., Lynda Barry,
The only way to get ri
The only way to get rid of temptation is to yield to it., Oscar Wilde, Irish dramatist, novelist, poet (1854 1900)
Hell must be isotherma
Hell must be isothermal for otherwise the resident engineers and physical chemists (of which there must be some) could set up a heat engine to run a refrigerator to cool off a portion of their surroundings to any desired temperature., Henry Albert Ben, _The Second Law_,
Worry does not empty t
Worry does not empty tomorrow of sorrow it empties today of strength., Corrie ten Boom,
Learning builds daily
Learning builds daily accumulation, but the practice of Tao builds daily simplification. Simplify and simplify, until all contamination from relative, contridictory thinking is eliminated. Then one does nothing, yet nothing is left undone. One who wins the world does so by not meddling with it. One who meddles with the world loses it., Tao te Ching, 48. LaoTzu,
There is nothing more
There is nothing more difficult to take in hand, more perilous to conduct or more uncertain in its success than to take the lead in the introduction of a new order of things., Niccolo Machiavelli The Prince 1532,
[W]e shall continue to
[W]e shall continue to have a worsening ecologic crisis until we reject the Christian axiom that nature has no reason for existence save to serve man., Lynn White, Jr., The Historical Roots of Our Ecologic Crisis, Science V. 155 No. 3767 (10 March 1967), pp. 12031207.,
It is by acts and not
It is by acts and not by ideas that people live., Anatole France, French novelist (1844 1924)
The Christian resoluti
The Christian resolution to find the world ugly and bad has made the world ugly and bad., Friedrich Nietzsche, German philosopher (1844 1900)
Whenever we read the o
Whenever we read the obscene stories, the voluptuous debaucheries, the cruel and torturous executions, the unrelenting vindictiveness, with which more than half the bible is filled, it would seem more consistent that we called it the word of a demon than the Word of God. It is a history of wickedness that has served to corrupt and brutalize mankind., Thomas Paine, US patriot political philosopher (1737 1809)
I love deadlines. I lo
I love deadlines. I love the whooshing sound they make as they fly by., Douglas Adams, English humorist science fiction novelist (1952 2001)
The universe is made o
The universe is made of stories, not atoms., Muriel Rukeyser,
All dimensions are cri
All dimensions are critical dimensions, otherwise why are they there?, Russ Zandbergen,
Destiny is no matter o
Destiny is no matter of chance. It is a matter of choice. It is not a thing to be waited for, it is a thing to be achieved., William Jennings Bryan, US lawyer, orator, politician (1860 1925)
Equation (1.29) is a s
Equation (1.29) is a second order, nonlinear, vector, differential equation which has defied solution in its present form. It is here therefore we depart from the realities of nature to make some simplifying assumptions..., Bate, Mueller White, 1971 Fundamentals of Astrodynamics,
For most of history, A
For most of history, Anonymous was a woman., Virginia Woolf, English novelist (1882 1941)
There is no royal road
There is no royal road to geometry., Euclid, to king Ptolemy I,
...for no man lives in
...for no man lives in the external truth among salts and acids, but in the warm, phantasmagoric chamber of his brain, with the painted windows and the storied wall., Robert Louis Stevenson, Scottish author (1850 1894)
But, my dearest Agatho
But, my dearest Agathon, it is truth which you cannot contradict you can without any difficulty contradict Socrates., Plato, in Symposium, Greek author philosopher in Athens (427 BC 347 BC)
This became a credo of
This became a credo of mine...attempt the impossible in order to improve your work., Bette Davis, US movie actress (1908 1989)
Kneejerk liberals and
Kneejerk liberals and all the certified saints of sanctified humanism are quick to condemn this great and muchmaligned Transylvanian statesman., William F. Buckley, Jr., The Wit and Wisdom of Vlad the Impaler,
Life is but a walking
Life is but a walking Shadow, a poor Player That struts and frets his Hour upon the Stage, And then is heard no more It is a tall Tale, Told by an Idiot, full of Sound and Fury, Signifying nothing.", William Shakespeare, Macbeth, Act V, Scene V (MacBeth), Greatest English dramatist poet (1564 1616)
Experience is that mar
Experience is that marvelous thing that enables you recognize a mistake when you make it again., Franklin P. Jones,
If you can spend a per
If you can spend a perfectly useless afternoon in a perfectly useless manner, you have learned how to live., Lin Yutang,
Half our life is spent
Half our life is spent trying to find something to do with the time we have rushed through life trying to save., Will Rogers, US humorist showman (1879 1935)
In a world where there
In a world where there is so much to be done. I felt strongly impressed that there must be something for me to do., Dorothea Dix, US reformer of prisons mental asylums (1802 1887)
There is nothing more
There is nothing more notable in Socrates than that he found time, when he was an old man, to learn music and dancing, and thought it time well spent., Michel de Montaigne, French essayist (1533 1592)
Eternity is not someth
Eternity is not something that begins after you are dead. It is going on all the time. We are in it now., Charlotte P Gilman,
As if you could TELL t
As if you could TELL time without injuring eternity., Matthew Ryan,
As if you could kill t
As if you could kill time without injuring eternity., Henry David Thoreau, US Transcendentalist author (1817 1862)
Time is but the stream
Time is but the stream I go afishing in. I drink at it but while I drink, I see the sandy bottom and detect how shallow it is. Its thin current slides away, but eternity remains. I would drink deeper fish fill the sky, whose bottom is pebbly with stars. I cannot count one. I know not the first letter of the alphabet. I have always been regretting that I was not as wise as the day I was born., Henry David Thoreau, US Transcendentalist author (1817 1862)
I have realized that t
I have realized that the past and future are real illusions, that they exist in the present, which is what there is and all there is., Alan Watts,
The more things a man
The more things a man is ashamed of, the more respectable he is., George Bernard Shaw, Irish dramatist socialist (1856 1950)
Decide what you want,
Decide what you want, decide what you are willing to exchange for it. Establish your priorities and go to work., H. L. Hunt,
Nothing ever is done i
Nothing ever is done in this world until men are prepared to kill one another if it is not done., George Bernard Shaw, Irish dramatist socialist (1856 1950)
Liberty means responsi
Liberty means responsibility. That is why most men dread it., George Bernard Shaw, Irish dramatist socialist (1856 1950)
He who has never hoped
He who has never hoped can never despair., George Bernard Shaw, Irish dramatist socialist (1856 1950)
He who can, does. He w
He who can, does. He who cannot teaches., George Bernard Shaw, Irish dramatist socialist (1856 1950)
Do not do unto others
Do not do unto others as you would they should do unto you. Their tastes may not be the same., George Bernard Shaw, Irish dramatist socialist (1856 1950)
All professions are co
All professions are conspiracies against the laity., George Bernard Shaw, Irish dramatist socialist (1856 1950)
All great truths begin
All great truths begin as blasphemies., George Bernard Shaw, Irish dramatist socialist (1856 1950)
Great minds think alik
Great minds think alike, and fools seldom differ., Anonymous,
A chinese philosopher
A chinese philosopher once had a dream that he was a butterfly. From that day on, he was never quite certain that he was not a butterfly, dreaming that he was a man., Unknown, Quotations by unknown authors )
Genius hath electric p
Genius hath electric power which earth can never tame., Lydia M. Child,
An effective way to de
An effective way to deal with predators is to taste terrible., Unknown, Quotations by unknown authors )
A financier is a pawnb
A financier is a pawnbroker with imagination., Arthur Wing Pinero, English dramatist (1855 1934)
The world of the commo
The world of the commodity is a world updsidedown, which bases itself not upon life but upon the transformation of life into work., Raoul Vaneigem,
I would feel more opti
I would feel more optimistic about a bright future for man if he spent less time proving that he can outwit Nature and more time tasting her sweetness and respecting her seniority., E.B. White,
War will never cease u
War will never cease until babies begin to come into the world with larger cerebums and smaller adrenal glands., H. L. Mencken, US editor (1880 1956)
There was a young man
There was a young man of Dundoo, Whose limericks stopped at line 2., Anonymous,
Selfdevelopment is a h
Selfdevelopment is a higher duty than selfsacrifice., Elizabeth Cady Stanton, US suffragist (1815 1902)
There is a level of co
There is a level of cowardice lower than that of the conformist: the fashionable nonconformist., Ayn Rand, US (Russianborn) novelist (1905 1982)
This is quite a threep
This is quite a threepipe problem., Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, (Sherlock Holmes), British mystery author physician (1859 1930)
There is nothing like
There is nothing like good food, good wine, and a bad girl., Fortune cookie,
Order, unity and conti
Order, unity and continuity are human inventions just as truly as catalogues and encyclopedias., Bertrand Russell, British author, mathematician, philosopher (1872 1970)
A consistent pursuit o
A consistent pursuit of classical physics forces a transformation in the very heart of that physics., Werner Heisenberg, Philosophical Problems of Nuclear Science, New York: Fawcett 1966 p.13,
You cannot depend on y
You cannot depend on your eyes when your imagination is out of focus., Mark Twain, US humorist, novelist, short story author, wit (1835 1910)
My empty waterdish moc
My empty waterdish mocks me., Bob the Dog,
If dogs could talk, it
If dogs could talk, it would take a lot of the fun out of owning one., Andrew A. Rooney,
A boy can learn a lot
A boy can learn a lot from a dog: obedience, loyalty, and the importance of turning around three times before lying down., Robert Benchley, US actor, author, humorist (1889 1945)
Would I had phrases th
Would I had phrases that are not known, utterances that are strange, in new language that has not been used, free from repetition, not an utterance which has grown stale, which men of old have spoken., Egyptian Inscription Recorded at the Time of the Invention of Writing,
The reason why so few
The reason why so few good books are written is that so few people who can write know anything., Walter Bagehot, English economist journalist (1826 1877)
Where do I find the ti
Where do I find the time for not reading so many books?, Karl Kraus, Austrian author and journalist (1874 1936)
Never judge a book by
Never judge a book by its movie., J.W. Eagan,
Internet is so big, so
Internet is so big, so powerful and pointless that for some people it is a complete substitute for life., Andrew Brown,
Usenet is like Tetris
Usenet is like Tetris for people who still remember how to read., Button from the Computer Museum, Boston, MA,
Hold a true friend wit
Hold a true friend with both hands., Nigerian Proverb,
The only purpose for w
The only purpose for which power can be rightfully exercised over any member of a civilized community, against his will, is to prevent harm to others. His own good, either physical or moral, is not a sufficient warrant., John Stuart Mill, On Liberty, 1859, English economist philosopher (1806 1873)
In matters of conscien
In matters of conscience, the law of majority has no place., Mahatma Gandhi, Indian ascetic nationalist leader (1869 1948)
Now, here, you see, it
Now, here, you see, it takes all the running you can do, to keep in the same place. If you want to get somewhere else, you must run at least twice as fast as that!, Lewis Carroll (Charles Lutwidge Dodgson), Through the Looking Glass,
Some of us are becomin
Some of us are becoming the men we wanted to marry., Gloria Steinem, US feminist (1934 )
Women remember the fir
Women remember the first kiss, men remember the last., Unknown, Quotations by unknown authors )
All dogmas perish the
All dogmas perish the thinking mind, especially ones you agree with., Adam Richardson,
The tools of conquest
The tools of conquest do not necessarily come with bombs and explosions and fallout. There are weapons that are simply thoughts, attitudes, prejudices to be found in the minds of men. For the record, prejudices can kill and suspicion can destroy, and a thoughtless, frightened search for a scapegoat has a fallout all its own for the children and the children yet unborn. And the pity of it is that these things cannot be confined to the Twilight Zone., Rod Serling, US actor, producer, screenwriter (1924 1975)
Take only pictures, st
Take only pictures, steal only time, leave only footprints., Unknown, Quotations by unknown authors )
The only cure for grie
The only cure for grief is action., George Henry Lewes,
I am into parallel mon
I am into parallel monogamy., Seen on a button,
Why is it that we ente
Why is it that we entertain the belief that for every purpose odd numbers are the most effectual?, Pliny the Elder, Roman scholar scientist (23 AD 79 AD)
Everybody winds up ki
Everybody winds up kissing the wrong person good night., Andy Warhol, US artist (1928 1987)
Most affections are ha
Most affections are habits or duties we lack the courage to end., Henri de Montherlant,
I despise the pleasure
I despise the pleasure of pleasing people that I despise., Lady Mary Wortley Montagu, English letter author poet (1689 1762)
Christmas is a holiday
Christmas is a holiday that persecutes the lonely, the frayed, and the rejected., Jimmy Cannon,
Vox populi, vox humbug
Vox populi, vox humbug., William Tecumseh Sherman,
He will always be a sl
He will always be a slave who does not know how to live upon a little., Horace, Roman lyric poet satirist (65 BC 8 BC)
A ceremony in which ri
A ceremony in which rings are put on the finger of the lady and through the nose of the gentleman., Herbert Spencer, English philosopher (1820 1903)
Neither Heaven nor Hel
Neither Heaven nor Hell. It is simply Purgatory., Abraham Lincoln, 16th president of US (1809 1865)
A legal or religious c
A legal or religious ceremony by which two persons of the opposite sex solemnly agree to harass and spy on each other... until death do them join., Elbert Hubbard, US author (1856 1915)
An institution which i
An institution which is populare because it combines the maximum of temptation with the maximum of opportunity., George Bernard Shaw, Irish dramatist socialist (1856 1950)
During the Samuel John
During the Samuel Johnson days they had big men enjoying small talk today we have small men enjoying big talk., Fred Allen, US radio comedian (1894 1956)
O why was I born with
O why was I born with a different face? Why was I not born like rest of my race?, William Blake 1803,
If I have any beliefs
If I have any beliefs about immortality, it is that certain dogs I have known will go to heaven, and very, very few persons., James Thurber, US author, cartoonist, humorist, satirist (1894 1961)
Honest differences are
Honest differences are often a healthy sign of progress., Mahatma Gandhi, Indian ascetic nationalist leader (1869 1948)
The world is so dreadf
The world is so dreadfully managed, one hardly knows to whom to complain., Ronald Firbank,
A pessimist is a man w
A pessimist is a man who has been compelled to live with an optimist., Elbert Hubbard, US author (1856 1915)
An intelligence servic
An intelligence service is, in fact, a stupidity service., E.B. White,
There is no expedient
There is no expedient to which a man will not go to avoid the labor of thinking., Thomas A. Edison, US inventor (1847 1931)
We do not have to visi
We do not have to visit a madhouse to find disordered minds our planet is the mental institution of the universe., Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, German dramatist, novelist, poet, scientist (1749 1832)
I personally think we
I personally think we developed language because of our deep need to complain., Lily Tomlin, US actress comedienne (1939 )
There is no satisfacti
There is no satisfaction in hanging a man who does not object to it., George Bernard Shaw, Irish dramatist socialist (1856 1950)
The world belongs to t
The world belongs to the energetic., Ralph Waldo Emerson, US essayist poet (1803 1882)
Nothing is so aggravat
Nothing is so aggravating as calmness., Oscar Wilde, Irish dramatist, novelist, poet (1854 1900)
Life is an effort that
Life is an effort that deserves a better cause., Karl Kraus, Austrian author and journalist (1874 1936)
A scout troop consists
A scout troop consists of twelve little kids dressed like schmucks following a big schmuck dressed like a kid., Jack Benny, US comedian (1894 1974)
Like the ski resort fu
Like the ski resort full of girls hunting for husbands and husbands hunting for girls, the situation is not as symmetrical as it might seem., Alan Mackay,
Honesty is the best po
Honesty is the best policy but he who is governed by that maxim is not an honest man., Richard Whately, Archbishop of Dublin,
To be honest, as this
To be honest, as this world goes, is to be one man picked out of ten thousand., Hamlet II:ii,
Love is what we call t
Love is what we call the situation which occurs when two people who are sexually comptatible discover that they can also tolerate one another in various other circumstances., Marc Maihueird,
In prosperity our frie
In prosperity our friends know us in adversity we know our friends., John Churton Collins,
The reason that lovers
The reason that lovers never weary each other is because they are always talking about themselves., La Rochefoucauld,
People would never fal
People would never fall in love if they had not heard love talked about., La Rochefoucauld,
Say what you will abou
Say what you will about the Ten Commandments, you must always come back to the pleasant fact that there are only ten of them., H. L. Mencken, US editor (1880 1956)
What God hath joined t
What God hath joined together no man shall put asunder: God will take care of that., George Bernard Shaw, Irish dramatist socialist (1856 1950)
The making of a journa
The making of a journalist: no ideas and the ability to express them., Karl Kraus, Austrian author and journalist (1874 1936)
A newspaper consists o
A newspaper consists of just the same number of words, whether there be any news in it or not., Henry Fielding, English dramatist novelist (1707 1754)
Editor: a person emplo
Editor: a person employed on a newspaper whose business it is to seperate the wheat from the chaff, and to see that the chaff is printed., Elbert Hubbard, US author (1856 1915)
Aviation in itself is
Aviation in itself is not inherently dangerous. But to an even greater degree than the sea, it is terribly unforgiving of carelessness, incapacity, or neglect., Anonymous,
I can understand compa
I can understand companionship. I can understand bought sex in the afternoon. I cannot understand the love affair., Gore Vidal, US author dramatist (1925 )
I can remember when th
I can remember when the air was clean and sex was dirty., George Burns, US actor comedian (1896 1996)
Dealing with network e
Dealing with network executives is like being nibbled to death by ducks., Eric Sevareid,
Over in Hollywood they
Over in Hollywood they almost made a great picture, but they caught it in time., Wilson Mizner, US screenwriter (1876 1933)
Man is the only animal
Man is the only animal that can remain on friendly terms with the victims he intends to eat until he eats them., Samuel Butler, English composer, novelist, satiric author (1835 1902)
Thanksgiving Day is a
Thanksgiving Day is a day devoted by persons with inflammatory rheumatism to thanking a loving Father that it is not hydrophobia., H. L. Mencken, US editor (1880 1956)
A venturesome minority
A venturesome minority will always be eager to get off on their own... let them take risks, for Godsake, let them get lost, sunburnt, stranded, drowned, eaten by bears, buried alive under avalanches that is the right and privilege of any free American., 16 Idaho Law Review 407 420 1980.,
In archaeology you unc
In archaeology you uncover the unknown. In diplomacy you cover the known., Thomas Pickering, US diplomat (1931 )
For visions come not t
For visions come not to polluted eyes., Mary Howitt,
Always do right. This
Always do right. This will gratify some people and astonish the rest., Mark Twain, US humorist, novelist, short story author, wit (1835 1910)
Bureaucracy defends th
Bureaucracy defends the status quo long past the time when the quo has lost its status., Laurence J. Peter, US educator writer (1919 1988)
I have no idea what Wh
I have no idea what White House statement was was issued, but I stand by it 100 percent., Richard Darman,
When you have no basis
When you have no basis of argument, abuse the plaintiff., Cicero, Roman author, orator, politician (106 BC 43 BC)
Television has done mu
Television has done much for psychiatry by spreading information about it, as well as contributing to the need for it., Alfred Hitchcock, British movie director (1899 1980)
Television has raised
Television has raised writing to a new low., Samuel Goldwyn, US (Polishborn) movie producer (1882 1974)
Never lend your car to
Never lend your car to anyone to whom you have given birth., Erma Bombeck, US author humorist (1927 1996)
All American cars are
All American cars are basically Chevrolets., Herb Caen,
Mathematics has given
Mathematics has given economics rigor, but alas, also mortis., Robert Heilbroner,
An economist is a surg
An economist is a surgeon with an excellent scalpel and a roughedged lancet, who operates beautifully on the dead and tortures the living., Nicholas Chamfort, (1741 1794)
Atheism has no room fo
Atheism has no room for human rights., U.S. Senate Chaplain Richard Halverson, addressing 600 people at a prayer breakfast, March 1992 in Wisconsin,
The Godless would deny
The Godless would deny and destroy human rights .... the liberties of a nation cannot be secure when belief in God is abandoned., U.S. Senate Chaplain Richard Halverson,
The duration of passio
The duration of passion is proportionate with the original resistance of the woman., Honore de Balzac, French realist novelist (1799 1850)
The reasonable man ada
The reasonable man adapts himself to the world the unreasonable man persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore, all progress depends on the unreasonable man., George Bernard Shaw, Irish dramatist socialist (1856 1950)
If you were in a room
If you were in a room with Kadaffi, Saddam Hussien, and John Sununu, and you only had two bullets, what would you do. Shoot John Sununu twice., Paul Tsongas,
Deeds, not stones, are
Deeds, not stones, are the true monuments of the great., John L. Motley, US historian (1814 1877)
More people out of wor
More people out of work leads to higher unemployment.`, Calvin Coolidge, 30th president of US (1872 1933)
If there were no husba
If there were no husbands, who would look after our mistresses?, George Moore,
Ignorance is like a de
Ignorance is like a delicate exotic fruit touch it and the bloom is gone., Oscar Wilde, Irish dramatist, novelist, poet (1854 1900)
Irony is the hygiene o
Irony is the hygiene of the mind., Elizabeth Bibesco,
Egotism is the anesthe
Egotism is the anesthetic that dulls the pain of stupidity., Frank Leahy,
Now and then an innoce
Now and then an innocent man is sent to the legislature., Kin Hubbard, (1868 1930)
Nobody, as long as he
Nobody, as long as he moves about among the chaotic currents of life, is without trouble., Carl Jung, Swiss psychologist (1875 1961)
In rivers and bad gove
In rivers and bad governments, the lightest things swim at the top., Benjamin Franklin, US author, diplomat, inventor, physicist, politician, printer (1706 1790)
Congress consists of o
Congress consists of one third, more or less, scoundrels two thirds, more or less, idiots and three thirds, more or less, poltroons., H. L. Mencken, US editor (1880 1956)
Government expands to
Government expands to absorb revenue and then some., Tom Wicker,
The whole dream of dem
The whole dream of democracy is to raise the proletarian to the level of stupidity attained by the bourgeois., Gustave Flaubert, French realist novelist (1821 1880)
At least when I was go
At least when I was govenor, cocaine was expensive., Jerry Brown,
The difference between
The difference between a violin and a viola is that a viola burns longer., Victor Borge, US (Danishborn) comedian pianist (1909 2000)
Of all noises, I think
Of all noises, I think music is the least disagreeable., Samuel Johnson, English author, critic, lexicographer (1709 1784)
Music is the refuge of
Music is the refuge of souls ulcerated by happiness., E.M. Cioran,
Going to the opera, li
Going to the opera, like getting drunk, is a sin that carries its own punishment with it, and that a very severe one., Hannah Moore,
1492. As children we w
1492. As children we were taught to memorize this year with pride and joy as the year people began living full and imaginative lives on the continent of North America. Actually, people had been living full and imaginative lives on the continent of North America for hundreds of years before that. 1492 was simply the year sea pirates began to rob, cheat, and kill them., Kurt Vonnegut: Breakfast of Champions,
The man who has confid
The man who has confidence in himself gains the confidence of others., Hasidic Saying,
What men call good fel
What men call good fellowship is commonly but the virtue of pigs in a litter which lie close together to keep each other warm., Henry David Thoreau, US Transcendentalist author (1817 1862)
Love is so much better
Love is so much better when you are not married., Maria Callas,
Husbands are like fire
Husbands are like fires they go out when unattended., Zsa Zsa Gabor, US (Hungarianborn) actress (1919 )
Marriage is a bargain,
Marriage is a bargain, and somebody has to get the worst of the bargain., Helen Rowland, (1876 1950)
Darling: the popular f
Darling: the popular form of address used in speaking to a person of the opposite sex whose name you cannot at the moment recall, Oliver Herford,
You want a wife who is
You want a wife who is intelligent, but not too intelligent., President Nixon, on the best wife for a president,
There is no accountabi
There is no accountability in the public school system except for coaches. You know what happens to a losing coach. You fire him. A losing teacher can go on losing for 30 years and then go to glory., Ross Perot, The Dallas Morning News, March 11 1984,
I came from a disadvan
I came from a disadvantaged home. They were Republicans., Paul Tsongas, campaigning in New Hampshire,
He that falls in love
He that falls in love with himself will have no rivals., Benjamin Franklin, US author, diplomat, inventor, physicist, politician, printer (1706 1790)
George Bush taking cre
George Bush taking credit for the Berlin Wall coming down is like the rooster taking credit for the sunrise., Al Gore during 1992 Vice Presidential debate,
It is a curious thing
It is a curious thing ... that every creed promises a paradise which will be absolutely uninhabitable for anyone of civilized taste., Evelyn Waugh, English novelist satirist (1903 1966)
A critic is a legless
A critic is a legless man who teaches running., Channing Pollock,
A celebrity is a perso
A celebrity is a person who works hard all his life to become well known, then wears dark glasses to avoid being recognized., Fred Allen, US radio comedian (1894 1956)
A bureaucrat is a Demo
A bureaucrat is a Democrat who holds some office that a Republican wants., Alben W. Barkley, U.S Vice President (19491953),
One must be poor to kn
One must be poor to know the luxury of giving., George Eliot, English novelist (1819 1880)
No opera plot can be s
No opera plot can be sensible, for people do not sing when they are feeling sensible., Wystan Hugh Auden,
Society produces rogue
Society produces rogues, and education makes one rogue cleverer than another., Oscar Wilde, Irish dramatist, novelist, poet (1854 1900)
Democracy encourages t
Democracy encourages the majority to decide things about which the majority is blissfully ignorant., John Simon,
Every improvement in c
Every improvement in communication makes the bore more terrible., Frank Moore Colby,
Whatever else an Ameri
Whatever else an American believes or disbelieves about himself, he is absolutely sure he has a sense of humor., E.B. White,
In order to fully real
In order to fully realize how bad a popular play can be, it is necessary to see it twice., George Bernard Shaw, Irish dramatist socialist (1856 1950)
If sex is such a natur
If sex is such a natural phenomenon, how come there are so many books on how to?, Bette Midler, US actress, comedienne, singer (1945 )
Seize from every momen
Seize from every moment its unique novelty, and do not prepare your joys., Andre Gide, French critic, essayist, novelist (1869 1951)
Make your bargain befo
Make your bargain before beginning to plow., Arab Proverb,
The United States is a
The United States is a nation of laws: badly written and randomly enforced., Frank Zappa, US musician, singer, songwriter (1940 1993)
Advertising is a valua
Advertising is a valuable economic factor because it is the cheapest way of selling goods, especially if the goods are worthless., Sinclair Lewis, US novelist (1885 1951)
We always have been, w
We always have been, we are, and I hope that we always shall be detested in France., Duke of Wellington,
Big nations are like c
Big nations are like chickens. They like to make big noises, but very often it is no more than squabbling., Dr. Albert Schweitzer, Playboy Interview December 1963,
No national political
No national political party is going to nominate another rightwing candidate for a long time., Arthur Schlesinger, Jr., Playboy Interview May 1966,
Racism, pollution and
Racism, pollution and the rest of it are themselves very close to extinction., R. Buckminster Fuller, Playboy Interview February 1972, US architect engineer (1895 1983)
The human race may wel
The human race may well become extinct before the end of the century., Bertrand Russell, Playboy Interview March 1963, British author, mathematician, philosopher (1872 1970)
I see in the near futu
I see in the near future a crisis approaching that unnerves me and causes me to tremble for the safety of my country. . . . Corporations have been enthroned, an era of corruption in high places will follow, and the moneypower of the country will endeavor to prolong its reign by working upon the prejudices of the people until the wealth is aggregated in a few hands and the Republic is destroyed., Unknown, Often attributed to Abraham Lincoln, Quotations by unknown authors )
Our patience will achi
Our patience will achieve more than our force., Edmund Burke, Irish orator, philosopher, politician (1729 1797)
Who could follow Carso
Who could follow Carson? Well, believe me, somebody can and will., Johnny Carson, Playboy Interview December 1967, US comedian television host (1925 2005)
I believe that all of
I believe that all of us ought to retire relatively young., Fidel Castro, Playboy Interview January 1967,
I really do plan to ge
I really do plan to get out of show business within five years or so., Bill Cosby, Playboy Interview May 1969, US comedian television actor (1937 )
By working faithfully
By working faithfully eight hours a day, you may eventually get to be a boss and work twelve hours a day., Robert Frost, US poet (1874 1963)
Love all, trust a few.
Love all, trust a few. Do wrong to none., William Shakespeare, Greatest English dramatist poet (1564 1616)
The trouble with Ameri
The trouble with America is that there are far too many wideopen spaces surrounded by teeth., Charles Luckman,
I love acting. It is s
I love acting. It is so much more real than life., Oscar Wilde, Irish dramatist, novelist, poet (1854 1900)
...they no longer felt
...they no longer felt like newlyweds, and even less like belated lovers. It was as if they had lept over the arduous calvary of conjugal life and gone straight to the heart of love. They were together in silence like an old married couple wary of life, beyond the pitfalls of passion, beyond the brutal mockery of hope and the phantoms of disillusion: beyond love. For they had lived together long enough to know that love was always love, anytime and anyplace, but it was more solid the closer it came to death., Gabriel Garcia Marquez, from Love in the Time of Cholera,
The denunciation of th
The denunciation of the young is a necessary part of the hygiene of older people, and greatly assists the circulation of the blood., Logan Pearsall Smith, (1865 1946)
The only people who se
The only people who seem to have nothing to do with the education of the children are the parents., G.K. Chesterton,
I pride myself on the
I pride myself on the fact that my work has no socially redeeming value., John Waters,
No man should marry be
No man should marry before he has studied anatomy and dissected the body of a woman., Honore de Balzac, French realist novelist (1799 1850)
Be aware that a halo h
Be aware that a halo has to fall only a few inches to be a noose., Dan McKinnon,
Always be nice to thos
Always be nice to those younger than you, because they are the ones who will be writing about you., Cyril Connolly, (1903 1974)
I am a gentleman: I li
I am a gentleman: I live by robbing the poor., George Bernard Shaw, Irish dramatist socialist (1856 1950)
The place where optimi
The place where optimism flourishes the most is the lunatic asylum., Havelock Ellis, English sexual psychologist (1859 1939)
There is no satisfacti
There is no satisfaction in hanging a man who does not object to it., George Bernard Shaw, Irish dramatist socialist (1856 1950)
A woman will buy anyth
A woman will buy anything she thinks the store is losing money on., Kin Hubbard, (1868 1930)
While I am not a fan o
While I am not a fan of corporal punishment, I am not a fan of his friends Major Nuisance or General Disturbance., Elaine Richards,
Close your mouth, Mich
Close your mouth, Michael we are not a codfish., Mary Poppins,
When the character of
When the character of a man is not clear to you, look at his friends., Japanese Proverb,
There are situations i
There are situations in which torture is not merely permissible but morally mandatory., Michael Levin,
And thou shalt smite t
And thou shalt smite thine enemy even unto the wall, gnashing thy teeth, and he shall grow small in thy mirrors., Jeff Zurschmeide,
People that are really
People that are really weird can get into sensitive positions and have a tremendous impact on history., Dan Quayle, 09/88, US Republican politician (1947 )
Even in civilized mank
Even in civilized mankind faint traces of monogamous instincts can be perceived., Bertrand Russell, British author, mathematician, philosopher (1872 1970)
The chief objection of
The chief objection of playing wind instruments is that it prolongs the life of the player., George Bernard Shaw, Irish dramatist socialist (1856 1950)
The perfect host requi
The perfect host requires the perfect parasite., Adopted from Lance Fusco.,
Coincidences are spiri
Coincidences are spiritual puns., G.K. Chesterton,
Write down the advice
Write down the advice of him who loves you, though you like it not at present., English Proverb,
The higher the buildin
The higher the buildings, the lower the morals., Noel Coward, English actor, dramatist, songwriter (1899 1973)
Good breeding consists
Good breeding consists in concealing how much we think of ourselves and how little we think of the other person., Mark Twain, US humorist, novelist, short story author, wit (1835 1910)
An Irishman is the onl
An Irishman is the only man in the world who will step over the bodies of a dozen naked women to get to a bottle of stout., Unknown, Quotations by unknown authors )
No one can earn a mill
No one can earn a million dollars honestly., William Jennings Bryan, US lawyer, orator, politician (1860 1925)
Gentility is what is l
Gentility is what is left over from rich ancestors after the money is gone., John Ciardi, US poet (1916 1986)
The chief value of mon
The chief value of money lies in the fact that one lives in a world in which it is overestimated., H. L. Mencken, US editor (1880 1956)
Be a good listener. Yo
Be a good listener. Your ears will never get you in trouble., Frank Tyger,
Civilization is the di
Civilization is the distance man has placed between himself and his excreta., Brian Aldiss,
Everyone realized that
Everyone realized that Computervision stock was the golden goose. But one grabbed the leg, another grabbed a wing, another got the neck, all pulling hard, and they realize now they could kill the goose if they keep this up., Charles Foundyller of Daratech, from 8/14/92 Wall St Journal,
What dreadful hot weat
What dreadful hot weather we have! It keeps me in a continual state of inelegance., Jane Austen, English novelist (1775 1817)
Success is a great deo
Success is a great deodorant., Elizabeth Taylor, British movie actress (1932 )
Higher emotions are wh
Higher emotions are what separate us from the lower orders of life... Higher emotions, and table manners., Deanna Troi, _Imzadi_, Star Trek The Next Generation,
I like to keep a bottl
I like to keep a bottle of stimulant handy in case I see a snake, which I also keep handy., W.C. Fields,
The infliction of crue
The infliction of cruelty with a good conscience is a delight to moralists that is why they invented hell., Bertrand Russell, British author, mathematician, philosopher (1872 1970)
I prefer the company o
I prefer the company of peasants because they have not been educated sufficiently to reason incorrectly., Michel de Montaigne, French essayist (1533 1592)
We make a living by wh
We make a living by what we get, we make a life by what we give., Sir Winston Churchill, British politician (1874 1965)
When solving a panic y
When solving a panic you must first ask yourself what you were doing that could possibly frighten an operating system., Peter van der Linden,
I was much distressed
I was much distressed by next door people who had twin babies and played the violin but one of the twins died, and the other has eaten the fiddle so all is peace., Edward Lear,
Hell hath no fury like
Hell hath no fury like a bureaucrat scorned., Milton Friedman, US economist (1912 )
Mr. Gates is up to his
Mr. Gates is up to his eyeballs in his knowledge of this stuff., US District Judge Royce Lambeth, ordering CIA Director Robert Gates to testify at the Clair George trial.,
It was not their irrit
It was not their irritating assumption of equality that annoyed Nicholai so much as their cultural confusions. The Americans seemed to confuse standard of living with quality of life, equal opportunity with institutionalized mediocrity, bravery with courage, machismo with manhood, liberty with freedom, wordiness with articulation, fun with pleasure in short, all of the misconceptions common to those who assume that justice implies equality for all, rather than equality for equals., Trevanian from the novel Shibumi,
Melpomene was a substa
Melpomene was a substantial girl, thick of bosom, ankle, and forearm, rosy of cheek, and clear of eye. She seemed somehow incomplete without her hockey stick., Trevanian from the novel Shibumi,
Never make anything si
Never make anything simple and efficient when a way can be found to make it complex and wonderful., Unknown, Quotations by unknown authors )
You should not live on
You should not live one way in private, another in public., Publilius Syrus, (~100 BC)
Washington is a city o
Washington is a city of Southern efficiency and Northern charm., John F. Kennedy, US Democratic politician (1917 1963)
Never lie when the tru
Never lie when the truth is more profitable., Stanislaw J. Lec, Polish writer (1909 1966)
Popularity is the one
Popularity is the one insult I have never suffered., Oscar Wilde, Irish dramatist, novelist, poet (1854 1900)
To be stupid, selfish,
To be stupid, selfish, and have good health are three requirements for happiness, though if stupidity is lacking, all is lost., Gustave Flaubert, French realist novelist (1821 1880)
National Health Insura
National Health Insurance: The compassion of the IRS The efficiency of the Postal Service All at Pentagon prices!!!!, Seen on a bumper sticker,
Anybody can win, unle
Anybody can win, unless there happens to be a second entry., George Ade, US dramatist humorist (1866 1944)
Courtly lovepoetry may
Courtly lovepoetry may first have been written during long periods of abstinence on the Crusades, but it would not have flourished in the cold of northern Europe without some help from the chimney., James Burke,
There is no passion li
There is no passion like that of a functionary for his function., Georges Clemenceau, French politician (1841 1929)
The strongest man in t
The strongest man in the world is the man who stands alone., Thomas H. Huxley, English biologist (1825 1895)
Reason and Justice tel
Reason and Justice tell me that there is more love of man in electricity and steam, than in chastity and refusal to eat meat., Chekov of Tolstoy,
Giving every man a vot
Giving every man a vote has no more made men wise and free than Christianity has made them good., H. L. Mencken, US editor (1880 1956)
Duct tape is like the
Duct tape is like the force. It has a light side, and a dark side, and it holds the universe together., Carl Zwanzig,
The fickleness of the
The fickleness of the women I love is only equalled by the infernal constancy of the women who love me., George Bernard Shaw, Irish dramatist socialist (1856 1950)
If this is coffee, ple
If this is coffee, please bring me some tea but if this is tea, please bring me some coffee., Abraham Lincoln, 16th president of US (1809 1865)
There are three intole
There are three intolerable things in life cold coffee, lukewarm champagne, and overexcited women., Orson Welles, US actor director (1915 1985)
Make money and the who
Make money and the whole nation will conspire to call you a gentleman., George Bernard Shaw, Irish dramatist socialist (1856 1950)
Most vegetarians look
Most vegetarians look so much like the food they eat that they can be classified as cannibals., Finley Peter Dunne,
The trouble with this
The trouble with this country is that there are too many people going about saying, The trouble with this country is...., Sinclair Lewis, US novelist (1885 1951)
The probability that w
The probability that we may fail in the struggle ought not to deter us from the support of a cause we believe to be just., Abraham Lincoln, 16th president of US (1809 1865)
I think, therefore Des
I think, therefore Des
It is often pleasant t
It is often pleasant to stone a martyr, no matter how much we admire him., John Barth, US novelist short story author (1930 )
Americans detest all l
Americans detest all lies except lies spoken in public or printed lies., Ed Howe,
Man is a rational anim
Man is a rational animal who always loses his temper when called upon to act in accordance with the dictates of reason., Orson Welles, US actor director (1915 1985)
Ye shall know the trut
Ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you mad., Aldous Huxley, English critic novelist (1894 1963)
It is after you have l
It is after you have lost your teeth that you can afford to buy steaks., Pierre Auguste Renoir,
There ought to be a ro
There ought to be a room in every house to swear in., Mark Twain, US humorist, novelist, short story author, wit (1835 1910)
No matter how old a mo
No matter how old a mother is, she watches her middleaged children for signs of improvement., Florida ScottMaxwell,
The trouble with my wi
The trouble with my wife is that she is a whore in the kitchen and a cook in the bed., Geoffrey Gorer,
He that respects himse
He that respects himself is safe from others. He wears a coat of mail that none can pierce., Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, US poet (1807 1882)
Progress might have be
Progress might have been all right once, but it went on too long., Ogden Nash, US humorist poet (1902 1971)
If the Prince of Peace
If the Prince of Peace should come to earth, one of the first things he would do would be to put psychiatrists in their place., Aldous Huxley, English critic novelist (1894 1963)
Politicians are the sa
Politicians are the same the world over: they promise to build a bridge even when there is no river., Nikita Khrushchev, Russian Soviet politician (1894 1971)
I believe in equality
I believe in equality for everyone, except reporters and photographers., Mahatma Gandhi, Indian ascetic nationalist leader (1869 1948)
Every author, however
Every author, however modest, keeps a most outrageous vanity chained like a madman in the padded cell of his breast., Logan Pearsall Smith, (1865 1946)
The safest way to doub
The safest way to double your money is to fold it over and put it in your pocket., Kin Hubbard, (1868 1930)
Foolish writers and re
Foolish writers and readers are created for each other., Horace Walpole, English author (1717 1797)
Nothing to me is more
Nothing to me is more distasteful than that entire complacency and satisfaction which beam in the countenances of a newly married couple., Charles Lamb, English critic essayist (1775 1834)
All professions are co
All professions are conspiracies against the laity., George Bernard Shaw, Irish dramatist socialist (1856 1950)
Misery acquaints a man
Misery acquaints a man with strange bedfellows., William Shakespeare, Greatest English dramatist poet (1564 1616)
Self is the only priso
Self is the only prison that can bind the soul., Henry Van Dyke,
Whosoever is delighted
Whosoever is delighted in solitude is either a wild beast or a god., Sir Francis Bacon, English author, courtier, philosopher (1561 1626)
Man is only man at the
Man is only man at the surface. Remove the skin, dissect, and immediately you come to machinery., Paul Valery, French critic poet (1871 1945)
When my love swears th
When my love swears that she is made of truth, I do believe her, though I know she lies., William Shakespeare, Greatest English dramatist poet (1564 1616)
A painter should not p
A painter should not paint what he sees but what should be seen., Paul Valery, French critic poet (1871 1945)
As an antiAmerican, I
As an antiAmerican, I thank you for your rotten article devoted to my person., Prince Sihanouk in a letter to Time magazine,
Who begins too much ac
Who begins too much accomplishes little., German Proverb,
All you need in this l
All you need in this life is ignorance and confidence then success is sure., Mark Twain, Letter to Mrs Foote, Dec. 2 1887, US humorist, novelist, short story author, wit (1835 1910)
Fame lost its appeal f
Fame lost its appeal for me when I went into a public restroom and an autograph seeker handed me a pen and paper under the stall door., Marlo Thomas,
A sign of celebrity is
A sign of celebrity is that his name is often worth more than his services., Daniel J. Boorstin, US historian (1914 )
If only God would give
If only God would give me some clear sign! Like making a large deposit in my name in a Swiss bank., Woody Allen, US movie actor, comedian, director (1935 )
I have never found in
I have never found in a long experience of politics that criticism is ever inhibited by ignorance., Harold Macmillan, British prime minister (19571963), (1894 1986)
Platitude: an idea (a)
Platitude: an idea (a) that is admitted to be true by everyone, and (b) that is not true., H. L. Mencken, US editor (1880 1956)
The first kiss is stol
The first kiss is stolen by the man the last is begged by the woman., H. L. Mencken, US editor (1880 1956)
Selfesteem is the repu
Selfesteem is the reputation we acquire with ourselves., Nathaniel Branden,
Where desire writhed t
Where desire writhed there stands a stone the change was sudden and complete., Maggie Roche,
Alimony is like buying
Alimony is like buying oats for a dead horse., Arthur Baer,
She cried, and the jud
She cried, and the judge wiped her tears with my checkbook., Tommy Manville,
For a while we pondere
For a while we pondered whether to take a vacation or get a divorce. We decided that a trip to Bermuda is over in two weeks, but a divorce is something you always have., Woody Allen, US movie actor, comedian, director (1935 )
Love is an ideal thing
Love is an ideal thing, marriage a real thing a confusion of the real with the ideal never goes unpunished., Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, German dramatist, novelist, poet, scientist (1749 1832)
Statistics show that w
Statistics show that we lose more fools on this day than on all other days of the year put together. This proves, by the numbers left in stock, that one Fourth of July per year is now inadequate, the country has grown so., Mark Twain, US humorist, novelist, short story author, wit (1835 1910)
Pity the meek, for the
Pity the meek, for they shall inherit the earth., Don Marquis, US humorist (1878 1937)
Habit is habit and not
Habit is habit and not to be flung out of the window by any man, but coaxed downstairs a step at a time., Mark Twain, US humorist, novelist, short story author, wit (1835 1910)
Canada is a country wh
Canada is a country whose main exports are hockey players and cold fronts. Our main imports are baseball players and acid rain., Pierre Trudeau, Canadian politician (1919 2000)
My motto is: Contented
My motto is: Contented with little, yet wishing for more., Charles Lamb, English critic essayist (1775 1834)
Psychoanalysts are fat
Psychoanalysts are father confessors who like to listen to the sins of the father as well., Karl Kraus, Austrian author and journalist (1874 1936)
The more he talked of
The more he talked of his honor, the faster we counted our spoons., Ralph Waldo Emerson, US essayist poet (1803 1882)
Men have a much better
Men have a much better time of it than women for one thing, they marry later for another thing they die earlier., H. L. Mencken, US editor (1880 1956)
One should never know
One should never know too precisely whom one has married., Friedrich Nietzsche, German philosopher (1844 1900)
Marriage: a book of wh
Marriage: a book of which the first chapter is written in poetry and the remaining chapters in prose., Beverly Nichols,
The Preacher, the Poli
The Preacher, the Politicain, the Teacher, Were each of them once a kiddie. A child, indeed, is a wonderful creature. Do I want one? God Forbiddie!, Ogden Nash, US humorist poet (1902 1971)
Oh, life is a glorious
Oh, life is a glorious cycle of song, A medley of extemporanea And love is thing that can never go wrong And I am Marie of Romania., Dorothy Parker, US author, humorist, poet, wit (1893 1967)
Unprovided with origin
Unprovided with original learning, unformed in the habits of thinking, unskilled in the arts of composition, I resolved to write a book., Edward Gibbon, English historian of Rome (1737 1794)
I fell asleep reading
I fell asleep reading a dull book and dreamed I kept on reading, so I awoke from sheer boredom., Heinrich Heine, German critic poet (1797 1856)
My father never raised
My father never raised his hand to any one of his children, except in selfdefense., Fred Allen, US radio comedian (1894 1956)
A bone to the dog is n
A bone to the dog is not charity. Charity is the bone shared with the dog, when you are just as hungry as the dog., Jack London, US adventurer, author, sailor (1876 1916)
You must have taken gr
You must have taken great pains, sir you could not naturally been so very stupid., Samuel Johnson, English author, critic, lexicographer (1709 1784)
Each snowflake in an a
Each snowflake in an avalanche pleads not guilty., Stanislaw J. Lec, Polish writer (1909 1966)
Calvin Coolidge was th
Calvin Coolidge was the greatest man who ever came out of Plymouth Corner, Vermont., Clarence Darrow, US defense lawyer (1857 1938)
The best reason I can
The best reason I can think of for not running for President of the United States is that you have to shave twice a day., Adlai E. Stevenson Jr., US diplomat Democratic politician (1900 1965)
What profits a man if
What profits a man if he keeps his eternal soul when he could have lived life to the full and been forgiven at the end of it all anyway?, David Merritt, a.k.a. THE RED SHARK,
The wine seems to be v
The wine seems to be very closedin and seems to have entered a dumb stage. Sort of a Marcel Meursault., Paul S. Winalski,
No nation was ever dru
No nation was ever drunk when wine was cheap., Thomas Jefferson, 3rd president of US (1743 1826)
It is pretty hard to t
It is pretty hard to tell what does bring happiness poverty and wealth have both failed., Kin Hubbard, (1868 1930)
The world makes up for
The world makes up for all its follies and injustices by being damnably sentimental., Thomas H. Huxley, English biologist (1825 1895)
Get this (economic pla
Get this (economic plan) passed. Later on, we can all debate it., President George Bush, to New Hampshire legislators,
Nobody said it was goi
Nobody said it was going to be easy, and nobody was right., President George Bush, quoted in Asiaweek magazine,
There ought to be one
There ought to be one day just one where there is open season on senators., Will Rogers, US humorist showman (1879 1935)
Patriotism is a pernic
Patriotism is a pernicious, psychopathic form of idiocy., George Bernard Shaw, Irish dramatist socialist (1856 1950)
A husband should not i
A husband should not insult his wife publicly, at parties. He should insult her in the privacy of the home., James Thurber, US author, cartoonist, humorist, satirist (1894 1961)
Making music should no
Making music should not be left to the professionals., Michelle Shocked,
Charity sees the need
Charity sees the need not the cause., German Proverb,
If Jerry Brown is the
If Jerry Brown is the answer, it must be a very peculiar question., Sen Lloyd Bentsen, DTexas,
In America you can go
In America you can go on the air and kid the politicians, and the politicians can go on the air and kid the people., Groucho Marx, US comedian with Marx Brothers (1890 1977)
There is no sadder sig
There is no sadder sight than a young pessimist, except an old optimist., Mark Twain, US humorist, novelist, short story author, wit (1835 1910)
If more than ten perce
If more than ten percent of the population likes a painting it should be burned, for it must be bad., George Bernard Shaw, Irish dramatist socialist (1856 1950)
In certain trying circ
In certain trying circumstances, urgent circumstances, desperate circumstances, profanity furnishes a relief denied even to prayer., Mark Twain, US humorist, novelist, short story author, wit (1835 1910)
I regret to say that w
I regret to say that we of the F.B.I. are powerless to act in cases of oralgenital intimacy, unless it has in some way obstructed interstate commerce., J. Edgar Hoover,
Nature magically suits
Nature magically suits a man to his fortunes, by making them the fruit of his character., Ralph Waldo Emerson, US essayist poet (1803 1882)
Our national flower is
Our national flower is the concrete cloverleaf., Lewis Mumford, US architect sociologist (1895 1990)
It is the wretchedness
It is the wretchedness of being rich that you have to live with rich people., Logan Pearsall Smith, (1865 1946)
The richer your friend
The richer your friends, the more they will cost you., Elisabeth Marbury,
The only thing I like
The only thing I like about rich people is their money., Lady Astor,
The best part of the f
The best part of the fiction in many novels is the notice that the characters are purely imaginary., Franklin P. Adams, US journalist (1881 1960)
There are plenty of go
There are plenty of good fivecent cigars in the country. The trouble is they cost a quarter. What this country really needs is a good fivecent nickel., Franklin P. Adams, US journalist (1881 1960)
Good habits result fro
Good habits result from resisting temptation., Ancient Proverb,
I hate the pollyanna p
I hate the pollyanna pest who says that all is for the best., Franklin P. Adams, US journalist (1881 1960)
The enemy came. He was
The enemy came. He was beaten. I am tired. Goodnight., Vicomte Turenne, Message sent after the battle of Dunen, 658,
No one can have a high
No one can have a higher opinion of him than I have and I think he is a dirty little beast., W.S. Gilbert,
He, in a few minutes r
He, in a few minutes ravished this fair creature, or at least would have ravished her, if she had not, by a timely compliance, prevented him., Henry Fielding, Jonathan Wild, English dramatist novelist (1707 1754)
Anyone who goes to a p
Anyone who goes to a psychiatrist ought to have his head examined., Samuel Goldwyn, US (Polishborn) movie producer (1882 1974)
There is only one thin
There is only one thing a philosopher can be relied upon to do, and that is to contradict other philosophers., William James, US Pragmatist philosopher psychologist (1842 1910)
Of all the unbearable
Of all the unbearable nuisances, the ignoramus that has travelled is the worst., Kin Hubbard, (1868 1930)
The wisest mind has so
The wisest mind has something yet to learn., George Santayana, US (Spanishborn) philosopher (1863 1952)
To get the attention o
To get the attention of a large animal, be it an elephant or a bureaucracy, it helps to know what part of it feels pain. Be very sure, though, that you want its full attention., Kelvin Throop,
When anyone asks me ho
When anyone asks me how I can best describe my experience in nearly forty years at sea, I merely say, uneventful. Of course there have been winter gales, and storms and fog and the like. But in all my experience, I have never been in any accident... or any sort worth speaking about. I have seen but one vessel in distress in all my years at sea. I never saw a wreck and never have been wrecked nor was I ever in any predicament that threatened to end in disaster of any sort., E. J. Smith, 1907 Captain, RMS Titanic,
The individual choice
The individual choice of garnishment of a burger can be an important point to the consumer in this day when individualism is an increasingly important thing to people., Donald N. Smith, president of Burger King,
Wars teach us not to l
Wars teach us not to love our enemies but to hate our allies., W.L. George,
Only the winners decid
Only the winners decide what were war crimes., Garry Wills,
You can be a rank insi
You can be a rank insider as well as a rank outsider., Robert Frost, US poet (1874 1963)
A strong positive ment
A strong positive mental attitude will create more miracles than any wonder drug., Patricia Neal,
Muscles come and go fl
Muscles come and go flab lasts., Bill Vaughan,
Autobiography is an un
Autobiography is an unrivalled vehicle for telling the truth about other people., Philip Guedalla, English author popular historian (1889 1944)
Nothing fixes a thing
Nothing fixes a thing so intensely in the memory as the wish to forget it., Michel de Montaigne, French essayist (1533 1592)
The proof that man is
The proof that man is the noblest of all creatures is that no other creature has ever denied it., Georg Christoph Lichtenberg, (1742 1799)
The pencil sharpener i
The pencil sharpener is about as far as I have ever got in operating a complicated piece of machinery with any success., Robert Benchley, US actor, author, humorist (1889 1945)
Logic is like the swor
Logic is like the sword: those who appeal to it shall perish by it., Samuel Butler, English composer, novelist, satiric author (1835 1902)
Thousands have lived w
Thousands have lived without love, not one without water., W.H. Auden,
I passionately hate th
I passionately hate the idea of being with it. I think an artist has always to be out of step with his time., Orson Welles, 1966, US actor director (1915 1985)
If thou are a master,
If thou are a master, be sometimes blind if a servant, sometimes deaf., Thomas Fuller, English clergyman historian (1608 1661)
I love America. You al
I love America. You always hurt the one you love., David Frye impersonating Nixon,
Something ignoble, loa
Something ignoble, loathsome, undignified attends all associations between people and has been transferred to all objects, dwelling, tools, even the landscape itself., Bertolt Brecht, German Communist dramatist (1898 1956)
America: the only coun
America: the only country in the world where failing to promote yourself is regarded as being arrogant., Garry Trudeau,
My main reason for ado
My main reason for adopting literature as a profession was that, as the author is never seen by his clients, he need not dress respectably., George Bernard Shaw, Irish dramatist socialist (1856 1950)
A good listener is usu
A good listener is usually thinking about something else., Kin Hubbard, (1868 1930)
Carlyle said, A lie ca
Carlyle said, A lie cannot live it shows he did not know how to tell them., Mark Twain, US humorist, novelist, short story author, wit (1835 1910)
I have always imagined
I have always imagined that Paradise will be a kind of library., Jorge Luis Borges, Argentine novelist poet (1899 1986)
Any ordinary man can..
Any ordinary man can...surround himself with two thousand books...and thenceforward have at least one place in the world in which it is possible to be happy., Augustine Birrell,
No place affords a mor
No place affords a more striking conviction of the vanity of human hopes than a public library., Samuel Johnson, English author, critic, lexicographer (1709 1784)
What you have when eve
What you have when everyone wears the same playclothes for all occasions, is addressad by nickname, expected to participate in Show And Tell, and bullied out of any desire form privacy, is not democracy it is kindergarten., Judith Martin, (Miss Manners),
Women dress alike all
Women dress alike all over the world: they dress to be annoying to other women., Elsa Schiaparelli,
Alimony is a system by
Alimony is a system by which, when two people make a mistake, one of them keeps paying for it., Peggy Joyce,
I can think of nothing
I can think of nothing more boring for the American people than to have to sit in their living rooms for a whole half hour looking at my face on their television screens., Dwight David Eisenhower,
I never did give anybo
I never did give anybody hell. I just told the truth and they thought it was hell., Harry S Truman, 33rd president of US (1884 1972)
I used to be a lawyer,
I used to be a lawyer, but now I am a reformed character., Woodrow Wilson, 28th president of US (1856 1924)
Flattery is like colog
Flattery is like cologne water, to be smelt of, not swallowed., Josh Billings, US Humorist (1818 1885)
Judge: a law student w
Judge: a law student who marks his own papers., H. L. Mencken, US editor (1880 1956)
I honestly believe tha
I honestly believe that in my lifetime we will see a country once again governed by Christians...and Christian values. What Christians have got to do is take back this country, one precinct at a time, one neighborhood at a time, and one state at a time., Ralph Reed, Executive Director, the Christian Coalition,
A communist is a perso
A communist is a person who publicly airs his dirty Lenin., Jack Pomeroy,
An ambassador is an ho
An ambassador is an honest man sent abroad to lie for his country., Sir Henry Wotton,
Democracy means govern
Democracy means government by discussion, but it is only effective if you can stop people talking., Clement Richard Atlee, British prime minister (19451951),
Music is essentially u
Music is essentially useless, as life is., George Santayana, US (Spanishborn) philosopher (1863 1952)
Every man is the archi
Every man is the architect of his own fortune., Sallust, Roman historian politician (86 BC 34 BC)
Only sick music makes
Only sick music makes money today., Friedrich Nietzsche, German philosopher (1844 1900)
There are more bad mus
There are more bad musicians than there is bad music., Isaac Stern,
Except during the nine
Except during the nine months before he draws his first breath, no man manages his affairs as well as a tree does., George Bernard Shaw, Irish dramatist socialist (1856 1950)
One of the simple but
One of the simple but genuine pleasures in life is getting up in the morning and hurrying to a mousetrap you set the night before., Kin Hubbard, (1868 1930)
The impotence of God i
The impotence of God is infinite., Anatole France, French novelist (1844 1924)
I am not young enough
I am not young enough to know everything., J.M. Barrie,
Man is a natural polyg
Man is a natural polygamist: he always has one woman leading him by the nose, and another hanging on to his coattails., H. L. Mencken, US editor (1880 1956)
Everyone thinks of cha
Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing himself., Leo Tolstoy, Russian mystic novelist (1828 1910)
Life only demands from
Life only demands from you the strength you possess. Only one feat is possible not to have run away., Dag Hammarskjold, Swedish diplomat (1905 1961)
Science is nothing but
Science is nothing but trained and organized common sense., Thomas H. Huxley, English biologist (1825 1895)
I shall be breakfasted
I shall be breakfasted before you are afield. In short, I shall astonish you all., Thomas Hardy, Far From the Madding Crowd,
The continued propinqu
The continued propinquity of another human being cramps the style after a time unless that person is somebody you think you love. Then the burden becomes intolerable at once., Quentin Crisp,
Forgive me my nonsense
Forgive me my nonsense as I also forgive the nonsense of those who think they talk sense., Robert Frost, US poet (1874 1963)
Dubito ergo sum I dou
Dubito ergo sum I doubt therefore I am, Kayvan Sylvan,
Events in the past may
Events in the past may be roughly divided into those which probably never happened and those which do not matter., W. R. Inge,
Oh, what lies there ar
Oh, what lies there are in kisses!, Heinrich Heine, German critic poet (1797 1856)
Discretion in speech i
Discretion in speech is more than eloquence., Sir Francis Bacon, English author, courtier, philosopher (1561 1626)
To a woman the first k
To a woman the first kiss is just the end of the beginning but to a man it is the beginning of the end., Helen Rowland, (1876 1950)
The wages of sin are u
The wages of sin are unreported., Unknown, Quotations by unknown authors )
The income tax has mad
The income tax has made liars out of more Americans than golf., Will Rogers, US humorist showman (1879 1935)
Nowadays a citizen can
Nowadays a citizen can hardly distinguish between a tax and a fine, except that the fine is generally much lighter., G.K. Chesterton,
I know what love is: T
I know what love is: Tracy and Hepburn, Bogart and Bacall, Romeo and Juliet, Jackie and John and Marilyn...., Ian Shoales,
In our country we have
In our country we have those three unspeakably precious things: freedom of speech, freedom of conscience, and the prudence never to practice either., Mark Twain, US humorist, novelist, short story author, wit (1835 1910)
Etymology, n.: Some ea
Etymology, n.: Some early etymological scholars come up with derivations that were hard for the public to believe. The term etymology was formed from the Latin etus ("eaten"), the root mal ("bad"), and logy ("study of"). It meant the study of things that are hard to swallow., Mike Kellen,
Delores breezed along
Delores breezed along the surface of her life like a flat stone forever skipping along smooth water, rippling reality sporadically but oblivious to it consistently, until she finally lost momentum, sank, and due to an over dose of flouride as a child which caused her to suffer from chronic apathy, doomed herself to lie forever on the floor of her life as useless as an appendix and as lonely as a fivehundred pound barbell in a steroidfree fitness center., Winning sentence, 1990 BulwerLytton bad fiction contest.,
It is the confession,
It is the confession, not the priest, that gives us absolution., Oscar Wilde, Irish dramatist, novelist, poet (1854 1900)
He marries best who pu
He marries best who puts it off until it is too late., H. L. Mencken, US editor (1880 1956)
Promote yourself, but
Promote yourself, but do not demote another., Israel Salanter,
The first thing I do i
The first thing I do in the morning is brush my teeth and sharpen my tongue., Oscar Levant, (1906 1972)
There is no such thing
There is no such thing as an underestimate of average intelligence., Henry Adams, US author, autobiographer, historian (1838 1918)
The Green Party is lik
The Green Party is like a watermelon green on the outside and red on the inside., Rep. Bill Dannemeyer, RFullerton,
The intelligent man fi
The intelligent man finds almost everything ridiculous, the sensible man hardly anything., Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, German dramatist, novelist, poet, scientist (1749 1832)
The human mind treats
The human mind treats a new idea the way the body treats a strange protein it rejects it., Biologist P. B. Medawar,
A large section of the
A large section of the intelligentsia seems wholly devoid of intelligence., G.K. Chesterton,
A wise man should have
A wise man should have money in his head, but not in his heart., Jonathan Swift, Irish essayist, novelist, satirist (1667 1745)
A dollar saved is a qu
A dollar saved is a quarter earned., John Ciardi, US poet (1916 1986)
I make a fortune from
I make a fortune from criticizing the policy of the government, and then hand it over to the government in taxes to keep it going., George Bernard Shaw, Irish dramatist socialist (1856 1950)
It is better to be bea
It is better to be beautiful than to be good, but it is better to be good than to be ugly., Oscar Wilde, Irish dramatist, novelist, poet (1854 1900)
All my life, affection
All my life, affection has been showered upon me, and every forward step I have made has been taken in spite of it., George Bernard Shaw, Irish dramatist socialist (1856 1950)
Sometimes a fool makes
Sometimes a fool makes a good suggestion., Nicolas Boileau, French critic satiric poet (1636 1711)
This is the day upon w
This is the day upon which we are reminded of what we are on the other three hundred and sixtyfour., Mark Twain, US humorist, novelist, short story author, wit (1835 1910)
I am not sincere, not
I am not sincere, not even when I say I am not., Jules Renard, (1864 1910)
Make money your god an
Make money your god and it will plague you like the devil., Henry Fielding, English dramatist novelist (1707 1754)
Money is always there,
Money is always there, but the pockets change., Gertrude Stein, US author in France (1874 1946)
Honesty is the best po
Honesty is the best policy when there is money in it., Mark Twain, US humorist, novelist, short story author, wit (1835 1910)
Contrary to popular be
Contrary to popular belief, English women do not wear tweed nightgowns., Hermione Gingold,
Advertising is 85,00%
Advertising is 85,00% confusion and 15,00% commission., Fred Allen, US radio comedian (1894 1956)
Business is a good gam
Business is a good game lots of competition and a minimum of rules. You keep score with money., Atari founder Nolan Bushnell,
It is no disgrace to b
It is no disgrace to be poor, but it might as well be., Jim Grue,
If you wouldst live lo
If you wouldst live long, live well, for folly and wickedness shorten life., Benjamin Franklin, US author, diplomat, inventor, physicist, politician, printer (1706 1790)
All programmers are pl
All programmers are playwrights and all computers are lousy actors., Unknown, Quotations by unknown authors )
There are few sorrows
There are few sorrows in which a good income is of no avail., Logan Pearsall Smith, (1865 1946)
Everyone would like to
Everyone would like to behave like a pagan, with everyone else behaving like a Christian., Albert Camus, French existentialist author philosopher (1913 1960)
The average man does n
The average man does not know what to do with his life, yet wants another one which will last forever., Anatole France, French novelist (1844 1924)
It takes a wonderful b
It takes a wonderful brain and exquisite senses to produce a few stupid ideas., George Santayana, US (Spanishborn) philosopher (1863 1952)
We tolerate shapes in
We tolerate shapes in human beings that would horrify us if we saw them in a horse., W. R. Inge,
The great tragedy of s
The great tragedy of science the slaying of a beautiful hypothesis by an ugly fact., T.H. Buxley,
The Irish are a fair p
The Irish are a fair people they never speak well of one another, Samuel Johnson, English author, critic, lexicographer (1709 1784)
God invented whiskey t
God invented whiskey to keep the Irish from ruling the world., Ed McMahon,
Honesty is a good thin
Honesty is a good thing, but it is not profitable to its possessor unless it is kept under control., Don Marquis, US humorist (1878 1937)
In this world of sin a
In this world of sin and sorrow there is always something to be thankful for as for me, I rejoice that I am not a Republican., H. L. Mencken, US editor (1880 1956)
A child of my own! Oh,
A child of my own! Oh, no, no, no! Let my flesh perish with me, and let me not transmit to anyone the boredom and ignominiousness of life., Gustave Flaubert, French realist novelist (1821 1880)
Tell us your phobias,
Tell us your phobias, and we will tell you what you are afraid of., Robert Benchley, US actor, author, humorist (1889 1945)
It is better to die on
It is better to die on your feet than live on your knees., Dolores Ibarruri, September 3 1936, Spanish Communist agitator politician (1895 1989)
I do not want people t
I do not want people to be agreeable, as it saves me the trouble of liking them., Jane Austen, English novelist (1775 1817)
I like a friend better
I like a friend better for having faults that one can talk about., William Hazlitt, English essayist (1778 1830)
I was not successful a
I was not successful as a ballplayer, as it was a game of skill., Casey Stengel, US baseball manager (1890 1975)
Any pitcher who throws
Any pitcher who throws at a batter and deliberately tries to hit him is a communist., Alvin Dark, former baseball coach,
To some lawyers all fa
To some lawyers all facts are created equal., Felix Frankfurter, US (Austrianborn) jurist (1882 1965)
The love of money is t
The love of money is the root of all virtue., George Bernard Shaw, Irish dramatist socialist (1856 1950)
I derive no pleasure f
I derive no pleasure from talking with a young woman simply because she has regular features., Henry David Thoreau, US Transcendentalist author (1817 1862)
Never trouble another
Never trouble another for what you can do for yourself., Thomas Jefferson, 3rd president of US (1743 1826)
Better to have loved a
Better to have loved and lost a short person than never to have loved a tall., David Chambless,
Love is the delusion t
Love is the delusion that one woman differs from another, H. L. Mencken, US editor (1880 1956)
To fall in love you ha
To fall in love you have to be in the state of mind for it to take, like a disease., Nancy Mitford,
Man is the only animal
Man is the only animal that laughs and has a state legislature., Samuel Butler, English composer, novelist, satiric author (1835 1902)
Life is like playing t
Life is like playing the violin in public and learning the instrument as one goes on., Samuel Butler, English composer, novelist, satiric author (1835 1902)
Men should not try to
Men should not try to overstrain their goodness more than any other faculty., Samuel Butler, English composer, novelist, satiric author (1835 1902)
Outer space is no plac
Outer space is no place for a person of breeding., Lady Violet Bonham Carter, (1887 1969)
Giving a man space is
Giving a man space is like giving a dog a computer: the chances are he will not use it wisely., BetteJane Raphael,
Ignorance is the mothe
Ignorance is the mother of admiration., George Chapman,
What a blessing it wou
What a blessing it would be if we could open and shut our ears as easily as we open and shut our eyes., Georg Christoph Lichtenberg, (1742 1799)
The woman who cannot t
The woman who cannot tell a lie in defense of her husband is unworthy of the name of wife., Elbert Hubbard, US author (1856 1915)
A loving wife will do
A loving wife will do anything for her husband except stop criticizing him and trying to improve him., J.B. Priestley,
Men are the only anima
Men are the only animals that devote themselves, day in and day out, to making one another unhappy. It is an art like any other. Its virtuosi are called altruists., H. L. Mencken, US editor (1880 1956)
No one travelling on a
No one travelling on a business trip would be missed if he failed to arrive., Thorstein Veblen, US economist social philosopher (1857 1929)
Never forget that the
Never forget that the most powerful force on earth is love., Nelson Rockefeller,
Always hold your head
Always hold your head up, but be careful to keep your nose at a friendly level., Max L. Forman,
Do Not Disturb signs s
Do Not Disturb signs should be written in the language of the hotel maids., Tim Bedore,
Early morning cheerful
Early morning cheerfulness can be extremely obnoxious., William Feather, (1908 1976)
I am a deeply superfic
I am a deeply superficial person., Andy Warhol, US artist (1928 1987)
Most people enjoy the
Most people enjoy the inferiority of their friends., Lord Chesterfield, (1694 1773)
Everybody gets so much
Everybody gets so much information all day long that they lose their common sense., Gertrude Stein, US author in France (1874 1946)
Never believe anything
Never believe anything until it has been officially denied., Claud Cockburn, (1904 1981)
If the wind will not s
If the wind will not serve, take to the oars., Latin Proverb,
Virtue is its own puni
Virtue is its own punishment., Aneurin Bevan,
The first half of our
The first half of our lives is ruined by our parents and the last half by our children., Clarence Darrow, US defense lawyer (1857 1938)
One should always be w
One should always be wary of anyone who promises that their love will last longer than a weekend., Quentin Crisp,
Working in the theater
Working in the theater has a lot in common with unemployment., Arthur Gingold,
You can pick out actor
You can pick out actors by the glazed look that comes into their eyes when the conversation wanders away from themselves., Michael Wilding,
Democracy is the bludg
Democracy is the bludgeoning of the people, by the people, for the people., Oscar Wilde, Irish dramatist, novelist, poet (1854 1900)
That orgy of wishful t
That orgy of wishful thinking that has passed for logic in the present century., F.W. Lawvere,
Science is nothing but
Science is nothing but trained and organized common sense., Thomas H. Huxley, English biologist (1825 1895)
We must not allow the
We must not allow the clock and the calendar to blind us to the fact that each moment of life is a miracle and mystery., H. G. Wells, English author, historian, utopian (1866 1946)
My personal hobbies ar
My personal hobbies are reading, listening to music, and silence., Dame Edith Sitwell,
People demand freedom
People demand freedom of speech to make up for the freedom of thought which they avoid., Soren Aabye Kierkegaard,
It is possible to be b
It is possible to be below flattery as well as above it., Thomas Babington Macaulay, English author politician (1800 1859)
If the desire to kill
If the desire to kill and the opportunity to kill always came together, who would escape hanging?, Mark Twain, US humorist, novelist, short story author, wit (1835 1910)
An appeal is when you
An appeal is when you ask one court to show its contempt for another court., Finley Peter Dunne,
Marriage: a long conve
Marriage: a long conversation chequered by disputes., Robert Louis Stevenson, Scottish author (1850 1894)
If I were twofaced, wo
If I were twofaced, would I be wearing this one?, Abraham Lincoln, 16th president of US (1809 1865)
Every decent man is as
Every decent man is ashamed of the government he lives under., H. L. Mencken, US editor (1880 1956)
Writing is easy. All y
Writing is easy. All you do is stare at a blank sheet of paper until drops of blood form on your forehead., Gene Fowler,
If I have ever made an
If I have ever made any valuable discoveries, it has been owing more to patient attention, than to any other talent., Isaac Newton, English mathematician physicist (1642 1727)
As it is more blessed
As it is more blessed to give than receive, so it must be more blessed to receive than to give back., Robert Frost, US poet (1874 1963)
The classes that wash
The classes that wash most are those that work least., G.K. Chesterton,
Our Constitution prote
Our Constitution protects aliens, drunks, and U.S. senators., Will Rogers, US humorist showman (1879 1935)
If I ask a woman if sh
If I ask a woman if she has suffered sexual harassment, could this be considered sexual harassment?, Sally Forth, Jan. 28 1991,
Consistency requires y
Consistency requires you to be as ignorant today as you were a year ago., Bernard Berenson, US (Lithuanianborn) art critic (1865 1959)
Not a shred of evidenc
Not a shred of evidence exists in favor of the idea that life is serious., Brendan Gill,
I have always loved tr
I have always loved truth so passionately that I have often resorted to lying as a way of introducing it into the minds which were ignorant of its charms., Giovanni Jacopo Casanova,
Death: To stop sinning
Death: To stop sinning suddenly., Elbert Hubbard, US author (1856 1915)
Deeds, not words shall
Deeds, not words shall speak me., John Fletcher, English dramatist (1579 1625)
Sunday: A day given ov
Sunday: A day given over by Americans to wishing they were dead and in heaven, and that their neighbors were dead and in hell., H. L. Mencken, US editor (1880 1956)
If a child shows himse
If a child shows himself to be incorrigible, he should be decently and quietly beheaded at the age of twelve, lest he grow to maturity marry, and perpetuate his kind., Don Marquis, US humorist (1878 1937)
Action: the last resou
Action: the last resource of those who know not how to dream., Oscar Wilde, Irish dramatist, novelist, poet (1854 1900)
If you cannot get rid
If you cannot get rid of the family skeleton, you may as well make it dance., George Bernard Shaw, Irish dramatist socialist (1856 1950)
The police.....always
The police.....always wanting to play games., Maude (Ruth Gordon), from the movie Harold Maude,
All power corrupts, bu
All power corrupts, but we need the electricity., Unknown, Quotations by unknown authors )
Art is making somethin
Art is making something out of nothing and selling it., Frank Zappa, US musician, singer, songwriter (1940 1993)
God made man, and then
God made man, and then said I can do better than that and made woman., Adela Rogers St. Johns,
God created man and, f
God created man and, finding him not sufficiently alone, gave him a companion to make him feel his solitude more keenly., Paul Valery, French critic poet (1871 1945)
Love is the irresistib
Love is the irresistible desire to be irresistibly desired., Robert Frost, US poet (1874 1963)
The great masses of th
The great masses of the people... will more easily fall victims to a great lie than to a small one., Adolf Hitler, German Nazi dictator, orator, politician (1889 1945)
American husbands are
American husbands are the best in the world no other husbands are so generous to their wives, or can be so easily divorced., Elinor Glyn,
Enzymes are things inv
Enzymes are things invented by biologists that explain things which otherwise require harder thinking., Jerome Lettvin,
Actions lie louder tha
Actions lie louder than words., Carolyn Wells,
When there is no peril
When there is no peril in the fight there is no glory in the triumph., Pierre Corneille, French dramatist (1606 1684)
Chess is as elaborate
Chess is as elaborate a waste of human intelligence as you can find outside an advertising agency., Raymond Chandler, US detective novelist screenwriter (1888 1959)
Be careful in revising
Be careful in revising those immigration laws of yours. We got careless with ours., advice given to Herbert Humphrey by an American Indian from New Mexico,
Changing a college cur
Changing a college curriculum is like moving a graveyardyou never know how many friends the dead have until you try to move them!, Calvin Coolidge or Woodrow Wilson,
You must believe in Go
You must believe in God in spite of what the clergy say., Benjamin Jowett,
He grounds the warship
He grounds the warship he walks on., John Bracken on Captain Barney Kelly, who ran the USS Enterprise into the mud of San Francisco Bay in May 1983,
He who labors diligent
He who labors diligently need never despair for all things are accomplished by diligence and labor., Menander, Greek comic dramatist (342 BC 292 BC)
Behind almost every wo
Behind almost every woman you ever heard of stands a man who let her down., Naomi Bliven,
Social confusion has n
Social confusion has now reached a point at which the pursuit of immorality turns out to be more exhausting than compliance with the old moral codes., Denis de Rougemont,
I have just returned f
I have just returned from Boston. It is the only thing to do if you find yourself up there., Fred Allen, US radio comedian (1894 1956)
Most men do not mature
Most men do not mature, they simply grow taller., Leo Rosten, US (Polishborn) author (1908 )
The foolish man seeks
The foolish man seeks happiness in the distance, the wise grows it under his feet., James Oppenheim,
All bad poetry springs
All bad poetry springs from genuine feeling., Oscar Wilde, Irish dramatist, novelist, poet (1854 1900)
The more violent the b
The more violent the body contact of the sports you watch, the lower your class., Paul Fussell,
Pessimist: One who, wh
Pessimist: One who, when he has the choice of two evils, chooses both., Oscar Wilde, Irish dramatist, novelist, poet (1854 1900)
An idealist is one who
An idealist is one who, on noticing that a rose smells better than a cabbage, concludes that it will also make better soup., H. L. Mencken, US editor (1880 1956)
Music is the refuge of
Music is the refuge of souls ulcerated by happiness., E.M. Cioran,
The further the spirit
The further the spiritual evolution of mankind advances, the more certain it seems to me that the path to genuine religiosity does not lie through the fear of life, and the fear of death, and blind faith, but through striving after rational knowledge., Albert Einstein, US (Germanborn) physicist (1879 1955)
Avarice is the sphinct
Avarice is the sphincter of the heart., Matthew Green (c. 1737),
... and thereof do I r
... and thereof do I repent: I only plucked an occasional flower when I might have gathered an ample harvest of fruit such are the just grounds for the regrets I have ..., D. A. F. Sade, Dialogue between a Priest and a Dying Man,
Force is allconquering
Force is allconquering, but its victories are shortlived., Abraham Lincoln, 16th president of US (1809 1865)
Practice random kindne
Practice random kindness and senseless acts of beauty., Unknown, Quotations by unknown authors )
Contemporary American
Contemporary American children, if they are old enough to grasp the concept of Santa Claus by Thanksgiving, are able to see through it by December 15th., Roy Blount Jr.,
I went to a convent in
I went to a convent in New York and was fired finally for my insistence that the Immaculate Conception was spontaneous combustion., Dorothy Parker, US author, humorist, poet, wit (1893 1967)
The perfect love affai
The perfect love affair is one which is conducted entirely by post., George Bernard Shaw, Irish dramatist socialist (1856 1950)
The penalty for laughi
The penalty for laughing in a courtroom is six months in jail if it were not for this penalty, the jury would never hear the evidence., H. L. Mencken, US editor (1880 1956)
The human animal diffe
The human animal differs from the lesser primates in his passion for lists of Ten Best., H. Allen Smith,
It is inexcusable for
It is inexcusable for scientists to torture animals let them make their experiments on journalists and politicians., Henrik Ibsen, Norwegian dramatist (1828 1906)
To avoid criticism do
To avoid criticism do nothing, say nothing, be nothing., Elbert Hubbard, US author (1856 1915)
Vegetarianism is harml
Vegetarianism is harmless enough, although it is apt to fill a man with wind and selfrighteousness., Sir Robert Hutchison,
A cynic is not merely
A cynic is not merely one who reads bitter lessons from the past, he is one who is prematurely disappointed in the future., Sidney J. Harris,
Psychoanalysis is conf
Psychoanalysis is confession without absolution., G.K. Chesterton,
Any clod can have the
Any clod can have the facts, but having opinions is an Art., Charles McCabe, San Francisco Chronicle, (1856 )
It is twice as hard to
It is twice as hard to crush a halftruth as a whole lie., Unknown, Quotations by unknown authors )
Lie: A very poor subst
Lie: A very poor substitute for the truth, but the only one discovered to date., Unknown, Quotations by unknown authors )
I have discovered the
I have discovered the art of deceiving diplomats. I speak the truth, and they never believe me., Conte Camillo Benso di Cavour,
Men occasionally stumb
Men occasionally stumble over the truth, but most of them pick themselves up and hurry off as if nothing had happened., Sir Winston Churchill, British politician (1874 1965)
It is hard to believe
It is hard to believe that a man is telling the truth when you know that you would lie if you were in his place., H. L. Mencken, US editor (1880 1956)
A pound of pluck is wo
A pound of pluck is worth a ton of luck., James A. Garfield, US general politician (1831 1881)
The chief contribution
The chief contribution of Protestantism to human thought is its massive proof that God is a bore., H. L. Mencken, US editor (1880 1956)
It is well, when judgi
It is well, when judging a friend, to remember that he is judging you with the same godlike and superior imapartiality., Arnold Bennett,
Whatever women do they
Whatever women do they must do twice as well as men to be thought half as good. Luckily this is not difficult., Charlotte Whitton,
There are two ways of
There are two ways of disliking poetry one way is to dislike it, the other is to read Pope., Oscar Wilde, Irish dramatist, novelist, poet (1854 1900)
If all else fails, imm
If all else fails, immortality can always be assured by spectacular error., John Kenneth Galbraith, US (Canadianborn) administrator economist (1908 )
Whenever you find that
Whenever you find that you are on the side of the majority, it is time to reform., Mark Twain, US humorist, novelist, short story author, wit (1835 1910)
Awards are merely the
Awards are merely the badges of mediocrity., Charles Ives,
When you leave New Yor
When you leave New York, you are astonished at how clean the rest of the world is. Clean is not enough., Fran Lebowitz, US writer and humorist (1950 )
If God were suddenly c
If God were suddenly condemned to live the life which He has inflicted upon men, He would kill Himself., Alexandre Dumas, fils, French dramatist novelist (1802 1870)
A hero is no braver th
A hero is no braver than an ordinary man, but he is braver five minutes longer., Ralph Waldo Emerson, US essayist poet (1803 1882)
Human war has been the
Human war has been the most successful of our cultural traditions., Robert Ardrey,
How is the world ruled
How is the world ruled and how do wars start? Diplomats tell lies to journalists and then believe what they read., Karl Kraus, Austrian author and journalist (1874 1936)
Teach children to be p
Teach children to be polite and courteous in the home, and, when he grows up, he will never be able to edge his car onto a freeway., Unknown, Quotations by unknown authors )
Education is the proce
Education is the process of casting false pearls before real swine., Irwin Edman,
Soap and education are
Soap and education are not as sudden as a massacre but they are more deadly in the long run., Mark Twain, US humorist, novelist, short story author, wit (1835 1910)
University politics ar
University politics are vicious precisely because the stakes are so small., Henry Kissinger, US (Germanborn) diplomat scholar (1923 )
Americans are the only
Americans are the only people in the world known to me whose status anxiety prompts them to advertise their college and university affiliations in the rear window of their automobiles., Paul Fussell,
If you stay in Beverly
If you stay in Beverly Hills too long you become a Mercedes., Robert Redford, US movie actor director (1937 )
Men are born with two
Men are born with two eyes, but only one tongue, in order that they should see twice as much as they say., Charles Caleb Colton, (1780 1832)
It matters not whether
It matters not whether you win or lose what matters is whether I win or lose., Darin Weinberg,
Getting kicked out of
Getting kicked out of the American Bar Association is like getting kicked out of the BookoftheMonthClub., Melvin Belli on the occasion of his getting kicked out of the American Bar Association,
The Pig, if I am not m
The Pig, if I am not mistaken, Supplies us sausage, ham, and Bacon. Let others say his heart is big, I think it stupid of the Pig., Ogden Nash, The Pig, US humorist poet (1902 1971)
CandyIs dandyBut liquo
CandyIs dandyBut liquorIs quicker., Ogden Nash, Reflections on IceBreaking, US humorist poet (1902 1971)
In Hollywood a starlet
In Hollywood a starlet is the name for any woman under thirty who is not actively employed in a brothel., Ben Hecht, US author dramatist (1893 1964)
Victory belongs to the
Victory belongs to the most persevering., Napoleon Bonaparte, French general politician (1769 1821)
The young always have
The young always have the same problem how to rebel and conform at the same time. They have now solved this by defying their parents and copying one another., Quentin Crisp,
The Puritans gave than
The Puritans gave thanks for being preserved from the Indians, and we give thanks for being preserved from the Puritans., Finley Peter Dunne,
One reason the human r
One reason the human r
The cosmos is a gigant
The cosmos is a gigantic flywheel making 10 revolutions per minute. Man is a sick fly taking a dizzy ride on it., H. L. Mencken, US editor (1880 1956)
I am not an Economist.
I am not an Economist. I am an honest man!, Paul McCracken,
Now is the time for al
Now is the time for all good men to come to., Walt Kelly, US animator cartoonist (1913 1973)
Man is a rational anim
Man is a rational animal who always loses his temper when he is called upon to act in accordance with the dictates of reason., Oscar Wilde, Irish dramatist, novelist, poet (1854 1900)
A university is what a
A university is what a college becomes when the faculty loses interest in students., John Ciardi, US poet (1916 1986)
Our lives improve only
Our lives improve only when we take chances and the first and most difficult risk we can take is to be honest with ourselves., Walter Anderson,
All of us learn to wri
All of us learn to write in the second grade. Most of us go on to greater things., Bobby Knight, US basketball coach (1940 )
This world is a comedy
This world is a comedy for those who think and a tragedy for those who feel., Horace Walpole, English author (1717 1797)
As far as the laws of
As far as the laws of mathematics refer to reality, they are not certain and as far as they are certain, they do not refer to reality., Albert Einstein, US (Germanborn) physicist (1879 1955)
There is something fas
There is something fascinating about science. One gets such wholesale returns of conjecture out of such a trifling investment of fact., Mark Twain, US humorist, novelist, short story author, wit (1835 1910)
Horse sense is the thi
Horse sense is the thing a horse has which keeps it from betting on people., W.C. Fields,
But in our enthusiasm,
But in our enthusiasm, we could not resist a radical overhaul of the system, in which all of its major weaknesses have been exposed, analyzed, and replaced with new weaknesses., Bruce Leverett Register Allocation in Optimizing Compilers,
Imagination is the one
Imagination is the one weapon in the war against reality., Jules de Gaultier,
Chess is a foolish exp
Chess is a foolish expedient for making idle people believe they are doing something very clever when they are only wasting their time., George Bernard Shaw, Irish dramatist socialist (1856 1950)
The Bible tells us to
The Bible tells us to love our neighbors, and also to love our enemies probably because they are generally the same people., G.K. Chesterton,
Love is a gross exagge
Love is a gross exaggeration of the difference between one person and everybody else., George Bernard Shaw, Irish dramatist socialist (1856 1950)
In the province of the
In the province of the mind, what one believes to be true either is true or becomes true., John Lilly,
The charms of a passin
The charms of a passing woman are usually in direct relation to the speed of her passing., Marcel Proust, French novelist (1871 1922)
It was such a lovely d
It was such a lovely day I thought it a pity to get up., W. Somerset Maugham, English dramatist novelist (1874 1965)
Whenever the literary
Whenever the literary German dives into a sentence, that is the last you are going to see of him until he emerges on the other side of his atlantic with his verb in his mouth., Mark Twain, US humorist, novelist, short story author, wit (1835 1910)
The warning message we
The warning message we sent the Russians was a calculated ambiguity that would be clearly understood., Alexander Haig,
I know not with what w
I know not with what weapons World War III will be fought, but World War IV will be fought with sticks and stones., Albert Einstein, US (Germanborn) physicist (1879 1955)
If you go on with this
If you go on with this nuclear arms race, all you are going to do is make the rubble bounce., Sir Winston Churchill, British politician (1874 1965)
Alimony: the ransom th
Alimony: the ransom the happy pay to the devil., H. L. Mencken, US editor (1880 1956)
Duct tape is like the
Duct tape is like the force. It has a light side, and a dark side, and it holds the universe together..., Carl Zwanzig,
A man in love is incom
A man in love is incomplete until he is married. Then he is finished., Zsa Zsa Gabor, US (Hungarianborn) actress (1919 )
Love: The delusion tha
Love: The delusion that one woman differs from another., H. L. Mencken, US editor (1880 1956)
The weak can never for
The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong., Mahatma Gandhi, Indian ascetic nationalist leader (1869 1948)
The fixity of a habit
The fixity of a habit is generally in direct proportion to its absurdity., Marcel Proust, French novelist (1871 1922)
In heaven all the inte
In heaven all the interesting people are missing., Friedrich Nietzsche, German philosopher (1844 1900)
It is a kind of spirit
It is a kind of spiritual snobbery that makes people think they can be happy without money., Albert Camus, French existentialist author philosopher (1913 1960)
The world is a prison
The world is a prison in which solitary confinement is preferable., Karl Kraus, Austrian author and journalist (1874 1936)
I have the true feelin
I have the true feeling of myself only when I am unbearably unhappy., Franz Kafka, Austrian (Czechoslovakianborn) author (1883 1924)
A man likes his wife t
A man likes his wife to be just clever enough to comprehend his cleverness, and just stupid enough to admire it., Israel Zangwill,
Remarriage is an excel
Remarriage is an excellent test of just how amicable your divorce was., Margo Kaufman,
Reason should direct a
Reason should direct and appetite obey., Cicero, Roman author, orator, politician (106 BC 43 BC)
They devoted the city
They devoted the city to the lord and destroyed with the sword every living thing in it men and women, young and old, cattle, sheep and donkeys., The Book of Joshua 6:21,
I hope that one or two
I hope that one or two immortal lyrics will come out of all this tumbling around., Poet Louise Bogan,
There is no money in p
There is no money in poetry, but then there is no poetry in money either., Robert Graves, British author classical scholar (1895 1985)
When the doors of perc
When the doors of perception are cleansed, man will see things as they truly are, infinite., William Blake, English engraver, illustrator, poet (1757 1827)
Religions change beer
Religions change beer and wine remain., Hervey Allen,
Christ died for our si
Christ died for our sins. Dare we make his martyrdom meaningless by not committing them?, Jules Feiffer, US cartoonist satirist (1929 )
What if there had been
What if there had been room at the inn?, Linda Festa on the origins of Christianity,
I detest converts almo
I detest converts almost as much as I do missionaries., H. L. Mencken, US editor (1880 1956)
The best way to convin
The best way to convince a fool that he is wrong is to let him have his own way., Josh Billings, US Humorist (1818 1885)
Too bad the only peopl
Too bad the only people who know how to run the country are busy driving cabs and cutting hair., George Burns, US actor comedian (1896 1996)
Get all the fools on y
Get all the fools on your side and you can be elected to anything., Frank Dane,
Democracy is a process
Democracy is a process by which the people are free to choose the man who will get the blame., Laurence J. Peter, US educator writer (1919 1988)
I have perfumed my bed
I have perfumed my bed with myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon. Come, let us take our fill of love until the morning., Proverbs 7:1718,
Monogamy is the Wester
Monogamy is the Western custom of one wife and hardly any mistresses., H.H. Munro (Saki),
Morality is simply the
Morality is simply the attitude we adopt toward people we personally dislike., Oscar Wilde, Irish dramatist, novelist, poet (1854 1900)
Amusement is the happi
Amusement is the happiness of those who cannot think., Alexander Pope, English poet satirist (1688 1744)
The average dog is a n
The average dog is a nicer person than the average person., Andrew A. Rooney,
I hate quotations., Ra
I hate quotations., Ralph Waldo Emerson, US essayist poet (1803 1882)
I do not say a proverb
I do not say a proverb is amiss when aptly and reasonably applied, but to be forever discharging them, right or wrong, hit or miss, renders conversation insipid and vulgar., Miguel Cervantes,
Nobody ever committed
Nobody ever committed suicide while reading a good book, but many have while trying to write one., Robert Byrne,
Anybody who has listen
Anybody who has listened to certain kinds of music, or read certain kinds of poetry, or heard certain kinds of performances on the concertina, will admit that even suicide has its brighter aspects., Stephen Leacock, 1912, Canadian economist humorist (1869 1944)
Reviewing has one adva
Reviewing has one advantage over suicide: in suicide you take it out on yourself in reviewing you take it out on other people., George Bernard Shaw, Irish dramatist socialist (1856 1950)
Good taste is the enem
Good taste is the enemy of creativity, Pablo Picasso, Spanish Cubist painter (1881 1973)
Our imagination is the
Our imagination is the only limit to what we can hope to have in the future., Charles F. Kettering, US electrical engineer inventor (1876 1958)
I know a motherinlaw w
I know a motherinlaw who sleeps with her glasses on, the better to see her soninlaw suffer in her dreams., Ernest Coquelin,
Traditionalists often
Traditionalists often study what is taught, not what there is to create., Ed Parker, Grandmaster, American Kenpo.,
The odds against there
The odds against there being a bomb on a plane are a million to one, and against two bombs a million times a million to one. Next time you fly, cut the odds and take a bomb., Benny Hill,
It is now possible for
It is now possible for a flight attendant to get a pilot pregnant., Richard J. Ferris, president, United Airlines,
Thank God men cannot a
Thank God men cannot as yet fly and lay waste the sky as well as the earth., Henry David Thoreau, Jan. 3 1861, US Transcendentalist author (1817 1862)
We cherish our friends
We cherish our friends not for their ability to amuse us, but for ours to amuse them., Evelyn Waugh, English novelist satirist (1903 1966)
Man is what he believe
Man is what he believes., Anton Chekhov, Russian dramatist short story author (1860 1904)
If I ever marry, it wi
If I ever marry, it will be on a sudden impulse as a man shoots himself., H. L. Mencken, US editor (1880 1956)
Doctors are men who pr
Doctors are men who prescribe medicines of which they know little, to cure diseases of which they know less in human beings of whom they know nothing., Voltaire, French author, humanist, rationalist, satirist (1694 1778)
Name me an emperor who
Name me an emperor who was ever struck by a cannonball., Charles V,
You can no more win a
You can no more win a war than you can win an earthquake., Jeannette Rankin, US pacifist politician (1880 1973)
The object of war is n
The object of war is not to die for your country but to make the other bastard die for his., General George Patton,
Name me and emperor wh
Name me and emperor who was ever struck by a cannonball., Charles V,
Friendship is a very t
Friendship is a very taxing and arduous form of leisure activity., Mortimer Adler,
A sportsman is a man w
A sportsman is a man who, every now and then, simply has to go out and kill something., Stephen Leacock, Canadian economist humorist (1869 1944)
Marriage is a triumph
Marriage is a triumph of habit over hate., Oscar Levant, (1906 1972)
What we say is importa
What we say is important for in most cases the mouth speaks what the heart is full of., Jim Beggs,
Why should I tolerate
Why should I tolerate a perfect stranger at the bedside of my mind?, Vladimir Nabokov, US (Russianborn) author translator (1899 1977)
Half of analysis is an
Half of analysis is anal., Marty Indik,
Show me a sane man and
Show me a sane man and I will cure him for you., C.G. Jung,
(Clemenceau) once said
(Clemenceau) once said that war is too important to be left to the generals. When he said that, 50 years ago, he may have been right...but now, war is too important to be left to the politicians. They have neither the time, the training, nor the inclination for strategic thought...And I can no longer, sit around and allow Communist subversion, Communist corruption, and Communist infiltration of our precious bodily fluids., Col. Jack Ripper, commander of Burpleson AFB to Group Capt. Mandrake (Peter Sellers) in Dr. Strangelove,
He without benefit of
He without benefit of scruples His fun and money soon quadruples., Ogden Nash, US humorist poet (1902 1971)
Depend not on another,
Depend not on another, but lean instead on thyself...True happiness is born of selfreliance., The laws of Manu,
In order to preserve y
In order to preserve your selfrespect, it is sometimes necessary to lie and cheat., Robert Byrne,
Living with a conscien
Living with a conscience is like driving a car with the brakes on., Budd Schulberg,
A thing worth having i
A thing worth having is a thing worth cheating for., W.C. Fields,
Illegal aliens have al
Illegal aliens have always been a problem in the United States. Ask any Indian., Robert Orben,
What a pity, when Chri
What a pity, when Christopher Columbus discovered America, that he ever mentioned it., Margot Asquith,
America has been disco
America has been discovered before, but it has always been hushed up., Oscar Wilde, Irish dramatist, novelist, poet (1854 1900)
The discovery of Ameri
The discovery of America was the occasion of the greatest outburst of cruelty and reckless greed known in history., Joseph Conrad, English (PolishUkrainianborn) novelist (1857 1924)
Home life as we unders
Home life as we understand it is no more natural to us than a cage is natural to a cockatoo., George Bernard Shaw, Irish dramatist socialist (1856 1950)
A bachelor never quite
A bachelor never quite gets ove the idea that he is a thing of beauty and a boy forever., Helen Rowland, (1876 1950)
Both the cockroach and
Both the cockroach and the bird could get along very well without us, although the cockroach would miss us most., Joseph Wood Krutch, US author critic (1893 1970)
What we hope ever to d
What we hope ever to do with ease we may learn first to do with diligence., Samuel Johnson, Lives of the Poets, English author, critic, lexicographer (1709 1784)
All generalizations ar
All generalizations are dangerous, even this one., Alexandre Dumas, French dramatist novelist (1802 1870)
A man must marry only
A man must marry only a very pretty woman in case he should ever want some other man to take her off his hands., Sacha Guitry, (1885 1957)
Nothing is more intole
Nothing is more intolerable than a wealthy woman., Juvenal, Roman poet satirist (55 AD 127 AD)
Art is I science is we
Art is I science is we., Claude Bernard, French physiologist (1813 1878)
"The Good Book" one o
"The Good Book" one of the most remarkable euphemisms ever coined., Ashley Montague,
When you hire people t
When you hire people that are smarter than you are, you prove you are smarter than they are., R. H. Grant,
To be in love is merel
To be in love is merely to be in a state of perceptual anesthesia., H. L. Mencken, US editor (1880 1956)
You have to work years
You have to work years in hit shows to make people sick and tired of you, but you can accomplish this in a few weeks on television., Walter Slezak,
The world is divided i
The world is divided into people who do things and people who get the credit, Dwight Morrow,
When women kiss, it al
When women kiss, it always reminds me of prizefighters shaking hands., H. L. Mencken, US editor (1880 1956)
The English country ge
The English country gentleman galloping after a fox the unspeakable in full pursuit of the uneatable., Oscar Wilde, Irish dramatist, novelist, poet (1854 1900)
Old age is always fift
Old age is always fifteen years older than I am., Bernard M. Baruch, US businessman politician (1870 1965)
Faith may be defined b
Faith may be defined briefly as an illogical belief in the occurrence of the improbable., H. L. Mencken, US editor (1880 1956)
I only drink to make o
I only drink to make other people seem interesting., George Jean Nathan, US drama critic editor (1882 1958)
Only I can change my l
Only I can change my life. No one can do it for me., Carol Burnett, US actress comedienne (1936 )
Victory goes to the pl
Victory goes to the player who makes the nexttolast mistake., Savielly Grigorievitcyh Tartakower,
The mistakes are all t
The mistakes are all there waiting to be made., Chessmaster Savielly Grigorievitcyh Tartakower,
Historian: an unsucce
Historian: an unsuccessful novelist., H. L. Mencken, US editor (1880 1956)
California, the depart
California, the department store state., Raymond Chandler, US detective novelist screenwriter (1888 1959)
In the transmission of
In the transmission of human culture, people always attempt to replicate, to pass on to the next generation the skills and values of the parents, but the attempt always fails because cultural transmission is geared to learning, not D.N.A., Gregory Bateson, Mind and Matter,
I really wonder what g
I really wonder what gives us the right to wreck this poor planet of ours., Kurt Vonnegut Jr.,
Be wary of the man who
Be wary of the man who urges an action in which he himself incurs no risk., Joaquin Setanti,
In all honesty, Johnny
In all honesty, Johnny, we are often at the mercy of the White House for the news we report. Frequently, we simply repeat verbatim what the White House tells us., Connie Chung to Johnny Carson,
We trained hard, but i
We trained hard, but it seemed every time we were beginning to form up into teams, we would be reorganised. I was to learn later in life that we tend to meet any new situation by reorganising, and a wonderful method it can be for creating the illusion of progress while producing confusion, inefficiency and demoralisation., From Petronii Arbitri Satyricon AD 66 (Attributed to Gaius Petronus, a Roman General who later committed suicide),
It was one of those pe
It was one of those perfect English autumnal days which occur more frequently in memory than in life., P.D. James,
Love is like an hourgl
Love is like an hourglass, with the heart filling up as the brain empties., Jules Renard, (1864 1910)
Never feel selfpity, t
Never feel selfpity, the most destructive emotion there is. How awful to be caught up in the terrible squirrel cage of self., Millicent Fenwick,
Many books today sugge
Many books today suggest that the mass of women lead lives of noisy desperation., Peter S. Prescott,
To be clever enough to
To be clever enough to get a great deal of money, one must be stupid enough to want it., George Bernard Shaw, Irish dramatist socialist (1856 1950)
God made everything ou
God made everything out of nothing, but the nothingness shows through., Paul Valery, French critic poet (1871 1945)
A pious man is one who
A pious man is one who would be an athiest if the king were., Jean de La Bruyere, French moralist (1645 1696)
Man is certainly stark
Man is certainly stark mad. He cannot make a worm, and yet he will be making gods by dozens., Michel de Montaigne, French essayist (1533 1592)
If I had been the Virg
If I had been the Virgin Mary, I would have said No., Margaret Stevie Smith,
We were married by a r
We were married by a reformed rabbi in Long Island. A very reformed rabbi. A Nazi., Woody Allen, US movie actor, comedian, director (1935 )
How should they answer
How should they answer?, Abigail Van Buren in reply to the question: Why do Jews always answer a question with a question?,
The world is proof tha
The world is proof that God is a committee., Bob Stokes,
Death is more universa
Death is more universal than life everyone dies but not everyone lives., A. Sachs,
The only thing that st
The only thing that stops God from sending another flood is that the first one was useless., Nicholas Chamfort, (1741 1794)
For all the gold and s
For all the gold and silver stolen and shipped to Spain did not make the Spanish people richer. It gave their kings an edge in the balance of power for a time, a chance to hire more mercenary soldiers for their wars. They ended up losing those wars anyway, and all that was left was a deadly inflation, a starving population, the rich richer, the poor poorer, and a ruined peasant class., Hans Konig,
Education: the inculca
Education: the inculcation of the incomprehensible into the indifferent by the incompetent., John Maynard Keynes, English economist (1883 1946)
He who joyfully marche
He who joyfully marches to music rank and file, has already earned my contempt. He has been given a large brain by mistake, since for him the spinal cord would surely suffice. This disgrace to civilization should be done away with at once. Heroism at command, how violently I hate all this, how despicable and ignoble war is I would rather be torn to shreds than be a part of so base an action. It is my conviction that killing under the cloak of war is nothing but an act of murder., Albert Einstein, US (Germanborn) physicist (1879 1955)
It is inaccurate to sa
It is inaccurate to say I hate everything. I am strongly in favor of common sense, common honesty, and common decency. This makes me forever ineligible for public office., H. L. Mencken, US editor (1880 1956)
Be modest! It is the k
Be modest! It is the kind of pride least likely to offend., Jules Renard, (1864 1910)
The [Interstate Commer
The [Interstate Commerce] commission, as its functions have now been limited by the courts is, or can be made, of great use to the railroads. It satisfies the public clamor for a government supervision of railroads, at the same time that that supervision is almost entirely nominal., Richard Olney, a lawyer for the Boston Maine and Attorney General under Grover Cleveland, advising a railroad president,
So far as I can rememb
So far as I can remember, there is not one word in the Gospels in praise of intelligence., Bertrand Russell, British author, mathematician, philosopher (1872 1970)
American women expect
American women expect to find in their husbands a perfection that English women only hope to find in their butlers., W. Somerset Maugham, English dramatist novelist (1874 1965)
What people call insin
What people call insincerity is simply a method by which we can multiply our personalities., Oscar Wilde, Irish dramatist, novelist, poet (1854 1900)
Metric is definitely c
Metric is definitely communist. One monetary system, one language, one weight and measurement system, one world all communist! We know the West was won by the inch, foot, yard, and mile., Dean Krakel, Director of the National Cowboy Hall of Fame,
For manipulation to be
For manipulation to be most effective, evidence of its presence should be nonexistent... It is essential, therefore, that people who are manipulated believe in the neutrality of their key social institutions., Herbert Schiller,
Sometimes I get bored
Sometimes I get bored riding down the beautiful streets of L.A. I know it sounds crazy, but I just want to go to New York and see people suffer., Donna Summer,
I think every woman is
I think every woman is entitled to a middle husband she can forget., Adela Rogers St.John,
I epitomize America.,
I epitomize America., John Denver,
Never wear your best t
Never wear your best trousers when you go out to fight for freedom and truth., Henrik Ibsen, Norwegian dramatist (1828 1906)
The modern age has bee
The modern age has been characterized by a Promethean spirit, a restless energy that preys on speed records and shortcuts, unmindful of the past, uncaring of the future, existing only for the moment and the quick fix. The earthly rhythms that characterize a more pastoral way of life have been shunted aside to make room for the fast track of an urbanized existence. Lost in a sea of perpetual technological transition, modern man and woman find themselves increasingly alienated from the ecological choreography of the planet., Jeremy Rifkin,
As if there were safet
As if there were safety in stupidity alone., Henry David Thoreau, US Transcendentalist author (1817 1862)
...a man may be a patr
...a man may be a patriot without risking his own life or sacrificing his health. There are plenty of lives less valuable., James Mellon, who paid $300 for a civil war Union army deferment,
I hate mankind, for I
I hate mankind, for I think of myself as one of the best of them, and I know how bad I am., Samuel Johnson, English author, critic, lexicographer (1709 1784)
No matter how cynical
No matter how cynical you get, it is impossible to keep up., Lily Tomlin, US actress comedienne (1939 )
The bravest thing you
The bravest thing you can do when you are not brave is to profess courage and act accordingly., Corra Harris,
The cynics are right n
The cynics are right nine times out of ten., H. L. Mencken, US editor (1880 1956)
Cynicism is an unpleas
Cynicism is an unpleasant way of saying the truth., Lillian Hellman, US dramatist (1905 1984)
Idealism is what prece
Idealism is what precedes experience cynicism is what follows., David T. Wolf, (1943 )
Make no mistake about
Make no mistake about it: Operation Desert Storm truly was a victory of good over evil, of freedom over tyranny, of peace over war., Dan Quayle, remarks at Arlington National Cemetery, US Republican politician (1947 )
Love is the delightful
Love is the delightful interval between meeting a beautiful girl and discovering that she looks like a haddock., John Barrymore, US actor (1882 1942)
A dramatic critic is a
A dramatic critic is a man who leaves no turn unstoned., George Bernard Shaw, Irish dramatist socialist (1856 1950)
Lawers, I suppose, wer
Lawers, I suppose, were children once., Charles Lamb, English critic essayist (1775 1834)
Nobody wants justice.,
Nobody wants justice., Alan Dershowitz,
Do thou restrain the h
Do thou restrain the haughty spirit in thy breast, for better far is gentle courtesy., Homer, Greek epic poet (800 BC 700 BC)
Lawer: one who protect
Lawer: one who protects us against robbery by taking away the temptation., H. L. Mencken, US editor (1880 1956)
Education is a method
Education is a method whereby one acquires a higher grade of prejudices., Laurence J. Peter, US educator writer (1919 1988)
The days just prior to
The days just prior to marriage are like a snappy introduction to a tedious book., Wilson Mizner, US screenwriter (1876 1933)
A man who has never ma
A man who has never made a woman angry is a failure in life., Christopher Morley, US author journalist (1890 1957)
Favorite color: I hate
Favorite color: I hate colors., Ian Shoales,
All general statements
All general statements are false., Unknown, The Ultimate Law, Quotations by unknown authors )
When a book and a head
When a book and a head collide and there is a hollow sound, is it always from the book?, Georg Christoph Lichtenberg, (1742 1799)
My father and he had o
My father and he had one of those English friendships which begin by avoiding intimacies and eventually eliminate speech altogether., Jorge Luis Borges, Argentine novelist poet (1899 1986)
Nothing so fortifies a
Nothing so fortifies a friendship as a belief on the part of one friend that he is superior to the other., Honore de Balzac, French realist novelist (1799 1850)
Everything you see I o
Everything you see I owe to spaghetti., Sophia Loren, US (Italianborn) movie actress (1934 )
Marriage is not merely
Marriage is not merely sharing the fettucini, but sharing the burden of finding the fettucini restaurant in the first place., Calvin Trillin, US columnist (1935 )
Americans are a race o
Americans are a race of convicts and ought to be thankful for anything we allow them short of hanging., Samuel Johnson, English author, critic, lexicographer (1709 1784)
There are some defeats
There are some defeats more triumphant than victories., Michel de Montaigne, French essayist (1533 1592)
America is the greates
America is the greatest of opportunities and the worst of influences., George Santayana, US (Spanishborn) philosopher (1863 1952)
Speculations and loans
Speculations and loans in foreign fields are likely to bring us into war... The warforprofit group has counterfeited patriotism., Charles Lindberg Sr., 1915,
The 100,00% American i
The 100,00% American is 99,00% an idiot., George Bernard Shaw, Irish dramatist socialist (1856 1950)
I regard golf as an ex
I regard golf as an expensive way of playing marbles., G.K. Chesterton,
I did not attend his f
I did not attend his funeral, but I wrote a nice letter saying I approved it., Mark Twain, US humorist, novelist, short story author, wit (1835 1910)
A little sincerity is
A little sincerity is a dangerous thing, and a great deal of it is absolutely fatal., Oscar Wilde, Irish dramatist, novelist, poet (1854 1900)
The love of liberty is
The love of liberty is the love of others the love of power is the love of ourselves., William Hazlitt, English essayist (1778 1830)
A woman without a man
A woman without a man is like a fish without a bicycle., Gloria Steinem, US feminist (1934 )
The major sin is the s
The major sin is the sin of being born., Samuel Beckett, Irish author, dramatist, novelist in France (1906 1989)
A fishing rod is a sti
A fishing rod is a stick with a hook at one end and a fool at the other., Samuel Johnson, English author, critic, lexicographer (1709 1784)
For the first year of
For the first year of marriage I had basically a bad attitude. I tended to place my wife underneath a pedestal, Woody Allen, US movie actor, comedian, director (1935 )
Of children as of proc
Of children as of procreation the pleasure momentary, the posture ridiculous, the expense damnable., Evelyn Waugh, English novelist satirist (1903 1966)
First love is a kind o
First love is a kind of vaccination which saves a man from catching the complaint a second time., Honore de Balzac, French realist novelist (1799 1850)
I have never hated a m
I have never hated a man enough to give his diamonds back., Zsa Zsa Gabor, US (Hungarianborn) actress (1919 )
The Puritan hated bear
The Puritan hated bearbaiting, not because it gave pain to the bear, but because it gave pleasure to the spectators., Thomas Babington Macaulay, English author politician (1800 1859)
Divorces are made in h
Divorces are made in heaven., Oscar Wilde, Irish dramatist, novelist, poet (1854 1900)
The vicepresident of a
The vicepresident of an advertising agency is a bit of executive fungus that forms on a desk that has been exposed to conference., Fred Allen, US radio comedian (1894 1956)
Never go to bed mad. S
Never go to bed mad. Stay up and fight., Phyllis Diller,
Son, in war times it i
Son, in war times it is not safe to think unless one travels with the mob., Charles Lindberg Sr. to Charles Lindberg Jr. in 1917,
Was all this bloodshed
Was all this bloodshed and deceit from Columbus to Cortes, Pizarro the Puritans a necessity for the human race to progress from savagery to civilization? Was Morison right in burying the story of genocide inside a more important story of human progress? Perhaps a persuasive argument can be made as it was made by Stalin when he killed pesants for industrial progress in the Soviet Union, as it was made by Churchill explaining the bombings of Dresden and Hamburg, and Truman explaining Hiroshima. But how can the judgement be made if the benefits and losses cannot be balanced because the losses are either unmentioned or mentioned quickly?, Howard Zinn,
The secret of dealing
The secret of dealing successfully with a child is not to be its parent., Mel Lazarus,
No normal man ever fel
No normal man ever fell in love after thirty when the kidneys begin to disintegrate., H. L. Mencken, US editor (1880 1956)
Truth, in matters of r
Truth, in matters of religion, is simply the opinion that has survived., Oscar Wilde, Irish dramatist, novelist, poet (1854 1900)
The capacity of human
The capacity of human beings to bore one another seems to be vastly greater than that of any other animals., H. L. Mencken, US editor (1880 1956)
Life is either always
Life is either always a tightrope or a featherbed. Give me a tightrope., Edith Wharton, US novelist (1862 1937)
Americans adore me and
Americans adore me and will go on adoring me until I say something nice about them., George Bernard Shaw, Irish dramatist socialist (1856 1950)
Genius is of no countr
Genius is of no country., Charles Churchill,
If you take a dog whic
If you take a dog which is starving and feed him and make him prosperous, that dog will not bite you. This is the primary difference between a dog and a man., Mark Twain, US humorist, novelist, short story author, wit (1835 1910)
More than any time in
More than any time in history mankind faces a crossroads. One path leads to utter hopelessness and despair, the other to total extinction. Let us hope we have the wisdom to choose correctly., Woody Allen, US movie actor, comedian, director (1935 )
We had parties that Ne
We had parties that Nero would have been ashamed to attend, Ronnie Hawkins,
Nothing is illegal if
Nothing is illegal if a hundred businessmen decide to do it., Andrew Young,
No president in histor
No president in history has been more vilified or was more vilivied during the time he was President than Lincoln. Those who knew him, his secretaries, have written that he was deeply hurt by what was said about him and drawn about him, but on the other hand, Lincoln had the great strength of character never to display it, always able to stand tall and strong and firm no matter how harsh or unfair the criticism might be. These elements of greatness, of course, inspire us all today., Richard Nixon,
...it is as hard to do
...it is as hard to do your duty when men are sneering at you as when they are shooting at you., Woodrow Wilson, 28th president of US (1856 1924)
Be as radical as reali
Be as radical as reality., Lenin, Russian Communist politician revolutionary (1870 1924)
The optimist thinks th
The optimist thinks that this is the best of all possible worlds, and the pessimist knows it., J. Robert Oppenheimer, US administrator astrophysicist (1904 1967)
Being in a ship is lik
Being in a ship is like being in a jail, with the chance of being drowned., Samuel Johnson, English author, critic, lexicographer (1709 1784)
I figure you have the
I figure you have the same chance of winning the lottery whether you play or not., Fran Lebowitz, US writer and humorist (1950 )
There are times when o
There are times when one would like to end the whole human race, and finish the farce., Mark Twain, US humorist, novelist, short story author, wit (1835 1910)
Without an adequate th
Without an adequate theory, reality is irrelevant., Kent Sparky Gregory,
Life is good, if you l
Life is good, if you like that sort of thing., overheard in Palo Alto...,
Two people kissing alw
Two people kissing always look like fish., Andy Warhol, US artist (1928 1987)
Some luck lies in not
Some luck lies in not getting what you thought you wanted but getting what you have, which once you have got it you may be smart enough to see is what you would have wanted had you known., Garrison Keillor, US humorist radio broadcaster (1942 )
Often it does seem a p
Often it does seem a pity that Noah and his party did not miss the boat., Mark Twain, US humorist, novelist, short story author, wit (1835 1910)
It takes your enemy an
It takes your enemy and your friend, working together, to hurt you: the one to slander you, and the other to bring the news to you., Mark Twain, US humorist, novelist, short story author, wit (1835 1910)
As scarce as truth is,
As scarce as truth is, the supply has always been in excess of the demand., Josh Billings, US Humorist (1818 1885)
A committee is a culde
A committee is a culdesac down which ideas are lured and then quietly strangled., Sir Barnett Cocks (ca. 1907),
A censor is a man who
A censor is a man who knows more than he thinks you ought to., Granville Hicks, (1901 1982)
A duty dodged is like
A duty dodged is like a debt unpaid it is only deferred, and we must come back and settle the account at last., Joseph F. Newton,
In Biblical times, a m
In Biblical times, a man could have as many wives as he could afford. Just like today., Abigail Van Buren, US advice columnist (1918 )
When a man steals your
When a man steals your wife, there is no better revenge than to let him keep her., Sacha Guitry, (1885 1957)
Religion consists in a
Religion consists in a set of things which the average man thinks he believes and wishes he was certain of., Mark Twain, US humorist, novelist, short story author, wit (1835 1910)
The fellow that agrees
The fellow that agrees with everything you say is either a fool or he is getting ready to skin you., Kin Hubbard, (1868 1930)
Love: two minds withou
Love: two minds without a single thought., Philip Barry,
There are women whose
There are women whose infidelities are the only link they still have with their husbands., Sacha Guitry, (1885 1957)
How to win a case in c
How to win a case in court: If the law is on your side, pound on the law if the facts are on your side, pound on the facts if neither is on your side, pound on the table., Unknown, Quotations by unknown authors )
Experience is a hard t
Experience is a hard teacher because she gives the test first, the lesson afterwards., Vernon Sanders Law,
Henry James created mo
Henry James created more convincing women than Iris Murdoch put together., Wilfred Sheed,
Henry James would have
Henry James would have been vastly improved as a novelist by a few whiffs of the Chicago stockyard., H. L. Mencken, US editor (1880 1956)
Henry James was one of
Henry James was one of the nicest old ladies I ever met., William Faulkner, US novelist (1897 1962)
Henry James chews more
Henry James chews more than he bites off., Mrs Henry Adams (c. 1880),
Henry James writes fic
Henry James writes fiction as if it were a painful duty., Oscar Wilde, Irish dramatist, novelist, poet (1854 1900)
When in doubt, have tw
When in doubt, have two guys come through the door with guns., Raymond Chandler, US detective novelist screenwriter (1888 1959)
Finishing a book is ju
Finishing a book is just like you took a child out in the back yard and shot it., Truman Capote, US author (1924 1984)
Life would be tolerabl
Life would be tolerable but for its amusements., George Bernard Shaw, Irish dramatist socialist (1856 1950)
Indolence is a delight
Indolence is a delightful but distressing state we must be doing something to be happy., Mahatma Gandhi, Indian ascetic nationalist leader (1869 1948)
One should always be i
One should always be in love. That is the reason one should never marry., Oscar Wilde, Irish dramatist, novelist, poet (1854 1900)
Where it is a duty to
Where it is a duty to worship the sun it is pretty sure to be a crime to examine the laws of heat., John Viscount Morley,
In the first place, Go
In the first place, God made idiots. That was for practice. Then he made school boards, Mark Twain, US humorist, novelist, short story author, wit (1835 1910)
When we remember we ar
When we remember we are all mad, the mysteries disappear and life stands explained., Mark Twain, US humorist, novelist, short story author, wit (1835 1910)
The holy passion of Fr
The holy passion of Friendship is so sweet and steady and loyal and enduring a nature that it will last through a whole lifetime, if not asked to lend money., Mark Twain, US humorist, novelist, short story author, wit (1835 1910)
The only way to reform
The only way to reform some people is to chloroform them., Thomas C. Haliburton,
A little inaccuracy so
A little inaccuracy sometimes saves tons of explanation., H.H. Munro (Saki),
What lies behind us an
What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us., Ralph Waldo Emerson, US essayist poet (1803 1882)
I suppose that I shall
I suppose that I shall have to die beyond my means., Oscar Wilde, upon being told the cost of an operation, Irish dramatist, novelist, poet (1854 1900)
Some editors are faile
Some editors are failed writers, but so are most writers., T.S. Eliot,
Immature poets imitate
Immature poets imitate mature poets steal., T.S. Eliot,
Television is a medium
Television is a medium of entertainment which permits millions of people to listen to the same joke at the same time, and yet remain lonesome., T.S. Eliot,
Adolescence is the sta
Adolescence is the stage between infancy and adultery., Unknown, Quotations by unknown authors )
Adultery is the applic
Adultery is the application of democracy to love., H. L. Mencken, US editor (1880 1956)
Since the whole affair
Since the whole affair had become one of religion, the vanquished were of course exterminated., Voltaire, French author, humanist, rationalist, satirist (1694 1778)
The only man who is re
The only man who is really free is the one who can turn down an invitation to dinner without giving any excuse., Jules Renard, (1864 1910)
The secret of dealing
The secret of dealing successfully with a child is not to be its parent., Mell Lazzarus,
California: The west c
California: The west coast of Iowa., Joan Didion, US author journalist (1934 )
Natural ability withou
Natural ability without education has more often attained to glory and virtue than education without natural ability., Cicero, Roman author, orator, politician (106 BC 43 BC)
Any new venture goes t
Any new venture goes through the following stages: enthusiasm, complication, disillusionment, search for the guilty, punishment of the innocent, and decoration of those who did nothing., Unknown, Quotations by unknown authors )
The only way to succee
The only way to succeed is to make people hate you., Josef von Sternberg,
England produces the b
England produces the best fat actors., Jimmy Cannon,
I enjoy being a highly
I enjoy being a highly overpaid actor., Roger Moore, English actor (1927 )
Method acting? There a
Method acting? There are quite a few methods. Mine involves a lot of talent, a glass and some cracked ice., John Barrymore, US actor (1882 1942)
Hollywood is a sewer w
Hollywood is a sewer with service from the Ritz Carlton., Wilson Mizner, US screenwriter (1876 1933)
Truth, in the matters
Truth, in the matters of religion, is simply the opinion that has survived., Oscar Wilde, Irish dramatist, novelist, poet (1854 1900)
Fishing, with me, has
Fishing, with me, has always been an excuse to drink in the daytime., Jimmy Cannon,
There is no revenge so
There is no revenge so complete as forgiveness., Josh Billings, US Humorist (1818 1885)
A lifetime of happine
A lifetime of happiness! No man alive could bear it: it would be hell on earth., George Bernard Shaw, Irish dramatist socialist (1856 1950)
I do not believe the e
I do not believe the expenditure of $2.50 for a book entitles the purchaser to the personal friendship of the author., Evelyn Waugh, English novelist satirist (1903 1966)
Canada is a country so
Canada is a country so square that even the female impersonators are women., Richard Benner,
Examine each question
Examine each question in terms of what is ethically and aesthetically right, as well as what is economically expedient. A thing is right when it tends to preserve the integrity, stability, and beauty of the biotic community. It is wrong when it tends otherwise., Aldo Leopold,
Women want mediocre me
Women want mediocre men, and men are working hard to become as mediocre as possible., Margaret Mead, US anthropologist popularizer of anthropology (1901 1978)
What once were vices a
What once were vices are manners now., Seneca, Roman dramatist, philosopher, politician (5 BC 65 AD)
By definition, a gover
By definition, a government has no conscience. Sometimes it has a policy, but nothing more., Albert Camus, French existentialist author philosopher (1913 1960)
A misery is not to be
A misery is not to be measured from the nature of the evil, but from the temper of the sufferer., Joseph Addison, English essayist, poet, politician (1672 1719)
The best hope is that
The best hope is that one of these days the ground will get disgusted enough just to walk away leaving people with nothing more to stand on than what they have so bloody well stood for up to now., Kenneth Patchen,
Our land is more valua
Our land is more valuable than your money. As long as the sun shines and the waters flow, this land will be here to give life to men and animals therefore, we cannot sell this land. It was put here for us by the Great Spirit and we cannot sell it because it does not belong to us., Blackfoot chief, (c. 1880),
I know not, sir whethe
I know not, sir whether Bacon wrote the works of Shakespeare, but if he did not it seems to me that he missed the opportunity of his life., J.M. Barrie,
Crude, immoral, vulgar
Crude, immoral, vulgar and senseless., Leo Tolstoy, Russian mystic novelist (1828 1910)
The remarkable thing a
The remarkable thing about Shakespeare is that he really is very good, in spite of all the people who say he is very good., Robert Graves, British author classical scholar (1895 1985)
Not everybody has to s
Not everybody has to sing the melody., Pete Seeger,
In the modern world, i
In the modern world, in which thousands of people are dying every hour as a consequence of politics, no writing anywhere can begin to be credible unless it is informed by political awareness and principles. Writers who have neither product utopian trash., John Berger,
A man cannot be comfor
A man cannot be comfortable without his own approval., Mark Twain, US humorist, novelist, short story author, wit (1835 1910)
A country which propos
A country which proposes to make use of modern war as an instrument of policy must possess a highly centralized, allpowerful executive, hence the absurdity of talking about the defense of democracy by force of arms. A democracy which makes or effectively prepares for modern scientific war must necessarily cease to be democratic., Aldous Huxley, English critic novelist (1894 1963)
What grape to keep its
What grape to keep its place in the sun, taught our ancestors to make wine?, Cyril Connolly, (1903 1974)
Class is material cons
Class is material consumed., John Trudell,
One watches them on th
One watches them on the seashore, all the people, and there is something pathetic, almost wistful in them, as if they wished their lives did not add up to this scaly nullity of possession, but as if they could not escape. It is a dragon that has devoured us all: these obscene, scaly houses, this insatiable struggle and desire to possess, to possess always and in spite of everything, this need to be an owner, lest one be owned. It is too hideous and nauseating. Owners and owned, they are like the two sides of a ghastly disease. One feels a sort of madness come over one, as if the world had become hell. But it is only superimposed: it is only a temporary disease. It can be cleaned away., D. H. Lawrence, English novelist (1885 1930)
The greatest mystery i
The greatest mystery is not that we have been flung at random between the profusion of matter and of the stars, but that within this prison we can draw from ourselves images powerful enough to deny our nothingness., Andre Malraux, French author resistance leader (1901 1976)
When vultures watching
When vultures watching your civilization begin dropping dead, it is time to pause and wonder., David Brower,
Newspapers should have
Newspapers should have no friends., Joseph Pulitzer,
As long as I am an Ame
As long as I am an American citizen and American blood runs in these veins, I shall hold myself at liberty to speak, to write, and to publish whatever I please on any subject., Elija Lovejoy,
Golf is a game in whic
Golf is a game in which you claim the privileges of age, and retain the playthings of childhood., Samuel Johnson, English author, critic, lexicographer (1709 1784)
The Art of Love: knowi
The Art of Love: knowing how to combine the temperment of a vampire with the discretion of an anemone., E.M. Cioran,
Man is only miserable
Man is only miserable so far as he thinks himself so., Jacopo Sannazaro,
Marriage is a wonderfu
Marriage is a wonderful institution, but who would want to live in an institution., H. L. Mencken, US editor (1880 1956)
Lie Down and Roll Over
Lie Down and Roll Over and 159 Other Ways To Say I Love You, Book title by Erskine Moran 1981,
In the mirrorlike rela
In the mirrorlike relationship between wine and human beings, Zinfandel owned more reflective properties than any other grape in its infinite mutability, it was capable of expressing almost any philosophical position or psychological function. As a result, its own true nature might never be known., David Darlington, from his novel Angels Visits: An Inquiry into the Mystery of Zinfandel,
What a strange illusio
What a strange illusion it is to suppose that beauty is goodness., Leo Tolstoy, Russian mystic novelist (1828 1910)
Even holligans marry,
Even holligans marry, though they know that marriage is but for a little while. It is alimony that is forever., Quentin Crisp,
If you talk to God, yo
If you talk to God, you are praying if God talks to you, you have schizophrenia., Thomas Szasz,
Facts are facts and wi
Facts are facts and will not disappear on account of your likes., Jawaharlal Nehru, Indian politician (1889 1964)
Opera in English is, i
Opera in English is, in the main, just about as sensible as baseball in Italian., H. L. Mencken, US editor (1880 1956)
Do it big or stay in b
Do it big or stay in bed., Opera producer Larry Kelly,
The future is much lik
The future is much like the present, only longer., Don Quisenberry,
Most of our future lie
Most of our future lies ahead., Denny Crum, Louisville basketball coach,
The trouble with our t
The trouble with our times is that the future is not what it used to be., Paul Valery, French critic poet (1871 1945)
I refuse to consign th
I refuse to consign the whole male sex to the nursery. I insist on believing that some men are my equals., Brigid Brophy,
We would have broken u
We would have broken up except for the children. Who were the children? Well, she and I were., Mort Sahl,
People who have no fau
People who have no faults are terrible there is no way to take advantage of them, Anatole France, French novelist (1844 1924)
In the long run we are
In the long run we are all dead., John Maynard Keynes, English economist (1883 1946)
The ornament of a hous
The ornament of a house is the friends who frequent it., Ralph Waldo Emerson, US essayist poet (1803 1882)
We are here and it is
We are here and it is now. Further than that all human knowledge is moonshine., H. L. Mencken, US editor (1880 1956)
We owe to the Middle A
We owe to the Middle Ages the two worst inventions of humanity gunpowder and romantic love., Andre Maurois, French author (1885 1967)
Patriotism is the will
Patriotism is the willingness to kill and be killed for trivial reasons., Bertrand Russell, British author, mathematician, philosopher (1872 1970)
I will not eat oysters
I will not eat oysters. I want my food dead not sick, not wounded dead., Woody Allen, US movie actor, comedian, director (1935 )
In Mexico we have a wo
In Mexico we have a word for sushi: bait., Jose Simon,
Favorite animal: steak
Favorite animal: steak., Fran Lebowitz, US writer and humorist (1950 )
The gem cannot be poli
The gem cannot be polished without friction, nor man perfected without trials., Chinese Proverb,
The affair between Mar
The affair between Margot Asquith and Margot Asquith will live as one of the prettiest love stories in all literature., Dorothy Parker, US author, humorist, poet, wit (1893 1967)
Love will find a lay.,
Love will find a lay., Robert Byrne,
In expressing love we
In expressing love we belong among the undeveloped countries., Saul Bellow, US (Canadianborn) author (1915 )
If love is the answer,
If love is the answer, could you rephrase the question?, Lily Tomlin, US actress comedienne (1939 )
Truth is shorter than
Truth is shorter than fiction., Irving Cohen,
A memorandum is writte
A memorandum is written not to inform the reader but to protect the writer., Dean Acheson,
Remember that nobody w
Remember that nobody will ever get ahead of you as long as he is kicking you in the seat of the pants., Walter Winchell, US gossip columnist broadcast journalist (1897 1972)
The Christian ideal ha
The Christian ideal has not been tried and found wanting it has been found difficult and left untried., G.K. Chesterton,
The only charm of marr
The only charm of marriage is that it makes a life of deception necessary for both parties., Oscar Wilde, Irish dramatist, novelist, poet (1854 1900)
Has anybody ever seen
Has anybody ever seen a drama critic in the daytime? Of course not. They come out after dark, up to no good., P. G. Wodehouse, British humorist novelist in US (1881 1975)
I hate women because t
I hate women because they always know where things are., James Thurber, US author, cartoonist, humorist, satirist (1894 1961)
The orgasm has replace
The orgasm has replaced the Cross as the focus of longing and the image of fulfillment., Malcolm Muggeridge,
Nothing is so much to
Nothing is so much to be shunned as sex relations., Saint Augustine, Carthaginian author, saint, church father (354 AD 430 AD)
For the preservation o
For the preservation of chastity, an empty and rumbling stomach and fevered lungs are indispensable., St. Jerome,
Nothing matters very m
Nothing matters very much, and few things matter at all., Arthur Balfour,
I have an existential
I have an existential map. It has You are here written all over it., Steven Wright, US comedian and actor (1955 )
Real glory springs fro
Real glory springs from the silent conquest of ourselves., Joseph P. Thompson,
There is no cure for b
There is no cure for birth and death save to enjoy the interval, George Santayana, US (Spanishborn) philosopher (1863 1952)
There is more to life
There is more to life than increasing its speed, Mahatma Gandhi, Indian ascetic nationalist leader (1869 1948)
The basic fact about h
The basic fact about human existence is not that it is a tragedy, but that it is a bore., H. L. Mencken, US editor (1880 1956)
Great men are not alwa
Great men are not always idiots, Karen Elizabeth Gordon,
Few great men could pa
Few great men could pass Personnel., Paul Goodman, (1911 1972)
The trouble with her i
The trouble with her is that she lacks the power of conversation but not the power of speech., George Bernard Shaw, Irish dramatist socialist (1856 1950)
A married man with a f
A married man with a family will do anything for money., Charles De Talleyrand,
Everyone should carefu
Everyone should carefully observe which way his heart draws him, and then choose that way with all his strength., Hasidic Saying,
Being a woman is of sp
Being a woman is of special interest to aspiring male transexuals. To actual women it is simply a good excuse not to play football., Fran Lebowitz, US writer and humorist (1950 )
Socrates seems to be t
Socrates seems to be the philosophical napkin with which the ensuing cultural thinkers of history wipe their mouths of pedantic ooze., Unknown, Quotations by unknown authors )
History is bunk., Henr
History is bunk., Henry Ford, US automobile industrialist (1863 1947)
Very few things happen
Very few things happen at the right time and the rest do not happen at all. The conscientious historian will correct these defects., Herodotus, Greek historian traveler (484 BC 430 BC)
Our ignorance of histo
Our ignorance of history makes us libel our own times. People have always been like this., Gustave Flaubert, French realist novelist (1821 1880)
He that is of the opin
He that is of the opinion money will do everything may well be suspected of doing everything for money., Benjamin Franklin, US author, diplomat, inventor, physicist, politician, printer (1706 1790)
A thing is not necessa
A thing is not necessarily true because a man dies for it., Oscar Wilde, Irish dramatist, novelist, poet (1854 1900)
Women want mediocre me
Women want mediocre men, and men are working hard to become as mediocre as possible., Margaret Mead, US anthropologist popularizer of anthropology (1901 1978)
Every man is thoroughl
Every man is thoroughly happy twice in his life: just after he has met his first love, and just after he has left his last one., H. L. Mencken, US editor (1880 1956)
When there are two con
When there are two conflicting versions of a story, the wise course is to believe the one in which people appear at their worst., H. Allen Smith,
A pessimist thinks eve
A pessimist thinks everybody is as nasty as himself, and hates them for it., George Bernard Shaw, Irish dramatist socialist (1856 1950)
I am a kind of paranoi
I am a kind of paranoiac in reverse. I suspect people of plotting to make me happy., J. D. Salinger, US novelist short story author (1919 )
I was going to buy a c
I was going to buy a copy of The Power of Positive Thinking, and then I thought: What the hell good would that do?, Ronnie Shakes,
If only it was as easy
If only it was as easy to banish hunger by rubbing the belly as it is to masturbate., Diogenes the Cynic (412 to 323 B.C.),
Philosophy is to the r
Philosophy is to the real world as masturbation is to sex., Karl Marx, German economist Communist political philosopher (1818 1883)
The reward of one duty
The reward of one duty is the power to fulfill another., George Eliot, English novelist (1819 1880)
It is even harder for
It is even harder for the average ape to believe that he has descended from man., H. L. Mencken, US editor (1880 1956)
The final delusion is
The final delusion is the belief that one has lost all delusions., Maurice Chapelain,
Being in the army is l
Being in the army is like being in the Boy Scouts, except that the Boy Scouts have adult supervision., Blake Clark,
War is a series of cat
War is a series of catastrophes that results in a victory., Georges Clemenceau, French politician (1841 1929)
Military justice is to
Military justice is to justice what military music is to music., Georges Clemenceau, French politician (1841 1929)
Anyone who says he can
Anyone who says he can see through women is missing a lot., Groucho Marx, US comedian with Marx Brothers (1890 1977)
My mother loved childr
My mother loved children she would have given anything if I had been one., Groucho Marx, US comedian with Marx Brothers (1890 1977)
May God defend me from
May God defend me from my friends I can defend myself from my enemies., Voltaire, French author, humanist, rationalist, satirist (1694 1778)
Difficulties are meant
Difficulties are meant to rouse, not discourage. The human spirit is to grow strong by conflict., William Ellery Channing, US abolitionist clergyman (1780 1842)
This poem will never r
This poem will never reach its destination., Voltaire, French author, humanist, rationalist, satirist (1694 1778)
Anything that is too s
Anything that is too stupid to be spoken is sung., Voltaire, French author, humanist, rationalist, satirist (1694 1778)
I get my exercise acti
I get my exercise acting as a pallbearer to my friends who exercise., Chauncey Depew,
Health nuts are going
Health nuts are going to feel stupid someday, lying in hospitals dying of nothing., Redd Foxx, US comedian (1922 1991)
Imitation is the since
Imitation is the sincerest form of television., Fred Allen, US radio comedian (1894 1956)
When people are free t
When people are free to do as they please, they usually imitate each other., Eric Hoffer, (1902 1983)
The human race is face
The human race is faced with a cruel choice: work or daytime television., Unknown, Quotations by unknown authors )
I married beneath me
I married beneath me all women do., Nancy Astor, British politician (1879 1964)
Never chase a lie. Let
Never chase a lie. Let it alone, and it will run itself to death., Lyman Beecher, US clergyman (1775 1863)
Nice guys finish last,
Nice guys finish last, but we get to sleep in., Evan Davis,
Sleep is an eighthour
Sleep is an eighthour peep show of infantile erotica., J.G. Ballard,
Decency...must be an e
Decency...must be an even more exhausting state to maintain than its opposite. Those who succeed seem to need a stupefying amount of sleep., Quentin Crisp,
I have to think hard t
I have to think hard to name an interesting man who does not drink., Richard Burton,
Alcohol is the anesthe
Alcohol is the anesthesia by which we endure the operation of life., George Bernard Shaw, Irish dramatist socialist (1856 1950)
I have taken more out
I have taken more out of alcohol than alcohol has taken out of me., Sir Winston Churchill, British politician (1874 1965)
Marriage is like a ban
Marriage is like a bank account. You put it in, you take it out, you lose interest., Professor Irwin Corey, American vaudeville comic and actor (1914 )
Love is an obsessive d
Love is an obsessive delusion that is cured by marriage., Dr. Karl Bowman,
It is most unwise for
It is most unwise for people in love to marry, George Bernard Shaw, Irish dramatist socialist (1856 1950)
Nothing is a waste of
Nothing is a waste of time if you use the experience wisely., Rodin, French sculptor (1840 1917)
Sigmund Freud was a ha
Sigmund Freud was a half baked Viennese quack. Our literature, culture, and the the films of Woody Allen would be better today if Freud had never written a word., Ian Shoales,
Saints should always b
Saints should always be judged guilty until they are proved innocent., George Orwell, English essayist, novelist, satirist (1903 1950)
The only paradise is p
The only paradise is paradise lost., Marcel Proust, French novelist (1871 1922)
It is a mistake to spe
It is a mistake to speak of a bad choice in love, since as soon as a choice exists, it can only be bad., Marcel Proust, French novelist (1871 1922)
What luck for rulers t
What luck for rulers that men do not think., Adolf Hitler, German Nazi dictator, orator, politician (1889 1945)
I propose getting rid
I propose getting rid of conventional armaments and replacing them with reasonably priced hydrogen bombs that would be distributed equally throughout the world., Idi Amin,
No doubt Jack the Ripp
No doubt Jack the Ripper excused himself on the grounds that it was human nature., A.A. Milne,
When men are pure, law
When men are pure, laws are useless when men are corrupt, laws are broken., Benjamin Disraeli, British politician (1804 1881)
Every law is an infrac
Every law is an infraction of liberty., Jeremy Bentham,
A man always remembers
A man always remembers his first love with special tenderness, but after that he begins to bunch them., H. L. Mencken, US editor (1880 1956)
It takes a woman twent
It takes a woman twenty years to make a man of her son, and another woman twenty minutes to make a fool of him., Helen Rowland, (1876 1950)
A man ought to be able
A man ought to be able to be fond of his wife without making a fool of himself about her., George Bernard Shaw, Irish dramatist socialist (1856 1950)
Money is good for brib
Money is good for bribing yourself through the inconveniences of life., Gottfried Reinhardt,
A billion here, a bill
A billion here, a billion there pretty soon it adds up to real money., Senator Everett Dirksen, US politician (1896 1969)
Behind every great for
Behind every great fortune there is a crime., Honore de Balzac, French realist novelist (1799 1850)
I believe that the pow
I believe that the power to make money is a gift from God., John D. Rockefeller, US oil industrialist philanthropist (1839 1937)
God is love, but get i
God is love, but get it in writing., Gypsy Rose Lee, US actress stripper (1914 1970)
Marriage is like payin
Marriage is like paying an endless visit in your worst clothes., J.B. Priestley,
The fickleness of the
The fickleness of the women whom I love is only equalled by the infernal constancy of the women who love me., George Bernard Shaw, Irish dramatist socialist (1856 1950)
Solitude would be idea
Solitude would be ideal if you could pick the people to avoid., Karl Kraus, Austrian author and journalist (1874 1936)
I feel a very unusual
I feel a very unusual sensation if it is not indigestion, I think it must be gratitude., Benjamin Disraeli, British politician (1804 1881)
Life is not so bad if
Life is not so bad if you have plenty of luck, a good physique and not too much imagination., Christopher Isherwood,
A family is but too of
A family is but too often a commonwealth of malignants., Alexander Pope, English poet satirist (1688 1744)
Cogito ergo dim sum. (
Cogito ergo dim sum. (Therefore I think these are pork buns.), Robert Byrne,
I tried to resist his
I tried to resist his overtures, but he plied me with symphonies, quartettes, chamber music, and cantatas., S.J. Perelman,
Nothing gives one pers
Nothing gives one person so much advantage over another as to remain always cool and unruffled under all circumstances., Thomas Jefferson, 3rd president of US (1743 1826)
Even Bach comes down t
Even Bach comes down to the basic suck, blow, suck, suck, blow., Mouth organist Larry Adler,
Classical music is the
Classical music is the kind we keep thinking will turn into a tune., Kin Hubbard, (1868 1930)
Too many pieces of mus
Too many pieces of music finish too long after the end., Igor Stravinsky, Russian composer in US (1882 1971)
I have read your book
I have read your book and much like it., Moses Hadas, (1900 1966)
This book fills a much
This book fills a much needed gap., Moses Hadas, (1900 1966)
A big book is a big bo
A big book is a big bore., Callimachus (c. 260 B.C.),
In every fat book ther
In every fat book there is a thin book trying to get out., Unknown, Quotations by unknown authors )
A novel is a piece of
A novel is a piece of prose of a certain length with something wrong with it., Unknown, Quotations by unknown authors )
The greatest good you
The greatest good you can do for another is not just share your riches, but to reveal to him his own., Benjamin Disraeli, British politician (1804 1881)
My toughest fight was
My toughest fight was with my first wife., Muhammad Ali, US boxer (1942 )
Hurting people is my b
Hurting people is my business., Sugar Ray Robinson,
There are more pleasan
There are more pleasant things to do than beat up people., Muhammad Ali on the occasion of one of his retirements,
I am firm. You are obs
I am firm. You are obstinate. He is a pigheaded fool., Katharine Whitehorn,
Good taste is the wors
Good taste is the worst vice ever invented., Dame Edith Sitwell,
It is far more impress
It is far more impressive when others discover your good qualities without your help., Judith Martin, (Miss Manners),
I wonder how so insupp
I wonder how so insupportable a thing as a bookseller was ever permitted to grow up in the Commonwealth. Many of our modern booksellers are but needless excrements, or rather vermin., George Wither,
At age 50 every man ha
At age 50 every man has the face he deserves., George Orwell, English essayist, novelist, satirist (1903 1950)
Advertising is the mod
Advertising is the modern substitute for argument its function is to make the worse appear the better., George Santayana, US (Spanishborn) philosopher (1863 1952)
Fashions are the only
Fashions are the only induced epidemics, proving that epidemics can be induced by tradesmen., George Bernard Shaw, Irish dramatist socialist (1856 1950)
The art of taxation co
The art of taxation consists in so plucking the goose as to obtain the largest possible amount of feathers with the smallest amount of hissing., Jean Baptiste Colbert,
There is just one thin
There is just one thing I can promise you about the outerspace program: your dollar will go further., Wernher Von Braun, US (Germanborn) rocket engineer (1912 1977)
An income tax form is
An income tax form is like a laundry list either way you lose your shirt., Fred Allen, US radio comedian (1894 1956)
The avoidance of taxes
The avoidance of taxes is the only pursuit that carries any reward., John Maynard Keynes, English economist (1883 1946)
The point to remember
The point to remember is what the government gives it must first take away., John S. Coleman,
Why does a small tax i
Why does a small tax increase cost you two hundred dollars and s substantial tax cut save you thirty cents?, Peg Bracken,
Man is not like other
Man is not like other animals in the ways that are really significant: Animals have instincts, we have taxes., Erving Goffman,
Noah must have taken i
Noah must have taken into the Ark two taxes, one male and one female. And did they multiply bountifully! Next to guinea pigs, taxes must have been the most prolific animals., Will Rogers, US humorist showman (1879 1935)
And it came to pass in
And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed., (St. Luke 2:1),
Our truest life is whe
Our truest life is when we are in our dreams awake., Henry David Thoreau, US Transcendentalist author (1817 1862)
Great spirits have alw
Great spirits have always encountered violent opposition from mediocre minds., Albert Einstein, US (Germanborn) physicist (1879 1955)
If one advances confid
If one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours., Henry David Thoreau, US Transcendentalist author (1817 1862)
There is no way to hap
There is no way to happiness, happiness is the way., Eykis,
Change your thoughts a
Change your thoughts and you change your world., Norman Vincent Peale, US clergyman (1898 1993)
People are about as ha
People are about as happy as they make up their minds to be., Abraham Lincoln, 16th president of US (1809 1865)
There is nothing eithe
There is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so., William Shakespeare, Greatest English dramatist poet (1564 1616)
We become what we thin
We become what we think about all day long., Ralph Waldo Emerson, US essayist poet (1803 1882)
Nothing is more powerf
Nothing is more powerful than an idea whose time has come., Victor Hugo, French dramatist, novelist, poet (1802 1885)
People and things do n
People and things do not upset us, rather we upset ourselves by believing that they can upset us., Albert Ellis, founder of Rational Emotive Therapy,
I saw that all things
I saw that all things I feared, and which feared me, had nothing good or bad in them save insofar as the mind was affected by them., Spinoza, Dutch Philosopher,
There are times when p
There are times when parenthood seems nothing but feeding the mouth that bites you., Peter De Vries,
The only ism Hollywood
The only ism Hollywood believes in is plagiarism., Dorothy Parker, US author, humorist, poet, wit (1893 1967)
Memory feeds imaginati
Memory feeds imagination., Amy Tan, US novelist (1952 )
A liberal is a man who
A liberal is a man who leaves the room when the fight begins., Heywood Broun, US journalist (1888 1939)
There are many who dar
There are many who dare not kill themselves for fear of what the neighbors will say., Cyril Connolly, (1903 1974)
Life does not cease to
Life does not cease to be funny when people die any more than it ceases to be serious when people laugh., George Bernard Shaw, Irish dramatist socialist (1856 1950)
I admire the serene a
I admire the serene assurance of those who have religious faith. It is wonderful to observe the calm confidence of a Christian with four aces., Mark Twain, US humorist, novelist, short story author, wit (1835 1910)
The art of government
The art of government consists in taking as much money as possible from one class of the citizens to give to the other., Voltaire, French author, humanist, rationalist, satirist (1694 1778)
Nothing in our culture
Nothing in our culture, not even home computers, is more overrated than the epidermal felicity of two featherless bipeds in desperate congress., Quentin Crisp,
The trouble with borna
The trouble with bornagain Christians is that they are an even bigger pain the second time around., Herb Caen,
Minds are like parachu
Minds are like parachutes they only function when open., Unknown, Quotations by unknown authors )
One is not superior me
One is not superior merely because one sees the world as odious., Chateaubriand,
How could I lose to su
How could I lose to such an idiot?, Aaron Nimzovich, A shout from the chess grandmaster,
Courage is the price t
Courage is the price that life exacts for granting peace., Amelia Earhart, US aviator (1897 1937)
I was thrown out of co
I was thrown out of college for cheating on the metaphysics exam I looked into the soul of the boy next to me., Woody Allen, Annie Hall, US movie actor, comedian, director (1935 )
The advantage of the e
The advantage of the emotions is that they lead us astray., Oscar Wilde, Irish dramatist, novelist, poet (1854 1900)
Sentimentality is the
Sentimentality is the emotional promiscuity of those who have no sentiment., Norman Mailer, US journalist novelist (1923 )
Yer beautiful in yer w
Yer beautiful in yer wrath! I shall keep you, and in responding to my passions, yer hatred will kindle into love., John Wayne, (as Genghis Kahn to Susan Hayward in the move The Conqueror) 1956, US movie actor director (1907 1979)
You have to have a tal
You have to have a talent for having talent., Ruth Gordon,
A team effort is a lot
A team effort is a lot of people doing what I say., Michael Winner, British film director,
It was like passing th
It was like passing the scene of a highway accident and being relieved to learn that nobody had been seriously injured., Martin Cruz Smith on being asked how he liked the movie version of his novel Gorky Park.,
Actresses will happen
Actresses will happen in the best regulated families., Oliver Herford,
Nothing would disgust
Nothing would disgust me more, morally, than receiving an Oscar., Luis Bunuel, Mexican (Spanishborn) Surrealist movie director (1900 1983)
Passionate hatred can
Passionate hatred can give meaning and purpose to an empty life., Eric Hoffer, (1902 1983)
The people are to be t
The people are to be taken in very small doses., Ralph Waldo Emerson, US essayist poet (1803 1882)
If one is to be called
If one is to be called a liar, one may as well make an effort to deserve the name., A.A. Milne,
The best way to keep c
The best way to keep children at home is to make the home atmosphere pleasant and let the air out of the tires., Dorothy Parker, US author, humorist, poet, wit (1893 1967)
Real success is findin
Real success is finding your lifework in the work that you love., David McCullough, US biographer historian (1933 )
Selfrespect: the secur
Selfrespect: the secure feeling that no one, as yet, is suspicious., H. L. Mencken, US editor (1880 1956)
Archbishop: a Christia
Archbishop: a Christian ecclesiastic of a rank superior to that attained by Christ., H. L. Mencken, US editor (1880 1956)
The worshiper is the f
The worshiper is the father of the gods., H. L. Mencken, US editor (1880 1956)
Every day people are s
Every day people are straying away from the church and going back to God., Lenny Bruce, (1923 1966)
The scenery in the pla
The scenery in the play was beautiful, but the actors got in front of it., Alexander Woollcott, US author (1887 1943)
Screenwriters? Schmuck
Screenwriters? Schmucks with Underwoods., Jack Warner,
Spring makes everythin
Spring makes everything look filthy., Katherine Whitehorn,
We must use time as a
We must use time as a tool, not as a crutch., John F. Kennedy, US Democratic politician (1917 1963)
Conscience and cowardi
Conscience and cowardice are really the same thing. Conscience is the tradename of the firm., Oscar Wilde, Irish dramatist, novelist, poet (1854 1900)
The Irish are a fair p
The Irish are a fair people they never speak well of one another., Samuel Johnson, English author, critic, lexicographer (1709 1784)
I showed my appreciati
I showed my appreciation of my native land in the usual Irish way by getting out of it as soon as I possibly could., George Bernard Shaw, Irish dramatist socialist (1856 1950)
The danger is not that
The danger is not that a particular class is unfit to govern. Every class is unfit to govern., Lord Acton,
We should all be oblig
We should all be obliged to appear before a board every five years and justify our existence...on pain of liquidation., George Bernard Shaw, Irish dramatist socialist (1856 1950)
Very few things happen
Very few things happen at the right time and the rest do not happen at all. The conscientious historian will correct these defects., Herodotus, Greek historian traveler (484 BC 430 BC)
We learn from history
We learn from history that we do not learn from history., Georg Friedrich Wilhelm Hegel,
Every man thinks God i
Every man thinks God is on his side. The rich and powerful know He is., Jean Anouilh, French dramatist (1910 1987)
Marriage is popular be
Marriage is popular because it combines the maximum of temptation with the maximum of opportunity., George Bernard Shaw, Irish dramatist socialist (1856 1950)
Those who welcome deat
Those who welcome death have only tried it from the ears up., Wilson Mizner, US screenwriter (1876 1933)
It has been my experie
It has been my experience that folks who have no vices have very few virtues., Abraham Lincoln, 16th president of US (1809 1865)
Obscenity is what happ
Obscenity is what happens to shock some elderly and ignorant magistrate., Bertrand Russell, British author, mathematician, philosopher (1872 1970)
A gourmet who thinks o
A gourmet who thinks of calories is like a tart who looks at her watch., James Beard,
LOVE: A word properly
LOVE: A word properly applied to our delight in particular kinds of food sometimes metaphorically spoken of the favorite objects of all our appetites., Henry Fielding, English dramatist novelist (1707 1754)
We often forgive those
We often forgive those who bore us, but we cannot forgive those whom we bore., Francois De La Rochefoucauld, French author moralist (1613 1680)
A person is never happ
A person is never happy except at the price of some ignorance., Anatole France, French novelist (1844 1924)
It is time I stepped a
It is time I stepped aside for a less experienced and less able man., Professor Scott Elledge on his retirement from Cornell,
A little inaccuracy so
A little inaccuracy sometimes saves tons of explanation., H.H. Munro (Saki),
Manners are especially
Manners are especially the need of the plain. The pretty can get away with anything., Evelyn Waugh, English novelist satirist (1903 1966)
Children are never too
Children are never too tender to be whipped. Like tough beefsteaks, the more you beat them, the more tender they become., Edgar Allan Poe, US short story author, editor, poet (1809 1849)
"9W"Answer to the ques
"9W"Answer to the question: Do you spell your name with a V, Mr. Vagner?, Steve Allen, from the Question Man segment on the Steve Allen Show,
Wagner drives the nail
Wagner drives the nail into your head with swinging hammer blows., P.A. Fiorentino,
The prelude to Tristan
The prelude to Tristan and Isolde reminds me of the Italian painting of the martyr whose intestines are slowly being unwound from his body on a reel., Eduard Hanslick,
The prelude to Tristan
The prelude to Tristan and Isolde sounded as if a bomb had fallen into a large music factory and had thrown all the notes into confusion., The Tribune, Berlin, 1871,
There is no law agains
There is no law against composing music when one has no ideas whatsoever. The music of Wagner, therefore, is perfectly legal, The National, Paris, 1850,
He who does not desire
He who does not desire power is fit to hold it., Plato, Greek author philosopher in Athens (427 BC 347 BC)
Jury: a group of twelv
Jury: a group of twelve men who, having lied to the judge about their hearing, health and business engagements, have failed to fool him., H. L. Mencken, US editor (1880 1956)
I think it would be a
I think it would be a good idea., Mahatma Gandhi, when asked what he thought of Western civilization, Indian ascetic nationalist leader (1869 1948)
The first human being
The first human being who hurled an insult instead of a stone was the founder of civilization., Sigmund Freud, (Attributed), Austrian psychologist (1856 1939)
Civilization exists by
Civilization exists by geological consent, subject to change without notice., Will Durant, US historian (1885 1981)
You can discover more
You can discover more about a person in an hour of play than in a year of conversation., Plato, Greek author philosopher in Athens (427 BC 347 BC)
The civilization of on
The civilization of one epoch becomes the manure of the next., Cyril Connolly, (1903 1974)
Cleaning anything invo
Cleaning anything involves making something else dirty, but anything can get dirty without something else getting clean., Laurence J. Peter, US educator writer (1919 1988)
A bore is a fellow tal
A bore is a fellow talking who can change the subject back to his topic of conversation faster than you can change it back to yours., Laurence J. Peter, US educator writer (1919 1988)
Ronald Reagan is the m
Ronald Reagan is the most ignorant president since Warren Harding., Ralph Nader, The Pacific Sun, March 21 1981,
Harding was not a bad
Harding was not a bad man, he was just a slob., Alice Roosevelt Longworth, from Mrs. L. Conversations with Alice Roosevelt Longworth, US author wit (1884 1980)
The only man, woman, o
The only man, woman, or child who ever wrote a simple declarative sentence with seven grammatical errors is dead., e. e. cummings, on the death of Warren G. Harding, 1923,
A man never reaches th
A man never reaches that dizzy height of wisdom that he can no longer be led by the nose., Mark Twain, US humorist, novelist, short story author, wit (1835 1910)
We can learn much from
We can learn much from wise words, little from wisecracks, and less from wise guys., William Arthur Ward,
Scandal is gossip made
Scandal is gossip made tedious by morality., Oscar Wilde, Irish dramatist, novelist, poet (1854 1900)
The end of the human r
The end of the human race will be that it will eventually die of civilization., Ralph Waldo Emerson, US essayist poet (1803 1882)
There are two million
There are two million interesting people in New York and only seventyeight in Los Angles., Neil Simon, in Playboy, Feb. 1979,
In San Francisco, Halo
In San Francisco, Haloween is redundant., Will Durst,
Victory goes to the pl
Victory goes to the player who makes the nexttolast mistake., Savielly Grigorievitcyh Tartakower,
George Washington as a
George Washington as a boy was ignorant of the commonest accomplishments of youth he could not even lie., Mark Twain, US humorist, novelist, short story author, wit (1835 1910)
Beware of the man whos
Beware of the man whose God is in the skies., George Bernard Shaw, Irish dramatist socialist (1856 1950)
He who despises himsel
He who despises himself esteems himself as a selfdespiser., Friedrich Nietzsche, German philosopher (1844 1900)
It is well to write lo
It is well to write love letters. There are certain things for which it is not easy to ask your mistress face to face, like money for instance., Henri De Regnier,
If Christ were here no
If Christ were here now there is one thing he would not be a Christian., Mark Twain, US humorist, novelist, short story author, wit (1835 1910)
Once the people begin
Once the people begin to reason, all is lost., Voltaire, French author, humanist, rationalist, satirist (1694 1778)
One of the greatest vi
One of the greatest victories you can gain over someone is to beat him at politeness., Josh Billings, US Humorist (1818 1885)
I was once thrown out
I was once thrown out of a mental hospital for depressing the other patients., Oscar Levant, (1906 1972)
Every word is like an
Every word is like an unnecessary stain on silence and nothingness., Beckett,
If Jesus Christ were t
If Jesus Christ were to come today, people would not even crucify him. They would ask him to dinner, and hear what he had to say, and make fun of it., Thomas Carlyle, Scottish author, essayist, historian (1795 1881)
Alas, I am dying beyon
Alas, I am dying beyond my means., Oscar Wilde, as he sipped champagne on his deathbed, Irish dramatist, novelist, poet (1854 1900)
MacDonald has the gift
MacDonald has the gift of compressing the largest amount of words into the smallest amount of thoughts., Sir Winston Churchill, British politician (1874 1965)
Happiness is the inter
Happiness is the interval between periods of unhappiness., Don Marquis, US humorist (1878 1937)
However, never daunted
However, never daunted, I will cope with adversity in my traditional manner ... sulking and nausea., Tom K. Ryan,
"Hello," he lied., Don
"Hello," he lied., Don Carpenter quoting a Hollywood agent,
The Hollywood traditio
The Hollywood tradition I like best is called sucking up to the stars., Johnny Carson, US comedian television host (1925 2005)
Hollywood is a place w
Hollywood is a place where they place you under contract instead of under observation., Walter Winchell, US gossip columnist broadcast journalist (1897 1972)
Strip away the phony t
Strip away the phony tinsel of Hollywood and you find the real tinsel underneath., Oscar Levant, (1906 1972)
The graveyards are ful
The graveyards are full of indispensable men., Charles de Gaulle, French general politician (1890 1970)
Dying is a very dull,
Dying is a very dull, dreary affair. And my advice to you is to have nothing whatever to do with it., W. Somerset Maugham, English dramatist novelist (1874 1965)
The family is a court
The family is a court of justice which never shuts down for night or day., Malcolm De Chazal,
It is only shallow peo
It is only shallow people who do not judge by appearances., Oscar Wilde, Irish dramatist, novelist, poet (1854 1900)
Give a man a fish and
Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day. Teach a man to fish and he will eat for a lifetime. Teach a man to create an artificial shortage of fish and he will eat steak., Jay Leno, US comedian television host (1950 )
Being perfectly welldr
Being perfectly welldressed gives a feeling of tranquility that religion is powerless to bestow., Ralph Waldo Emerson, quoting a friend, US essayist poet (1803 1882)
Shut up he explained.,
Shut up he explained., Ring Lardner, The Young Immigrants, 1920, US author (1885 1933)
My loathings are simpl
My loathings are simple: stupidity, oppression, crime, cruelty, soft music., Vladimir Nabokov, US (Russianborn) author translator (1899 1977)
No one is completely u
No one is completely unhappy at the failure of his best friend., Groucho Marx, US comedian with Marx Brothers (1890 1977)
Lactomangulation, n. M
Lactomangulation, n. Manhandling the open here spout on a milk carton so badly that one has to resort to using the illegal side., Rich Hall, Sniglets,
It is better to know s
It is better to know some of the questions than all of the answers., James Thurber, US author, cartoonist, humorist, satirist (1894 1961)
Thank God kids never m
Thank God kids never mean well, Lily Tomlin, US actress comedienne (1939 )
A child is a curly, di
A child is a curly, dimpled lunatic., Ralph Waldo Emerson, US essayist poet (1803 1882)
All children are essen
All children are essentially criminal., Denis Diderot, French author, encyclopedist, philosopher (1713 1784)
My wife and I tried to
My wife and I tried to breakfast together, but we had to stop or our marriage would have been wrecked., Sir Winston Churchill, British politician (1874 1965)
It is one of the super
It is one of the superstitions of the human mind to have imagined that virginity could be a virtue., Voltaire, French author, humanist, rationalist, satirist (1694 1778)
A liberal is someone w
A liberal is someone who feels a great debt to his fellow man, which debt he proposes to pay off with your money., G. Gordon Liddy,
A casual stroll throug
A casual stroll through the lunatic asylum shows that faith does not prove anything., Friedrich Nietzsche, German philosopher (1844 1900)
Many a man has fallen
Many a man has fallen in love with a girl in a light so dim he would not have chosen a suit by it., Maurice Chevalier, French entertainer (1888 1972)
Responsiblity is a uni
Responsiblity is a unique concept. It can only reside and inhere in a single individual. You may share it with others, but your portion is not diminished. You may delegate it, but it is still with you. You may disclaim it, but you cannot divest yourself of it., Admiral Hyman Rickover,
If men could get pregn
If men could get pregnant, abortion would be a sacrament., Florynce Kennedy,
If there were a verb m
If there were a verb meaning to believe falsely, it would not have any significant first person, present indicative., Ludwig Wittgenstein, Austrian philosopher (1889 1951)
Chastity always takes
Chastity always takes its toll. In some it produces pimples in others, sex laws., Karl Kraus, Austrian author and journalist (1874 1936)
On Monday mornings I a
On Monday mornings I am dedicated to the proposition that all men are created jerks., H. Allen Smith, Let the Crabgrass Grow,
Egotism is the anesthe
Egotism is the anesthetic given by a kindly nature to relieve the pain of being a damned fool., Bellamy Brooks,
Whenever people agree
Whenever people agree with me I always feel I must be wrong., Oscar Wilde, Irish dramatist, novelist, poet (1854 1900)
...all life is only a
...all life is only a set of pictures in the brain, among which there is no difference betwixt those born of real things and those born of inward dreamings, and (there is) no cause to value one above the other.", H.P. Lovecraft,
The main thing is you
The main thing is you and I should exist, and that we should be you and I. Apart from that let everything go as it likes. The best order of things to my way thinking, is the one I was meant to be part of, and to hell with the most perfect of worlds if I am not in it. I would rather exist, even as an impudent argufier, than not exist at all., JeanFrancois Rameau,
Now hatred is by far t
Now hatred is by far the longest pleasure Men love in haste, but they detest at leisure., Lord Byron, English poet satirist (1788 1824)
Men are like steel. Wh
Men are like steel. When they lose their temper, they lose their worth., Chuck Norris, US movie actor (1940 )
War is the biggest ego
War is the biggest ego trip of all time., Molly Wiest,
The English think inco
The English think incompetence is the same thing as sincerity., Quentin Crisp,
When I get smitten, I
When I get smitten, I stay smut., Charlie McCarthy,
The United States is l
The United States is like the guy at the party who gives cocaine to everybody and still nobody likes him., Jim Samuels,
America is a large fri
America is a large friendly dog in a small room. Every time it wags its tail it knocks over a chair., Arnold Toynbee, English historian historical philosopher (1889 1975)
In America, through pr
In America, through pressure of conformity, there is freedom of choice, but nothing to choose from., Peter Ustinov, English actor author (1921 2004)
When a true genius app
When a true genius appears in the world you may know him by this sign: that all the dunces are in confederacy against him., Jonathan Swift, Irish essayist, novelist, satirist (1667 1745)
A clergyman is one who
A clergyman is one who feels himself called upon to live without working at the expense of the rascals who work to live., Voltaire, French author, humanist, rationalist, satirist (1694 1778)
What is the matter wit
What is the matter with the poor is poverty what is the matter with the rich is uselessness., George Bernard Shaw, Irish dramatist socialist (1856 1950)
Good manners will open
Good manners will open doors that the best education cannot., Clarence Thomas, US administrator lawyer (1948 )
If you are ruled by mi
If you are ruled by mind you are a king if by body, a slave., Cato, Roman statesman and historian,
What sane person could
What sane person could live in this world and not be crazy?, Ursula K. LeGuin,
Every gun that is made
Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired signifies in the final sense, a theft from those who hunger and are not fed, those who are cold and are not clothed. This world in arms is not spending money alone. It is spending the sweat of its laborers, the genius of its scientists, the hopes of its children. This is not a way of life at all in any true sense. Under the clouds of war, it is humanity hanging on a cross of iron., Dwight Eisenhower, April 16 1953,
Reading musses up my m
Reading musses up my mind., Henry Ford, US automobile industrialist (1863 1947)
Justice is incedental
Justice is incedental to law and order., J. Edgar Hoover,
The more I study relig
The more I study religions the more I am convinced that man never worshipped anything but himself, Sir Richard F. Burton,
What torture, this lif
What torture, this life in society! Often someone is obliging enough to offer me a light, and in order to oblige him I have to fish a cigarette out of my pocket., Karl Kraus, Austrian author and journalist (1874 1936)
When she was a small g
When she was a small girl, Amanda hid a ticking clock in an old, rotten tree trunk. It drove woodpeckers crazy. Ignoring tasty bugs all around them, they just about beat their brains out trying to get at the clock. Years later, Amanda used the woodpecker experiment as a model for understanding capitalism, Communism, Christianity, and all other systems that traffic in future rewards rather than in present realities., Tom Robbins, US novelist (1936 )
Aliter catuli longe ol
Aliter catuli longe olent, aliter sues. ("Puppies and pigs have a very different smell."), Plautus,
Virginity is in the li
Virginity is in the lies of the beholder., The Clown Prince of Darkness,
Celibacy is not heredi
Celibacy is not hereditary., Guy Goden,
We may eventually come
We may eventually come to realize that chastity is no more a virtue than malnutrition., Alex Comfort,
I knew her before she
I knew her before she was a virgin., Oscar Levant, (1906 1972)
Experience is the name
Experience is the name everyone gives to their mistakes., Oscar Wilde, Irish dramatist, novelist, poet (1854 1900)
Honest criticism is ha
Honest criticism is hard to take, particularly from a relative, a friend, an acquaintance, or a stranger., Franklin P. Jones,
Confession is good for
Confession is good for the soul only in the sense that a tweed coat is good for dandruff it is a palliative rather than a remedy., Peter De Vries,
New York is the only c
New York is the only city in the world where you can get deliberately run down on the sidewalk by a pedestrian., Russell Baker, US columnist journalist (1925 )
Bore: a man who is nev
Bore: a man who is never unintentionally rude., Oscar Wilde, Irish dramatist, novelist, poet (1854 1900)
In California everyone
In California everyone goes to a therapist, is a therapist, or is a therapist going to a therapist., Truman Capote, US author (1924 1984)
Good resolutions are s
Good resolutions are simply checks that men draw on a bank where they have no account., Oscar Wilde, Irish dramatist, novelist, poet (1854 1900)
It is better to be quo
It is better to be quotable than to be honest., Tom Stoppard, British dramatist screenwriter (1937 )
Puritanism is the haun
Puritanism is the haunting fear that someone, somewhere, may be happy., H. L. Mencken, US editor (1880 1956)
In the fight between y
In the fight between you and the world, back the world., Frank Zappa, US musician, singer, songwriter (1940 1993)
Gifts are like hooks.,
Gifts are like hooks., Marcus Valerius Martialis, (40 AD 103 AD)
Holidays are an expens
Holidays are an expensive trial of strength. The only satisfaction comes from survival., Jonathan Miller,
People are far more si
People are far more sincere and goodhumored at speeding their parting guests than on meeting them., Anton Chekhov, Russian dramatist short story author (1860 1904)
Never play leapfrog wi
Never play leapfrog with a unicorn., Benny Hill,
Come quickly, I am tas
Come quickly, I am tasting stars!, Dom Perignon, at the moment of his discovery of champagne,
Even if you do learn t
Even if you do learn to speak correct English, whom are you going to speak it to?, Clarence Darrow, US defense lawyer (1857 1938)
We must never forget t
We must never forget that art is not a form of propaganda it is a form of truth., John F. Kennedy, October 26 1963, US Democratic politician (1917 1963)
Blessed be the meek, f
Blessed be the meek, for they shall inherit six feet of the earth., The Clown Prince of Darkness, corresponsdence,
Every government is ru
Every government is run by liars. Nothing they say should be believed., I.F. Stone 19071989,
Santa Claus had the ri
Santa Claus had the right idea. Visit everyone once a year., Victor Borges,
Men make history, and
Men make history, and not the other way around. In periods where there is no leadership, society stands still. Progress occurs when courageous, skillful leaders seize the opportunity to change things for the better., Harry S Truman, 33rd president of US (1884 1972)
Discussion is an excha
Discussion is an exchange of knowledge argument an exchange of ignorance., Robert Quillen,
There are three side e
There are three side effects of acid. Enchanced long term memory, decreased short term memory, and I forget the third., Timothy Leary, US psychologist promoter of mindaltering drugs (1920 1996)
A witty saying proves
A witty saying proves nothing., Voltaire, French author, humanist, rationalist, satirist (1694 1778)
The art of medicine co
The art of medicine consists in amusing the patient while nature cures the disease., Voltaire, French author, humanist, rationalist, satirist (1694 1778)
The best way to cheer
The best way to cheer yourself is to try to cheer someone else up., Mark Twain, US humorist, novelist, short story author, wit (1835 1910)
Read my lipsNO NEW TAX
Read my lipsNO NEW TAXES!, George Herbert Walker Bush, Nov. 1988,
We are born princes an
We are born princes and the civilizing process makes us frogs., Eric Berne, US (Canadianborn) psychologist (1910 1970)
Democracy gives every
Democracy gives every man the right to be his own oppressor., James Russell Lowell,
All men dream: but not
All men dream: but not equally. Those who dream by night in the dusty recesses of their minds wake in the day to find that it was vanity: but the dreamers of the day are dangerous men, for they may act their dream with open eyes, to make it possible., T. E. Lawrence, The Seven Pillars of Wisdom,
The face is the mirror
The face is the mirror of the mind, and eyes without speaking confess the secrets of the heart., Saint Jerome, church father saint (374 AD 419 AD)
We will occasionally u
We will occasionally use this arrow notation unless there is danger of no confusion., Ronald Graham, Rudiments of Ramsey Theory,
I have been assured by
I have been assured by a very knowing American of my acquaintance in London, that a young healthy child well nursed is at a year old a most delicious, nourishing, and wholesome food, whether stewed, roasted, baked, or boiled, and I make no doubt that it will equally serve in a fricassee, or a ragout., Jonathan Swift, A Modest Proposal, Irish essayist, novelist, satirist (1667 1745)
Duty then is the subli
Duty then is the sublimest word in the English language. You should do your duty in all things. You can never do more, you should never wish to do less., General Robert E. Lee,
War is an ugly thing,
War is an ugly thing, but not the ugliest of things. The decayed and degraded state of moral and patriotic feeling which thinks that nothing is worth war is much worse. The person who has nothing for which he is willing to fight, nothing which is more important than his own personal safety, is a miserable creature and has no chance of being free unless made and kept so by the exertions of better men than himself., John Stuart Mill, English economist philosopher (1806 1873)
Neurosis is the inabil
Neurosis is the inability to tolerate ambiguity., Sigmund Freud, Austrian psychologist (1856 1939)
I do not know myself,
I do not know myself, and God forbid that I should., Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, German dramatist, novelist, poet, scientist (1749 1832)
Sometimes I think the
Sometimes I think the surest sign that intelligent life exists elsewhere in the universe is that none of it has tried to contact us., Bill Watterson, cartoonist, US cartoonist (1958 )
A man said to the Univ
A man said to the Universe: Sir, I exist! However, replied the Universe, the fact has not created in me a sense of obligation., Stephen Crane,
Courage is being scare
Courage is being scared to death but saddling up anyway., John Wayne, US movie actor director (1907 1979)
What can you say about
What can you say about a society that says God is dead and Elvis is alive?, Irv Kupcinet,
I like pigs. Dogs look
I like pigs. Dogs look up to us. Cats look down on us. Pigs treat us as equals., Sir Winston Churchill, British politician (1874 1965)
The genius of you Amer
The genius of you Americans is that you never make clearcut stupid moves, only complicated stupid moves which make us wonder at the possibility that there may be something to them we are missing., Gamel Abdel Nasser,
We Americans live in a
We Americans live in a nation where the medicalcare system is second to none in the world, unless you count maybe 25 or 30 little scuzzball countries like Scotland that we could vaporize in seconds if we felt like it., Dave Barry, US columnist humorist (1947 )
Some men are born medi
Some men are born mediocre, some men achieve mediocrity, and some men have mediocrity thrust upon them., Joseph Heller, US novelist (1923 )
Sometimes a cigar is j
Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar., Sigmund Freud, Austrian psychologist (1856 1939)
People forget how fast
People forget how fast you did a job but they remember how well you did it., Howard Newton,
After all is said and
After all is said and done, a lot more will be said than done., Unknown, Quotations by unknown authors )
Freedom is just Chaos,
Freedom is just Chaos, with better lighting., Alan Dean Foster To the Vanishing Point,
Live so that your frie
Live so that your friends can defend you but never have to., Arnold H. Glasgow,
What the world needs t
What the world needs today is a definite, spiritual mobilization of the nations who belive in God against this tide of Red agnosticism. ...And in rejecting an atheistic other world, I am confident that the Almighty God will be with us., President Herbert Hoover, in proposing the abolition of the United Nations, in favor of a cooperation of Godfearing free natio, ) INSERT INTO `quotes` VALUES (1944, Democracy is, first and foremost, a spiritual force, it is built upon a spiritual basis and on a belief in God and an observance of moral principle. And in the long run only the church can provide that basis. Our founder knew this truth and we will neglect it at our peril., President Harry Truman, Public Papers of the President of the United States: Harry S. Truman 1951 U.S. Gov. 1966 p1063, ) INSERT INTO `quotes` VALUES (1945, Our religious faith gives us the answer to the false beliefs of Communism... I have the feeling that God has created us and brought us to our present position of power and strength for some great purpose., President Harry Truman, Public Papers of the President of the United States: Harry S. Truman 1951 U.S. Gov. 1966 pp548549, ) INSERT INTO `quotes` VALUES (1946, It sure does, Ben, it definitely does...this is definite...it specifically clearly, unequivocally says that Russia and other countries will enter into war and God will destroy Russia through earthquakes, volcanoes..., Pat Robertson, when asked the question Does the Bible specifically tell us what is going to happen in the future", 700 Club D, ) INSERT INTO `quotes` VALUES (1947, America has begun a spiritual reawakening. Faith and hope are being restored. Americans are turning back to God. Church attendance is up. Audiences for religious books and broadcasts are growing. And I do believe that he has begun to heal our blessed land., President Ronald Reagan, to the National Association of Evangelicals, Columbus, Ohio, ) INSERT INTO `quotes` VALUES (1948, Life is a great big canvas, and you should throw all the paint on it you can., Danny Kaye, US actor singer (1913 1987)) INSERT INTO `quotes` VALUES (1949, Husbands never become good they merely become proficient., H. L. Mencken, US editor (1880 1956)) INSERT INTO `quotes` VALUES (1950, Curiosity killed the cat, but for awhile I was a suspect., Steven Wright, US comedian and actor (1955 )) INSERT INTO `quotes` VALUES (1951, The only difference between genius and stupidity is that genius is limited., unknown, Quotations by unknown authors ) INSERT INTO `quotes` VALUES (1952, Genius may have its limitations, but stupidity is not thus handicapped., Elbert Hubbard, US
Fashion is a form of u
Fashion is a form of ugliness so intolerable that we have to alter it every six months., Oscar Wilde, Irish dramatist, novelist, poet (1854 1900)
The right to do someth
The right to do something does not mean that doing it is right., William Safire, US columnist speechwriter (1929 )
It is not enough to su
It is not enough to succeed others must fail., Gore Vidal, US author dramatist (1925 )
Oh God, how do the wor
Oh God, how do the world and heavens confine themselves, when our hearts tremble in their own barriers!, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, German dramatist, novelist, poet, scientist (1749 1832)
God seems to have left
God seems to have left the receiver off the hook and time is running out., Arthur Koestler, British (Hungarianborn) author (1905 1983)
Californians invented
Californians invented the concept of lifestyle. This alone warrants their doom., Don DeLillo,
Wife: a former sweethe
Wife: a former sweetheart., H. L. Mencken, US editor (1880 1956)
Anybody caught selling
Anybody caught selling macrame in public should be dyed a natural color and hung out to dry., Calvin Trillin, US columnist (1935 )
Finance is the art of
Finance is the art of passing currency from hand to hand until it finally disappears., Robert W. Sarnoff,
There is no great conc
There is no great concurrence between learning and wisdom, Sir Francis Bacon, English author, courtier, philosopher (1561 1626)
There are three terrib
There are three terrible ages of childhood 1 to 10 10 to 20 and 20 to 30., Cleveland Amory,
War is like love it al
War is like love it always finds a way., Bertolt Brecht, German Communist dramatist (1898 1956)
Perhaps God is not dea
Perhaps God is not dead perhaps God is himself mad., R. D. Laing,
Democracy: The worship
Democracy: The worship of jackals by jackasses., H. L. Mencken, US editor (1880 1956)
Early to rise and earl
Early to rise and early to bed Makes a male healthy, wealthy and dead, James Thurber, US author, cartoonist, humorist, satirist (1894 1961)
It must be remembered
It must be remembered that there is nothing more difficult to plan, more doubtful of success, nor more dangerous to manage, than the creation of a new system. For the initiator has the enmity of all who would profit by the preservation of the old institutions and merely lukewarm defenders in those who would gain by the new ones., Machiavelli,
Grief is a species of
Grief is a species of idleness., Samuel Johnson, English author, critic, lexicographer (1709 1784)
All progress is based
All progress is based upon a universal innate desire on the part of every organism to live beyond its income., Samuel Butler, English composer, novelist, satiric author (1835 1902)
To be conscious that y
To be conscious that you are ignorant is a great step to knowledge., Benjamin Disraeli, Sybil, 1845, British politician (1804 1881)
I do not believe in Go
I do not believe in God. I believe in cashmere., Fran Lebowitz, US writer and humorist (1950 )
My Lord, my Lord! What
My Lord, my Lord! What hast Thou done, lately?, Woody Allen, Without Feathers, US movie actor, comedian, director (1935 )
Whosover loveth wisdom
Whosover loveth wisdom is righteous, but he that keepeth company with fowl is weird., Woody Allen, Without Feathers, US movie actor, comedian, director (1935 )
The wicked at heart pr
The wicked at heart probably know something., Woody Allen, Without Feathers, US movie actor, comedian, director (1935 )
Whosoever shall not fa
Whosoever shall not fall by the sword or by famine, shall fall by pestilence, so why bother shaving?, Woody Allen, Without Feathers, US movie actor, comedian, director (1935 )
Military intelligence
Military intelligence is a contradiction in terms., Groucho Marx, US comedian with Marx Brothers (1890 1977)
Obviously something sl
Obviously something slipped through here., Reverend John Vaughan, Financial administrator for the Archdiocese of Miami (when asked why they held stock in companies that ma,
A jury consists of twe
A jury consists of twelve persons chosen to decide who has the better lawer., Robert Frost, US poet (1874 1963)
Knowledge is power., S
Knowledge is power., Sir Francis Bacon, Religious Meditations, Of Heresies, 1597, English author, courtier, philosopher (1561 1626)
Accident, n.: A condit
Accident, n.: A condition in which presence of mind is good, but absence of body is better., Unknown, Quotations by unknown authors )
It has always been my
It has always been my rule never to smoke when asleep, and never to refrain when awake., Mark Twain, US humorist, novelist, short story author, wit (1835 1910)
History is a set of li
History is a set of lies agreed upon., Napoleon Bonaparte, French general politician (1769 1821)
Wife: one who is sorry
Wife: one who is sorry she did it, but would undoubtedly do it again., H. L. Mencken, US editor (1880 1956)
I think contraception
I think contraception is disgusting people using each other for pleasure., Joseph Schiedler, Director, ProLife Action League,
Sex education classes
Sex education classes in our public schools are promoting incest., Jimmy Swaggart,
We are totally opposed
We are totally opposed to abortion under any circumstances. We are also opposed to abortifacient drugs and chemicals like the Pill and the IUD, and we are also opposed to all forms of birth control with the exception of natural family planning., Judie Brown, President, American Life Lobby,
Idealism is fine, but
Idealism is fine, but as it approaches reality the cost becomes prohibitive., William F. Buckley Jr.,
The very purpose of ex
The very purpose of existence is to reconcile the glowing opinion we hold of ourselves with the appalling things that other people think about us., Quentin Crisp,
I love children, espec
I love children, especially when they cry, for then someone takes them away., Nancy Mitford,
Grub first, then ethic
Grub first, then ethics., Bertolt Brecht, German Communist dramatist (1898 1956)
Work saves us from thr
Work saves us from three great evils: boredom, vice and need., Voltaire, Candide, 1759, French author, humanist, rationalist, satirist (1694 1778)
A cynic is a man who,
A cynic is a man who, when he smells flowers, looks around for a coffin., H. L. Mencken, US editor (1880 1956)
Health food makes me s
Health food makes me sick., Calvin Trillin, US columnist (1935 )
The bonds that links y
The bonds that links your true family is not one of blood, but of respect and joy in each others life. Rarely do members of one family grow up under the same roof., Richard Bach,
Moderation is a fatal
Moderation is a fatal thing. Nothing succeeds like excess., Oscar Wilde, Irish dramatist, novelist, poet (1854 1900)
Men have no right to p
Men have no right to put the wellbeing of the present generation wholly out of the question. Perhaps the only moral trust with any certainty in our hands is the care of our own time., Edmund Burke, Irish orator, philosopher, politician (1729 1797)
Destiny...is not a mat
Destiny...is not a matter of chance, it is a matter of choice it is not a thing to be waited for, it is a thing to be achieved, William Jennings Bryan, US lawyer, orator, politician (1860 1925)
Communism is like one
Communism is like one big phone company., Lenny Bruce, (1923 1966)
Every government is ru
Every government is run by liars and nothing they say should be believed., I.F. Stone,
In order that people m
In order that people may be happy in their work, these three things are needed: They must be fit for it. They must not do too much of it. And they must have a sense of success in it., John Ruskin, PreRaphaelitism, 1850, English critic, essayist, reformer (1819 1900)
Nothing spoils a confe
Nothing spoils a confession like repentance., Anatole France, French novelist (1844 1924)
Sexual enlightenment i
Sexual enlightenment is justified insofar as girls cannot learn too soon how children do not come into the world., Karl Kraus, Austrian author and journalist (1874 1936)
The most common of all
The most common of all follies is to believe passionately in the palpably not true. It is the chief occupation of mankind., H. L. Mencken, US editor (1880 1956)
Fame is a vapor popula
Fame is a vapor popularity an accident the only earthly certainty is oblivion., Mark Twain, US humorist, novelist, short story author, wit (1835 1910)
If you speak the truth
If you speak the truth, have a foot in the stirrup., Turkish proverb,
Beware of programmers
Beware of programmers who carry screwdrivers., Leonard Brandwein,
My pessimism extends t
My pessimism extends to the point of even suspecting the sincerity of other pessimists., Jean Rostand, (1894 1977)
Far and away the best
Far and away the best prize that life offers is the chance to work hard at work worth doing., Theodore Roosevelt, Speech in New York, September 7 1903, 26th president of US (1858 1919)
A critic is a gong at
A critic is a gong at a railroad crossing clanging loudly and vainly as the train goes by., Christopher Morley, US author journalist (1890 1957)
The only thing worse t
The only thing worse than being talked about is not being talked about., Oscar Wilde, Irish dramatist, novelist, poet (1854 1900)
Few things are harder
Few things are harder to put up with than the annoyance of a good example., Mark Twain, US humorist, novelist, short story author, wit (1835 1910)
Once, during Prohibiti
Once, during Prohibition, I was forced to live for days on nothing but food and water., W.C. Fields,
God must hate common p
God must hate common people, because he made them so common., Philip Wylie,
One of these days, the
One of these days, the people are going to demand peace of the government, and the government is going to have to give it to them., Dwight Eisenhower,
Hollywood is a place w
Hollywood is a place where people from Iowa mistake each other for movie stars., Fred Allen, US radio comedian (1894 1956)
The English instinctiv
The English instinctively admire any man who has no talent and is modest about it., James Agate,
Blessed is he who has
Blessed is he who has found his work let him ask no other blessedness., Thomas Carlyle, Past and Present, 1843, Scottish author, essayist, historian (1795 1881)
There is one differenc
There is one difference between a tax collector and a taxidermist the taxidermist leaves the hide., Mortimer Caplin,
That all men should be
That all men should be brothers is the dream of people who have no brothers., Charles Chincholles,
What is youth except a
What is youth except a man or a woman before it is ready or fit to be seen?, Evelyn Waugh, English novelist satirist (1903 1966)
We learn from experien
We learn from experience that men never learn anything from experience., George Bernard Shaw, Irish dramatist socialist (1856 1950)
When I can no longer b
When I can no longer bear to think of the victims of broken homes, I begin to think of the victims of intact ones., Peter De Vries,
A chic type, a rough t
A chic type, a rough type, an odd type but never a stereotype, JeanMichel Jarre,
I took a speedreading
I took a speedreading course and read War and Peace in twenty minutes. It involves Russia., Woody Allen, US movie actor, comedian, director (1935 )
Having a family is lik
Having a family is like having a bowling alley installed in your brain., Martin Mull, US comedian and actor (1943 )
Civilization is a limi
Civilization is a limitless multiplication of unnecessary necessities., Mark Twain, US humorist, novelist, short story author, wit (1835 1910)
Sex: the pleasure is m
Sex: the pleasure is momentary, the position ridiculous, and the expense damnable., Lord Chesterfield, (1694 1773)
I find that when I do
I find that when I do not think of myself I do not think at all., Jules Renard, (1864 1910)
Humility is no substit
Humility is no substitute for a good personality., Fran Lebowitz, US writer and humorist (1950 )
God heals, and the doc
God heals, and the doctor takes the fee., Benjamin Franklin, US author, diplomat, inventor, physicist, politician, printer (1706 1790)
If a man does not keep
If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer. Let him step to the music which he hears, however measured or far away., Henry David Thoreau, Walden, Conclusion, 1854, US Transcendentalist author (1817 1862)
My heart is pure as th
My heart is pure as the driven slush., Tallulah Bankhead, US movie actress (1903 1968)
England has fortytwo r
England has fortytwo religions and only two sauces., Voltaire, French author, humanist, rationalist, satirist (1694 1778)
New York: where everyo
New York: where everyone mutinies but no one deserts., Harry Hershfield,
Democracy: The substit
Democracy: The substitution of election by the incompetent many for appointment by the corrupt few., George Bernard Shaw, Irish dramatist socialist (1856 1950)
A man must properly pa
A man must properly pay the fiddler. In my case it so happened that a whole symphony orchestra had to be subsidized., John Barrymore, US actor (1882 1942)
Chastity: the most unn
Chastity: the most unnatural of the sexual perversions., Aldous Huxley, English critic novelist (1894 1963)
The average trade book
The average trade book has a shelf life of between milk and yogurt, except for books by any member of the Irving Wallace family they have preservatives., Calvin Trillin, US columnist (1935 )
The strongest man in t
The strongest man in the world is he who stands alone., Henrik Ibsen, An Enemy of the People, 1882, Norwegian dramatist (1828 1906)
I do not care to belon
I do not care to belong to a club that accepts people like me as members., Groucho Marx, US comedian with Marx Brothers (1890 1977)
If your sexual fantasi
If your sexual fantasies were truly of interest to others, they would no longer be fantasies., Fran Lebowitz, US writer and humorist (1950 )
I envy people who drin
I envy people who drink at least they know what to blame everything on., Oscar Levant, (1906 1972)
The Irish are a fair p
The Irish are a fair people they never speak well of one another., Samuel Johnson, English author, critic, lexicographer (1709 1784)
The basis of optimism
The basis of optimism is sheer terror., Oscar Wilde, Irish dramatist, novelist, poet (1854 1900)
The country has charms
The country has charms only for those not obliged to stay there., Edouard Manet,
Television is for appe
Television is for appearing on not for looking at., Noel Coward, English actor, dramatist, songwriter (1899 1973)
Children should neithe
Children should neither be seen nor heard from ever again., W.C. Fields,
One of the serious obs
One of the serious obstacles to the improvement of our race is indiscriminate charity., Andrew Carnegie, US businessman philanthropist (1835 1919)
A Sunday school is a p
A Sunday school is a prison in which children do penance for the evil conscience of their parents., H. L. Mencken, US editor (1880 1956)
Laugh at yourself firs
Laugh at yourself first, before anyone else can., Elsa Maxwell, September 28 1958,
The history of ideas i
The history of ideas is the history of the grudges of solitary men., E.M. Cioran,
Posterity is as likely
Posterity is as likely to be wrong as anybody else., Heywood Broun, US journalist (1888 1939)
There is nothing wrong
There is nothing wrong with sobriety in moderation., John Ciardi, US poet (1916 1986)
Humanity is not a gift
Humanity is not a gift of nature, it is a spiritual achievement to be earned., Richard Bach,
Hope in reality is the
Hope in reality is the worst of all evils, because it prolongs the torments of man., Friedrich Nietzsche, German philosopher (1844 1900)
Sex: the thing that ta
Sex: the thing that takes up the least amount of time and causes the most amount of trouble., John Barrymore, US actor (1882 1942)
Virtue has never been
Virtue has never been as respectable as money., Mark Twain, US humorist, novelist, short story author, wit (1835 1910)
Dinner theater is anti
Dinner theater is anticulture., John Simon,
Happiness is the perpe
Happiness is the perpetual possession of being well deceived., Jonathan Swift, Irish essayist, novelist, satirist (1667 1745)
Men show their charact
Men show their characters in nothing more clearly than in what they think laughable., Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, German dramatist, novelist, poet, scientist (1749 1832)
The chief obstacle to
The chief obstacle to the progress of the human race is the human race., Don Marquis, US humorist (1878 1937)
You never realize how
You never realize how short a month is until you pay alimony., John Barrymore, US actor (1882 1942)
I am the only person i
I am the only person in the world I should like to know thoroughly., Oscar Wilde, Irish dramatist, novelist, poet (1854 1900)
...Then anyone who lea
...Then anyone who leaves behind him a written manual, and likewise anyone who receives it, in the belief that such writing will be clear and certain, must be exceedingly simpleminded..., Plato, _Phaedrus_, Greek author philosopher in Athens (427 BC 347 BC)
Brevity is the soul of
Brevity is the soul of lingerie., Dorothy Parker, US author, humorist, poet, wit (1893 1967)
The more one is hated,
The more one is hated, I find, the happier one is., Louis Ferdinand Celine,
Wit makes its own welc
Wit makes its own welcome, and levels all distinctions. No dignity, no learning, no force of character, can make any stand against good wit., Ralph Waldo Emerson, Letters and Social Aims: The Comic, 1876, US essayist poet (1803 1882)
A poet more than thirt
A poet more than thirty years old is simply an overgrown child., H. L. Mencken, US editor (1880 1956)
It is always the best
It is always the best policy to tell the truth, unless, of course, you are an exceptionally good liar., Jerome K. Jerome, British humor writer (1859 1927)
No good deed goes unpu
No good deed goes unpunished., Clare Booth Luce, US diplomat, dramatist, journalist, politician (1903 1987)
The husband who wants
The husband who wants a happy marriage should learn to keep his mouth shut and his checkbook open., Groucho Marx, US comedian with Marx Brothers (1890 1977)
Bigamy is having one w
Bigamy is having one wife too many. Monogamy is the same, Oscar Wilde, Irish dramatist, novelist, poet (1854 1900)
Start every day with a
Start every day with a smile and get it over with., William Claude Dunkenfield (W. C. Fields),
California is the only
California is the only state in the union where you can fall asleep under a rose bush in full bloom and freeze to death., William Claude Dunkenfield (W. C. Fields),
It may not be that the
It may not be that the race is not always to the swift, nor the battle to the strong but that is the way to bet., Damon Runyon,
Love is the triumph of
Love is the triumph of imagination over intelligence., H. L. Mencken, US editor (1880 1956)
Wit is so shining a qu
Wit is so shining a quality that everybody admires it most people aim at it, all people fear it, and few love it unless in themselves., Lord Chesterfield, letter to his godson, December 18 1765, (1694 1773)
Only dull people are b
Only dull people are brilliant at breakfast., Oscar Wilde, Irish dramatist, novelist, poet (1854 1900)
You can fool too many
You can fool too many of the people too much of the time., James Thurber, US author, cartoonist, humorist, satirist (1894 1961)
Golf is a good walk sp
Golf is a good walk spoiled., Mark Twain, US humorist, novelist, short story author, wit (1835 1910)
I have given up readin
I have given up reading books I find it takes my mind off myself., Oscar Levant, (1906 1972)
Philosophy teaches us
Philosophy teaches us to bear with equanimity the misfortunes of others., Oscar Wilde, Irish dramatist, novelist, poet (1854 1900)
Democracy is the theor
Democracy is the theory that the common people know what they want, and deserve to get it good and hard., H. L. Mencken, US editor (1880 1956)
Virtue is insufficient
Virtue is insufficient temptation., George Bernard Shaw, Irish dramatist socialist (1856 1950)
Man is distinguished f
Man is distinguished from all other creatures by the faculty of laughter., Joseph Addison, The Spectator, September 26 1712, English essayist, poet, politician (1672 1719)
A government is the on
A government is the on
The only really happy
The only really happy folk are married women and single men., H. L. Mencken, US editor (1880 1956)
It is human nature to
It is human nature to think wisely and act foolishly., Anatole France, French novelist (1844 1924)
Abstract art: a produc
Abstract art: a product of the untalented sold by the unprincipled to the utterly bewildered., Al Capp, US cartoonist (1909 1979)
Understand that legal
Understand that legal and illegal are political, and often arbitrary, categorizations use and abuse are medical, or clinical, distinctions., Abbie Hoffman, Steal This Urine Test, US radical activist (1936 1989)
I would like to take y
I would like to take you seriously but to do so would affront your intelligence., William F. Buckley Jr.,
The pure and simple tr
The pure and simple truth is rarely pure and never simple., Oscar Wilde, Irish dramatist, novelist, poet (1854 1900)
My theology, briefly,
My theology, briefly, is that the universe was dictated, but not signed., Christopher Morley, US author journalist (1890 1957)
My father hated radio
My father hated radio and could not wait for television to be invented so he could hate that too., Peter De Vries,
An optimist is a man w
An optimist is a man who has never had much experience., Don Marquis, US humorist (1878 1937)
Be ashamed to die unti
Be ashamed to die until you have won some victory for humanity., Horace Mann, address at Antioch College, 1859, US educator (1796 1859)
Man is a clever animal
Man is a clever animal who behaves like an imbecile., Albert Schweitzer, French philosopher physician (1875 1965)
The world began when I
The world began when I was born and the world is mine to win, Badger Clark,
The way to fight a wom
The way to fight a woman is with your hat. Grab it and run., John Barrymore, US actor (1882 1942)
Brigands demand your m
Brigands demand your money or your life women require both., Nicholas Murray Butler,
Know thyself? A maxim
Know thyself? A maxim as pernicious as it is ugly. Whoever observes himself arrests his own development. A caterpillar who wanted to know itself well would never become a butterfly., Andre Gide, French critic, essayist, novelist (1869 1951)
Our houses are such un
Our houses are such unwieldy property that we are often imprisoned rather than housed in them., Henry David Thoreau, Walden: Economy, 1854, US Transcendentalist author (1817 1862)
Principles have no rea
Principles have no real force except when one is well fed., Mark Twain, US humorist, novelist, short story author, wit (1835 1910)
I must decline your in
I must decline your invitation owing to a subsequent engagement., Oscar Wilde, Irish dramatist, novelist, poet (1854 1900)
If you are an author a
If you are an author and give one of your books to a member of the upper class, you must never expect him to read it., Paul Fussell,
My only aversion to vi
My only aversion to vice, is the price., Victor Buono,
Even paranoids have re
Even paranoids have real enemies., Delmore Schwartz,
When an opera star sin
When an opera star sings her head off, she usually improves her appearance., Victor Borge, US (Danishborn) comedian pianist (1909 2000)
Equality may perhaps b
Equality may perhaps be a right, but no power on earth can ever turn it into a fact., Honore de Balzac, French realist novelist (1799 1850)
If God created us in h
If God created us in his own image, we have more than reciprocated., Voltaire, French author, humanist, rationalist, satirist (1694 1778)
It does not matter muc
It does not matter much what a man hates provided he hates something., Samuel Butler, English composer, novelist, satiric author (1835 1902)
An ounce of hypocrisy
An ounce of hypocrisy is worth a pound of ambition., Michael Korda,
Journalism is the abil
Journalism is the ability to meet the challenge of filling space., Rebecca West, Irish critic, journalist, novelist (1892 1983)
The amount of noise wh
The amount of noise which anyone can bear undisturbed stands in inverse proportion to his mental capacity., Arthur Schopenhauer, German philosopher (1788 1860)
It is better to have a
It is better to have a permanent income than to be fascinating., Oscar Wilde, Irish dramatist, novelist, poet (1854 1900)
In the halls of justic
In the halls of justice, the only justice is in the halls., Lenny Bruce, (1923 1966)
I find television very
I find television very educational. The minute somebody turns it on, I go to the library and read a good book., Groucho Marx, US comedian with Marx Brothers (1890 1977)
If I had my way, any m
If I had my way, any man guilty of golf would be ineligible for any office of trust in the United States., H. L. Mencken, US editor (1880 1956)
Parades should be cla
Parades should be classed as a nuisance and participants should be subject to a term in prison., Will Rogers, US humorist showman (1879 1935)
Nothing is as certain
Nothing is as certain as that the vices of leisure are gotten rid of by being busy., Seneca, Moral Letters to Lucilius, 64 A.D., Roman dramatist, philosopher, politician (5 BC 65 AD)
Religion is a monument
Religion is a monumental chapter in the history of human egotism., William James, US Pragmatist philosopher psychologist (1842 1910)
To succeed in the worl
To succeed in the world it is not enough to be stupid you must also be wellmannered., Voltaire, French author, humanist, rationalist, satirist (1694 1778)
Few people think more
Few people think more than two or three times a year I have made an international reputation for myself by thinking once or twice a week., George Bernard Shaw, Irish dramatist socialist (1856 1950)
If a thing is worth do
If a thing is worth doing, it is worth doing badly., G.K. Chesterton,
For certain people aft
For certain people after 50 litigation takes the place of sex., Gore Vidal, US author dramatist (1925 )
He who has never envie
He who has never envied the vegetable has missed the human drama., E.M. Cioran,
Those who cannot remem
Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it., George Santayana, The Life of Reason, Volume 1 1905, US (Spanishborn) philosopher (1863 1952)
We can draw lessons fr
We can draw lessons from the past, but we cannot live in it., Lyndon B. Johnson, December 13 1963, 36th president of US (1908 1973)
Health is worth more t
Health is worth more than learning., Thomas Jefferson, letter to his cousin John Garland Jefferson, June 11 1790, 3rd president of US (1743 1826)
Abortion is advocated
Abortion is advocated only by persons who have themselves been born., Ronald Reagan, 40th president of US (1911 2004)
Health is not valued t
Health is not valued till sickness comes., Dr. Thomas Fuller, Gnomologia, 1732, British physician (1654 1734)
Man is the artificer o
Man is the artificer of his own happiness., Henry David Thoreau, Journal, January 21 1838, US Transcendentalist author (1817 1862)
The happiest is the pe
The happiest is the person who suffers the least pain the most miserable who enjoys the least pleasure., Jean Jacques Rousseau, Emile, 1762, French political philosopher (1712 1778)
Friendship make prospe
Friendship make prosperity more shining and lessens adversity by dividing and sharing it., Cicero, On Friendship, 44 B.C., Roman author, orator, politician (106 BC 43 BC)
Man seeketh in society
Man seeketh in society comfort, use and protection., Sir Francis Bacon, The Advancement of Learning, 1605, English author, courtier, philosopher (1561 1626)
Tell me what you eat,
Tell me what you eat, and I will tell you what you are., Anthelme BrillatSavarin, The Physiology of Taste, 1825, French gourmet lawyer (1755 1826)
Be not the first by wh
Be not the first by whom the new are tried, Nor yet the last to lay the old aside., Alexander Pope, An Essay on Criticism, 1711, English poet satirist (1688 1744)
The knowledge of the w
The knowledge of the world is only to be acquired in the world, and not in a closet., Lord Chesterfield, Letters to His Son, 1746 published 1774, (1694 1773)
A witty saying proves
A witty saying proves nothing., Voltaire, French author, humanist, rationalist, satirist (1694 1778)
Men are wise in propor
Men are wise in proportion, not to their experience, but to their capacity for experience., James Boswell, Life of Samuel Johnson, 1791, Scottish author biographer (1740 1795)
Goodness is the only i
Goodness is the only investment that never fails., Henry David Thoreau, Walden: Higher Laws, 1854, US Transcendentalist author (1817 1862)
A people that values i
A people that values its privileges above its principles soon loses both., Dwight D. Eisenhower, Inaugural Address, January 20 1953, US general Republican politician (1890 1969)
Next in importance to
Next in importance to freedom and justice is popular education, without which neither freedom nor justice can be permanently maintained., James A. Garfield, July 12 1880, US general politician (1831 1881)
Annual income twenty p
Annual income twenty pounds, annual expenditure nineteen six, result happiness. Annual income twenty pounds, annual expenditure twenty pound ought and six, result misery., Charles Dickens, David Copperfield, 1849, English novelist (1812 1870)
Bacchus hath drowned m
Bacchus hath drowned more men than Neptune., Dr. Thomas Fuller, Gnomologia, 1732, British physician (1654 1734)
We need men who can dr
We need men who can dream of things that never were., John F. Kennedy, speech in Dublin, Ireland, June 28 1963, US Democratic politician (1917 1963)
A wise man can see mor
A wise man can see more from the bottom of a well than a fool can from a mountain top ., Unknown, Quotations by unknown authors )
The discovery of a new
The discovery of a new dish does more for human happiness than the discovery of a new star., Anthelme BrillatSavarin, Physiologie du Gout, 1825, French gourmet lawyer (1755 1826)
Good company and good
Good company and good discourse are the very sinews of virtue., Izaak Walton, The Compleat Angler, 1653, English biographer fishing author (1593 1683)
Once a government is c
Once a government is committed to the principle of silencing the voice of opposition, it has only one way to go, and that is down the path of increasingly repressive measures, until it becomes a source of terror to all its citizens and creates a country where everyone lives in fear., Harry S Truman, August 8 1950, 33rd president of US (1884 1972)
The moment we begin to
The moment we begin to fear the opinions of others and hesitate to tell the truth that is in us, and from motives of policy are silent when we should speak, the divine floods of light and life no longer flow into our souls., Elizabeth Cady Stanton, 1890, US suffragist (1815 1902)
A man builds a fine ho
A man builds a fine house and now he has a master, and a task for life he is to furnish, watch, show it, and keep it in repair, the rest of his days., Ralph Waldo Emerson, Society and Solitude: Works and Days, 1870, US essayist poet (1803 1882)
Houses are built to li
Houses are built to live in, not to look on therefore, let use be preferred before uniformity, except where both may be had., Sir Francis Bacon, Essays: Of Building, 1623, English author, courtier, philosopher (1561 1626)
How many a man has dat
How many a man has dated a new era in his life from the reading of a book., Henry David Thoreau, Walden: Reading, 1854, US Transcendentalist author (1817 1862)
In the highest civiliz
In the highest civilization, the book is still the highest delight. He who has once known its satisfactions is provided with a resource against calamity., Ralph Waldo Emerson, Letters and Social Aims: Quotation and Originality, 1876, US essayist poet (1803 1882)
Books are the quietest
Books are the quietest and most constant of friends they are the most accessible and wisest of counsellors, and the most patient of teachers., Charles W. Eliot, The Happy Life, 1896, US educator (1834 1926)
Many books require no
Many books require no thought from those who read them, and for a very simple reason they made no such demand upon those who wrote them., Charles Caleb Colton, Lacon, 1820, (1780 1832)
Exercise ferments the
Exercise ferments the humors, casts them into their proper channels, throws off redundancies, and helps nature in those secret distributions, without which the body cannot subsist in its vigor, nor the soul act with cheerfulness., Joseph Addison, The Spectator, July 12 1711, English essayist, poet, politician (1672 1719)
Every artist was first
Every artist was first an amateur., Ralph Waldo Emerson, Letters and Social Aims: Progress of Culture, 1876, US essayist poet (1803 1882)
Every artist dips his
Every artist dips his brush in his own soul, and paints his own nature into his pictures., Henry Ward Beecher, Proverbs from Plymouth Pulpit, 1887, US abolitionist clergyman (1813 1887)
It is an interesting q
It is an interesting question how far men would retain their relative rank if they were divested of their clothes., Henry David Thoreau, Walden, 1854, US Transcendentalist author (1817 1862)
Ambition often puts me
Ambition often puts men upon doing the meanest offices so climbing is performed in the same posture with creeping., Jonathan Swift, Miscellanies, 1711, Irish essayist, novelist, satirist (1667 1745)
A vacuum is a hell of
A vacuum is a hell of a lot better than some of the stuff that nature replaces it with., Tennessee Williams, Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1955), US dramatist (1911 1983)
America is a mistake,
America is a mistake, a giant mistake., Sigmund Freud, Austrian psychologist (1856 1939)
Most people would succ
Most people would succeed in small things if they were not troubled with great ambitions., Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Driftwood Table Talk, 1857, US poet (1807 1882)
Hitch your wagon to a
Hitch your wagon to a star., Ralph Waldo Emerson, American Civilization, The Atlantic Monthly, 1862, US essayist poet (1803 1882)
It is better to offer
It is better to offer no excuse than a bad one., George Washington, letter to his niece Harriet Washington, October 30 1791, First president of US (1732 1799)
To me, old age is alwa
To me, old age is always 15 years older than I am., Bernard M. Baruch, 1940, US businessman politician (1870 1965)
You can tell the ideal
You can tell the ideals of a nation by its advertisements., Norman Douglas, South Wind, 1917,
Plans are only good in
Plans are only good intentions unless they immediately degenerate into hard work., Peter Drucker,
A stitch in time would
A stitch in time would have confused Einstein., Unknown, Quotations by unknown authors )
It is curious that phy
It is curious that physical courage should be so common in the world and moral courage so rare., Mark Twain, US humorist, novelist, short story author, wit (1835 1910)
To love what you do an
To love what you do and feel that it matters how could anything be more fun?, Katharine Graham,
Each handicap is like
Each handicap is like a hurdle in a steeplechase, and when you ride up to it, if you throw your heart over, the horse will go along, too., Lawrence Bixby,
Among those whom I lik
Among those whom I like or admire, I can find no common denominator, but among those whom I love, I can: all of them make me laugh., W. H. Auden, US (Englishborn) critic poet (1907 1973)
A single death is a tr
A single death is a tragedy a million deaths is a statistic., Joseph Stalin, Georgian Soviet politician (1879 1953)
He deserves Paradise w
He deserves Paradise who makes his companions laugh., Koran,
There is only one succ
There is only one success to be able to spend your life in your own way., Christopher Morley, US author journalist (1890 1957)
I am in earnest I will
I am in earnest I will not equivocate I will not excuse I will not retreat a single inch and I will be heard., William Lloyd Garrison, US abolitionist editor (1805 1879)
Opportunity is missed
Opportunity is missed by most people because it is dressed in overalls and looks like work., Thomas A. Edison, US inventor (1847 1931)
The greatest obstacle
The greatest obstacle to discovery is not ignorance it is the illusion of knowledge., Daniel J. Boorstin, US historian (1914 )
The greatest discovery
The greatest discovery of my generation is that a human being can alter his life by altering his attitudes of mind., William James, US Pragmatist philosopher psychologist (1842 1910)
If you are distressed
If you are distressed by anything external, the pain is not due to the thing itself, but to your estimate of it and this you have the power to revoke at any moment., Marcus Aurelius Antoninus, Roman Emperor, A.D. 161180 (121 AD 180 AD)
A rumor without a leg
A rumor without a leg to stand on will get around some other way., John Tudor,
My philosophy is that
My philosophy is that not only are you responsible for your life, but doing the best at this moment puts you in the best place for the next moment., Oprah Winfrey, US actress television talk show host (1954 )
Minds, like bodies, wi
Minds, like bodies, will often fall into a pimpled, illconditioned state from mere excess of comfort., Charles Dickens, English novelist (1812 1870)
Laziness is nothing mo
Laziness is nothing more than the habit of resting before you get tired., Jules Renard, (1864 1910)
Not merely an absence
Not merely an absence of noise, Real Silence begins when a reasonable being withdraws from the noise in order to find peace and order in his inner sanctuary., Peter Minard,
True silence is the re
True silence is the rest of the mind it is to the spirit what sleep is to the body, nourishment and refreshment., William Penn, English religious leader and colonist (1644 1718)
Many persons have a wr
Many persons have a wrong idea of what constitutes true happiness. It is not attained through selfgratification but through fidelity to a worthy purpose., Helen Keller, US blind deaf educator (1880 1968)
Success is not the res
Success is not the result of spontaneous combustion. You must set yourself on fire., Reggie Leach,
Every creator painfull
Every creator painfully experiences the chasm between his inner vision and its ultimate expression., Isaac Bashevis Singer, US (Polishborn) Jewish author (1904 1991)
Creativity represents
Creativity represents a miraculous coming together of the uninhibited energy of the child with its apparent opposite and enemy, the sense of order imposed on the disciplined adult intelligence., Norman Podhoretz,
Creativity can solve a
Creativity can solve almost any problem. The creative act, the defeat of habit by originality, overcomes everything., George Lois,
A psychiatrist is a fe
A psychiatrist is a fellow who asks you a lot of expensive questions your wife asks for nothing., Joey Adams,
The thing always happe
The thing always happens that you really believe in and the belief in a thing makes it happen., Frank Lloyd Wright, US architect (1869 1959)
You can have anything
You can have anything you want if you want it desperately enough. You must want it with an inner exuberance that erupts through the skin and joins the energy that created the world., Sheila Graham,
Take what you can use
Take what you can use and let the rest go by., Ken Kesey, US novelist (1935 )
There is no security o
There is no security on this earth, there is only opportunity., General Douglas MacArthur, US WWII general war hero (1880 1964)
Men for the sake of ge
Men for the sake of getting a living forget to live., Margaret Fuller, US Transcendentalist author editor (1810 1850)
Far better it is to da
Far better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs even though checkered by failure, than to rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy nor suffer much because they live in the gray twilight that knows neither victory nor defeat., Theodore Roosevelt, 26th president of US (1858 1919)
The truth is that all
The truth is that all of us attain the greatest success and happiness possible in this life whenever we use our native capacities to their greatest extent., Dr. Smiley Blanton,
If the point is sharp,
If the point is sharp, and the arrow is swift, it can pierce through the dust no matter how thick., Bob Dylan, US singer songwriter (1941 )
It is your work in lif
It is your work in life that is the ultimate seduction., Pablo Picasso, Spanish Cubist painter (1881 1973)
For one human being to
For one human being to love another that is perhaps the most difficult of all our tasks, the ultimate, the last test and proof, the work for which all other work is but preparation., Rainer Maria Rilke, German lyric poet (1875 1926)
The heights by great m
The heights by great men reached and kept were not attained by sudden flight, but they while their companions slept, were toiling upward in the night., Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, US poet (1807 1882)
When the eagles are si
When the eagles are silent, the parrots begin to jabber., Sir Winston Churchill, British politician (1874 1965)
A national debt, if it
A national debt, if it is not excessive, will be to us a national blessing., Alexander Hamilton, US (Scottishborn) lawyer politician (1755 1804)
The only man who is re
The only man who is really free is the one who can turn down an invitation to dinner without giving an excuse., Jules Renard, (1864 1910)
If you limit your choi
If you limit your choices only to what seems possible or reasonable, you disconnect yourself from what you truly want, and all that is left is a compromise., Robert Fritz,
Nothing contributes so
Nothing contributes so much to tranquilizing the mind as a steady purpose a point on which the soul may fix its intellectual eye., Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley, English novelist (1797 1851)
Strong lives are motiv
Strong lives are motivated by dynamic purposes., Kenneth Hildebrand,
The only true happine
The only true happiness comes from squandering ourselves for a purpose., William Cowper, English poet translator (1731 1800)
Poor is the man whose
Poor is the man whose pleasures depend on the permission of another., Madonna, US actress rock singer (1958 )
When love and skill wo
When love and skill work together, expect a masterpiece., John Ruskin, English critic, essayist, reformer (1819 1900)
The ancestor of every
The ancestor of every action is a thought., Ralph Waldo Emerson, US essayist poet (1803 1882)
A myth is a religion i
A myth is a religion in which no one any longer believes., James Feibleman,
Everything I did in my
Everything I did in my life that was worthwhile I caught hell for., Earl Warren, US jurist politician (1891 1974)
Every moment is a gold
Every moment is a golden one for him who has the vision to recognize it as such., Henry Miller, US author (1891 1980)
He not busy being born
He not busy being born is busy dying., Bob Dylan, US singer songwriter (1941 )
I owe my success to ha
I owe my success to having listened respectfully to the very best advice, and then going away and doing the exact opposite., G. K. Chesterton, English author mystery novelist (1874 1936)
Discouragement is simp
Discouragement is simply the despair of wounded selflove., Francois de Fenelon, French archbishop author (1651 1715)
Hail to you gods, on t
Hail to you gods, on that day of the great reckoning. Behold me, I have come to you, without sin, without guilt, without evil, without a witness against me, without one whom I have wronged. I am one pure of mouth, pure of hands., The Book of the Dead, The Address to the Gods, 17001000 B.C.,
Fear is that little da
Fear is that little darkroom where negatives are developed., Michael Pritchard,
A motion to adjourn is
A motion to adjourn is always in order., Robert Heinlein, Lazarus Long: Time Enough For Love, US science fiction author (1907 1988)
Our greatest pretenses
Our greatest pretenses are built up not to hide the evil and the ugly in us, but our emptiness. The hardest thing to hide is something that is not there., Eric Hoffer, (1902 1983)
Fear is the main sourc
Fear is the main source of superstition, and one of the main sources of cruelty. To conquer fear is the beginning of wisdom., Bertrand Russell, Unpopular Essays (1950), Outline of Intellectual Rubbish, British author, mathematician, philosopher (1872 1970)
We act as though comfo
We act as though comfort and luxury were the chief requirements of life, when all that we need to make us happy is something to be enthusiastic about., Charles Kingsley, English Anglican clergyman novelist (1819 1875)
It is hard to fight an
It is hard to fight an enemy who has outposts in your head., Sally Kempton,
I might repeat to myse
I might repeat to myself slowly and soothingly, a list of quotations beautiful from minds profound if I can remember any of the damn things., Dorothy Parker, US author, humorist, poet, wit (1893 1967)
Men are born to succee
Men are born to succeed, not fail., Henry David Thoreau, US Transcendentalist author (1817 1862)
Where there is hatred,
Where there is hatred, let me sow love. Where there is injury, pardon. Where there is doubt, faith., Saint Francis of Assisi, Italian monk saint (1181 1226)
Every sweet has its so
Every sweet has its sour every evil its good., Ralph Waldo Emerson, US essayist poet (1803 1882)
Desire creates the pow
Desire creates the power., Raymond Holliwell,
Give what you have. To
Give what you have. To someone, it may be better than you dare to think., Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, US poet (1807 1882)
Eighty percent of succ
Eighty percent of success is showing up., Woody Allen, US movie actor, comedian, director (1935 )
We go where our vision
We go where our vision is., Joseph Murphy,
We are what we repeate
We are what we repeatedly do., Aristotle, Greek critic, philosopher, physicist, zoologist (384 BC 322 BC)
We forfeit threefourth
We forfeit threefourths of ourselves in order to be like other people., Arthur Schopenhauer, German philosopher (1788 1860)
A man thinks that by m
A man thinks that by mouthing hard words he understands hard things., Herman Melville, US novelist sailor (1819 1891)
J.F.K.The Man and the
J.F.K.The Man and the Airport, Unknown, Suggested book title, Quotations by unknown authors )
When you have loved as
When you have loved as she has loved, you grow old beautifully., W. Somerset Maugham, English dramatist novelist (1874 1965)
Age does not protect y
Age does not protect you from love. But love, to some extent, protects you from age., Jeanne Moreau,
To love deeply in one
To love deeply in one direction makes us more loving in all others., AnneSophie Swetchine,
Tears may be dried up,
Tears may be dried up, but the heart never., Marguerite de Valois,
One word frees us of a
One word frees us of all the weight and pain of life: That word is love., Sophocles, Greek tragic dramatist (496 BC 406 BC)
Love is an act of endl
Love is an act of endless forgiveness, a tender look which becomes a habit., Peter Ustinov, English actor author (1921 2004)
The heart has its reas
The heart has its reasons which reason knows nothing of., Blaise Pascal, French mathematician, physicist (1623 1662)
Give all to love obey
Give all to love obey thy heart., Ralph Waldo Emerson, US essayist poet (1803 1882)
To love is to receive
To love is to receive a glimpse of heaven., Karen Sunde,
A man cannot be too ca
A man cannot be too careful in the choice of his enemies., Oscar Wilde, The Picture of Dorian Gray, 1891, Irish dramatist, novelist, poet (1854 1900)
Learning is not compul
Learning is not compulsory... neither is survival., W. Edwards Deming, US business advisor author (1900 1993)
As men, we are all equ
As men, we are all equal in the presence of death., Publilius Syrus, (~100 BC)
We simply rob ourselve
We simply rob ourselves when we make presents to the dead., Publilius Syrus, (~100 BC)
When we lose one we lo
When we lose one we love, our bitterest tears are called forth by the memory of hours when we loved not enough., Maurice Maeterlinck, Wisdom and Destiny, 1898, Belgian dramatist, essayist, poet (1862 1949)
While you are not able
While you are not able to serve men, how can you serve spirits [of the dead]?...While you do not know life, how can you know about death?, Confucius, The Confucian Analects, bk. 11:11, Chinese philosopher reformer (551 BC 479 BC)
Be peaceful, be courte
Be peaceful, be courteous, obey the law, respect everyone but if someone puts his hand on you, send him to the cemetery., Malcolm X, Malcolm X Speaks, 1965, US black nationalist leader (1925 1965)
The future belongs to
The future belongs to those who prepare for it today., Malcolm X, US black nationalist leader (1925 1965)
Providence has hidden
Providence has hidden a charm in difficult undertakings which is appreciated only by those who dare to grapple with them., AnneSophie Swetchine, The Writings of Madame Swetchine, 1869,
The minute one utters
The minute one utters a certainty, the opposite comes to mind., May Sarton, Mrs. Stevens Hears the Mermaids Singing, 1965,
The free expression of
The free expression of the hopes and aspirations of a people is the greatest and only safety in a sane society., Emma Goldman, Living My Life, 1931, US (Lithuanianborn) anarchist (1869 1940)
I begin to think, that
I begin to think, that a calm is not desirable in any situation in life....Man was made for action and for bustle too, I believe., Abigail Adams, letter to her sister, Mary Smith Cranch, 1784, US wife of John Adams 1764 (1744 1818)
The trouble in corpora
The trouble in corporate America is that too many people with too much power live in a box (their home), then travel the same road every day to another box (their office)., Faith Popcorn, The Popcorn Report, 1991,
The Argument from Inti
The Argument from Intimidation is a confession of intellectual impotence., Ayn Rand, The Virtue of Selfishness, 1964, US (Russianborn) novelist (1905 1982)
A bully is not reasona
A bully is not reasonable he is persuaded only by threats., Marie De France, 12th Century,
To repeat what others
To repeat what others have said, requires education to challenge it, requires brains., Mary Pettibone Poole, A Glass Eye at a Keyhole, 1938,
He felt about books as
He felt about books as doctors feel about medicines, or managers about plays cynical, but hopeful., Dame Rose Macaulay, Crewe Train, 1926, English novelist (1881 1958)
Just the knowledge tha
Just the knowledge that a good book is awaiting one at the end of a long day makes that day happier., Kathleen Norris, Hands Full of Living, 1931,
The world is round and
The world is round and the place which may seem like the end may also be only the beginning., Ivy Baker Priest, in Parade, 1958,
Nothing, of course, be
Nothing, of course, begins at the time you think it did., Lillian Hellman, An Unfinished Woman, 1969, US dramatist (1905 1984)
A little inaccuracy so
A little inaccuracy sometimes saves tons of explanation., Saki, The Square Egg, 1924, British (Burmanborn) short story author (1870 1916)
It is only the first s
It is only the first step that is difficult., Marie De VichyChaconne, Marquise Du Defend, letter to Defend, 1763,
Think of all the beaut
Think of all the beauty still left around you and be happy., Anne Frank, Diary of a Young Girl, 1952, German Jewish diarist (1929 1945)
Thus, in a real sense,
Thus, in a real sense, I am constantly writing autobiography, but I have to turn it into fiction in order to give it credibility., Katherine Paterson, The Spying Heart, 1989,
The scornful nostril a
The scornful nostril and the high head gather not the odors that lie on the track of truth., George Eliot, Felix Holt, the Radical, 1866, English novelist (1819 1880)
I need no warrant for
I need no warrant for being, and no word of sanction upon my being. I am the warrant and the sanction., Ayn Rand, Anthem, 1946, US (Russianborn) novelist (1905 1982)
The sweat of hard work
The sweat of hard work is not to be displayed. It is much more graceful to appear favored by the gods., Maxine Hong Kingston, The Woman Warrior, 1976,
Science may have found
Science may have found a cure for most evils but it has found no remedy for the worst of them all the apathy of human beings., Helen Keller, My Religion, 1927, US blind deaf educator (1880 1968)
A lifetime is more tha
A lifetime is more than sufficiently long for people to get what there is of it wrong., Unknown, Quotations by unknown authors )
We call them dumb anim
We call them dumb animals, and so they are, for they cannot tell us how they feel, but they do not suffer less because they have no words., Anna Sewell, Black Beauty, 1877, British author (1820 1878)
The animals of the pla
The animals of the planet are in desperate peril... Without free animal life I believe we will lose the spiritual equivalent of oxygen., Alice Walker, Living by the Word, 1988, US novelist (1944 )
Anger makes dull men w
Anger makes dull men witty, but it keeps them poor., Elizabeth I, in Francis Bacon, Apophthegms, 1625, English queen 15581603 (1533 1603)
When the habitually ev
When the habitually eventempered suddenly fly into a passion, that explosion is apt to be more impressive than the outburst of the most violent amongst us., Margery Allingham, Death of a Ghost, 1934,
A life spent making mi
A life spent making mistakes is not only more honorable, but more useful than a life spent doing nothing., George Bernard Shaw, Irish dramatist socialist (1856 1950)
Anger is a signal, and
Anger is a signal, and one worth listening to., Harriet Lerner, The Dance of Anger, 1985,
What is most beautiful
What is most beautiful in virile men is something feminine what is most beautiful in feminine women is something masculine., Susan Sontag, Against Interpretation, 1966, US author critic (1933 )
Male and female repres
Male and female represent the two sides of the great radical dualism. But in fact they are perpetually passing into one another. Fluid hardens to solid, solid rushes to fluid. There is no wholly masculine man, no purely feminine woman., Margaret Fuller, Woman in the Nineteenth Century, 1845, US Transcendentalist author editor (1810 1850)
She had learned the se
She had learned the selfdeprecating ways of the woman who does not want to be thought hard and grasping, but her artifices could not always cover the nakedness of her need to excel., Faith Sullivan, The Cape Ann, 1988,
To gain that which is
To gain that which is worth having, it may be necessary to lose everything else., Burnadette Devlin, The Price of My Soul, 1969,
My passions were all g
My passions were all gathered together like fingers that made a fist. Drive is considered aggression today I knew it then as purpose., Bette Davis, The Lonely Life, 1962, US movie actress (1908 1989)
How wonderful it is th
How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world., Anne Frank, Diary of a Young Girl, 1952, German Jewish diarist (1929 1945)
A liberal is a man too
A liberal is a man too broadminded to take his own side in a quarrel., Robert Frost, US poet (1874 1963)
To be alone is to be d
To be alone is to be different, to be different is to be alone., Suzanne Gordon, Lonely in America, 1976,
Of all the selffulfill
Of all the selffulfilling prophecies in our culture, the assumption that aging means decline and poor health is probably the deadliest., Marilyn Ferguson, The Aquarian Conspiracy, 1980,
Though it sounds absur
Though it sounds absurd, it is true to say I felt younger at sixty than I felt at twenty., Ellen Glasgow, The Woman Within, 1954, US novelist (1873 1945)
I have enjoyed greatly
I have enjoyed greatly the second blooming that comes when you finish the life of the emotions and of personal relations and suddenly find at the age of fifty, say that a whole new life has opened before you, filled with things you can think about, study, or read about...It is as if a fresh sap of ideas and thoughts was rising in you., Agatha Christie, An Autobiography, 1977, English mystery author (1890 1976)
Let me advise thee not
Let me advise thee not to talk of thyself as being old. There is something in Mind Cure, after all, and if thee continually talks of thyself as being old, thee may perhaps bring on some of the infirmities of age. At least I would not risk it if I were thee., Hannah Whitall Smith, 1907,
A jury consists of twe
A jury consists of twelve persons chosen to decide who has the better lawyer., Robert Frost, (attributed), US poet (1874 1963)
We did not change as w
We did not change as we grew older we just became more clearly ourselves., Lynn Hall, Where Have All the Tigers Gone?, 1989,
It is not advisable, J
It is not advisable, James, to venture unsolicited opinions. You should spare yourself the embarrassing discovery of their exact value to your listener., Ayn Rand, Atlas Shrugged, 1957, US (Russianborn) novelist (1905 1982)
Please give me some go
Please give me some good advice in your next letter. I promise not to follow it., Edna St. Vincent Millay, Letters, 1952, US poet (1892 1950)
The true secret of giv
The true secret of giving advice is, after you have honestly given it, to be perfectly indifferent whether it is taken or not, and never persist in trying to set people right., Hannah Whitall Smith, 1902,
It is very difficult t
It is very difficult to live among people you love and hold back from offering them advice., Anne Tyler, Celestial Navigation, 1974, US novelist (1941 )
A judge is a law stude
A judge is a law student who marks his own examination papers., H. L. Mencken, US editor (1880 1956)
I have long since come
I have long since come to believe that people never mean half of what they say, and that it is best to disregard their talk and judge only their actions., Dorothy Day, The Long Loneliness, 1952, US editor reformer (1897 1980)
It is in vain to say h
It is in vain to say human beings ought to be satisfied with tranquillity: they must have action and they will make it if they cannot find it., Charlotte Bronte, Jane Eyre, 1847, English novelist (1816 1855)
A Hospital is no place
A Hospital is no place to be sick., Samuel Goldwyn, US (Polishborn) movie producer (1882 1974)
Curiosity killed the c
Curiosity killed the cat, but for a while I was a suspect., Steven Wright, US comedian and actor (1955 )
We have too many high
We have too many high sounding words, and too few actions that correspond with them., Abigail Adams, letter to John Adams, 1774, US wife of John Adams 1764 (1744 1818)
No good deed goes unpu
No good deed goes unpunished., Clare Booth Luce, in H. Faber, The Book of Laws, 1980, US diplomat, dramatist, journalist, politician (1903 1987)
One never notices what
One never notices what has been done one can only see what remains to be done., Marie Curie, letter to her brother, 1894, French (Polishborn) chemist physicist (1867 1934)
What you will do matte
What you will do matters. All you need is to do it., Judy Grahn, Another Mother Tongue: Gay Words, Gay Worlds, 1984,
Where you used to be,
Where you used to be, there is a hole in the world, which I find myself constantly walking around in the daytime, and falling into at night. I miss you like hell., Edna St. Vincent Millay, Letters, 1952, US poet (1892 1950)
The true traveler is h
The true traveler is he who goes on foot, and even then, he sits down a lot of the time., Colette, Paris From My Window, 1944, French novelist (1873 1954)
Total absence of humor
Total absence of humor renders life impossible., Colette, Chance Acquaintances, 1952, French novelist (1873 1954)
Humility is no substit
Humility is no substitute for a good personality., Fran Lebowitz, Metropolitan Life, 1978, US writer and humorist (1950 )
It is wise to apply th
It is wise to apply the oil of refined politeness to the mechanisms of friendship., Colette, The Pure and the Impure, 1932, French novelist (1873 1954)
You will do foolish th
You will do foolish things, but do them with enthusiasm., Colette, in New York WorldTelegram and Sun, 1961, French novelist (1873 1954)
In every power, of whi
In every power, of which taste is the foundation, excellence is pretty fairly divided between the sexes., Jane Austen, Northanger Abbey, 1818, English novelist (1775 1817)
It has been my experie
It has been my experience that one cannot, in any shape or form, depend on human relations for lasting reward. It is only work that truly satisfies., Bette Davis, The Lonely Life, 1962, US movie actress (1908 1989)
I am doomed to an eter
I am doomed to an eternity of compulsive work. No set goal achieved satisfies. Success only breeds a new goal. The golden apple devoured has seeds. It is endless., Bette Davis, The Lonely Life, 1962, US movie actress (1908 1989)
We only do well the th
We only do well the things we like doing., Colette, Prisons and Paradise, 1932, French novelist (1873 1954)
The secret of joy in w
The secret of joy in work is contained in one word excellence. To know how to do something well is to enjoy it., Pearl Buck, The Joy of Children, 1964, US novelist in China (1892 1973)
A good novel tells us
A good novel tells us the truth about its hero but a bad novel tells us the truth about its author., G. K. Chesterton, English author mystery novelist (1874 1936)
It is bitter to lose a
It is bitter to lose a friend to evil, before one loses him to death., Mary Renault, The Praise Singer, 1978,
Evil when we are in it
Evil when we are in its power is not felt as evil but as a necessity, or even a duty., Simone Weil, Gravity and Grace, 1947, French social philosopher (1909 1943)
Evil is obvious only i
Evil is obvious only in retrospect., Gloria Steinem, Outrageous Acts and Everyday Rebellions, 1983, US feminist (1934 )
The spread of evil is
The spread of evil is the symptom of a vacuum. whenever evil wins, it is only by default: by the moral failure of those who evade the fact that there can be no compromise on basic principles., Ayn Rand, Capitalism: The Unknown Ideal, 1966, US (Russianborn) novelist (1905 1982)
The evil of the world
The evil of the world is made possible by nothing but the sanction you give it., Ayn Rand, Atlas Shrugged, 1957, US (Russianborn) novelist (1905 1982)
Fear not those who arg
Fear not those who argue but those who dodge., Marie Ebner von Eschenbach, Aphorisms, 1905,
There are new words no
There are new words now that excuse everybody. Give me the good old days of heroes and villains. the people you can bravo or hiss. There was a truth to them that all the slick credulity of today cannot touch., Bette Davis, The Lonely Life, 1962, US movie actress (1908 1989)
To fulfill a dream, to
To fulfill a dream, to be allowed to sweat over lonely labor, to be given the chance to create, is the meat and potatoes of life. The money is the gravy. As everyone else, I love to dunk my crust in it. But alone, it is not a diet designed to keep body and soul together., Bette Davis, The Lonely Life, 1962, US movie actress (1908 1989)
It has all been very i
It has all been very interesting., Lady Mary Wortley Montagu, last words, 1762, English letter author poet (1689 1762)
A good listener is not
A good listener is not only popular everywhere, but after a while he gets to know something., Wilson Mizner, US screenwriter (1876 1933)
Jealousy is all the fu
Jealousy is all the fun you think they had., Erica Jong, Fear of Flying, 1973,
Courage is the price t
Courage is the price that Life exacts for granting peace., Amelia Earhart, Courage, 1927, US aviator (1897 1937)
Language exerts hidden
Language exerts hidden power, like a moon on the tides., Rita Mae Brown, Starting From Scratch, 1988, US author and social activist )
If something anticipat
If something anticipated arrives too late it finds us numb, wrung out from waiting, and we feel nothing at all. The best things arrive on time., Dorothy Gilman, A New Kind of Country, 1978,
We cannot really love
We cannot really love anybody with whom we never laugh., Agnes Repplier, Americans and Others, 1912, US essayist (1855 1950)
There are some things
There are some things you learn best in calm, and some in storm., Willa Cather, The Song of the Lark, 1915, US novelist (1873 1947)
I believe in God, only
I believe in God, only I spell it Nature., Frank Lloyd Wright, US architect (1869 1959)
An idea is salvation b
An idea is salvation by imagination., Frank Lloyd Wright, US architect (1869 1959)
Noble life demands a n
Noble life demands a noble architecture for noble uses of noble men. Lack of culture means what it has always meant: ignoble civilization and therefore imminent downfall., Frank Lloyd Wright, US architect (1869 1959)
Give me the luxuries o
Give me the luxuries of life and I will willingly do without the necessities., Frank Lloyd Wright, quoted in his obituary, April 9 1959, US architect (1869 1959)
The longer I live the
The longer I live the more beautiful life becomes., Frank Lloyd Wright, US architect (1869 1959)
If a writer wrote mere
If a writer wrote merely for his time, I would have to break my pen and throw it away., Victor Hugo, French dramatist, novelist, poet (1802 1885)
There was a definite p
There was a definite process by which one made people into friends, and it involved talking to them and listening to them for hours at a time., Rebecca West, Irish critic, journalist, novelist (1892 1983)
Why do strong arms fat
Why do strong arms fatigue themselves with frivolous dumbbells? To dig a vineyard is worthier exercise for men., Marcus Valerius Martialis, (40 AD 103 AD)
Nothing ever goes away
Nothing ever goes away., Barry Commoner, US biologist educator (1917 )
We distinguish the exc
We distinguish the excellent man from the common man by saying that the former is the one who makes great demands upon himself, and the latter who makes no demands on himself., Jose Ortega y Gasset, Spanish philosopher politician (1883 1955)
We are never deceived
We are never deceived we deceive ourselves., Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, German dramatist, novelist, poet, scientist (1749 1832)
Curious things, habits
Curious things, habits. People themselves never knew they had them., Agatha Christie, English mystery author (1890 1976)
Learning to love yours
Learning to love yourself is the greatest love of all., Michael Masser and Linda Creed,
A good marriage is one
A good marriage is one which allows for change and growth in the individuals and in the way they express their love., Pearl Buck, US novelist in China (1892 1973)
A country can be judge
A country can be judged by the quality of its proverbs., German Proverb,
A compliment is a gift
A compliment is a gift, not to be thrown away carelessly, unless you want to hurt the giver., Eleanor Hamilton,
I truly feel that ther
I truly feel that there are as many ways of loving as there are people in the world and as there are days in the life of those people., Mary S. Calderone,
[Common sense] is the
[Common sense] is the best sense I know of., Lord Chesterfield, (1694 1773)
[Sleep is] the golden
[Sleep is] the golden chain that ties health and our bodies together., Thomas Dekker, English dramatist (1572 1632)
I simply cannot unders
I simply cannot understand the passion that some people have for making themselves thoroughly uncomfortable and then boasting about it afterwards., Patricia Moyes,
Exercise alone provide
Exercise alone provides psychological and physical benefits. However, if you also adopt a strategy that engages your mind while you exercise, you can get a whole host of psychological benefits fairly quickly., James Rippe, M.D.,
Whatever is reasonable
Whatever is reasonable is true, and whatever is true is reasonable., Georg W. Hegel, German philosopher (1770 1831)
The shoe that fits one
The shoe that fits one person pinches another there is no recipe for living that suits all cases., Carl Jung, Swiss psychologist (1875 1961)
A compromise is the ar
A compromise is the art of dividing a cake in such a way that everyone believes he has the biggest piece., Ludwig Erhard, German economist politician (1897 1977)
The undertaking of a n
The undertaking of a new action brings new strength., Evenius,
Happiness: a good bank
Happiness: a good bank account, a good cook and a good digestion., Jean Jacques Rousseau, French political philosopher (1712 1778)
Trouble is only opport
Trouble is only opportunity in work clothes., Henry J. Kaiser, US industrialist (1882 1967)
We cannot swing up on
We cannot swing up on a rope that is attached only to our own belt., William Ernest Hocking, US philosopher (1873 1966)
Man is the only animal
Man is the only animal whose desires increase as they are fed the only animal that is never satisfied., Henry George, US economist (1839 1897)
A classic is something
A classic is something that everybody wants to have read and nobody wants to read., Mark Twain, Speech in New York, Nov. 20 1900, US humorist, novelist, short story author, wit (1835 1910)
Perhaps I am a bear, o
Perhaps I am a bear, or some hibernating animal underneath, for the instinct to be half asleep all winter is so strong in me., Anne Morrow Lindbergh,
Laughter is by definit
Laughter is by definition healthy., Doris Lessing,
[Television is] the tr
[Television is] the triumph of machine over people., Fred Allen, US radio comedian (1894 1956)
Man is what he eats.,
Man is what he eats., Ludwig Feuerbach,
Things are seldom what
Things are seldom what they seem, skim milk masquerades as cream., W. S. Gilbert, English librettist writer of comic operettas (1836 1911)
Fear is a question: Wh
Fear is a question: What are you afraid of, and why? Just as the seed of health is in illness, because illness contains information, your fears are a treasure house of selfknowledge if you explore them., Marilyn Ferguson,
It is impossible to wa
It is impossible to walk rapidly and be unhappy., Dr. Howard Murphy,
It is only possible to
It is only possible to live happily ever after on a daytoday basis., Margaret Bonnano,
A censor is a man who
A censor is a man who knows more than he thinks you ought to., Granville Hicks, (1901 1982)
For the night was not
For the night was not impartial. No, the night loved some more than others, served some more than others., Eudora Welty, US novelist short story author (1909 )
In reality, serendipit
In reality, serendipity accounts for one percent of the blessings we receive in life, work and love. The other 99 percent is due to our efforts., Peter McWilliams,
Let me tell you the se
Let me tell you the secret that has led me to my goal. My strength lies solely in my tenacity., Louis Pasteur, French biologist bacteriologist (1822 1895)
At my age the bones ar
At my age the bones are water in the morning until food is given them., Pearl Buck, US novelist in China (1892 1973)
She wanted something t
She wanted something to happen something, anything: she did not know what., Kate Chopin,
Look in the mirror. Th
Look in the mirror. The face that pins you with its double gaze reveals a chastening secret., Diane Ackerman,
The best things carrie
The best things carried to excess are wrong., Charles Churchill,
A billion here, a bill
A billion here, a billion there, pretty soon it adds up to real money., Senator Everett Dirksen, US politician (1896 1969)
Part of the secret of
Part of the secret of success in life is to eat what you like and let the food fight it out inside., Mark Twain, US humorist, novelist, short story author, wit (1835 1910)
Even God cannot change
Even God cannot change the past., Agathon, (448 BC 400 BC)
The body is shaped, di
The body is shaped, disciplined, honored, and in time, trusted., Martha Graham, US choreographer dancer (1893 1991)
Tomatoes and oregano m
Tomatoes and oregano make it Italian wine and tarragon make it French. Sour cream makes it Russian lemon and cinnamon make it Greek. Soy sauce makes it Chinese garlic makes it good., Alice May Brock,
A human being must hav
A human being must have occupation if he or she is not to become a nuisance to the world., Dorothy L. Sayers, English mystery author (1893 1957)
A hobby a day keeps th
A hobby a day keeps the doldrums away., Phyllis Mcginley,
Sorrow was like the wi
Sorrow was like the wind. It came in gusts., Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings,
A banker is a fellow w
A banker is a fellow who lends you his umbrella when the sun is shining, but wants it back the minute it begins to rain., Mark Twain, US humorist, novelist, short story author, wit (1835 1910)
Working in the garden.
Working in the garden...gives me a profound feeling of inner peace., Ruth Stout,
Change has a considera
Change has a considerable psychological impact on the human mind. To the fearful it is threatening because it means that things may get worse. To the hopeful it is encouraging because things may get better. To the confident it is inspiring because the challenge exists to make things better., King Whitney Jr.,
A schedule defends fro
A schedule defends from chaos and whim., Annie Dillard,
Sport is imposing orde
Sport is imposing order on what was chaos., Anthony Starr,
The self is not someth
The self is not something readymade, but something in continuous formation through choice of action., John Dewey, US educator, Pragmatist philosopher, psychologist (1859 1952)
Vegetarianism is harml
Vegetarianism is harmless enough, though it is apt to fill a man with wind and selfrighteousness., Sir Robert Hutchinson,
We are always in searc
We are always in search of the redeeming formula, the crystallizing thought., Etty Hillesum,
People who are always
People who are always making allowances for themselves soon go bankrupt., Mary Pettibone Poole,
I cannot pretend to fe
I cannot pretend to feel impartial about colours. I rejoice with the brilliant ones and am genuinely sorry for the poor browns., Sir Winston Churchill, British politician (1874 1965)
Eat breakfast like a k
Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince, and dinner like a pauper., Adelle Davis,
Truth is the only safe
Truth is the only safe ground to stand on., Elizabeth Cady Stanton, US suffragist (1815 1902)
It is in his pleasure
It is in his pleasure that a man really lives it is from his leisure that he constructs the true fabric of self., Agnes Repplier, US essayist (1855 1950)
Certainly, travel is m
Certainly, travel is more than the seeing of sights it is a change that goes on, deep and permanent, in the ideas of living., Miriam Beard,
What worries you maste
What worries you masters you., Haddon W. Robinson,
Nothing is more pleasi
Nothing is more pleasing and engaging than the sense of having conferred benefits. Not even the gratification of receiving them., Ellis Peters,
Our remedies oft in ou
Our remedies oft in ourselves do lie., William Shakespeare, Greatest English dramatist poet (1564 1616)
Just as you began to f
Just as you began to feel that you could make good use of time, there was no time left to you., Lisa Alther,
There are few nudities
There are few nudities so objectionable as the naked truth., Agnes Repplier, US essayist (1855 1950)
Before he sets out, th
Before he sets out, the traveler must possess fixed interests and facilities to be served by travel., George Santayana, US (Spanishborn) philosopher (1863 1952)
Walking is also an amb
Walking is also an ambulation of mind., Gretel Ehrlich,
When you make a world
When you make a world tolerable for yourself, you make a world tolerable for others., Anais Nin, US (Frenchborn) author diarist (1903 1977)
People fail forward to
People fail forward to success., Mary Kay Ash,
An optimist is the hum
An optimist is the human personification of spring., Susan J. Bissonette,
Temptation rarely come
Temptation rarely comes in working hours. It is in their leisure time that men are made or marred., W. N. Taylor,
The strongest principl
The strongest principle of growth lies in human choice., George Eliot, English novelist (1819 1880)
Blessed are they who h
Blessed are they who heal you of selfdespisings. Of all services which can be done to man, I know of none more precious., William Hale White,
Illusions are art, for
Illusions are art, for the feeling person, and it is by art that you live, if you do., Elizabeth Bowen, Irish novelist short story author (1899 1973)
Imagination is the beg
Imagination is the beginning of creation. You imagine what you desire, you will what you imagine and at last you create what you will., George Bernard Shaw, Irish dramatist socialist (1856 1950)
Journal writing is a v
Journal writing is a voyage to the interior., Christina Baldwin,
After silence, that wh
After silence, that which comes nearest to expressing the inexpressible is music., Aldous Huxley, Music at Night, 1931, English critic novelist (1894 1963)
After all it is those
After all it is those who have a deep and real inner life who are best able to deal with the irritating details of outer life., Evelyn Underhill,
The most powerful fact
The most powerful factors in the world are clear ideas in the minds of energetic men of good will., J. Arthur Thomson,
Hindsight is always tw
Hindsight is always twentytwenty., Billy Wilder, US (Austrianborn) movie director (1906 2002)
When you are not physi
When you are not physically starving, you have the luxury to realize psychic and emotional starvation., Cherrie Moraga,
For me, words are a fo
For me, words are a form of action, capable of influencing change., Ingrid Bengis,
We begin to see that t
We begin to see that the completion of an important project has every right to be dignified by a natural grieving process. Something that required the best of you has ended. You will miss it., Anne Wilson Schaef,
Time cools, time clari
Time cools, time clarifies no mood can be maintained quite unaltered through the course of hours., Mark Twain, US humorist, novelist, short story author, wit (1835 1910)
For the sense of smell
For the sense of smell, almost more than any other, has the power to recall memories and it is a pity that you use it so little., Rachel Carson, US ecologist (1907 1964)
Cheerfulness, it would
Cheerfulness, it would appear, is a matter which depends fully as much on the state of things within, as on the state of things without and around us., Charlotte Bronte, English novelist (1816 1855)
A successful individua
A successful individual typically sets his next goal somewhat but not too much above his last achievement. In this way he steadily raises his level of aspiration., Kurt Lewin, US (Germanborn) psychologist (1890 1947)
It is wonderful how qu
It is wonderful how quickly you get used to things, even the most astonishing., Edith Nesbitt,
[Spring is] a true rec
[Spring is] a true reconstructionist., Henry Timrod,
It is not enough to su
It is not enough to succeed. Others must fail., Gore Vidal, US author dramatist (1925 )
I never saw an ugly th
I never saw an ugly thing in my life: for let the form of an object be what it may light, shade, and perspective will always make it beautiful., John Constable, English landscape painter (1776 1837)
I think wholeness come
I think wholeness comes from living your life consciously during the day and then exploring your inner life or unconscious at night., Margery Cuyler,
When I am attacked by
When I am attacked by gloomy thoughts, nothing helps me so much as running to my books. They quickly absorb me and banish the clouds from my mind., Michel de Montaigne, French essayist (1533 1592)
Although the world is
Although the world is full of suffering, it is full also of the overcoming of it., Helen Keller, US blind deaf educator (1880 1968)
I never cease being du
I never cease being dumbfounded by the unbelievable things people believe., Leo Rosten, US (Polishborn) author (1908 )
One must know oneself,
One must know oneself, if this does not serve to discover truth, it at least serves as a rule of life and there is nothing better., Blaise Pascal, French mathematician, physicist (1623 1662)
Politics is the art of
Politics is the art of preventing people from taking part in affairs which properly concern them., Paul Valery, Tel Quel 2 (1943), French critic poet (1871 1945)
A man can do all thing
A man can do all things if he but wills them., Leon Battista Alberti, Italian artist (1404 1472)
You always pass failur
You always pass failure on the way to success., Mickey Rooney, US actor (1920 )
Art is the desire of a
Art is the desire of a man to express himself, to record the reactions of his personality to the world he lives in., Amy Lowell, US critic poet (1874 1925)
They were so strong in
They were so strong in their beliefs that there came a time when it hardly mattered what exactly those beliefs were they all fused into a single stubbornness., Louise Erdrich,
The great thing in thi
The great thing in this world is not so much where you stand, as in what direction you are moving., Oliver Wendell Holmes, US author physician (1809 1894)
Ritual is the way you
Ritual is the way you carry the presence of the sacred. Ritual is the spark that must not go out., Christina Baldwin,
[Water is] the only dr
[Water is] the only drink for a wise man., Henry David Thoreau, US Transcendentalist author (1817 1862)
I am never afraid of w
I am never afraid of what I know., Anna Sewell, British author (1820 1878)
To establish oneself i
To establish oneself in the world, one has to do all one can to appear established., Francois de La Rochefoucauld, French author moralist (1613 1680)
A man may well bring a
A man may well bring a horse to the water but he cannot make him drink., John Heywood, English dramatist epigrammist (1497 1580)
The good or ill of a m
The good or ill of a man lies within his own will., Epictetus, Roman (Greekborn) slave Stoic philosopher (55 AD 135 AD)
It is a mistake to reg
It is a mistake to regard age as a downhill grade toward dissolution. The reverse is true. As one grows older, one climbs with surprising strides., George Sand, French author (1804 1876)
Our feelings are our m
Our feelings are our most genuine paths to knowledge., Audre Lorde,
To will is to select a
To will is to select a goal, determine a course of action that will bring one to that goal, and then hold to that action till the goal is reached. The key is action., Michael Hanson,
Good breeding consists
Good breeding consists of concealing how much we think of ourselves and how little we think of the other person., Mark Twain, Notebooks (1935), US humorist, novelist, short story author, wit (1835 1910)
[Medicine is] a collec
[Medicine is] a collection of uncertain prescriptions the results of which, taken collectively, are more fatal than useful to mankind., Napoleon Bonaparte, French general politician (1769 1821)
We owe something to ex
We owe something to extravagance, for thrift and adventure seldom go hand in hand., Jennie Jerome Churchill, Mother of Winston Churchill (1854 1921)
Guilt is a rope that w
Guilt is a rope that wears thin., Ayn Rand, US (Russianborn) novelist (1905 1982)
A ruffled mind makes a
A ruffled mind makes a restless pillow., Charlotte Bronte, English novelist (1816 1855)
Of course there is no
Of course there is no formula for success except perhaps an unconditional acceptance of life and what it brings., Arthur Rubinstein, US (Polishborn) composer pianist (1886 1982)
That man is the riches
That man is the richest whose pleasures are the cheapest., Henry David Thoreau, US Transcendentalist author (1817 1862)
It is better to wear o
It is better to wear out than to rust out., Bishop Richard Cumberland,
This is my answer to t
This is my answer to the gap between ideas and action I will write it out., Hortense Calisher,
Familiarity breeds con
Familiarity breeds contempt and children., Mark Twain, Notebooks (1935), US humorist, novelist, short story author, wit (1835 1910)
I stopped believing in
I stopped believing in Santa Claus when my mother took me to see him in a department store, and he asked for my autograph., Shirley Temple, US actress, dancer, diplomat (1928 )
The farther behind I l
The farther behind I leave the past, the closer I am to forging my own character., Isabelle Eberhardt,
I know of no more enco
I know of no more encouraging fact than the unquestioned ability of a man to elevate his life by conscious endeavor., Henry David Thoreau, US Transcendentalist author (1817 1862)
Where is there dignity
Where is there dignity unless there is honesty?, Cicero, Roman author, orator, politician (106 BC 43 BC)
Courage and perseveran
Courage and perseverance have a magical talisman, before which difficulties disappear and obstacles vanish into air., John Quincy Adams, US diplomat politician (1767 1848)
To be able to fill lei
To be able to fill leisure intelligently is the last product of civilization., Arnold Toynbee, English historian historical philosopher (1889 1975)
I think I should have
I think I should have no other mortal wants, if I could always have plenty of music. It seems to infuse strength into my limbs and ideas into my brain. Life seems to go on without effort, when I am filled with music., George Eliot, English novelist (1819 1880)
The report of my death
The report of my death was an exaggeration., Mark Twain, New York Journal, June 2 1897, US humorist, novelist, short story author, wit (1835 1910)
We turn not older with
We turn not older with years, but newer every day., Emily Dickinson, US poet (1830 1886)
The happiness of a man
The happiness of a man in this life does not consist in the absence but in the mastery of his passions., Alfred Lord Tennyson, English poet (1809 1892)
Health is not simply t
Health is not simply the absence of sickness., Hannah Green,
There is no need to go
There is no need to go to India or anywhere else to find peace. You will find that deep place of silence right in your room, your garden or even your bathtub., Elisabeth KublerRoss,
At the worst, a house
At the worst, a house unkept cannot be so distressing as a life unlived., Dame Rose Macaulay, English novelist (1881 1958)
Intimate relationships
Intimate relationships cannot substitute for a life plan. But to have any meaning or viability at all, a life plan must include intimate relationships., Harriet Lerner,
Selfrespect is the fru
Selfrespect is the fruit of discipline the sense of dignity grows with the ability to say no to oneself., Rabbi Abraham Heschel,
Man is the Only Animal
Man is the Only Animal that Blushes. Or needs to., Mark Twain, Following the Equator (1897), US humorist, novelist, short story author, wit (1835 1910)
Dance is the hidden la
Dance is the hidden language of the soul., Martha Graham, US choreographer dancer (1893 1991)
Enjoyment is not a goa
Enjoyment is not a goal, it is a feeling that accompanies important ongoing activity., Paul Goodman, (1911 1972)
The world stands aside
The world stands aside to let anyone pass who knows where he is going., David Starr Jordan, US biologist, educator, ichthyologist (1851 1931)
We improve ourselves b
We improve ourselves by victories over ourself. There must be contests, and you must win., Edward Gibbon, English historian of Rome (1737 1794)
I must govern the cloc
I must govern the clock, not be governed by it., Golda Meir, Israeli (Russianborn) politician (1898 1978)
Human beings, by chang
Human beings, by changing the inner attitudes of their minds, can change the outer aspects of their lives., William James, US Pragmatist philosopher psychologist (1842 1910)
Nature is just enough
Nature is just enough but men and women must comprehend and accept her suggestions., Antoinette Brown Blackwell, US abolitionist, preacher, suffragist (1825 1921)
Give me the splendid s
Give me the splendid silent sun with all his beams fulldazzling., Walt Whitman, US poet (1819 1892)
I have always felt tha
I have always felt that the moment when first you wake up in the morning is the most wonderful of the twentyfour hours., Monica Baldwin,
Smell is a potent wiza
Smell is a potent wizard that transports you across thousand of miles and all the years you have lived., Helen Keller, US blind deaf educator (1880 1968)
You can fool too many
You can fool too many of the people too much of the time., James Thurber, New Yorker, Apr. 29 1939 The Owl who was God, US author, cartoonist, humorist, satirist (1894 1961)
Order is the shape upo
Order is the shape upon which beauty depends., Pearl Buck, US novelist in China (1892 1973)
He who laughs, lasts!,
He who laughs, lasts!, Mary Pettibone Poole,
The one thing more dif
The one thing more difficult than following a regimen is not imposing it on others., Marcel Proust, French novelist (1871 1922)
Oh sleep! It is a gent
Oh sleep! It is a gentle thing, Beloved from pole to pole., Samuel Taylor Coleridge, English critic poet (1772 1834)
Flying may not be all
Flying may not be all plain sailing, but the fun of it is worth the price., Amelia Earhart, US aviator (1897 1937)
My heart, which is so
My heart, which is so full to overflowing, has often been solaced and refreshed by music when sick and weary., Martin Luther, German religious reformer (1483 1546)
One picture is worth a
One picture is worth a thousand words., Fred R. Barnard,
I reached for sleep an
I reached for sleep and drew it round me like a blanket muffling pain and thought together in the merciful dark., Mary Stewart,
What may be done at an
What may be done at any time will be done at no time., Scottish Proverb,
Silence is more musica
Silence is more musical than any song., Christina Rossetti, English poet (1830 1894)
Early to rise and earl
Early to rise and early to bed makes a male healthy and wealthy and dead., James Thurber, New Yorker, Feb. 18 1939 The Shrike and the Chipmunks, US author, cartoonist, humorist, satirist (1894 1961)
Autumn is the bite of
Autumn is the bite of the harvest apple., Christina Petrowsky,
The fragrance always r
The fragrance always remains in the hand that gives the rose., Heda Bejar,
Appetite, with an opin
Appetite, with an opinion of attaining, is called hope the same, without such opinion, despair., Thomas Hobbes, English political philosopher (1588 1679)
She did not talk to pe
She did not talk to people as if they were strange hard shells she had to crack open to get inside. She talked as if she were already in the shell. In their very shell., Marita Bonner,
Variety is the soul of
Variety is the soul of pleasure., Aphra Behn,
Consult your friend on
Consult your friend on all things, especially on those which respect yourself. His counsel may then be useful where your own selflove might impair your judgment., Seneca, Roman dramatist, philosopher, politician (5 BC 65 AD)
The only way to get ri
The only way to get rid of a temptation is to yield to it. Resist it, and your soul grows sick with longing for the things it has forbidden to itself., Oscar Wilde, The Picture of Dorian Gray, 1891, Irish dramatist, novelist, poet (1854 1900)
Arranging a bowl of fl
Arranging a bowl of flowers in the morning can give a sense of quiet in a crowded day like writing a poem, or saying a prayer., Anne Morrow Lindbergh,
There is no safety in
There is no safety in numbers, or in anything else., James Thurber, New Yorker, Feb. 4 1939 The Fairly Intelligent Fly, US author, cartoonist, humorist, satirist (1894 1961)
Men acquire a particul
Men acquire a particular quality by constantly acting a particular way...you become just by performing just actions, temperate by performing temperate actions, brave by performing brave actions., Aristotle, Greek critic, philosopher, physicist, zoologist (384 BC 322 BC)
Well, if I called the
Well, if I called the wrong number, why did you answer the phone?, James Thurber, New Yorker cartoon caption, June 5 1937, US author, cartoonist, humorist, satirist (1894 1961)
Her own mother lived t
Her own mother lived the latter years of her life in the horrible suspicion that electricity was dripping invisibly all over the house., James Thurber, My Life and Hard Times (1933), US author, cartoonist, humorist, satirist (1894 1961)
My personal hobbies ar
My personal hobbies are reading, listening to music, and silence., Edith Sitwell, English biographer, critic, novelist, poet (1887 1964)
It is better wither to
It is better wither to be silent, or to say things of more value than silence. Sooner throw a pearl at hazard than an idle or useless word and do not say a little in many words, but a great deal in a few., Pythagoras, Greek mathematician, philosopher, scientist (582 BC 507 BC)
The unspoken word neve
The unspoken word never does harm., Kossuth,
I think the first virt
I think the first virtue is to restrain the tongue he approaches nearest to gods who knows how to be silent, even though he is in the right., Cato the Elder, Roman orator politician (234 BC 149 BC)
Nothing is so good for
Nothing is so good for an ignorant man as silence and if he was sensible of this he would not be ignorant., Saadi, Persian poet (1184 1291)
Music is the wine that
Music is the wine that fills the cup of silence., Robert Fripp,
A bore is a man who, w
A bore is a man who, when you ask him how he is, tells you., Bert Leston Taylor, The SoCalled Human Race (1922),
He had occasional flas
He had occasional flashes of silence, that made his conversation perfectly delightful., Sydney Smith, referring to Macaulay, English essayist (1771 1845)
You have not converted
You have not converted a man because you have silenced him., John Viscount Morley,
In the attitude of sil
In the attitude of silence the soul finds the path in a clearer light, and what is elusive and deceptive resolves itself into crystal clearness. Our life is a long and arduous quest after Truth., Mahatma Gandhi, Indian ascetic nationalist leader (1869 1948)
Under all speech that
Under all speech that is good for anything there lies a silence that is better. Silence is deep as Eternity speech is shallow as Time., Thomas Carlyle, Scottish author, essayist, historian (1795 1881)
The cruelest lies are
The cruelest lies are often told in silence., Robert Louis Stevenson, Scottish author (1850 1894)
Oppression can only su
Oppression can only survive through silence., Carmen de Monteflores,
I have learnt silence
I have learnt silence from the talkative, toleration from the intolerant, and kindness from the unkind yet strange, I am ungrateful to these teachers., Kahlil Gibran, Lebanese artist poet in US (1883 1931)
Welltimed silence hath
Welltimed silence hath more eloquence than speech., Martin Fraquhar Tupper,
Selfconfidence is the
Selfconfidence is the first requisite to great undertakings., Samuel Johnson, English author, critic, lexicographer (1709 1784)
Discovery consists of
Discovery consists of seeing what everybody has seen and thinking what nobody has thought., Albert von SzentGyorgyi, in Irving Good, The Scientist Speculates (1962), US biochemist (1893 1986)
Gluttony is not a secr
Gluttony is not a secret vice., Orson Welles, US actor director (1915 1985)
Frugality without crea
Frugality without creativity is deprivation., Amy Dacyczyn,
A smiling face is half
A smiling face is half the meal., Latvian Proverb,
We are indeed much mor
We are indeed much more than what we eat, but what we eat can nevertheless help us to be much more than what we are., Adelle Davis,
Promises that you make
Promises that you make to yourself are often like the Japanese plum tree they bear no fruit., Francis Marion, US army officer in American Revolution (1732 1795)
I consider being ill a
I consider being ill as one of the great pleasures of life, provided one is not too ill., Samuel Butler, English composer, novelist, satiric author (1835 1902)
A handful of patience
A handful of patience is worth more than a bushel of brains., Dutch Proverb,
Anything you fully do
Anything you fully do is an alone journey., Natalie Goldberg,
Formerly, when religio
Formerly, when religion was strong and science weak, men mistook magic for medicine now, when science is strong and religion weak, men mistake medicine for magic., Thomas Szasz, The Second Sin 1973 Science and Scientism,
I am at two with natur
I am at two with nature., Woody Allen, US movie actor, comedian, director (1935 )
Thanksgiving is a typi
Thanksgiving is a typically American holiday...The lavish meal is a symbol of the fact that abundant consumption is the result and reward of production., Ayn Rand, US (Russianborn) novelist (1905 1982)
Great services are not
Great services are not canceled by one act or by one single error., Benjamin Disraeli, British politician (1804 1881)
Dwelling on the negati
Dwelling on the negative simply contributes to its power., Shirley MacLaine, US movie actress (1934 )
If pregnancy were a bo
If pregnancy were a book, they would cut the last two chapters., Nora Ephron,
The crowd gives the le
The crowd gives the leader new strength., Evenius,
Change is the constant
Change is the constant, the signal for rebirth, the egg of the phoenix., Christina Baldwin,
The body is a sacred g
The body is a sacred garment., Martha Graham, US choreographer dancer (1893 1991)
A sound mind in a soun
A sound mind in a sound body is a short but full description of a happy state in this world., John Locke, English empiricist philosopher (1632 1704)
[Long hair] is conside
[Long hair] is considered bohemian, which may be why I grew it, but I keep it long because I love the way it feels, part cloak, part fan, part mane, part security blanket., Marge Piercy,
A child becomes an adu
A child becomes an adult when he realizes that he has a right not only to be right but also to be wrong., Thomas Szasz, The Second Sin 1973 Childhood,
Over the years your bo
Over the years your bodies become walking autobiographies, telling friends and strangers alike of the minor and major stresses of your lives., Marilyn Ferguson,
Perhaps too much of ev
Perhaps too much of everything is as bad as too little., Edna Ferber, US author (1887 1968)
Music has charms to so
Music has charms to soothe the savage breast To soften rocks, or bend a knotted oak., William Congreve, The Mourning Bride, Act 1 Scene 1, English dramatist (1670 1729)
Without friends no one
Without friends no one would choose to live, though he had all other goods., Aristotle, Nichomachean Ethics, Greek critic, philosopher, physicist, zoologist (384 BC 322 BC)
All things must change
All things must change to something new, to something strange., Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, US poet (1807 1882)
To be without some of
To be without some of the things you want is an indispensable part of happiness., Bertrand Russell, British author, mathematician, philosopher (1872 1970)
Food is the most primi
Food is the most primitive form of comfort., Sheila Graham,
[The body is] a marvel
[The body is] a marvelous machine...a chemical laboratory, a powerhouse. Every movement, voluntary or involuntary, full of secrets and marvels!, Theodor Herzl, Austrian (Hungarianborn) Zionist leader (1860 1904)
Famous remarks are ver
Famous remarks are very seldom quoted correctly., Simeon Strunsky, No Mean City (1944), (1879 1948)
Tradition is a guide a
Tradition is a guide and not a jailer., W. Somerset Maugham, English dramatist novelist (1874 1965)
Simplicity is the peak
Simplicity is the peak of civilization., Jessie Sampter,
There smites nothing s
There smites nothing so sharp, nor smelleth so sour as shame., William Langland, English poet (1332 1400)
Kneejerk liberals and
Kneejerk liberals and all the certified saints of sanctified humanism are quick to condemn this great and muchmaligned Transylvanian statesman., William F. Buckley Jr., The Wit and Wisdom of Vlad the Impaler,
Retirement at sixtyfiv
Retirement at sixtyfive is ridiculous. When I was sixtyfive I still had pimples., George Burns, US actor comedian (1896 1996)
A conservative is a ma
A conservative is a man who believes that nothing should be done for the first time., Alfred E. Wiggam,
Give me an incubator o
Give me an incubator or give me death!, Hawkeye and Trapper, M*A*S*H,
Eternal vigilance is t
Eternal vigilance is the price of libertypower is ever stealing from the many to the few., Wendell Phillips, US abolitionist (1811 1884)
If you can spend a per
If you can spend a perfectly useless afternoon in a perfectly useless manner, you have learned how to live., Lin Yutang,
There is nothing more
There is nothing more notable in Socrates than that he found time, when he was an old man, to learn music and dancing, and thought it time well spent., Michel de Montaigne, French essayist (1533 1592)
Eternity is not someth
Eternity is not something that begins after you are dead. It is going on all the time. We are in it now., Charlotte P Gilman,
What saves a man is to
What saves a man is to take a step. Then another step. It is always the same step, but you have to take it., Antoine de SaintExupery, French writer (1900 1944)
As if you could kill t
As if you could kill time without injuring eternity., Henry David Thoreau, US Transcendentalist author (1817 1862)
I have realized that t
I have realized that the past and future are real illusions, that they exist in the present, which is what there is and all there is., Alan Watts,
Only enemies speak the
Only enemies speak the truth friends and lovers lie endlessly, caught in the web of duty., Roland, The Last Gunslinger,
If the radiance of a t
If the radiance of a thousand suns were to burst at once into the sky that would be like the splendor of the Mighty One... I am become Death, the Shatterer of Worlds., J. Robert Oppenheimer, Quoting The Bhagavad Gita,Alamogordo, New Mexico, 1945, US administrator astrophysicist (1904 1967)
Conservatives are not
Conservatives are not necessarily stupid, but most stupid people are conservatives., John Stuart Mill, English economist philosopher (1806 1873)
Water is the most negl
Water is the most neglected nutrient in your diet but one of the most vital., Kelly Barton,
Music is the wine that
Music is the wine that fills the cup of silence., Robert Fripp,
Of all the varieties o
Of all the varieties of virtues, liberalism is the most beloved., Aristotle,
The man for whom law e
The man for whom law exists the man of forms, the Conservative, is a tame man., Henry David Thoreau,
What is conservativism
What is conservativism? Is it not the aherence to the old and tried against the new and untried?, Abraham Lincoln, 16th president of US (1809 1865)
The coldest winter I e
The coldest winter I ever spent was a summer in San Francisco., Mark Twain, US humorist, novelist, short story author, wit (1835 1910)
"When angry, count fou
"When angry, count four when very angry, swear., Mark Twain, US humorist, novelist, short story author, wit (1835 1910)
"One of the most strik
"One of the most striking differences between a cat and a lie is that a cat has only nine lives., Mark Twain, US humorist, novelist, short story author, wit (1835 1910)
"Familiarity breeds co
"Familiarity breeds contempt and children., Mark Twain, US humorist, novelist, short story author, wit (1835 1910)
One ought, every day a
One ought, every day at least, to hear a little song, read a good poem, see a fine picture, and if it were possible, to speak a few reasonable words., Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, German dramatist, novelist, poet, scientist (1749 1832)
"Yields falsehood when
"Yields falsehood when preceded by its quotation" yields falsehood when preceded by its quotation., W.V.O. Quine,
Nietsche is Pietsche."
Nietsche is Pietsche.", Ogden Nash, US humorist poet (1902 1971)
"Home is where you wea
"Home is where you wear your hat., Buckaroo Banzai (the film),
"Attention, attention,
"Attention, attention, there are monkeyboys in the complex., Buckaroo Banzai (the film),
Learning builds daily
Learning builds daily accumulation, but the prictice of Tao builds daily simplification. Simplify and simplify, until all contamination from relative, contridictory thinking is eliminated. Then one does nothing, yet nothing is left undone. One who wins the world does so by not meddling with it. One who meddles with the world loses it., LaoTzu, Tao te Ching, Chinese philosopher (604 BC 531 BC)
We have enough religio
We have enough religion to hate each other, but not enough to love each other., Jonathan Swift, Irish essayist, novelist, satirist (1667 1745)
Man does not live by w
Man does not live by words alone, despite the fact that he sometimes has to eat them., Adlai E. Stevenson Jr., US diplomat Democratic politician (1900 1965)
I bet the human brain
I bet the human brain is a kludge., Marvin Minsky,
Nothing endures but pe
Nothing endures but personal qualities., Walt Whitman, US poet (1819 1892)
A mind once stretched
A mind once stretched by a new idea never regains its original dimension., Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr., US jurist (1841 1935)
There is no royal road
There is no royal road to geometry., Euclid, Said to king Ptolemy I,
But, my dearest Agatho
But, my dearest Agathon, it is truth which you cannot contradict you can without any difficulty contradict Socrates., Plato, Symposium, Greek author philosopher in Athens (427 BC 347 BC)
My writing is like a t
My writing is like a ten gallon spring. It can issue from the ground anywhere at all. On smooth ground it rushes swiftly on and covers a thouasand li in a single day without difficulty. When it twists and turns among mountains and rocks, it fits its form to things it meets: unknowable. What can be known is, it always goes where it must go, always stops where it cannot help stopping nothing else. More than that, even I cannot know., Su Shih,
Whenever we read the o
Whenever we read the obscene stories, the voluptuous debaucheries, the cruel and torturous executions, the unrelenting vindictiveness, with which more than half the bible is filled, it would seem more consistent that we called it the word of a demon than the Word of God. It is a history of wickedness that has served to corrupt and brutalize mankind., Thomas Paine, The Age of Reason, US patriot political philosopher (1737 1809)
Sweet is revenge espe
Sweet is revenge especially to women., Lord Byron, English poet satirist (1788 1824)
The greatest pleasure
The greatest pleasure in life is doing what people say you cannot do., Walter Bagehot, English economist journalist (1826 1877)
I always wanted to be
I always wanted to be somebody, but I should have been more specific., Lily Tomlin, US actress comedienne (1939 )
The poet judges not as
The poet judges not as a judge judges but as the sun falling around a helpless thing., Walt Whitman, US poet (1819 1892)
True friendship is nev
True friendship is never serene., Marie de RabutinChantal,
I am the only guinea p
I am the only guinea pig I have., R. Buckminster Fuller, US architect engineer (1895 1983)
Love is an irresistabl
Love is an irresistable desire to be irresistably desired., Robert Frost, US poet (1874 1963)
"What is it the Bible
"What is it the Bible teaches us? rapine, cruelty, and murder. What is it the Testament teaches us? to believe that the Almighty committed debauchery with a woman engaged to be married, and the belief of this debauchery is called faith., Thomas Paine, The Age of Reason, US patriot political philosopher (1737 1809)
I celebrate myself, an
I celebrate myself, and sing myself., Walt Whitman, Song of Myself, 1855, US poet (1819 1892)
The ultimate test of a
The ultimate test of a relationship is to disagree but hold hands., Alexander Penney,
There are very few peo
There are very few people who are not ashamed of having been in love when they no longer love each other., Francois de La Rochefoucald,
There is more to life
There is more to life than increasing its speed., Mahatma Gandhi, Indian ascetic nationalist leader (1869 1948)
Each friend represents
Each friend represents a world in us, a world not born until they arrive, and it is only by this meeting that a new world is born., Anais Nin, US (Frenchborn) author diarist (1903 1977)
We must laugh before w
We must laugh before we are happy, for fear we die before we laugh at all., Jean de La Bruyere, French moralist (1645 1696)
Love is but the discov
Love is but the discovery of ourselves in others, and the delight in the recognition., Alexander Smith, Scottish essayist poet (1830 1867)
O, throw away the wors
O, throw away the worser part of it, And live the purer with the other half., Shakespeare, Hamlet III, iv, 156160.,
While the gentleman ch
While the gentleman cherishes benign rule, the small man cherishes his native land. While the gentleman cherishes a respect for the law, the small man cherishes generous treatment., Confucius, nalects, IV.11, Chinese philosopher reformer (551 BC 479 BC)
In his errors a man is
In his errors a man is true to type. Observe the errors and you will know the man., Confucius, Analects, IV.7, Chinese philosopher reformer (551 BC 479 BC)
Now I see the secret o
Now I see the secret of the making of the best persons. It is to grow in the open air and to eat and sleep with the earth., Walt Whitman, Song of the Open Road, US poet (1819 1892)
It is only the benevol
It is only the benevolent man who is capable of liking or disliking other men., Confucius, Analects, IV.3, Chinese philosopher reformer (551 BC 479 BC)
If a man remembers wha
If a man remembers what is right at the sign of profit, is ready to lay down his life in the face of danger, and does not forget sentiments he has repeated all his life when he has been in straitened circumstances for a long time, he may be said to be a complete man., Confucius, Analects, XIV.12, Chinese philosopher reformer (551 BC 479 BC)
Do not impose on other
Do not impose on others what you yourself do not desire., Confucius, Analects, XV.24, Chinese philosopher reformer (551 BC 479 BC)
To govern is to correc
To govern is to correct. If you set an example by being correct, who would dare remain incorrect?, Confucius, Chinese philosopher reformer (551 BC 479 BC)
Men occasionally stumb
Men occasionally stumble over the truth, but most of them pick themselves up and hurry off as if nothing had happened., Sir Winston Churchill, British politician (1874 1965)
If you go on with this
If you go on with this nuclear arms race, all you are going to do is make the rubble bounce., Sir Winston Churchill, British politician (1874 1965)
I have taken more out
I have taken more out of alcohol than alcohol has taken out of me., Sir Winston Churchill, British politician (1874 1965)
MacDonald has the gift
MacDonald has the gift of compressing the largest amount of words into the smallest amount of thoughts., Sir Winston Churchill, British politician (1874 1965)
A torn jacket is soon
A torn jacket is soon mended but hard words bruise the heart of a child., Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, US poet (1807 1882)
My wife and I tried to
My wife and I tried to breakfast together, but we had to stop or our marriage would have been wrecked., Sir Winston Churchill, British politician (1874 1965)
It has been said that
It has been said that democracy is the worst form of government except all the others that have been tried., Sir Winston Churchill, British politician (1874 1965)
Although prepared for
Although prepared for martyrdom, I preferred that it be postponed., Sir Winston Churchill, British politician (1874 1965)
There is nothing more
There is nothing more exhilarating than to be shot at without result., Sir Winston Churchill, British politician (1874 1965)
At sunrise everything
At sunrise everything is luminous but not clear." It is those we live with and love and should know who elude us." You can love completely without complete understanding., Norman Maclean, A River Runs Through It,
Too many of us look up
Too many of us look upon Americans as dollar chasers. This is a cruel libel, even if it is reiterated thoughtlessly by the Americans themselves., Albert Einstein, 1929, US (Germanborn) physicist (1879 1955)
A person is never happ
A person is never happy except at the price of some ignorance., Anatole France, French novelist (1844 1924)
If it bleeds, you can
If it bleeds, you can kill it, Predator,
Guess again., The Runn
Guess again., The Running Man, movie,
This is getting on my
This is getting on my nerves, now that I have them., Q., Star Trek, the Next Generation, Deja Q,
Geschichte ist [...] e
Geschichte ist [...] ein Dialog zwischen Gegenwart und Vergangenheit. [retransl.:] History is [...] a dialogue between the present and the past., Edward Hallet Carr, Was ist Geschichte?, S. 54,
Life is islands of ecs
Life is islands of ecstasy in an ocean of ennui, and after the age of thirty land is seldom seen., Luke Rhinehart,
The major difference b
The major difference between a thing that might go wrong and a thing that cannot possibly go wrong is that when a thing that cannot possibly go wrong goes wrong it usually turns out to be impossible to get at and repair., Douglas Adams, Mostly Harmless, English humorist science fiction novelist (1952 2001)
A common mistake peopl
A common mistake people make when trying to design something completely foolproof is to underestimate the ingenuity of complete fools., Douglas Adams, Mostly Harmless, English humorist science fiction novelist (1952 2001)
"I want to know Gods t
"I want to know Gods thoughts.... all the rest are just details, Albert Einstein, US (Germanborn) physicist (1879 1955)
My favorite thing abou
My favorite thing about the Internet is that you get to go into the private world of real creeps without having to smell them., Penn Jillette, in a Compuserve chat, US magician showman (1955 )
Just like the falling
Just like the falling rainbow Just like the stars in the sky Life should never feel small., Vearncombe, Black, Paradise,
I think it would be a
I think it would be a good idea., Mahatma Ghandi,
You see things, and yo
You see things, and you say Why? But I dream things that never were, and say Why not?, George Bernard Shaw, Metamagical Themas" by Douglas Hofstadter, Irish dramatist socialist (1856 1950)) INSERT INTO `quotes` VALUES (1240, Liberalism is trust of the people, tempered by prudence conservatism, distrust of people, tempered by fear., William Gladstone, British politician (1809 1898)) INSERT INTO `quotes` VALUES (1241, "I, on the other hand, have a degree from the University of Life, a diploma from the School of Hard Knocks, and three gold stars from the Kindergarten of Getting the Shit Kicked Out of Me., Captain Edmund Blackadder, Blackadder Goes Forth,
We who are liberal and
We who are liberal and progressive know that the poor are our equals in every sense except that of being equal to us., Lionel Trilling,
I still believe in lib
I still believe in liberalism today as much as I ever did, but, oh, there was a happy time when I believed in liberals..., G. K. Chesterton, English author mystery novelist (1874 1936)
Neurotics build castle
Neurotics build castles in the air, psychotics live in them. My mother cleans them., Rita Rudner, US comedian )
Each of us visits this
Each of us visits this Earth involuntarily, and without an invitation. For me, it is enough to wonder at the secrets., Albert Einstein, US (Germanborn) physicist (1879 1955)
It is an odd thing, bu
It is an odd thing, but everyone who disappears is said to be seen at San Francisco. It must be a delightful city, and possess all the attractions of the next world., Oscar Wilde, Irish dramatist, novelist, poet (1854 1900)
Selfishness is not liv
Selfishness is not living as one wishes to live. It is asking other people to live as one wishes to live., Oscar Wilde, Irish dramatist, novelist, poet (1854 1900)
To love oneself is the
To love oneself is the beginning of a lifelong romance., Oscar Wilde, Irish dramatist, novelist, poet (1854 1900)
Simple pleasures are t
Simple pleasures are the last refuge of the complex., Oscar Wilde, Irish dramatist, novelist, poet (1854 1900)
"Opposites are cures f
"Opposites are cures for opposites., Hippocrates c. 460400 BC, Breaths, bk. I,
"Let no one be willing
"Let no one be willing to speak ill of the absent., Sextus Propertius 54 BCAD 2 Elegies, II, xix, 32,
Do not speak ill of th
Do not speak ill of the dead., The Seven Sages, (Bias, Chilon, Cleobulus, Periander, Pittacus,Solon, Thales) c. 650 c. 550 BC, From Diogenes Laertius, Lives, (650 BC 550 BC)
"If the victor had the
"If the victor had the gods on his side, the vanquished had Cato.", Lucan (Marcus Annaeus Lucanus) AD 3965, The Civil War, bk. I, 128,
First things first, bu
First things first, but not necessarily in that order., Doctor Who,
A diplomat... is a per
A diplomat... is a person who can tell you to go to hell in such a way that you actually look forward to the trip., Caskie Stinnett, Out of the Red (1960),
Publish and be damned!
Publish and be damned!, Arthur Wellesley, Duke of Wellington, Attributed when the courtesan Harriette Wilson threatened to publish her memoirs and his,
The lip of truth shall
The lip of truth shall be established for ever: but a lying tongue is but for a moment., Proverbs 19:00,00 The King James Bible,
Truth stands the test
Truth stands the test of time lies are soon exposed., Proverbs 19:00,00 The Bible,
Experience is a good s
Experience is a good school, but the fees are high., Heinrich Heine, German critic poet (1797 1856)
I have found little th
I have found little that is good about human beings. In my experience most of them, on the whole, are trash., Sigmund Freud, Austrian psychologist (1856 1939)
It is a rather pleasan
It is a rather pleasant experience to be alone in a bank at night., Willie Sutton,
Experience...is simply
Experience...is simply the name we give our mistakes., Oscar Wilde, Irish dramatist, novelist, poet (1854 1900)
If a man who cannot co
If a man who cannot count finds a fourleaf clover, is he entitled to happiness?, Stanislaw Lec, Unkempt Thoughts,
What is the difference
What is the difference between unethical and ethical advertising? Unethical advertising uses falsehoods to deceive the public ethical advertising uses truth to deceive the public., Vilhjalmur Stefansson, Discovery, 1964, Canadian explorer ethnologist (1879 1962)
Many a zero thinks it
Many a zero thinks it is the ellipse on which the Earth travels., Stanislaw Lec,
It turns out that an e
It turns out that an eerie type of chaos can lurk just behind a facade of order and yet, deep inside the chaos lurks an even eerier type of order., Douglas Hostadter,
Nothing great was ever
Nothing great was ever acheived without enthusiasm., R. W. Emerson,
People call me feminis
People call me feminist whenever I express sentiments that differentiate me from a doormat or a prostitute., Rebecca West, Irish critic, journalist, novelist (1892 1983)
The farther the experi
The farther the experiment is from theory the closer it is to the Nobel Prize., Frederic JoliotCurie, quoted by M.A. Markov, A Random Walk in Science compiled by R. L. Weber, edited by E. Mendoza,
Report writing, like m
Report writing, like motorcar driving and lovemaking, is one of those activities which almost every Englishman thinks he can do well without instruction. The results are of course usually abominable., Tom Margerison, A Random Walk in Science compiled by R. L. Weber, edited by E. Mendoza,
You may assume infinit
You may assume infinite ignorance and unlimited intelligence., Leo Szilard, A Random Walk in Science compiled by R. L. Weber, edited by E. Mendoza,
Happiness is nothing m
Happiness is nothing more than good health and a bad memory., Albert Schweitzer, French philosopher physician (1875 1965)
It did not last: the d
It did not last: the devil howling Ho! Let Einstein be! restored the status quo., Sir John Collins Squire, A Random Walk in Science compiled by R. L. Weber, edited by E. Mendoza,
We shall not flag or f
We shall not flag or fail. We shall go on to the end, we shall fight in France, we shall fight on the seas and oceans, we shall fight with growing confidence and growing strength in the air, we shall defend our island, whatever the cost may be, we shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills we shall never surrender., Sir Winston Churchill, Speech, 4.10.2008 June, 1940, British politician (1874 1965)
"How often have I said
"How often have I said to you that when you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth?, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, (Sherlock Holmes) Sign of Four, British mystery author physician (1859 1930)
It takes two to speak
It takes two to speak the truthone to speak and the other to hear., Henry David Thoreau, US Transcendentalist author (1817 1862)
One ought, every day a
One ought, every day at least, to hear a little song, read a good poem, see a fine picture and, if possible, speak a few reasonable words., Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, German dramatist, novelist, poet, scientist (1749 1832)
When you sling mud, yo
When you sling mud, you lose ground., Adlai E. Stevenson Jr., US diplomat Democratic politician (1900 1965)
If my theory of relati
If my theory of relativity is proven successful, Germany will claim me as a German and France will declare that I am a citizen of the world., Einstein,
"Everything should be
"Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler., Albert Einstein, US (Germanborn) physicist (1879 1955)
I am always doing that
I am always doing that which I can not do, in order that I may learn how to do it., Pablo Picasso, Spanish Cubist painter (1881 1973)
"Imagination is more i
"Imagination is more important than knowledge., Albert Einstein, US (Germanborn) physicist (1879 1955)
"My religion consists
"My religion consists of a humble admiration of the illimitable superior spirit who reveals himself in the slight details we are able to perceive with our frail and feeble mind., Albert Einstein, US (Germanborn) physicist (1879 1955)
Oscar Wilde: I wish I
Oscar Wilde: I wish I had said that. Whistler: You will, Oscar you will., Oscar Wilde, Irish dramatist, novelist, poet (1854 1900)) INSERT INTO `quotes` VALUES (1194, Military intelligence is a contradiction in terms., Groucho Marx, US comedian with Marx Brothers (1890 1977)) INSERT INTO `quotes` VALUES (1195, Usenet is distributed network anarchy at its bestor worst, depending on what is posted on any particular day., David Fiedler, in _Byte_, ) INSERT INTO `quotes` VALUES (1196, My life is a simple thing that would interest no one. It is a known fact that I was born and that is all that is necessary., Albert Einstein, US (Germanborn) physicist (1879 1955)
Duct tape is like the
Duct tape is like the force. It has a light side, and a dark side, and it holds the universe together ..., Carl Zwanzig,
If you choose not to l
If you choose not to live in a cluster, uh, dorm..., Jim Zelenka,
Sometimes it is more i
Sometimes it is more important to discover what one cannot do, than what one can do., Lin Yutang,
This calls for a very
This calls for a very special plan of psychology and extreme violence, The Young Ones,
Nothing is illegal if
Nothing is illegal if one hundred businessmen decide to do it., Andrew Young,
The truth of the matte
The truth of the matter is that window management under X is not yet well understood., The Xlib Programming Manual,
Student: Can you do pr
Student: Can you do problem number twelve? Wyler: Twelve?...NO!...That problem is on the test., Oswald Wyler,
An ambassador is a man
An ambassador is a man of virtue sent to lie abroad for his country a newswriter is a man without virtue who lies at home for himself., Sir Henry Wotton, Reliquae Wottonianae,
Science has proof with
Science has proof without any certainty. Creationists have certainty without any proof., Ashley Montague,
I try to know what I n
I try to know what I need to know. I make sure to know what I want to know., Nero Wolfe,
There is no limit to s
There is no limit to stupidity. Space itself is said to be bounded by its own curvature, but stupidity continues beyond infinity., Gene Wolfe,
Nothing recedes like s
Nothing recedes like success., Walter Winchell, US gossip columnist broadcast journalist (1897 1972)
The man who is swimmin
The man who is swimming against the stream knows the strength of it., Woodrow Wilson, 28th president of US (1856 1924)
I not only use all the
I not only use all the brains that I have, but all that I can borrow., Woodrow Wilson, 28th president of US (1856 1924)
Only the madman is abs
Only the madman is absolutely sure., Robert Anton Wilson,
Belief is the death of
Belief is the death of intelligence., Robert Anton Wilson,
I have noticed that th
I have noticed that the people who are late are often so much jollier than the people who have to wait for them., E. V. Lucas,
Football is a mistake.
Football is a mistake. It combines the two worst elements of American life. Violence and committee meetings., George Will,
The Berlin Wall is the
The Berlin Wall is the defining achievement of socialism., George Will,
The pure and simple tr
The pure and simple truth is rarely pure and never simple., Oscar Wilde, Irish dramatist, novelist, poet (1854 1900)
To be willing to die f
To be willing to die for an idea is to set a rather high price on conjecture., Anatole France, French novelist (1844 1924)
As long as war is rega
As long as war is regarded as wicked, it will always have its fascination. When it is looked upon as vulgar, it will cease to be popular., Oscar Wilde, Irish dramatist, novelist, poet (1854 1900)
Only the shallow know
Only the shallow know themselves., Oscar Wilde, Irish dramatist, novelist, poet (1854 1900)
Action is the last ref
Action is the last refuge of those who cannot dream., Oscar Wilde, Irish dramatist, novelist, poet (1854 1900)
A thing is not necessa
A thing is not necessarily true because a man dies for it., Oscar Wilde, Irish dramatist, novelist, poet (1854 1900)
Alas, I am dying beyon
Alas, I am dying beyond my means., Oscar Wilde, as he sipped champagne on his deathbed, Irish dramatist, novelist, poet (1854 1900)
Democracy means simply
Democracy means simply the bludgeoning of the people by the people for the people., Oscar Wilde, Irish dramatist, novelist, poet (1854 1900)
The basis for optimism
The basis for optimism is sheer terror., Oscar Wilde, Irish dramatist, novelist, poet (1854 1900)
The fact is, that civi
The fact is, that civilization requires slaves. The Greeks were quite right there. Unless there are slaves to do the ugly, horrible, uninteresting work, culture, and contemplation become almost impossible. Human slavery is wrong, insecure, and demoralizing. On mechanical slavery, on the slavery of the machine, the future of the world depends., Oscar Wilde, Irish dramatist, novelist, poet (1854 1900)
To be good, according
To be good, according to the vulgar standard of goodness, is obviously quite easy. It merely requires a certain amount of sordid terror, a certain lack of imaginative thought, and a certain low passion for middleclass respectability., Oscar Wilde, Irish dramatist, novelist, poet (1854 1900)
The English country ge
The English country gentleman galloping after a fox the unspeakable in full pursuit of the uneatable., Oscar Wilde, Irish dramatist, novelist, poet (1854 1900)
Seriousness is the onl
Seriousness is the only refuge of the shallow., Oscar Wilde, Irish dramatist, novelist, poet (1854 1900)
Fashion is a form of u
Fashion is a form of ugliness so intolerable that we have to alter it every six months., Oscar Wilde, Irish dramatist, novelist, poet (1854 1900)
Always and never are t
Always and never are two words you should always remember never to use., Wendell Johnson,
I sometimes think that
I sometimes think that God, in creating man, overestimated His ability., Oscar Wilde, Irish dramatist, novelist, poet (1854 1900)