Robertson Davies Cynical Quote
“Few people can see genius in someone who has offended them.” Robertson Davies
Sun Tzu on War and Wisdom
“If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles. If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat. If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle.” Sun Tzu Chinese general & military strategist (~400 BC)
Benjamin Franklin on Wisdom
“The doors of wisdom are never shut.” Benjamin Franklin
Euripides on Death
“No one can confidently say that he will still be living tomorrow.” Euripides
John F. Kennedy on Politics
“The problems of the world cannot possibly be solved by skeptics or cynics whose horizons are limited by the obvious realities. We need men who can dream of things that never were.” John F. Kennedy
Ambrose Bierce on Acquaintances
“Acquaintance, n.: A person whom we know well enough to borrow from, but not well enough to lend to.” Ambrose Bierce, The Devil’s Dictionary US author & satirist (1842 – 1914)
Willie Tyler on Lightning
“The reason lightning doesn’t strike twice in the same place is that the same place isn’t there the second time.” Willie Tyler
Millard Fuller on Community
“For a community to be whole and healthy, it must be based on people’s love and concern for each other.” Millard Fuller
Bruce Grocott on Work
“I have long been of the opinion that if work were such a splendid thing the rich would have kept more of it for themselves.” Bruce Grocott British politician (1940 – )
Thomas Sowell on History and Society
“Much of the social history of the Western world over the past three decades has involved replacing what worked with what sounded good.” Thomas Sowell, Is Reality Optional?, 1993 (1930 – )
Ann Landers on Love
“Love is friendship that has caught fire. It is quiet understanding, mutual confidence, sharing and forgiving. It is loyalty through good and bad times.” Ann Landers
Zig Ziglar on Success
“If you don’t see yourself as a winner, then you cannot perform as a winner.” Zig Ziglar
Matthew Arnold on Society
“This strange disease of modern life, with its sick hurry, its divided aims.” Matthew Arnold
Charles Lindbergh on Dreams
“Living in dreams of yesterday, we find ourselves still dreaming of impossible future conquests.” Charles Lindbergh
Mark Twain on Genius
“Thousands of geniuses live and die undiscovered – either by themselves or by others.” Mark Twain US humorist, novelist, short story author, & wit (1835 – 1910)
Georg Christoph Lichtenberg on Opinions
“Nothing is more conducive to peace of mind than not having any opinions at all.” Georg Christoph Lichtenberg (1742 – 1799)
Michael Jordan on Sports
“I can accept failure, but I can’t accept not trying.” Michael Jordan
Albert Camus on Friendship
“Don’t walk in front of me, I may not follow. Don’t walk behind me, I may not lead. Walk beside me and be my friend.” Albert Camus
F. Scott Fitzgerald on Intelligence
“The test of a first-rate intelligence is the ability to hold two opposed ideas in the mind at the same time, and still retain the ability to function.” F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Crack-Up (1936) US novelist (1896 – 1940)
John F. Kennedy on War
“Mankind must put an end to war before war puts an end to mankind.” John F. Kennedy
Eric Hoffer on Fear
“You can discover what your enemy fears most by observing the means he uses to frighten you.” Eric Hoffer (1902 – 1983)
Dwight D. Eisenhower on Television
“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 D. Eisenhower 34th president of US 1953-1961 (1890 – 1969)
William J. Broad on the Universe
“The crux… is that the vast majority of the mass of the universe seems to be missing.” William J. Broad
Tom Stoppard on Age
“I think age is a very high price to pay for maturity.” Tom Stoppard British dramatist & screenwriter (1937 – )
Anatole France on Education
“An education isn’t how much you have committed to memory, or even how much you know. It’s being able to differentiate between what you know and what you don’t.” Anatole France
William Shakespeare on Peace
“A peace is of the nature of a conquest; for then both parties nobly are subdued, and neither party loser.” William Shakespeare
C. P. Snow on Happiness
“The pursuit of happiness is a most ridiculous phrase; if you pursue happiness you’ll never find it.” C. P. Snow English novelist & scientist (1905 – 1980)
Arthur C. Clarke on Technology
“At the present rate of progress, it is almost impossible to imagine any technical feat that cannot be achieved – if it can be achieved at all – within the next few hundred years.” Arthur C. Clarke, 1983 English physicist & science fiction author (1917 – 2008)
Olin Miller Cynical Quote
“You probably wouldn’t worry about what people think of you if you could know how seldom they do.” Olin Miller
Hodding Carter on Television
“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
Zig Ziglar on Success
“Expect the best. Prepare for the worst. Capitalize on what comes.” Zig Ziglar
The Bible on Love
“Hatred stirs up trouble; love overlooks the wrongs that others do.” The Bible, Proverbs 10:12
Ambrose Bierce on Science
“There is nothing new under the sun but there are lots of old things we don’t know.” Ambrose Bierce, The Devil’s Dictionary US author & satirist (1842 – 1914)
Stephen Hawking on Science
“If human life were long enough to find the ultimate theory, everything would have been solved by previous generations. Nothing would be left to be discovered.” Stephen Hawking, Interview with The Guardian (UK) September 27, 2005 English cosmologist and physicist (1942 – )
Voltaire on Boredom
“The secret of being a bore is to tell everything.” Voltaire, Discours en vers sur l’homme, 1737 French author, humanist, rationalist, & satirist (1694 – 1778)
Francois de La Rochefoucauld Cynical Quote
“We all have strength enough to endure the misfortunes of others.” Francois de La Rochefoucauld French author & moralist (1613 – 1680)
James Thorpe on Work
“Household tasks are easier and quicker when they are done by somebody else.” James Thorpe US football player & track athlete (1888 – 1953)
Niels Bohr on the Future
“Prediction is very difficult, especially about the future.” Niels Bohr Danish physicist (1885 – 1962)
Peter Drucker on Work
“There is nothing so useless as doing efficiently that which should not be done at all.” Peter Drucker American (Austrian-born) management writer (1909 – 2005)
Mark Twain on Courage
“Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear – not absence of fear.” Mark Twain US humorist, novelist, short story author, & wit (1835 – 1910)
Gilbert K. Chesterton on Education
“Education is simply the soul of a society as it passes from one generation to another.” Gilbert K. Chesterton
Georg Christoph Lichtenberg on Belief
“First there is a time when we believe everything, then for a little while we believe with discrimination, then we believe nothing whatever, and then we believe everything again – and, moreover, give reasons why we believe.” Georg Christoph Lichtenberg (1742 – 1799)
Judith Viorst on Marriage
“One advantage of marriage is that, when you fall out of love with him or he falls out of love with you, it keeps you together until you fall in again.” Judith Viorst
Anonymous Quote
“Write a wise saying and your name will live forever.” Anonymous
Ronald Reagan on Economy
“The government’s view of the economy could be summed up in a few short phrases: If it moves, tax it. If it keeps moving, regulate it. And if it stops moving, subsidize it.” Ronald Reagan 40th president of US (1911 – 2004)
Indira Gandhi on Science
“The power to question is the basis of all human progress.” Indira Gandhi
Benjamin Disraeli Cynical Quote
“How much easier it is to be critical than to be correct.” Benjamin Disraeli, Speech at the House of Commons, January 24, 1860 British politician (1804 – 1881)
Mohandas Gandhi on Anger
“Man should forget his anger before he lies down to sleep.” Mohandas Gandhi
Robertson Davies on Books
“A truly great book should be read in youth, again in maturity and once more in old age, as a fine building should be seen by morning light, at noon and by moonlight.” Robertson Davies
Winston Churchill on Success
“Success consists of going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm.” Winston Churchill