Seneca on Literature
“I shall never be ashamed of citing a bad author if the line is good.” Seneca Roman dramatist, philosopher, & politician (5 BC – 65 AD)
Greg Anderson on Character
“Focus on the journey, not the destination. Joy is found not in finishing an activity but in doing it.” Greg Anderson
Laurie Anderson on Music
“Writing about music is like dancing about architecture.” Laurie Anderson
Mark Twain on Lies
“There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics.” Mark Twain
William Wrigley Jr. on Business
“When two men in business always agree, one of them is unnecessary.” William Wrigley Jr. US chewing gum industrialist (1861 – 1932)
Abraham Maslow on Problems
“If the only tool you have is a hammer, you tend to see every problem as a nail.” Abraham Maslow (1908 – 1970)
Arnold J. Toynbee on Work
“The supreme accomplishment is to blur the line between work and play.” Arnold J. Toynbee
Laurence J. Peter on Anger
“Speak when you are angry – and you will make the best speech you’ll ever regret.” Laurence J. Peter US educator & writer (1919 – 1988)
Christopher Lasch on Success
“Nothing succeeds like the appearance of success.” Christopher Lasch
Al McGuire on Politics
“I think the world is run by ‘C’ students.” Al McGuire
Margaret Atwood on Love
“The Eskimo has fifty-two names for snow because it is important to them; there ought to be as many for love.” Margaret Atwood
Jean Paul Richter on Courage
“A timid person is frightened before a danger, a coward during the time, and a courageous person afterward.” Jean Paul Richter German author (1763 – 1825)
Pearl S. Buck on Work
“To find joy in work is to discover the fountain of youth.” Pearl S. Buck
William Gibson on Futurism
“The future is here. It’s just not widely distributed yet.” William Gibson US science fiction novelist in Canada (1948 – )
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle on Talent
“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)
Anonymous on Politics
“Liberals are very broadminded: they are always willing to give careful consideration to both sides of the same side.” Anonymous
Mark Twain on Anger
“Anger is an acid that can do more harm to the vessel in which it is stored than to anything on which it is poured.” Mark Twain
Albert Einstein on Logic and Imagination
“Logic will get you from A to B. Imagination will take you everywhere.” Albert Einstein
Cullen Hightower on Wisdom
“Wisdom is what’s left after we’ve run out of personal opinions.” Cullen Hightower
Howard Scott on Business
“Criminal: A person with predatory instincts who has not sufficient capital to form a corporation.” Howard Scott (1926 – )
Stephen Leacock on Advertising
“Advertising may be described as the science of arresting the human intelligence long enough to get money from it.” Stephen Leacock Canadian economist & humorist (1869 – 1944)
George Santayana on Progress
“Those who speak most of progress measure it by quantity and not by quality.” George Santayana US (Spanish-born) philosopher (1863 – 1952)
Benjamin Disraeli on Strategy
“The most dangerous strategy is to jump a chasm in two leaps.” Benjamin Disraeli British politician (1804 – 1881)
Martin Luther King, Jr. on History
“We are not makers of history. We are made by history.” Martin Luther King, Jr.
Rodney Dangerfield on Marriage
“I haven’t spoken to my wife in years. I didn’t want to interrupt her.” Rodney Dangerfield US actor & comedian (1921 – 2004)
Mignon McLaughlin on Society
“Society honors its living conformists and its dead troublemakers.” Mignon McLaughlin
H. L. Mencken on Humanity
“The capacity of human beings to bore one another seems to be vastly greater than that of any other animal.” H. L. Mencken US editor (1880 – 1956)
John Stuart Mill on Happiness
“Ask yourself whether you are happy and you cease to be so.” John Stuart Mill English economist & philosopher (1806 – 1873)
Henry Austin Dobson on Time
“Time goes, you say? Ah, no! alas, time stays, we go.” Henry Austin Dobson
Evan Esar on Anger
“Anger is the feeling that makes your mouth work faster than your mind.” Evan Esar American Humorist (1899 – 1995)
Albert Einstein on God & Science
“God does not care about our mathematical difficulties. He integrates empirically.” Albert Einstein
Oscar Wilde on Experience
“Experience is one thing you can’t get for nothing.” Oscar Wilde
George Lucas on Movies
“The secret to film is that it’s an illusion.” George Lucas
Marquis de la Grange on Advice
“When we ask for advice, we are usually looking for an accomplice.” Marquis de la Grange (1639 – 1692)
Winston Churchill on Strategy and Results
“However beautiful the strategy, you should occasionally look at the results.” Winston Churchill
Benjamin Franklin on Education
“Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn.” Benjamin Franklin
George Carlin on Nature
“Some national parks have long waiting lists for camping reservations. When you have to wait a year to sleep next to a tree, something is wrong.” George Carlin US comedian and actor (1937 – 2008)
Don Marquis on Procrastination
“Procrastination is the art of keeping up with yesterday.” Don Marquis US humorist (1878 – 1937)
Edith Sitwell on Truth
“The public will believe anything, so long as it is not founded on truth.” Edith Sitwell English biographer, critic, novelist, & poet (1887 – 1964)
George Orwell on Society
“Society has always seemed to demand a little more from human beings than it will get in practice.” George Orwell
Pedro Calderon de la Barca on Love
“Love that is not madness is not love.” Pedro Calderon de la Barca
Francois de La Rochefoucauld on Agreement
“We rarely think people have good sense unless they agree with us.” Francois de La Rochefoucauld, Maximes (1678) French author & moralist (1613 – 1680)
Benjamin Disraeli on Expectations
“What we anticipate seldom occurs; what we least expected generally happens.” Benjamin Disraeli British politician (1804 – 1881)
Henry Ford on Reputation
“You can’t build a reputation on what you are going to do.” Henry Ford US automobile industrialist (1863 – 1947)
Jesse Owens on Dreams
“We all have dreams. But in order to make dreams come into reality, it takes an awful lot of determination, dedication, self-discipline, and effort.” Jesse Owens
Kin Hubbard on Success
“There’s no secret about success. Did you ever know a successful man who didn’t tell you about it?” Kin Hubbard (1868 – 1930)
Blaise Pascal on Faith
“In faith there is enough light for those who want to believe and enough shadows to blind those who don’t.” Blaise Pascal
Patrick Young on Weather
“The trouble with weather forecasting is that it’s right too often for us to ignore it and wrong too often for us to rely on it.” Patrick Young
Arnold Lobel on Books
“Books to the ceiling, Books to the sky, My pile of books is a mile high. How I love them! How I need them! I’ll have a long beard by the time I read them.” Arnold Lobel
Robert Frost on Love
“Love is an irresistible desire to be irresistibly desired.” Robert Frost US poet (1874 – 1963)