Henry Fielding on Criticism
“Now, in reality, the world have paid too great a compliment to critics, and have imagined them to be men of much greater profundity than they really are.” Henry Fielding English dramatist & novelist (1707 – 1754)
Lord Acton on Business
“I’m not a driven businessman, but a driven artist. I never think about money. Beautiful things make money.” Lord Acton
Henry David Thoreau on Flying
“Thank God men cannot as yet fly and lay waste the sky as well as the earth!” Henry David Thoreau US Transcendentalist author (1817 – 1862)
Woodrow Wilson on Equality
“There can be no equality or opportunity if men and women and children be not shielded in their lives from the consequences of great industrial and social processes which they cannot alter, control, or singly cope with.” Woodrow Wilson
Samuel Johnson on Writing
“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)
Oscar Wilde on Forgiveness
“Always forgive your enemies – nothing annoys them so much.” Oscar Wilde
Sir Arthur Eddington on the Universe
“Not only is the universe stranger than we imagine, it is stranger than we can imagine.” Sir Arthur Eddington English astronomer (1882 – 1944)
Thomas Pickering on Archaeology vs. Diplomacy
“In archaeology you uncover the unknown. In diplomacy you cover the known.” Thomas Pickering US diplomat (1931 – )
Dale Carnegie on Success
“Flaming enthusiasm, backed by horse sense and persistence, is the quality that most frequently makes success.” Dale Carnegie
John Wilmot on Children
“Before I got married I had six theories about bringing up children; now I have six children and no theories.” John Wilmot
Orson Welles on Art and Time
“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 US actor & director (1915 – 1985)
Robert W. Sarnoff on Finance
“Finance is the art of passing money from hand to hand until it finally disappears.” Robert W. Sarnoff
Benjamin Franklin on Freedom and Security
“He who sacrifices freedom for security deserves neither.” Benjamin Franklin
Zig Ziglar on Friendship
“If you go looking for a friend, you’re going to find they’re very scarce. If you go out to be a friend, you’ll find them everywhere.” Zig Ziglar
Albert Guinon on Truth
“When everyone is against you, it means that you are absolutely wrong – or absolutely right.” Albert Guinon (1863 – 1923)
Francis Bacon on Death
“Men fear death as children fear to go in the dark; and as that natural fear in children is increased by tales, so is the other.” Francis Bacon
Samuel Johnson on Work
“Men are generally idle, and ready to satisfy themselves, and intimidate the industry of others, by calling that impossible which is only difficult.” Samuel Johnson, Life of Boerhaave English author, critic, & lexicographer (1709 – 1784)
Napoleon Hill on Success
“The ladder of success is never crowded at the top.” Napoleon Hill
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)
Saint Augustine on Faith
“Faith is to believe what you do not see; the reward of this faith is to see what you believe.” Saint Augustine
Soren Kierkegaard on Life
“Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards.” Soren Kierkegaard Danish philosopher (1813 – 1855)
Adrian Mitchell on Poetry
“Most people ignore most poetry because most poetry ignores most people.” Adrian Mitchell
Edgar Bergen on Work
“Hard work never killed anybody, but why take a chance?” Edgar Bergen, (Charlie McCarthy) US comedian & ventriloquist (1903 – 1978)
C. S. Lewis on Time
“The future is something which everyone reaches at the rate of 60 minutes an hour, whatever he does, whoever he is.” C. S. Lewis
Jay Leno on Politics
“If God had wanted us to vote, he would have given us candidates.” Jay Leno US comedian & television host (1950 – )
Saint Jerome on Marriage
“Marriage is good for those who are afraid to sleep alone at night.” St. Jerome
Henri Frederic Amiel on Age
“I’m not interested in age. People who tell me their age are silly. You’re as old as you feel.” Henri Frederic Amiel
Aristotle on Age
“Bashfulness is an ornament to youth, but a reproach to old age.” Aristotle
William Gibson on Futurism
“The future is here. It’s just not widely distributed yet.” William Gibson US science fiction novelist in Canada (1948 – )
Bill Gates on Technology
“The first rule of any technology used in a business is that automation applied to an efficient operation will magnify the efficiency. The second is that automation applied to an inefficient operation will magnify the inefficiency.” Bill Gates
George Jean Nathan on Patriotism
“Patriotism is often an arbitrary veneration of real estate above principles.” George Jean Nathan US drama critic & editor (1882 – 1958)
Omar N. Bradley on Technology and Wisdom
“If we continue to develop our technology without wisdom or prudence, our servant may prove to be our executioner.” Omar N. Bradley
Don Juan Manuel on Praise
“He who praises you for what you lack wishes to take from you what you have.” Don Juan Manuel Spanish author & nobleman (1282 – 1349)
Aristotle on Friendship
“Friendship is a single soul dwelling in two bodies.” Aristotle
Thomas Neill Cynical Quote
“Of those who say nothing, few are silent.” Thomas Neill
Enrico Fermi on Knowledge
“It is no good to try to stop knowledge from going forward. Ignorance is never better than knowledge.” Enrico Fermi US (Italian-born) physicist (1901 – 1954)
Richard J. Daley on Politics
“Good government is good politics.” Richard J. Daley
Martin Luther King, Jr. on Equality
“I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia, the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit together at the table of brotherhood.” Martin Luther King, Jr.
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
Margaret Thatcher on Politics
“The problem with socialism is that you eventually run out of other peoples money.” Margaret Thatcher
Pierre Beaumarchais Cynical Quote
“It is not necessary to understand things in order to argue about them.” Pierre Beaumarchais French businessman & comic dramatist (1732 – 1799)
Roger Ebert on Movies
“Every great film should seem new every time you see it.” Roger Ebert
Isaac Newton on Science
“I keep the subject of my inquiry constantly before me, and wait till the first dawning opens gradually, by little and little, into a full and clear light.” Isaac Newton English mathematician & physicist (1642 – 1727)
Abraham Lincoln on Character
“Character is like a tree and reputation like its shadow. The shadow is what we think of it; the tree is the real thing.” Abraham Lincoln
James Thurber on Questions
“It is better to know some of the questions than all of the answers.” James Thurber US author, cartoonist, humorist, & satirist (1894 – 1961)
Josh Billings on Marriage
“Marrying for love may be a bit risky, but it is so honest that God can’t help but smile on it.” Josh Billings
Ronald Reagan on Politics
“I have left orders to be awakened at any time in case of national emergency, even if I’m in a cabinet meeting.” Ronald Reagan 40th president of US (1911 – 2004)
Thomas Jefferson on Dreams and History
“I like the dreams of the future better than the history of the past.” Thomas Jefferson
Herb Caen on the Past
“I tend to live in the past because most of my life is there.” Herb Caen
Benjamin Disraeli on Strategy
“The most dangerous strategy is to jump a chasm in two leaps.” Benjamin Disraeli British politician (1804 – 1881)
Gilbert K. Chesterton on Imagination
“It is not bigotry to be certain we are right; but it is bigotry to be unable to imagine how we might possibly have gone wrong.” Gilbert K. Chesterton English author & mystery novelist (1874 – 1936)
Chester Bowles on Politics
“Government is too big and too important to be left to the politicians.” Chester Bowles US diplomat & economist (1901 – 1986)
Fred Allen on Hollywood
“You can take all the sincerity in Hollywood, place it in the navel of a firefly and still have room enough for three caraway seeds and a producer’s heart.” Fred Allen US radio comedian (1894 – 1956)
Emile Chartier on Ideas
“There are only two kinds of scholars; those who love ideas and those who hate them.” Emile Chartier
Christopher Lasch on Success
“Nothing succeeds like the appearance of success.” Christopher Lasch
Oswald Chambers on Work
“The whole point of getting things done is knowing what to leave undone.” Oswald Chambers
Ludwig Wittgenstein on Philosophy
“Philosophy is a battle against the bewitchment of our intelligence by means of language.” Ludwig Wittgenstein Austrian philosopher (1889 – 1951)
Albert Einstein on War
“The release of atomic energy has not created a new problem. It has merely made more urgent the necessity of solving an existing one.” Albert Einstein US (German-born) physicist (1879 – 1955)
Tom Morris on Love and Life
“The meaning of life is creative love. Not love as an inner feeling, as a private sentimental emotion, but love as a dynamic power moving out into the world and doing something original.” Tom Morris
Albert Einstein on Technology & Humanity
“It has become appallingly obvious that our technology has exceeded our humanity.” Albert Einstein
