Antoine de Saint-Exupery on War
“War is not an adventure. It is a disease. It is like typhus.” Antoine de Saint-Exupery
Sidney J. Harris on Regret
“Regret for the things we did can be tempered by time; it is regret for the things we did not do that is inconsolable.” Sidney J. Harris
Ralph Waldo Emerson on Courage and Persistence
“Whatever you do, you need courage. Whatever course you decide upon, there is always someone to tell you that you are wrong. There are always difficulties arising that tempt you to believe your critics are right.” Ralph Waldo Emerson
Harry S Truman Cynical Quote
“If you cannot convince them, confuse them.” Harry S Truman 33rd president of US (1884 – 1972)
Albert Einstein on Science
“The important thing is not to stop questioning.” Albert Einstein US (German-born) physicist (1879 – 1955)
Douglas Adams on the Universe
“There is a theory which states that if ever anybody discovers exactly what the Universe is for and why it is here, it will instantly disappear and be replaced by something even more bizarre and inexplicable. There is another theory which states that this has already happened.” Douglas Adams English humorist & science fiction novelist (1952 – 2001)
Madeleine L’Engle Cynical Quote
“It takes too much energy to be against something unless it’s really important.” Madeleine L’Engle US juvenile science fiction novelist (1918 – )
James Thurber on Art
“He knows all about art, but he doesn’t know what he likes.” James Thurber US author, cartoonist, humorist, & satirist (1894 – 1961)
Thomas Merton on Education
“The least of learning is done in the classrooms.” Thomas Merton US religious author, clergyman, & Trappist monk (1915 – 1968)-
Franklin Pierce Adams Cynical Quote
“Seeing ourselves as others see us would probably confirm our worst suspicions about them.” Franklin Pierce Adams US journalist (1881 – 1960)
Paul Valery on Books
“Books have the same enemies as people: fire, humidity, animals, weather, and their own content.” Paul Valery French critic & poet (1871 – 1945)
Gordon R. Dickson on Advice
“Some people like my advice so much that they frame it upon the wall instead of using it.” Gordon R. Dickson
R. Buckminster Fuller on Technology
“Humanity is acquiring all the right technology for all the wrong reasons.” R. Buckminster Fuller US architect & engineer (1895 – 1983)
E. B. White on Planning
“I get up every morning determined to both change the world and have one hell of a good time. Sometimes this makes planning my day difficult.” E. B. White US author & humorist (1899 – 1985)
Doug Larson on Aging
“The aging process has you firmly in its grasp if you never get the urge to throw a snowball.” Doug Larson
Thomas Jefferson on Peace
“Peace and friendship with all mankind is our wisest policy, and I wish we may be permitted to pursue it.” Thomas Jefferson
R. D. Hitchcock on Character and Education
“The secret of all success is to know how to deny yourself. Prove that you can control yourself, and you are an educated man; and without this all other education is good for nothing.” R. D. Hitchcock
Neil Armstrong on Mystery
“Mystery creates wonder and wonder is the basis of man’s desire to understand.” Neil Armstrong (1930 – 2012) Apollo 11 astronaut, first man on the Moon.
John Madden on Sports
“The fewer rules a coach has, the fewer rules there are for players to break.” John Madden
Movie Quote on Health and Economy
“The entire economy of the Western world is built on things that cause cancer.” From the 1985 movie “Bliss”
Thomas Carlyle on Conceit
“The greatest of faults, I should say, is to be conscious of none.” Thomas Carlyle Scottish author, essayist, & historian (1795 – 1881)
Robertson Davies on Children
“A happy childhood has spoiled many a promising life.” Robertson Davies, “What’s Bred in the Bone”
Oscar Wilde on Wisdom
“Only the shallow know themselves.” Oscar Wilde, “Phrases and Philosophies for the Use of the Young”, 1882 Irish dramatist, novelist, & poet (1854 – 1900)
Charles Peters on Politics
“Bureaucrats write memoranda both because they appear to be busy when they are writing and because the memos, once written, immediately become proof that they were busy.” Charles Peters
John Wanamaker on Advertising
“Half the money I spend on advertising is wasted; the trouble is I don’t know which half.” John Wanamaker US department store merchant (1838 – 1922)
Louise Beal on Society
“Love thy neighbour as yourself, but choose your neighbourhood.” Louise Beal
Jose Marti on Suffering
“Man has to suffer. When he has no real afflictions, he invents some.” Jose Marti
Frank Wilczek on Physics
“In physics, you don’t have to go around making trouble for yourself – nature does it for you.” Frank Wilczek American physicist (1951 – )
William Goldman on Life
“Life isn’t fair. It’s just fairer than death, that’s all.” William Goldman, “The Princess Bride”
Serbian Proverb on Humility
“Be humble for you are made of earth. Be noble for you are made of stars.” Serbian proverb
John Dryden on Forgiveness
“It is easier to forgive an enemy than to forgive a friend.” John Dryden
Helen Rowland on Life
“The follies which a man regrets most, in his life, are those which he didn’t commit when he had the opportunity.” Helen Rowland, A Guide to Men, 1922 (1876 – 1950)
Paul Valery on Poetry
“A poem is never finished, only abandoned.” Paul Valery
Zig Ziglar on Work
“A lot of people quit looking for work as soon as they find a job.” Zig Ziglar
Jerome K. Jerome on Work
“I like work: it fascinates me. I can sit and look at it for hours.” Jerome K. Jerome, “Three Men in a Boat”, 1889 British humor writer (1859 – 1927)
Fran Lebowitz on Success
“Success didn’t spoil me, I’ve always been insufferable.” Fran Lebowitz US writer and humorist (1950 – )
Marie Curie on Work
“One never notices what has been done; one can only see what remains to be done.” Marie Skłodowska-Curie, Letter to her brother, 1894 Polish chemist & physicist (1867 – 1934)
H. L. Mencken on Age & Wisdom
“The older I grow the more I distrust the familiar doctrine that age brings wisdom.” H. L. Mencken US editor (1880 – 1956)
Jake Roberts on Experience
“Every moment is an experience.” Jake Roberts
Samuel Johnson Funny Quote
“Wine makes a man more pleased with himself; I do not say that it makes him more pleasing to others.” Samuel Johnson English author, critic, & lexicographer (1709 – 1784)
George Orwell on Language
“The great enemy of clear language is insincerity. When there is a gap between one’s real and one’s declared aims, one turns as it were instinctively to long words and exhausted idioms, like a cuttlefish spurting out ink.” George Orwell, “Politics and the English Language”, 1946 English essayist, novelist, & satirist (1903 – 1950)
Friedrich Nietzsche’s Cynical Quote
“Talking much about oneself can also be a means to conceal oneself.” Friedrich Nietzsche German philosopher (1844 – 1900)
Marcus Tullius Cicero on Age
“As I approve of a youth that has something of the old man in him, so I am no less pleased with an old man that has something of the youth. He that follows this rule may be old in body, but can never be so in mind.” Marcus Tullius Cicero
Charles M. Crowe on Easter
“Easter tells us that life is to be interpreted not simply in terms of things but in terms of ideals.” Charles M. Crowe
Napoleon Hill on Time
“Don’t wait. The time will never be just right.” Napoleon Hill
Cicero on Humanity and Community
“We were born to unite with our fellow men, and to join in community with the human race.” Cicero
Thomas A. Edison on Work
“Being busy does not always mean real work. The object of all work is production or accomplishment and to either of these ends there must be forethought, system, planning, intelligence, and honest purpose, as well as perspiration. Seeming to do is not doing.” Thomas A. Edison