Martin Luther King, Jr. on History
“We are not makers of history. We are made by history.” Martin Luther King, Jr.
Oscar Wilde on Society
“The public is wonderfully tolerant. It forgives everything except genius.” Oscar Wilde, The Critic as Artist, 1891 Irish dramatist, novelist, & poet (1854 – 1900)
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)
R. Buckminster Fuller on Science
“Everything you’ve learned in school as ‘obvious’ becomes less and less obvious as you begin to study the universe. For example, there are no solids in the universe. There’s not even a suggestion of a solid. There are no absolute continuums. There are no surfaces. There are no straight lines.” R. Buckminster Fuller US architect & engineer (1895 – 1983)
Abigail Van Buren on Society
“The less you talk, the more you’re listened to.” Abigail Van Buren
Plutarch on Wisdom
“The mind is not a vessel to be filled but a fire to be kindled.” Plutarch
William James on Society
“A great many people think they are thinking when they are really rearranging their prejudices.” William James US Pragmatist philosopher & psychologist (1842 – 1910)
Ralph Waldo Emerson on Thoughts
“In every work of genius we recognize our own rejected thoughts; they come back to us with a certain alienated majesty.” Ralph Waldo Emerson, “Self Reliance” US essayist & poet (1803 – 1882)
John Andrew Holmes on Self
“It is well to remember that the entire universe, with one trifling exception, is composed of others.” John Andrew Holmes
Winston Churchill on Business
“I am certainly not one of those who need to be prodded. In fact, if anything, I am the prod.” Winston Churchill
William S. Burroughs on Politics and Science Fiction
“After one look at this planet any visitor from outer space would say ‘I want to see the manager.’ “ William S. Burroughs US author (1914 – 1997)
Mohandas Gandhi on Forgiveness
“The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong.” Mohandas Gandhi
Marcus Aurelius on Anger
“How much more grievous are the consequences of anger than the causes of it.” Marcus Aurelius
King Solomon on Value
“Good people are remembered long after they are gone, but the wicked are soon forgotten.” Solomon a king of Israel and a thinker
Leo Tolstoy on Change
“Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing himself.” Leo Tolstoy Russian mystic & novelist (1828 – 1910)
Albert Einstein on Success
“Try not to become a man of success, but rather try to become a man of value.” Albert Einstein
Elbert Hubbard on Friendship
“A friend is one who knows you and loves you just the same.” Elbert Hubbard
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)
John Kenneth Galbraith Cynical Quote
“If all else fails, immortality can always be assured by spectacular error.” John Kenneth Galbraith US (Canadian-born) administrator & economist (1908 – 2006)
James Carville on Time
“The best time to plant an oak tree was twenty-five years ago. The second best time is today.” James Carville
Robert Frost on Poetry
“A poem begins as a lump in the throat, a sense of wrong, a homesickness, a lovesickness.” Robert Frost
Edgar Allan Poe on Dreams
“Those who dream by day are cognizant of many things which escape those who dream only by night.” Edgar Allan Poe, “Eleonora” US short story author, editor, & poet (1809 – 1849)
Randolph Bourne on Society
“Society is one vast conspiracy for carving one into the kind of statue it likes, and then placing it in the most convenient niche it has.” Randolph Bourne
Henry Kissinger on Politics
“Ninety percent of the politicians give the other ten percent a bad reputation.” Henry Kissinger US (German-born) diplomat & scholar (1923 – )
Adam Osborne on Computers
“People think computers will keep them from making mistakes. They’re wrong. With computers you make mistakes faster.” Adam Osborne
Marcus Aurelius on Life
“The art of living is more like wrestling than dancing.” Marcus Aurelius
Norman Vincent Peale on Success
“How you think about a problem is more important than the problem itself – so always think positively.” Norman Vincent Peale
Helen Keller on Comfort
“To me a lush carpet of pine needles or spongy grass is more welcome than the most luxurious Persian rug.” Helen Keller US blind & deaf educator (1880 – 1968)
Woody Allen on the Universe
“I’m astounded by people who want to ‘know’ the universe when it’s hard enough to find your way around Chinatown.” Woody Allen US movie actor, comedian, & director (1935 – )
Dwight D. Eisenhower on War
“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.” Dwight D. Eisenhower
Janet Long on Sanity
“Part of being sane, is being a little bit crazy.” Janet Long
Zig Ziglar on Success
“A goal properly set is halfway reached.” Zig Ziglar
Socrates on Marriage
“My advice to you is get married: if you find a good wife you’ll be happy; if not, you’ll become a philosopher.” Socrates
Tom Stoppard on Art & Imagination
“Skill without imagination is craftsmanship and gives us many useful objects such as wickerwork picnic baskets. Imagination without skill gives us modern art.” Tom Stoppard, “Artist Descending a Staircase” British dramatist & screenwriter (1937 – )
Winston Churchill on Success
“Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.” Winston Churchill
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
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)
Elbert Hubbard on Work & Technology
“One machine can do the work of fifty ordinary men. No machine can do the work of one extraordinary man.” Elbert Hubbard
Christopher Columbus on Exploration
“Following the light of the sun, we left the Old World.” Christopher Columbus
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)
William Faulkner on Equality
“To live anywhere in the world today and be against equality because of race or color is like living in Alaska and being against snow.” William Faulkner
Robert Frost on Law
“A jury consists of twelve persons chosen to decide who has the better lawyer.” Robert Frost, (attributed) US poet (1874 – 1963)
Euripides on Death
“No one can confidently say that he will still be living tomorrow.” Euripides
Fred Allen on Fame
“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)
Mohandas Gandhi on Change
“You must be the change you wish to see in the world.” Mohandas Gandhi
James F. Byrnes on Life
“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)
Mogens Jallberg on Democracy vs. Feudalism
“In democracy it’s your vote that counts; In feudalism it’s your count that votes.” Mogens Jallberg
Edsger Dijkstra on Computers
“Computer science is no more about computers than astronomy is about telescopes.” Edsger Dijkstra
Thomas à Kempis on Love
“Love makes everything that is heavy light.”
Laurence J. Peter on Ignorance
“Against logic there is no armor like ignorance.” Laurence J. Peter US educator & writer (1919 – 1988)
Pope John Paul II on Science and Faith
“Science can purify religion from error and superstition. Religion can purify science from idolatry and false absolutes.” Pope John Paul II
Henry Adams Cynical Quote
“No one means all he says, and yet very few say all they mean, for words are slippery and thought is viscous.” Henry Adams US author, autobiographer, & historian (1838 – 1918)
Rita Mae Brown on Computer Dating
“Computer dating is fine, if you’re a computer.” Rita Mae Brown US author and social activist
Honoré de Balzac on Art
“If we could but paint with the hand what we see with the eye.” Honoré de Balzac
Gail Hamilton on Responsibility
“Every person is responsible for all the good within the scope of his abilities, and for no more.” Gail Hamilton
R. Buckminster Fuller on Life
“Everyone is born a genius, but the process of living de-geniuses them.” R. Buckminster Fuller US architect & engineer (1895 – 1983)
Clarence Darrow on Patriotism
“True patriotism hates injustice in its own land more than anywhere else.” Clarence Darrow
Albert Einstein on Solving Problems
“The world will not evolve past its current state of crisis by using the same thinking that created the situation.” Albert Einstein
Charlie Chaplin on Laughter
“A day without laughter is a day wasted.” Charlie Chaplin
J. R. R. Tolkien on Motivation
“Little by little, one travels far.” J. R. R. Tolkien British scholar & fantasy novelist (1892 – 1973)
