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)
Woody Allen on Death
“I am not afraid of death, I just don’t want to be there when it happens.” Woody Allen
Dwight D. Eisenhower on Intellectuals
“An intellectual is a man who takes more words than necessary to tell more than he knows.” Dwight D. Eisenhower 34th president of US 1953-1961 (1890 – 1969)
Lucille S. Harper Cynical Quote
“The nice thing about egotists is that they don’t talk about other people.” Lucille S. Harper
Thomas Jefferson on Politics
“The spirit of resistance to government is so valuable on certain occasions, that I wish it always to be kept alive.” Thomas Jefferson 3rd president of US (1743 – 1826)
Ambrose Bierce on Politeness
“Politeness, n. The most acceptable hypocrisy.” Ambrose Bierce, The Devil’s Dictionary US author & satirist (1842 – 1914)
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
Euripides on War
“Ten soldiers wisely led will beat a hundred without a head.” Euripides
Samuel Goldwyn on Writing
“I don’t think anyone should write their autobiography until after they’re dead.” Samuel Goldwyn US (Polish-born) movie producer (1882 – 1974)
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
Leo J. Burke on Children
“People who say they sleep like a baby usually don’t have one.” Leo J. Burke
Victor Hugo on Age
“When grace is joined with wrinkles, it is adorable. There is an unspeakable dawn in happy old age.” Victor Hugo
Agatha Christie on Age
“I have enjoyed greatly the second blooming that comes when you finish the life of the emotions and of personal relations; and suddenly find – at the age of fifty, say – that a whole new life has opened before you, filled with things you can think about, study, or read about… It is as if a fresh sap of ideas and thoughts was rising in you.” Agatha Christie, An Autobiography, 1977 English mystery author (1890 – 1976)
Bob Marley on Music
“One good thing about music, when it hits you, you feel no pain.” Bob Marley
Horace Walpole on Life
“Life is a comedy for those who think… and a tragedy for those who feel.” Horace Walpole
Nikola Tesla on Scientists
“The scientists of today think deeply instead of clearly. One must be sane to think clearly, but one can think deeply and be quite insane.” Nikola Tesla, Modern Mechanics and Inventions. July, 1934 US (Serbian-born) electrical inventor (1857 – 1943)
Peter McArthur on Satirists
“A satirist is a man who discovers unpleasant things about himself and then says them about other people.” Peter McArthur
Zig Ziglar on Success
“I believe that being successful means having a balance of success stories across the many areas of your life. You can’t truly be considered successful in your business life if your home life is in shambles.” Zig Ziglar
Antoine de Saint-Exupery on Imagination
“A rock pile ceases to be a rock pile the moment a single man contemplates it, bearing within him the image of a cathedral.” Antoine de Saint-Exupery
King Solomon on Forgiveness
“You will keep your friends if you forgive them, but you will lose your friends if you keep talking about what they did wrong.” Solomon, King of Israel and thinker The Bible (Proverbs 17:9)
Proverbs 12:18 on Wisdom
“Sharp words cut like a sword, but words of wisdom heal.” Proverbs 12:18
Albert Einstein on Americans
“Too many of us look upon Americans as dollar chasers. This is a cruel libel, even if it is reiterated thoughtlessly by the Americans themselves.” Albert Einstein US (German-born) physicist (1879 – 1955)
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)
Sun Tzu on Victory
“The greatest victories are those won without fighting.” Sun Tzu Chinese general & military strategist (~400 BC)
Zig Ziglar on Success
“If you don’t see yourself as a winner, then you cannot perform as a winner.” Zig Ziglar
Mother Teresa on Faith
“Be faithful in small things because it is in them that your strength lies.” Mother Teresa
Robert Frost on Life
“In three words I can sum up everything I’ve learned about life: it goes on.” Robert Frost US poet (1874 – 1963)
Maya Angelou on Anger
“Bitterness is like cancer. It eats upon the host. But anger is like fire. It burns it all clean.” Maya Angelou
Edward Everett on Education
“Education is a better safeguard of liberty than a standing army.” Edward Everett
Paul Dirac on Science and Poetry
“In science one tries to tell people, in such a way as to be understood by everyone, something that no one ever knew before. But in poetry, it’s the exact opposite.” Paul Dirac English physicist in US (1902 – 1984)
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
Caskie Stinnett on Diplomacy
“A diplomat… is a person who can tell you to go to hell in such a way that you actually look forward to the trip.” Caskie Stinnett, Out of the Red (1960)
Andrew W. Mathis on Luck
“It is bad luck to be superstitious.” Andrew W. Mathis
Thomas Carlyle on Education
“What we become depends on what we read after all of the professors have finished with us. The greatest university of all is a collection of books.” Thomas Carlyle Scottish author, essayist, & historian (1795 – 1881)
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
Oscar Wilde on Income
“It is better to have a permanent income than to be fascinating.” Oscar Wilde, The Model Millionaire, 1887 Irish dramatist, novelist, & poet (1854 – 1900)
Jesse Ventura on Patriotism
“I believe patriotism comes from the heart. Patriotism is voluntary. It is a feeling of loyalty and allegiance that is the result of knowledge and belief.” Jesse Ventura
Josh Billings on Silence
“Silence is one of the hardest arguments to refute.” Josh Billings US Humorist (1818 – 1885)
Glaser and Way on Law
“The problem with any unwritten law is that you don’t know where to go to erase it.” Glaser and Way
John Kenneth Galbraith on Thinking
“The conventional view serves to protect us from the painful job of thinking.” John Kenneth Galbraith US (Canadian-born) administrator & economist (1908 – 2006)
Henry Van Dyke on Death
“Some people are so afraid to die that they never begin to live.” Henry Van Dyke
T. S. Eliot on Music
“You are the music while the music lasts.” T. S. Eliot
Albert Einstein on Mistakes
“A person who never made a mistake never tried anything new.” Albert Einstein
Saint Augustine on Love
“Love is the beauty of the soul.” Saint Augustine
John Lehman on Power
“Power corrupts. Absolute power is kind of neat.” John Lehman, Secretary of the Navy, 1981-1987 US administrator (1942 – )
Louis L’Amour on Contentment
“Nobody got anywhere in the world by simply being content.” Louis L’Amour US novelist of westerns (1908 – 1988)
Socrates on Wisdom
“The only true wisdom is in knowing you know nothing.” Socrates
Paul Johnson on Meaning
“The word ‘meaningful’ when used today is nearly always meaningless.” Paul Johnson
Ralph Waldo Emerson on Friendship
“The only way to have a friend is to be one.” Ralph Waldo Emerson
Oscar Wilde Cynical Quote
“True friends stab you in the front.” Oscar Wilde
Bob Wells on Government
“For every action there is an equal and opposite government program.” Bob Wells
Robert X. Cringely on Technology
“If the automobile had followed the same development cycle as the computer, a Rolls-Royce would today cost $100, get a million miles per gallon, and explode once a year, killing everyone inside.” Robert X. Cringely, InfoWorld magazine
Charles Lindbergh on Dreams
“Living in dreams of yesterday, we find ourselves still dreaming of impossible future conquests.” Charles Lindbergh
William G. McAdoo on Ignorance
“It is impossible to defeat an ignorant man in argument.” William G. McAdoo US industrialist, lawyer, & politician (1863 – 1941)
