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We live in a society exquisitely dependent on science and technology, in which hardly anyone knows anything about science and technology.
Carl Sagan When it is obvious that the goals cannot be reached, don't adjust the goals, adjust the action steps. Confucius (Chinese teacher, philosopher, and political theorist, 551-479 BC) Any idiot can face a crisis - it's day to day living that wears you out. Anton Chekhov If it's a good idea, go ahead and do it. It's much easier to apologize than it is to get permission. Grace Murray Hopper (American computer programmer and inventor of COBOL, 1906-1992) Never ascribe to malice that which is adequately explained by incompetence. Napoleon Bonaparte Never look down to test the ground before taking your next step: only he who keeps his eye fixed on the far horizon will find the right road. Dag Hammerskjöld You will never reach your destination if you stop and throw stones at every dog that barks. Winston S. Churchill Don't argue with a fool. The spectators can't tell the difference. Charles j. Nalin Cleaning your house while your kids are still growing is like clearing the drive before it has stopped snowing. Anonymous Drag your thoughts away from your troubles... by the ears, by the heels, or any other way you can manage it. Mark Twain Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler. Albert Einstein Half of the troubles of this life can be traced to saying yes too quickly and not saying no soon enough. Josh Billings If everyone is thinking alike, then somebody isn't thinking. George S. Patton I have always been fond of the West African proverb: Speak softly and carry a big stick; you will go far. Theodore Roosevelt letter to Henry L. Sprague, January 26, 1900 In life as in a football game, the principle to follow is: Hit the line hard; don't foul and don't shirk, but hit the line hard. Theodore Roosevelt The Strenuous Life Don't hit a man at all if you can avoid it, but if you have to hit him, knock him out. Theodore Roosevelt from a speech given in Cleveland, November 2, 1916 Sometimes in life, both at school and afterwards, fortune will go against anyone, but if he just keeps pegging away and don't lose his courage things always take a turn for the better in the end. Theodore Roosevelt December 2, 1902, letter to Kermit Roosevelt In any moment of decision, the best thing you can do is the right thing, the next best thing is the wrong thing, and the worst thing you can do is nothing. Theodore Roosevelt (attributed) Do what you can, with what you've got, where you are. Theodore Roosevelt Autobiography (1913), p. 327 in the National Edition of the Works Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can. Arthur Ashe One important key to success is self-confidence. An important key to self-confidence is preparation. Arthur Ashe Going to war without France is like going deer hunting without your accordion. Norman Schwartzkopf The word "user" is the word used by the computer professional when they mean idiot. Dave Barry American Humorist, Author
Too bad that all the people who know how to run the country are busy driving taxicabs and cutting hair. George Burns 1896-1996, American Comedy Actor The problem with people who have no vices is that generally you can be pretty sure they're going to have some pretty annoying virtues. Elizabeth Taylor When crew and captain understand each other to the core, It takes a gale and more than a gale to put their ship ashore. Rudyard Kipling The most exciting phrase to hear in science, the one that heralds new discoveries, is not "Eureka!" (I found it!) but "That's funny ..." Isaac Asimov Of course the people don't want war. That is understood. But after all, it is the leaders of the country who determine the policy, and it's always a simple matter to drag the people along whether it's a democracy, a fascist dictatorship, or a parliament, or a communist dictatorship. Voice or no voice, the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is tell them they are being attacked, and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism and exposing the country to danger. It works the same in any country. Hermann Goering, Adolf Hitler's Deputy Chief and Luftwaffe Commander, at the Nuremberg trials, 1946, from "Nuremberg Diary," by G. M. Gilbert One of the best things to come out of the home computer revolution could be the general and widespread understanding of how severely limited logic really is. Frank Herbert 1920-1986, American Writer A life spent making mistakes is not only more honorable but more useful than a life spent doing nothing. George Bernard Shaw Red meat is NOT bad for you. Now, blue-green meat, THAT'S bad for you!! Tom Smothers Do not try to solve all life's problems at once -- learn to dread each day as it comes. Donald Kaul Obstacles are those frightful things that you see when you take your eyes off your goal. Henry Ford Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful people with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan "press on" has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race. Calvin Coolidge (one of June Miller's favorite quotations) I'm all in favor of keeping dangerous weapons out of the hands of fools. Let's start with typewriters. Frank Lloyd Wright You can't legislate intelligence and common sense into people. Will Rogers Each and every one of us has one obligation, during the bewildered days of our pilgrimage here: the saving of his own soul, and secondarily and incidentally thereby affecting for good such other souls as come under our influence. Kathleen Norris (1880-1960), American Author A mistake in judgement isn't fatal, but too much anxiety about judgement is. Pauline Kael (1919- ) I Lost It at the Movies Beware of the man who works hard to learn something, learns it, and finds himself no wiser than before, Bokonon tells us. "He is full of murderous resentment of people who are ignorant without having come by their ignorance the hard way." Kurt Vonnegut Cat's Cradle There is a sort of man who pays no attention to his good actions, but is tormented by his bad ones. This is the type that most often writes about himself. W. Somerset Maugham (1874-1965) The Summing Up Just as we outgrow a pair of trowsers, we outgrow acquaintances, libraries, principles, etc., at times before they're worn out and at times--and this is the worst of all--before we have new ones. Georg Christoph Lichtenberg (1742-1799) Aphorisms Nothing is often a good thing to say, and always a clever thing to say. Will Durant (1885-1981) New York World Telegram & Sun, June 6, 1958 There is only one thing in the world worse than being talked about, and that is not being talked about. Oscar Wilde (1854-1900) The Picture of Dorian Gray In this world there are only two tragedies. One is not getting what one wants, and the other is getting it. Oscar Wilde (1854-1900) Lady Windermete's Fun The fear of becoming a 'has been' keeps some people from becoming anything. Eric Hoffer (1902- ) The Passionate State of Mind Fashion is a way of not having to decide who you are. Style is deciding who you are and being able to perpetuate it. Quentin Crisp (1908 - ) Speech, October 29, 1980 You shouldn't say it is not good. You should say you do not like it; and then, you know, you're perfectly safe. James McNeill Whistler (1834-1903) Attributed No one is such a liar as the indignant man. Friedrich Nietzsche (1844-1900) Beyond Good and Evil Better know what you want, because you'll probably get it. Dan Greenburg (1936 - ) Saying I cannot hear what you say for the thunder of what you are. Zulu Proverb How often have I said to you that when you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth? Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (1859-1930) The Sign of Four Mankind is divisible into two great classes: hosts and guests. Max Beerbohn (1872-1956) Hosts and Guests The friendships which last are those wherein each friend respects the other's dignity to the point of not really wanting anything from him. Cyril Connolly (1903-1974) The Unquiet Grave Mishaps are like knives, that either serve us or cut us, as we grasp them by the blade or the handle. James Russel Lowell He whose honor depends on the opinion of the mob must day by day strive with the greatest anxiety, act and scheme in order to retain his reputation. For the mob is varied and inconstant, and therefore if a reputation is not carefully preserved it dies quickly. Spinoza None are more taken by flattery than the proud, who wish to be first and are not. Spinoza The things...are esteemed as the greatest good of all...can be reduced to these three headings: to wit, Riches, Fame, and Pleasure. With these three the mind is so engrossed that it cannot scarcely think of any other good. Spinoza I find my wife hath something in her gizzard, that only waits an opportunity of being provoked to bring up; but I will not, for my content-sake, give it. Samuel Pepys Popularity is a crime from the moment it is sought; it is only a virtue where men have it whether they will or no. George Saville, Marquis of Halifax Should you ever find yourself the victim of other people's bitterness, smallness or insecurities, remember things could be worse... You could be them! - Unknown Don't look back. Something might be gaining on you. Satchel Paige Age is a question of mind over matter. If you don't mind, it doesn't matter. Satchel Paige - More Quotations Be careful how you act. The toe you stepped on yesterday may be connected to the ass you have to kiss today. Vincent "Buddy" Cianci Crime like virtue has its degrees; and timid innocence was never known to blossom suddenly into extreme license. Jean Racine They who are in the highest places, and have the most power, have the least liberty, because they are most observed. John Tillotson Of all the tyrannies on human kind The worst is that which persecutes the mind. John Dryden Beware the fury of a patient man. John Dryden Here lies my wife: so let her lie! Now she's at rest, and so am I. Epitaph intended for his wife - John Dryden New opinions are always suspected, and usually opposed, without any other reason but because they are not already common. John Locke No man's knowledge here can go beyond his experience. John Locke The only fence against the world is a through knowledge of it. John Locke Peace is not the absence of war, it is a virtue, a state of mind, a disposition for benevolence, confidence, justice. Benedict Baruch Spinoza Fear cannot be without hope nor hope without fear. Spinoza Those who are believed to be the most object and humble are usually most ambitious and envious. Spinoza Nearly all men die of their remedies, and not of their illnesses. Moliere Things are always at their best in their beginning. Blaise Pascal True Eloquence takes no heed of eloquence, true morality takes no heed of morality...To take no heed of philosophy is truely to philosophize. Blaise Pascal I lay it down as a fact that if all men knew what others say of them, there would not be four friends in the world. Blaise Pascal Man is neither angel or beast; and the misfortune is that he who would act the angel acts the beast. Blaise Pascal To ridicule philosophy is really to philosophize. Blaise Pascal Racine will go out of stile like coffee. Marie De Rabutin-Chantal Marquise De Sevigre (1626-1696) In a calm sea every man is a pilot. John Ray If wishes were horses beggars might ride. John Ray Youth is the time of getting, middle age of improving, and old age of spending; a negligent youth is usually attended by an ignorant middle age, and both by an empty old age. He that hath nothing to feed on but vanity and lies must needs lie down in the bed of sorrow. Anne Bradstreet Our virtues are most frequently but vices in disguise. Francois Duc De La Rochefoucauld The love of justice in most men is simply the fear of suffering injustice. Francois Duc De La Rochefoucauld Silence is the best tactic for him who distrusts himself. Francois Duc De La Rochefoucauld Quarrels would not last long if the fault were only on one side. Francois Duc De La Rochefoucauld He makes his cook his merit, and the world visits his dinners and not him. Jean Baptiste Poquelin Moliere One must eat to live, and not live to eat. Moliere If everyone were clothed with integrity, if every heart were just, frank, kindly, the other virtues would be well-nigh useless, since their chief purpose is to make us bear with patience the injustice of our fellows. Moliere There is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so. Hamlet To the noble mind Rich gifts wax poor when givers prove unkind. Hamlet A man may fish with a worm that hath eat of a king, and eat of the fish that hath fed of that worm. Hamlet The web of our life is a mingled yarn, good and ill together. All's Well that ends Well The hardest knife ill-used doth lose his edge. Shakespeare Sonnet 95 Sweets grown common lose their dear delight. Shakespeare Sonnet 102 Gather ye rosebuds while ye may, Old Time is still a-flying, And this same flower that smiles today Tomorrow will be dying. Robert Herrick One cannot conceive anything so strange and so implausible that it has not already been said by one philosopher or another. Rene Descartes Among other evils which being unarmed brings you, it causes you to be despised. Niccolo Machiavelli When neither their property nor their honor is touched, the majority of men live content. Machiavelli There is no other way of guarding oneself against flattery than by letting men understand that they will not offend you by speaking the truth; but when everyone can tell you the truth, you lose their respect. Machiavelli Companion none is like unto the mind alone; For many have been harmed by speech; Through thinking, few or none. Sir Thomas Vaux They are never alone that are accompanied with noble thoughts. Sir Philip Sidney There is no vice so simple but assumes Some mark of virtue on his outward parts. The Merchant of Venice If God did not exist, it would be necessary to invent him. Volaire Doth thou love life? Then do not squander Time; for that's the stuff Life is made of. Benjamin Franklin The world is a comedy to those that think, a tragedy to those that feel. Horace Walpole The first blow is half the battle. Oliver Goldsmith There is, however, a limit at which forbearance ceases to be a virtue. Edmund Burke Judging by the virtues expected of a servant, does your Excellency know many masters who would be worthy valets? Pierre DeBeaumarchais "Le Barbier de Seville" Who does not love wine, women, and song Remains a fool his whole life long. Johann Heinrich Voss When you send a clerk on business to a distant province, a man of rigid morals is not your best choice. Ihara Saikaku To think twice in every matter and follow the lead of others is no way to make money. Ihara Saikaku Do not seek to follow in the footsteps of the men of old; seek what they sought. Matsuo Basho There are but three events in a man's life: birth, life, and death. He is not conscious of being born, he dies in pain, and he forgets to live. Jean De La Bruyere None so blind as those that will not see. Mathew Henry She wears her clothes, as if they were thrown on her with a pitchfork. Jonathan Swift That's as well said, as if I had said it myself. Jonathan Swift Marry'd in haste, we may repent at leisure. William Congreve True happiness is of a retired nature, and an enemy to pomp and noise; it arises, in the first place, from the enjoyment of one's self; and, in the next, from the friendship and conversation of a few selected friends. Joseph Addison The woman that deliberates is lost. Joseph Addison There is no defense against reproach but obscurity. Joseph Addison Those not present are always wrong. Philippe Nericault Destouches Life is a jest; and all things show it. I thought so once; but now I know it. "My Own Epitaph" John Gay In this world, you must be a bit too kind in order to be kind enough. Pierre Carlet De Chamblain De Marivaux All seems infected that th' infected spy, As all looks yellow to the jaundic'd eye. Alexander Pope Blessed is he who expects nothing, for he shall never be disappointed. Alexander Pope Satire should, like a polished razor keen, Wound with a touch that's scarcely felt or seen. Lady Mary Wortley Montagne Wear your learning, like your watch, in a private pocket: and do not pull it out and strike it, merely to show that you have one. Philip Dormer Standhope Earl of Chesterfield The secret of being a bore is to tell everything. Francois Marie Arouet Voltaire A poet can survive anything but a misprint. Oscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wells Wilde We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars. Oscar Wilde In this world there are only two tragedies. One is not getting what one wants, and the other is getting it. Oscar Wilde I suppose society is wonderflly delightful. To be in it is merely a bore. To be out of it is simply a tragedy. Oscar Wilde Yet each man kills the thing he loves, By each let this be heard, Some do it with a bitter look, Some with a flattering word. The coward does it with a kiss, The brave man with a sword. Oscar Wilde The saying is true, "The empty vessel makes the greatest sound." Henry IV (Shakespeare) All the world's a stage, And all the men and women merely players: They have their exits and their entrances; And one man in his time plays many parts. As You Like It Not drunk is he who from the floor Can rise alone and still drink more; But drunk is he who prostrate lies, Without the power to drink or rise. Thomas Love Peacock (1785-1866) How convenient it would be to many of our great men and great families of doubtful origin, could they have the privilege of the heroes of yore, who, whenever their origin was involved in obscurity, modestly announced themselves descended from a god. Washington Irving Friendship is Love without his wings. George Noel Gordon, Lord Byron Hatred comes from the heart; contempt from the head; and neither feeling is quite within our control. Arthur Schopenhauer Every man takes the limits of his own field of vision for the limits of the world. Arthur Schopenhauer If there's another world, he lives in bliss; If there is none, he made the best of this. Robert Burns, Epitaph on Wm. Muir Necessity is the plea for every infringement of human freedom. It is the argument of tyrants; it is the creed of slaves. William Pitt He who has done his best for his own time has lived for all times. Johann Christoph Friedrich Von Schiller Love is the whole history of a woman's life, it is but an episode in a man's. Madame De Stael Germaine Baronne De Stael-Holstein A man must know how to defy opinion; a woman how to submit to it. Madame De Stael The battle of Waterloo was won on the playing fields of Eton. Arthur Wellesley, Duke of Wellington An Army's effectiveness depends on its size, training, experience, and morale... and morale is worth more than all other factors combined. Napoleon A wise woman never yields by appointment. It should always be an unforseen happiness. Stendhal (Henri Beyle) It has been said of ladies when they write letters, that they put their minds in their postscripts - let out the real objects of their writing, as if it were a second thought, or a thing comparatively indifferent. Leigh Hunt A dirge for her the doubly dead in that she died so young. "Lenore" Edgar Alln Poe Those who dream by day are cognizant of many things which escape those who dream only by night. Edgar Allen Poe While the angels, all pallid and wan, uprising, unveiling, affirm That the play is the tragedy, "Man," And its hero, the Conqueror Worm. Edgar Allen Poe There is something in the unselfish and self-sacrificing love of a brute, which goes directly to the heart of him who has had frequent occasion to test the paultry friendship and gossamer fidelity of mere man. "The Black Cat" Edgar Allen Poe Perverseness is one of the primitive impulses of the human heart. Edgar Allen Poe From childhood's hour I have not been As others were - I have not seen As others saw. "Alone" Edgar Allen Poe In this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes. Benjamin Franklin Quotes Using This Quote Life is not always a matter of holding good cards, but sometimes, playing a poor hand well. Jack London When a toxic person can no longer control you, they will try to control how others see you. The misinformation will feel unfair, but stay above it, trusying that other people can eventually see the truth, just like you did. Anonymous If you're on the track and you've got everything under control, you're not going fast enough. Mario Andretti Quoted by Joseph R. Perella at Lehigh 2016 Commencement More Mario Andretti Quotes When you strike at a king you must kill him. Ralph Waldo Emerson The reward of a thing well done, is to have done it. Ralph Waldo Emerson He is great who is what he is from Nature, and who never reminds us of others. Ralph Waldo Emerson When nature removes a great man, people explore the horizon for a successor; but none comes, and none will. His class is extinguished with him. In some other and quite different field, the next man will appear. Ralph Waldo Emerson A man may Love a paradox without either losing his wit or his honesty. Ralph Waldo Emerson The highest compact we can make with our fellow is - "Let there be truth between us two forevermore." Ralph Waldo Emerson Hitch your wagon to a star. Ralph Waldo Emerson We boil at different degrees. Ralph Waldo Emerson Wit makes its own welcome, and levels all distinctions. Ralph Waldo Emerson I have heard with admiring submission the experience of the lady who declared that the sense of being perfectly well-dressed gives a feeling of inward tranquility which religion is powerless to bestow. Ralph Waldo Emerson Great men are they who see that spiritual is stronger than any material force, that thoughts rule the world. Ralph Waldo Emerson I think the necessity of being ready increases. Look to it. Abraham Lincoln: Letter (this is the whole message) to Gov Andrew G. Curtin of Penna. (April 18, 1861) It is difficult to make a man miserable while he feels he is worthy of himself and claims kindred to the great God who made him. Abraham Lincoln The President last night had a dream. He was in the party of plain people as it became known who he was they began to comment on his appearance. One of them said, "He is a common-looking man." The President replied, "Common-looking people are the best in the world: that is the reason the Lord makes so many of them." Abraham Lincoln: from letters of John Hays & Extracts from his Diary If you forfeit the confidence of your fellow citizens, you can never regain their respect and esteem. It is true that you may fool all the people some of the time; you can even fool some of the people all the time; but you can't fool all of the people all the time. Abraham Lincoln If I were to try to read, much less answer, all the attacks made on me, this shop might as well be closed for any other business. I do the very best I know how - the very best I can; and I mean to keep doing so until the end. If the end brings me out all right, what is said against me won't amount to anything. If the end brings me out wrong, ten angels swearing I was right would make no difference. Abraham Lincoln All that we see or seem Is but a dream within a dream. Edgar Allan Poe Don't cross the bridge till you come to it, Is a proverb old, and of excellent wit. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow The highest possible stage in moral culture is when we recognize that we ought to control our thoughts. Charles Robert Darwin I love fool's experiments. I am always making them. Charles Robert Darwin There was a little girl Who had a little cirl Right in the middle of her forehead; And when she was good She was very, very good, But when she was bad she was horrid. "There was a Little Girl" by H.W. Longfellow Man scans with scrupulous care the character and pedigree of his horses, cattle, and dogs before he matches them; but when he comes to his own marriage he rarely, or never, takes any such care. Charles Robert Darwin It is no good to blame the looking glass if your face is awry. Nikolai Gogol Learn the sweet magic of a cheerful face; Not always smiling, but at least serene. Oliver Wendell Holmes Insanity is often the logic of an accurate mind overtaxed. Oliver Wendell Holmes Man has his will - but woman has her way. Oliver Wendell Holmes Knowledge and timber shouldn't be much used till they are seasoned. Oliver Wendell Holmes Living well is the best revenge. George Herbert (1593 - 1633) English clergyman & metaphysical poet Every mile is two in winter. George Herbert Storms make oaks take deeper root. George Herbert You must lose a fly to catch a trout. George Herbert Skill and confidence are an unconquered army. George Herbert He who cannot forgive others breaks the bridge over which he must pass himself. George Herbert Never cut what you can untie Joseph Joubert (1754-1824) Children need models rather than critics. Joseph Joubert Whenever there is a heart and an intellect, the diseases of the physical frame are tinged with the peculiarities of these. Nathaniel Hawthorne - Scarlet Letter Among the many morals which press upon us from the poor minister's miserable experience, we put only this into a sentence: "Be True! Be True! Show freely to the world, if not your worst, yet some trait whereby the worst may be inferred." Nathaniel Hawthorne - Scarlet Letter The greatest mortal consolation which we derive from the transitoriness of all things - from the right of saying, in every conjuncture, "This, too, will pass away." Nathaniel Hawthorne- The Marble Faun Silence is the sovereign contempt. Charles Augustin Sainte-Beuve The sin forgiven by Christ in Heaven By man is cursed away. Nathaniel Parker Willis The best university that can be recommended to a man of ideas is the gauntlet of the mobs. Ralph Waldo Emerson If we could read the secret history of our enemies, we should find in each man's life sorrow and suffering enough to disarm all hostility. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow Life is not so short but that there is always time enough for courtesy. Ralph Waldo Emerson Do not say things. What you are stands over you the while, and thunders so that I cannot hear what you say to the contrary. Ralph Waldo Emerson More people are flattered into virtue than bullied out of vice. Robert Smith Surtees What we anticipate seldom occurs; what we least expected generally happens. Benjamin Disraeli, Earl of Beaconsfield Everything comes if a man will only wait. Benjamin Disraeli "My idea of an agreeable person," said Hugo Bohun "is a person who agrees with me." Benjamin Disraeli The secret of success is constancy to purpose. Benjamin Disraeli "As for that," said Waldershare, "sensible men are all the same religion." "And pray, what is that?" inquired the prince. "Sensible men never tell." Benjamin Disraeli Discontent is the want of self-reliance: it is infirmity of will. Ralph Waldo Emerson Nothing can bring you peace but yourself. Ralph Waldo Emerson A friend is a person with whom I may be sincere. Before him, I may think aloud. Ralph Waldo Emerson The only reward of virtue is virtue; the only way to have a friend is to be one. Ralph Waldo Emerson I do then with my friends as I do with my books. I would have them where I can find them, but I seldom use them. Ralph Waldo Emerson In skating over thin ice our safety is our speed. Ralph Waldo Emerson Every man is wanted, and no man is wanted much. Ralph Waldo Emerson Every hero becomes a bore at last. Ralph Waldo Emerson Coal is a portable climate. Ralph Waldo Emerson Make yourself necessary to somebody. Ralph Waldo Emerson Beauty without grace is the hook without the bait. Ralph Waldo Emerson To rise at six, to dine at ten, To sup at six, to sleep at ten, Makes a man live for ten times ten. Inscription over the door of Victor Hugo's study The anchor heaves, the ship swings free, The sails swell full. To sea, to sea! Thomas Lovell Beddoes The easiest person to deceive is one's own self. Edward Bulwer-Lytton I think no virtue goes with size. Ralph Waldo Emerson To different minds, the same world is a hell, and a heaven. Ralph Waldo Emerson It is easy in the world to live after the world's opinion; it is easy in solitude to live after our own; but the great man is he who in the midst of the crowd keeps with perfect sweetness the independence of solitude. Ralph Waldo Emerson A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds adored by little statesmen amd philosophers and divines. Ralph Waldo Emerson To be great is to be misunderstood. Ralph Waldo Emerson Habits are at first cobwebs, then cables. Spanish Proverb But evil is wrought by want of thought, As well as want of heart. Thomas Hood The louder he talked of his honor, the faster we counted our spoons. Ralph Waldo Emerson The highest proof of virtue is to possess boundless power without abusing it. Thomas Babington, Lord Macaulay Damn the torpedoes - full speed ahead! David Glasgow Farragut Who lets his feelings run In soft luxurious flow, Shrinks when hard service must be done, And faints at every woe. John Henry, Cardinal Newman A great memory does not make a philosopher, any more than a dictionary can be called a grammar. John Henry, Cardinal Newman Greater than the tread of mighty armies is an idea whose time has come. Victor Hugo Great blunders are often made, like large ropes, of a multitude of fibers. Victor Hugo If peace cannot be maintained with honor, it is no longer peace. Lord John Russell The good want power, but weep barren tears. The powerful goodness want: worse need for them. The wise want Love; and those who love want wisdom; And all best things are thus confused with ill. Percy Bysshe Shelley Prometheus Unbound The trumpet of a prophecy! O Wind, If winter comes, can spring be far behind? Percy Bysshe Shelley All greatness is unconscious, or it is little and naught. Thomas Carlyle No man who has once heartily and wholly laughed can be altogether irreclaimably bad. Thomas Carlyle Man's unhappiness, as I construe, comes of his greatness; it is because there is an Infinite in him, which with all his cunning he cannot quite bury under the Finite. Thomas Carlyle "Beauty is truth, truth beauty," - that is all Ye know on earth, and all ye need to know. John Keats Ordinarily he is insane, but he has lucid moments when he is only stupid. Heinrich Heine Sorrows remembered sweeten present joy. Robert Pollok At the end of the day, the most overwhelming key to a child's success is the positive involvement of parents. Jane D. Hull (Former elementary school teacher; former Governor of the State of Arizona) Never try to teach a pig to sing; it wastes your time and it annoys the pig. Robert Heinlein (American science-fiction writer,1907-1988) The master has failed more times than the beginner has even tried. Stephen McCranie It is characteristic of wisdom not to do desperate things. Henry David Thoreau Most of the luxuries, and many of the so-called comforts, of life are not only indispensable, but positive hindrances to the elevation of mankind. Henry David Thoreau Beware of all enterprises that require new clothes. Henry David Thoreau In the long run men hit only what they aim at. Henry David Thoreau The man who travels alone can start today; but he who travels with another must wait till that other is ready. Henry David Thoreau There are a thousand hacking at the branches of evil to one who is striking at the root. Henry David Thoreau Philanthropy is almost the only virtue which is sufficiently appreciated by mankind. Henry David Thoreau A man is rich in proportion to the number of things which he can afford to let alone. Henry David Thoreau To him whose elastic and vigorous thought keeps pace with the sun, the day is a perpetual morning. Henry David Thoreau To be awake is to be alive. Henry David Thoreau I came into this world, not chiefly to make this a good place to live in, but to live in it, be it good or bad. Henry David Thoreau It takes two to speak the truth - one to speak, and another to hear. Henry David Thoreau Dreams are the touchstones of our characters. Henry David Thoreau The frontiers are not east or west, north or south, but wherever a man fronts a fact. Henry David Thoreau The youth gets together his materials to build a bridge to the moon, or, perchance, a palace or temple on earth, and, at length, the middle-aged man concludes to build a woodshed with them. Henry David Thoreau Journal [7/14/1852] Some circumstantial evidence is very strong, as when you find a trout in the milk. Henry David Thoreau Journal [Nov 11, 1854] That man is the richest whose pleasures are the cheapest. Henry David Thoreau Journal [March 11, 1856] The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation. Henry David Thoreau Public opinion is a weak tyrant compared with our own private opinion. What a man thinks of himself, that is which determines, or rather, indicates, his fate. Henry David Thoreau As if you could kill time without injuring eternity. Henry David Thoreau She understood how much louder a cock can crow in its own farmyard than elsewhere. Anthony Trollope Nothing reopens the springs of love so fully as absence, and no absence so thoroughly as that which must needs be endless. Anthony Trollope We live in deeds, not years, in thoughts, not breaths; In feelings, not in figures on a dial. We should count time by heart-throbs. He most lives Who thinks most - Feels the noblest - acts the best. Philip James Bailey There is no disappointment we endure One half so great as that we are to ourselves. Philip James Bailey How sweet and gracious, even in common speech, Is that fine sense which men call courtesy! Courtesy, James Thomas Fields In battle or business, whatever the game, In law or in love, it is ever the same; In the struggle for power, or the scramble for pelf, Let this be your motto - Rely on yourself! For, whether the prize be a ribbon or throne, The victor is he who can go it alone! The Game of Life, John Godfrey Saxe A man must take the fat with the lean. Dickens In the little world in which children have their existence, whosoever brings them up, there is nothing so finely perceived and so finely felt, as injustice. Dickens There was an Old Man with a beard, Who said: "It is just as I feared! Two owls and a hen, Four larks and a wren Have all built their nests in my beard." Book of Nonsense [1846] Limerick: Edward Lear The spirit of self-help is the root of all genuine growth in the individual; and, exhibited in the lives of many, it constitutes the true source of national vigor and strength. Help from without is often enfeebling in its efforts, but help from within invariably invigorates. Self-Help [1859] Samuel Smiles The stability of the internal medium is a primary condition for the freedom and independence of certain living bodies in relation to the environment surrounding them. Claude Bernard Life can only be understood backwards, but it must be lived forwards. Soren Kierkegaard A life on the ocean wave, A home on the rolling deep; Where the scattered waters rave, And the winds their revels keep! A Life on the Ocean Wave [1847] Epes Sargent A conquering army on the border will not be halted by the power of eloquence. Otto Von Bismarck Those who offend us are generally punished for the offense they give; but we so frequently miss the satisfaction of knowing that we are avenged! Anthony Trollope 'Twas a thief said the last kind word to Christ: Christ took the kindness and forgave the theft. Robert Browning You never know what life means till you die: Even throughout life, 'tis death that makes life live, Gives it whatever the significance. Robert Browning A man in armor is his armor's slave. Robert Browning The truth was felt by instinct here, - Process which saves a world of trouble and time. Robert Browning Ignorance is not innocence but sin. Robert Browning Good, to forgive; Best, to forget! Living, we fret; Dying, we live. La Saisiaz [1877] Robert Browning As if true pride Were not also humble! Lines written in an album [1882] Robert Browning A minute's success pays the failure of years. Robert Browning Keep yourself to yourself. Pickwick Papers - Charles Dickens He had but one eye, and the popular prejudice runs in favor of two. Charles Dickens Subdue your appetites, my dears, and you've conquered human nature. Charles Dickens "There are strings," said Mr. Tappertit, "in the human heart that had better not be wibrated." Charles Dickens Keep up appearances whatever you do. Charles Dickens I wear the chain I forged in life. A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens She had A heart - how shall I say? - too soon made glad. "My Last Duchess"(1842)L21 - Robert Browning Ah, but a man's reach should exceed his grasp, Or what's a heart for? Andrea del Santo (1855)L97 Robert Browning God be thanked, the meanest of his creatures Boasts two soul-sides, one to face the world with, One to show a woman when he loves her. Robert Browning Measure your mind's height by the shadow it casts! Robert Browning Every joy is gain And gain is gain, however small. Robert Browning Just for a handful of silver he left us, Just for a riband to stick in his coat The Lost Leader [1845] st.1,Robert Browning [often assumed to refer to Wordsworth] If two lives join, there is often a scar. They are one and one, with a shadowy third; One near one is too far. By the Fireside, Robert Browning, st46 To dry one's eyes and laugh at a fall And baffled, get up and begin again. Robert Browning One wise man's verdict outweighs all the fools. Robert Browning Grow old along with me! The best is yet to be, The last of life, for which the first was made Our times are in his hand. Robert Browning What I aspire to be, And was not, comforts me. Robert Browning Progress, man's distinctive mark alone, Not God's, and not the beasts': God is, they are; Man partly is, and wholly hopes to be. Robert Browning There's a sucker born every minute. Phineas Taylor Barnum (attributed) I'll not listen to reason.... Reason always means what someone else has got to say. Elizabeth Cleghorn Gaskell To live content with small means; to seek elegance rather than luxury, and refinement rather than fashion; to be worthy, not respectable, and wealthy, not rich; to study hard, think quietly, talk gently, act frankly; to listen to stars and birds, to babes and sages, with open heart; to bear all cheerfully, do all bravely, await occasions, hurry never. In a word, to let the spiritual, unbidden and unconscious, grow up through the common. This is to be my symphony. My Symphony William Henry Channing Doubt, if you will, the being who loves you, Woman or dog, but never doubt love itself. Alfred De Musset How glorious it is - and also how painful - to be an exception. Alfred De Musset Man never falls so low that he can see nothing higher than himself. Theodore Parker Well-timed silence hath more eloquence than speech. "Of Discretion" Martin Farquhar Tupper A widow of doubtful age will marry almost any sort of white man. Horace Greeley We live under a government of men and morning newspapers. Wendell Phillips Truth is one forever absolute, but opinion is truth filtered through the moods, the blood, the disposition of the spectator. Wendell Phillips I should like to see any kind of a man, distinguishable from a gorilla, that some good and even pretty woman could not shape a husband out of. Oliver Wendell Holmes 'Tis strange what a man may do, and a woman yet think him an angel. Willaim Makepeace Thackeray Like glimpses of forgotten dreams. Alfred, Lord Tennyson No life that breathes with human breath Has ever truly longed for death. Alfred, Lord Tennyson Self-reverence, self-knowledge, self-control, These three alone lead life to sovereign power. Alfred, Lord Tennyson Like glimpses of forgotten dreams. Alfred, Lord Tennyson 'Tis only noble to be good. Kind hearts are more than coronets, And simple faith more than Norman blood. Alfred, Lord Tennyson God gives us Love. Something to Love He lends us; but when love is grown To ripeness, that on which it throve Falls off, and love is left alone. Alfred, Lord Tennyson How dull it is to pause, to make an end, To rust unburnished, not to shine in use, As though to breathe were life! "Ulysses"[1842] Alfred, Lord Tennyson The greater the man the greater the courtesy. Alfred, Lord Tennyson The vow that binds too quickly snaps itself. Alfred, Lord Tennyson For courtesy wins woman all as well As valor may. Alfred, Lord Tennyson He said likewise That a lie which is half a truth is ever the blackest of lies, That a lie which is all a lie may be met and fought with outright, But a lie which is part a truth is a harder matter to fight. Alfred, Lord Tennyson The ultimate result of shielding men from the effects of folly is to fill the world with fools. Herbert Spencer "State Tampering with Money Banks" Obstacles are those frightful things you see when you take your eye off the goal. ~Unknown Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts. Winston Churchill Tough times never last. Tough people always do. ~Unknown Knowledge breeds doubt, not certainty, And the more we know the more uncertain we become. A.J.P. Taylor Having the courage of one's convictions is a very popular error; rather it is a matter of having the courage for an attack on one's convictions. Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche An error is the more dangerous the more truth it contains. Henri-Frederic Amiel There can be no defense like elaborate courtesy. Edward Verrall Lucas The most decisive actions of our life ... are most often unconsidered actions. Andre Gide One must separate from anything that forces one to repeat No again and again. Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche Life always gets harder toward the summit - the cold increases, responsibility increases. Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche Familiarity with danger makes a brave man braver, but less daring. Thus with seamen: he who goes the oftenest round Cape Horn goes the most circumspectly. Herman Melville The test of a first-intelligence is the ability to hold two opposed ideas in the mind at the same time, and still retain the ability to function. F. Scott Fitzgerald All the business of war, and all the business of life, is to endeavor to find out what you don't from what you do. The Duke of Wellington With curious art the brain, too finely wrought Preys on herself, and is destroyed by thought. Charles Churchill Pardon one offense, and you encourage the commission of many. Publilius Syrus Maxim 750 One will rarely err if extreme actions be ascribed to vanity, ordinary actions to habit, and mean actions to fear. Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche Distrust all in whom the impulse to punish is powerful. Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche i have noticed that when chickens quit quarreling over their food they often find that there is enough for all of them I wonder if it might not be the same with the human race. Donald Robert Perry Marquis We never do anything well Till we cease to think about The manner of doing it. William Hazlitt Nothing in education is so astonishing as the amount of ignorance it accumulates in the form of inert facts. Henry Brooks Adams When a thought takes one's breath away, a lesson on grammar seems an impertinence. Thomas Wentworth Higginson Preface to Emily Dickinson's Poems, first series [1890] There is, however, a limit at which forbearance ceases to be a virtue. Edmund Burke An unlearned carpenter of my acquaintance once said in my hearing: "There is very little difference between one man and another; but what little there is, is very important." This distinction seems to me to go to the root of the matter. William James When crew and captain understand each other to the core, It takes a gale and more than a gale to put their ship ashore. Rudyard Kipling The more we value things outside our control, the less control we have. Marcus Aurelius Everyone you meet is fighting a battle you know nothing about. Be kind. Always. Brad Meltzer All cruelty springs from weakness. Senica If you think you're too small to be effective, you've never been in bed with a mosquito. Anita Roddick, Founder of The Body Shop I cannot give you the formula for success but I can give you the formula for failure - which is: Try to please everybody. Herbert Bayard Swope American journalist (1882-1958) That which does not kill us makes us stronger. Friedrich Nietzsche Keep strong, if possible. In any case, keep cool. Have unlimited patience. Never corner an opponent, and always assist him to save his face. Put yourself in his shoes - so as to see things through his eyes. Avoid self-righteousness like the devil - nothing so self-binding. Basil Henry Liddell Hart (1895-1970) "Deterrent or Defense [1960] Advice to Statesmen" British Military Authority You can fool all the people some of the time, and some of the people all the time, but you cannot fool all the people all the time. Abraham Lincoln
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