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Concise Columbia Dictionary of Quotations Absence See: Grief: Shakespeare Absence, hear thou my protestation Against thy strength, Distance and length. John Hoskins (1566-1638) English poet Absence Absence diminishes minor passions and inflames great ones, as the wind douses a candle and fans a fire. Francois, Duc de La Rochefoucauld (1613-1680) French writer, moralist Absence Judicious absence is a weapon. Charles Reade (1814-1884) English novelist Absence Absence blots people out. We really have no absent friends. Elizabeth Bowen (1899-1973) Anglo-Irish novelist Absence Presents, I often say, endear absents. Charles Lamb (1775-1834) English essayist, critic Absence I was court-martialled in my absence, and sentenced to death in my absence, so I said they could shoot me in my absence. Brendan Behan (1923-1964) Irish playwright Absence Absurdity See: Imitation: Johnson It is only one step from the sublime to the ridiculous. Napoleon Bonaparte (1769-1821) Emperor of France of his retreat from Moscow Absurdity Only man has dignity; only man, therefore, can be funny. Father Ronald Knox (1888-1957) British clergyman, writer Absurdity It is not funny that anything else should fall down; only that a man should fall down . . . Why do we laugh? Because it is a gravely religious matter: it is the fall of man. Only man can be absurd: for only man can be dignified. G. K. Chesterton (1874-1936) English author Absurdity There are few moments in a man's existence when he experiences so much ludicrous distress, or meets with so little charitable commiseration, as when he is in pursuit of his own hat. Charles Dickens (1812-1870) English novelist Absurdity Absurdity. A statement or belief manifestly inconsistent with one's own opinion. Ambrose Bierce (1842-1914) American author Absurdity Abuse See: Controversy: Johnson Insults Praise: Steele Swearing: Cohen It seldom pays to be rude. It never pays to be only half-rude. Norman Douglas (1868-1952) British author Abuse Some guy hit my fender the other day, and I said unto him, "Be fruitful, and multiply." But not in those words. Woody Allen (b. 1935) American filmmaker Abuse A man has no more right to say an uncivil thing to another man than he has to knock him down. Dr. Samuel Johnson (1709-1784) English author, lexicographer Abuse There is more credit in being abused by fools than praised by rogues. F. E. Smith, Lord Birkenhead (1872-1930) British Conservative politician, lawyer Abuse Abuse is as great a mistake in controversy as panegyric in biography. Cardinal John Newman (1801-1890) English churchman, theologian Abuse I will name you the degrees. The first, the Retort Courteous; the second, the Quip Modest; the third, the Reply Churlish; the fourth, the Reproof Valiant; the fifth, the Countercheck Quarrelsome; the sixth, the Lie with Circumstance; the seventh, the Lie Direct. Touchstone, As You Like It William Shakespeare (1564-1616) English dramatist, poet Abuse A fly, Sir, may sting a stately horse and make him wince; but one is but an insect, and the other is a horse still. Dr. Samuel Johnson (1709-1784) English author, lexicographer Abuse Accusation Accuse. To affirm another's guilt or unworth; most commonly as a justification of ourselves for having wronged him. Ambrose Bierce (1842-1914) American author Accusation Acquaintance I look upon every day to be lost, in which I do not make a new acquaintance. Dr. Samuel Johnson (1709-1784) English author, lexicographer Acquaintance Acquaintance. A person whom we know well enough to borrow from, but not well enough to lend to. Ambrose Bierce (1842-1914) American author Acquaintance Acting See: Busts: Davis Drink: Burton Acting is a question of absorbing other people's personalities and adding some of your own experience. Paul Newman (b. 1925) American film actor Acting Acting is the expression of a neurotic impulse. It's a bum's life. Quitting acting, that's the sign of maturity. Marlon Brando (b. 1924) American film actor Acting You spend all your life trying to do something they put people in asylums for. Jane Fonda (b. 1937) American film actress Acting Left eyebrow raised, right eyebrow raised. Roger Moore (b. 1928) British film and television actor on his acting range Acting Action See: Caution: Savile Eloquence: Lloyd George Hope: Levi It is vain to say human beings ought to be satisfied with tranquillity: they must have action; and they will make it if they cannot find it. George Eliot (1819-1880) English novelist Action The shortest answer is doing. Lord Herbert (1583-1648) English philosopher, diplomat Action Our actions are neither so good nor so evil as our impulses. Luc, Marquis de Vauvenargues (1715-1747) French moralist Action I prefer thought to action, an idea to an event, reflection to activity. Honore de Balzac (1799-1850) French writer Action Nothing will ever be attempted if all possible objections must be first overcome. Dr. Samuel Johnson (1709-1784) English author, lexicographer Action If it were done when 'tis done, then 'twere well It were done quickly. Macbeth, Macbeth William Shakespeare (1564-1616) English dramatist, poet Action If a thing is worth doing, it is worth doing badly. G. K. Chesterton (1874-1936) English author Action An ounce of action is worth a ton of theory. Friedrich Engels (1820-1895) German social philosopher, revolutionary Action Patience has its limits. Take it too far and it's cowardice. George Jackson (1942-1971) American radical Action What you do speaks so loud that I cannot hear what you say. Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882) American essayist, poet, philosopher Action Talk that does not end in any kind of action is better suppressed altogether. Thomas Carlyle (1795-1881) Scottish writer Action I want to see you shoot the way you shout. Theodore Roosevelt (1858-1919) American president Action Men of action intervene only when the orators have finished. Emile Gaboriau (1835-1873) French author Action Actors/Actresses See: Hollywood: Quinn Interviews: Hudson Marilyn Monroe Self-doubt: Field Theater: Duse A walking shadow, a poor player, That struts and frets his hour upon the stage, And then is heard no more. Macbeth, Macbeth William Shakespeare (1564-1616) English dramatist, poet Actors/Actresses Have patience with the jealousies and petulance of actors, for their hour is their eternity. Richard Garnett (1835-1906) English author, bibliographer Actors/Actresses You can pick out actors by the glazed look that comes into their eyes when the conversation wanders away from themselves. Michael Wilding (1912-1979) British actor Actors/Actresses And here come tired youths and maids That feign to love or sin In tones like rusty razor blades To tunes like smitten tin. Rudyard Kipling (1865-1936) English author Actors/Actresses A character actor is one who cannot act and therefore makes an elaborate study of disguise and stage tricks by which acting can be grotesquely simulated. George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) Anglo-Irish playwright, critic Actors/Actresses To see him act is like reading Shakespeare by flashes of lightning. Samuel Taylor Coleridge (1772-1834) English poet of Edmund Kean Actors/Actresses Every actor in his heart believes everything bad that's printed about him. Orson Welles (1915-1985) American filmmaker Actors/Actresses The only reason they come to see me is that I know that life is great - and they know I know it. Clark Gable (1901-1960) American film actor Actors/Actresses His ears made him look like a taxicab with both doors open. Howard Hughes (1905-1976) American businessman, film producer of Clark Gable Actors/Actresses He has turned almost alarmingly blond - he's gone past platinum, he must be plutonium; his hair is coordinated with his teeth. Pauline Kael (b. 1919) American film critic of Robert Redford Actors/Actresses An actor is something less than a man, while an actress is something more than a woman. Richard Burton (1925-1984) British film actor Actors/Actresses She has a face that belongs to the sea and the wind, with large rocking-horse nostrils and teeth that you just know bite an apple every day. Cecil Beaton (1904-1980) British photographer of Katherine Hepburn Actors/Actresses Actresses will happen in the best-regulated families. Oliver Herford (1863-1935) American poet, illustrator Actors/Actresses For an actress to be a success she must have the face of Venus, the brains of Minerva, the grace of Terpsichore, the memory of Macaulay, the figure of Juno, and the hide of a rhinoceros. Ethel Barrymore (1879-1959) American actress Actors/Actresses A deer in the body of a woman, living resentfully in the Hollywood zoo. Clare Boothe Luce (1903-1987) American diplomat, writer of Greta Garbo Actors/Actresses An actor is never so great as when he reminds you of an animal - falling like a cat, lying like a dog, moving like a fox. Francois Truffaut (1932-1984) French film director Actors/Actresses So much of our profession is taken up with pretending, that an actor must spend at least half his waking hours in a fantasy. Ronald Reagan (b. 1911) American president Actors/Actresses Addicts See: Drugs: Bankhead; Neville Go mad, and beat their wives; Plunge (after shocking lives) Razors and carving knives Into their gizzards. C. S. Calverley (1831-1884) English poet Addicts All sins tend to be addictive, and the terminal point of addiction is what is called damnation. W. H. Auden (1907-1973) Anglo-American poet Addicts Admiration Admiration. Our polite recognition of another's resemblance to ourselves. Ambrose Bierce (1842-1914) American author Admiration Admiration is a very short-lived passion that immediately decays upon growing familiar with its object, unless it be still fed with fresh discoveries, and kept alive by a new perpetual succession of miracles rising up to its view. Joseph Addison (1672-1719) English essayist Admiration Usually we praise only to be praised. Francois, Duc de La Rochefoucauld (1613-1680) French writer, moralist Admiration No animal admires another animal. Blaise Pascal (1623-1662) French scientist, philosopher Admiration Adolescence See: Boys: Rosebery The imagination of a boy is healthy, and the mature imagination of a man is healthy; but there is a space of life between, in which the soul is in a ferment, the character undecided, the way of life uncertain, the ambition thicksighted: thence proceeds mawkishness. John Keats (1795-1821) English poet Adolescence The big mistake that men make is that when they turn thirteen or fourteen and all of a sudden they've reached puberty, they believe that they like women. Actually, you're just horny. It doesn't mean you like women any more at twenty-one than you did at ten. Jules Feiffer (b. 1929) American cartoonist Adolescence Boys will be boys. And even that wouldn't matter if only we could prevent girls from being girls. Anthony Hope Hawkins (1863-1933) British novelist Adolescence For the affection of young ladies is of as rapid growth as Jack's beanstalk, and reaches right up to the sky in a night. William Makepeace Thackeray (1811-1863) English author Adolescence Remember that as a teenager you are in the last stage of your life when you will be happy to hear that the phone is for you. Fran Lebowitz (b. 1951) American journalist Adolescence Adultery See: Catholicism: Menen Jealousy: Shakespeare The Suburbs: Bible, Jeremiah Adultery? Thou shalt not die: die for adultery? No! The wren goes to't, and the small gilded fly Does lecher in my sight. Let copulation thrive. Lear, King Lear William Shakespeare (1564-1616) English dramatist, poet Adultery What men all gallantry, and gods adultery Is much more common where the climate's sultry. Lord Byron (1788-1824) English poet Adultery Adultery is in your heart not only when you look with excessive sexual zeal at a woman who is not your wife, but also if you look in the same manner at your wife. Pope John Paul II (b. 1920) Adultery Having a wife, be watchful of thy friend, lest false to thee thy fame and goods he spend. Cato the Elder (234-149 BC) Roman statesman Adultery The husband who decides to surprise his wife is often very much surprised himself. Voltaire (1694-1778) French philosopher, writer Adultery He that is robb'd, not wanting what is stol'n, Let him not know't, and he's not robbed at all. Othello, Othello William Shakespeare (1564-1616) English dramatist, poet Adultery Adventure See: Caution: Jung; Savile Marriage: Voltaire Science: Freud Adventure is the champagne of life. G. K. Chesterton (1874-1936) English author Adventure When you're safe at home you wish you were having an adventure; when you're having an adventure you wish you were safe at home. Thornton Wilder (1897-1975) American author Adventure One does not discover new lands without consenting to lose sight of the shore for a very long time. Andre Gide (1869-1951) French author Adventure If we do not find anything pleasant, at least we shall find something new. Voltaire (1694-1778) French philosopher, writer Adventure The true adventurer goes forth aimless and uncalculating to meet and greet unknown fate. A fine example was the Prodigal Son - when he started back home. O. Henry (1862-1910) American short story writer Adventure Adversity See: Friends: Dietrich Hard Times Success: Carlyle The bravest sight in the world is to see a great man struggling against adversity. Seneca (c. 5-65) Roman writer, philosopher, statesman Adversity The struggle to the top is in itself enough to fulfill the human heart. Sisyphus should be regarded as happy. Albert Camus (1913-1960) French writer Adversity Man needs difficulties; they are necessary for health. Carl Jung (1875-1961) Swiss psychiatrist Adversity Not everything that is more difficult is more meritorious. Saint Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274) Italian philosopher, theologian Adversity A reasonable amount o' fleas is good fer a dog - keeps him from broodin' over bein' a dog. Edward Noyes Westcott (1847-1898) American novelist Adversity By trying we can easily learn to endure adversity. Another man's, I mean. Mark Twain (1835-1910) American author Adversity Struggle is the father of all things . . . It is not by the principles of humanity that man lives or is able to preserve himself above the animal world, but solely by means of the most brutal struggle. Adolf Hitler (1889-1945) German dictator Adversity In prosperity our friends know us; in adversity we know our friends. J. Churton Collins (1848-1908) English author, critic, scholar Adversity Misery acquaints a man with strange bedfellows. Trinculo, The Tempest William Shakespeare (1564-1616) English dramatist, poet Adversity Advertising See: Royalty: Sampson You can tell the ideals of a nation by its advertisements. Norman Douglas (1868-1952) British author Advertising The incessant witless repetition of advertisers' moron-fodder has become so much a part of life that if we are not careful, we forget to be insulted by it. The London Times, 1986 Advertising Advertising is the rattling of a stick inside a swill bucket. George Orwell (1903-1950) British author Advertising Publicity is the life of this culture - in so far as without publicity capitalism could not survive - and at the same time publicity is its dream. John Berger (b. 1926) British critic Advertising We grew up founding our dreams on the infinite promise of American advertising. Zelda Fitzgerald (1900-1948) wife of F. Scott Fitzgerald Advertising The case cannot stand if it is the process of satisfying the wants that creates the wants. John Kenneth Galbraith (b. 1908) American economist Advertising Advertising is the greatest art form of the twentieth century. Marshall McLuhan (1911-1981) Canadian social scientist Advertising Advertising agency: eighty-five percent confusion and fifteen percent commission. Fred Allen (1894-1957) American comic Advertising Advice See: Age: Old Age: La Rochefoucauld Royalty: Savile When a man comes to me for advice, I find out the kind of advice he wants, and I give it to him. Josh Billings (1818-1885) American humorist Advice I have lived some thirty years on this planet, and I have yet to hear the first syllable of valuable or even earnest advice from my seniors. Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862) American philosopher, author, naturalist Advice The advice of their elders to young men is very apt to be as unreal as a list of the hundred best books. Dr. Oliver Wendell Holmes (1809-1894) American writer, physician Advice In matters of religion and matrimony I never give any advice; because I will not have anybody's torments in this world or the next laid to my charge. Lord Chesterfield (1694-1773) English statesman, man of letters Advice The only thing one can do with good advice is to pass it on. It is never of any use to oneself. Oscar Wilde (1854-1900) Anglo-Irish writer Advice A good scare is worth more to a man than good advice. Ed (E. W.) Howe (1853-1937) American journalist, novelist Advice To ask advice is to tout for flattery. J. Churton Collins (1848-1908) English author, critic, scholar Advice Consult. To seek another's approval of a course already decided on. Ambrose Bierce (1842-1914) American author Advice I'm not a teacher: only a fellow-traveller of whom you asked the way. I pointed ahead - ahead of myself as well as you. Bishop of Chelsea, Getting Married George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) Anglo-Irish playwright, critic Advice Never trust the advice of a man in difficulties. Aesop (b. 6th century BC) Greek fabulist, slave Advice One day I sat thinking, almost in despair; a hand fell on my shoulder and a voice said reassuringly: "Cheer up, things could get worse." So I cheered up and, sure enough, things got worse. James Hagerty (1909-1981) President Eisenhower's press secretary Advice Africa See: Decolonization: Lord Macmillan By the end of the century, Africa will either be saved or completely destroyed. Eden Kodjo (b. 1938) Togolese politician and administrator 1978-1984 Africa The Afterlife See: Christianity: Waller The Church: Robinson Immortality For the sword outwears its sheath, and the soul wears out the breast. Lord Byron (1788-1824) English poet The Afterlife We understand living for others and dying for others. The first is easy . . . it's a way out of boredom. To make the second popular we had to invent a belief in personal resurrection. Harley Granville-Barker (1877-1946) English actor, producer, author The Afterlife The dread of something after death, The undiscovered country, from whose bourn No traveller returns. Hamlet, Hamlet William Shakespeare (1564-1616) English dramatist, poet The Afterlife The chief problem about death, incidentally, is the fear that there may be no afterlife - a depressing thought, particularly for those who have bothered to shave. Also, there is the fear that there is an afterlife but no one will know where it's being held. Woody Allen (b. 1935) American filmmaker The Afterlife I don't want to express an opinion. You see, I have friends in both places. Mark Twain (1835-1910) American author on his belief in heaven or hell The Afterlife Oh, one world at a time! Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862) American philosopher, author, naturalist The Afterlife Never did Christ utter a single word attesting to a personal resurrection and a life beyond the grave. Leo Tolstoy (1828-1910) Russian novelist, philosopher The Afterlife All argument is against it; but all belief is for it. Dr. Samuel Johnson (1709-1784) English author, lexicographer The Afterlife Age See: Advice: Holmes Compliments: Irving Death: Dying: Thomas Emotion: Santayana The Generation Gap Innocence: Bradbury Marriage: Goldsmith Maturity Middle Age Sex: Plato Youth At twenty years of age, the will reigns; at thirty, the wit; and at forty, the judgement. Henry Grattan (1746-1820) Irish politician Age The old believe everything; the middle-aged suspect everything; the young know everything. Oscar Wilde (1854-1900) Anglo-Irish writer Age If youth but knew; if age but could. Henri Estienne (1531-1598) French scholar, publisher Age What youth deemed crystal, age finds out was dew. Robert Browning (1812-1889) English poet Age Every man over forty is a scoundrel. George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) Anglo-Irish playwright, critic Age I'm 65 and I guess that puts me in with the geriatrics. But if there were fifteen months in every year, I'd only be 48. That's the trouble with us. We number everything. Take women, for example. I think they deserve to have more than twelve years between the ages of 28 and 40. James Thurber (1894-1961) American humorist, illustrator Age What's a man's age? He must hurry more, that's all; Cram in a day what his youth took a year to hold. Robert Browning (1812-1889) English poet Age A man's as old as he's feeling, a woman as old as she looks. Mortimer Collins (1827-1876) English novelist, poet Age When a woman tells you her age it's all right to look surprised, but don't scowl. Wilson Mizner (1876-1933) American dramatist, wit Age A lady of a "certain age," which means Certainly aged. Lord Byron (1788-1824) English poet Age The years that a woman subtracts from her age are not lost. They are added to the ages of other women. Diane de Poitiers (1499-1566) mistress of Henri II of France, patron Age When women pass thirty, they first forget their age; when forty, they forget that they ever remembered it. Ninon de Lenclos (1620-1705) French society lady, wit Age You are not permitted to kill a woman who has injured you, but nothing forbids you to reflect that she is growing older every minute. Ambrose Bierce (1842-1914) American author Age The age of a woman doesn't mean a thing. The best tunes are played on the oldest fiddles. Sigmund Z. Engel (1869-?) Age Age: Old Age Have you not a moist eye? a dry hand? a yellow cheek? a white beard? a decreasing leg? an increasing belly? is not your voice broken? your wind short? your chin double? your wit single? and every part about you blasted with antiquity? Chief Justice, King Henry IV part 2 William Shakespeare (1564-1616) English dramatist, poet Age: Old Age At seventy-seven it is time to be earnest. Dr. Samuel Johnson (1709-1784) English author, lexicographer Age: Old Age Forty years on, growing older and older, Shorter in wind, as in memory long, Feeble of foot, and rheumatic of shoulder What will it help you that once you were strong? E. E. Bowen (1836-1901) English schoolmaster Age: Old Age All would live long, but none would be old. Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790) American statesman, writer Age: Old Age O what a thing is age! Death without death's quiet. Walter Savage Landor (1775-1864) English author Age: Old Age And we who once rang out like a bell Have nothing now to show or to sell; Old bones to carry, old stories to tell: So it is to be an Old Soldier. Padraic Colum (1881-1972) Irish author Age: Old Age When a man fell into his anecdotage it was a sign for him to retire from the world. Benjamin Disraeli (1804-1881) English prime minister Age: Old Age Talking is the disease of age. Ben Jonson (1573-1637) English dramatist, poet Age: Old Age A good old man, sir, he will be talking; as they say, "when the age is in, the wit is out." Dogberry, Much Ado About Nothing William Shakespeare (1564-1616) English dramatist, poet Age: Old Age Lord, Lord, how subject we old men are to this vice of lying! Falstaff, King Henry IV part 2 William Shakespeare (1564-1616) English dramatist, poet Age: Old Age An old man gives good advice to console himself for no longer being able to set a bad example. Francois, Duc de La Rochefoucauld (1613-1680) French writer, moralist Age: Old Age Age. That period of life in which we compound for the vices that remain by reviling those we have no longer the vigor to commit. Ambrose Bierce (1842-1914) American author Age: Old Age An old man concludeth from his knowing mankind that they know him too, and that maketh him very wary. Sir George Savile, Lord Halifax (1633-1695) English statesman, author Age: Old Age As a matter of fact, elderly people are not more contemptible than anyone else. Evelyn Waugh (1903-1966) British novelist Age: Old Age One evil in old age is that, as your time is come, you think every little illness the beginning of the end. When a man expects to be arrested, every knock at the door is an alarm. Sydney Smith (1771-1845) English writer, clergyman Age: Old Age No one is so old as to think he cannot live one more year. Cicero (106-43 BC) Roman orator, philosopher Age: Old Age To me, old age is always fifteen years older than I am. Bernard Baruch (1870-1965) American financier Age: Old Age Old age is the most unexpected of all the things that happen to a man. Leon Trotsky (1879-1940) Russian revolutionary leader Age: Old Age I advise you to go on living solely to enrage those who are paying your annuities. It is the only pleasure I have left. Voltaire (1694-1778) French philosopher, writer Age: Old Age The mere process of growing old together will make the slightest acquaintance seem a bosom friend. Logan Pearsall Smith (1865-1946) Anglo-American essayist Age: Old Age The tragedy of old age is not that one is old, but that one is young. Mark Twain (1835-1910) American author Age: Old Age Men of age object too much, consult too long, adventure too little, repent too soon. Francis Bacon (1561-1626) English philosopher, essayist Age: Old Age Many a man that can't direct you to a corner drugstore will get a respectful hearing when age has further impaired his mind. Finley Peter Dunne (1867-1936) American journalist, humorist Age: Old Age Young men soon give, and soon forget affronts: Old age is slow in both. Joseph Addison (1672-1719) English essayist Age: Old Age Old men are testy, and will have their way. Percy Bysshe Shelley (1792-1822) English poet Age: Old Age Being an old maid is like death by drowning, a really delightful sensation after you cease to struggle. Edna Ferber (1887-1968) American author Age: Old Age There are three classes of elderly women; first, that dear old soul; second, that old woman; third, that old witch. Samuel Taylor Coleridge (1772-1834) English poet Age: Old Age Growing old is more like a bad habit which a busy man has no time to form. Andre Maurois (1885-1967) French author Age: Old Age I prefer old age to the alternative. Maurice Chevalier (1888-1972) French singer, actor Age: Old Age I have lived long enough; my way of life Is fall'n into the sear, the yellow leaf; And that which should accompany old age, As honour, love, obedience, troops of friends, I must not look to have. Macbeth, Macbeth William Shakespeare (1564-1616) English dramatist, poet Age: Old Age What is the worst of woes that wait on age? What stamps the wrinkle deeper on the brow? To view each loved one blotted from life's page, And be alone on earth, as I am now. Lord Byron (1788-1824) English poet Age: Old Age They are all gone into the world of light, And I alone sit lingering here. Henry Vaughan (1622-1695) Welsh poet Age: Old Age Agents See: Advertising: Allen Many artists have admittedly no aptitude for merchantry. Arnold Bennett (1867-1931) British novelist Agents It is well-known what a middleman is: he is a man who bamboozles one party and plunders the other. Benjamin Disraeli (1804-1881) English prime minister Agents The trouble with this business is that the stars keep ninety percent of my money. attributed to Lord Grade (b. 1906) British film and TV entrepreneur Agents My agents get ten percent of everything I get, except my blinding headaches. Fred Allen (1894-1957) American comic Agents Aggression Attack is the reaction; I never think I have hit hard unless it rebounds. Dr. Samuel Johnson (1709-1784) English author, lexicographer Aggression To knock a thing down, especially if it is cocked at an arrogant angle, is a deep delight to the blood. George Santayana (1863-1952) American philosopher, poet Aggression Agnostics See: Humanism: Russell O Lord, if there is a Lord, save my soul, if I have a soul. Joseph Ernest Renan (1823-1892) French writer, critic, scholar Agnostics I am an agnostic; I do not pretend to know what many ignorant men are sure of. Clarence Darrow (1857-1938) American lawyer, writer Agnostics I can't believe in the God of my Fathers. If there is one Mind which understands all things, it will comprehend me in my unbelief. I don't know whose hand hung Hesperus in the sky, and fixed the Dog Star, and scattered the shining dust of Heaven, and fired the sun, and froze the darkness between the lonely worlds that spin in space. Gerald Kersh (1911-1968) British author, journalist Agnostics Question with boldness even the existence of a God; because, if there be one, he must more approve of the homage of reason, than that of blindfolded fear. Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826) American president Agnostics The skeptic does not mean him who doubts, but him who investigates or researches, as opposed to him who asserts and thinks that he has found. Miguel de Unamuno (1864-1936) Spanish philosopher, poet, novelist Agnostics If only God would give me some clear sign! Like making a large deposit in my name at a Swiss bank. Woody Allen (b. 1935) American filmmaker Agnostics Agreement See: Consensus Men and Women: Santayana It is my melancholy fate to like so many people I profoundly disagree with and often heartily dislike people who agree with me. Mary Kingsley (1862-1900) British traveler, writer Agreement My idea of an agreeable person is a person who agrees with me. Benjamin Disraeli (1804-1881) English prime minister Agreement Elinor agreed with it all, for she did not think he deserved the compliment of rational opposition. Jane Austen (1775-1817) English novelist Agreement When you say that you agree to a thing in principle you mean that you have not the slightest intention of carrying it out in practice. Prince Otto von Bismarck (1815-1898) Prussian statesman Agreement Aid See: Charity: Huddleston; Rockefeller The hands that help are holier than the lips that pray. Ralph G. Ingersoll (1833-1899) American lawyer Aid Help a man against his will and you do the same as murder him. Horace (65-8 BC) Latin poet Aid It was as helpful as throwing a drowning man both ends of a rope. Bugs (Arthur) Baer (1897-1975) American columnist, short story writer Aid AIDS Any important disease whose causality is murky, and for which treatment is ineffectual, tends to be awash in significance. Susan Sontag (b. 1933) American essayist AIDS I've spent fifteen years of my life fighting for our right to be free and make love whenever, wherever . . . And you're telling me that all those years of what being gay stood for is wrong . . . and I'm a murderer. We have been so oppressed! Don't you remember how it was? Can't you see how important it is for us to love openly, without hiding and without guilt? Mickey, The Normal Heart Larry Kramer (b. 1935) American playwright, novelist AIDS Everywhere I go I see increasing evidence of people swirling about in a human cesspit of their own making. James Anderton (b. 1932) British Chief Constable, Greater Manchester Police Force of the AIDS epidemic AIDS We're all going to go crazy, living this epidemic every minute, while the rest of the world goes on out there, all around us, as if nothing is happening, going on with their own lives and not knowing what it's like, what we're going through. We're living through war, but where they're living it's peacetime, and we're all in the same country. Ned, The Normal Heart Larry Kramer (b. 1935) American playwright, novelist AIDS The thing is evolving in front of one's eyes. One realises that anything one's saying is only a snapshot in time. London doctor (d. 1986) AIDS Alliances Peace, commerce and honest friendship with all nations - entangling alliance with none. Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826) American president Alliances When bad men combine, the good must associate; else they will fall, one by one, an unpitied sacrifice in a contemptible struggle. Edmund Burke (1729-1797) Irish philosopher, statesman Alliances Whomsoever England allies herself with, she will see her allies stronger than she is herself at the end of this war. Adolf Hitler (1889-1945) German dictator April 26, 1942 Alliances Alliance. In international politics, the union of two thieves who have their hands so deeply inserted in each other's pockets that they cannot separately plunder a third. Ambrose Bierce (1842-1914) American author Alliances Our desire is to be friendly to every country in the world, but we have no desire to have a friendly country choosing our enemies for us. Julius Nyerere (b. 1921) African statesman, president of Tanzania Alliances An ally has to be watched just like an enemy. Leon Trotsky (1879-1940) Russian revolutionary leader Alliances Altruism See: Benefactors Philanthropy As for doing good, that is one of the professions that are full. Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862) American philosopher, author, naturalist Altruism He who would do good to another must do it in Minute Particulars. General good is the plea of the scoundrel, hypocrite, and flatterer; for art and science cannot exist but in minutely organized Particulars. William Blake (1757-1827) English poet, artist Altruism No people do so much harm as those who go about doing good. Mandell Creighton (1843-1901) English prelate, historian Altruism Such a good friend that she will throw all her acquaintances into the water for the pleasure of fishing them out again. Charles, Count Talleyrand (1754-1838) French statesman of Madame de Stael Altruism Ambition See: Getting Ahead Politicians: Jefferson Poverty: Juvenal Promotion: Wilson Men would be angels, angels would be gods. Alexander Pope (1688-1744) English poet Ambition What parish priest would not like to be Pope? Voltaire (1694-1778) French philosopher, writer Ambition It is a strange desire to seek power and to lose liberty. Francis Bacon (1561-1626) English philosopher, essayist Ambition Ambition. An overmastering desire to be vilified by enemies while living and made ridiculous by friends when dead. Ambrose Bierce (1842-1914) American author Ambition Ambition is pitiless. Any merit that it cannot use it finds despicable. Joseph Joubert (1754-1824) French essayist, moralist Ambition As he was valiant, I honour him; but, as he was ambitious, I slew him. Brutus, Julius Caesar William Shakespeare (1564-1616) English dramatist, poet Ambition Ambition can creep as well as soar. Edmund Burke (1729-1797) Irish philosopher, statesman Ambition Ambition often puts Men upon doing the meanest offices; so climbing is performed in the same position with creeping. Jonathan Swift (1667-1745) Anglo-Irish satirist Ambition 'Tis not what man does which exalts him, But what man would do! Robert Browning (1812-1889) English poet Ambition America See: The Consumer Society: Stevenson Dissent: Thurber Fame: Chesterton Heroes: Sullivan The New World New York Success: James Technology: Galbraith Texas Young man, there is America, which at this day serves for little more than to amuse you with stories of strange men and uncouth manners. Edmund Burke (1729-1797) Irish philosopher, statesman America Of course, America had often been discovered before, but it had always been hushed up. Oscar Wilde (1854-1900) Anglo-Irish writer America God had a divine purpose in placing this land between two great oceans to be found by those who had a special love of freedom and courage. Ronald Reagan (b. 1911) American president America America is the only nation in history which, miraculously, has gone directly from barbarism to degeneration without the usual interval of civilization Georges Clemenceau (1841-1929) French politician, prime minister America America is a mistake, a giant mistake! Sigmund Freud (1856-1939) Austrian psychiatrist America "Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!" cries she With silent lips. "Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, The wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed, to me; I lift my lamp beside the golden door." Emma Lazarus (1849-1887) American poet 'The New Colossus' - sonnet written for inscription on the Statue of Liberty America Ours is the only country deliberately founded on a good idea. John Gunther (1901-1970) American journalist America I believe in America because we have great dreams - and because we have the opportunity to make those dreams come true. Wendell L. Wilkie (1892-1944) American lawyer, businessman, politician America Sometimes people call me an idealist. Well, that is the way I know I am an American. America is the only idealistic nation in the world. Woodrow Wilson (1856-1924) American president America The American ideal is, after all, that everyone should be as much alike as possible. James Baldwin (1924-1987) American novelist America America is a tune. It must be sung together. Gerald Stanley Lee (1862-1944) American academic America There is nothing wrong with America that together we can't fix. Ronald Reagan (b. 1911) American president America That impersonal insensitive friendliness that takes the place of ceremony in that land of waifs and strays. Evelyn Waugh (1903-1966) British novelist America America is a large, friendly dog in a very small room. Every time it wags its tail it knocks over a chair. Arnold Joseph Toynbee (1889-1975) British historian America America . . . just a nation of two hundred million used-car salesmen with all the money we need to buy guns and no qualms about killing anybody else in the world who tries to make us uncomfortable. Hunter S. Thompson (b. 1939) American journalist America When great nations fear to expand, shrink from expansion, it is because their greatness is coming to an end. Are we, still in the prime of our lusty youth, still at the beginning of our glorious manhood, to sit down among the outworn people, to take our place with the weak and the craven? A thousand times no! Theodore Roosevelt (1858-1919) American president America The youth of America is their oldest tradition. It has been going on now for three hundred years. Oscar Wilde (1854-1900) Anglo-Irish writer America Woman governs America because America is a land of boys who refuse to grow up. Salvador de Madariaga (1886-1978) Spanish diplomat, writer, critic America America is not a young land: it is old and dirty and evil before the settlers, before the Indians. The evil is there waiting. William S. Burroughs (b. 1914) American author America The great social adventure of America is no longer the conquest of the wilderness but the absorption of fifty different peoples. Walter Lippmann (1889-1974) American journalist America America is God's Crucible, the great Melting-Pot where all the races of Europe are melting and re-forming. Israel Zangwill (1864-1926) British writer America America, half-brother of the world! Philip Bailey (1816-1902) British poet America America lives in the heart of every man everywhere who wishes to find a region where he will be free to work out his destiny as he chooses. Woodrow Wilson (1856-1924) American president America The business of America is business. Calvin Coolidge (1872-1933) American president America In America people never obey people, they obey justice, or the law. Alexis de Tocqueville (1805-1859) French historian, politician America The United States has to move very fast to even stand still. John F. Kennedy (1917-1963) American president America If you think the US has stood still, who built the largest shopping-center in the world? Richard Nixon (b. 1913) American president America In America you watch TV and think that's totally unreal, then you step outside and it's just the same. Joan Armatrading (b. 1947) British singer America Your women shall scream like peacocks when they talk, and your men neigh like horses when they laugh. Rudyard Kipling (1865-1936) English author America I have no further use for America. I wouldn't go back there if Jesus Christ was President. Charlie Chaplin (1889-1977) English comic actor, director America In Boston they ask, "How much does he know?" In New York, "How much is he worth?" In Philadelphia "Who were his parents?" Mark Twain (1835-1910) American author America A Boston man is the east wind made flesh. Thomas Appleton (1812-1884) American author America Washington is a city of Southern efficiency and Northern charm. John F. Kennedy (1917-1963) American president America The people are unreal. The flowers are unreal, they don't smell. The fruit is unreal, it doesn't taste of anything. The whole place is a glaring, gaudy, nightmarish set, built upon the desert. Ethel Barrymore (1879-1959) American actress of Los Angeles America A city with all the personality of a paper cup. Raymond Chandler (1888-1959) American writer of Los Angeles America California is a place where a boom mentality and a sense of Chekhovian loss meet in uneasy suspension; in which the mind is troubled by some buried but ineradicable suspicion that things had better work here, because here, beneath that immense bleached sky, is where we run out of continent. Joan Didion (b. 1934) American writer America Out where the hanclasp's a little stronger, Out where the smile dwells a little longer, That's where the West begins. Arthur Chapman (1873-1935) American poet, author America If you're going to America, bring your own food. Fran Lebowitz (b. 1951) American journalist America Americans See: Courtesy: Bradbury Europe: Emerson Friendliness: Thoreau Gentlemen: Dickens Insults: Gallico Paris: Wilde Promiscuity: McCarthy I am willing to love all mankind, except an American. Dr. Samuel Johnson (1709-1784) English author, lexicographer Americans For other nations, utopia is a blessed past never to be recovered; for Americans it is just beyond the horizon. Henry Kissinger (b. 1923) American adviser on international affairs Americans There is nothing the matter with Americans except their ideals. The real American is all right; it is the ideal American who is all wrong. G. K. Chesterton (1874-1936) English author Americans People in America, of course, live in all sorts of fashions, because they are foreigners, or unlucky, or depraved, or without ambition; people live like that, but Americans live in white detached houses with green shutters. Rigidly, blindly, the dream takes precedence. Margaret Mead (1901-1978) American anthropologist Americans American women expect to find in their husbands a perfection that English women only hope to find in their butlers. W. Somerset Maugham (1874-1965) British author Americans Only in America . . . do these peasants, our mothers, get their hair dyed platinum at the age of sixty, and walk up and down Collins Avenue in Florida in pedalpushers and mink stoles - and with opinions on every subject under the sun. Philip Roth (b. 1933) American novelist Americans Since the earliest days of our frontier irreverence has been one of the signs of our affection. Dean Rusk (b. 1909) American diplomat Americans Being American is to eat a lot of beef steak, and boy, we've got a lot more beefsteak than any other country, and that's why you ought to be glad you're an American. And people have started looking at these big hunks of bloody meat on their plates, you know, and wondering what on earth they think they're doing. Kurt Vonnegut (b. 1922) American novelist Americans When you consider how indifferent Americans are to the quality and cooking of the food they put into their insides, it cannot but strike you as peculiar that they should take such pride in the mechanical appliances they use for its excretion. W. Somerset Maugham (1874-1965) British author Americans Americans are rather like bad Bulgarian wine: they don't travel well. Bernard Falk (1882-1960) British author Americans Americans are uneasy with their possessions, guilty about power, all of which is difficult for Europeans to perceive because they are themselves so truly materialistic, so versed in the uses of power. Joan Didion (b. 1934) American writer Americans Amorality It is safest to be moderately base - to be flexible in shame, and to be always ready for what is generous, good and just, when anything is to be gained by virtue. Sydney Smith (1771-1845) English writer, clergyman Amorality If he does really think that there is no distinction between virtue and vice, why, Sir, when he leaves our houses let us count our spoons. Dr. Samuel Johnson (1709-1784) English author, lexicographer Amorality Anarchism See: Socialism: Crosland The State: Bakunin; Kropotkin Our idea of anarchism is launched: nongovernment is developing as non-property did before. Pierre-Joseph Proudhon (1809-1865) French social theorist Anarchism Preferring personal government, with its tact and flexibility, is called royalism. Preferring impersonal government, with its dogmas and definitions, is called republicanism. Objecting broadmindedly both to kings and creeds is called Bosh - at least, I know no more philosophical word for it. G. K. Chesterton (1874-1936) English author Anarchism Anarchism is the only philosophy which brings to man the consciousness of himself; which maintains that God, the State, and society are non-existent, that their promises are null and void, since they can be fulfilled only through man's subordination. Emma Goldman (1869-1940) American anarchist Anarchism Dame dynamite, que l'on danse vite . . . Dansons et chansons et dynamitons! Lady Dynamite, let's dance quickly, Let's dance and sing and dynamite everything! French anarchist song of the 1880s Anarchism Ancestry See: The Aristocracy: Burton Snobbery: Agar Tradition: Chesterton; Burke Every man is an omnibus in which his ancestors ride. Dr. Oliver Wendell Holmes (1809-1894) American writer, physician Ancestry Each has his own tree of ancestors, but at the top of all sits Probably Arboreal. Robert Louis Stevenson (1850-1894) Scottish novelist, essayist, poet Ancestry Geneology. An account of one's descent from an ancestor who did not particularly care to trace his own. Ambrose Bierce (1842-1914) American author Ancestry Englishmen hate Liberty and Equality too much to understand them. But every Englishman loves a pedigree. George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) Anglo-Irish playwright, critic Ancestry It is indeed a desirable thing to be well-descended, but the glory belongs to our ancestors. Plutarch (46-120) Greek essayist, biographer Ancestry Neither give heed to fables and endless genealogies. Saint Paul (3-67) Apostle to the Gentiles Ancestry There is a certain class of people who prefer to say that their fathers came down in the world through their own follies than to boast that they rose in the world through their own industry and talents. It is the same shabby-genteel sentiment, the same vanity of birth which makes men prefer to believe that they are degenerated angels rather than elevated apes. W. Winwoode Reade (1838-1875) English traveler, author Ancestry I would rather make my name than inherit it. William Makepeace Thackeray (1811-1863) English author Ancestry I don't know who my grandfather was; I am much more concerned to know what his grandson will be. Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865) American president Ancestry In church your grandsire cut his throat; To do the job too long he tarried: He should have had my hearty vote To cut his throat before he married. Jonathan Swift (1667-1745) Anglo-Irish satirist Ancestry Anecdotes See: Age: Old Age: Disraeli With a tale, forsooth, he cometh unto you; with a tale which holdeth children from play, and old men from the chimney corner. Sir Philip Sidney (1554-1586) English poet, critic, soldier Anecdotes The history of a soldier's wound beguiles the pain of it. Laurence Sterne (1713-1768) English author Anecdotes If it isn't true at least it's a happy invention. Giordano Bruno (1548-1600) Italian philosopher Anecdotes A good storyteller is a person who has a good memory and hopes other people haven't. Irvin S. Cobb (1876-1944) American writer Anecdotes How is it that we remember the least triviality that happens to us, and yet not remember how often we have recounted it to the same person? Francois, Duc de La Rochefoucauld (1613-1680) French writer, moralist Anecdotes We may be willing to tell a story twice, never to hear it more than once. William Hazlitt (1778-1830) English essayist Anecdotes Faith! he must make his stories shorter Or change his comrades once a quarter. Jonathan Swift (1667-1745) Anglo-Irish satirist Anecdotes Anger See: Patience: Dryden Speeches: Emerson Anger is a kind of temporary madness. Saint Basil (330-379) Greek theologian Anger Anger is one of the sinews of the soul; he that lacks it has a maimed mind. Thomas Fuller (1608-1661) English cleric Anger Heav'n has no rage like love to hatred turn'd, Nor Hell a fury like a woman scorn'd. William Congreve (1670-1729) English dramatist Anger No man can think clearly when his fists are clenched. George Jean Nathan (1882-1958) American critic Anger Angling The charm of fishing is that it is the pursuit of what is elusive but obtainable, a perpetual series of occasions for hope. John Buchan (1875-1940) British author, statesman Angling We may say of angling as Dr. Boteler said of strawberries, "Doubtless God could have made a better berry, but doubtless God never did"; and so, if I might be judge, "God never did make a more calm, quiet, innocent recreation than angling." Izaak Walton (1593-1683) English author, biographer Angling Fly fishing may be a very pleasant amusement; but angling or float fishing I can only compare to a stick and a string, with a worm at one end and a fool at the other. Dr. Samuel Johnson (1709-1784) English author, lexicographer Angling Animals See: Dogs Horses Nothing to be done really about animals. Anything you do looks foolish. The answer isn't in us. It's almost as if we're put here on earth to show how silly they aren't. Russell Hoban (b. 1925) British author Animals They do not sweat and whine about their condition, They do not lie awake in the dark and weep for their sins, They do not make me sick discussing their duty to God, Not one is dissatisfied, not one is demented with the mania of owning things, Not one kneels to another, nor to his kind that lived thousands of years ago. Walt Whitman (1819-1892) American poet Animals We know what animals do and what beaver and bears and salmon and other creatures need, because once our men were married to them and they acquired this knowledge from their animal wives. native Hawaiians quoted by Levi-Strauss in The Savage Mind Animals A peasant becomes fond of his pig and is glad to salt away its pork. What is significant, and is so difficult for the urban stranger to understand, is that the two statements are connected by an and and not by a but. John Berger (b. 1926) British critic Animals Of all God's creatures there is only one that cannot be made the slave of the lash. That one is the cat. If man could be crossed with the cat it would improve man, but it would deteriorate the cat. Mark Twain (1835-1910) American author Animals The zoo cannot but disappoint. The public purpose of zoos is to offer visitors the opportunity of looking at animals. Yet nowhere in a zoo can a stranger encounter the look of an animal. At the most, the animal's gaze flickers and passes on. They look sideways. They look blindly beyond. John Berger (b. 1926) British critic Animals Anniversaries Let us love nobly, and live, and add again Years and years unto years, till we attain To write threescore: this is the second of our reign. John Donne (1572-1631) English divine, metaphysical poet Anniversaries The secret anniversaries of the heart. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807-1882) American poet Anniversaries Anthologies It might well be said of me that here I have merely made up a bunch of other people's flowers, and provided nothing of my own but the string to bind them. Michel de Montaigne (1533-1592) French essayist, moralist Anthologies A well-chosen anthology is a complete dispensary of medicine for the more common mental disorders, and may be used as much for prevention as cure. Robert Graves (1895-1985) British poet, novelist Anthologies Lexicographer: a writer of dictionaries, a harmless drudge. Dr. Samuel Johnson (1709-1784) English author, lexicographer Anthologies Antipathy They exchanged the quick, brilliant smile of women who dislike each other on sight. Marshall Pugh (b. 1925) British journalist, author Antipathy Violent antipathies are always suspicious, and betray a secret affinity. William Hazlitt (1778-1830) English essayist Antipathy Anxiety But Jesus, when you don't have any money, the problem is food. When you have money, it's sex. When you have both, it's health, you worry about getting ruptured or something. If everything is simply jake then you're frightened of death. J. P. Donleavy (b. 1926) American author Anxiety When you suffer an attack of nerves you're being attacked by the nervous system. What chance has a man got against a system? Russell Hoban (b. 1925) British author Anxiety Worry is interest paid on trouble before it falls due. W. R. Inge (1860-1954) Dean of St. Paul's, London Anxiety Women like to sit down with trouble as if it were knitting. Ellen Glasgow (1874-1945) American novelist Anxiety My apprehensions come in crowds; I dread the rustling of the grass; The very shadows of the clouds Have power to shake me as they pass: I question things and do not find One that will answer to my mind; And all the world appears unkind. William Wordsworth (1770-1850) English poet Anxiety Probably the only place where a man can feel really secure is in a maximum security prison, except for the imminent threat of release. Germaine Greer (b. 1939) Australian feminist writer Anxiety I've never met a healthy person who worried much about his health, or a good person who worried about his soul. J. B. S. Haldane (1892-1964) British scientist Anxiety Apathy See: Indifference The difference between our decadence and the Russians' is that while theirs is brutal, ours is apathetic. James Thurber (1894-1961) American humorist, illustrator Apathy Science may have found a cure for most evils; but it has found no remedy for the worst of them all - the apathy of human beings. Helen Keller (1880-1968) American author, lecturer Apathy Apocalypse God seems to have left the receiver off the hook, and time is running out. Arthur Koestler (1905-1983) British author Apocalypse This is the way the world ends This is the way the world ends This is the way the world ends Not with a bang but a whimper. T. S. Eliot (1888-1965) Anglo-American poet Apocalypse Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus. John the Divine (b. 1st century AD) Apostle of Jesus Apocalypse Apologies Never make a defence or apology before you be accused. King Charles I of Great Britain (1600-1649) Apologies To apologize is to lay the foundation for a future offense. Ambrose Bierce (1842-1914) American author Apologies A stiff apology is a second insult. G. K. Chesterton (1874-1936) English author Apologies It is a good rule in life never to apologise. The right sort of people do not want apologies, and the wrong sort take a mean advantage of them. P. G. Wodehouse (1881-1975) British novelist, humorist Apologies Appearances See: The Commonplace: Lincoln Dress Faces Vanity: de Unamuno Women: Tertullian To see ourselves as others see us is a most salutary gift. Hardly less important is the capacity to see others as they see themselves. Aldous Huxley (1894-1963) English author Appearances Barring that natural expression of villainy which we all have, the man looked honest enough. Mark Twain (1835-1910) American author Appearances I'm not a dictator. It's just that I have a grumpy face. General Pinochet (b. 1915) President of Chile Appearances Straight trees have crooked roots. 16th-century proverb Appearances A good man often appears gauche simply because he does not take advantage of the myriad mean little chances of making himself look stylish. Preferring truth to form, he is not constantly at work upon the facade of his appearance. Iris Murdoch (b. 1919) Anglo-Irish writer Appearances He looked as inconspicuous as a tarantula on a slice of angel food. Raymond Chandler (1888-1959) American writer Appearances She got her good looks from her father - he's a plastic surgeon. Groucho Marx (1895-1977) American comic actor Appearances Appeasement And that is called paying the Dane-geld; But we've proved it again and again, That if once you have paid him the Dane-geld You never get rid of the Dane. Rudyard Kipling (1865-1936) English author Appeasement Thus Belial, with words clothed in reason's garb, Counselled ignoble ease, and peaceful sloth, Not peace. John Milton (1608-1674) English poet Appeasement An appeaser is one who feeds a crocodile, hoping it will eat him last. Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965) British statesman, writer Appeasement Appeasers believe that if you keep on throwing steaks to a tiger, the tiger will turn vegetarian. Heywood Broun (1888-1939) American journalist, novelist Appeasement Applause They named it Ovation from the Latin ovis, a sheep. Plutarch (46-120) Greek essayist, biographer Applause I want to thank you for stopping the applause. It is impossible for me to look humble for any period of time. Henry Kissinger (b. 1923) American adviser on international affairs Applause Do not trust to the cheering, for those very persons would shout as much if you and I were going to be hanged. Oliver Cromwell (1599-1658) Lord Protector of England Applause The silence that accepts merit as the most natural thing in the world is the highest applause. Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882) American essayist, poet, philosopher Applause Architecture What has happened to architecture since the second world war that the only passers-by who can contemplate it without pain are those equipped with a white stick and a dog? Bernard Levin (b. 1928) British journalist Architecture A large number of us have developed a feeling that architects tend to design houses for the approval of fellow architects and critics - not for the tenants. Charles, Prince of Wales (b. 1948) Architecture Architecture is the art of how to waste space. Philip Johnson (b. 1906) American architect Architecture Light, God's eldest daughter, is a principal beauty in a building. Thomas Fuller (1608-1661) English cleric Architecture No person who is not a great sculptor or painter can be an architect. If he is not a sculptor or painter, he can only be a builder. John Ruskin (1819-1900) English critic Architecture Why can't we have those curves and arches that express feeling in design? What is wrong with them? Why has everything got to be vertical, straight, unbending, only at right angles - and functional? Charles, Prince of Wales (b. 1948) Architecture No architecture is so haughty as that which is simple. John Ruskin (1819-1900) English critic Architecture Si monumentum requiris, circumspice. If you would see his monument, look around. of Sir Christopher Wren, by his son Architecture Argument See: Agreement: Austen Persuasion Myself when young did eagerly frequent Doctor and Saint, and heard great Argument About it and about: but evermore Came out by the same Door wherein I went. from The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam trans. Edward Fitzgerald (1809-1883) Argument A man never tells you anything until you contradict him. George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) Anglo-Irish playwright, critic Argument One often contradicts an opinion when what is uncongenial is really the tone in which it was conveyed. Friedrich Nietzsche (1844-1900) German philosopher Argument You raise your voice when you should reinforce your argument. Dr. Samuel Johnson (1709-1784) English author, lexicographer Argument You have not converted a man because you have silenced him. John, Lord Morley (1838-1923) English writer, Liberal politician Argument Arguments are to be avoided: they are always vulgar and often convincing. Oscar Wilde (1854-1900) Anglo-Irish writer Argument To gain one's way is no escape from the responsibility for an inferior solution. Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965) British statesman, writer Argument Persons of good sense, I have since observed, seldom fall into disputation, except lawyers, university men, and men of all sorts that have been bred at Edinburgh. Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790) American statesman, writer Argument The devil can cite Scripture for his purpose. Antonio, The Merchant of Venice William Shakespeare (1564-1616) English dramatist, poet Argument Arguments out of a pretty mouth are unanswerable. Joseph Addison (1672-1719) English essayist Argument If you wish to win a man's heart, allow him to confute you. Benjamin Disraeli (1804-1881) English prime minister Argument A woman who is confuted is never convinced. J. Churton Collins (1848-1908) English author, critic, scholar Argument The only argument available with an east wind is to put on your overcoat. James Russell Lowell (1819-1891) American poet, editor Argument Between friends differences in taste or opinion are irritating in direct proportion to their triviality. W. H. Auden (1907-1973) Anglo-American poet Argument There are three sides to every question: your side, his side, and to hell with it. anonymous Argument The Aristocracy See: The English: Arnold The House of Lords: Winster Idleness: Burton We, my lords, may thank Heaven that we have something better than our brains to depend on. Lord Chesterfield (1694-1773) English statesman, man of letters The Aristocracy There are bad manners everywhere, but an aristocracy is bad manners organized. Henry James (1843-1916) American novelist The Aristocracy For what were all these country patriots born? To hunt, and vote, and raise the price of corn? Lord Byron (1788-1824) English poet The Aristocracy We may talk what we please of lilies and lions rampant, and spread eagles in fields d'or or d'argent; but if heraldry were guided by reason, a plough in a field arable would be the most noble and ancient of arms. Abraham Cowley (1618-1667) English author The Aristocracy A fully equipped Duke costs as much to keep up as two Dreadnoughts, and they are just as great a terror - and they last longer. David Lloyd George (1863-1945) Welsh Liberal politician, prime minister The Aristocracy Almost in every kingdom the most ancient families have been at first princes' bastards. Robert Burton (1577-1640) English clergyman, author The Aristocracy I have known a German Prince with more titles than subjects, and a Spanish nobleman with more names than shirts. Oliver Goldsmith (1728-1774) Anglo-Irish author The Aristocracy There is no stronger craving in the world than that of the rich for titles, except that of the titled for riches. Hesketh Pearson (1887-1964) British biographer The Aristocracy Lords are lordliest in their wine. John Milton (1608-1674) English poet The Aristocracy A degenerate nobleman is like a turnip. There is nothing good of him but that which is underground. 17th-century English saying The Aristocracy Those comfortably padded lunatic asylums which are known, euphemistically, as the stately homes of England. Virginia Woolf (1882-1941) British novelist The Aristocracy Stemmata quid faciunt? is the use of your pedigrees? Juvenal (c. 40-130) Roman satiric poet The Aristocracy The Arms Race See: The Nuclear Age: Einstein; de Gaulle; White Let him who desires peace prepare for war. Vegetius (b. 4th century AD) Roman military strategist The Arms Race The ability to get to the verge without getting into the war is the necessary art. John Foster Dulles (1888-1959) American Republican politician The Arms Race If this phrase of the "balance of power" is to be always an argument for war, the pretence for war will never be wanting, and peace can never be secure. John Bright (1811-1889) English radical politician The Arms Race Security is a game in which the final goal is never quite in reach. Laurence Martin (b. 1928) British author, academic The Arms Race Nothing could have been more obvious to the people of the early twentieth century than the rapidity with which war was becoming impossible. And as certainly they did not see it. They did not see it until the atomic bombs burst in their fumbling hands. H. G. Wells (1866-1946) English author, social thinker written in 1914 The Arms Race The world knows, and above all the Soviets know, that no American President will sacrifice New York or Washington to save Berlin. Richard Nixon (b. 1913) American president The Arms Race One cannot fashion a credible deterrent out of an incredible action. Robert McNamara (b. 1916) American industrialist, politician, financier The Arms Race Every gun that is fired, 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. The world in arms is not spending money alone. It is spending the sweat of its laborers, the genius of its scientists, the hopes of its children. Dwight D. Eisenhower (1890-1969) American president The Arms Race The emotional security and political stability in this country entitle us to be a nuclear power. Sir Ronald Mason (b. 1930) Chief Scientific Adviser, Ministry of Defence, 1983 The Arms Race The superpowers often behave like two heavily-armed blind men feeling their way around a room, each believing himself in mortal peril from the other, whom he assumes to have perfect vision. Henry Kissinger (b. 1923) American adviser on international affairs The Arms Race Nuclear weapons are not in my line; unfortunately I am in their line. E. M. Forster (1879-1970) British novelist The Arms Race The Army See: Generals Patriotism: Roosevelt Uniforms: Lawrence War: Stalin The professional military mind is by necessity an inferior and unimaginative mind; no man of high intellectual quality would willingly imprison his gifts in such a calling. H. G. Wells (1866-1946) English author, social thinker The Army It has been calculated by the ablest politicians that no State, without being soon exhausted, can maintain above the hundredth part of its members in arms and idleness. Edward Gibbon (1737-1794) English historian The Army The chief attraction of military service has consisted and will consist in this compulsory and irreproachable idleness. Leo Tolstoy (1828-1910) Russian novelist, philosopher The Army Soldiers in peace are like chimneys in summer. Lord Burghley (1520-1598) English statesman The Army Now, you mummy's darlings, get a rift on them boots. Definitely shine 'em, my little curly-headed lambs, for in our mob war or no war, you die with clean boots on. Gerald Kersh (1911-1968) British author, journalist The Army National Service did the country a lot of good but it darned near killed the army. General Sir Richard Hull (b. 1907) Chief of the Imperial General Staff The Army He learned the arts of riding, fencing, gunnery, And how to scale a fortress - or a nunnery. Lord Byron (1788-1824) English poet The Army The uncontrolled licentiousness of a brutal and insolent soldiery. Baron Erskine (1750-1823) English jurist The Army Drinking is the soldier's pleasure. John Dryden (1631-1700) English poet, dramatist, critic The Army The mere scum of the earth. Duke of Wellington (1769-1852) English soldier, statesman of his men The Army We aren't no thin red 'eroes, nor we aren't no blackguards too. But single men in barracks, most remarkable like you; And if sometimes our conduck isn't all your fancy paints, Why, single men in barracks don't grow into plaster saints. Rudyard Kipling (1865-1936) English author The Army I had rather have a plain, russet-coated Captain, that knows what he fights for, and loves what he knows, than that which you call a Gentleman and is nothing else. Oliver Cromwell (1599-1658) Lord Protector of England The Army On becoming soldiers we have not ceased to be citizens. spokesman for Cromwell's soldiers, 1647 The Army Soldiers are dreamers; when the guns begin They think of firelit homes, clean beds, and wives. Siegfried Sassoon (1886-1967) British poet, author The Army Come on you sons of bitches! Do you want to live for ever? Daniel Daly (1874-1937) Gunnery Sergeant, US Marine Corps The Army I don't know what effect these men will have upon the enemy, but, by God, they terrify me. Duke of Wellington (1769-1852) English soldier, statesman The Army Horribly stuffed with epithets of war. Iago, Othello William Shakespeare (1564-1616) English dramatist, poet The Army Theirs not to make reply, Theirs not to reason why, Theirs but to do and die. Lord Tennyson (1809-1892) English poet The Army Soldiers are citizens of death's grey land. Siegfried Sassoon (1886-1967) British poet, author The Army The third part of an army must be destroyed, before a good one can be made out of it. Sir George Savile, Lord Halifax (1633-1695) English statesman, author The Army We few, we happy few, we band of brothers; For he today that sheds his blood with me Shall be my brother; be he ne'er so vile This day shall gentle his condition: And gentlemen in England now a-bed Shall think themselves accursed they were not here, And hold their manhoods cheap whiles any speaks That fought with us upon Saint Crispin's day. King Henry, King Henry V William Shakespeare (1564-1616) English dramatist, poet The Army Soldiers who wish to be a hero Are practically zero, But those who wish to be civilians, Jesus, they run into the millions. graffito collected by Norman Rosten The Army The feeling about a soldier is, when all is said and done, he wasn't really going to do very much with his life anyway. The example usually is: "he wasn't going to compose Beethoven's Fifth." Kurt Vonnegut (b. 1922) American novelist The Army If I should die, think only this of me, That there's some corner of a foreign field That is for ever England. Rupert Brooke (1887-1915) British poet The Army When you're wounded and left on Afghanistan's plains, An' the women come out to cut up what remains, Jest roll to your rifle an' blow out your brains An' go to your Gawd like a soldier. Rudyard Kipling (1865-1936) English author The Army Arrogance How haughtily he cocks his nose, To tell what every schoolboy knows. Jonathan Swift (1667-1745) Anglo-Irish satirist Arrogance Nobody can be so amusingly arrogant as a young man who has just discovered an old idea and thinks it is his own. Sydney J. Harris (1917-1986) American journalist Arrogance If I cannot brag of knowing something, then I brag of not knowing it; at any rate, brag. Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882) American essayist, poet, philosopher Arrogance The arrogance of age must submit to be taught by youth. Edmund Burke (1729-1797) Irish philosopher, statesman Arrogance Art See: Competition: Morris Creeds: Shaw Portraits Art is man added to nature. Francis Bacon (1561-1626) English philosopher, essayist Art And the first rude sketch that the world had seen was joy to his* mighty heart Till the Devil whispered behind the leaves "It's pretty, but is it art?" *(Adam's) Rudyard Kipling (1865-1936) English author Art There are painters who transform the sun into a yellow spot, but there are others who, thanks to their art and intelligence, transform a yellow spot into the sun. Pablo Picasso (1881-1973) Spanish artist Art What is a work of art? A word made flesh . . . a thing seen, a thing known, the immeasurable translated into terms of the measurable. Eric Gill (1882-1940) British sculptor Art Art is the imposing of a pattern on experience, and our aesthetic enjoyment in recognition of the pattern. Alfred North Whitehead (1861-1947) British philosopher Art Art is I; Science is We. Claude Bernard (1813-1878) French physiologist Art If only we could pull out our brain and use only our eyes. Pablo Picasso (1881-1973) Spanish artist Art Great art is as irrational as great music. It is mad with its own loveliness. George Jean Nathan (1882-1958) American critic Art What garlic is to salad, insanity is to art. Augustus Saint-Gaudens (1848-1907) American sculptor Art Art resides in the resolution of inner and outer conflict. Belfast art lecturer, explaining his appearance in the nude Art A work of art that contains theories is like an object on which the price tag has been left. Marcel Proust (1871-1922) French novelist Art To say that a work of art is good, but incomprehensible to the majority of men, is the same as saying of some kind of food that it is very good but that most people can't eat it. Leo Tolstoy (1828-1910) Russian novelist, philosopher Art If there were no other proof of the infinite patience of God with men, a very good one could be found in His toleration of the pictures that are painted of Him. Thomas Merton (1915-1968) American author, clergyman Art I would rather see the portrait of a dog that I know, than all the allegorical paintings they can shew me in the world. Dr. Samuel Johnson (1709-1784) English author, lexicographer Art They are good furniture pictures, unworthy of praise, and undeserving of blame. John Ruskin (1819-1900) English critic Art If Botticelli were alive today he'd be working for Vogue. Peter Ustinov (b. 1921) British author, actor, wit Art Art is skill, that is the first meaning of the word. Eric Gill (1882-1940) British sculptor Art There has never been a boy painter, nor can there be. The art requires a long apprenticeship, being mechanical as well as intellectual. John Constable (1776-1837) English landscape painter Art Painting consumes labour not disproportionate to its effect; but a fellow will hack half a year at a block of marble to make something in stone that hardly resembles a man. The value of statuary is owing to its difficulty. You would not value the finest head cut upon a carrot. Dr. Samuel Johnson (1709-1784) English author, lexicographer Art To say of a picture, as is often said in its praise, that it shows great and earnest labor, is to say that it is incomplete and unfit for view. James McNeill Whistler (1834-1903) American artist Art Art consists of limitation. The most beautiful part of every picture is the frame. G. K. Chesterton (1874-1936) English author Art Art is either plagiarism or revolution. Paul Gauguin (1838-1903) French artist Art Without tradition, art is a flock of sheep without a shepherd. Without innovation, it is a corpse. Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965) British statesman, writer Art Art is dangerous. It is one of the attractions, when it ceases to be dangerous you don't want it. Anthony Burgess (b. 1917) British author Art The English public takes no interest in a work of art until it is told that the work in question is immoral. Oscar Wilde (1854-1900) Anglo-Irish writer Art Art does not reproduce the visible; rather, it makes visible. Paul Klee (1879-1940) Swiss painter Art Art is a lie that makes us realize the truth. Pablo Picasso (1881-1973) Spanish artist Art There is nothing more difficult for a truly creative painter than to paint a rose, because before he can do so he has first to forget all the roses that were ever painted. Henri Matisse (1869-1954) French artist Art When I am finishing a picture I hold some God-made object up to it - a rock, a flower, the branch of a tree or my hand - as a kind of final test. If the painting stands up beside a thing man cannot make, the painting is authentic. If there's a clash between the two, it is bad art. Marc Chagall (1889-1985) Russian painter Art Yes, madam, Nature is creeping up. James McNeill Whistler (1834-1903) American artist to a lady who said a landscape view reminded her of his work Art I have seen, and heard, much of Cockney impudence before now; but never expected to hear a coxcomb ask two hundred guineas for flinging a pot of paint in the public's face. John Ruskin (1819-1900) English critic of Whistler's 'Nocturne in Black and Gold' Art Painting can do for the illiterate what writing does for those who can read. Pope Gregory the Great (c. 540-604) Art Art for art's sake is a philosophy of the well-fed. Cao Yu (b. 1910) Chinese dramatist Art All art is quite useless. Oscar Wilde (1854-1900) Anglo-Irish writer Art Artists See: Bohemia Nudity: Hawthorne Paris: Nietzsche Portraits: Sargent You say you are incapable of expressing your thought. How then do you explain the lucidity and brilliance with which you are expressing the thought that you are incapable of thought? Jacques Riviere surrealist artist letter to Antonin Artaud, 1923/24 Artists There is only one difference between a madman and me. I am not mad. Salvador Dali (1904-1989) Spanish painter Artists Before I was shot I always thought that I was more half-there than all-there. Andy Warhol (1930-1987) American artist Artists What the public criticizes in you, cultivate. It is you. Jean Cocteau (1891-1963) French writer, film director Artists Every artist writes his own autobiography. Havelock Ellis (1859-1939) British psychologist, author Artists The artist, like the God of creation, remains within or behind or beyond or above his handiwork, invisible, refined out of existence, indifferent, paring his fingernails. James Joyce (1882-1941) Irish novelist Artists Artists do not prove things. They do not need to. They know them. Kneller, In Good King Charles's Golden Days George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) Anglo-Irish playwright, critic Artists An artist must know how to convince others of the truth of his lies. Pablo Picasso (1881-1973) Spanish artist Artists The artist's work is to shew us ourselves as we really are. Our minds are nothing but this knowledge of ourselves; and he who adds a jot to such knowledge creates new mind as surely as any woman creates new men. Tanner, Man and Superman George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) Anglo-Irish playwright, critic Artists If they have not opened the eyes of the blind, they have at least given great encouragement to the short-sighted, and while their leaders may have all the inexperience of old age, their young men are far too wise ever to be sensible. Oscar Wilde (1854-1900) Anglo-Irish writer of the Impressionists Artists When he painted a road, the roadmakers were there in his imagination, when he painted the turned earth of a ploughed field, the gesture of the blade turning the earth was included in his own act. Wherever he looked he saw the labour of existence; and this labour, recognised as such, was what constituted reality for him. John Berger (b. 1926) British critic of Van Gogh Artists The true function of art is to criticize, embellish and edit nature . . . The artist is a sort of impassioned proof-reader, blue-pencilling the bad spelling of God. H. L. Mencken (1880-1956) American journalist Artists Good painters imitate nature, but bad ones spew it up. Miguel de Cervantes (1547-1616) Spanish novelist, dramatist, poet Artists The artist . . . is in the painful situation of having to choose between being despised and being despicable. If his powers are of the first order he must incur one or the other of these misfortunes - the former if he uses his powers, the latter if he does not. Bertrand Russell (1872-1970) British philosopher, mathematician, social reformer Artists The soul, too, has her virginity and must bleed a little before bearing fruit. George Santayana (1863-1952) American philosopher, poet Artists The artistic temperament is a disease that affects amateurs . . . Artists of a large and wholesome vitality get rid of their art easily, as they breathe easily or perspire easily. But in artists of less force, the thing becomes a pressure, and produces a definite pain, which is called the artistic temperament. G. K. Chesterton (1874-1936) English author Artists Many excellent cooks are spoilt by going into the arts. Paul Gauguin (1838-1903) French artist Artists Art is a jealous mistress, and if a man have a genius for painting, poetry, music, architecture or philosophy, he makes a bad husband and an ill provider. Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882) American essayist, poet, philosopher Artists A woman is fascinated not by art, but by the noise made by those who are in the art field. Anton Chekhov (1860-1904) Russian writer, physician Artists I should hardly think it is sensible to suffer the pains of creation just for money or the mild pleasures of praise. William Bolitho (1890-1930) British author Artists The notion of making money by popular work, and then retiring to do good work on the proceeds, is the most familiar of all the devil's traps for artists. Logan Pearsall Smith (1865-1946) Anglo-American essayist Artists The artist who always paints the same scene pleases the public for the sole reason that it recognises him with ease and thinks itself a connoisseur. Alfred Stevens (1818-1875) British artist Artists Ruskin's counsel: For two days' work you ask two hundred guineas? Whistler: No, I ask it for the knowledge of a lifetime. altercation during Ruskin's lawsuit against Whistler Artists Artists, as a rule, do not live in the purple; they live mainly in the red. Mr. Justice, Lord Pearce (1901-1985) British judge Artists It is very good advice to believe only what an artist does, rather than what he says about his work. David Hockney (b. 1937) British painter Artists His work was that curious mixture of bad painting and good intentions that always entitles a man to be called a representative British artist. Oscar Wilde (1854-1900) Anglo-Irish writer Artists Great artists have no country. Alfred de Musset (1810-1857) French poet, novelist, playwright Artists The Arts See: Patronage: Huxley When politicians and civil servants hear the word "culture" they feel for their blue pencil. Viscount Esher (b. 1913) British architect The Arts All the arts in America are a gigantic racket run by unscrupulous men for unhealthy women. Sir Thomas Beecham (1879-1961) British conductor The Arts There is a great deal to be said for the Arts. For one thing they offer the only career in which commercial failure is not necessarily discreditable. Evelyn Waugh (1903-1966) British novelist The Arts [He] believes in the fine arts with all the earnestness of a man who does not understand them. George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) Anglo-Irish playwright, critic The Arts Asia See: Empire: Kipling The mysterious East, perfumed like a flower, silent like death, dark like a grave. Joseph Conrad (1857-1924) English novelist Asia Asia is not going to be civilized after the methods of the West. There is too much Asia and she is too old. Rudyard Kipling (1865-1936) English author Asia Because the European does not know his own unconscious, he does not understand the East and projects into it everything he fears and despises in himself. Carl Jung (1875-1961) Swiss psychiatrist Asia Assassination See: Biography: Dennis Politicians: Layton Royalty: King Edward VII Television: Newsweek Assassination's the fastest way. Moliere (1622-1673) French playwright Assassination Assassination is the extreme form of censorship. George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) Anglo-Irish playwright, critic Assassination It is one of the incidents of the profession. King Umberto I of Italy (1844-1900) after an attempt on his life Assassination Assassination is the perquisite of princes. European court cliche Assassination My family has learned a very cruel lesson of both history and fate. Senator Edward Kennedy (b. 1932) American Democratic politician Assassination The American public would forgive me anything except running off with Eddie Fisher. Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, Jacqueline Kennedy (b. 1929) American former First Lady after the assassination of John F. Kennedy Assassination Tell my mother I died for my country. I thought I did for the best. Useless! Useless! John Wilkes Booth (1838-1865) American actor after his assassination of Abraham Lincoln Assassination A desperate disease requires a dangerous remedy. Guy Fawkes (1570-1606) Catholic conspirator on the gunpowder plot to blow up the Houses of Parliament (after Hippocrates) Assassination Assassination has never changed the history of the world. Benjamin Disraeli (1804-1881) English prime minister Assassination Astrology This is the excellent foppery of the world, that, when we are sick in fortune, often the surfeits of our own behaviour, we make guilty of our disasters the sun, the moon, and stars. Edmund, King Lear William Shakespeare (1564-1616) English dramatist, poet Astrology Atheism See: Humanism: Russell Here we are, we're alone in the universe, there's no God, it just seems that it all began by something as simple as sunlight striking on a piece of rock. And here we are. We've only got ourselves. Somehow, we've just got to make a go of it. We've only ourselves. Jean, The Entertainer John Osborne (b. 1929) British playwright Atheism Absolute atheism starts in an act of faith in reverse gear and is a full-blown religious commitment. Jacques Maritain (1882-1973) French philosopher Atheism Nobody talks so constantly about God as those who insist that there is no God. Heywood Broun (1888-1939) American journalist, novelist Atheism An atheist is a man who has no invisible means of support. John Buchan (1875-1940) British author, statesman Atheism No one can be an unbeliever nowadays. The Christian apologists have left one nothing to disbelieve. Saki (H. H. Munro) (1870-1916) Scottish author Atheism And that inverted Bowl we call The Sky, Whereunder crawling coop't we live and die, Lift not thy hands to It for help - for It Rolls impotently on as Thou or I. from The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam trans. Edward Fitzgerald (1809-1883) Atheism Authenticity About as genuine as tea made from a bit of paper which once lay in a drawer beside another bit of paper which had been used to wrap up a few tea-leaves from which tea had already been made three times. Soren Kierkegaard (1813-1855) Danish philosopher Authenticity Autobiography See: Artists: Ellis Biography Confessions: France Autobiography is now as common as adultery and hardly less reprehensible. John Grigg (b. 1924) British author, journalist Autobiography Memoirs: The backstairs of history. George Meredith (1828-1909) English author Autobiography The man who writes about himself and his own time is the only man who writes about all people and about all time. George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) Anglo-Irish playwright, critic Autobiography A writer is rarely so well inspired as when he talks about himself. Anatole France (1844-1924) French author Autobiography All those writers who write about their childhood! Gentle God, if I wrote about mine you wouldn't sit in the same room with me. Dorothy Parker (1893-1967) American humorous writer Autobiography I am being frank about myself in this book. I tell of my first mistake on page 850. Henry Kissinger (b. 1923) American adviser on international affairs Autobiography Autobiography is an unrivalled vehicle for telling the truth about other people. Philip Guedalla (1889-1944) British biographer, historian Autobiography When my journal appears, many statues must come down. Duke of Wellington (1769-1852) English soldier, statesman Autobiography I dislike modern memoirs. They are generally written by people who have either entirely lost their memories, or have never done anything worth remembering. Oscar Wilde (1854-1900) Anglo-Irish writer Autobiography Autobiographies ought to begin with Chapter Two. Ellery Sedgwick (1872-1960) American editor Autobiography If you really want to hear about it, the first thing you'll probably want to know is where I was born, and what my lousy childhood was like, and how my parents were occupied and all before they had me, and all that David Copperfield kind of crap, but I don't feel like going into it. J. D. Salinger (b. 1919) American author opening words of Catcher in the Rye Autobiography Awards See: Literature: Bennett He got the peace prize; we got the problem. If I'm following a general, and the enemy gives him rewards, I tend to get suspicious. Especially if he gets a peace award before the war is over. Malcolm X (1925-1965) American radical leader of Martin Luther King Awards Lots of people who complained about us receiving the MBE received theirs for heroism in the war - for killing people. We received ours for entertaining other people. I'd say we deserve ours more. John Lennon (1940-1980) English rock singer, songwriter Awards The cross of the Legion of Honour has been conferred on me. However, few escape that distinction. Mark Twain (1835-1910) American author Awards Members rise from CMG (known sometimes in Whitehall as Call Me God) to KCMG (Kindly Call Me God) to GCMG (God Calls Me God). Anthony Sampson (b. 1926) British journalist, author Awards Babies See: Investment: Churchill A loud noise at one end and no sense of responsibility at the other. Father Ronald Knox (1888-1957) British clergyman, writer Babies Every baby born into the world is a finer one than the last. Charles Dickens (1812-1870) English novelist Babies From the moment of birth, when the Stone Age baby confronts the twentieth-century mother, the baby is subjected to these forces of violence, called love, as its father and mother and their parents and their parents before them, have been. These forces are mainly concerned with destroying most of its potential. R. D. Laing (1927-1989) British psychiatrist Babies Babies are the enemies of the human race. Isaac Asimov (b. 1920) American author Babies Bachelors See: Marriage: Johnson Reform: Moore It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife. Jane Austen (1775-1817) English novelist Bachelors A bachelor never quite gets over the idea that he is a thing of beauty and a boy for ever. Helen Rowland (1875-1950) American journalist Bachelors Bachelors know more about women than married men; if they didn't, they'd be married too. H. L. Mencken (1880-1956) American journalist Bachelors "Come, come," said Tom's father, "at your time of life, There's no longer excuse for thus playing the rake - It is time you should think, boy, of taking a wife." "Why, so it is father - whose wife shall I take?" Thomas Moore (1779-1852) Irish poet Bachelors Baldness Bald as the bare mountain tops are bald, with a baldness full of grandeur. Matthew Arnold (1822-1888) English poet, critic Baldness There's one thing about baldness; it's neat. Don Herold (1889-1966) American humorist, writer, artist Baldness Banality See: The Commonplace: Ortega y Gasset There is only one thing it requires real courage to say, and that is a truism. G. K. Chesterton (1874-1936) English author Banality Men are seldom more commonplace than on supreme occasions. Samuel Butler (1835-1902) English author Banality Banks Put not your trust in money, but put your money in trust. Dr. Oliver Wendell Holmes (1809-1894) American writer, physician Banks A banker is a fellow who lends his umbrella when the sun is shining and wants it back the minute it begins to rain. Mark Twain (1835-1910) American author Banks It is easier to rob by setting up a Bank than by holding up a Bank Clerk. Bertolt Brecht (1898-1956) German dramatist, poet Banks Bargaining See: Hope: da Vinci There are very honest people who do not think that they have had a bargain unless they have cheated a merchant. Anatole France (1844-1924) French author Bargaining Here's the rule for bargains: "Do other men, for they would do you." That's the true business precept. Jonas Chuzzlewit, Martin Chuzzlewit Charles Dickens (1812-1870) English novelist Bargaining It is naught, it is naught, saith the buyer; but when he is gone his way, then he boasteth. Bible, Proverbs Bargaining Necessity never made a good bargain. Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790) American statesman, writer Bargaining Beards That ornamental excrement which groweth beneath the chin. Thomas Fuller (1608-1661) English cleric Beards The hoary head is a crown of glory if it be found in the way of righteousness. Bible, Proverbs Beards A beard signifies lice, not brains. Greek proverb Beards The Beatles See: Awards: Lennon Getting Ahead: Lennon Christianity will go. We're more popular than Jesus now. John Lennon (1940-1980) English rock singer, songwriter The Beatles Beauty See: Inheritance: Dryden Religion: Disraeli Sex: Shaw Women: Wollstonecraft O Beauty, so ancient and so new! Saint Augustine (354-430) theologian Beauty The ideal has many names, and Beauty is but one of them. W. Somerset Maugham (1874-1965) British author Beauty Beauty for some provides escape. Who gain a happiness in eyeing The gorgeous buttocks of the ape Or Autumn sunsets exquisitely dying. Aldous Huxley (1894-1963) English author Beauty The epithet beautiful is used by surgeons to describe operations which their patients describe as ghastly, by physicists to describe methods of measurement which leave sentimentalists cold, by lawyers to describe cases which ruin all the parties to them, and by lovers to describe the objects of their infatuation, however unattractive they may appear to the unaffected spectators. George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) Anglo-Irish playwright, critic Beauty Beauty in distress is much the most affecting beauty. Edmund Burke (1729-1797) Irish philosopher, statesman Beauty It is better to be beautiful than to be good. But it is better to be good than to be ugly. Oscar Wilde (1854-1900) Anglo-Irish writer Beauty Beauty is indeed a good gift of God; but that the good may not think it a great good, God dispenses it even to the wicked. Saint Augustine (354-430) theologian Beauty Beauty. The power by which a woman charms a lover and terrifies a husband. Ambrose Bierce (1842-1914) American author Beauty To me, fair friend, you never can be old For as you were when first your eye I eyed, Such seems your beauty still. William Shakespeare (1564-1616) English dramatist, poet Beauty The flowers anew, returning seasons bring! But beauty faded has no second spring. Ambrose Philips (1674-1749) English poet, politician Beauty If beauty isn't genius it usually signals at least a high level of animal cunning. Peter York (b. 1950) British journalist Beauty Bed See: Lovers: proverb The happiest part of a man's life is what he passes lying awake in bed in the morning. Dr. Samuel Johnson (1709-1784) English author, lexicographer Bed The cool kindliness of sheets, that soon Smooth away trouble; and the rough male kiss Of blankets. Rupert Brooke (1887-1915) British poet Bed To bedward be you merry or have merry company about you, so that to bedward no anger nor heaviness, sorrow nor pensifulness do trouble or disquiet you. Andrew Borde (1490-1549) English traveler, physician Bed Whoever thinks of going to bed before twelve o'clock is a scoundrel. Dr. Samuel Johnson (1709-1784) English author, lexicographer Bed For I've been born and I've been wed - All of man's peril comes of bed. C. H. Webb (1834-1905) American journalist Bed Belief See: Creeds With most men, unbelief in one thing springs from blind belief in another. G. C. Lichtenberg (1742-1799) German physicist, writer Belief When once a man is determined to believe, the very absurdity of the doctrine does but confirm him in his faith. Junius (b. 18th century) pseudonym of a writer never identified Belief The word 'belief' is a difficult thing for me. I don't believe. I must have a reason for a certain hypothesis. Either I know a thing, and then I know it - I don't need to believe it. Carl Jung (1875-1961) Swiss psychiatrist Belief There are those who feel an imperative need to believe, for whom the values of a belief are proportionate, not to its truth, but to its definiteness. Incapable of either admitting the existence of contrary judgements or of suspending their own, they supply the place of knowledge by turning other men's conjectures into dogmas. C. E. M. Joad (1891-1953) British author, academic Belief "One can't believe impossible things." "I daresay you haven't had much practice," said the Queen. "When I was your age, I always did it for a half-an-hour a day. Why, sometimes I've believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast." Lewis Carroll (1832-1898) English writer, mathematician Belief The most positive men are the most credulous. Jonathan Swift (1667-1745) Anglo-Irish satirist Belief Bella Figura See: Hypocrisy: Swift Let them cant about decorum Who have characters to lose. Robert Burns (1759-1796) Scottish poet Bella Figura Benefactors See: Altruism Death: Twain Good Deeds: Gay Philanthropy I love my fellow creatures - I do all the good I can - Yet everybody says I'm such a disagreeable man! William S. Gilbert (1836-1911) English librettist Benefactors Take Egotism out, and you would castrate the benefactors. Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882) American essayist, poet, philosopher Benefactors We do not love people so much for the good they have done us, as for the good we have done them. Leo Tolstoy (1828-1910) Russian novelist, philosopher Benefactors He who wishes to secure the good of others has already secured his own. Confucius (551-478 BC) Chinese sage Benefactors And learn the luxury of doing good. Oliver Goldsmith (1728-1774) Anglo-Irish author Benefactors Nobody shoots at Santa Claus. Governor AlSmith (1873-1944) American Democratic politician Benefactors Bestiality See: Drink: Johnson When someone behaves like a beast, he says: "After all, one is only human." But when he is treated like a beast, he says: "After all, one is human." Karl Kraus (1874-1936) Austrian poet, journalist Bestiality The Bible See: Censorship: Paget Faith: Emerson Intelligence: Russell The Bible is literature, not dogma. George Santayana (1863-1952) American philosopher, poet The Bible The Bible is for the Government of the People, by the People, and for the People. general prologue to the Wycliffe translation of the Bible, 1384 The Bible No public man in these islands ever believes that the Bible means what it says; he is always convinced that it says what he means. George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) Anglo-Irish playwright, critic The Bible Both read the Bible day and night, But thou read'st black where I read white. William Blake (1757-1827) English poet, artist The Bible We must be on guard against giving interpretations of scripture that are far-fetched or opposed to science, and so exposing the word of God to the ridicule of unbelievers. Saint Augustine (354-430) theologian The Bible The pencil of the Holy Ghost hath laboured more in describing the afflictions of Job than the felicities of Solomon. Francis Bacon (1561-1626) English philosopher, essayist The Bible Fear is the denomination of the Old Testament; belief is the denomination of the New. Benjamin Whichcote (1609-1683) Provost of King's College, Cambridge The Bible Prosperity is the Blessing of the Old Testament; adversity is the blessing of the New. Francis Bacon (1561-1626) English philosopher, essayist The Bible It gives me a deep, comforting sense that "things seen are temporal and things unseen are eternal." Helen Keller (1880-1968) American author, lecturer The Bible I never had any doubt about it being of divine origin . . . point out to me any similar collection of writings that has lasted for as many thousands of years and is still a best-seller, world-wide. It had to be of divine origin. Ronald Reagan (b. 1911) American president The Bible Bigotry See: Faith: Emerson Bigotry tries to keep truth safe in its hand with a grip that kills it. Rabindranath Tagore (1861-1941) Indian author, philosopher Bigotry Defoe says that there were a hundred thousand country fellows in his time ready to fight to the death against popery, without knowing whether popery was a man or a horse. William Hazlitt (1778-1830) English essayist Bigotry We call a man a bigot or a slave of dogma because he is a thinker who has thought thoroughly and to a definite end. G. K. Chesterton (1874-1936) English author Bigotry I will look at any additional evidence to confirm the opinion to which I have already come. Hugh, Lord Molson (b. 1903) British politician Bigotry Bills Alas! how deeply painful is all payment! Lord Byron (1788-1824) English poet Bills It is only by not paying one's bills that one can hope to live in the memory of the commercial classes. Oscar Wilde (1854-1900) Anglo-Irish writer Bills Biography See: Autobiography Dr. Johnson: Guardian One of the new terrors of death. John Arbuthnot (1667-1735) English writer, physician Biography A great American need not fear the hand of his assassin; his real demise begins only when a friend like Mr Sorensen closes the mouth of his tomb with a stone. Nigel Dennis (b. 1912) British author reviewing Kennedy by Theodore C. Sorensen Biography Every great man now has his disciples, and it is always Judas who writes the biography. Oscar Wilde (1854-1900) Anglo-Irish writer Biography Biography should be written by an acute enemy. Arthur James Balfour (1848-1930) British Conservative politician, prime minister Biography The first thing to be done by a biographer in estimating character is to examine the stubs of the victim's cheque-books. Silas W. Mitchell (1829-1914) American physician, author Biography Just how difficult it is to write biography can be reckoned by anybody who sits down and considers just how many people know the real truth about his or her love affairs. Rebecca West (1892-1983) British writer Biography A well-written Life is almost as rare as a well-spent one. Thomas Carlyle (1795-1881) Scottish writer Biography Read no history; nothing but biography, for that is life without theory. Benjamin Disraeli (1804-1881) English prime minister Biography Biography is to give a man some kind of shape after his death. Virginia Woolf (1882-1941) British novelist Biography Biography is a region bounded on the north by history, on the south by fiction, on the east by obituary, and on the west by tedium. Philip Guedalla (1889-1944) British biographer, historian Biography Many heroes lived before Agamemnon; but all are unknown and unwept, extinguished in everlasting night, because they have no spirited chronicler. Horace (65-8 BC) Latin poet Biography You still shall live (such virtue hath my pen) Where breath most breathes, - even in the mouths of men. William Shakespeare (1564-1616) English dramatist, poet Biography Birth My mother groan'd, my father wept, Into the dangerous world I leapt. William Blake (1757-1827) English poet, artist Birth If new-borns could remember and speak, they would emerge from the womb carrying tales as wondrous as Homer's. Newsweek magazine Birth Birth Control No woman can call herself free who does not own and control her body. No woman can call herself free until she can choose consciously whether she will or will not be a mother. Margaret Sanger (1883-1966) pioneer of American birth control movement Birth Control We want far better reasons for having children than not knowing how to prevent them. Dora Russell (1894-1986) British author, campaigner Birth Control Contraceptives should be used on all conceivable occasions. Spike Milligan (b. 1918) British comedian, humorous writer Birth Control The best contraceptive is a glass of cold water: not before or after, but instead. Pakistani delegate at International Planned Parenthood Federation Conference Birth Control I want to tell you a terrific story about oral contraception. I asked this girl to sleep with me and she said "no." Woody Allen (b. 1935) American filmmaker Birth Control If Nature had arranged that husbands and wives should have children alternately there would never be more than three in a family. Lawrence Housman (1865-1959) British actor, artist Birth Control Blindness O loss of sight, of thee I most complain! Blind among enemies! O worse than chains, Dungeon, or beggary, or decrepit age! Light, the prime work of God, to me is extinct, And all her various objects of delight Annulled, which might in part my grief have eased. Inferior to the vilest now become Of man or worm, the vilest here excel me: They creep, yet see; I, dark in light, exposed To daily fraud, contempt, abuse, and wrong, Within doors, or without, still as a fool, In power of others, never in my own - Scarce half I seem to live, dead more than half . . . John Milton (1608-1674) English poet Blindness But who would rush at a benighted man And give him two black eyes for being blind? Thomas Hood (1799-1845) English poet Blindness If the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch. Jesus (4 BC-29 AD) founder of Christianity Blindness The very limit of human blindness is to glory in being blind. Saint Augustine (354-430) theologian Blindness It is not miserable to be blind; it is miserable to be incapable of enduring blindness. John Milton (1608-1674) English poet Blindness Bloodsports When a man wantonly destroys one of the works of man we call him a vandal. When he destroys one of the works of God we call him a sportsman. Joseph Wood Krutch (1893-1970) American essayist Bloodsports Hunting was the labour of the savages of North America, but the amusement of the gentlemen of England. Dr. Samuel Johnson (1709-1784) English author, lexicographer Bloodsports It is the sport of kings, the image of war without its guilt, and only five-and-twenty percent of its danger. R. S. Surtees (1803-1864) English sporting novelist Bloodsports There is a passion for hunting something deep implanted in the human breast. Charles Dickens (1812-1870) English novelist Bloodsports It is chiefly through the instinct to kill that man achieves intimacy with the life of nature. Lord (Sir Kenneth) Clark (1903-1973) British critic Bloodsports One knows so well the popular idea of health. The English country gentleman galloping after a fox - the unspeakable in full pursuit of the uneatable. Oscar Wilde (1854-1900) Anglo-Irish writer Bloodsports Women never look so well as when one comes in wet and dirty from hunting. R. S. Surtees (1803-1864) English sporting novelist Bloodsports It is very strange, and very melancholy, that the paucity of human pleasures should persuade us ever to call hunting one of them. Dr. Samuel Johnson (1709-1784) English author, lexicographer Bloodsports When a man wants to murder a tiger he calls it sport; when a tiger wants to murder him he calls it ferocity. George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) Anglo-Irish playwright, critic Bloodsports The birds seem to consider the muzzle of my gun as their safest position. Sydney Smith (1771-1845) English writer, clergyman Bloodsports A gun gives you the body, not the bird. Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862) American philosopher, author, naturalist Bloodsports Bloody-mindedness A state of mind halfway between anger and cruelty. George Younger (b. 1931) Scottish Conservative politician Bloody-mindedness Why be disagreeable, when with a little effort you can be impossible? Douglas Woodruff (1897-1978) British journalist, author Bloody-mindedness Some folks are so contrary that if they fell in a river, they'd insist on floating upstream. Josh Billings (1818-1885) American humorist Bloody-mindedness Well, if I called the wrong number why did you answer the phone? James Thurber (1894-1961) American humorist, illustrator Bloody-mindedness The Blues See: Jazz Sweet bird, that shunn'st the noise of folly, Most musical, most melancholy. John Milton (1608-1674) English poet The Blues I've been told that nobody sings the word 'hunger' like I do. Billie Holiday (1915-1959) American jazz singer The Blues Anybody singing the blues is in a deep pit yelling for help. Mahalia Jackson (1911-1972) American blues and gospel singer The Blues It is only in his music, which Americans are able to admire because a protective sentimentality limits their understanding of it, that the Negro in America has been able to tell his story. James Baldwin (1924-1987) American novelist The Blues The blues was like that problem child that you may have had in the family. You was a little bit ashamed to let anybody see him, but you loved him. You just didn't know how other people would take it. B. B. King (b. 1925) American blues guitarist The Blues Bohemia I'd like to live like a poor man with lots of money. Pablo Picasso (1881-1973) Spanish artist Bohemia The true artist will let his wife starve, his children go barefoot, his mother drudge for his living at seventy, sooner than work at anything but his art. Tanner, Man and Superman George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) Anglo-Irish playwright, critic Bohemia Books See: Censorship: Milton Learning: Shenstone Literature Reading Writing: Whitman Immortal sons deifying their sires. Plato (428-347 BC) Greek philosopher Books If you would not be forgotten as soon as you are dead, either write things worth reading or do things worth writing. Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790) American statesman, writer Books O, let my books be then the eloquence And dumb presagers of my speaking breast. William Shakespeare (1564-1616) English dramatist, poet Books Here, my dear Lucy, hide these books. Quick, quick. Fling Peregrine Pickle under the toilet - throw Roderick Random into the closet - put The Innocent Adultery into The Whole Duty of Man . . . and leave Fordyce's Sermons open on the table. Richard Brinsley Sheridan (1751-1816) Anglo-Irish dramatist Books A man's library is a sort of harem. Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882) American essayist, poet, philosopher Books A room without books is as a body without a soul. Sir John Lubbock, Lord Avebury (1834-1915) British banker, scientist, author Books No furniture is as charming as books, even if you never open them. Sydney Smith (1771-1845) English writer, clergyman Books A book that is shut is but a block. Thomas Fuller (1654-1734) English physician Books From the moment I picked up your book until I laid it down I was convulsed with laughter. Some day I intend reading it. Groucho Marx (1895-1977) American comic actor Books Some books are to be tasted, others to be swallowed, and some few to be chewed and digested. Francis Bacon (1561-1626) English philosopher, essayist Books The oldest books are only just out to those who have not read them. Samuel Butler (1835-1902) English author Books Every condensation of a good book is a foolish mutilation. Michel de Montaigne (1533-1592) French essayist, moralist Books It was a book to kill time for those who like it better dead. Rose Macaulay (1889-1958) British novelist, essayist Books Books are good enough in their own way, but they are a mighty bloodless substitute for life. Robert Louis Stevenson (1850-1894) Scottish novelist, essayist, poet Books What is written is merely the dregs of experience. Franz Kafka (1883-1924) German novelist, short story writer Books Books are fatal: they are the curse of the human race. Nine-tenths of existing books are nonsense, and the clever books are the refutation of that nonsense. The greatest misfortune that ever befell man was the invention of printing. Benjamin Disraeli (1804-1881) English prime minister Books What do we, as a nation, care about books? How much do you think we spend altogether on our libraries, public or private, as compared with what we spend on our horses? John Ruskin (1819-1900) English critic Books A good book is the best of friends, the same today as forever. Martin Tupper (1810-1889) English author, poet, inventor Books Everywhere I have sought rest and not found it, except sitting in a corner by myself with a little book. Thomas a Kempis (1380-1471) German monk, mystic Books Books and marriage go ill together. Moliere (1622-1673) French playwright Books Without books God is silent. Thomas Bartholin (1616-1680) Danish physician Books Boredom See: Ennui Boredom is . . . a vital consideration for the moralist, since at least half the sins of mankind are caused by the fear of it. Bertrand Russell (1872-1970) British philosopher, mathematician, social reformer Boredom No society seems ever to have succumbed to boredom. Man has developed an obvious capacity for surviving the pompous reiteration of the commonplace. John Kenneth Galbraith (b. 1908) American economist Boredom Only the finest and most active animals are capable of boredom. A subject for a great poet - God's boredom on the seventh day of creation. Friedrich Nietzsche (1844-1900) German philosopher Boredom A yawn is a silent shout. G. K. Chesterton (1874-1936) English author Boredom Bores See: Anecdotes: La Rochefoucauld Conversation: La Rochefoucauld Dullness Fanatics: Churchill Heroes: Emerson Bore. A person who talks when you wish him to listen. Ambrose Bierce (1842-1914) American author Bores A bore is a man who, when you ask him how he is, tells you. Bert Leston Taylor (1866-1921) American humorist, pioneer newspaper columnist Bores I have neither wit, nor words, nor worth, Action, nor utterance, nor the power of speech To stir men's blood; I only speak right on. Mark Antony, Julius Caesar William Shakespeare (1564-1616) English dramatist, poet Bores A bore is a man who spends so much time talking about himself that you can't talk about yourself. Melville D. Landon (1839-1910) American lecturer, wit Bores And 'tis remarkable that they Talk most who have the least to say. Matthew Prior (1664-1721) English poet, diplomat Bores The age of chivalry is past. Bores have succeeded to dragons. Benjamin Disraeli (1804-1881) English prime minister Bores Society is now one polished horde, Formed of two mighty tribes, the Bores and Bored. Lord Byron (1788-1824) English poet Bores A healthy male adult bore consumes each year one and a half times his own weight in other people's patience. John Updike (b. 1932) American author Bores You must be careful about giving any drink whatsoever to a bore. A lit-up bore is the worst in the world. Lord David Cecil (1902-1986) British biographer, essayist Bores Make not thy own person, family, relations or affairs the frequent subject of thy tattle. Say not, My manner and custom is to do thus. I neither eat nor drink in a morning. I am apt to be troubled with corns. My child said such a witty thing last night. Thomas Fuller (1608-1661) English cleric Bores If you are a bore, strive to be a rascal also so that you may not discredit virtue. George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) Anglo-Irish playwright, critic Bores Borrowing The human species, according to the best theory I can form of it, is composed of two distinct races, the men who borrow, and the men who lend. Charles Lamb (1775-1834) English essayist, critic Borrowing Do not be made a beggar by banqueting upon borrowing. Apocrypha, Ecclesiasticus Borrowing The Bourgeoisie See: The English: Thackeray And the wind shall say "Here were decent godless people; Their only monument the asphalt road And a thousand lost golf balls." T. S. Eliot (1888-1965) Anglo-American poet The Bourgeoisie The bourgeoisie of the whole world, which looks complacently upon the wholesale massacre after the battle, is convulsed by horror at the desecration of brick and mortar. Karl Marx (1818-1883) German social philosopher, revolutionary The Bourgeoisie How beastly the bourgeois is especially the male of the species - presentable, eminently presentable. D. H. Lawrence (1885-1930) English author The Bourgeoisie The bourgeoisie prefers comfort to pleasure, convenience to liberty, and a pleasant temperature to the deathly inner consuming fire. Hermann Hesse (1877-1962) German novelist, poet The Bourgeoisie The way to crush the bourgeoisie is to grind them between the millstones of taxation and inflation. Vladimir Ilyich Lenin (1870-1924) Russian revolutionary leader The Bourgeoisie Destroy him as you will, the bourgeois always bounces up. Execute him, expropriate him, starve him out en masse, and he reappears in your children. Cyril Connolly (1903-1974) British critic The Bourgeoisie Boys See: Adolescence: Hawkins I never see any difference in boys. I only know two sorts of boys. Mealy boys and beef-faced boys. Mr. Grimwig, Oliver Twist Charles Dickens (1812-1870) English novelist Boys I have seen thousands of boys and young men, narrow-chested, hunched-up, miserable specimens, smoking endless cigarettes, many of them betting. Sir Robert, Lord Baden-Powell (1857-1941) British soldier explaining reasons for foundation of Boy Scouts Association, 1907 Boys The fact that boys are allowed to exist at all is evidence of a remarkable Christian forbearance among men. Ambrose Bierce (1842-1914) American author Boys All my life I have loved a womanly woman and admired a manly man, but I never could stand a boily boy. Lord Rosebery (1847-1929) British Liberal politician, prime minister Boys Boys are capital fellows in their own way, among their mates; but they are unwholesome companions for grown people. Charles Lamb (1775-1834) English essayist, critic Boys Boys will be boys, and so will a lot of middle-aged men. Kin (F. McKinney) Hubbard (1868-1930) American humorist, journalist Boys The British See: Drink: Smith The English The Scots Snobbery: Sampson Wales: Thomas What annoys me about Britain is the rugged will to lose. William Camp (b. 1926) British author, communications consultant The British An Englishman is never happy unless he is miserable; a Scotsman is never at home but when he is abroad; an Irishman is never at peace but when he's fighting. anonymous, 19th century The British We always used to be noted for understatement. The difference is that in the past we never meant it. Sir William, Lord Penney (b. 1909) British scientist The British The British are a self-distrustful, diffident people, agreeing with alacrity that they are neither successful, nor clever and only modestly claiming that they have a keener sense of humour, more robust common sense, and greater staying power as a nation than all the rest of the world put together. the London Times, 1950 The British That detached and baronial air of superiority the Briton habitually affects when circumstances beyond his control bring him into the presence of creatures of a lesser breed. Pierre Van Paassen (1895-1968) American author, journalist, minister The British The British tourist is always happy abroad as long as the natives are waiters. Robert Morley (b. 1908) British actor, wit The British Gorgonised me from head to foot with a stony British stare. Lord Tennyson (1809-1892) English poet The British It is equality of monotony which makes the strength of the British Isles. Eleanor Roosevelt (1884-1962) American columnist, lecturer, U.S. delegate at United Nations The British Very few people indeed realise how early the British go to bed. the London Times The British The national anthem belongs to the eighteenth century. In it you find us ordering God about to do our political dirty work. George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) Anglo-Irish playwright, critic The British I always enjoy appearing before a British audience. Even if they don't feel like laughing, they nod their heads to show they've understood. Bob Hope (b. 1903) American comedian The British What right have the Americans to be forecasting our weather? letter to the London Times The British Bureaucracy See: Revolution: Kafka The State: Russell Our greatest growth industry is the Civil Service. Lord Lucas (1896-1967) British public figure Bureaucracy This place needs a laxative. Bob Geldof (b. 1954) Irish rock musician of EEC bureaucracy Bureaucracy The working of great institutions is mainly the result of a vast mass of routine, petty malice, self-interest, carelessness and sheer mistake. Only a residual fraction is thought. George Santayana (1863-1952) American philosopher, poet Bureaucracy Poor fellow, he suffers from files. Aneurin Bevan (1897-1960) British Labour politician of Sir Walter Citrine Bureaucracy Official dignity tends to increase in inverse ratio to the importance of the country in which the office is held. Aldous Huxley (1894-1963) English author Bureaucracy The longer the title, the less important the job. George McGovern (b. 1922) American Democratic politician Bureaucracy There is something about a bureaucrat that does not like a poem. Gore Vidal (b. 1925) American novelist, critic Bureaucracy Business See: America: Coolidge Bargaining: Dickens Dinner Parties: Stowell Management Partnership: Carnegie; Wrigley Jr. Private Interest: Pitt Propaganda: Cassandra Resolve: Livy Retirement: Goodhart Teachers: Leacock Wealth: Burke Nothing knits man to man like the frequent passage from hand to hand of cash. Walter Sickert (1860-1942) British artist Business Commerce is the great civilizer. We exchange ideas when we exchange fabrics. Ralph G. Ingersoll (1833-1899) American lawyer Business The propensity to truck, barter and exchange one thing for another . . . is common to all men, and to be found in no other race of animals. Adam Smith (1723-1790) Scottish economist Business Everyone lives by selling something. Robert Louis Stevenson (1850-1894) Scottish novelist, essayist, poet Business If I see something I like, I buy it; then I try to sell it. Lord Grade (b. 1906) British film and TV entrepreneur Business The selfish spirit of commerce knows no country, and feels no passion or principle but that of gain. Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826) American president Business No nation was ever ruined by trade. Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790) American statesman, writer Business What's good for the country is good for General Motors, and what's good for General Motors is good for the country. Charles Wilson (1890-1961) American industrialist, Secretary of Defense Business Free enterprise ended in the United States a good many years ago. Big oil, big steel, big agriculture avoid the open marketplace. Big corporations fix prices among themselves and drive out the small entrepreneur. In their conglomerate forms, the huge corporations have begun to challenge the legitimacy of the state. Gore Vidal (b. 1925) American novelist, critic Business For the merchant, even honesty is a financial speculation. Charles Baudelaire (1821-1867) French poet Business Nothing is illegal if one hundred businessmen decide to do it. Andrew Young (b. 1932) American politician Business You never expected justice from a company, did you? They have neither a soul to lose, nor a body to kick. Sydney Smith (1771-1845) English writer, clergyman Business Honour sinks where commerce long prevails. Oliver Goldsmith (1728-1774) Anglo-Irish author Business When you are skinning your customers you should leave some skin on to grow again so that you can skin them again. Nikita Khrushchev (1894-1971) Soviet premier advice to British businessmen Business Every crowd has a silver lining. Phineas T. Barnum (1810-1891) American showman Business Half the time when men think they are talking business they are wasting time. Ed (E. W.) Howe (1853-1937) American journalist, novelist Business There's no such thing as a free lunch. Milton Friedman (b. 1912) American economist Business Giv'um's dead, and Lend'um's very bad. Nothink for nothink 'ere, and precious little for sixpence! Punch magazine Business I have always felt that our businessmen, if they had been left to themselves to make a religion, would have turned out something uncommonly like Juju. Mary Kingsley (1862-1900) British traveler, writer Business Busts See: Dress: Gregory Ladies: Dickens Uncorsetted, her friendly bust Gives promise of pneumatic bliss. T. S. Eliot (1888-1965) Anglo-American poet Busts Dramatic art in her opinion is knowing how to fill a sweater. Bette Davis (1908-1989) American film actress of Jayne Mansfield Busts There are two good reasons why men go to see her. Those are enough. Howard Hughes (1905-1976) American businessman, film producer of Jane Russell Busts Lord Byron See: England: Byron Lord Byron is only great as a poet; as soon as he reflects, he is a child. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749-1832) German poet, dramatist, novelist, scientist Lord Byron The temptation, never easily resisted by him, of displaying his wit at the expense of his character. Thomas Moore (1779-1852) Irish poet Lord Byron Mad, bad, and dangerous to know. Lady Caroline Lamb (1785-1828) society figure, lover of Byron entry in journal following their first meeting Lord Byron In his endeavours to corrupt my mind he has sought to make me smile first at Vice, saying "There is nothing to which a woman may not be reconciled by repetition or familiarity." There is no Vice with which he has not endeavoured in this manner to familiarize me. Annabella Milbanke, Lady Byron (1792-1860) Lord Byron I have not loved the world, nor the world me; I have not flatter'd its rank breath, nor bow'd To its idolatries a patient knee. Lord Byron (1788-1824) English poet Lord Byron Capital Punishment See: Trials: Pope It is sweet to dance to violins When love and life are fair: To dance to flutes, to dance to lutes Is delicate and rare; But it is not so sweet with nimble feet To dance upon the air. Oscar Wilde (1854-1900) Anglo-Irish writer Capital Punishment I went out to Charing Cross to see Major-General Harrison hanged, drawn and quartered; which was done there, he looking as cheerful as any man could do in that condition. Samuel Pepys (1633-1703) English diarist Capital Punishment If the Court sentences the blighter to hang, then the blighter will hang. General Zia ul-Haq (1924-1988) President of Pakistan of the death sentence imposed on former President of Pakistan Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto, 1979 Capital Punishment The highest and ultimate instrument of political power is capital punishment. Philip Melanchthon (1497-1560) German scholar, humanist Capital Punishment If we are to abolish the death penalty, I should like to see the first step taken by my friends the murderers. Alphonse Karr (1808-1890) French journalist, novelist Capital Punishment Many a good hanging prevents a bad marriage. Feste, Twelfth Night William Shakespeare (1564-1616) English dramatist, poet Capital Punishment Capitalism See: Economics: Galbraith Fascism: Sinclair Inflation: Keynes Socialism: Mencken We are too mealy-mouthed. We fear the word "capitalism" is unpopular. So we talk about the "free enterprise" system and run to cover in the folds of the flag and talk about the American way of life. Eric A. Johnston (1896-1963) American entrepreneur Capitalism It is a socialist idea that making profits is a vice; I consider the real vice is making losses. Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965) British statesman, writer Capitalism The decadent international but individualistic capitalism in the hands of which we found ourselves after the war is not a success. It is not intelligent. It is not beautiful. It is not just. It is not virtuous. And it doesn't deliver the goods. John Maynard Keynes (1883-1946) English economist in 1933 Capitalism The forces in a capitalist society, if left unchecked, tend to make the rich richer and the poor poorer. Jawaharlal Nehru (1889-1964) Indian prime minister Capitalism Capitalists are no more capable of self-sacrifice than a man is capable of lifting himself up by his bootstraps. Vladimir Ilyich Lenin (1870-1924) Russian revolutionary leader Capitalism Capitalism inevitably and by virtue of the very logic of its civilization creates, educates and subsidizes a vested interest in social unrest. J. A. Schumpeter (1883-1950) American economist, socialist Capitalism Advocates of capitalism are very apt to appeal to the sacred principles of liberty, which are embodied in one maxim: The fortunate must not be restrained in the exercise of tyranny over the unfortunate. Bertrand Russell (1872-1970) British philosopher, mathematician, social reformer Capitalism History suggests that capitalism is a necessary condition for political freedom. Clearly it is not a sufficient condition. Milton Friedman (b. 1912) American economist Capitalism Cards See: Swindles: Smith I am sorry I have not learned to play at cards. It is very useful in life: it generates kindness and consolidates society. Dr. Samuel Johnson (1709-1784) English author, lexicographer Cards Is is very wonderful to see persons of the best sense passing away a dozen hours together in shuffling and dividing a pack of cards, with no other conversation but what is made up of a few game phrases, and no other ideas but those of black or red spots ranged together in different figures. Joseph Addison (1672-1719) English essayist Cards A man's idea in a card game is war - cool, devastating and pitiless. A lady's idea of it is a combination of larceny, embezzlement and burglary. Finley Peter Dunne (1867-1936) American journalist, humorist Cards Careers See: Work: Emerson The best careers advice to give to the young is "Find out what you like doing best and get someone to pay you for doing it." Katharine Whitehorn (b. 1926) British journalist Careers Be nice to people on your way up because you'll meet them on your way down. Wilson Mizner (1876-1933) American dramatist, wit Careers His was the sort of career that made the Recording Angel think seriously about taking up shorthand. Nicolas Bentley (1907-1978) British artist, author, publisher Careers I have found some of the best reasons I ever had for remaining at the bottom simply by looking at the men at the top. F. M. Colby (1865-1925) American editor, essayist Careers Caricature Caricature is the tribute that mediocrity pays to genius. Oscar Wilde (1854-1900) Anglo-Irish writer Caricature Cars See: Women: White No other man-made device since the shields and lances of the ancient knights fulfils a man's ego like an automobile. Sir William, Lord Rootes (1894-1964) British automobile manufacturer Cars A noisy exhaust almost amounts to a mating call. J. A. Leavy (b. 1915) British businessman, Conservative politician Cars There is no class of person more moved by hate than the motorist. C. R. Hewitt, C. H. Rolphe (b. 1901) British author, journalist Cars I think that cars today are almost the exact equivalent of the great Gothic cathedrals: I mean the supreme creation of an era, conceived with passion by unknown artists, and consumed in image if not in usage by a whole population which appropriates them as a purely magical object. Roland Barthes (1915-1980) French academic Cars I don't even like old cars . . . I'd rather have a goddam horse. A horse is at least human, for God's sake. J. D. Salinger (b. 1919) American author Cars Catholicism See: Church of England: Steele Faith: Gide The Pope A little skill in antiquity inclines a man to Popery. Thomas Fuller (1608-1661) English cleric Catholicism She [the Catholic Church] thoroughly understands what no other Church has ever understood, how to deal with enthusiasts. Thomas Babington Macaulay (1800-1859) English historian Catholicism Good, strong, thick, stupefying incense-smoke. Robert Browning (1812-1889) English poet Catholicism Here is everything which can lay hold of the eye, ear and imagination - everything which can charm and bewitch the simple and ignorant. I wonder how Luther ever broke the spell. John Adams (1735-1826) American statesman, president Catholicism The Pope is barely Catholic enough for some converts. John Ayscough (1858-1928) British priest, novelist, essayist Catholicism The priest is always fascinating to an adulterous generation because they think he knows more ways of committing adultery than anybody else. It's logical. He deals in sin as much as a dustman deals in garbage. Aubrey Menen (b. 1912) British novelist, essayist Catholicism I don't like your way of conditioning and contracting with the saints. Do this and I'll do that! Here's one for t'other. Save me and I'll give you a taper or go on a pilgrimage. Erasmus (1466-1536) Dutch humanist Catholicism Outside of the Catholic church everything may be had except salvation. Saint Augustine (354-430) theologian Catholicism All human life is here, but the Holy Ghost seems to be somewhere else. Anthony Burgess (b. 1917) British author of the Vatican Catholicism You can't run the Church on Hail Marys. Archbishop Paul Marcinkus (b. 1922) American ecclesiastic, Vatican financier Catholicism Caution See: Economizing: Publilius Syrus Set the foot down with distrust on the crust of the world - it is thin. Edna St. Vincent Millay (1892-1950) American poet Caution In skating over thin ice, our safety is in our speed. Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882) American essayist, poet, philosopher Caution Now, gentlemen, we have got our harpoon into the monster, but we must still take uncommon care, or else by a single flop of his tail he will send us all to eternity. Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865) American president Caution If we shake hands with icy fingers it is because we have burnt them so horribly before. Logan Pearsall Smith (1865-1946) Anglo-American essayist Caution An appearance of carelessness is vital in true caution. R. H. Benson (1871-1914) British novelist Caution Put all thine eggs in one basket and - watch that basket. Mark Twain (1835-1910) American author Caution He that leaveth nothing to chance will do few things ill, but he will do very few things. Sir George Savile, Lord Halifax (1633-1695) English statesman, author Caution Caution has its place, no doubt, but we cannot refuse our support to a serious venture which challenges the whole of the personality. If we oppose it, we are trying to suppress what is best in man - his daring and his aspirations. And should we succeed, we should only have stood in the way of that invaluable experience which might have given a meaning to life. What would have happened if Paul had allowed himself to be talked out of his journey to Damascus? Carl Jung (1875-1961) Swiss psychiatrist Caution Of all the thirty-six alternatives, running away is best. Chinese proverb Caution Censorship See: Fashion: Hellman Art made tongue-tied by authority. William Shakespeare (1564-1616) English dramatist, poet Censorship Those expressions are omitted which can not with propriety be read aloud in the family. Dr. Thomas Bowdler (1754-1825) English editor, expurgator Censorship Fear of corrupting the mind of the younger generation is the loftiest form of cowardice. Holbrook Jackson (1874-1948) British writer Censorship I know of no book which has been a source of brutality and sadistic conduct, both public and private, that can compare with the Bible. Lord Paget (b. 1908) British Labour politician Censorship Who kills a man kills a reasonable creature, God's image; but he who destroys a good book, kills reason itself, kills the image of God, as it were in the eye. John Milton (1608-1674) English poet Censorship Censorship is like an appendix. When inert, it is useless; when active it is extremely dangerous. Maurice Edelman (1911-1975) British Labour politician Censorship Censorship is the commonest social blasphemy because it is mostly concealed, built into us by indolence, self-interest, and cowardice. John Osborne (b. 1929) British playwright Censorship Did you ever hear anyone say "That work had better be banned because I might read it and it might be very damaging to me"? Joseph Henry Jackson (1894-1955) American critic, travel-writer Censorship Every burned book enlightens the world. Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882) American essayist, poet, philosopher Censorship If we can't stamp out literature in the country, we can at least stop it being brought in from outside. Evelyn Waugh (1903-1966) British novelist Censorship I am confident, of course, knowing that I shall fulfill my tasks as a writer in any circumstances, and from my grave even more successfully and incontestably than when I live. No one can bar truth's course, and for its progress I am prepared to accept even death. But perhaps repeated lessons will teach us, at least, not to arrest a writer's pen during his lifetime. Alexander Solzhenitsyn (b. 1918) Russian novelist Censorship They who have put out the people's eyes reproach them of their blindness. John Milton (1608-1674) English poet Censorship The artist and the censor differ in this wise: that the first is a decent mind in an indecent body and that the second is an indecent mind in a decent body. George Jean Nathan (1882-1958) American critic Censorship He who discommendeth others obliquely commendeth himself. Sir Thomas Browne (1605-1682) English physician, author Censorship They can't censor the gleam in my eye. Charles Laughton (1899-1962) British actor Censorship I believe in censorship. After all, I made a fortune out of it. Mae West (1892-1980) American film actress Censorship This film is apparently meaningless, but if it has any meaning it is doubtless objectionable. British Board of Film Censors banning Cocteau's The Seashell and the Clergyman, 1956 Censorship Ceremony See: America: Waugh Some people think that whatever is done solemnly must make sense. G. C. Lichtenberg (1742-1799) German physicist, writer Ceremony Ceremony is the smoke of friendship. Chinese proverb Ceremony It is superstition to put one's hopes in formalities; but it is pride to be unwilling to submit to them. Blaise Pascal (1623-1662) French scientist, philosopher Ceremony Certainty See: Belief: Junius The Public: Mencken Self-confidence: Melbourne The fundamental cause of trouble in the world today is that the stupid are cocksure while the intelligent are full of doubt. Bertrand Russell (1872-1970) British philosopher, mathematician, social reformer Certainty The best lack all conviction, while the worst Are full of passionate intensity. William Butler Yeats (1865-1939) Anglo-Irish poet, playwright Certainty Ah, what a dusty answer gets the soul When hot for certainties in this our life! George Meredith (1828-1909) English author Certainty We are not certain, we are never certain. If we were we could reach some conclusions, and we could, at last, make others take us seriously. Albert Camus (1913-1960) French writer Certainty If a man will begin with certainties, he shall end in doubts, but if he will be content to begin with doubts, he shall end in certainties. Francis Bacon (1561-1626) English philosopher, essayist Certainty I am certain of nothing but the holiness of the heart's affections, and the truth of imagination. John Keats (1795-1821) English poet Certainty In this world nothing is certain but death and taxes. Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790) American statesman, writer Certainty The only certainty is that nothing is certain. Pliny the Elder (23-79) Roman scholar Certainty It is the dull man who is always sure, and the sure man who is always dull. H. L. Mencken (1880-1956) American journalist Certainty Change See: Conservatives: Falkland Let the great world spin for ever down the ringing grooves of change. Lord Tennyson (1809-1892) English poet Change When our first parents were driven out of Paradise, Adam is believed to have remarked to Eve: "My dear, we live in an age of transition." W. R. Inge (1860-1954) Dean of St. Paul's, London Change One change leaves the way open for the introduction of others. Niccolo Machiavelli (1469-1527) Italian political philosopher Change For good and evil, man is a free creative spirit. This produces the very queer world we live in, a world in continuous creation and therefore continuous change and insecurity. Joyce Cary (1888-1957) British novelist Change Progress is impossible without change; and those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything. George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) Anglo-Irish playwright, critic Change Change is not made without inconvenience, even from worse to better. Richard Hooker (1554-1600) English theologian Change There is a certain relief in change, even though it be from bad to worse; as I have found in traveling in a stage-coach, that it is often a comfort to shift one's position and be bruised in a new place. Washington Irving (1783-1859) American author Change A living thing is distinguished from a dead thing by the multiplicity of the changes at any moment taking place in it. Herbert Spencer (1820-1903) English philosopher Change All things change, nothing is extinguished. Ovid (43 BC-17 AD) Latin poet Change Chaos See: War: Pope There is nothing stable in the world; uproar's your only music. John Keats (1795-1821) English poet Chaos Chaos often breeds life, when order breeds habit. Henry B. Adams (1838-1918) American historian Chaos Confusion is a word we have invented for an order which is not understood. Henry Miller (1891-1980) American author Chaos In all chaos there is a cosmos, in all disorder a secret order. Carl Jung (1875-1961) Swiss psychiatrist Chaos Character See: Reputation: Paine; Hubbard Society: Emerson Solitude: Stendhal Character is what you are in the dark. Dwight Moody (1837-1899) American evangelist Character Before you advise anyone "Be yourself!" reassess his character. anonymous Character Every man has three characters: that which he shows, that which he has, and that which he thinks he has. Alphonse Karr (1808-1890) French journalist, novelist Character Men will often say that they have "found themselves" when they have really been worn down into a groove by the brutal and compulsive force of circumstance. Thomas Wolfe (1900-1938) American author Character Es bildet ein Talent sich in der Stille, Sich ein Charakter in dem Strom der Welt. Talent develops in tranquillity, character in the full current of human life. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749-1832) German poet, dramatist, novelist, scientist Character The measure of a man's real character is what he would do if he knew he would never be found out. Lord Macaulay (1800-1859) English historian Character Character - the willingness to accept responsibility for one's own life - is the source from which self-respect springs. Joan Didion (b. 1934) American writer Character We must have a weak spot or two in a character before we can love it much. Dr. Oliver Wendell Holmes (1809-1894) American writer, physician Character In me the tiger sniffs the rose. Siegfried Sassoon (1886-1967) British poet, author Character The hardest thing is writing a recommendation for someone we know. Kin (F. McKinney) Hubbard (1868-1930) American humorist, journalist Character People always say that they are not themselves when tempted by anger into betraying what they really are. Ed (E. W.) Howe (1853-1937) American journalist, novelist Character You can tell a lot about a fellow's character by the way he eats jelly beans. Ronald Reagan (b. 1911) American president Character Charity See: Aid Altruism: Blake Benefactors: Confucius Intentions: Thatcher Landlords: Pollok I did give ten shillings and no more, though I believe most of the rest did give more, and did believe that I did so too. Samuel Pepys (1633-1703) English diarist Charity In necessary things, unity; in disputed things, liberty; in all things, charity. variously ascribed Charity God loveth a cheerful giver. Saint Paul (3-67) Apostle to the Gentiles Charity The most difficult part is to give. Then why not add a smile? Jean de la Bruyere (1645-1696) French writer, moralist Charity Beggars should be abolished. It annoys one to give to them, and it annoys one not to give to them. Friedrich Nietzsche (1844-1900) German philosopher Charity A man who sees another man on the street corner with only a stump for an arm will be so shocked the first time he'll give him sixpence. But the second time it'll only be a threepenny bit. And if he sees him a third time, he'll have him cold-bloodedly handed over to the police. Bertolt Brecht (1898-1956) German dramatist, poet The Threepenny Opera trans. Desmond I. Vesey and Eric Bentley Charity We do not quite forgive a giver. The hand that feeds us is in some danger of being bitten. Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882) American essayist, poet, philosopher Charity In your Salvation shelter I saw poverty, misery, cold, and hunger. You gave them bread and treacle and dreams of heaven. I give from thirty shillings a week to twelve thousand a year. They find their own dreams; but I look after the drainage. Undershaft, Major Barbara George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) Anglo-Irish playwright, critic Charity The biggest disease today is not leprosy or tuberculosis, but rather the feeling of being unwanted. Mother Teresa (b. 1911) Albanian Catholic missionary Charity The cliche "charity begins at home" has done more damage than any other in the English tongue. Bishop Trevor Huddleston (b. 1913) British clergyman, campaigner Charity The organised charity, scrimped and iced, In the name of a cautious, statistical Christ. John Boyle O'Reilly (1844-1890) Irish author Charity Charity is the sterilized milk of human kindness. Oliver Herford (1863-1935) American poet, illustrator Charity Charity is injurious unless it helps the recipient to become independent of it. John D. Rockefeller (1839-1937) American industrialist, philanthropist Charity Charity creates a multitude of sins. Oscar Wilde (1854-1900) Anglo-Irish writer Charity If begging should unfortunately be thy lot, knock at the large gates only. Arabian proverb Charity He that feeds upon charity has a cold dinner and no supper. Thomas Fuller (1608-1661) English cleric Charity Charm See: The Scots: Barrie "Charm" - which means the power to effect work without employing brute force - is indispensable to women. Charm is a woman's strength just as strength is a man's charm. Havelock Ellis (1859-1939) British psychologist, author Charm It's a sort of bloom on a woman. If you have it, you don't need to have anything else; and if you don't have it, it doesn't much matter what else you have. James M. Barrie (1860-1937) British playwright Charm Charming women can true converts make. We love the precepts for the teacher's sake. George Farquhar (1678-1707) Irish dramatist Charm She lacks the indefinable charm of weakness. Oscar Wilde (1854-1900) Anglo-Irish writer Charm Men get to be a mixture of the charming mannerisms of the women they have known. F. Scott Fitzgerald (1896-1940) American author Charm You know what charm is: a way of getting the answer yes without having asked any clear question. Albert Camus (1913-1960) French writer Charm I am bewitched with the rogue's company: if the rascal have not given me medicines to make me love him, I'll be hanged. Falstaff, King Henry IV part I William Shakespeare (1564-1616) English dramatist, poet Charm All charming people, I fancy, are spoiled. It is the secret of their attraction. Oscar Wilde (1854-1900) Anglo-Irish writer Charm Chastity See: Lust: Shaw Of all sexual aberrations, perhaps the most peculiar is chastity. Remy de Gourmont (1858-1915) French critic, novelist Chastity A woman's chastity consists, like an onion, of a series of coats. Nathaniel Hawthorne (1804-1864) American novelist Chastity How happy is the blameless vestal's lot! The world forgetting, by the world forgot. Alexander Pope (1688-1744) English poet Chastity There are few virtuous women who are not bored with their trade. Francois, Duc de La Rochefoucauld (1613-1680) French writer, moralist Chastity There, it is true, are abstinent; but from all that they do the bitch of sensuality looks out with envious eyes. Friedrich Nietzsche (1844-1900) German philosopher Chastity Your old virginity is like one of our French withered pears; it looks ill, it eats drily. Parolles, All's Well That Ends Well William Shakespeare (1564-1616) English dramatist, poet Chastity An unattempted woman cannot boast of her chastity. Michel de Montaigne (1533-1592) French essayist, moralist Chastity It is fatally easy for Western folk, who have discarded chastity as a value for themselves, to suppose that it can have no value for anyone else. At the same time as Californians try to re-invent "celibacy," by which they seem to mean perverse restraint, the rest of us call societies which place a high value on chastity "backward." Germaine Greer (b. 1939) Australian feminist writer Chastity Only the English and the Americans are improper. East of Suez everyone wants a virgin. Barbara Cartland (b. 1901) British novelist Chastity A chaste woman ought not to dye her hair yellow. Menander (c. 342-c. 291 BC) Greek playwright Chastity Chess The chess-board is the world; the pieces are the phenomena of the universe; the rules of the game are what we call the laws of Nature. The player on the other side is hidden from us. We know that his play is always fair, just, and patient. But also we know, to our cost, that he never overlooks a mistake, or makes the smallest allowance for ignorance. Thomas Henry Huxley (1825-1895) English biologist Chess I am still a victim of chess. It has all the beauty of art - and much more. It cannot be commercialized. Chess is much purer than art in its social position. Marcel Duchamp (1887-1968) French artist, Dadaist recalling his decision in the 1920s to give up art for chess Chess Life's too short for chess. Henry J. Byron (1834-1884) English dramatist Chess Childhood That great cathedral space which was childhood. Virginia Woolf (1882-1941) British novelist Childhood What is childhood but a series of happy delusions. Sydney Smith (1771-1845) English writer, clergyman Childhood All our adventures were by the fireside, and all our migrations from the blue bed to the brown. Oliver Goldsmith (1728-1774) Anglo-Irish author Childhood Heaven lies about us in our infancy! William Wordsworth (1770-1850) English poet Childhood The world begins lying about us pretty soon afterward. Ambrose Bierce (1842-1914) American author Childhood Children See: Dancing: Coleridge Education: Montessori Father: Hemingway; Russell God: Steinem Happiness: Szasz Knowledge: Saki Maturity: Szasz Parents: Emerson; Shaw; Wilde; Brown Youth is a wonderful thing; what a crime to waste it on children. George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) Anglo-Irish playwright, critic Children Alas, regardless of their doom, The little victims play! No sense have they of ills to come, Nor care beyond to-day. Thomas Gray (1716-1771) English poet Children When childhood dies, its corpses are called adults and they enter society, one of the politer names of hell. That is why we dread children, even if we love them. They show us the state of our decay. Brian Aldiss (b. 1925) British author Children If children grew up according to early indications, we should have nothing but geniuses. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749-1832) German poet, dramatist, novelist, scientist Children Don't take up a man's time talking about the smartness of your children; he wants to talk to you about the smartness of his. Ed (E. W.) Howe (1853-1937) American journalist, novelist Children There is little use to talk about your child to anyone; other people either have one or haven't. Don Herold (1889-1966) American humorist, writer, artist Children The parent who could see his boy as he really is would shake his head and say; "Willy is no good: I'll sell him." Stephen Leacock (1869-1944) Canadian humorist, economist Children There is no sinner like a young saint. Aphra Behn (1640-1689) English playwright, poet Children We have left undone those things which we ought to have done; and we have done those things which we ought not to have done. Book of Common Prayer Children Before I got married I had six theories about bringing up children; now I have six children, and no theories. John Wilmot, Earl of Rochester (1647-1680) English courtier, poet Children To bring up a child in the way he should go, travel that way yourself once in a while. Josh Billings (1818-1885) American humorist Children Telling lies and showing off to get attention are the mistakes I made that I don't want my kids to make. Jane Fonda (b. 1937) American film actress Children Men are generally more careful of the breed of their horses and dogs than of their children. William Penn (1644-1718) religious leader, founder of Pennsylvania Children Children are all foreigners. We treat them as such. Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882) American essayist, poet, philosopher Children Oh, grown-ups cannot understand, And grown-ups never will, How short the way to fairyland Across the purple hill. Alfred Noyes (1880-1958) British author Children Ignorance is a painless evil; so, I should think, is dirt, considering the merry faces that go along with it. George Eliot (1819-1880) English novelist Children Girls like to be played with, and rumpled a little, too, sometimes. Oliver Goldsmith (1728-1774) Anglo-Irish author Children What money is better bestowed than that of a schoolboy's tip? William Makepeace Thackeray (1811-1863) English author Children There is nothing so aggravating as a fresh boy who is too old to ignore and too young to kick. Kin (F. McKinney) Hubbard (1868-1930) American humorist, journalist Children He followed in his father's footsteps, but his gait was somewhat erratic. Nicolas Bentley (1907-1978) British artist, author, publisher Children Children suck the mother when they are young and the father when they are old. English proverb Children How sharper than a serpent's tooth it is To have a thankless child. Lear, King Lear William Shakespeare (1564-1616) English dramatist, poet Children There are three degrees of filial piety. The highest is being a credit to our parents, the second is not disgracing them; the lowest is being able simply to support them. Confucius (551-478 BC) Chinese sage Children I am assured by a very knowing American of my acquaintance in London, that a young healthy child well nursed is at a year old a most delicious, nourishing, and wholesome food, whether stewed, roasted, baked, or boiled; and I make no doubt that it will equally serve in a fricassee, or a ragout. Jonathan Swift (1667-1745) Anglo-Irish satirist Children Chivalry See: Bores: Disraeli I thought that ten thousand swords would have leaped from their scabbards to avenge even a look that threatened her with insult. But the age of chivalry is gone. That of sophisters, economists, and calculators has succeeded. Edmund Burke (1729-1797) Irish philosopher, statesman of Marie Antoinette Chivalry The age of chivalry is never past, so long as there is a wrong left unredressed on earth. Charles Kingsley (1819-1875) English author, clergyman Chivalry Christianity See: Catholicism The Church Death: Ouida God The Jews: Shaw Sects: Farquhar; Tertullian Who is the father of the Babe, fair maid? No, no, thou needst not answer; an Angel came to thee in a dream; it is enough, say no more. To thee and thy love child bring gifts of gold and frankincense and myrrh, to thee and thy Babe we bend the knee. Elbert Hubbard (1856-1915) American author Christianity He was the Word, that spake it; He took the bread and brake it; And what that Word did make it, I do believe and take it. John Donne (1572-1631) English divine, metaphysical poet Christianity The whole religious complexion of the modern world is due to the absence from Jerusalem of a lunatic asylum. Havelock Ellis (1859-1939) British psychologist, author Christianity The idea of Christ is much older than Christianity. George Santayana (1863-1952) American philosopher, poet Christianity What if men take the following where He leads, Weary of mumbling Athanasian creeds? Roden Noel (1834-1894) English poet Christianity Christianity taught men that love is worth more than intelligence. Jacques Maritain (1882-1973) French philosopher Christianity The doctrine of the Kingdom of Heaven, which was the main teaching of Jesus, is certainly one of the most revolutionary doctrines that ever stirred and changed human thought. H. G. Wells (1866-1946) English author, social thinker Christianity No sooner had Jesus knocked over the dragon of superstition than Paul boldly set it on its legs again in the name of Jesus. George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) Anglo-Irish playwright, critic Christianity He who begins by loving Christianity better than Truth will proceed by loving his own sect or church better than Christianity, and end in loving himself better than all. Samuel Taylor Coleridge (1772-1834) English poet Christianity Christian: One who believes that the New Testament is a divinely inspired book admirably suited to the spiritual needs of his neighbor. Ambrose Bierce (1842-1914) American author Christianity To make one a complete Christian he must have the works of a Papist, the words of a Puritan, and the faith of a Protestant. James Howell (1594-1666) English diplomat, writer Christianity Scratch the Christian and you find the pagan - spoiled. Israel Zangwill (1864-1926) British writer Christianity The early Christian rules of life were not made to last, because the early Christians did not believe that the world itself was going to last. Hotchkiss, Getting Married George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) Anglo-Irish playwright, critic Christianity Most people believe that the Christian commandments are intentionally a little too severe - like setting a clock half an hour ahead to make sure of not being late in the morning. Soren Kierkegaard (1813-1855) Danish philosopher Christianity The Eleventh Commandment: Thou shalt not be found out. George Whyte-Melville (1821-1878) Scottish author Christianity The Christian ideal has not been tried and found wanting. It has been found difficult; and left untried. G. K. Chesterton (1874-1936) English author Christianity Bear the Cross cheerfully and it will bear you. Thomas a Kempis (1380-1471) German monk, mystic Christianity "One loving soul," says St Augustine, "sets another on fire." Christianity can sometimes be caught no less than taught. Arnold Lunn (1888-1974) British author Christianity I reject Christianity because it is Jewish, because it is international and because, in cowardly fashion, it preaches Peace on Earth. Field-Marshal Erich von Ludendorff (1865-1937) German chief-of-staff Christianity Christianity broke the heart of the world and mended it. G. K. Chesterton (1874-1936) English author Christianity Two great European narcotics, alcohol and Christianity. Friedrich Nietzsche (1844-1900) German philosopher Christianity The fear of hell, or aiming to be blest, Savours too much of private interest. Edmund Waller (1606-1687) English poet Christianity The Three in One, the One in Three? Not so! To my own Gods I go. It may be they shall give me greater ease Than your cold Christ and tangled Trinities. Rudyard Kipling (1865-1936) English author Christianity People in general are equally horrified at hearing the Christian religion doubted, and at seeing it practised. Samuel Butler (1835-1902) English author Christianity Kill them all, God will know his own! Arnold of Citeaux Papal Legate at the siege of Beziers, 1209, in the Albigensian Crusade Christianity The word is my crucifix. motto of the Carthusian Order Christianity The cross has been carried forward on the hilt of the sword. E. M. Macdonald (1865-1940) Canadian statesman Christianity Thou has conquered, O pale Galilean. A. C. Swinburne (1837-1909) English poet, critic Christianity Christmas There are some people who want to throw their arms round you simply because it is Christmas; there are other people who want to strangle you simply because it is Christmas. Robert Lynd (1879-1949) Anglo-Irish essayist, journalist Christmas The Church See: Catholicism Christianity Church of England Heresy: Chesterton Marriage: Baudelaire Poverty: Sheen He cannot have God for his father who refuses to have the church for his mother. Saint Augustine (354-430) theologian The Church And of all plagues with which mankind are curst, Ecclesiastic tyranny's the worst. Daniel Defoe (1661-1731) English writer The Church I grant you the clergy are mostly dull dogs; but with a little disguise and ritual they will pass as holy men with the ignorant. Charles, In Good King Charles's Golden Days George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) Anglo-Irish playwright, critic The Church A Curate - there is something which excites compassion in the very name of a curate! Sydney Smith (1771-1845) English writer, clergyman The Church A congregation who can't afford to pay a clergyman enough want a missionary more than they do a clergyman. Josh Billings (1818-1885) American humorist The Church How can a bishop marry? How can he flirt? The most he can say is "I will see you in the vestry after service." Sydney Smith (1771-1845) English writer, clergyman The Church Archbishop: a Christian ecclesiastic of a rank superior to that attained by Christ. H. L. Mencken (1880-1956) American journalist The Church There is not in the universe a more ridiculous nor a more contemptible animal than a proud clergyman. Henry Fielding (1707-1754) English novelist, dramatist The Church The parson knows enough who knows a Duke. William Cowper (1731-1800) English poet The Church That clergyman soon becomes an object of contempt who being often asked out to dinner never refuses to go. Saint Jerome (345-420) Christian scholar The Church The merriment of parsons is mighty offensive. Dr. Samuel Johnson (1709-1784) English author, lexicographer The Church His creed no parson ever knew, For this was still his "simple plan," To have with clergymen to do As little as a Christian can. Sir Francis Doyle (1810-1888) English poet The Church As my poor father used to say, When parsons came to call, "He's not my sort, but pass the port, - Thank God, there's room for all." A. P. Herbert (1890-1971) British author, politician The Church Parsons always seem to be specially horrified about things like sunbathing and naked bodies. They don't mind poverty and misery and cruelty to animals nearly as much. Susan Ertz (1894-1985) British novelist The Church While I cannot be regarded as a pillar, I must be regarded as a buttress of the church, because I support it from the outside. Lord Melbourne (1779-1848) English statesman, Prime Minister The Church The Church has always been willing to swap off treasures in heaven for cash down. Ralph G. Ingersoll (1833-1899) American lawyer The Church Avoid like the plague a clergyman who is also a businessman. Saint Jerome (345-420) Christian scholar The Church A little, round, fat, oily man of God. James Thomson (1700-1748) Scottish poet The Church If Jesus had wanted to make a woman an Apostle He could have done so. Pamphlet against the ordination of women to the priesthood, 1985 The Church There is neither male nor female; for ye are all one in Christ Jesus. Saint Paul (3-67) Apostle to the Gentiles The Church As the French say, there are three sexes-men, women and clergymen. Sydney Smith (1771-1845) English writer, clergyman The Church The Church has an almost pathological preoccupation with survival. John Robinson (1919-1983) Bishop of Woolwich The Church What is wrong with priests and popes is that instead of being apostles and saints, they are nothing but empirics who say "I know" instead of "I am learning," and pray for credulity and inertia as wise men pray for scepticism and activity. George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) Anglo-Irish playwright, critic The Church The Church after all is not a club of saints; it is a hospital for sinners. George Craig Stewart (1879-1940) Bishop of Chicago The Church Church of England Alas the Church of England! What with Popery on one hand, and schismatics on the other, how has she been crucified between two thieves! Daniel Defoe (1661-1731) English writer Church of England This is what the Church is said to want, not party men, but sensible, temperate, sober, well-judging persons, to guide it through the channel of no-meaning, between the Scylla and Charybdis of Aye and No. Cardinal John Newman (1801-1890) English churchman, theologian Church of England Place before your eyes two precepts, and only two. One is Preach the Gospel; and the other is - Put down enthusiasm . . . The Church of England in a nutshell. Mrs Humphrey Ward (1851-1920) British novelist Church of England The merit claimed for the Anglican Church is, that if you let it alone, it will let you alone. Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882) American essayist, poet, philosopher Church of England There is this difference between the Church of Rome and the Church of England: the one professes to be infallible - the other to be never in the wrong. Sir Richard Steele (1672-1729) English essayist, dramatist, editor Church of England I have, alas, only one illusion left, and that is the Archbishop of Canterbury. Sydney Smith (1771-1845) English writer, clergyman Church of England I must believe in the Apostolic Succession, there being no other way of accounting for the descent of the Bishop of Exeter from Judas Iscariot. Sydney Smith (1771-1845) English writer, clergyman Church of England The Church of England seems to wish us to regard birth as the entry to sin, marriage as a means of avoiding one aspect of sin, and death to be the welcome relief whereby we can sin no more. Sir Steuart Wilson (1889-1966) British administrator, musician Church of England A soul cannot be eternally satisfied with kindness, and a soothing murmur, and the singing of hymns. R. H. Benson (1871-1914) British novelist Church of England To tolerate everything is to teach nothing. Dr. F. J. Kinsman (1868-1944) American clergyman Church of England I do hereby profess . . . that Protestantism is the dreariest of possible religions; that the thought of the Anglican service makes me shiver, and the thought of the Thirty-Nine Articles makes me shudder. Cardinal John Newman (1801-1890) English churchman, theologian Church of England Church-going See: Preaching: Shaw America has become so tense and nervous it has been years since I've seen anyone asleep in church - and that is a sad situation. Dr. Norman Vincent Peale (b. 1898) President of the Protestant Council, New York Church-going Light half-believers of our casual creeds. Matthew Arnold (1822-1888) English poet, critic Church-going Too hot to go to Church? What about Hell? poster in Dayton, Ohio Church-going She say, Celie, tell the truth, have you ever found God in church? I never did. I just found a bunch of folks hoping for him to show. Any God I ever felt in church I brought in with me. And I think all the other folks did too. They come to church to share God, not find God. Alice Walker (b. 1944) American author, critic Church-going Churches A church is a place in which gentlemen who have never been to heaven brag about it to persons who will never get there. H. L. Mencken (1880-1956) American journalist Churches I never weary of great churches. It is my favourite kind of mountain scenery. Mankind was never so happily inspired as when it made a cathedral. Robert Louis Stevenson (1850-1894) Scottish novelist, essayist, poet Churches Cathedrals, luxury liners laden with souls, Holding to the east their hulls of stone. W. H. Auden (1907-1973) Anglo-American poet Churches When churchyards are consecrated I find it awfully difficult to imagine that the Holy Spirit is operating only along the dotted line on the part of the plan coloured pink. Canon R. L. Hussey (b. 1899) British clergyman Churches The beautiful uncut hair of graves. Walt Whitman (1819-1892) American poet Churches Cinema See: Hollywood The cinema is not a slice of life but a piece of cake. Alfred Hitchcock (1899-1980) Anglo-American film director Cinema The cinema, like the detective story, makes it possible to experience without danger all the excitement, passion and desirousness which must be repressed in a humanitarian ordering of life. Carl Jung (1875-1961) Swiss psychiatrist Cinema The theater is like a faithful wife. The film is the great adventure - the costly, exacting mistress. Ingmar Bergman (b. 1918) Swedish film and theater director Cinema They get excited about the sort of stuff I could get shooting through a piece of Kleenex. Billy Wilder (b. 1906) American writer-director on European cinema Cinema Film is not the art of scholars but of illiterates. Film culture is not analysis but agitation of the mind. Werner Herzog (b. 1942) German film director Cinema Movies are so rarely great art that if we cannot appreciate the great trash we have very little reason to be interested in them. Pauline Kael (b. 1919) American film critic Cinema The trouble with a movie these days is that it's old before it's released. It's no accident that it comes in a can. Orson Welles (1915-1985) American filmmaker Cinema All television ever did was shrink the demand for ordinary movies. The demand for extraordinary movies increased. If any one thing is wrong with the movie industry today, it is the unrelenting effort to astonish. Clive James (b. 1939) Australian writer, critic Cinema There's only one thing that can kill the movies, and that's education. Will Rogers (1879-1935) American humorist Cinema Film music should have the same relationship to the film drama that somebody's piano playing in my living room has to the book I am reading. Igor Stravinsky (1882-1971) Russian-American composer Cinema A director must be a policeman, a midwife, a psychoanalyst, a sycophant and a bastard. Billy Wilder (b. 1906) American writer-director Cinema Saddest movie I've ever seen - I cried all the way through. It's sad when you're eighty-two. Groucho Marx (1895-1977) American comic actor on Last Tango in Paris Cinema Circumstances See: Planning: Osler It is nice to make heroic decisions and to be prevented by "circumstances beyond your control" from ever trying to execute them. William James (1842-1910) American psychologist, philosopher Circumstances People are always blaming their circumstances for what they are. I don't believe in circumstances. The people who get on in this world are the people who get up and look for the circumstances they want, and, if they can't find them, make them. Vivie, Mrs Warren's Profession George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) Anglo-Irish playwright, critic Circumstances If all our happiness is bound up entirely in our personal circumstances it is difficult not to demand of life more than it has to give. Bertrand Russell (1872-1970) British philosopher, mathematician, social reformer Circumstances Circumstances! I make circumstances! Napoleon Bonaparte (1769-1821) Emperor of France Circumstances City Life See: Country Life: Shaw; Byron London New York City Life. Millions of people being lonesome together. Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862) American philosopher, author, naturalist City Life God the first garden made, and the first city Cain. Abraham Cowley (1618-1667) English author City Life Fields and trees teach me nothing, but the people in a city do. Socrates (469-399 BC) Greek philosopher City Life If you would be known, and not know, vegetate in a village; if you would know, and not be known, live in a city. C. C. Colton (1780-1832) English author, clergyman City Life A great city is the place to escape the true drama of provincial life, and find solace in fantasy. G. K. Chesterton (1874-1936) English author City Life As a remedy to life in society I would suggest the big city. Nowadays it is the only desert within our means. Albert Camus (1913-1960) French writer City Life Crowds without company, and dissipation without pleasure. Edward Gibbon (1737-1794) English historian City Life Omnis civitas corpus est. Every city is a living body. Saint Augustine (354-430) theologian City Life A large city cannot be experientially known; its life is too manifold for any individual to be able to participate in it. Aldous Huxley (1894-1963) English author City Life They who have spent all their lives in cities improve their talents but impair their virtues; and strengthen their minds but weaken their morals. C. C. Colton (1780-1832) English author, clergyman City Life Poiche voi, cittadine infauste mura, Vidi e conobbi assai, la dove segue Odio al dolor compagno. For I have seen and known you too well, black city walls, where pain follows close behind hatred. Giacomo Leopardi (1798-1837) Italian poet City Life The city is not a concrete jungle. It is a human zoo. Desmond Morris (b. 1928) British anthropologist City Life This City now doth like a garment wear The beauty of the morning; silent, bare, Ships, towers, domes, theatres and temples lie Open unto the fields and to the sky; All bright and glittering in the smokeless air. William Wordsworth (1770-1850) English poet City Life No city should be too large for a man to walk out of it in a morning. Cyril Connolly (1903-1974) British critic City Life Cities, like cats, will reveal themselves at night. Rupert Brooke (1887-1915) British poet City Life Prepare for death if here at night you roam, And sign your will before you sup from home. Dr. Samuel Johnson (1709-1784) English author, lexicographer City Life Civilization See: Curiosity: Trevelyan The Devil: Knox Leisure: Russell Progress: Rogers Suicide: Ellis Tolerance: Menen Women: and Men: Meredith The origin of civilization is man's determination to do nothing for himself which he can get done for him. H. C. Bailey (1878-1961) British crimewriter Civilization Civilization - by which I here mean barbarism made strong and luxurious by mechanical power. C. S. Lewis (1898-1963) British author Civilization Civilization - a heap of rubble scavenged by scrawny English Lit vultures. Malcolm Muggeridge (b. 1903) British journalist Civilization All civilization has from time to time become a thin crust over a volcano of revolution. Havelock Ellis (1859-1939) British psychologist, author Civilization Civilization is the lamb's skin in which barbarism masquerades. Thomas Bailey Aldrich (1836-1907) American writer, editor Civilization Our civilization is not even skin deep; it reaches no lower than our clothes. Humanity is still essentially Yahoo-manity. W. R. Inge (1860-1954) Dean of St. Paul's, London Civilization Every new generation is a fresh invasion of savages. Hervey Allen (1889-1949) American educator, poet, author Civilization Is it progress if a cannibal uses knife and fork? Stanislaus J. Lec (b. 1909) Polish poet Civilization Civilization is a progress from an indefinite, incoherent homogeneity toward a definite, coherent heterogeneity. Herbert Spencer (1820-1903) English philosopher Civilization Increased means and increased leisure are the two civilizers of man. Benjamin Disraeli (1804-1881) English prime minister Civilization The three great elements of modern civilization, gunpowder, printing, and the Protestant religion. Thomas Carlyle (1795-1881) Scottish writer Civilization The nineteenth century regarded European civilization as mature and late, the final expression of the human spirit. We are only now beginning to realise that it is young and childish. C. E. M. Joad (1891-1953) British author, academic Civilization Inscribe all human effort with one word, Artistry's haunting curse, the Incomplete! Robert Browning (1812-1889) English poet Civilization Class See: The Bourgeoisie Inequality Ladies: Herford Laughter: Chesterfield Secrets: Chapman Slavery: Hammond The Working Class The history of all hitherto existing society is the history of class struggles. Karl Marx (1818-1883) German social philosopher, revolutionary Friedrich Engels (1820-1895) German social philosopher, revolutionary Class A society that gives to one class all the opportunities for leisure, and to another all the burdens of work, dooms both classes to spiritual sterility. Lewis Mumford (1895-1990) American writer on environment Class We educate one another; and we cannot do this if half of us consider the other half not good enough to talk to. George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) Anglo-Irish playwright, critic Class There are no persons more solicitous about the preservation of rank than those who have no rank at all. William Shenstone (1714-1763) English poet Class The terrifying characteristic of British society is that many of those who are supposed to be inferior have been brainwashed into believing that they actually are. Tony Benn (b. 1925) British Labour politician Class The most perfect political community is one in which the middle class is in control and outnumbers both of the other classes. Aristotle (384-322 BC) Greek philosopher Class The one class you do not belong to and are not proud of at all is the lower-middle class. No one ever describes himself as belonging to the lower-middle class. George Mikes (b. 1912) Hungarian-born British humorist Class When we say a woman is of a certain social class, we really mean her husband or father is. Zoe Fairbairns (b. 1948) British author Class The classes that wash most are those that work least. G. K. Chesterton (1874-1936) English author Class Ladies and gentlemen are permitted to have friends in the kennel but not in the kitchen. George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) Anglo-Irish playwright, critic Class I am his Highness' dog at Kew; Pray tell me, sir, whose dog are you? Alexander Pope (1688-1744) English poet Class Cliches See: Oxford: Guedalla Man is a creature who lives not upon bread alone, but principally by catchwords. Robert Louis Stevenson (1850-1894) Scottish novelist, essayist, poet Cliches A good catchword can obscure analysis for fifty years. Wendell L. Wilkie (1892-1944) American lawyer, businessman, politician Cliches If you have to be in a soap opera try not to get the worst role. Boy George (b. 1961) British rock singer Cliches Clubs See: Institutions: Thoreau This happy breed of men, this little world. Gaunt, King Richard II William Shakespeare (1564-1616) English dramatist, poet Clubs Most clubs have the atmosphere of a Duke's house with the Duke lying dead upstairs. Douglas Sutherland (b. 1919) British author Clubs I don't care to belong to any social organization which would accept me as a member. Groucho Marx (1895-1977) American comic actor Clubs Cocktail Parties The cocktail party - as the name itself indicates - was originally invented by dogs. They are simply bottom-sniffings raised to the rank of formal ceremonies. Lawrence Durrell (b. 1912) British author Cocktail Parties It was one of those parties where you cough twice before you speak and then decide not to say it after all. P. G. Wodehouse (1881-1975) British novelist, humorist Cocktail Parties We are persons of quality, I assure you, and women of fashion, and come to see and to be seen. Ben Jonson (1573-1637) English dramatist, poet Cocktail Parties Consider yourselves introduced, because I only remember one of your names, and that wouldn't be fair to the other. Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree (1853-1917) English actor-manager Cocktail Parties Cocktails That faint but sensitive enteric expectancy that suggests the desirability of a cocktail. Christopher Morley (1890-1957) American novelist, journalist Cocktails I must get out of these wet clothes and into a dry Martini. Alexander Woollcott (1887-1943) American columnist, critic Cocktails Coffee The morning cup of coffee has an exhilaration about it which the cheering influence of the afternoon or evening cup of tea cannot be expected to reproduce. Dr. Oliver Wendell Holmes (1809-1894) American writer, physician Coffee Black as hell, strong as death, sweet as love. Turkish proverb Coffee Coffee in England is just toasted milk. Christopher Fry (b. 1907) British playwright Coffee Coffee, which makes the politician wise, And see through all things with his half-shut eyes. Alexander Pope (1688-1744) English poet Coffee Coincidence It is only in literature that coincidences seem unnatural. Robert Lynd (1879-1949) Anglo-Irish essayist, journalist Coincidence Although we talk so much about coincidence we do not really believe in it. In our heart of hearts we think better of the universe, we are secretly convinced that it is not such a slipshod, haphazard affair, that everything in it has meaning. J. B. Priestley (1894-1984) British writer Coincidence Color Green how I love you green. Green wind. Green branches. Federico Garcia Lorca (1898-1936) Spanish lyric poet, dramatist Color I've been forty years discovering that the queen of all colors is black. Auguste Renoir (1841-1919) French painter, sculptor Color Artists can color the sky red because they know it's blue. Those of us who aren't artists must color things the way they really are or people might think we're stupid. Jules Feiffer (b. 1929) American cartoonist Color Comedy Life is a tragedy when seen in close-up, but a comedy in long-shot. Charlie Chaplin (1889-1977) English comic actor, director Comedy Chaplin's genius was in comedy. He had no sense of humor. Lita Grey second wife of Charlie Chaplin Comedy This fellow's wise enough to play the fool. Viola, Twelfth Night William Shakespeare (1564-1616) English dramatist, poet Comedy The test of a real comedian is whether you laugh at him before he opens his mouth. George Jean Nathan (1882-1958) American critic Comedy The first thing any comedian does on getting an unscheduled laugh is to verify the state of his buttons; the second is to look around to see if a cat has walked out on the stage. W. C. Fields (1879-1946) American film actor Comedy Everything is funny as long as it is happening to somebody else. Will Rogers (1879-1935) American humorist Comedy Though it makes the unskilful laugh, cannot but make the judicious grieve. Hamlet, Hamlet William Shakespeare (1564-1616) English dramatist, poet Comedy The only rules comedy can tolerate are those of taste, and the only limitations those of libel. James Thurber (1894-1961) American humorist, illustrator Comedy Comedy is an escape, not from truth but from despair; a narrow escape into faith. Christopher Fry (b. 1907) British playwright Comedy I had rather have a fool to make me merry than experience to make me sad. Rosalind, As You Like It William Shakespeare (1564-1616) English dramatist, poet Comedy Comedy, like sodomy, is an unnatural act. Marty Feldman (1933-1982) British comedian Comedy Committees The English way is a committee - we are born with a belief in a green cloth, clean pens and twelve men with grey hair. Walter Bagehot (1826-1877) English economist, critic Committees The heaping together of paintings by Old Masters in museums is a catastrophe; likewise, a collection of a hundred Great Brains makes one big fathead. Carl Jung (1875-1961) Swiss psychiatrist Committees The Commonplace See: Banality: Butler Boredom: Galbraith Poetry: Stevenson Sincerity: Lynd Tragedy: Masefield Most of us swim in the ocean of the commonplace. Pio Baroja (1872-1956) Spanish novelist, essayist The Commonplace The characteristic of the hour is that the commonplace mind, knowing itself to be commonplace, has the assurance to proclaim the rights of the commonplace and impose them wherever it will. Jose Ortega y Gasset (1883-1955) Spanish essayist, philosopher The Commonplace Little minds are interested in the extraordinary, great minds in the commonplace. Elbert Hubbard (1856-1915) American author The Commonplace Thou unassuming common-place Of Nature, with that homely face. William Wordsworth (1770-1850) English poet The Commonplace The Lord prefers common-looking people. That is the reason He makes so many of them. Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865) American president The Commonplace Communism See: Marxism School: Nixon Socialism The USSR: Solzhenitsyn La propriete c'est le vol. Property is theft. Pierre-Joseph Proudhon (1809-1865) French social theorist Communism What is a Communist? One who has yearnings For equal division of unequal earnings. Ebenezer Elliot (1781-1849) English pamphleteer, poet Communism In communist society, where nobody has one exclusive sphere of activity but each can become accomplished in any branch he wishes, society regulates the general production and thus makes it possible for me . . . to hunt in the morning, fish in the afternoon, rear cattle in the evening, criticize after dinner, just as I have a mind, without ever becoming hunter, fisherman, herdsman or critic. Karl Marx (1818-1883) German social philosopher, revolutionary Communism Russian Communism is the illegitimate child of Karl Marx and Catherine the Great. Clement Attlee (1883-1967) British Labour politician, prime minister Communism Communism, being the lay form of Catholicism, and indeed meaning the same thing, has never had any lack of chaplains. George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) Anglo-Irish playwright, critic Communism Communists are people who fancied that they had an unhappy childhood. Gertrude Stein (1874-1946) American writer Communism Send your son to Moscow and he will return an anti-Communist; send him to the Sorbonne and he will return a Communist. Felix Houphouet-Boigny (b. 1905) President of the Ivory Coast Communism Communism has never come to power in a country that was not disrupted by war or corruption, or both. John F. Kennedy (1917-1963) American president Communism Our fear that Communism might someday take over most of the world blinds us to the fact that anti-communism already has. American analyst, 1967 Communism The crusade against Communism was even more imaginary than the spectre of Communism. A. J. P. Taylor (b. 1906) British historian Communism I detest communism, because it is the negation of liberty . . . I am not a communist because communism concentrates and absorbs all the powers of society into the state. Mikhail Bakunin (1814-1876) Russian political theorist Communism Communism is not love. Communism is a hammer which we use to crush the enemy. Mao Zedong (1893-1976) founder of the People's Republic of China Communism So we, who are united in mind and soul, have no hesitation about sharing property. All is common among us - except our wives. Tertullian (c. 160-240) Roman theologian Communism Commuters A man who shaves and takes a train, And then rides back to shave again. E. B. White (1899-1985) American author, editor Commuters The doors are shut in the evening; And they know no songs. G. K. Chesterton (1874-1936) English author Commuters Company See: Dinner Parties: Swift Friends Friendship Happiness: Twain Solitude Company, villainous company, hath been the spoil of me. Falstaff, King Henry IV part I William Shakespeare (1564-1616) English dramatist, poet Company Who sleepeth with dogs shall rise with fleas. John Florio (1553-1626) English lexicographer, translator Company You could read Kant by yourself, if you wanted; but you must share a joke with someone else. Robert Louis Stevenson (1850-1894) Scottish novelist, essayist, poet Company All who joy would win must share it - Happiness was born a twin. Lord Byron (1788-1824) English poet Company I had three chairs in my house: one for solitude, two for friendship, three for society. Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862) American philosopher, author, naturalist Company Fan the sinking flame of hilarity with the wing of friendship; and pass the rosy wine. Charles Dickens (1812-1870) English novelist Company Compatibility Madam, I have been looking for a person who disliked gravy all my life; let us swear eternal friendship. Sydney Smith (1771-1845) English writer, clergyman Compatibility Competition See: Craftsmanship: Ruskin We throw all our attention on the utterly idle question whether A has done as well as B, when the only question is whether A has done as well as he could. William Graham Sumner (1840-1900) American sociologist Competition Thou shalt not covet; but tradition Approves all forms of competition. A. H. Clough (1819-1861) English poet Competition So long as the system of competition in the production and exchange of the means of life goes on, the degradation of the arts will go on; and if that system is to last for ever, then art is doomed, and will surely die; that is to say, civilization will die. William Morris (1834-1896) English artist, writer, printer Competition Complacency The singular completeness of limited men. Thomas Carlyle (1795-1881) Scottish writer Complacency The plain working truth is that it is not only good for people to be shocked occasionally, but absolutely necessary to the progress of society that they should be shocked pretty often. George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) Anglo-Irish playwright, critic Complacency The greatest of faults is to be conscious of none. Thomas Carlyle (1795-1881) Scottish writer Complacency Complaint See: Pity: Austen The wheel that squeaks the loudest is the one that gets the grease. Josh Billings (1818-1885) American humorist Complaint It is a general popular error to suppose the loudest complainers for the public to be the most anxious for its welfare. Edmund Burke (1729-1797) Irish philosopher, statesman Complaint It is a folly of too many to mistake the echo of a London coffee-house for the voice of the kingdom. Jonathan Swift (1667-1745) Anglo-Irish satirist Complaint The trouble with this country is that there are too many people going about saying "The trouble with this country is . . . " Sinclair Lewis (1885-1951) American novelist Complaint Depend upon it that if a man talks of his misfortunes there is something in them that is not disagreeable to him. Dr. Samuel Johnson (1709-1784) English author, lexicographer Complaint Can anybody remember when the times were not hard, and money not scarce? Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882) American essayist, poet, philosopher Complaint When I meet a man whose name I can't remember, I give myself two minutes, then if it is a hopeless case I always say "And how is the old complaint?" Benjamin Disraeli (1804-1881) English prime minister Complaint Compliments See: Flattery Ireland: Hinkson I can live for two months on a good compliment. Mark Twain (1835-1910) American author Compliments Nothing is so silly as the expression of a man who is being complimented. Andre Gide (1869-1951) French author Compliments Women are never disarmed by compliments. Men always are. Oscar Wilde (1854-1900) Anglo-Irish writer Compliments Some people pay a compliment as if they expected a receipt. Kin (F. McKinney) Hubbard (1868-1930) American humorist, journalist Compliments Whenever a man's friends begin to compliment him about looking young, he may be sure that they think he is growing old. Washington Irving (1783-1859) American author Compliments Compromise This world may be divided into those who take it or leave it and those who split the difference. Father Ronald Knox (1888-1957) British clergyman, writer Compromise All government - indeed every human benefit and enjoyment, every virtue and every prudent act - is founded on compromise and barter. Edmund Burke (1729-1797) Irish philosopher, statesman Compromise If one cannot catch a bird of paradise, better take a wet hen. Nikita Khrushchev (1894-1971) Soviet premier Compromise A compromise is the art of dividing a cake in such a way that everyone believes that he has got the biggest piece. Dr. Ludwig Erhard (1897-1977) East German politician Compromise Conferences See: Committees A conference is a gathering of important people who singly can do nothing, but together can decide that nothing can be done. Fred Allen (1894-1957) American comic Conferences No grand idea was ever born in a conference, but a lot of foolish ideas have died there. F. Scott Fitzgerald (1896-1940) American author Conferences Meetings are indispensable when you don't want to do anything. John Kenneth Galbraith (b. 1908) American economist Conferences Confessions See: Catholicism: Menen Gossip: Fairbanks Psychoanalysis: Sheen Sin: Gibran There is no refuge from confession but suicide, and suicide is confession. Daniel Webster (1782-1852) American lawyer, statesman Confessions All the good writers of confessions, from Augustine onwards, are men who are still a little in love with their sins. Anatole France (1844-1924) French author Confessions We only confess our little faults to persuade people that we have no big ones. Francois, Duc de La Rochefoucauld (1613-1680) French writer, moralist Confessions Before confession, be perfectly sure that you do not wish to be forgiven. Katherine Mansfield (1888-1923) New Zealand-born writer Confessions It is the confession, not the priest, that gives us absolution. Oscar Wilde (1854-1900) Anglo-Irish writer Confessions A Protestant, if he wants aid or advice on any matter, can only go to his solicitor. Benjamin Disraeli (1804-1881) English prime minister Confessions Conformity See: Convention: Russell Society: Emerson The Suburbs: Kronenberger Where an opinion is general, it is usually correct. Jane Austen (1775-1817) English novelist Conformity Every generation laughs at the old fashions, but follows religiously the new. Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862) American philosopher, author, naturalist Conformity For not all have the gift of martyrdom. John Dryden (1631-1700) English poet, dramatist, critic Conformity Once conform, once do what other people do because they do it, and a lethargy steals over all the finer nerves and faculties of the soul. She becomes all outer show and inward emptiness; dull, callous, and indifferent. Virginia Woolf (1882-1941) British novelist Conformity That so few now dare to be eccentric marks the chief danger of the time. John Stuart Mill (1806-1873) English philosopher, economist Conformity People have fallen into a foolish habit of speaking of orthodoxy as something heavy, humdrum and safe. There never was anything so perilous or so exciting as orthodoxy. G. K. Chesterton (1874-1936) English author Conformity I think it would be terrific if everybody was alike. Andy Warhol (1930-1987) American artist Conformity When all think alike, then no one is thinking. Walter Lippmann (1889-1974) American journalist Conformity The strongest bulwark of authority is uniformity; the least divergence from it is the greatest crime. Emma Goldman (1869-1940) American anarchist Conformity Conscience See: Deliberation: Newman The English: de Madariaga Love: Shakespeare Principles: Howells The Soul: Smith Conscience is a sickness. Miguel de Unamuno (1864-1936) Spanish philosopher, poet, novelist Conscience Conscience: the inner voice which warns us that someone may be looking. H. L. Mencken (1880-1956) American journalist Conscience Conscience is, in most men, an anticipation of the opinion of others. Sir Henry Taylor (1800-1886) English author Conscience A man's conscience and his judgement is the same thing, and as the judgement, so also the conscience, may be erroneous. Thomas Hobbes (1588-1679) English philosopher Conscience The Non-Conformist Conscience makes cowards of us all. Sir Max Beerbohm (1872-1956) British author Conscience Conscience is thoroughly well-bred and soon leaves off talking to those who do not wish to hear it. Samuel Butler (1835-1902) English author Conscience Conscience has no more to do with gallantry than it has with politics. Richard Brinsley Sheridan (1751-1816) Anglo-Irish dramatist Conscience At times, although one is perfectly in the right, one's legs tremble; at other times, although one is completely in the wrong, birds sing in one's soul. Vasily V. Rozanov (1856-1919) Russian philosopher Conscience Consensus It is not much matter which we say, but mind, we must all say the same. Lord Melbourne (1779-1848) English statesman, Prime Minister Consensus We must indeed all hang together, or, most assuredly, we shall all hang separately. Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790) American statesman, writer Consensus Consequences See: Nature: Ingersoll There's no limit to how complicated things can get, on account of one thing always leading to another. E. B. White (1899-1985) American author, editor Consequences Logical consequences are the scarecrows of fools and the beacons of wise men. Thomas Henry Huxley (1825-1895) English biologist Consequences Nothing is worth doing unless the consequences may be serious. Hypatia, Misalliance George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) Anglo-Irish playwright, critic Consequences That's the penalty we have to pay for our acts of foolishness - someone else always suffers for them. Alfred Sutro (1863-1933) British dramatist Consequences Conservatives See: Doubt: Strindberg Political Parties: Amis; Disraeli Tradition One of the greatest pains to human nature is the pain of a new idea. Walter Bagehot (1826-1877) English economist, critic Conservatives What is conservatism? Is it not adherence to the old and tried, against the new and untried? Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865) American president Conservatives When it is not necessary to change, it is necessary not to change. Lord Falkland (1610-1643) English statesman, patron Conservatives Conservative. A statesman who is enamored of existing evils, as distinguished from a Liberal, who wishes to replace them with others. Ambrose Bierce (1842-1914) American author Conservatives A conservative is a man who is too cowardly to fight and too fat to run. Elbert Hubbard (1856-1915) American author Conservatives Men are conservatives when they are least vigorous, or when they are most luxurious. They are conservatives after dinner. Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882) American essayist, poet, philosopher Conservatives That man's the true Conservative Who lops the moulder'd branch away. Lord Tennyson (1809-1892) English poet Conservatives The English never abolish anything. They put it in cold storage. Alfred North Whitehead (1861-1947) British philosopher Conservatives When a nation's young men are conservative, its funeral bell is already rung. Henry Ward Beecher (1813-1887) American clergyman, editor, writer Conservatives Sir, we must beware of needless innovation, especially when guided by logic. Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965) British statesman, writer Conservatives Some fellows get credit for being conservative when they are only stupid. Kin (F. McKinney) Hubbard (1868-1930) American humorist, journalist Conservatives Consistency Consistency is the last refuge of the unimaginative. Oscar Wilde (1854-1900) Anglo-Irish writer Consistency A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds, adored by little statesmen and philosophers and divines. Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882) American essayist, poet, philosopher Consistency Consistency is contrary to nature, contrary to life. The only completely consistent people are the dead. Aldous Huxley (1894-1963) English author Consistency The Constitution See: Inconsistency: Hardy A Constitution should be short and obscure. Napoleon Bonaparte (1769-1821) Emperor of France The Constitution Our constitution is an actual operation; everything appears to promise that it will last; but in this world nothing is certain but death and taxes. Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790) American statesman, writer The Constitution In questions of power, let no more be heard of confidence in man, but bind him down from mischief by the chains of the constitution. Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826) American president The Constitution The Consumer Society See: Property: Lerner Conspicuous consumption of valuable goods is a means of reputability to the gentleman of leisure. Thorstein Veblen (1857-1929) American social scientist The Consumer Society The power of consumer goods . . . has been engendered by the so-called liberal and progressive demands of freedom, and, by appropriating them, has emptied them of their meaning, and changed their nature. Pier Paolo Pasolini (1922-1975) Italian film director, essayist The Consumer Society . . . Everything from toy guns that spark To flesh-colored Christs that glow in the dark It's easy to see without looking too far That not much is really sacred. Bob Dylan (b. 1941) American singer, songwriter The Consumer Society With the supermarket as our temple and the singing commercial as our litany, are we likely to fire the world with an irresistible vision of America's exalted purposes and inspiring way of life? Adlai Stevenson (1900-1965) American Democratic politician The Consumer Society Nowadays people know the price of everything and the value of nothing. Oscar Wilde (1854-1900) Anglo-Irish writer The Consumer Society Contemporaries To have been alive with him was to have dined at the table of history. Cassandra, Sir William Connor (1909-1967) British journalist of Sir Winston Churchill Contemporaries Contentment See: Happiness That blessed mood In which the burthen of the mystery, In which the heavy and the weary weight Of all this unintelligible world Is lightened. William Wordsworth (1770-1850) English poet Contentment Tomorrow, do thy worst, for I have lived today. John Dryden (1631-1700) English poet, dramatist, critic Contentment Y mientras miserablemente se estan los otros abrasando en sed insaciable del no durable mando, tendido yo a la sombra este cantando. And so, while others miserably pledge themselves to the insatiable pursuit of ambition and brief power, I will be stretched out in the shade, singing. Fray Luis de Leon (c. 1527-1591) Spanish poet Contentment I have a most peaceable disposition. My desires are for a modest hut, a thatched roof, but a good bed, good food, very fresh milk and butter, flowers in front of my window and a few pretty trees by my door. And should the good Lord wish to make me really happy, he will allow me the pleasure of seeing about six or seven of my enemies hanged upon those trees. Heinrich Heine (1797-1856) German poet, journalist Contentment Controversy See: Abuse: Newman Abuse is often of service. There is nothing so dangerous to an author as silence. His name, like the shuttlecock, must be beat backward and forward, or it falls to the ground. Dr. Samuel Johnson (1709-1784) English author, lexicographer Controversy When a thing ceases to be a subject of controversy, it ceases to be a subject of interest. William Hazlitt (1778-1830) English essayist Controversy Impartial. Unable to perceive any promise of personal advantage from espousing either side of a controversy. Ambrose Bierce (1842-1914) American author Controversy Convention Nobody can live in society without conventions. The reason why sensible people are as conventional as they can bear to be is that conventionality saves so much time and thought and trouble and social friction of one sort or another that it leaves them much more leisure for freedom than unconventionality does. George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) Anglo-Irish playwright, critic Convention Conventional people are roused to fury by departure from convention, largely because they regard such departure as a criticism of themselves. Bertrand Russell (1872-1970) British philosopher, mathematician, social reformer Convention There is nothing more conventional than the convention of unconventionality. R. H. Benson (1871-1914) British novelist Convention Conversation See: Dinner Parties: Barrie; Chesterton; Hitchcock Gentlemen: English proverb Dr. Johnson: Piozzi Nostalgia: Cory Silence: Smith Speeches: Moliere Wit: Hazlitt With thee conversing I forget all time. John Milton (1608-1674) English poet Conversation Talk to every woman as if you loved her, and to every man as if he bored you, and at the end of your first season you will have the reputation of possessing the most perfect social tact. Oscar Wilde (1854-1900) Anglo-Irish writer Conversation Great talkers are so constituted that they do not know their own thoughts until, on the tide of their particular gift, they hear them issuing from their mouths. Thornton Wilder (1897-1975) American author Conversation Say nothing good of yourself, you will be distrusted; say nothing bad of yourself, you will be taken at your word. Joseph Roux (1834-1886) French priest, writer Conversation Inquisitive people are merely funnels of conversation. They do not take in anything for their own use, but merely to pass it on to others. Sir Richard Steele (1672-1729) English essayist, dramatist, editor Conversation No man would listen to you talk if he didn't know it was his turn next. Ed (E. W.) Howe (1853-1937) American journalist, novelist Conversation I find we are growing serious, and then we are in great danger of being dull. William Congreve (1670-1729) English dramatist Conversation Sir, you have but two topics, yourself and me. I am sick of both. Dr. Samuel Johnson (1709-1784) English author, lexicographer Conversation We often forgive those who bore us, but we cannot forgive those whom we bore. Francois, Duc de La Rochefoucauld (1613-1680) French writer, moralist Conversation Your ignorance cramps my conversation. Anthony Hope Hawkins (1863-1933) British novelist Conversation Silence is the unbearable repartee. G. K. Chesterton (1874-1936) English author Conversation He speaks to Me as if I was a public meeting. Queen Victoria of England (1819-1901) of Mr. Gladstone Conversation When we talk in company we lose our unique tone of voice, and this leads us to make statements which in no way correspond to our real thoughts. Friedrich Nietzsche (1844-1900) German philosopher Conversation Ideally I'd like to spend two evenings a week talking to Proust and another conversing with the Holy Ghost. Edna O'Brien (b. 1936) Irish author Conversation And when you stick on conversation's burrs, Don't strew your pathway with those dreadful urs. Dr. Oliver Wendell Holmes (1809-1894) American writer, physician Conversation Cooking See: Artists: Gauguin Humanity: Jerrold Royalty: Duke of Edinburgh Wives: Frost; Meredith Women: Wolfe We may live without poetry, music and art; We may live without conscience, and live without heart; We may live without friends; we may live without books; But civilised man cannot live without cooks. Owen Meredith, Edward R. BulwerEarl of Lytton (1831-1891) English poet, diplomat Cooking 'Tis an ill cook that cannot lick his own fingers. Servant, Romeo and Juliet William Shakespeare (1564-1616) English dramatist, poet Cooking Be content to remember that those who can make omlettes properly can do nothing else. Hilaire Belloc (1870-1953) British author Cooking Correspondence See: Courtesy: Waugh History: Acton As cold waters to a thirsty soul, so is good news from a far country. Bible, Proverbs Correspondence An intention to write never turns into a letter. A letter must happen to one like a surprise, and one may not know where in the day there was room for it to come into being. Rainer Maria Rilke (1875-1926) German poet Correspondence Letters give us great lives at their most characteristic, their most glorious, and their most terrible moments. Here history and biography meet. W. Lincoln Schuster American publisher Correspondence His letters teach the morals of a whore, and the manners of a dancing master. Dr. Samuel Johnson (1709-1784) English author, lexicographer of Lord Chesterfield Correspondence Corruption See: Elections: Kennedy Journalism: Wolfe Secrets: Wilson Tradition: Book of Common Prayer Wealth: Chesterton God is merciful and men are bribable, and that's how his will is done on earth as it is in Heaven. Corruption is our only hope. As long as there's corruption, there'll be merciful judges and even the innocent may get off. Bertolt Brecht (1898-1956) German dramatist, poet trans. Eric Bentley Corruption The jingling of the guinea helps the hurt that honour feels. Lord Tennyson (1809-1892) English poet Corruption When I want to buy up any politician I always find the anti-monopolists the most purchasable - they don't come so high. William Vanderbilt (1821-1885) American industrialist Corruption Don't take a nickel, just hand them your business card. Richard M. Daley (1902-1975) American politician Corruption An upright minister asks what recommends a man; a corrupt minister, who. C. C. Colton (1780-1832) English author, clergyman Corruption I am against government by crony. Harold L. Ickes (1874-1952) American politician resignation speech Corruption Corruption . . . the most infallible symptom of constitutional liberty. Edward Gibbon (1737-1794) English historian Corruption I have often noticed that a bribe . . . has that effect - it changes a relation. The man who offers a bribe gives away a little of his own importance; the bribe once accepted, he becomes the inferior, like a man who has paid for a woman. Graham Greene (b. 1904) British novelist Corruption The sun shineth upon the dunghill, and is not corrupted. John Lyly (1554-1606) English author Corruption The Cosmos See: Chess: Huxley Coincidence: Priestley The cosmos is about the smallest hole that a man can hide his head in. G. K. Chesterton (1874-1936) English author The Cosmos Nothing puzzles me more than time and space; and yet nothing troubles me less, as I never think about them. Charles Lamb (1775-1834) English essayist, critic The Cosmos I don't pretend to understand the universe, it is a great deal bigger than I am. Thomas Carlyle (1795-1881) Scottish writer The Cosmos The universe is one of God's thoughts. Friedrich von Schiller (1759-1805) German dramatist, poet The Cosmos Law rules throughout the universe, a Law which is not intelligent but Intelligence. Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882) American essayist, poet, philosopher The Cosmos Thou canst not stir a flower Without troubling of a star. Francis Thompson (1859-1907) English poet The Cosmos I rather feel that deep in the soul of mankind there is a reflection as on the surface of a mirror, of a mirror-calm lake, of the beauty and harmony of the universe. Charles, Prince of Wales (b. 1948) The Cosmos The cosmos is a gigantic fly-wheel making ten thousand revolutions a minute. Man is a sick fly taking a dizzy ride on it. Religion is the theory that the wheel was designed and set spinning to give him the ride. H. L. Mencken (1880-1956) American journalist The Cosmos 'Tis very puzzling on the brink Of what is called Eternity to stare, And know more of what is here, than there. Lord Byron (1788-1824) English poet The Cosmos Country Life See: City Life: Colton; Cowley I live not in myself, but I become Portion of that around me; and to me High mountains are a feeling, but the hum Of human cities torture. Lord Byron (1788-1824) English poet Country Life Our present city populations are so savage that they drive even the most public-spirited country people to put up barbed wire all over the place. They are no more to be trusted with trees and animals than a baby can be trusted with a butterfly. George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) Anglo-Irish playwright, critic Country Life I have no relish for the country; it is a kind of healthy grave. Sydney Smith (1771-1845) English writer, clergyman Country Life Anybody can be good in the country; there are no temptations there. Oscar Wilde (1854-1900) Anglo-Irish writer Country Life The lowest and vilest alleys of London do not present a more dreadful record of sin than does the smiling and beautiful countryside. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (1859-1930) English author Country Life There is nothing good to be had in the country, or, if there is, they will not let you have it. William Hazlitt (1778-1830) English essayist Country Life I nauseate walking; 'tis a country diversion; I loathe the country. William Congreve (1670-1729) English dramatist Country Life Separate from the pleasure of your company, I don't much care if I never see another mountain in my life. Charles Lamb (1775-1834) English essayist, critic to Wordsworth Country Life Oh lord! I don't know which is the worst of the country, the walking or the sitting at home with nothing to do. Mrs. Warren, Mrs. Warren's Profession George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) Anglo-Irish playwright, critic Country Life It is quiet here and restful and the air is delicious. There are gardens everywhere, nightingales sing in the gardens and police spies lie in the bushes. Maxim Gorky (1868-1936) Russian writer Country Life Country Music I have long harboured a suspicion that most country songwriters moonlight as speechwriters for President Reagan or scriptwriters for "Dallas," since they share a desire to reduce all life to the dimensions of a B-movie. Paul Lashmar Observer, 1986 Country Music Courage Courage is almost a contradiction in terms. It means a strong desire to live taking the form of a readiness to die. G. K. Chesterton (1874-1936) English author Courage There is no such thing as bravery; only degrees of fear. John Wainwright (b. 1921) British author Courage A great part of courage is the courage of having done the thing before. Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882) American essayist, poet, philosopher Courage Perfect courage is to do without witnesses what one would be capable of doing with the world looking on. Francois, Duc de La Rochefoucauld (1613-1680) French writer, moralist Courage Courage is a quality so necessary for maintaining virtue that it is always respected, even when it is associated with vice. Dr. Samuel Johnson (1709-1784) English author, lexicographer Courage Fortunately for themselves and the world, nearly all men are cowards and dare not act on what they believe. Nearly all our disasters come of a few fools having the "courage of their convictions." Coventry Patmore (1823-1896) English poet Courage "I'm very brave generally," he went on in a low voice: "only today I happen to have a headache." Lewis Carroll (1832-1898) English writer, mathematician Courage Until the day of his death, no man can be sure of his courage. Jean Anouilh (1910-1987) French dramatist Courage Courtesy See: Manners We cannot always oblige, but we can always speak obligingly. Voltaire (1694-1778) French philosopher, writer Courtesy Politeness is good nature regulated by good sense. Sydney Smith (1771-1845) English writer, clergyman Courtesy Politeness is the art of choosing among one's real thoughts. Abel Stevens (1815-1897) American clergyman, editor Courtesy There can be no defence like elaborate courtesy. E. V. Lucas (1868-1938) British journalist, essayist Courtesy The civilities of the great are never thrown away. Dr. Samuel Johnson (1709-1784) English author, lexicographer Courtesy It is true there are many very polite men, but none that I ever heard of who were not either fascinating women or obeying them. G. K. Chesterton (1874-1936) English author Courtesy It is wise to apply the oil of refined politeness to the mechanism of friendship. Colette (1873-1954) French novelist Courtesy The English are polite by telling lies. The Americans are polite by telling the truth. Malcolm Bradbury (b. 1932) British author Courtesy His courtesy was somewhat extravagant. He would write and thank people who wrote to thank him for wedding presents and when he encountered anyone as punctilious as himself the correspondence ended only with death. Evelyn Waugh (1903-1966) British novelist Courtesy Cowardice See: Heroes: Shaw Humility: Shaw Temptation: Twain A cowardly act! What do I care about that? You may be sure that I should never fear to commit one if it were to my advantage. Napoleon Bonaparte (1769-1821) Emperor of France Cowardice For all men would be cowards if they durst. John Wilmot, Earl of Rochester (1647-1680) English courtier, poet Cowardice Cowardice, as distinguished from panic, is almost always simply a lack of ability to suspend the functioning of the imagination. Ernest Hemingway (1899-1961) American writer Cowardice I'm a hero with coward's legs. Spike Milligan (b. 1918) British comedian, humorous writer Cowardice The last thing a woman will consent to discover in a man whom she loves or on whom she simply depends, is want of courage. Joseph Conrad (1857-1924) English novelist Cowardice If you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen. Harry S. Truman (1884-1972) American president Cowardice Craftsmanship See: Doctors: Hippocrates Nothing should be made by man's labour which is not worth making, or which must be made by labour degrading to the makers. William Morris (1834-1896) English artist, writer, printer Craftsmanship There is hardly anything in the world that some man cannot make a little worse and sell a little cheaper. John Ruskin (1819-1900) English critic Craftsmanship A man cannot make a pair of shoes rightly unless he do it in a devout manner. Thomas Carlyle (1795-1881) Scottish writer Craftsmanship Mastery is not something that strikes in an instant, like a thunderbolt, but a gathering power that moves steadily through time, like weather. John Gardner (1933-1982) American author Craftsmanship No man who is occupied in doing a very difficult thing, and doing it very well, ever loses his self-respect. George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) Anglo-Irish playwright, critic Craftsmanship Creation God's first creature, which was light. Francis Bacon (1561-1626) English philosopher, essayist Creation And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul. Bible, Genesis Creation God created Adam lord of all living creatures, but Eve spoiled it all. Martin Luther (1483-1546) German leader of the Protestant Reformation Creation The world is a botched job. Gabriel Garcia Marquez (b. 1928) Colombian writer Creation Man was created a little lower than the angels, and has been getting a little lower ever since. Josh Billings (1818-1885) American humorist Creation God made man merely to hear some praise Of what he'd done on those Five Days. Christopher Morley (1890-1957) American novelist, journalist Creation If God hadn't rested on Sunday, he might have had time to finish off the world. Gabriel Garcia Marquez (b. 1928) Colombian writer Creation Thou didst create the night, but I made the lamp. Thou didst create clay, but I made the cup. Thou didst create the deserts, mountains and forests, I produced the orchards, gardens and groves. It is I who made the glass out of stone, And it is I who turn a poison into an antidote. Urdu poet (unknown) Creation Everyone is as God made him, and often a great deal worse. Miguel de Cervantes (1547-1616) Spanish novelist, dramatist, poet Creation I sometimes think that God in creating man somewhat overestimated his ability. Oscar Wilde (1854-1900) Anglo-Irish writer Creation We have no reason to suppose that we are the Creator's last word. George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) Anglo-Irish playwright, critic Creation Creeds See: Belief Science: Huxley I believe in one God and no more, and I hope for happiness beyond this life. I believe in the equality of man; and I believe that religious duties consist in doing justice, loving mercy, and endeavoring to make our fellow-creatures happy. Thomas Paine (1737-1809) Anglo-American writer Creeds We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826) American president Creeds A man must not swallow more beliefs than he can digest. Havelock Ellis (1859-1939) British psychologist, author Creeds I believe in Michelangelo, Velasquez, and Rembrandt; in the might of design, the mystery of colour, the redemption of all things by Beauty everlasting; and the message of Art that has made these hands blessed. Amen. Amen. Dubedat, The Doctor's Dilemma George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) Anglo-Irish playwright, critic Creeds What a man believes may be ascertained, not from his creed, but from the assumptions on which he habitually acts. George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) Anglo-Irish playwright, critic Creeds When suave politeness, tempering bigot zeal, Corrected "I believe" to "One does feel." Father Ronald Knox (1888-1957) British clergyman, writer Creeds Cricket See: Sport: Stoppard Casting a ball at three straight sticks and defending the same with a fourth. Rudyard Kipling (1865-1936) English author Cricket If Stalin had learned to play cricket the world might now be a better place to live in. Dr. R. Downey (1881-1953) Archbishop of Liverpool Cricket Crime See: Honesty: Shenstone Poverty: Mencken Property: Chesterton Sin: Fletcher Villains: Emerson Money is the fruit of evil as often as the root of it. Henry Fielding (1707-1754) English novelist, dramatist Crime Crimes, like virtues, are their own rewards. George Farquhar (1678-1707) Irish dramatist Crime There are crimes which become innocent and even glorious through their splendour, number, and excess. Francois, Duc de La Rochefoucauld (1613-1680) French writer, moralist Crime Successful crimes alone are justified. John Dryden (1631-1700) English poet, dramatist, critic Crime He threatens many that hath injured one. Ben Jonson (1573-1637) English dramatist, poet Crime Abscond. To "move" in a mysterious way, commonly with the property of another. Ambrose Bierce (1842-1914) American author Crime The thief. Once committed beyond a certain point he should not worry himself too much about not being a thief any more. Thieving is God's message to him. Let him try and be a good thief. Samuel Butler (1835-1902) English author Crime A thief believes everybody steals. Ed (E. W.) Howe (1853-1937) American journalist, novelist Crime A burglar who respects his art always takes his time before taking anything else. O. Henry (1862-1910) American short story writer Crime Crimine ab uno disce omnis. From a single crime know the nation. Virgil (70-19 BC) Roman poet Crime Crimes of which a people is ashamed constitute its real history. The same is true of man. Jean Genet (1910-1986) French dramatist Crime Far more university graduates are becoming criminals every year than are becoming policemen. Philip Goodhart (b. 1925) British Conservative politician Crime When rich villains have need of poor villains, poor ones may make what price they will. Borachio, Much Ado About Nothing William Shakespeare (1564-1616) English dramatist, poet Crime If weakness may excuse, what murderer, what traitor, parricide, incestuous, sacrilegious, but may plead it? All wickedness is weakness. John Milton (1608-1674) English poet Crime Crises The time is out of joint. O cursed spite, That ever I was born to set it right! Hamlet, Hamlet William Shakespeare (1564-1616) English dramatist, poet Crises There can't be a crisis next week. My schedule is already full. Henry Kissinger (b. 1923) American adviser on international affairs Crises The situation in Germany is serious but not hopeless; the situation in Austria is hopeless but not serious. Austrian proverb collected by Franklin P. Adams (1881-1960) Crises When written in Chinese the word crisis is composed of two characters. One represents danger and the other represents opportunity. John F. Kennedy (1917-1963) American president Crises Criticism See: Actors/Actresses: Welles Artists: Cocteau Censorship: Browne Fame: Swift South Africa: Vorster Criticism is the endeavour to find, to know, to love, to recommend, not only the best, but all the good, that has been known and thought and written in the world. George Saintsbury (1845-1933) English literary critic Criticism Of all the cants which are canted in this canting world, - though the cant of hypocrites may be the worst, - the cant of criticism is the most tormenting! Laurence Sterne (1713-1768) English author Criticism It is the nature of the artist to mind excessively what is said about him. Literature is strewn with the wreckage of men who have minded beyond reason the opinions of others. Virginia Woolf (1882-1941) British novelist Criticism A blind man will not thank you for a looking-glass. 18th-century English proverb Criticism You should not 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) American artist Criticism On an occasion of this kind it becomes more than a moral duty to speak one's mind. It becomes a pleasure. Oscar Wilde (1854-1900) Anglo-Irish writer Criticism I like criticism, but it must be my way. Mark Twain (1835-1910) American author Criticism Do not use a hatchet to remove a fly from your friend's forehead. Chinese proverb Criticism To many people dramatic criticism must seem like an attempt to tattoo soap bubbles. John Mason Brown (1900-1969) American essayist, critic Criticism I find that when I dislike what I see on the stage I can be vastly amusing, but when I write about something I like I find that I am appallingly dull. Sir Max Beerbohm (1872-1956) British author Criticism 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. Dr. Samuel Johnson (1709-1784) English author, lexicographer Criticism As a work of art it has the same status as a long conversation between two not very bright drunks. Clive James (b. 1939) Australian writer, critic of Princess Daisy by Judith Krantz Criticism Join it. Oscar Wilde (1854-1900) Anglo-Irish writer advice to a writer who complained of a conspiracy of silence about his books Criticism Critics See: Writers: Bovee Reviewers, with some rare exceptions, are a most stupid and malignant race. As a bankrupt thief turns thief-taker in despair, so an unsuccessful author turns critic. Percy Bysshe Shelley (1792-1822) English poet Critics Nature, when she invented, manufactured, and patented her authors, contrived to make critics of the chips that were left. Dr. Oliver Wendell Holmes (1809-1894) American writer, physician Critics A louse in the locks of literature. Lord Tennyson (1809-1892) English poet of J. Churton Collins Critics A critic is a bundle of biases held loosely together by a sense of taste. Whitney Balliet (b. 1926) American writer Critics It is impossible to think of a man of any actual force and originality . . . who spent his whole life appraising and describing the work of other men. H. L. Mencken (1880-1956) American journalist Critics Asking a working writer what he thinks about critics is like asking a lamp-post what it feels about dogs. Christopher Hampton (b. 1946) British playwright Critics As long as there are readers to be delighted with calumny, there will be found reviewers to calumniate. Samuel Taylor Coleridge (1772-1834) English poet Critics I would rather be attacked than unnoticed. For the worst thing you can do to an author is to be silent as to his works. Dr. Samuel Johnson (1709-1784) English author, lexicographer Critics Though by whim, envy, or resentment led, They damn those authors whom they never read. Charles Churchill (1731-1764) English clergyman, poet Critics I never read a book before reviewing it; it prejudices one so. Sydney Smith (1771-1845) English writer, clergyman Critics There are two kinds of dramatic critics: destructive and constructive. I am a destructive. There are two kinds of guns: Krupp and pop. George Jean Nathan (1882-1958) American critic Critics A good drama critic is one who perceives what is happening in the theatre of his time. A great drama critic also perceives what is not happening. Kenneth Tynan (1927-1980) British critic Critics Never trust the artist. Trust the tale. The proper function of the critic is to save the tale from the artist who created it. D. H. Lawrence (1885-1930) English author Critics What we ask of him is that he should find out for us more than we can find out for ourselves. Arthur Symons (1865-1945) English poet, critic Critics A man must serve his time to every trade Save censure - critics all are ready made. Lord Byron (1788-1824) English poet Critics Cruelty The impulse to cruelty is, in many people, almost as violent as the impulse to sexual love - almost as violent and much more mischievous. Aldous Huxley (1894-1963) English author Cruelty The infliction of cruelty with a good conscience is a delight to moralists. Bertrand Russell (1872-1970) British philosopher, mathematician, social reformer Cruelty Weak men are apt to be cruel. Sir George Savile, Lord Halifax (1633-1695) English statesman, author Cruelty Crying I wept not, so to stone within I grew. Dante (1265-1321) Italian poet Crying I have full cause of weeping; but this heart Shall break into a hundred thousand flaws, Or ere I'll weep. Lear, King Lear William Shakespeare (1564-1616) English dramatist, poet Crying It is only to the happy that tears are a luxury. Thomas Moore (1779-1852) Irish poet Crying There are people who laugh to show their fine teeth; and there are those who cry to show their good hearts. Joseph Roux (1834-1886) French priest, writer Crying Women's weapons, water-drops. William Shakespeare (1564-1616) English dramatist, poet Crying Oh! too convincing - dangerously dear - In woman's eye the unanswerable tear! Lord Byron (1788-1824) English poet Crying Crying is the refuge of plain women, but the ruin of pretty ones. Oscar Wilde (1854-1900) Anglo-Irish writer Crying "It opens the lungs, washes the countenance, exercises the eyes, and softens down the temper," said Mr. Bumble. "So cry away." Oliver Twist Charles Dickens (1812-1870) English novelist Crying Whatever tears one may shed, in the end one always blows one's nose. Heinrich Heine (1797-1856) German poet, journalist Crying Cults What is a cult? It just means not enough people to make a minority. Robert Altman (b. 1922) American film director Cults A cult is a religion with no political power. Tom Wolfe (b. 1931) American author, journalist Cults Culture See: Status: McCarthy Culture, the acquainting ourselves with the best that has been known and said in the world, and thus with the history of the human spirit. Matthew Arnold (1822-1888) English poet, critic Culture Instead of dirt and poison, we have rather chosen to fill our hives with honey and wax; thus furnishing mankind with the two noblest of things, which are sweetness and light. Jonathan Swift (1667-1745) Anglo-Irish satirist Culture Culture is the bed-rock, the final wall, against which one leans one's back in a god-forsaken chaos. John Cowper Powys (1872-1963) British author, poet Culture One ought, every day at least, to hear a little song, read a good poem, see a fine picture, and, if it were possible, to speak a few reasonable words. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749-1832) German poet, dramatist, novelist, scientist Culture The poor have no business with culture and should beware of it. They cannot eat it; they cannot sell it; they can only pass it on to others and that is why the world is full of hungry people ready to teach us anything under the sun. Aubrey Menen (b. 1912) British novelist, essayist Culture Culture is an instrument wielded by professors to manufacture professors, who, when their turn comes, will manufacture professors. Simone Weil (1909-1943) French mystic, philosopher Culture Mrs Ballinger is one of the ladies who pursue Culture in bands, as though it were dangerous to meet it alone. Edith Wharton (1862-1937) American novelist Culture One of the surest signs of the Philistine is his reverence for the superior tastes of those who put him down. Pauline Kael (b. 1919) American film critic Culture Cunning See: Discretion "Frank and explicit" - that is the right line to take when you wish to conceal your own mind and to confuse the minds of others. Benjamin Disraeli (1804-1881) English prime minister Cunning With foxes we must play the fox. Thomas Fuller (1654-1734) English physician Cunning The greatest cunning is to have none at all. Carl Sandburg (1878-1967) American poet Cunning And all your future lies beneath your hat. John Oldham (1653-1683) English poet Cunning Curiosity Curiosity is one of the most permanent and certain characteristics of a vigorous intellect. Dr. Samuel Johnson (1709-1784) English author, lexicographer Curiosity Disinterested intellectual curiosity is the life blood of real civilization. G. M. Trevelyan (1876-1962) British historian Curiosity We never stop investigating. We are never satisfied that we know enough to get by. Every question we answer leads on to another question. This has become the greatest survival trick of our species. Desmond Morris (b. 1928) British anthropologist Curiosity The thirst to know and understand, A large and liberal discontent. Sir William Watson (1858-1935) British poet Curiosity Be not curious in unnecessary matters: for more things are shewed unto thee than men understand. Apocrypha, Ecclesiasticus Curiosity He that breaks a thing to find out what it is has left the path of wisdom. J. R. R. Tolkien (1892-1973) British novelist, scholar Curiosity Cynics See: Honesty: Berkeley What is the use of straining after an amiable view of things, when a cynical view is most likely to be the true one? George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) Anglo-Irish playwright, critic Cynics Cynicism is intellectual dandyism. George Meredith (1828-1909) English author Cynics A cynic is just a man who found out when he was about ten that there wasn't any Santa Claus, and he's still upset. James Gould Cozzens (1903-1978) American author Cynics A cynic is not merely one who reads bitter lessons from the past, he is one who is prematurely disappointed in the future. Sydney J. Harris (1917-1986) American journalist Cynics It takes a clever man to turn cynic, and a wise man to be clever enough not so. Fannie Hurst (1889-1968) American novelist, playwright Cynics What is a cynic? A man who knows the price of everything and the value of nothing. Oscar Wilde (1854-1900) Anglo-Irish writer Cynics Cynics are only happy in making the world as barren for others as they have made it for themselves. George Meredith (1828-1909) English author Cynics Cynic. A blackguard whose faulty vision sees things as they are, not as they ought to be. Ambrose Bierce (1842-1914) American author Cynics Dancing See: Capital Punishment: Wilde Dancing with abandon, turning a tango into a fertility rite. Marshall Pugh (b. 1925) British journalist, author Dancing I just put my feet in the air and move them around. Fred Astaire (1899-1987) American dancer Dancing Custom has made dancing sometimes necessary for a young man; therefore mind it while you learn it that you may learn to do it well, and not be ridiculous, though in a ridiculous act. Lord Chesterfield (1694-1773) English statesman, man of letters to his son Dancing Dancing is a wonderful training for girls, it's the first way you learn to guess what a man is going to do before he does it. Christopher Morley (1890-1957) American novelist, journalist Dancing These sort of boobies think that people come to balls to do nothing but dance; whereas everyone knows that the real business of balls is either to look out for a wife, to look after a wife, or to look after somebody else's wife. R. S. Surtees (1803-1864) English sporting novelist Dancing How inimitably graceful children are in general - before they learn to dance. Samuel Taylor Coleridge (1772-1834) English poet Dancing Neminem saltare sobrius, nisi forte insanit. No sober man dances, unless he happens to be mad. Cicero (106-43 BC) Roman orator, philosopher Dancing The greater the fool the better the dancer. Theodore Hook (1788-1841) English novelist, wit Dancing The body never lies. Martha Graham (b. 1894) American dancer, choreographer Dancing Ballet is the ectoplasm of music. Russell Green Dancing The Dead He has out-soared the shadow of our night; Envy and calumny, and hate and pain, And that unrest which men miscall delight, Can touch him not, and torture not again; From the contagion of the world's slow stain, He is secure. Percy Bysshe Shelley (1792-1822) English poet of John Keats, died aged 25 The Dead To the living we owe respect, but to the dead we owe only the truth. Voltaire (1694-1778) French philosopher, writer The Dead The living are the dead on holiday. Maurice de Maeterlinck (1862-1949) Belgian author The Dead Each in his narrow cell for ever laid, The rude forefathers of the hamlet sleep. Thomas Gray (1716-1771) English poet The Dead The graveyards are full of people the world could not do without. Elbert Hubbard (1856-1915) American author The Dead No motion has she now, no force, She neither hears nor sees; Rolled around in earth's diurnal course, With rocks and stones, and trees. William Wordsworth (1770-1850) English poet The Dead Be the green grass above me With showers and dewdrops wet; And if thou wilt, remember, And if thou wilt, forget. Christina Rossetti (1830-1894) English poet, lyricist The Dead After life's fitful fever, he sleeps well; Treason has done his worst: nor steel, nor poison, Malice domestic, foreign levy, nothing Can touch him further. Macbeth, Macbeth William Shakespeare (1564-1616) English dramatist, poet The Dead An orphan's curse would drag to hell A spirit from on high; But oh! more horrible than that Is the curse in a dead man's eye. Samuel Taylor Coleridge (1772-1834) English poet The Dead I do not make war against the dead. Homer (b. 8th century BC) Greek poet The Dead Abiit ad plures. He has gone over to the majority. Petronius (b. 1st century AD) Roman satirist The Dead Either he's dead or my watch has stopped. Groucho Marx (1895-1977) American comic actor The Dead We therefore commit his body to the ground; earth to earth, ashes to ashes, dust to dust. Book of Common Prayer The Dead Death See: The Afterlife: Allen Genocide: Stalin Life: Maurois Lovers: Bridges Philosophy: Saint Anselm Science: Shaw War: Bright The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death. Saint Paul (3-67) Apostle to the Gentiles Death All man think all men mortal, but themselves. Edward Young (1683-1765) English poet, playwright Death Teach me to live that I may dread The grave as little as my bed. Thomas Ken (1637-1711) English churchman, hymn-writer Death Christianity has made of death a terror which was unknown to the gay calmness of the Pagan. Ouida, Marie Louise de la Ramee (1839-1908) English novelist Death It is impossible that anything so natural, so necessary, and so universal as death should ever have been designed by Providence as an evil to mankind. Jonathan Swift (1667-1745) Anglo-Irish satirist Death It is as natural to die as to be born; and to a little infant, perhaps, the one is as painful as the other. Francis Bacon (1561-1626) English philosopher, essayist Death We all labour against our own cure, for death is the cure of all diseases. Sir Thomas Browne (1605-1682) English physician, author Death But I will be a bridegroom in my death And run into't as to a lover's bed. Antony, Antony and Cleopatra William Shakespeare (1564-1616) English dramatist, poet Death How gladly would I meet Mortality, my sentence, and be earth Insensible! how glad would lay me down, As in my mother's lap! There I should rest And sleep secure. John Milton (1608-1674) English poet Death How often are we to die before we go right off this stage? In every friend we lose a part of ourselves, and the best part. Alexander Pope (1688-1744) English poet Death Whoever has lived long enough to find out what life is, knows how deep a debt of gratitude we owe to Adam, the first great benefactor of our race. He brought death into the world. Mark Twain (1835-1910) American author Death Death is the veil which those who live call life: They sleep, and it is lifted. Percy Bysshe Shelley (1792-1822) English poet Death Winter is on my head, but eternal spring is in my heart. The nearer I approach the end the plainer I hear around me the immortal symphonies of the worlds which invite me. Victor Hugo (1802-1885) French poet, dramatist, novelist Death The grave's a fine and private place, But none, I think, do there embrace. Andrew Marvell (1621-1678) English metaphysical poet Death Though lovers be lost love shall not; And death shall have no dominion. Dylan Thomas (1914-1953) Welsh poet Death Man is a noble animal, splendid in ashes, and pompous in the grave. Sir Thomas Browne (1605-1682) English physician, author Death I am a temporary enclosure for a temporary purpose; that served, my skull and teeth, my idiosyncrasy and desire, will disperse, I believe, like the timbers of a booth after the fair. H. G. Wells (1866-1946) English author, social thinker Death Death, which ends the feuds of unimportant persons, lets loose the tongue over the characters of the great. Kings are especially sufferers. J. A. Froude (1818-1894) English author Death I come to bury Caesar, not to praise him. The evil that men do lives after them, The good is oft interred with their bones. Mark Antony, Julius Caesar William Shakespeare (1564-1616) English dramatist, poet Death Death hath a thousand doors to let out life; I shall find one. Philip Massinger (1583-1640) English dramatist Death Like figures on an ancient clock, Warrior, or saint, or clown (All's one to the machine), that wake When each stale hour is done, And with preliminary whirr Play their allotted role, Stiffly advance, engage, retire Trembling a little still, So blandly nodding Death and I Nearer and nearer march, At the click of night and the click of day - Click-clack! We approach, we approach! C. D. Andrews (b. 1913) British poet, scholar Death Men must endure Their going hence, even as their coming hither: Ripeness is all. Edgar, King Lear William Shakespeare (1564-1616) English dramatist, poet Death Yet nightly pitch my moving tent A day's march nearer home. James Montgomery (1771-1854) English poet Death I have a rendez-vous with Death At some disputed barricade. Alan Seeger (1888-1916) British soldier, poet Death O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? Saint Paul (3-67) Apostle to the Gentiles Death The hour of departure has arrived, and we go our ways - I to die and you to live. Which is the better, only God knows. Socrates (469-399 BC) Greek philosopher Death Death never takes the wise man by surprise, he is always ready to go. Jean de la Fontaine (1621-1695) French poet, fabulist Death Life does not cease to be funny when people die any more than it ceases to be serious when people laugh. Ridgeon, The Doctor's Dilemma George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) Anglo-Irish playwright, critic Death I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith. Saint Paul (3-67) Apostle to the Gentiles Death And I saw, and behold, a pale horse: and he that sat upon him, his name was Death. John the Divine (b. 1st century AD) Apostle of Jesus Death Cheerio, see you soon. epitaph on a gravestone Death Death: Dying It is not death, but dying, which is terrible. Henry Fielding (1707-1754) English novelist, dramatist Death: Dying I do not believe that any man fears to be dead, but only the stroke of death. Francis Bacon (1561-1626) English philosopher, essayist Death: Dying It's not that I'm afraid to die. I just don't want to be there when it happens. Woody Allen (b. 1935) American filmmaker Death: Dying It is certain that to most men the preparation for death has been a greater torment than the suffering of it. Michel de Montaigne (1533-1592) French essayist, moralist Death: Dying To die is to leave off dying and do the thing once for all. Samuel Butler (1835-1902) English author Death: Dying I warmed both hands before the fire of life; It sinks and I am ready to depart. Walter Savage Landor (1775-1864) English author Death: Dying I am prepared to meet my Maker. Whether my Maker is prepared for the great ordeal of meeting me is another matter. Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965) British statesman, writer on the eve of his 75th birthday Death: Dying Do not go gentle into that good night, Old age should burn and rage at close of day; Rage, rage, against the dying of the light. Dylan Thomas (1914-1953) Welsh poet Death: Dying I will be conquered; I will not capitulate. Dr. Samuel Johnson (1709-1784) English author, lexicographer in his last illness Death: Dying I die hard. But I am not afraid to go. George Washington (1732-1799) American president Death: Dying Truth sits upon the lips of dying men. Matthew Arnold (1822-1888) English poet, critic Death: Dying A certain amount of research on Last Dispatches from the edge of the tomb has been made, but I feel that there has always been a tendency on the part of the imminent mourner to tart the script up a bit. Cassandra, Sir William Connor (1909-1967) British journalist Death: Dying Nothing in his life Became him like the leaving it; he died As one that had been studied in his death To throw away the dearest thing he owed, As 'twere a careless trifle. Malcolm, Macbeth William Shakespeare (1564-1616) English dramatist, poet Death: Dying So that he seemed not to relinquish life, but to leave one home for another. Cornelius Nepos (b. 1st century BC) Roman historian, biographer Death: Dying Many men on the point of an edifying death would be furious if they were suddenly restored to health. Cesare Pavese (1908-1950) Italian novelist Death: Dying It matters not how a man dies, but how he lives. The act of dying is not of importance, it lasts so short a time. Dr. Samuel Johnson (1709-1784) English author, lexicographer Death: Dying He had been, he said, an unconscionable time dying; but he hoped that they would excuse it. Charles II (1630-1685) King of Great Britain Death: Dying Authority forgets a dying king. Lord Tennyson (1809-1892) English poet Death: Dying We all of us waited for him to die. The family sent him a cheque every month, and hoped he'd get on with it quietly, without too much vulgar fuss. Jimmy, Look Back in Anger John Osborne (b. 1929) British playwright Death: Dying As virtuous men pass mildly away, And whisper to their souls to go, Whilst some of their sad friends do say The breath goes now, and some say no. John Donne (1572-1631) English divine, metaphysical poet Death: Dying I feel no pain dear mother now But oh, I am so dry! O take me to a brewery And leave me there to die. anonymous, 19th century Death: Dying We often congratulate ourselves at the moment of waking from a troubled dream; it may be so at the moment of death. Nathaniel Hawthorne (1804-1864) American novelist Death: Dying Die, my dear doctor! That's the last thing I shall do! Lord Palmerston (1784-1865) English politician, prime minister Death: Dying He that dies pays all debts. Stephano, The Tempest William Shakespeare (1564-1616) English dramatist, poet Death: Dying Debauchery See: Orgies Punishment: Shaw It is the hour to be drunken! to escape being the martyred slaves of time, be ceaselessly drunk. On wine, on poetry, or on virtue, as you wish. Charles Baudelaire (1821-1867) French poet Debauchery My main problem is reconciling my gross habits with my net income. Errol Flynn (1909-1959) Irish-American film actor Debauchery An improper mind is a perpetual feast. Logan Pearsall Smith (1865-1946) Anglo-American essayist Debauchery His face was filled with broken commandments. John Masefield (1878-1967) English poet, playwright Debauchery Not joy, but joylessness, is the mother of debauchery. Friedrich Nietzsche (1844-1900) German philosopher Debauchery Debts See: Death: Dying: Shakespeare In the midst of life we are in debt. Ethel Watts Mumford (1878-1940) American novelist, humorous writer Debts Small debts are like small shot; they are rattling on every side, and can scarcely be escaped without a wound; great debts are like cannon, of loud noise but little danger. Dr. Samuel Johnson (1709-1784) English author, lexicographer Debts Some people use one half their ingenuity to get into debt, and the other half to avoid paying it. George D. Prentice (1802-1870) American poet, journalist Debts Everybody in Vanity Fair must have remarked how well those live who are comfortably and thoroughly in debt; how they deny themselves nothing; how jolly and easy they are in their minds. William Makepeace Thackeray (1811-1863) English author Debts Creditor. One of a tribe of savages dwelling beyond the Financial Straits and dreaded for their desolating incursions. Ambrose Bierce (1842-1914) American author Debts A creditor is worse than a slave-owner; for the master owns only your person, but a creditor owns your dignity, and can command it. Victor Hugo (1802-1885) French poet, dramatist, novelist Debts They hired the money, didn't they? Calvin Coolidge (1872-1933) American president on Allies' repaying war debt Debts Creditors have better memories than debtors. Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790) American statesman, writer Debts Forgetfulness. A gift of God bestowed upon debtors in compensation for their destitution of conscience. Ambrose Bierce (1842-1914) American author Debts No man's credit is as good as his money. Ed (E. W.) Howe (1853-1937) American journalist, novelist Debts There are but two ways of paying debt - increase of industry in raising income, increase of thrift in laying it out. Thomas Carlyle (1795-1881) Scottish writer Debts To John I ow'd great obligation; But John, unhappily, thought fit To publish it to all the nation: Sure John and I are more than quit. Matthew Prior (1664-1721) English poet, diplomat Debts Speak not of my debts unless you mean to pay them. 17th-century English proverb Debts Decisions See: Conferences: Galbraith Dinner Parties: Franklin Indecision It is always thus, impelled by a state of mind which is destined not to last, that we make our irrevocable decisions. Marcel Proust (1871-1922) French novelist Decisions Some of his decisions were accurate. A stopped watch is right twice a day. anonymous Decisions Decide promptly, but never give any reasons. Your decisions may be right, but your reasons are sure to be wrong. Lord Mansfield (1705-1793) Scottish judge Decisions The wrong way always seems the more reasonable. George Moore (1852-1933) Irish author Decisions Decisiveness is often the art of timely cruelty. Henri Becque (1837-1899) French playwright Decisions Decline See: Stardom: Addison Statesmen and beauties are very rarely sensible of the gradations of their decay. Lord Chesterfield (1694-1773) English statesman, man of letters Decline As favor and riches forsake a man, we discover in him the foolishness they concealed, and which no one perceived before. Jean de la Bruyere (1645-1696) French writer, moralist Decline Like our shadows, Our wishes lengthen as the sun declines. Edward Young (1683-1765) English poet, playwright Decline Decolonization See: Empire: Nehru Many politicians lay it down as a self-evident proposition that no people ought to be free until they are fit to use their freedom. The maxim is worthy of the fool in the old story who resolved not to go into the water until he had learned to swim. Lord Macaulay (1800-1859) English historian Decolonization To subtract from your own sovereignty in favour of a friend is much wiser than losing it all to an enemy. Sir Robert Menzies (1894-1978) Australian politician, prime minister Decolonization The wind of change is blowing through the continent. Whether we like it or not, this growth of national consciousness is a political fact. Harold Macmillan, Lord Stockton (1894-1986) British Conservative politician, prime minister of Africa Decolonization It is . . . nauseating to see Mr Gandhi, a seditious Middle Temple lawyer now posing as a fakir of a type well known in the East, striding half-naked up the steps of the Vice-regal Palace, while he is still organising and conducting a defiant campaign of civil disobedience, to parley on equal terms with the representative of the King Emperor. Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965) British statesman, writer Decolonization Defecation Where there is a stink of shit there is a smell of being. Antonin Artaud (1896-1948) French theater producer, actor, theorist Defecation Defiance Though I sit down now, the time will come when you will hear me. Benjamin Disraeli (1804-1881) English prime minister Defiance Deliberation Deliberation. The act of examining one's bread to determine which side it is buttered on. Ambrose Bierce (1842-1914) American author Deliberation If you think before you speak, the other fellow gets in his joke first. Ed (E. W.) Howe (1853-1937) American journalist, novelist Deliberation It is often said that second thoughts are best. So they are in matters of judgement, but not in matters of conscience. Cardinal John Newman (1801-1890) English churchman, theologian Deliberation Delinquency See: Style: Burke I would there were no age between sixteen and three-and-twenty, or that youth would sleep out the rest; for there is nothing in the between but getting wenches with child, wronging the ancientry, stealing, fighting. Shepherd, The Winter's Tale William Shakespeare (1564-1616) English dramatist, poet Delinquency He that seeks trouble never misses. 17th-century English proverb Delinquency You go to other people's grounds, you run 'em, it's just enjoyment all the time . . . Like a tennis player gets all geared up to play, we get geared up to fight . . . Tribal, innit? Football is one tribe onto another . . . We fight 'cos we like fighting. If they banned drink we'd still fight. English football fan, 1985 Delinquency It would surely be far better for them and for the community at large if they all stayed at home and read a little light pornography. Sir Ian Gilmour (b. 1926) British Conservative politician Delinquency Every normal man must be tempted, at times, to spit on his hands, hoist the black flag, and begin slitting throats. H. L. Mencken (1880-1956) American journalist Delinquency Gentleman-rankers out on the spree, Damned from here to Eternity. Rudyard Kipling (1865-1936) English author Delinquency Certain lewd fellows of the baser sort. Bible, Acts Delinquency There is a public mischief in your mirth. William Cowper (1731-1800) English poet Delinquency Demagogues There have been many great men that have flattered the people, who ne'er loved them. William Shakespeare (1564-1616) English dramatist, poet Demagogues A demagogue is a person with whom we disagree as to which gang should mismanage the country. Don Marquis (1878-1937) American humorist, journalist Demagogues The secret of the demagogue is to make himself as stupid as his audience so that they believe they are as clever as he. Karl Kraus (1874-1936) Austrian poet, journalist Demagogues Democracy See: Elections An institution in which the whole is equal to the scum of the parts. Keith Preston (1884-1927) American poet, humorist Democracy Democracy is the recurrent suspicion that more than half of the people are right more than half of the time. E. B. White (1899-1985) American author, editor Democracy The most dangerous foe to truth and freedom in our midst is the compact majority, yes, the damned, compact, liberal majority. Henrik Ibsen (1828-1906) Norwegian dramatist Democracy I do not believe in the collective wisdom of individual ignorance. Thomas Carlyle (1795-1881) Scottish writer Democracy Nor is the people's judgement always true; The most may err as grossly as the few. John Dryden (1631-1700) English poet, dramatist, critic Democracy Democracy is the power of equal votes for unequal minds. attributed to King Charles I of Great Britain (1600-1649) Democracy Democracy is only an experiment in government, and it has the obvious disadvantage of merely counting votes instead of weighing them. W. R. Inge (1860-1954) Dean of St. Paul's, London Democracy It's not the voting that's democracy, it's the counting. Tom Stoppard (b. 1937) British playwright Democracy When great changes occur in history, when great principles are involved, as a rule the majority are wrong. Eugene V. Debs (1855-1926) American trade unionist Democracy The majority never has the right on its side. Never I say! That is one of the social lies that a free, thinking man is bound to rebel against. Who makes up the majority in any given country? Is it the wise men or the fools? I think we must agree that the fools are in a terrible overwhelming majority, all the wide world over. Henrik Ibsen (1828-1906) Norwegian dramatist Democracy No man is good enough to govern another man without that other's consent. Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865) American president Democracy As I would not be a slave, so I would not be a master. This expresses my idea of democracy. Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865) American president Democracy Two cheers for democracy: one because it admits variety and two because it permits criticism. E. M. Forster (1879-1970) British novelist Democracy Man's capacity for justice makes democracy possible, but man's inclination to injustice makes democracy necessary. Reinhold Niebuhr (1892-1971) American theologian, historian Democracy The freeman, casting with unpurchased hand The vote that shakes the turrets of the land. Dr. Oliver Wendell Holmes (1809-1894) American writer, physician Democracy The ballot is stronger than the bullet. Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865) American president Democracy A fanatical belief in democracy makes democratic institutions impossible. Bertrand Russell (1872-1970) British philosopher, mathematician, social reformer Democracy There is a limit to the application of democratic methods. You can inquire of all the passengers as to what type of car they like to ride in, but it is impossible to question them as to whether to apply the brakes when the train is at full speed and accident threatens. Leon Trotsky (1879-1940) Russian revolutionary leader Democracy Whatever democracy may be theoretically, one is sometimes tempted to define it practically as standardized and commercialized melodrama. Irving Babbit (1865-1933) American author, critic Democracy Democracy substitutes election by the incompetent many for appointment by the corrupt few. George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) Anglo-Irish playwright, critic Democracy Democracy is an abuse of statistics. Jorge Luis Borges (1899-1986) Argentine poet, critic, short storywriter Democracy Democracy which began by liberating man politically has developed a dangerous tendency to enslave him through the tyranny of majorities and the deadly power of their opinion. Ludwig Lewisohn (1882-1956) American author, critic Democracy Democracy becomes a government of bullies tempered by editors. Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882) American essayist, poet, philosopher Democracy Democracy means simply the bludgeoning of the people by the people for the people. Oscar Wilde (1854-1900) Anglo-Irish writer Democracy Democracy: in which you say what you like and do what you're told. Gerald Barry (1898-1968) British journalist Democracy Let the people think they govern and they will be governed. William Penn (1644-1718) religious leader, founder of Pennsylvania Democracy I confess I enjoy democracy immensely. It is incomparably idiotic, and hence incomparably amusing. H. L. Mencken (1880-1956) American journalist Democracy Despair I am in that temper that if I were under water I would scarcely kick to come to the top. John Keats (1795-1821) English poet Despair There is no vulture like despair. Lord Lansdowne (1667-1735) English poet, dramatist Despair Melancholy, indeed, should be diverted by every means but drinking. Dr. Samuel Johnson (1709-1784) English author, lexicographer Despair I want to be forgotten even by God. Robert Browning (1812-1889) English poet Despair Despotism See: History: Chamfort Tyranny When you take a benevolent man and make him a despot, his despotism survives but his benevolence rather fades away. Bertrand Russell (1872-1970) British philosopher, mathematician, social reformer Despotism The sin and sorrow of despotism is not that it does not love men, but that it loves them too much and trusts them too little. G. K. Chesterton (1874-1936) English author Despotism Those in possession of absolute power cannot only prophesy and make their prophecies come true, but they can also lie and make their lies come true. Eric Hoffer (1902-1983) American philosopher Despotism A despot doesn't fear eloquent writers preaching freedom - he fears a drunken poet who may crack a joke that will take hold. E. B. White (1899-1985) American author, editor Despotism Dictators ride to and fro upon tigers which they dare not dismount. And the tigers are getting hungry. Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965) British statesman, writer in 1936 Despotism Destiny See: Coincidence: Priestley Life: Fitzgerald Management: Hubbard Ronald Reagan: Reagan We are no more free agents than the queen of clubs when she takes the knave of hearts. Lady Mary Wortley Montagu (1689-1762) English society figure, letter writer Destiny Destiny. A tyrant's authority for crime and a fool's excuse for failure. Ambrose Bierce (1842-1914) American author Destiny We are not permitted to choose the frame of our destiny. But what we put into it is ours. Dag Hammarskjold (1905-1961) Swedish statesman, Secretary-General of UN Destiny He that is born to be hanged shall never be drowned. English proverb Destiny Ca ira. Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790) American statesman, writer on the American Revolution Destiny The Devil Better to reign in Hell, than to serve in Heaven. John Milton (1608-1674) English poet The Devil We may not pay Satan reverence, for that would be indiscreet, but we can at least respect his talents. Mark Twain (1835-1910) American author The Devil An apology for the Devil - it must be remembered that we have only heard one side of the case. God has written all the books. Samuel Butler (1835-1902) English author The Devil The Prince of Darkness is a gentleman. Edgar, King Lear William Shakespeare (1564-1616) English dramatist, poet The Devil It is so stupid of modern civilization to have given up believing in the devil when he is the only explanation of it. Father Ronald Knox (1888-1957) British clergyman, writer The Devil And Satan trembles when he sees The weakest saint upon his knees. William Cowper (1731-1800) English poet The Devil Diaries "The horror of that moment," the King went on, "I shall never, never forget!" "You will, though," the Queen said, "if you don't make a memorandum of it." Lewis Carroll (1832-1898) English writer, mathematician Diaries I always say, keep a diary and someday it'll keep you. Mae West (1892-1980) American film actress Diaries It's the good girls who keep the diaries; the bad girls never have the time. Tallulah Bankhead (1902-1968) American film actress Diaries Dilettantes A smattering of everything and a knowledge of nothing. Charles Dickens (1812-1870) English novelist Dilettantes A man must love a thing very much if he not only practises it without any hope of fame and money, but even . . . without any hope of doing it well. G. K. Chesterton (1874-1936) English author Dilettantes Dilettante: a philanderer who seduces the several arts and deserts each in turn for another. Oliver Herford (1863-1935) American poet, illustrator Dilettantes Dinner Parties See: Government: Thoreau Guests: Nietzsche Revolutionaries: Shaw Men that can have communication in nothing else can sympathetically eat together, can still rise into some glow of brotherhood over food and wine. Thomas Carlyle (1795-1881) Scottish writer Dinner Parties He showed me his bill of fare to tempt me to dine with him; said I, I value not your bill of fare, give me your bill of company. Jonathan Swift (1667-1745) Anglo-Irish satirist Dinner Parties To every man alive, one must hope, it has in some manner happened that he has talked with his more fascinating friends round a table on some night when all the numerous personalities unfolded themselves like great tropical flowers. G. K. Chesterton (1874-1936) English author Dinner Parties Where the guests at a gathering are well-acquainted, they eat twenty percent more than they otherwise would. Ed (E. W.) Howe (1853-1937) American journalist, novelist Dinner Parties A dinner lubricates business. Lord Stowell, WilliamScott (1745-1836) English lawyer Dinner Parties Take counsel in wine, but resolve afterwards in water. Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790) American statesman, writer Dinner Parties The best number for a dinner party is two - myself and a dam' good head waiter. Nubar Gulbenkian (1897-1972) oil millionaire Dinner Parties I had rather munch a crust of brown bread and an onion in a corner, without ado or ceremony, than feed upon a turkey at another man's table, where I am forced to chew slowly, drink little, wipe my mouth every minute, and cannot sneeze or cough, or do other things that are the privileges of liberty and solitude. Miguel de Cervantes (1547-1616) Spanish novelist, dramatist, poet Dinner Parties The object of a dinner is not to eat and drink, but to join in merrymaking and make a lot of noise. For that reason, he who drinks half drinks best. Lin Yutang (1895-1976) Chinese writer Dinner Parties It isn't so much what's on the table that matters as what's on the chairs. William S. Gilbert (1836-1911) English librettist Dinner Parties In dinner talk it is perhaps allowable to fling any faggot rather than let the fire go out. James M. Barrie (1860-1937) British playwright Dinner Parties It you want to shine as a diner-out, the best way is to know something which others do not know, and not to know many things which everybody knows. This takes much less reading, and . . . makes you a really good listener. Coventry Patmore (1823-1896) English poet Dinner Parties Don't talk about yourself, it will be done when you leave. Addison Mizner (1872-1933) American architect, writer Dinner Parties Conversation is the enemy of good wine and food. Alfred Hitchcock (1899-1980) Anglo-American film director Dinner Parties A host is like a general: calamities often reveal his genius. Horace (65-8 BC) Latin poet Dinner Parties When her guests were awash with champagne and with gin She was recklessly sober, as sharp as a pin. William Plomer (1903-1973) British writer Dinner Parties This was a good enough dinner, to be sure; but it was not a dinner to ask a man to. Dr. Samuel Johnson (1709-1784) English author, lexicographer Dinner Parties After a good dinner, one can forgive anybody, even one's own relations. Oscar Wilde (1854-1900) Anglo-Irish writer Dinner Parties When at length they rose to go to bed, it struck each and as he followed his neighbour upstairs that the one before him walked very crookedly. R. S. Surtees (1803-1864) English sporting novelist Dinner Parties It's what the guests say as they swing out of the drive that counts. anonymous Dinner Parties Long meals make short lives. Sir John Lubbock, Lord Avebury (1834-1915) British banker, scientist, author Dinner Parties Forsan et haec olim meminisse iuvabit. Perhaps one day this too will be pleasant to remember. Virgil (70-19 BC) Roman poet Dinner Parties Diplomacy See: Tact Diplomacy is to do and say The nastiest things in the nicest way. Isaac Goldberg (1887-1938) American critic Diplomacy A diplomat is a man who always remembers a woman's birthday but never remembers her age. Robert Frost (1874-1963) American poet Diplomacy A really good diplomat does not go in for victories, even when he wins them. Walter Lippmann (1889-1974) American journalist Diplomacy Let us never negotiate out of fear, but let us never fear to negotiate. John F. Kennedy (1917-1963) American president Diplomacy A man-of-war is the best ambassador. Oliver Cromwell (1599-1658) Lord Protector of England Diplomacy A diplomat these days is nothing but a headwaiter who's allowed to sit down occasionally. Peter Ustinov (b. 1921) British author, actor, wit Diplomacy If you are to stand up for your Government you must be able to stand up to your Government. Sir Harold, Lord Caccia (b. 1905) while British ambassador at Washington Diplomacy I have discovered the art of fooling diplomats; I speak the truth and they never believe me. Camillo di Cavour (1810-1861) Italian statesman Diplomacy Diplomacy: lying in state. Oliver Herford (1863-1935) American poet, illustrator Diplomacy Babies in silk hats playing with dynamite. Alexander Woollcott (1887-1943) American columnist, critic Diplomacy Disappointment There are two tragedies in life. One is to lose your heart's desire. The other is to gain it. Mendoza, Man and Superman George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) Anglo-Irish playwright, critic Disappointment The world hath failed to impart The joy our youth forebodes, Failed to fill up the void which in our breasts we bear. Matthew Arnold (1822-1888) English poet, critic Disappointment He who expects much can expect little. Gabriel Garcia Marquez (b. 1928) Colombian writer Disappointment "Blessed is the man who expects nothing, for he shall never be disappointed" was the ninth beatitude. Alexander Pope (1688-1744) English poet Disappointment Disasters See: Fanatics: Benson The Press: Attlee Our sympathy is cold to the relation of distant misery. Edward Gibbon (1737-1794) English historian Disasters Man's extremity is God's opportunity. John Flavel (1630-1691) English evangelist, author Disasters Calamities are of two kinds: misfortune to ourselves, and good fortune to others. Ambrose Bierce (1842-1914) American author Disasters Oh, dry the starting tear, for they were heavily insured. William S. Gilbert (1836-1911) English librettist Disasters The collapsed slag heap looks weirdly, wickedly voluptuous as you see it from a distance, for it sprawls into the village like a reclining female monster, a wanton Negress shifting awkwardly on her smelly hams. The sense of outrage and impotent disgust seems to coil itself in the very walk of those who approach the defilement, their gumboots slipslopping in the slime. Dennis Potter (b. 1935) British playwright of the Aberfan disaster, 1966 Disasters Disc Jockeys See: Understanding: Wilde This particularly rapid, unintelligible patter Isn't generally heard, and if it is it doesn't matter! William S. Gilbert (1836-1911) English librettist Disc Jockeys Radio news is bearable. This is due to the fact that while the news is being broadcast the disc jockey is not allowed to talk. Fran Lebowitz (b. 1951) American journalist Disc Jockeys Discretion See: Cunning Nothing is more dangerous than a friend without discretion; even a prudent enemy is preferable. Jean de la Fontaine (1621-1695) French poet, fabulist Discretion As a jewel of gold in a swine's snout, so is a fair woman which is without discretion. Bible, Proverbs Discretion A closed mouth catches no flies. Italian proverb Discretion Give thy thoughts no tongue, Nor any unproportioned thought his act. Be thou familiar, but by no means vulgar. Those friends thou hast, and their adoption tried, Grapple them to thy soul with hoops of steel. Polonius, Hamlet William Shakespeare (1564-1616) English dramatist, poet Discretion What is called discretion in men is called cunning in animals. Jean de la Fontaine (1621-1695) French poet, fabulist Discretion A wise man sees as much as he ought, not as much as he can. Michel de Montaigne (1533-1592) French essayist, moralist Discretion Be wiser than other people, if you can, but do not tell them so. Lord Chesterfield (1694-1773) English statesman, man of letters Discretion He that has a secret should not only hide it, but hide that he has it to hide. Thomas Carlyle (1795-1881) Scottish writer Discretion When the strong command, obedience is best. Sir Henry Newbolt (1862-1938) British poet Discretion Not right out, but stealthily, like a parson's damn. Thomas Hardy (1840-1928) English novelist, poet Discretion Disgrace Oh! no! we never mention her, Her name is never heard; My lips are now forbid to speak That once familiar word. Thomas H. Bayly (1797-1839) English writer, poet Disgrace Dissatisfaction The idiot who praises with enthusiastic tone All centuries but this and every country but his own. William S. Gilbert (1836-1911) English librettist Dissatisfaction As long as I have a want, I have a reason for living. Satisfaction is death. Gregory, Overruled George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) Anglo-Irish playwright, critic Dissatisfaction With me, its just a genetic dissatisfaction with everything. Woody Allen (b. 1935) American filmmaker Dissatisfaction Dissent In a world of fugitives The person taking the opposite direction Will appear to run away. T. S. Eliot (1888-1965) Anglo-American poet Dissent It is dangerous to be right in matters on which the established authorities are wrong. Voltaire (1694-1778) French philosopher, writer Dissent Discussion in America means dissent. James Thurber (1894-1961) American humorist, illustrator Dissent In a democracy dissent is an act of faith. Like medicine, the test of its value is not in its taste, but its effects. J. W. Fulbright (b. 1905) American Democratic politician Dissent Divorce See: Marriage: Storr; Fosdick The only solid and lasting peace between a man and his wife is doubtless a separation. Lord Chesterfield (1694-1773) English statesman, man of letters Divorce Divorce is probably of nearly the same date as marriage. I believe, however, that marriage is some weeks the more ancient. Voltaire (1694-1778) French philosopher, writer Divorce It is he who has broken the bond of marriage - not I. I only break its bondage. Oscar Wilde (1854-1900) Anglo-Irish writer Divorce A Roman divorced from his wife, being highly blamed by his friends, who demanded, "Was she not chaste? Was she not fair? Was she not fruitful?" holding out his shoe, asked them whether it was not new and well made. "Yet," added he, "none of you can tell where it pinches me." Plutarch (46-120) Greek essayist, biographer Divorce Judges, as a class, display, in the matter of arranging alimony, that reckless generosity which is found only in men who are giving away someone else's cash. P. G. Wodehouse (1881-1975) British novelist, humorist Divorce You never realize how short a month is until you pay alimony. John Barrymore (1882-1942) American stage and film actor Divorce Doctors See: Life: Piozzi Poverty: Hubbard I wasn't driven into medicine by a social conscience but by rampant curiosity. Jonathan Miller (b. 1936) British writer, doctor Doctors God heals, and the doctor takes the fee. Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790) American statesman, writer Doctors The art of medicine consists of amusing the patient while Nature cures the disease. Voltaire (1694-1778) French philosopher, writer Doctors The best doctors in the world are Doctor Diet, Doctor Quiet and Doctor Merryman. Jonathan Swift (1667-1745) Anglo-Irish satirist Doctors A skilful leech is better far Than half a hundred men of war. Samuel Butler (1612-1680) English poet Doctors One finger in the throat and one in the rectum make a good diagnostician. Sir William Osler (1849-1919) Canadian physician Doctors Doctors think a lot of patients are cured who have simply quit in disgust. Don Herold (1889-1966) American humorist, writer, artist Doctors While others meanly asked whole months to slay I oft dispatched the patient in a day. Sir Samuel Garth (1661-1719) English physician, poet Doctors He wastes no time with patients: and when you have to die, he will finish the business quicker than anybody else. Moliere (1622-1673) French playwright Doctors What I call a good patient is one who, having found a good physician, sticks to him till he dies. Dr. Oliver Wendell Holmes (1809-1894) American writer, physician Doctors Cured yesterday of my disease, I died last night of my physician. Matthew Prior (1664-1721) English poet, diplomat Doctors While the doctors consult, the patient dies. English proverb Doctors The doctor found, when she was dead, Her last disorder mortal. Oliver Goldsmith (1728-1774) Anglo-Irish author Doctors My doctor gave me six months to live but when I couldn't pay the bill be gave me six months more. Walter Matthau (b. 1920) American film actor Doctors There are worse occupations in the world than feeling a woman's pulse . . . Laurence Sterne (1713-1768) English author Doctors Taking a lady's hand gives her confidence in her physician. Sir William Osler (1849-1919) Canadian physician Doctors Life is short and the art is long. Hippocrates (c. 460-c. 370 BC) Greek physician of the art of healing Doctors Doctrine See: Teachers: Defoe Punch is very much like the Church of England. It is doctrinally inexplicable, but it goes on. Malcolm Muggeridge (b. 1903) British journalist Doctrine There are men who would even be afraid to commit themselves on the doctrine that castor oil is a laxative. Camille Flammarion (1842-1925) French astronomer, clergyman Doctrine Example moves the world more than doctrine. Henry Miller (1891-1980) American author Doctrine Doctrine is nothing but the skin of truth set up and stuffed. Henry Ward Beecher (1813-1887) American clergyman, editor, writer Doctrine Dogmatism See: Religion: Butler; Newman The great the ignorance the greater the dogmatism. Sir William Osler (1849-1919) Canadian physician Dogmatism Dogmas are fences round the mystery. Saint Augustine (354-430) theologian Dogmatism Dogmatism does not mean the absence of thought, but the end of thought. G. K. Chesterton (1874-1936) English author Dogmatism Any stigma will do to beat a dogma. Philip Guedalla (1889-1944) British biographer, historian Dogmatism Dogmatism is puppyism come to its full growth. Douglas Jerrold (1803-1857) English playwright, humorist Dogmatism Dogs See: Class: Shaw Loyalty: Kraus; Pope To his dog, every man is Napoleon; hence the constant popularity of dogs. Aldous Huxley (1894-1963) English author Dogs The great pleasure of a dog is that you may make a fool of yourself with him and not only will he not scold you, but he will make a fool of himself too. Samuel Butler (1835-1902) English author Dogs If your home burns down, rescue the dogs. At least they'll be faithful to you. Lee Marvin (b. 1924) American film actor Dogs A dog teaches a boy fidelity, perseverance, and to turn around three times before lying down. Robert Benchley (1889-1945) American humorous writer Dogs Well-washed and well-combed domestic pets grow dull; they miss the stimulus of fleas. Francis Galton (1822-1911) British scientist Dogs Near this spot are deposited the remains of one who possessed Beauty without Vanity, Strength without Insolence, Courage without Ferocity, and all the Virtues of Man, without his Vices. This Praise, which would be unmean Flattery if inscribed over human ashes, is but a just tribute to the Memory of Boatswain, a Dog. Lord Byron (1788-1824) English poet Dogs Dog. A king of additional or subsidiary Deity designed to catch the overflow and surplus of the world's worship. Ambrose Bierce (1842-1914) American author Dogs If you pick up a starving dog and make him prosperous, he will not bite you; that is the principal difference between a dog and a man. Mark Twain (1835-1910) American author Dogs Doubt See: Faith: de Unamuno Indecision: Bible, Kings Between the conception and the creation Between the emotion and the response, Falls the Shadow. T. S. Eliot (1888-1965) Anglo-American poet Doubt When we are not sure, we are alive. Graham Greene (b. 1904) British novelist Doubt There is a vulgar incredulity, which in historical matters, as well as in those of religion, finds it easier to doubt than to examine. Sir Walter Scott (1771-1832) Scottish novelist, poet Doubt The first step toward philosophy is incredulity. Denis Diderot (1713-1784) French philosopher, encyclopediste Doubt Why do men hate and despise the doubter? Because doubt is evolution, and society hates evolution because it disturbs the peace. J. August Strindberg (1849-1912) Swedish dramatist Doubt I beseech you, in the bowels of Christ, think it possible you may be mistaken. Oliver Cromwell (1599-1658) Lord Protector of England Doubt Half the failures of this world arise from pulling in one's horse as he is leaping. Julius Hare (1795-1855) English cleric, writer Augustus Hare (1792-1834) English cleric, writer Doubt Dreaming See: Psychoanalysis: Williams Visionaries: Shaw We never stop seeing, perhaps this is why we dream. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749-1832) German poet, dramatist, novelist, scientist Dreaming In bed my real love has always been the sleep that rescued me by allowing me to dream Luigi Pirandello (1867-1936) Italian playwright, author Dreaming One of the characteristics of the dream is that nothing surprises us in it. With no regret, we agree to live in it with strangers, completely cut off from our habits and friends. Jean Cocteau (1891-1963) French writer, film director Dreaming How many of our daydreams would darken into nightmares, were there any danger of their becoming true. Logan Pearsall Smith (1865-1946) Anglo-American essayist Dreaming In the drowsy dark cave of the mind dreams build their nest with fragments dropped from day's caravan. Rabindranath Tagore (1861-1941) Indian author, philosopher Dreaming When we can't dream any longer we die. Emma Goldman (1869-1940) American anarchist Dreaming Dress See: Nudity: Berger She looked as though she had been poured into her clothes and had forgotten to say "when."' P. G. Wodehouse (1881-1975) British novelist, humorist Dress A fine woman shews her charms to most advantage when she seems most to conceal them. The finest bosom in nature is not so fine as imagination forms. Dr. Gregory (b. 18th century) from A Father's Legacy to His Daughters Dress I have heard with admiring submission the experience of the lady who declared that the sense of being well-dressed gives a feeling of inward tranquillity which religion is powerless to bestow. Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882) American essayist, poet, philosopher Dress The prettiest dresses are worn to be taken off. Jean Cocteau (1891-1963) French writer, film director Dress The trouble about most Englishwomen is that they will dress as if they had been a mouse in a previous incarnation, or hope to be one in the next. Dame Edith Sitwell (1887-1964) British writer, poet Dress Englishwomen's shoes look as if they had been made by someone who had often heard shoes described, but had never seen any. Margaret Halsey (b. 1910) American writer Dress There is not so variable a thing in nature as a lady's head-dress. Joseph Addison (1672-1719) English essayist Dress Taking off my stays at the end of the day makes me happier than anything I know. Joyce Grenfell (1910-1980) British actress Dress All women's dresses are merely variations on the eternal struggle between the admitted desire to dress and the unadmitted desire to undress. Lin Yutang (1895-1976) Chinese writer Dress Silk was invented so that women could go naked in clothes. Muhammad (c. 570-632) founder of Islam Dress Where's the man could ease a heart Like a satin gown? Dorothy Parker (1893-1967) American humorous writer Dress When men wish to be safely impressive, as judges, priests or kings, they . . . wear skirts . . . . The whole world is under petticoat government. G. K. Chesterton (1874-1936) English author Dress It is an interesting question how far men would retain their relative rank if they were divested of their clothes. Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862) American philosopher, author, naturalist Dress Great men are seldom over-scrupulous in the arrangement of their attire. Charles Dickens (1812-1870) English novelist Dress I hold that gentleman to be the best-dressed whose dress no one observes. Anthony Trollope (1815-1882) English novelist Dress You look rather rash my dear your colors don't quite match your face. Daisy Ashford (1881-1972) British writer of The Young Visiters, aged 9 Dress Drink See: The Army: Dryden Cocktails Despair: Johnson Heroes: Johnson Wine Work: Wilde O God! that men should put an enemy in their mouths to steal away their brains. Cassio, Othello William Shakespeare (1564-1616) English dramatist, poet Drink Drink! for you know not whence you came nor why: Drink! for you know not why you go, nor where. from The Rubbaiyat of Omar Khayyam trans. Edward Fitzgerald (1809-1883) Drink Malt does more than Milton can To justify God's ways to man. A. E. Housman (1859-1936) British poet, classical scholar Drink The sway of alcohol over mankind is unquestionably due to its power to stimulate the mystical faculties of human nature. William James (1842-1910) American psychologist, philosopher Drink The heart which grief hath cankered Hath one unfailing remedy - the Tankard. C. S. Calverley (1831-1884) English poet Drink Ale, man, ale's the stuff to drink For fellows whom it hurts to think. A. E. Housman (1859-1936) British poet, classical scholar Drink What two ideas are more inseparable than beer and Britannia? Sydney Smith (1771-1845) English writer, clergyman Drink They who drink beer will think beer. Washington Irving (1783-1859) American author Drink Bring in the bottled lightning, a clean tumbler, and a corkscrew. Charles Dickens (1812-1870) English novelist Drink A torchlight procession marching down your throat. John O'Sullivan (1813-1895) American journalist of whisky Drink A sudden violent jolt of it has been known to stop the victim's watch, snap his suspenders and crack his glass eye right across. Irvin S. Cobb (1876-1944) American writer of moonshine corn liquor Drink Fill it up. I take as large draughts of liquor as I did of love. I hate a flincher in either. Mrs. Trapes, The Beggar's Opera John Gay (1685-1732) English playwright, poet Drink I can't say whether we had more wit amongst us than usual, but I am certain we had more laughing, which answered the end just as well. Oliver Goldsmith (1728-1774) Anglo-Irish author Drink Drink not the third glass, which thou canst not tame, When once it is within thee. George Herbert (1593-1633) English clergyman, poet Drink He smiled a kind of sickly smile, and curled up on the floor, And the subsequent proceedings interested him no more. Brett Harte (1836-1902) American author Drink A man who exposes himself when he is intoxicated, has not the art of getting drunk. Dr. Samuel Johnson (1709-1784) English author, lexicographer Drink Better belly burst than good liquor be lost. Jonathan Swift (1667-1745) Anglo-Irish satirist Drink "I wonder what pleasure men can take in making beasts of themselves!" "I wonder, madam, that you have not penetration enough to see the strong inducement to this excess; for he who makes a beast of himself gets rid of the pain of being a man." Dr. Samuel Johnson (1709-1784) English author, lexicographer Drink Drunkenness is nothing but voluntary madness. Seneca (c. 5-65) Roman writer, philosopher, statesman Drink Drunkenness is temporary suicide. Bertrand Russell (1872-1970) British philosopher, mathematician, social reformer Drink When I played drunks I had to remain sober because I didn't know how to play them when I was drunk. Richard Burton (1925-1984) British film actor Drink What soberness conceals, drunkenness reveals. Latin proverb Drink An honest man, that is not quite sober, has nothing to fear. Joseph Addison (1672-1719) English essayist Drink It provokes the desire, but it takes away the performance. Therefore much drink may be said to be an equivocator with lechery. Porter, Macbeth William Shakespeare (1564-1616) English dramatist, poet Drink There are some sluggish men who are improved by drinking, as there are fruits that are not good until they are rotten. Dr. Samuel Johnson (1709-1784) English author, lexicographer Drink Friendships are not always preserved in alcohol. wayside pulpit Drink Alcohol is like love: the first kiss is magic, the second is intimate, the third is routine. After that you just take the girl's clothes off. Raymond Chandler (1888-1959) American writer Drink There are two things that will be believed of any man whatsoever, and one of them is that he has taken to drink. Booth Tarkington (1869-1946) American novelist, playwright Drink The rapturous, wild, and ineffable pleasure Of drinking at somebody else's expense. H. S. Leigh (1837-1883) English author Drink I drink for the thirst to come. Rabelais (1494-1553) French humanist, author Drink Drink, and be mad, then; 'tis your country bids! Gloriously drunk, obey th'important call! William Cowper (1731-1800) English poet Drink Drink: Abstinence Total abstinence is easier to me than perfect moderation. Saint Augustine (354-430) theologian Drink: Abstinence I was T.T. until prohibition. Groucho Marx (1895-1977) American comic actor Drink: Abstinence I'm only a beer teetotaller, not a champagne teetotaller. Proserpine, Candida George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) Anglo-Irish playwright, critic Drink: Abstinence I'd hate to be a teetotaller. Imagine getting up in the morning and knowing that's as good as you're going to feel all day. Dean Martin (b. 1917) American singer, actor Drink: Abstinence Water flowed like wine. William M. Evarts (1818-1901) American statesman Drink: Abstinence Drugs See: Addicts Christianity: Nietzsche Suffering: Artaud One man's poison is another man's drug. Father Ronald Knox (1888-1957) British clergyman, writer Drugs Thou source of all my bliss and all my woe, That found'st me poor at first, and keep'st me so. Oliver Goldsmith (1728-1774) Anglo-Irish author Drugs Thou hast the keys of Paradise, oh just, subtle, and mighty opium! Thomas de Quincey (1785-1859) English author Drugs Everything one does in life, even love, occurs in an express train racing toward death. To smoke opium is to get out of the train while it is still moving. It is to concern oneself with something other than life, with death. Jean Cocteau (1891-1963) French writer, film director Drugs It is not opium which enables me to work, but its absence; and to feel its absence it must from time to time pass through me. Antonin Artaud (1896-1948) French theater producer, actor, theorist Drugs Opiate. An unlocked door in the prison of Identity. It leads into the jail yard. Ambrose Bierce (1842-1914) American author Drugs Ce n'est plus une ardeur dans mes veines cachee: C'est Venus tout entiere a sa proie attachee. It's no longer a warmth hidden in my veins: it's Venus entire and whole fastening on her prey. Jean Racine (1639-1699) French dramatist Drugs They shoulda called me Little Cocaine, I was sniffing so much of the stuff! My nose got big enough to back a diesel truck in, unload it, and drive it right out again. Little Richard (b. 1932) American rock star Drugs Cocaine isn't habit-forming. I should know - I've been using it for years. Tallulah Bankhead (1902-1968) American film actress Drugs The only reason that cocaine is such a rage today is that people are too dumb and lazy to get themselves together to roll a joint. Jack Nicholson (b. 1937) American film actor Drugs Is marijuana addictive? Yes, in the sense that most of the really pleasant things in life are worth endlessly repeating. Richard Neville (b. 1941) Australian journalist Drugs I'll die young, but it's like kissing God. Lenny Bruce (1923-1966) American comedian Drugs Dullness See: Bores Certainty: Mencken The midwife laid her hand on his Thick Skull, With this Prophetick blessing - Be Thou Dull. John Dryden (1631-1700) English poet, dramatist, critic Dullness Sir, he was dull in company, dull in his closet, dull everywhere. He was dull in a new way, and that made people think him great. Dr. Samuel Johnson (1709-1784) English author, lexicographer of Thomas Gray Dullness He is not only dull in himself, but the cause of dullness in others. Samuel Foote (1720-1777) English dramatist Dullness Prudent Dulness marked him for a mayor. Charles Churchill (1731-1764) English clergyman, poet Dullness It is to be noted that when any of this paper appears dull, there is a design in it. Sir Richard Steele (1672-1729) English essayist, dramatist, editor Dullness There are no uninteresting things, there are only uninterested people. G. K. Chesterton (1874-1936) English author Dullness Duty See: Politicians: Shaw God is inconceivable, immortality is unbelievable, but duty is peremptory and absolute. George Eliot (1819-1880) English novelist Duty The consciousness of a duty performed gives us music at midnight. George Herbert (1593-1633) English clergyman, poet Duty I sighed as a lover, I obeyed as a son. Edward Gibbon (1737-1794) English historian Duty When a stupid man is doing something he is ashamed of, he always declares that it is his duty. Apollodorus, Caesar and Cleopatra George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) Anglo-Irish playwright, critic Duty Duty. That which sternly impels us in the direction of profit, along the line of desire. Ambrose Bierce (1842-1914) American author Duty Eccentricity See: Conformity: Mill We might define an eccentric as a man who is a law unto himself, and a crank as one who, having determined what the law is, insists on laying it down to others. Louis Kronenberger (1904-1980) American critic, editor, author Eccentricity So long as a man rides his hobby-horse peaceably and quietly along the King's highway, and neither compels you or me to get up behind him, - pray, Sir, what have either you or I to do with it? Laurence Sterne (1713-1768) English author Eccentricity Ecology See: Nature: Durrell Pollution The nation that destorys its soil destroys itself. Franklin D. Roosevelt (1882-1945) American president Ecology We abuse land because we regard it as a commodity belonging to us. When we see land as a community to which we belong, we may begin to use it with love and respect. Aldo Leopold (1886-1948) American forester Ecology The sun, the moon and the stars would have disappeared long ago, had they happened to be within reach of predatory human hands. Havelock Ellis (1859-1939) British psychologist, author Ecology Economics Only one fellow in ten thousand understands the currency question, and we meet him every day. Kin (F. McKinney) Hubbard (1868-1930) American humorist, journalist Economics I learned more about economics from one South Dakota dust storm than I did in all my years in college. Hubert Humphrey (1911-1978) American Democratic politician Economics If all economists were laid end to end, they would not reach a conclusion. George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) Anglo-Irish playwright, critic Economics In the usual (though certainly not in every) public decision on economic policy, the choice is between courses that are almost equally good or equally bad. It is the narrowest decisions that are most ardently debated. If the world is lucky enough to enjoy peace, it may even one day make the discovery, to the horror of doctinaire free-enterprisers and doctrinaire planners alike, that what is called capitalism and what is called socialism are both capable of working quite well. John Kenneth Galbraith (b. 1908) American economist Economics Call a thing immoral or ugly . . . a peril to the peace of the world or to the well-being of future generations: as long as you have not shown it to be "uneconomic" you have not really questioned its right to exist, grow and prosper. E. F. Schumacher (1911-1977) American author Economics Economizing See: Meanness Live within your income. Always have something saved at the end of the year. Let your imports be more than your exports, and you'll never go far wrong. Dr. Samuel Johnson (1709-1784) English author, lexicographer Economizing How easy it is for a man to die rich, if he will but be contented to live miserable. Henry Fielding (1707-1754) English novelist, dramatist Economizing The timid man calls himself cautious, the sordid man thrifty. Publilius Syrus (b. 1st century BC) Roman writer of mimes Economizing Frugality is a handsome income. Erasmus (1466-1536) Dutch humanist Economizing There is no profit in going to bed early if the result is twins. country saying Economizing The Economy See: War: Weil Everyone is always in favour of general economy and particular expenditure. Sir Anthony Eden (1897-1977) British Conservative politician, prime minister The Economy If you want to raise a certain cheer in the House of Commons, make a general panegyric on economy; if you want to invite a sure defeat, propose a particular saving. financier quoted by Walter Bagehot The Economy Every bright spot the White House finds in the economy is like the policeman bending over the body in the alley and saying cheerfully "Two wounds are fatal. The other one is not so bad." John F. Kennedy (1917-1963) American president The Economy The notion dies hard that in some sort of way exports are patriotic but imports are immoral. Lord Harlech (1918-1985) British ambassador at Washington The Economy We might come closer to balancing the budget if all of us lived closer to the Commandments and the Golden Rule. Ronald Reagan (b. 1911) American president The Economy Editing See: Writing: Quiller-Couch; Smith Of every four words I write, I strike out three. Nicolas Boileau (1636-1711) French poet, critic Editing Read your own compositions, and when you meet with a passage which you think is particularly fine, strike it out. Dr. Samuel Johnson (1709-1784) English author, lexicographer Editing Art should simplify . . . finding what convention of form and what detail one can do without and yet preserve the spirit of the whole - so that all that one has suppressed and cut away is there to the reader's consciousness as much as if it were in type on the page. Willa Cather (1876-1947) American author Editing What I have crossed out I didn't like. What I haven't crossed out I'm dissatisfied with. Cecil B. de Mille (1881-1959) American film director attributed, attached to script Editing God sends meat and the devil sends cooks. Thomas Deloney (c. 1550-1600) English balladist, writer Editing I have only made this [letter] longer because I have not had the time to make it shorter. Blaise Pascal (1623-1662) French scientist, philosopher Editing Editors See: Democracy: Emerson Editor: a person employed on a newspaper, whose business it is to separate the wheat from the chaff, and to see that the chaff gets printed. Elbert Hubbard (1856-1915) American author Editors Rides in the whirlwind and directs the storm. Joseph Addison (1672-1719) English essayist Editors Education See: Class: Shaw Foreigners: Chesterton Play: Hughes Private Education Reading: Trevelyan School Students Teachers University There's a new tribunal now, higher than God's - The educated man's! Robert Browning (1812-1889) English poet Education What sculpture is to a block of marble, education is to the soul. Joseph Addison (1672-1719) English essayist Education Educate men without religion and you make them but clever devils. Duke of Wellington (1769-1852) English soldier, statesman Education Why should we subsidize intellectual curiosity? Ronald Reagan (b. 1911) American president Education Education is the ability to listen to almost anything without losing your temper or your self-confidence. Robert Frost (1874-1963) American poet Education The first idea that the child must acquire in order to be actively disciplined is that of the difference between good and evil; and the task of the educator lies in seeing that the child does not confound good with immobility, and evil with activity. Maria Montessori (1870-1952) Italian educator Education Education is what remains when we have forgotten all that we have been taught. Sir George Savile, Lord Halifax (1633-1695) English statesman, author Education Education is an admirable thing, but it is well to remember from time to time that nothing that is worth knowing can be taught. Oscar Wilde (1854-1900) Anglo-Irish writer Education Education does not mean teaching people to know what they do not know; it means teaching them to behave as they do not behave. John Ruskin (1819-1900) English critic Education The primary purpose of a liberal education is to make one's mind a pleasant place in which to spend one's time. Sydney J. Harris (1917-1986) American journalist Education No man who worships education has got the best out of education . . . Without a gentle contempt for education no man's education is complete. G. K. Chesterton (1874-1936) English author Education British parents are very ready to call for a system of education which offers equal opportunity to all children except their own. Lord Eccles (b. 1904) British Conservative politician Education True education makes for inequality; the inequality of individuality, the inequality of success, the glorious inequality of talent, of genius. Felix E. Schelling (1858-1945) American educator Education Workers of England be wise, and then you must be free, for you will be fit to be free. Charles Kingsley (1819-1875) English author, clergyman Education Education makes a people easy to lead, but difficult to drive; easy to govern, but impossible to enslave. Lord Brougham (1778-1868) Scottish Whig politician Education It is not the insurrections of ignorance that are dangerous, but the revolts of intelligence. James Russell Lowell (1819-1891) American poet, editor Education Human history becomes more and more a race between education and catastrophe. H. G. Wells (1866-1946) English author, social thinker Education When a man's education is finished, he is finished. E. A. Filene (1860-1937) American businessman, financier Education Egoism See: Actors/Actresses: Wilding Bores: Fuller Genius: Webb Self Man can be defined as the animal that can say "I," that can be aware of himself as a separate entity. Erich Fromm (1900-1980) American psychologist Egoism The great act of faith is when a man decides that he is not God. Justice Oliver WendellHolmes (1841-1935) American jurist Egoism Egotist. A person of low taste, more interested in himself than me. Ambrose Bierce (1842-1914) American author Egoism Talk to a man about himself and he will listen for hours. Benjamin Disraeli (1804-1881) English prime minister Egoism A self-made man; who worships his creator. John Bright (1811-1889) English radical politician of Benjamin Disraeli Egoism The idea that egotism is the basis of the general welfare is the principle on which competitive society has been built. Erich Fromm (1900-1980) American psychologist Egoism An inflated consciousness is always egocentric and conscious of nothing but its own existence. It is incapable of learning from the past, incapable of understanding contemporary events, and incapable of drawing right conclusions about the future. It is hypnotized by itself and therefore cannot be argued with. It inevitably dooms itself to calamities that must strike it dead. Carl Jung (1875-1961) Swiss psychiatrist Egoism Edith was a little country bounded on the north, south, east and west by Edith. Martha Ostenso (1900-1963) American author Egoism Elections See: Government: Pope There's small choice in rotten apples. Hortensia, The Taming of the Shrew William Shakespeare (1564-1616) English dramatist, poet Elections Vote for the man who promises least. He'll be the least disappointing. Bernard Baruch (1870-1965) American financier Elections I never vote for anyone. I always vote against. W. C. Fields (1879-1946) American film actor Elections It doesn't matter who you vote for, the government always get in. graffito in London, 1970s Elections Bad officials are elected by good citizens who do not vote. George Jean Nathan (1882-1958) American critic Elections I just received the following wire from my generous Daddy: "Dear Jack, Don't buy a single vote more than necessary. I'll be damned if I'm going to pay for a landslide." John F. Kennedy (1917-1963) American president Elections The Republicans have a "me too" candidate running on a "yes but" platform, advised by a "has been" staff. Adlai Stevenson (1900-1965) American Democratic politician Elections Indeed, you won the elections, but I won the count. Anastasio Somoza (1896-1956) dictator of Nicaragua to an opponent accusing him of rigging the election Elections Eloquence See: Persuasion: Inge; Junius Speeches: Moliere Ah, si je pouvais pisser comme il parle! Georges Clemenceau (1841-1929) French politician, prime minister of David Lloyd George Eloquence The finest eloquence is that which gets things done; the worst is that which delays them. David Lloyd George (1863-1945) Welsh Liberal politician, prime minister Eloquence Genuinely good remarks surprise their author as well as his audience. Joseph Joubert (1754-1824) French essayist, moralist Eloquence In the midwives' phrase, a perfect conception with an easy delivery. Alexander Pope (1688-1744) English poet Eloquence The art of the parenthesis is one of the great secrets of eloquence in Society. Nicolas-Sebastien Chamfort (1741-1794) French writer, wit Eloquence To say that he was not at a loss for a word is one of the great understatements of all time. He was not at a loss for 500,000 words and we heard 'em, every one. Cassandra, Sir William Connor (1909-1967) British journalist Eloquence He talked on for ever; and you wished him to talk on for ever. William Hazlitt (1778-1830) English essayist of Coleridge Eloquence When a man gets talking about himself, he seldom fails to be eloquent and often reaches the sublime. Josh Billings (1818-1885) American humorist Eloquence Embarrassment Man is the only animal that blushes. Or needs to. Mark Twain (1835-1910) American author Embarrassment We never forgive those who make us blush. Jean-Francois de La Harpe (1739-1803) French poet, playwright Embarrassment Emotion See: Religion: Arnold Half our mistakes in life arise from feeling where we ought to think, and thinking where we ought to feel. J. Churton Collins (1848-1908) English author, critic, scholar Emotion The advantage of the emotions is that they lead us astray. Oscar Wilde (1854-1900) Anglo-Irish writer Emotion "There are strings," said Mr. Tappertit, " . . . in the human heart that had better not be wibrated." Barnaby Rudge Charles Dickens (1812-1870) English novelist Emotion The young man who has not wept is a savage, and the old man who will not laugh is a fool. George Santayana (1863-1952) American philosopher, poet Emotion He is not affected by the reality of distress touching his heart, but by the showy resemblance of it striking his imagination. He pities the plumage, but forgets the dying bird. Thomas Paine (1737-1809) Anglo-American writer of Edmund Burke Emotion Empire See: Decolonization Nationalism: Hitler We seem, as it were, to have conquered and peopled half the world in a fit of absence of mind. Sir J. R. Seeley (1834-1895) English classicist, historian Empire Not once or twice in our rough island-story The path of booty was the way to glory. anonymous Empire If Germany is to become a colonising power, all I say is, "God speed her!" She becomes our ally and partner in the execution of the great purposes of Providence for the advantage of mankind. William Ewald Gladstone (1809-1898) English prime minister in 1885 Empire With a hero at head, and a nation Well gagged and well drilled and well cowed, And a gospel of war and damnation, Has not Empire a right to be proud? A. C. Swinburne (1837-1909) English poet, critic Empire To plunder, to slaughter, to steal, these things they misname empire; and where they make a wilderness, they call it peace. Tacitus (c. 55-c. 120) Roman historian of the Romans Empire The reluctant obedience of distant provinces generally costs more than it [the territory] is worth. Thomas Babington Macaulay (1800-1859) English historian Empire The conquest of the earth, which mostly means the taking it away from those who have a different complection or slightly flatter noses than ourselves, is not a pretty thing when you look into it. Joseph Conrad (1857-1924) English novelist Empire The British Government in India is like a tooth that is decaying but is still strongly embedded. It is painful, but it cannot be easily pulled out. Jawaharlal Nehru (1889-1964) Indian prime minister in 1935 Empire All empires die of indigestion. Napoleon Bonaparte (1769-1821) Emperor of France Empire And the end of the fight is a tombstone white with the name of the late deceased, And the epitaph drear; "A Fool lies here who tried to hustle the East." Rudyard Kipling (1865-1936) English author Empire How is the Empire? King George V of Great Britain (1865-1936) last words Empire Encyclopedias The man consulting it finds the thing he wants; he also finds how many thousand things there are that he does not want. G. K. Chesterton (1874-1936) English author Encyclopedias Enemies See: Forgiveness: Heine; Wilde Friends: Canning Generals: Bonaparte Human Nature: Browne Jokers: Sterne Leadership: Hitler Motives: Barrie Public Life: Cassandra Success: Schopenhauer Winning: Wellington Enemies are so stimulating. Katharine Hepburn (b. 1907) American actress Enemies To have a good enemy, choose a friend: he knows where to stike. Diane de Poitiers (1499-1566) mistress of Henri II of France, patron Enemies I choose my friends for their good looks, my acquaintances for their good characters, and my enemies for their intellects. A man cannot be too careful in the choice of his enemies. Oscar Wilde (1854-1900) Anglo-Irish writer Enemies I'm lonesome. They are all dying. I have hardly a warm personal enemy left. James McNeill Whistler (1834-1903) American artist Enemies For my enemy is dead, a man as divine as myself is dead. Walt Whitman (1819-1892) American poet Enemies Treating your adversary with respect is giving him an advantage to which he is not entitled. Dr. Samuel Johnson (1709-1784) English author, lexicographer Enemies Despise the enemy strategically, but take him seriously tactically. Mao Zedong (1893-1976) founder of the People's Republic of China Enemies There are men whose enmity is a compliment. J. A. Froude (1818-1894) English author Enemies You must embrace the man you hate, if you cannot be justified in knocking him down. Lord Chesterfield (1694-1773) English statesman, man of letters Enemies Am I not destroying my enemies when I make friends of them? Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865) American president Enemies Take heed of enemies reconciled, and of meat twice boiled. Spanish proverb Enemies Nothing ever perplexes an adversary so much as an appeal to his honour. Benjamin Disraeli (1804-1881) English prime minister Enemies She is as implacable an adversary as a wife suing for alimony. William Wycherley (1640-1716) English dramatist Enemies If you would injure your neighbour, better not do it by halves. George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) Anglo-Irish playwright, critic Enemies I do not approve the extermination of the enemy; the policy of exterminating or, as it is barbarously said, liquidating enemies, is one of the most alarming developments of modern war and peace, from the point of view of those who desire the survival of culture. One needs the enemy. T. S. Eliot (1888-1965) Anglo-American poet Enemies You have many enemies, that know not why they are so, but, like to village-curs, bark when their fellows do. King Henry, King Henry VIII William Shakespeare (1564-1616) English dramatist, poet Enemies I have only ever made one prayer to God, a very short one; "O Lord, make my enemies ridiculous." And God granted it. Voltaire (1694-1778) French philosopher, writer Enemies Oh, I am heartily tired of hearing what Lee is going to do. Try to think what we are going to do ourselves. Ulysses S. Grant (1822-1885) American president Enemies England See: Reform: Wells The Weather: Whitehorn This blessed plot, this earth, this realm, this England. Gaunt, King Richard II William Shakespeare (1564-1616) English dramatist, poet England I am sure my bones would not rest in an English grave, or my clay mix with the earth of that country. I believe the thought would drive me mad on my death-bed could I suppose that any of my friends would be base enough to convey my carcase back to her soil. I would not even feed her worms if I could help it. Lord Byron (1788-1824) English poet England England, surely, is the paradise of little men, and the purgatory of great ones. Cardinal John Newman (1801-1890) English churchman, theologian England What a pity it is that we have no amusements in England but vice and religion! Sydney Smith (1771-1845) English writer, clergyman England In England there are sixty different religions, and only one sauce. Francesco Caraccioli (1752-1799) Neapolitan naval commander England The expression "as right as rain" must have been invented by an Englishman. William Lyon Phelps (1865-1943) American educator, author England The English winter - ending in July, To recommence in August. Lord Byron (1788-1824) English poet England Summer has set in with its usual severity. Samuel Taylor Coleridge (1772-1834) English poet England The best sun we have is made of Newcastle coal. Horace Walpole (1717-1797) English writer England I shall continue to praise the English climate till I die, even if I die of the English climate. G. K. Chesterton (1874-1936) English author England I am living in the Midlands That are sodden and unkind. Hilaire Belloc (1870-1953) British author England One has no great hopes from Birmingham. I always say there is something direful in the sound. Jane Austen (1775-1817) English novelist England The shortest way out of Manchester is notoriously a bottle of Gordon's gin. William Bolitho (1890-1930) British author England A Yorkshireman, like a dragoon, is nothing without his horse. R. S. Surtees (1803-1864) English sporting novelist England For Cambridge people rarely smile, Being urban, squat, and packed with guile. Rupert Brooke (1887-1915) British poet England An acre in Middlesex is better than a principality in Utopia. Thomas Babington Macaulay (1800-1859) English historian England Kent, sir - everybody knows Kent - apples, cherries, hops, and women. Jingle, The Pickwick Papers Charles Dickens (1812-1870) English novelist England The rolling English drunkard made the rolling English road. G. K. Chesterton (1874-1936) English author England The English See: The British Conservatives: Whitehead Courtesy: Bradbury Dress: Halsey; Sitwell Food: Mikes Ireland: Smith Morality: Shaw Music: Beecham The Scots: Barrie; Wilson Sex: Muggeridge Vice: Shaw Stands the church clock at ten to three? And is there honey still for tea? Rupert Brooke (1887-1915) British poet The English English life, while very pleasant, is rather bland. I expected kindness and gentility and I found it, but there is such a thing as too much couth. S. J. Perelman (1904-1979) American humorist The English The English (it must be owned) are rather a foul-mouthed nation. William Hazlitt (1778-1830) English essayist The English The English are probably the most tolerant, least religious people on earth. Rabbi David Goldberg (b. 1939) Minister of the Liberal Jewish Synagogue, London The English I should like my country well enough if it were not for my countrymen. Horace Walpole (1717-1797) English writer The English To be an Englishman is to belong to the most exclusive class there is. Ogden Nash (1902-1971) American poet The English He was inordinately proud of England and he abused her incessantly. H. G. Wells (1866-1946) English author, social thinker The English We do not covet anything from any nation except their respect. Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965) British statesman, writer The English They are like their own beer: froth on the top, dregs at the bottom, the middle excellent. Voltaire (1694-1778) French philosopher, writer The English One has often wondered whether . . . there is anything so unintelligent, so unapt to perceive how the world is really going, as an ordinary young Englishman of our upper class. Matthew Arnold (1822-1888) English poet, critic The English It is to the middle-class we must look for the safety of England. William Makepeace Thackeray (1811-1863) English author The English L'Angleterre est une nation de boutiquiers! England is a nation of shopkeepers! Napoleon Bonaparte (1769-1821) Emperor of France The English You never find an Englishman among the under-dogs - except in England, of course. Evelyn Waugh (1903-1966) British novelist The English The English have all the material requisites for the revolution. What they lack is the spirit of generalization and revolutionary ardor. Karl Marx (1818-1883) German social philosopher, revolutionary The English Whenever he met a great man he grovelled before him and mylorded as only a free-born Englishman can do. William Makepeace Thackeray (1811-1863) English author The English Englishmen never will be slaves; they are free to do whatever the Government and public opinion allow them to do. The Devil, Man and Superman George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) Anglo-Irish playwright, critic The English You can get the English to do anything if you put it to them the right way. The trouble with the English is they try all the wrong ways first. John Masefield (1878-1967) English poet, playwright The English Now I understand how it is that they form a great nation. It is merely because they stand and let you thump them until you are tired, and then they proceed to do what they intended to do from the first. H. Seton Merriman (1862-1903) English novelist The English The Anglo-Saxon conscience does not prevent the Anglo-Saxon from sinning; it merely prevents him from enjoying his sin. Salvador de Madariaga (1886-1978) Spanish diplomat, writer, critic The English How hard it is to make an Englishman acknowledge that he is happy. William Makepeace Thackeray (1811-1863) English author The English The people of England are never so happy as when you tell them they are ruined. Arthur Murphy (1727-1805) Irish dramatist The English The Englishman never enjoys himself except for a noble purpose. A. P. Herbert (1890-1971) British author, politician The English You will never find an Englishman in the wrong. He does everything on principle. He fights you on patriotic principles; he robs you on business principles; he enslaves you on imperial principles; he bullies you on manly principles; he supports his king on loyal principles; and cuts off his king's head on republican principles. Napoleon, The Man of Destiny George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) Anglo-Irish playwright, critic The English Le sombre Anglais, meme dans ses amours, Veut raisonner toujours. The gloomy Englishman always wants to reason things out, even in his love affairs. Voltaire (1694-1778) French philosopher, writer The English As soon as sex comes up we collectively say "Er . . . " instead of "Aha!" George Younger (b. 1931) Scottish Conservative politician The English Continental people have sex lives; the English have hot-water bottles. George Mikes (b. 1912) Hungarian-born British humorist The English Cool, and quite English, imperturbable. Lord Byron (1788-1824) English poet The English The English have an extraordinary ability for flying into a great calm. Alexander Woollcott (1887-1943) American columnist, critic The English The Englishman has all the qualities of a poker except its occasional warmth. Daniel O'Connell (1775-1847) Irish nationalist politician The English It is not that the Englishman can't feel - it is that he is afraid to feel. He has been taught at his public school that feeling is bad form. He must not express great joy or sorrow, or even open his mouth too wide when he talks - his pipe might fall out if he did. E. M. Forster (1879-1970) British novelist The English Stoicism, the sublimest kind of stupidity. Modesty, the proudest kind of groveling. Gustave Flaubert (1821-1880) French novelist The English Even crushed against his brother in the Tube the average Englishman pretends desperately that he is alone. Germaine Greer (b. 1939) Australian feminist writer The English Not only England, but every Englishman is an island. Novalis, Friedrich von Hardenberg (1772-1801) German poet The English . . . A scene that is all English and stiff upper lip. Nothing is said that can be regretted. Nothing is said that can even be remembered. Caroline A. Lejeune (1897-1973) British film critic The English Silence - a conversation with an Englishman. Heinrich Heine (1797-1856) German poet, journalist The English But Lord! to see the absurd nature of Englishmen, that cannot forbear laughing and jeering at everything that looks strange. Samuel Pepys (1633-1703) English diarist The English We do not regard Englishmen as foreigners. We look on them only as rather mad Norwegians. Halvard Lange Norwegian prime minister, 1958 The English Ennui See: Boredom Life is as tedious as a twice-told tale, Vexing the dull ear of a drowsy man. Lewis, King John William Shakespeare (1564-1616) English dramatist, poet Ennui She, while her lover pants upon her breast, Can mark the carvings in an Indian chest. Alexander Pope (1688-1744) English poet Ennui The flesh is weary, alas, and I've read all the books. Stephane Mallarme (1842-1898) French Symbolist poet Ennui They remind me of a very tired rich man who said to his chauffeur "Drive off that cliff, James, I want to commit suicide." Adlai Stevenson (1900-1965) American Democratic politician Ennui What a day-to-day affair life is. Jules Laforgue (1860-1887) French Symbolist poet Ennui Enthusiasm In things pertaining to enthusiasm, no man is sane who does not know how to be insane on proper occasions. Henry Ward Beecher (1813-1887) American clergyman, editor, writer Enthusiasm Daniel Webster struck me much like a steam engine in trousers. Sydney Smith (1771-1845) English writer, clergyman Enthusiasm . . . talk about God as though nobody had ever heard of Him before. Russell Lynes (b. 1910) American editor, critic Enthusiasm It is unfortunate, considering that enthusiasm moves the world, that so few enthusiasts can be trusted to speak the truth. Arthur James Balfour (1848-1930) British Conservative politician, prime minister Enthusiasm Enthusiasm. A distemper of youth, curable by small doses of repentance in connection with outward applications of experience. Ambrose Bierce (1842-1914) American author Enthusiasm Envy See: Genius: Beerbohm Some folks rail against other folks, because other folks have what some folks would be glad of. Henry Fielding (1707-1754) English novelist, dramatist Envy Envy is a kind of praise. John Gay (1685-1732) English playwright, poet Envy Envy among other ingredients has a mixture of the love of justice in it. We are more angry at undeserved than at deserved good fortune. William Hazlitt (1778-1830) English essayist Envy Envy is capable of serving the valuable social function of making the rich moderate their habits for fear of arousing it. Sir Keith Joseph (b. 1918) British Conservative politician Envy Glamour cannot exist without personal social envy being a common and widespread emotion. John Berger (b. 1926) British critic Envy His scorn of the great is repeated too often to be real; no man thinks much of that which he despises. Dr. Samuel Johnson (1709-1784) English author, lexicographer Envy Epigrams See: Platitudes: Wilde If with the literate, I am Impelled to try an epigram, I never seek to take the credit; We all assume that Oscar said it. Dorothy Parker (1893-1967) American humorous writer Epigrams Paradox with him was only truth standing on its head to attract attention. Richard Le Gallienne (1866-1947) British poet of Oscar Wilde Epigrams An epigram is only a wisecrack that's played at Carnegie Hall. Oscar Levant (1906-1972) American pianist, composer Epigrams Is this true or only clever? Augustine Birrell (1850-1933) English Liberal politician Epigrams Epigrams succeed where epics fail. Persian proverb Epigrams Epitaphs In lapidary inscriptions a man is not upon oath. Dr. Samuel Johnson (1709-1784) English author, lexicographer Epitaphs Epitaph: A belated advertisement for a line of goods that has been discontinued. Irvin S. Cobb (1876-1944) American writer Epitaphs Reading the epitaphs, our only salvation lies in resurrecting the dead and burying the living. Paul Eldridge (b. 1888) American writer Epitaphs Posterity will ne'er survey A nobler grave than this: Here lie the bones of Castlereagh: Stop, traveller, and piss. Lord Byron (1788-1824) English poet Epitaphs Equality See: Exercise: Nietzsche Gambling: Foote The Law: France The social process requires the standardization of man, and this standardization is called equality. Erich Fromm (1900-1980) American psychologist Equality The defect of equality is that we only desire it with our superiors. Henri Becque (1837-1899) French playwright Equality Subordination tends greatly to human happiness. Were we all upon an equality, we should have no other enjoyment than mere animal pleasure. Dr. Samuel Johnson (1709-1784) English author, lexicographer Equality There is nothing that so strikes men with fear as the saying that they are all the sons of God. G. K. Chesterton (1874-1936) English author Equality If there is a human being who is freer than I, then I shall necessarily become his slave. If I am freer than another, then he will become my slave. Therefore, equality is the absolutely necessary condition for freedom . . . freedom outside of equality can create only privilege. Mikhail Bakunin (1814-1876) Russian political theorist Equality Eternity See: Immortality: Shaw Our theories of the eternal are as valuable as are those which a chick which has not broken its way through its shell might form of the outside world. Gautama the Buddha (c. 560-c. 480 BC) Eternity Eternity is a terrible thought. I mean, where's it going to end? Tom Stoppard (b. 1937) British playwright Eternity Europe See: Race: Fisher Can we never extract the tapeworm of Europe from the brain of our countrymen? Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882) American essayist, poet, philosopher Europe There are a whole group of people in Europe who are constantly anti-American, who have never forgiven us for the Marshall Plan. General VernonWalters (b. 1917) American ambassador to the UN Europe Europe has what we do not have yet, a sense of the mysterious and inexorable limits of life, a sense, in a word, of tragedy. And we have what they sorely need: a sense of life's possibilities. James Baldwin (1924-1987) American novelist Europe Their Europeanism is nothing but imperialism with an inferiority complex. Denis Healey (b. 1917) British Labour politician of the Conservative Party Europe Euthanasia O, let him pass! He hates him That would upon the rack of this tough world Stretch him out longer. Kent, King Lear William Shakespeare (1564-1616) English dramatist, poet Euthanasia Evil See: Temptation: Hardy Wickedness Women: Chrysostom; Tertullian All men are evil and will declare themselves to be so when occasion is offered. Sir Walter Raleigh (1552-1618) English man of letters, explorer Evil It is a sin to believe evil of others, but it is seldom a mistake. H. L. Mencken (1880-1956) American journalist Evil The belief in a supernatural source of evil is not necessary; men alone are quite capable of every wickedness. Joseph Conrad (1857-1924) English novelist Evil So far as we are human, what we do must be either evil or good: so far as we do evil or good, we are human: and it is better, in a paradoxical way, to do evil than to do nothing: at least we exist. T. S. Eliot (1888-1965) Anglo-American poet Evil When choosing between two evils, I always like to try the one I've never tried before. Mae West (1892-1980) American film actress Evil But evil is wrought by want of Thought As well as want of Heart! Thomas Hood (1799-1845) English poet Evil Evolution See: Doubt: Strindberg Heresy: Shaw Religion: Shaw While Darwinian Man, though well-behaved. At best is only a monkey shaved! William S. Gilbert (1836-1911) English librettist Evolution I repudiate with indignation and abhorrence those new-fangled theories. Benjamin Disraeli (1804-1881) English prime minister of Darwinism Evolution The question is this - Is man an ape or an angel? My Lord, I am on the side of the angels. Benjamin Disraeli (1804-1881) English prime minister Evolution Examinations Examinations are formidable even to the best prepared, for the greatest fool may ask more than the wisest man can answer. C. C. Colton (1780-1832) English author, clergyman Examinations Examinations, sir, are pure humbug from beginning to end. If a man is a gentleman he knows quite enough, and if he is not a gentleman whatever he knows is bad for him. Oscar Wilde (1854-1900) Anglo-Irish writer Examinations Do not on any account attempt to write on both sides of the paper at once. W. C. Sellar (1898-1951) British author R. J. Yeatman (1897-1968) British author Examinations I was thrown out of college for cheating on the metaphysics exam: I looked into the soul of another boy. Woody Allen (b. 1935) American filmmaker Examinations Exasperation Lord Ronald said nothing; he flung himself from the room, flung himself upon his horse and rode madly off in all directions. Stephen Leacock (1869-1944) Canadian humorist, economist Exasperation Your damned nonsense can I stand twice or once, but sometimes always, by God, never. Hans Richter (1843-1916) German conductor to the second flute in the Covent Garden orchestra Exasperation Inanimate objects are classified scientifically into three major categories - those that don't work, those that break down and those that get lost. Russell Baker (b. 1925) American humorist Exasperation Sir, you have tasted two whole worms; you have hissed all my mystery lectures and have been caught fighting a liar in the quad; you will leave by the next town drain. attributed to Rev. W. A. Spooner (1844-1930) Warden of New College, Oxford Exasperation Excellence Le mieux est l'ennemi du bien. The best is the enemy of the good. Voltaire (1694-1778) French philosopher, writer Excellence Few things are harder to put up with than the annoyance of a good example. Mark Twain (1835-1910) American author Excellence One shining quality lends a lustre to another, or hides some glaring defect. William Hazlitt (1778-1830) English essayist Excellence Excess Moderation is a fatal thing. Nothing succeeds like excess. Oscar Wilde (1854-1900) Anglo-Irish writer Excess The road of excess leads to the palace of wisdom. William Blake (1757-1827) English poet, artist Excess Man's chief difference from the brutes lies in the exuberant excess of his subjective propensities. Prune his extravagance, sober him, and you undo him. William James (1842-1910) American psychologist, philosopher Excess Macaulay is well for a while, but one wouldn't live under Niagara. Thomas Carlyle (1795-1881) Scottish writer Excess Excuses See: Lying: Addison A person who is going to commit an inhuman act invariably excuses himself by saying, "I'm only human, after all." Sydney J. Harris (1917-1986) American journalist Excuses And oftentimes excusing of a fault Doth make the fault the worse by the excuse. Pembroke, King John William Shakespeare (1564-1616) English dramatist, poet Excuses Two wrongs don't make a right, but they make a good excuse. Thomas Szasz (b. 1920) American psychiatrist Excuses There is hardly any man so strict as not to vary a little from truth when he is to make an excuse. Sir George Savile, Lord Halifax (1633-1695) English statesman, author Excuses Exercise See: Bloodsports: Wilde Sport A few hours of mountain climbing turn a rascal and a saint into two pretty similar creatures. Fatigue is the shortest way to Equality and Fraternity - and, in the end, Liberty will surrender to Sleep. Friedrich Nietzsche (1844-1900) German philosopher Exercise That's not exercise, it's flagellation. Noel Coward (1899-1973) English playwright, actor, composer of squash Exercise Exercise is bunk. If you are healthy you don't need it, if you are sick you shouldn't take it. Henry Ford (1863-1947) American industrialist Exercise The only athletic sport I ever mastered was backgammon. Douglas Jerrold (1803-1857) English playwright, humorist Exercise Whenever I feel like exercise I lie down until the feeling passes. Robert M. Hutchins (1899-1977) American educator, writer Exercise I like long walks, especially when they are taken by people who annoy me. Fred Allen (1894-1957) American comic Exercise Another good reducing exercise consists in placing both hands against the table edge and pushing back. Robert Quillen (1877-1948) American journalist Exercise I get my exercise acting as a pallbearer to my friends who exercise. Chauncey Depew (1834-1928) American Republican politician Exercise Exertion There's no taking trout with dry breeches. Miguel de Cervantes (1547-1616) Spanish novelist, dramatist, poet Exertion I wish to preach, not the doctrine of ignoble ease, but the doctrine of the strenuous life. Theodore Roosevelt (1858-1919) American president Exertion Existence See: Royalty: Charles A man said to the universe: "Sir, I exist!" "However," replied the universe, "that fact has not created in me a sense of obligation." Stephen Crane (1871-1900) American novelist, journalist Existence Man is the only animal for whom his own existence is a problem which he has to solve. Erich Fromm (1900-1980) American psychologist Existence Common sense tells us that our existence is but a brief crack of light between two eternities of darkness. Vladimir Nabokov (1899-1977) Russian-American novelist Existence The individual who has to justify his existence by his own efforts is in eternal bondage to himself. Eric Hoffer (1902-1983) American philosopher Existence Being is the great explainer. Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862) American philosopher, author, naturalist Existence Experience See: Advice: Howe Age: Estienne; Grattan Comedy: Shakespeare Excess: Blake Training: Bishop of Carthage Wisdom: Ascham Experience is the name everyone gives to their mistakes. Oscar Wilde (1854-1900) Anglo-Irish writer Experience Experience. The wisdom that enables us to recognize in an undesirable old acquaintance the folly that we have already embraced. Ambrose Bierce (1842-1914) American author Experience We learn from experience that men never learn anything from experience. George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) Anglo-Irish playwright, critic Experience Experience comprises illusions lost, rather than wisdom gained. Joseph Roux (1834-1886) French priest, writer Experience If a man deceives me once, shame on him; if he deceives me twice, shame on me. Italian proverb Experience Experience is a comb which nature gives to men when they are bald. Eastern proverb Experience What a man knows at fifty which he didn't know at twenty is, for the most part, incommunicable. Adlai Stevenson (1900-1965) American Democratic politician Experience Experience is a good teacher, but her fees are very high. W. R. Inge (1860-1954) Dean of St. Paul's, London Experience And the wild regrets, and the bloody sweats, None knew so well as I: For he who lives more lives than one More deaths than one must die. Oscar Wilde (1854-1900) Anglo-Irish writer Experience Men may rise on stepping-stones Of their dead selves to higher things. Lord Tennyson (1809-1892) English poet Experience Experience is not what happens to a man. It is what a man does with what happens to him. Aldous Huxley (1894-1963) English author Experience Experts See: Juries: Butler; Chesterton An expert is one who knows more and more about less and less. Nicholas Murray Butler (1862-1948) President of Columbia University Experts Never forget that if you leave your law to judges and your religion to bishops you will presently find yourself without either law or religion. George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) Anglo-Irish playwright, critic Experts Everyone should learn to do one thing supremely well because he likes it, and one thing supremely well because he detests it. B. W. M. Young (b. 1922) British administrator Experts This world is run by people who know how to do things. They know how things work. They are equipped. Up there, there's a layer of people who run everything. But we - we're just peasants. We don't understand what's going on, and we can't do anything. Doris Lessing (b. 1919) British writer Experts How could I have been so far off base? All my life I've known better than to depend on the experts. How could I have been so stupid, to let them go ahead? John F. Kennedy (1917-1963) American president after the Bay of Pigs fiasco Experts An expert is a man who has made all the mistakes which can be made in a very narrow field. Niels Bohr (1885-1962) Danish physicist Experts Extravagance I am dying beyond my means. Oscar Wilde (1854-1900) Anglo-Irish writer Extravagance I'm living so far beyond my income that we may almost be said to be living apart. Saki (H. H. Munro) (1870-1916) Scottish author Extravagance My candle burns at both ends; It will not last the night; But ah, my foes, and oh, my friends - It gives a lovely light! Edna St. Vincent Millay (1892-1950) American poet Extravagance Let us all be happy, and live within our means, even if we have to borrow the money to do it with. Artemus Ward (1834-1867) American journalist Extravagance Extremism See: Drink: Abstinence: Saint Augustine So over violent or over civil That every man with him was God or Devil. John Dryden (1631-1700) English poet, dramatist, critic Extremism I would remind you that extremism in the defense of liberty is no vice. And let me remind you also that moderation in the pursuit of justice is no virtue. Barry Goldwater (b. 1909) American Republican politician Extremism What is objectionable, what is dangerous about extremists is not that they are extreme, but that they are intolerant. The evil is not what they say about their cause, but what they say about their opponents. Robert Kennedy (1925-1968) American Democratic politician Extremism Faces See: Appearances: Twain Beards Debauchery: Masefield Noses I have always considered my face a convenience rather than an ornament. Dr. Oliver Wendell Holmes (1809-1894) American writer, physician Faces The tartness of his face sours ripe grapes. Menenius, Coriolanus William Shakespeare (1564-1616) English dramatist, poet Faces He had a face like a benediction. Miguel de Cervantes (1547-1616) Spanish novelist, dramatist, poet Faces My face looks like a wedding cake that has been left out in the rain. W. H. Auden (1907-1973) Anglo-American poet Faces I have eyes like those of a dead pig. Marlon Brando (b. 1924) American film actor Faces I guess I look like a rock quarry that someone has dynamited. Charles Bronson (b. 1922) American film actor Faces As a beauty I'm not a great star. Others are handsomer far; But my face - I don't mind it Because I'm behind it; It's the folks out in front that I jar. A. H. Euwer (b. 1877) American author Faces Once seen, that antique-mapped face is never forgotten - a bloodhound with a head cold, a man who is simultaneously biting on a bad lobster and caught by the neck in lift-doors, a mad scientist's amalgam of Wallace Beery and Yogi Bear. Alan Brien (b. 1925) British novelist, journalist of Walter Matthau Faces At fifty everyone has the face he deserves. George Orwell (1903-1950) British author last entry in his notebook Faces Was this the face that launch'd a thousand ships, And burnt the topless towers of Ilium? Christopher Marlowe (1564-1593) English dramatist, poet Faces "What is your fortune, my pretty maid?" "My face is my fortune, Sir," she said. nursery rhyme Faces Facts See: Newspapers: Scott Propaganda: Twain Religion: Russell Facts are stubborn things. Tobias Smollett (1721-1771) Scottish novelist, surgeon Facts Nobuddy kin talk as interestin' as th'feller that's not hampered by facts or information. Kin (F. McKinney) Hubbard (1868-1930) American humorist, journalist Facts Reporting facts is the refuge of those who have no imagination. Luc, Marquis de Vauvenargues (1715-1747) French moralist Facts It is the spirit of the age to believe that any fact, however suspect, is superior to any imaginative exercise, no matter how true. Gore Vidal (b. 1925) American novelist, critic Facts Oh, don't tell me of facts - I never believe facts: you know Canning said nothing was so fallacious as facts, except figures. Sydney Smith (1771-1845) English writer, clergyman Facts He wasn't exactly hostile to facts but he was apathetic about them. Wolcott Gibbs (1902-1958) American critic Facts Failure See: Doubt: Hare Success: Maugham There is not a fiercer hell than the failure in a great object. John Keats (1795-1821) English poet Failure We are all of us failures - at least, the best of us are. James M. Barrie (1860-1937) British playwright Failure Our business in this world is not to succeed, but to continue to fail, in good spirits. Robert Louis Stevenson (1850-1894) Scottish novelist, essayist, poet Failure In the lexicon of youth, which Fate reserves For a bright manhood, there is no such word As - fail! Edward Bulwer-Lytton (1803-1873) English novelist, playwright Failure I cannot give you the formula for success, but I can give you the formula for failure - which is: Try to please everybody. Herbert B. Swope (1882-1958) American journalist Failure There are two kinds of men who never amount to much: those who cannot do what they are told, and those who can do nothing else. Cyrus H. Curtis (1850-1933) American newspaper publisher Failure There is something distinguished about even his failures; they sink not trivially but with a certain air of majesty; like a great ship, its flags flying, full of holes. George Jean Nathan (1882-1958) American critic of Eugene O'Neill Failure He was a self-made man who owed his lack of success to nobody. Joseph Heller (b. 1923) American novelist Failure It is mighty presumptuous on your part to suppose your small failures of so much consequence that you must talk about them. Dr. Oliver Wendell Holmes (1809-1894) American writer, physician Failure A man's life manifests itself as a failure; what he has attempted he will not achieve. He will not even succeed in thinking what he wants to think or in feeling what he wants to feel. Jean-Paul Sartre (1905-1980) French philosopher, author Failure Everyone is born a king, and most people die in exile. Oscar Wilde (1854-1900) Anglo-Irish writer Failure Everyone pushes a falling fence. Chinese proverb Failure Faith See: The Afterlife: Johnson It was the schoolboy who said, "Faith is believing what you know ain't so." Mark Twain (1835-1910) American author Faith "Faith" means not wanting to know what is true. Friedrich Nietzsche (1844-1900) German philosopher Faith What is faith but a kind of betting or speculation after all? It should be, "I bet that my Redeemer liveth." Samuel Butler (1835-1902) English author Faith Faith. Belief without evidence in what is told by one who speaks without knowledge, of things without parallel. Ambrose Bierce (1842-1914) American author Faith Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. Bible, Hebrews Faith Faith declares what the senses do not see, but not the contrary of what they see. Blaise Pascal (1623-1662) French scientist, philosopher Faith Faith begins as an experiment and ends as an experience. W. R. Inge (1860-1954) Dean of St. Paul's, London Faith To believe only possibilities is not Faith, but mere Philosophy. Sir Thomas Browne (1605-1682) English physician, author Faith Philosophic argument, especially that drawn from the vastness of the universe, in comparison with the apparent insignificance of this globe, has sometimes shaken my reason for the faith that is in me; but my heart has always assured and reassured me that the gospel of Jesus Christ must be Divine Reality. The Sermon on the Mount cannot be a mere human production. This belief enters into the very depth of my conscience. The whole history of man proves it. Daniel Webster (1782-1852) American lawyer, statesman spoken on the eve of his deathand carved as his epitaph Faith The faith that stands on authority is not faith. Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882) American essayist, poet, philosopher Faith It is the heart which experiences God, and not the reason. This, then, is faith: God felt by the heart, not by the reason. Blaise Pascal (1623-1662) French scientist, philosopher Faith Reason is our soul's left hand, Faith her right, By these we reach divinity. John Donne (1572-1631) English divine, metaphysical poet Faith Faith may be defined briefly as an illogical belief in the occurrence of the improbable. H. L. Mencken (1880-1956) American journalist Faith It is as absurd to argue men, as to torture them, into believing. Cardinal John Newman (1801-1890) English churchman, theologian Faith "You say you believe," said Count de X., an extreme Catholic, to the good Protestant minister. "You people believe, but we know." Andre Gide (1869-1951) French author Faith I admire the serene assurance of those who have religious faith. It is wonderful to observe the calm confidence of a Christian with four aces. Mark Twain (1835-1910) American author Faith Faith which does not doubt is dead faith. Miguel de Unamuno (1864-1936) Spanish philosopher, poet, novelist Faith How many things we held yesterday as articles of faith which today we tell as fables. Michel de Montaigne (1533-1592) French essayist, moralist Faith Fallibility See: Lying: von Goethe Maturity: Szasz Prophecy: Eliot The fellow that says, "I may be wrong, but -" does not believe there can be any such possibility. Kin (F. McKinney) Hubbard (1868-1930) American humorist, journalist Fallibility To be positive. To be mistaken at the top of one's voice. Ambrose Bierce (1842-1914) American author Fallibility The first faults are theirs that commit them, the second theirs that permit them. 18th-century English proverb Fallibility A man should never be ashamed to own he has been in the wrong, which is but saying, in other words, that he is wiser to-day than he was yesterday. Jonathan Swift (1667-1745) Anglo-Irish satirist Fallibility Mistakes are, after all, the foundations of truth, and if a man does not know what a thing is, it is at least an increase in knowledge if he knows what it is not. Carl Jung (1875-1961) Swiss psychiatrist Fallibility Even the youngest of us may be wrong sometimes. George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) Anglo-Irish playwright, critic Fallibility Fame See: Books: Franklin Greatness: de Montandre Honor: Schopenhauer Politicians: Cassandra America has a genius for the encouragement of fame. G. K. Chesterton (1874-1936) English author Fame Happy is the man who hath never known what it is to taste of fame - to have it is a purgatory, to want it is a Hell! Edward Bulwer-Lytton (1803-1873) English novelist, playwright Fame Fame is proof that the people are gullible. Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882) American essayist, poet, philosopher Fame A celebrity is one who is known to many persons he is glad he doesn't know. H. L. Mencken (1880-1956) American journalist Fame After a fellow gets famous it doesn't take long for someone to bob up that used to sit by him at school. Kin (F. McKinney) Hubbard (1868-1930) American humorist, journalist Fame Not to know me argues yourself unknown. John Milton (1608-1674) English poet Fame What you are thunders so loud that I cannot hear what you say. Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882) American essayist, poet, philosopher Fame The fame of a great man ought always to be estimated by the means used to acquire it. Francois, Duc de La Rochefoucauld (1613-1680) French writer, moralist Fame I had not achieved a success; but I had provoked an uproar; and the sensation was so agreeable that I resolved to try again. George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) Anglo-Irish playwright, critic Fame It is a mark of many famous people that they cannot part with their brightest hour. Lillian Hellman (1907-1984) American playwright, author Fame A friend recently said, "Just imagine not being famous - what would happen?" And all of a sudden I saw the face of a passer-by on the street and the oddest feeling came over me. Gloria Swanson (1897-1983) American actress Fame Publicity in women is detestable. Anonymity runs in their blood. The desire to be veiled still possesses them. They are not even now as concerned about the health of their fame as men are, and, speaking generally, will pass a tombstone or a signpost without feeling an irresistible desire to cut their names on it. Virginia Woolf (1882-1941) British novelist Fame Being a celebrity is like rape. John McEnroe (b. 1959) American tennis player Fame It's either vilification or sanctification, and both piss me off. Bob Geldof (b. 1954) Irish rock musician Fame Censure is the tax a man pays to the public for being eminent. Jonathan Swift (1667-1745) Anglo-Irish satirist Fame I would much rather have men ask why I have no statue than why I have one. Cato the Elder (234-149 BC) Roman statesman Fame The strongest poison ever known Came from Caesar's laurel crown. William Blake (1757-1827) English poet, artist Fame If fame will fall to me only after death, I am in no hurry for it. Martial (c. 40-c. 104) Roman poet Fame Family See: Dinner Parties: Wilde Father Greatness: Dickens Mother Parents The family . . . home of all social vices, where children are taught to tell their first lie; the charitable institution for all lazy women. J. August Strindberg (1849-1912) Swedish dramatist Family The family is the place where the most ridiculous and least respectable things in the world go on. Ugo Betti (1892-1953) Italian playwright Family No matter how many communes anybody invents, the family always creeps back. Margaret Mead (1901-1978) American anthropologist Family He that hath wife and children have given hostages to fortune; for they are impediments to great enterprises, either of virtue or mischief. Francis Bacon (1561-1626) English philosopher, essayist Family Man is the head of the family, woman the neck that turns the head. Chinese aphorism Family If Absolute Sovereignty be not necessary in a State, how comes it to be so in a family? Mary Astell (1666-1735) English feminist writer Family [He] didn't dare to, because his father had a weak heart and habitually threatened to drop dead if anybody hurt his feelings. You may have noticed that people with weak hearts are the tyrants of English married life. The Bishop of Chelsea, Getting Married George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) Anglo-Irish playwright, critic Family Be kind to your mother-in-law, and if necessary pay for her board at some good hotel. Josh Billings (1818-1885) American humorist Family The awe and dread with which the untutored savage contemplates his mother-in-law are amongst the most familiar facts of anthropology. James G. Frazer (1854-1941) Scottish classicist, anthropologist Family If you want to know how old a woman is, ask her sister-in-law. Ed (E. W.) Howe (1853-1937) American journalist, novelist Family For there is no friend like a sister In calm or stormy weather; To cheer one on the tedious way, To fetch one if one goes astray, To lift one if one totters down, To strengthen whilst one stands. Christina Rossetti (1830-1894) English poet, lyricist Family Big sisters are the crab grass in the lawn of life. Charles Schulz (b. 1922) American cartoonist Family Relations are simply a tedious pack of people who haven't got the remotest knowledge of how to live nor the smallest instinct about when to die. Oscar Wilde (1854-1900) Anglo-Irish writer Family I advise thee to visit thy relations and friends; but I advise thee not to live too near to them. Thomas Fuller (1654-1734) English physician Family When our relatives are at home, we have to think of all their good points or it would be impossible to endure them. But when they are away, we console ourselves for their absence by dwelling on their vices. The Captain, Heartbreak House George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) Anglo-Irish playwright, critic Family I can't help detesting my relations. I suppose it comes from the fact that none of us can stand other people having the same faults as ourselves. Oscar Wilde (1854-1900) Anglo-Irish writer Family God gives us our relatives; thank God we can choose our friends. Ethel Watts Mumford (1878-1940) American novelist, humorous writer Family A poor relation - is the most irrelevant thing in nature. Charles Lamb (1775-1834) English essayist, critic Family Accidents will occur in the best-regulated families. Mr. Micawber, David Copperfield Charles Dickens (1812-1870) English novelist Family Fanatics See: Persuasion: Junius Sects: Keats A fanatic is a man that does what he thinks the Lord would do if he knew the facts of the case. Finley Peter Dunne (1867-1936) American journalist, humorist Fanatics Defined in psychological terms, a fanatic is a man who consciously overcompensates a secret doubt. Aldous Huxley (1894-1963) English author Fanatics A fanataic is one who can't change his mind and won't change the subject. Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965) British statesman, writer Fanatics Fanaticism consists in redoubling your effort when you have forgotten your aim. George Santayana (1863-1952) American philosopher, poet Fanatics Without fanaticism we cannot accomplish anything. Eva Peron (1919-1952) wife of Juan Peron, President of Argentina Fanatics There are few catastrophes so great and irremediable as those that follow an excess of zeal. R. H. Benson (1871-1914) British novelist Fanatics The worst of madmen is a saint run mad. Alexander Pope (1688-1744) English poet Fanatics Fanatics are men with strong tastes for drink trying hard to keep sober. Elbert Hubbard (1856-1915) American author Fanatics Mere human beings cannot afford to be fanatical about anything. Not even about justice or loyalty. The fanatic for justice ends by murdering a million helpless people to clear a space for his law courts. If we are to survive on this planet there must be compromises. Storm Jameson (1891-1986) British novelist Fanatics Farewells Laughter is not at all a bad beginning for a friendship, and it is far the best ending for one. Oscar Wilde (1854-1900) Anglo-Irish writer Farewells Let's have one other gaudy night. Antony, Antony and Cleopatra William Shakespeare (1564-1616) English dramatist, poet Farewells Let us eat and drink; for tomorrow we shall die. Bible, Isaiah Farewells Partir, c'est mourir un peu. To leave is to die a little. French proverb Farewells When I died last, and, Dear, I die As often as from thee I go. John Donne (1572-1631) English divine, metaphysical poet Farewells Every parting gives a foretaste of death, every reunion a hint of the resurrection. Arthur Schopenhauer (1788-1860) German philosopher Farewells It is amazing how nice people are to you when they know you are going away. Michael Arlen (1895-1956) British novelist Farewells It is never any good dwelling on goodbyes. It is not the being together that it prolongs, it is the parting. Elizabeth Bibesco (1897-1945) British author Farewells All farewells should be sudden. Lord Byron (1788-1824) English poet Farewells Farmers Our Farmers round, well pleased with constant gain, Like other farmers, flourish and complain. George Crabbe (1754-1832) English poet, clergyman Farmers A good farmer is nothing more nor less than a handy man with a sense of humus. E. B. White (1899-1985) American author, editor Farmers The master's eye is the best fertilizer. Pliny the Elder (23-79) Roman scholar Farmers How can he get wisdom . . . whose talk is of bullocks? Apocrypha, Ecclesiasticus Farmers Fascism The destiny of history has united you [Hitler] with myself and the Duce in an indissoluble way. General Franco (1892-1975) Fascist dictator of Spain Fascism Fascism is a European inquietude. It is a way of knowing everything - history, the state, the achievement of the proletarianization of public life, a new way of knowing the phenomena of our epoch. J. A. Primo de Rivera (1903-1936) Spanish Falangist politician Fascism We enter parliament in order to supply ourselves, in the arsenal of democracy, with its own weapons . . . If democracy is so stupid as to give us free tickets and salaries for this bear's work, that is its affair . . . We do not come as friends, nor even as neutrals. We come as enemies. As the wolf bursts into the flock, so we come. Joseph Goebbels (1897-1945) German Nazi propagandist in 1928 Fascism Fascism, the more it considers and observes the future and the development of humanity, quite apart from political considerations of the moment, believes neither in the possibility nor the utility of perpetual peace. Benito Mussolini (1883-1945) Fascist dictator of Italy Fascism Fascism is Capitalism plus Murder. Upton Sinclair (1878-1968) American writer, Socialist politician Fascism Because Fascism is a lie, it is condemned to literary sterility. And when it is past, it will have no history, except the bloody history of murder. Ernest Hemingway (1899-1961) American writer Fascism Fascism is not in itself a new order of society. It is the future refusing to be born. Aneurin Bevan (1897-1960) British Labour politician Fascism Fascism was a counter-revolution against a revolution that never took place. Ignazio Silone (1900-1978) Italian writer, Socialist politician Fascism Fashion Fashion is gentility running away from vulgarity, and afraid of being overtaken. William Hazlitt (1778-1830) English essayist Fashion Fashion is that by which the fantastic becomes for a moment the universal. Oscar Wilde (1854-1900) Anglo-Irish writer Fashion In olden days a glimpse of stocking Was looked on as something shocking But now, heaven knows, Anything goes. Cole Porter (1893-1964) American composer, lyricist Fashion A fashionable woman is always in love - with herself. Francois, Duc de La Rochefoucauld (1613-1680) French writer, moralist Fashion I cannot and will not cut my conscience to fit this year's fashions. Lillian Hellman (1907-1984) American playwright, author in letter to Chairman of the House Committee on un-American Activities Fashion You don't have to signal a social conscience by looking like a frump. Lace knickers won't hasten the holocaust, you can ban the bomb in a feather boa just as well as without, and a mild interest in the length of hemlines doesn't necessarily disqualify you from reading Das Kapital and agreeing with every word. Jill Tweedie (b. 1936) British journalist Fashion One had as good be out of the world, as out of the fashion. Colley Cibber (1671-1757) English actor-manager, playwright Fashion Fashion is made to become unfashionable. Coco Chanel (1883-1971) French couturiere Fashion After all, what is fashion? From the artistic point of view, it is usually a form of ugliness so intolerable that we have to alter it every six months. Oscar Wilde (1854-1900) Anglo-Irish writer Fashion Father See: Parents As fathers commonly go, it is seldom a misfortune to be fatherless; and considering the general run of sons, as seldom a misfortune to be childless. Lord Chesterfield (1694-1773) English statesman, man of letters Father No man is responsible for his father. That is entirely his mother's affair. Margaret Turnbull (1890-1942) American writer, politician Father The worst misfortune that can happen to an ordinary man is to have an extraordinary father. Austin O'Malley (1858-1932) American oculist, writer Father To be a successful father there's one absolute rule: when you have a kid, don't look at it for the first two years. Ernest Hemingway (1899-1961) American writer Father What harsh judges fathers are to all young men! Terence (c. 190-159 BC) Roman dramatist Father The fundamental defect of fathers is that they want their children to be a credit to them. Bertrand Russell (1872-1970) British philosopher, mathematician, social reformer Father An unforgiving eye, and a damned disinheriting countenance. Richard Brinsley Sheridan (1751-1816) Anglo-Irish dramatist Father One father is more than a hundred schoolmasters. 17th-century English proverb Father Leontine: An only son, sir, might expect more indulgence. Croaker: An only father, sir, might expect more obedience. The Good-Natur'd Man Oliver Goldsmith (1728-1774) Anglo-Irish author Father Diogenes struck the father when the son swore. Robert Burton (1577-1640) English clergyman, author Father Sir Walter, being strangely surprised and put out of his countenance at so great a table, gives his son a damned blow over the face. His son, as rude as he was, would not strike his father, but strikes over the face the gentleman that sat next to him and said "Box about: 'twill come to my father anon." John Aubrey (1626-1697) English antiquary, author Father When I was a boy of fourteen, my father was so ignorant I could hardly stand to have the old man around. But when I got to be twenty-one, I was astonished at how much he had learned in seven years. Mark Twain (1835-1910) American author Father We think our fathers fools, so wise we grow; Our wiser sons, no doubt will think us so. Alexander Pope (1688-1744) English poet Father The father's thankless position in the family is to be everybody's breadwinner, everybody's enemy. J. August Strindberg (1849-1912) Swedish dramatist Father His father watched him across the gulf of years and pathos which always must divide a father from his son. J. P. Marquand (1893-1960) American novelist Father In peace the sons bury their fathers, but in war the fathers bury their sons. Croesus (d. c. 560 BC) Lydian king Father You're a kind of father figure to me, Dad. Alan Coren (b. 1938) British editor, humorist Father Fault-finding If we had no faults we should not take so much pleasure in noticing them in others. Francois, Duc de La Rochefoucauld (1613-1680) French writer, moralist Fault-finding To find out a girl's faults, praise her to her girl friends. Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790) American statesman, writer Fault-finding Always mistrust a subordinate who never finds fault with his superior. J. Churton Collins (1848-1908) English author, critic, scholar Fault-finding There are persons who always find a hair in their plate of soup for the simple reason that, when they sit down before it, they shake their heads until one falls in. Friedrich Hebbel (1813-1863) German dramatist Fault-finding Clean your finger before you point at my spots. Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790) American statesman, writer Fault-finding Favors See: Gratitude: La Rochefoucauld He that has once done you a kindness will be more ready to do you another than he whom you yourself have obliged. Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790) American statesman, writer Favors The pleasure we derive from doing favors is partly in the feeling it gives us that we are not altogether worthless. Eric Hoffer (1902-1983) American philosopher Favors Too great a hurry to discharge an obligation is a kind of ingratitude. Francois, Duc de La Rochefoucauld (1613-1680) French writer, moralist Favors When some men discharge an obligation, you can hear the report for miles around. Mark Twain (1835-1910) American author Favors Fear See: Love: Saint John If hopes were dupes, fears may be liars. A. H. Clough (1819-1861) English poet Fear Let me assert my firm belief that the only thing we have to fear is fear itself. Franklin D. Roosevelt (1882-1945) American president Fear No passion so effectually robs the mind of all its powers of acting and reasoning as fear. Edmund Burke (1729-1797) Irish philosopher, statesman Fear There is no terror in a bang, only in the anticipation of it. Alfred Hitchcock (1899-1980) Anglo-American film director Fear I am not afraid of anything. If you fear God you do not fear anything else. Colonel MuhammarQaddafi (b. 1938) Libyan leader Fear Those who love to be feared, fear to be loved. Some fear them, but they fear everyone. Jean-Pierre Camus (1584-1652) French churchman, author Fear Feminism See: Protest: Mathews Revolutionaries: Oppenheim The Queen is most anxious to enlist everyone who can speak or write to join in checking this mad, wicked folly of "Woman's Rights" with all its attendant horrors on which her poor, feeble sex is bent, forgetting every sense of womanly feeling and propriety. Queen Victoriaof England (1819-1901) Feminism A society in which woman are taught anything but the management of a family, the care of men, and the creation of the future generation is a society which is on the way out. L. Ron Hubbard (1911-1986) founder of scientology Feminism Movements born in hatred very quickly take on the characteristics of the thing they oppose. J. S. Habgood (b. 1927) Archbishop of York of ultra-feminists, in 1986 Feminism If men will not do us justice, they shall do us violence. Emmeline Pankhurst (1857-1928) British suffragette Feminism The history of men's opposition to women's emancipation is more interesting perhaps than the story of that emancipation itself. Virginia Woolf (1882-1941) British novelist Feminism If the abstract rights of man will bear discussion and explanation, those of women, by a parity of reasoning, will not shrink from the same test; though a different opinion prevails in this country. Mary Wollstonecraft (1759-1797) English feminist writer Feminism The true Republic: men, their rights and nothing more; women, their rights and nothing less. Susan B. Anthony (1820-1906) American suffragette Feminism Anyone who knows anything of history knows that great social changes are impossible without the feminine upheaval. Social progress can be measured exactly by the social position of the fair sex; the ugly ones included. Karl Marx (1818-1883) German social philosopher, revolutionary Feminism Women's liberation, if it abolishes the patriarchal family, will abolish a necessary substructure of the authoritarian state, and once that withers away Marx will have come true willy-nilly, so let's get on with it. Germaine Greer (b. 1939) Australian feminist writer Feminism I owe nothing to Women's Lib. Margaret Thatcher (b. 1925) English prime minister Feminism Women get more unhappy the more they try to liberate themselves. Brigitte Bardot (b. 1933) French film actress Feminism The people I'm furious with are the women's liberationists. They keep getting up on soapboxes and proclaiming women are brighter than men. That's true, but it should be kept quiet or it ruins the whole racket. Anita Loos (1893-1981) American screenwriter Feminism The suffering of either sex - of the male who is unable, because of the way in which he was reared, to take the strong initiating or patriarchal role that is still demanded of him, or of the female who has been given too much freedom of movement as a child to stay placidly within the house as an adult - this suffering, this discrepancy, this sense of failure in an enjoined role, is the point of leverage for social change. Margaret Mead (1901-1978) American anthropologist Feminism There must be a world revolution which puts an end to all materialistic conditions hindering woman from performing her natural role in life and driving her to carry out man's duties in order to be equal in rights. Colonel MuhammarQaddafi (b. 1938) Libyan leader Feminism People call me feminist whenever I express sentiments that differentiate me from a doormat or a prostitute. Rebecca West (1892-1983) British writer Feminism A woman without a man is like a fish without a bicycle. Gloria Steinem (b. 1934) American feminist writer Feminism Fertility See: Procreation: Greer Earth is here so kind, that just tickle her with a hoe and she laughs with a harvest. Douglas Jerrold (1803-1857) English playwright, humorist Fertility The disruptive powers of excessive national fecundity may have played a greater part in bursting the bonds of convention than either the power of ideas or the errors of autocracy. John Maynard Keynes (1883-1946) English economist Fertility The management of fertility is one of the most important functions of adulthood. Germaine Greer (b. 1939) Australian feminist writer Fertility I'm hurt, hurt and humiliated beyond endurance . . . Seeing the wheat ripening, the fountains never ceasing to give water, the sheep bearing hundreds of lambs, the she-dogs . . . until it seems the whole country rises to show me its tender sleeping young while I feel two hammer-blows here instead of the mouth of my child. Yerma, Yerma Federico Garcia Lorca (1898-1936) Spanish lyric poet, dramatist Fertility Fiction See: Literature: Hemingway Writers: Wilde Fiction is Truth's elder sister Rudyard Kipling (1865-1936) English author Fiction For if the proper study of mankind is man, it is evidently more sensible to occupy yourself with the coherent, substantial and significant creatures of fiction than with the irrational and shadowy figures of real life. W. Somerset Maugham (1874-1965) British author Fiction The novel, if it be anything, is contemporary history, an exact and complete reproduction of social surroundings of the age we live in. George Moore (1852-1933) Irish author Fiction If you write fiction you are, in a sense, corrupted. There's a tremendous corruptibility for the fiction writer because you're dealing mainly with sex and violence. These remain the basic themes, they're the basic themes of Shakespeare whether you like it or not. Anthony Burgess (b. 1917) British author Fiction In the true novel, as opposed to reportage and chronicle, the main action takes place inside the characters' skull and ribs. Arthur Koestler (1905-1983) British author Fiction Generally speaking people are plagued with problems that they are unable to solve. To escape them they pick up a detective story, become completely absorbed, help bring the investigation to a successful conclusion, switch off the light and go to sleep. Erle Stanley Gardner (1899-1970) American author Fiction The thriller is an extension of the fairy tale. It is melodrama so embellished as to create the illusion that the story being told, however unlikely, could be true. Raymond Chandler (1888-1959) American writer Fiction The best part of the fiction in many novels is the notice that the characters are purely imaginary. Franklin P. Adams (1881-1960) American journalist, humorist Fiction When the characters are really alive before their author, the latter does nothing but follow them in their action, in their words, in the situations which they suggest to him. Luigi Pirandello (1867-1936) Italian playwright, author Fiction Novels so often provide an anodyne and not an antidote, glide one into torpid slumbers instead of rousing one with a burning brand. Virginia Woolf (1882-1941) British novelist Fiction The principle of procrastinated rape is said to be the ruling one in all the great bestsellers. V. S. Pritchett (b. 1900) British writer, critic Fiction The good ended happily, and the bad unhappily. That is what Fiction means. Oscar Wilde (1854-1900) Anglo-Irish writer Fiction Fidelity See: Loyalty Virtue: Shaw Fidelity. A virtue peculiar to those who are about to be betrayed. Ambrose Bierce (1842-1914) American author Fidelity Young men want to be faithful and are not; old men want to be faithless and cannot. Oscar Wilde (1854-1900) Anglo-Irish writer Fidelity The cruelest revenge of a woman is to remain faithful to a man. Jacques Bossuet (1627-1704) French churchman Fidelity No man worth having is true to his wife, or can be true to his wife, or ever was, or ever will be so. Sir John Vanbrugh (1664-1726) English playwright, architect Fidelity Those who are faithful know only the trivial side of love: it is the faithless who know love's tragedies. Oscar Wilde (1854-1900) Anglo-Irish writer Fidelity Fire Man is the animal that has made friends with the fire. Henry Van Dyke (1852-1933) American clergyman, author Fire No spectacle is nobler than a blaze. Dr. Samuel Johnson (1709-1784) English author, lexicographer Fire Flattery See: Admiration: La Rochefoucauld Compliments Humility: Chinese proverb Ingratiation: Chesterfield Politicians: Shakespeare Power: Moore Praise: Smith Royalty: Disraeli Madam, before you flatter a man so grossly to his face, you should consider whether or not your flattery is worth his having. Dr. Samuel Johnson (1709-1784) English author, lexicographer Flattery Blarney is flattery laid on so thin you love it; baloney is flattery laid on so thick you hate it. Fulton J. Sheen (1895-1979) American clergyman, author Flattery Flattery makes friends and truth makes enemies. Spanish proverb Flattery The art of pleasing consists in being pleased. William Hazlitt (1778-1830) English essayist Flattery Just praise is only a debt, but flattery is a present. Dr. Samuel Johnson (1709-1784) English author, lexicographer Flattery Very ugly or very beautiful women should be flattered on their understanding, mediocre ones on their beauty. Lord Chesterfield (1694-1773) English statesman, man of letters Flattery What really flatters a man is that you think him worth flattering. Broadbent, John Bull's Other Island George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) Anglo-Irish playwright, critic Flattery Praise undeserv'd is satire in disguise. anonymous, 18th century Flattery I should have praised you more had you praised me less. King Louis XIV of France (1638-1715) to Bossuet Flattery Flirting See: Marriage: Wilde Seduction: Charles Self-image: Johnson No matter how happily a woman may be married, it always pleases her to discover that there is a nice man who wishes that she were not. H. L. Mencken (1880-1956) American journalist Flirting Flirtation, attention without intention. Max O'Rell, Paul Blouet (1848-1903) French journalist, lecturer, critic Flirting When she raises her eyelids it's as if she were taking off all her clothes. Colette (1873-1954) French novelist Flirting Ah, beautiful passionate body That has never ached with a heart! A. C. Swinburne (1837-1909) English poet, critic Flirting What attracts us in a woman rarely binds us to her. J. Churton Collins (1848-1908) English author, critic, scholar Flirting So much alarm'd that she is quite alarming, All Giggle, Blush - half Pertness, and half Pout. Lord Byron (1788-1824) English poet Flirting Whoever loves above all the approach of love will never know the joy of attaining it. Antoine de Saint-Exupery (1900-1944) French aviator, writer Flirting Men do make passes at girls who wear glasses - but it all depends on their frames. optician, 1964 Flirting Food See: Morality: Brecht To eat is human, to digest divine. Charles Copeland (1860-1952) American educator Food A man seldom thinks with more earnestness of anything than he does of his dinner. Dr. Samuel Johnson (1709-1784) English author, lexicographer Food He was a bold man who first swallowed an oyster. King James I of England (1566-1625) Food On the continent people have good food; in England people have good table manners. George Mikes (b. 1912) Hungarian-born British humorist Food "Dish or no dish," rejoined the Caledonian, "there's a deal o' fine confused feedin' about it, let me tell you." John Brown (1810-1882) Scottish essayist, physician of haggis Food Part of the secret of success in life is to eat what you like and let the food fight it out inside. Mark Twain (1835-1910) American author Food The right diet directs sexual energy into the parts that matter. Barbara Cartland (b. 1901) British novelist Food Everything you see, I owe to spaghetti. Sophia Loren (b. 1934) Italian film actress Food No man is lonely while eating spaghetti; it requires so much attention. Christopher Morley (1890-1957) American novelist, journalist Food There is no love sincerer than the love of food. Tanner, Man and Superman George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) Anglo-Irish playwright, critic Food One should eat to live, not live to eat. Moliere (1622-1673) French playwright Food Seeing is deceiving. It's eating that's believing. James Thurber (1894-1961) American humorist, illustrator Food Fools See: Imitation: Beerbohm Tree Laughter: Byron; Johnson Marriage: Fielding Persuasion: Billings They never open their mouths without subtracting from the sum of human knowledge. Thomas B. Reed (1839-1902) American lawyer, politician Fools A fellow who is always declaring he's no fool usually has his suspicions. Wilson Mizner (1876-1933) American dramatist, wit Fools He was born stupid, and greatly increased his birthright. Samuel Butler (1835-1902) English author Fools Ordinarily he was insane, but he had lucid moments when he was merely stupid. Heinrich Heine (1797-1856) German poet, journalist Fools However big the fool, there is always a bigger fool to admire him. Nicolas Boileau (1636-1711) French poet, critic Fools Limbus fatuorum is the name given by the old schoolmen to the intermediate region between heaven and hell, where dwelt what Dante calls "the praiseless and the blameless dead," or, in other words, fools, idiots and lunatics. John Milton (1608-1674) English poet Fools Whenever a man does a thoroughly stupid thing, it is always from the noblest motives. Oscar Wilde (1854-1900) Anglo-Irish writer Fools As a dog returneth to his vomit, so a fool returneth to his folly. Bible, Proverbs Fools There are two kinds of fools: one says, "This is old, therefore it is good"; the other says, "This is new, therefore it is better." W. R. Inge (1860-1954) Dean of St. Paul's, London Fools A fool and his words are soon parted. William Shenstone (1714-1763) English poet Fools It has been said that there is no fool like an old fool, except a young fool. But the young fool has first to grow up to be an old fool to realise what a damn fool he was when he was a young fool. Harold Macmillan, Lord Stockton (1894-1986) British Conservative politician, prime minister Fools The ultimate result of shielding men from the effects of folly, is to fill the world with fools. Herbert Spencer (1820-1903) English philosopher Fools He who lives without folly isn't so wise as he thinks. Francois, Duc de La Rochefoucauld (1613-1680) French writer, moralist Fools I always treat fools and coxcombs with great ceremony; true good breeding not being a sufficient barrier against them. G. K. Chesterton (1874-1936) English author Fools There are more fools than knaves in the world, else the knaves would not have enough to live upon. Samuel Butler (1612-1680) English poet Fools The dulness of the fool is the whetstone of the wits. Celia, As You Like It William Shakespeare (1564-1616) English dramatist, poet Fools If it were not for the company of fools, a witty man would often be greatly at a loss. Francois, Duc de La Rochefoucauld (1613-1680) French writer, moralist Fools The most difficult character in comedy is the fool, and he must be no fool who plays that part. Miguel de Cervantes (1547-1616) Spanish novelist, dramatist, poet Fools In the vain laughter of folly wisdom hears half its applause. George Eliot (1819-1880) English novelist Fools Let us be thankful for the fools. But for them the rest of us could not succeed. Mark Twain (1835-1910) American author Fools Suffer fools gladly; they may be right. Holbrook Jackson (1874-1948) British writer Fools Force I have with me two gods, Persuasion and Compulsion. Themistocles (c. 528-c. 462 BC) Athenian statesman Force The use of force alone is but temporary. It may subdue for a moment; but does not remove the necessity of subduing again: and a nation is not governed, which is perpetually to be conquered. Edmund Burke (1729-1797) Irish philosopher, statesman Force Some people draw a comforting distinction between "force" and "violence" . . . I refuse to cloud the issue by such word-play . . . the power which establishes a state is violence; the power which maintains it is violence; the power which eventually overthrows it is violence . . . Call an elephant a rabbit only if it gives you comfort to feel that you are about to be trampled to death by a rabbit. Kenneth Kaunda (b. 1924) Zambian statesman, president Force I think that the sacredness of human life is a purely municipal ideal of no validity outside the jurisdiction. I believe that force, mitigated as far as may be by good manners, is the ultima ratio, and between two groups of men that want to make inconsistent kinds of world I see no remedy except force . . . It seems to me that every society rests on the death of men. Justice Oliver WendellHolmes (1841-1935) American jurist Force Foreigners They spell it Vinci and pronounce it Vinchy; foreigners always spell better than they pronounce. Mark Twain (1835-1910) American author Foreigners Who's 'im, Bill? A stranger! 'Eave 'arf a brick at 'im. Punch Foreigners Modern man . . . is educated to understand foreign languages and misunderstand foreigners. G. K. Chesterton (1874-1936) English author Foreigners Don't imagine I regard foreigners as inferior - they fascinate me. Harold Wilson (b. 1916) British Labour politician, prime minister Foreigners I've always had a weakness for foreign affairs. Mae West (1892-1980) American film actress Foreigners Forgiveness See: Conversation: La Rochefoucauld Dinner Parties: Wilde God: Heine Guilt: Russian proverb The Public: Lavater Forgiveness is the key to action and freedom. Hannah Arendt (1906-1975) American political philosopher Forgiveness Always forgive your enemies; nothing annoys them so much. Oscar Wilde (1854-1900) Anglo-Irish writer Forgiveness Forgive! How many will say, "forgive," and find A sort of absolution in the sound To hate a little longer! Lord Tennyson (1809-1892) English poet Forgiveness One should forgive one's enemies, but not before they are hanged. Heinrich Heine (1797-1856) German poet, journalist Forgiveness Nobody ever forgets where he buried a hatchet. Kin (F. McKinney) Hubbard (1868-1930) American humorist, journalist Forgiveness Many promising reconciliations have broken down because, while both parties came prepared to forgive, neither party came prepared to be forgiven. Charles Williams (1886-1945) British author Forgiveness 'Tout comprendre, c'est tout pardonner' is an error, the fact being that the secret of forgiving everything is to understand nothing. George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) Anglo-Irish playwright, critic Forgiveness How shall I lose the sin, yet keep the sense, And love the offender, yet detest the offence? Alexander Pope (1688-1744) English poet Forgiveness The stupid neither forgive nor forget; the naive forgive and forget; the wise forgive but do not forget. Thomas Szasz (b. 1920) American psychiatrist Forgiveness "I can forgive, but I cannot forget," is only another way of saying, "I cannot forgive." Henry Ward Beecher (1813-1887) American clergyman, editor, writer Forgiveness I have looked on a lot of women with lust. I've committed adultery in my heart many times. God recognizes I will do this and forgives me. Jimmy Carter (b. 1924) American president during presidential campaign, 1976 Forgiveness God will forgive me; that is His business. Heinrich Heine (1797-1856) German poet, journalist Forgiveness We never ask God to forgive anybody except where we haven't. Elbert Hubbard (1856-1915) American author Forgiveness Foul play He could not see a belt without hitting below it. Margot Asquith (1864-1945) socialite wife of Prime Minister Herbert Asquith of Lloyd George Foul play Quit fouling like a wimp. If you're gonna foul, knock the crap outta him. Norm Stewart Missouri Tigers' basketball coach to 6ft 9in Dan Bingenheimer Foul play For nothing can seem foul to those that win. King Henry, King Henry IV part I William Shakespeare (1564-1616) English dramatist, poet Foul play France See: Paris France, famed in all great arts, in none supreme. Matthew Arnold (1822-1888) English poet, critic France How can anyone govern a nation that has two hundred and forty different kinds of cheese? General Charles de Gaulle (1890-1970) French president France France is the only place where you can make love in the afternoon without people hammering on your door. Barbara Cartland (b. 1901) British novelist France Liberte! Fraternite! Sexualite! graffito in Paris Metro France Everything ends this way in France - everything. Weddings, christenings, duels, burials, swindlings, diplomatic affairs - everything is a pretext for a good dinner. Jean Anouilh (1910-1987) French dramatist France . . . So damn your food and damn your wines, Your twisted loaves and twisting vines, Your table d'hote, your a la carte, Your land, your history, your art. From now on you can keep the lot. Take every single thing you've got, Your land, your wealth, your men, your dames, Your dream of independent power, And dear old Konrad Adenauer, And stick them up your Eiffel Tower. Anthony Jay (b. 1930) British writer, journalist extract from verse on France's rejection of Britain's entry into EEC, 1963 France The French are a logical people, which is one reason the English dislike them so intensely. The other is that they own France, a country which we have always judged to be much too good for them. Robert Morley (b. 1908) British actor, wit France France is a country where the money falls apart in your hands and you can't tear the toilet paper. Billy Wilder (b. 1906) American writer-director France Fraternity See: War: Gill 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 down together at the table of brotherhood. Martin Luther King (1929-1968) American civil rights leader Fraternity I believe in the brotherhood of all men, but I don't believe in wasting brotherhood on anyone who doesn't want to practice it with me. Brotherhood is a two-way street. Malcolm X (1925-1965) American radical leader Fraternity Freedom See: Equality: Bakunin Freedom of Speech Liberty Necessity: Engels Sacrifice: Shaw The State: Lenin Man was born free, and everywhere he is in chains. Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712-1778) Swiss-French philosopher, political theorist Freedom All that makes existence valuable to anyone depends on the enforcement of restraints upon the actions of other people. John Stuart Mill (1806-1873) English philosopher, economist Freedom Freedom is always freedom for the one who thinks differently. Rosa Luxemburg (1870-1919) German revolutionary Freedom None who have always been free can understand the terrible fascinating power of the hope of freedom to those who are not free. Pearl S. Buck (1892-1973) American novelist Freedom Freedom is never voluntarily given by the oppressor; it must be demanded by the oppressed. Martin Luther King (1929-1968) American civil rights leader Freedom Freedom is not worth having if it does not connote freedom to err. Mohandas K. Gandhi (1869-1948) Indian political and spiritual leader Freedom The great trouble with the young people today is their freedom; they can no longer disobey. Jean Cocteau (1891-1963) French writer, film director Freedom The free way of life proposes ends, but it does not prescribe means. Robert Kennedy (1925-1968) American Democratic politician Freedom We got a free country here in this island, only none of us is free, but even so we is unfree equally. Wolf Mankowitz (b. 1924) British author Freedom Only very slowly and late have men come to realize that unless freedom is universal it is only extended privilege. Christopher Hill (b. 1912) British historian Freedom No human being, however great, or powerful, was ever so free as a fish. John Ruskin (1819-1900) English critic Freedom The basic test of freedom is perhaps less in what we are free to do than in what we are free not to do. Eric Hoffer (1902-1983) American philosopher Freedom I gave my life for freedom - this I know: For those who bade me fight had told me so. W. N. Ewer (1885-1976) Freedom Freedom does not always win. This is one of the bitterest lessons of history. A. J. P. Taylor (b. 1906) British historian Freedom Freedom of Speech See: Freedom Liberty Give me the liberty to know, to utter, and to argue freely according to conscience, above all liberties. John Milton (1608-1674) English poet Freedom of Speech Every man has a right to utter what he thinks truth, and every man has a right to knock him down for it. Dr. Samuel Johnson (1709-1784) English author, lexicographer Freedom of Speech People hardly ever make use of the freedom they have, for example, freedom of thought; instead they demand freedom of speech as a compensation. Soren Kierkegaard (1813-1855) Danish philosopher Freedom of Speech Liberty of thought means liberty to communicate one's thought. Salvador de Madariaga (1886-1978) Spanish diplomat, writer, critic Freedom of Speech The sound of tireless voices is the price we pay for the right to hear the music of our own opinions. Adlai Stevenson (1900-1965) American Democratic politician Freedom of Speech It is now virtually impossible for the media in Britain to expose official wrongdoing without technically breaking the law. Donald Trelford (b. 1937) British newspaper editor Freedom of Speech Freedom of speech does not give a person the right to shout "Fire!" in a crowded theater. Justice Oliver WendellHolmes (1841-1935) American jurist Freedom of Speech I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it. epitome of Voltaire (1694-1778) French philosopher, writer Freedom of Speech Friendlessness See: Leadership: Shelley Friendless. Having no favors to bestow. Destitute of fortune. Addicted to utterance of truth and common sense. Ambrose Bierce (1842-1914) American author Friendlessness No one can have a higher opinion of him than I have - and I think he is a dirty little beast. William S. Gilbert (1836-1911) English librettist Friendlessness Friendliness See: America: Waugh The social, friendly, honest man, Whate'er he be, 'Tis he fulfils great Nature's plan, And none but he! Robert Burns (1759-1796) Scottish poet Friendliness A friend to all is a friend to none. Greek proverb Friendliness The American has dwindled into an Odd Fellow - one who may be known by the development of his organ of gregariousness. Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862) American philosopher, author, naturalist Friendliness Friends See: Acquaintance Altruism: Charles Argument: Auden Discretion: de la Fontaine Enemies: de Poitiers Family: Mumford Greatness: Horace Hard Times: Welles Hypocrisy: Gay Judgments: Bennett Money: Milligan Portraits: Sargent What is a friend? A single soul dwelling in two bodies. Aristotle (384-322 BC) Greek philosopher Friends So long as we are loved by others I should say that we are almost indispensable; and no man is useless while he has a friend. Robert Louis Stevenson (1850-1894) Scottish novelist, essayist, poet Friends It is more shameful to distrust one's friends than to be deceived by them. Francois, Duc de La Rochefoucauld (1613-1680) French writer, moralist Friends It is in the thirties that we want friends. In the forties we know that they won't save us any more than love did. F. Scott Fitzgerald (1896-1940) American author Friends If you would have friends, first learn to do without them. Elbert Hubbard (1856-1915) American author Friends It's the friends you can call up at 4 am that matter. Marlene Dietrich (b. 1901) German-American film actress Friends 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 (1803-1882) American essayist, poet, philosopher Friends We cherish our friends not for their ability to amuse us, but for ours to amuse them. Evelyn Waugh (1903-1966) British novelist Friends I do not believe that friends are necessarily the people you like best, they are merely the people who got there first. Peter Ustinov (b. 1921) British author, actor, wit Friends Friends are like fiddle strings, they must not be screwed too tight. English proverb Friends Most people enjoy the inferiority of their best friends. Lord Chesterfield (1694-1773) English statesman, man of letters Friends In the misfortunes of our best friends we always find something not altogether displeasing to us. Francois, Duc de La Rochefoucauld (1613-1680) French writer, moralist Friends Give me the avowed, the erect, the manly foe, Bold I can meet - perhaps may turn his blow; But of all plagues, good Heaven, thy wrath can send, Save, save, oh save me from the Candid Friend. George Canning (1770-1827) English statesman, prime minister Friends Instead of loving your enemies, treat your friends a little better. Ed (E. W.) Howe (1853-1937) American journalist, novelist Friends Friendship See: Acquaintance Age: Old Age: Smith Altruism: Charles Courtesy: Colette Death: Pope Drink: wayside pulpit Family: Rossetti Marriage: Stevenson Power: Moore A sudden thought strikes me; - let us swear an eternal friendship. John Hookham Frere (1769-1846) British diplomat, author Friendship Be courteous to all, but intimate with few, and let those few be well tried before you give them your confidence. True friendship is a plant of slow growth, and must undergo and withstand the shocks of adversity before it is entitled to the appellation. George Washington (1732-1799) American president Friendship If I am pressed to say why I loved him, I feel it could only be explained by answering: "Because it was him; because it was me." Michel de Montaigne (1533-1592) French essayist, moralist Friendship Men seem to kick friendship around like a football, but it doesn't seem to crack. Women treat it as glass and it goes to pieces. Anne Morrow Lindbergh (b. 1906) American poet, essayist Friendship Oh, the pious friendships of the female sex! William Congreve (1670-1729) English dramatist Friendship The endearing elegance of female friendship. Dr. Samuel Johnson (1709-1784) English author, lexicographer Friendship If a man does not make new acquaintance as he advances through life, he will soon find himself alone. A man, Sir, should keep his friendship in constant repair. Dr. Samuel Johnson (1709-1784) English author, lexicographer Friendship Friendship is Love, without his wings! Lord Byron (1788-1824) English poet Friendship Love is only chatter, Friends are all that matter. Gelett Burgess (1866-1951) American humorist, illustrator Friendship Friendship is a disinterested commerce between equals; love, an abject intercourse between tyrants and slaves. Oliver Goldsmith (1728-1774) Anglo-Irish author Friendship Friendship may, and often does, grow into love, but love never subsides into friendship. Lord Byron (1788-1824) English poet Friendship That's what friendship means: sharing the prejudice of experience. Charles Bukowski (b. 1920) American author Friendship Love is blind; friendship closes its eyes. anonymous Friendship Friendship creates only the illusion of not being alone. Orson Welles (1915-1985) American filmmaker Friendship Fun Most of the time I don't have much fun. The rest of the time I don't have any fun at all. Woody Allen (b. 1935) American filmmaker Fun All the animals except man know that the principle business of life is to enjoy it. Samuel Butler (1835-1902) English author Fun For present joys are more to flesh and blood Than a dull prospect of a distant good. John Dryden (1631-1700) English poet, dramatist, critic Fun Fun is a good thing but only when it spoils nothing better. George Santayana (1863-1952) American philosopher, poet Fun People must not do things for fun. We are not here for fun. There is no reference to fun in any Act of Parliament. A. P. Herbert (1890-1971) British author, politician Fun Function The question of common sense is always 'What is it good for?' - a question which would abolish the rose and be answered triumphantly by the cabbage. James Russell Lowell (1819-1891) American poet, editor Function Utility is the great idol of the age, to which all powers must do service and all talents swear allegiance. Friedrich von Schiller (1759-1805) German dramatist, poet Function Funerals Our respect for the dead, when they are just dead, is something wonderful. John Ruskin (1819-1900) English critic Funerals When we attend the funerals of our friends we grieve for them, but when we go to those of other people it is chiefly our own deaths that we mourn for. Gerald Brenan (1894-1987) British writer Funerals As grand And griefless as a rich man's funeral. Sidney Thompson Dobell (1824-1874) English poet Funerals Funeral pomp is more for the vanity of the living than for the honour of the dead. Francois, Duc de La Rochefoucauld (1613-1680) French writer, moralist Funerals I did not attend his funeral; but I wrote a nice letter saying I approved of it. Mark Twain (1835-1910) American author Funerals The only reason I might go to the funeral is to make absolutely sure that he's dead. an "eminent editor" of Lord Beaverbrook, quoted by Anthony Sampson, 1965 Funerals Futility I have measured out my life with coffee spoons. T. S. Eliot (1888-1965) Anglo-American poet Futility A constant smirk upon the face, and a whiffling activity of the body, are strong indications of futility. Lord Chesterfield (1694-1773) English statesman, man of letters Futility As futile as a clock in an empty house. James Thurber (1894-1961) American humorist, illustrator Futility The Future Tomorrow is the most important thing in life. Comes into us at midnight very clean. It's perfect when it arrives and it puts itself in our hands. It hopes we've learned something from yesterday. John Wayne (1907-1979) American film actor The Future The future is called "perhaps," which is the only possible thing to call the future. And the important thing is not to allow that to scare you. Tennessee Williams (1914-1983) American playwright The Future Future. That period of time in which our affairs prosper, our friends are true and our happiness is assured. Ambrose Bierce (1842-1914) American author The Future We should all be concerned about the future because we will have to spend the rest of our lives there. C. F. Kettering (1876-1958) American engineer, industrialist The Future I have a Vision of the Future, chum. the workers' flats in fields of soya beans Tower up like silver pencils. John Betjeman (1906-1984) British poet The Future Gambling See: Faith: Butler Gambling promises the poor what property performs for the rich - something for nothing. George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) Anglo-Irish playwright, critic Gambling There are two great pleasures in gambling: that of winning and that of losing. French proverb Gambling It is the child of avarice, the brother of iniquity, and the father of mischief. George Washington (1732-1799) American president Gambling No wife can endure a gambling husband unless he is a steady winner. Lord Dewar (1864-1930) British writer Gambling The only man who makes money following the races is one who does it with a broom and shovel. Elbert Hubbard (1856-1915) American author Gambling Time spent in a casino is time given to death, a foretaste of the hour when one's flesh will be diverted to the purposes of the worm and not the will. Rebecca West (1892-1983) British writer Gambling Death and dice level all distinctions. Samuel Foote (1720-1777) English dramatist Gambling Gardens God Almighty first planted a garden. And indeed it is the purest of human pleasures. Francis Bacon (1561-1626) English philosopher, essayist Gardens Annihilating all that's made To a green thought in a green shade. Andrew Marvell (1621-1678) English metaphysical poet Gardens Every flower is a soul blossoming out to nature. Gerard de Nerval (1808-1855) French writer, translator Gardens These flowers, which were splendid and sprightly, Waking in the dawn of the morning, In the evening will be a pitiful frivolity, Sleeping in the night's cold arms. Pedro Calderon de la Barca (1600-1681) Spanish playwright Gardens What is a weed? A plant whose virtues have not yet been discovered. Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882) American essayist, poet, philosopher Gardens Training is everything. The peach was once a bitter almond; cauliflower is nothing but cabbage with a college education. Mark Twain (1835-1910) American author Gardens What a man needs in gardening is a cast-iron back, with a hinge in it. Charles D. Warner (1829-1900) American essayist, novelist Gardens Gays See: AIDS: Kramer This sort of thing may be tolerated by the French - but we are British, thank God. Viscount Montgomery (1887-1976) British soldier Gays Homosexuality is a sickness, just as are baby-rape or wanting to become head of General Motors. Eldridge Cleaver (b. 1935) American black leader, writer Gays There is probably no sensitive heterosexual alive who is not preoccupied with his latent homosexuality. Norman Mailer (b. 1923) American author Gays This is a celebration of individual freedom, not of homosexuality. No government has the right to tell its citizens when or whom to love. The only queer people are those who don't love anybody. Rita Mae Brown (b. 1944) American feminist writer of the Gay Olympics, 1982 Gays The only way we'll have real pride is when we demand recognition of a culture that isn't just sexual. It's all there - all through history we've been there; but we have to claim it, and identify who was in it, and articulate what's in our minds and hearts and all our creative contributions to this earth. And until we do that, and until we organize ourselves block by neighborhood by city by state into a united visible community that fights back, we're doomed. Ned, The Normal Heart Larry Kramer (b. 1935) American playwright, novelist Gays Generals See: The Army Politicians: Montgomery I made all my generals out of mud. Napoleon Bonaparte (1769-1821) Emperor of France Generals One murder made a villain, millions a hero. Beilby Porteous (1731-1808) English clergyman, writer Generals All though history it's the nations that have given most to the generals and the least to the people that have been the first to fall. Harry S. Truman (1884-1972) American president Generals Humility must always be the portion of any man who receives acclaim earned in the blood of his followers and the sacrifices of his friends. Dwight D. Eisenhower (1890-1969) American president Generals Soldiers win battles and generals get the credit. Napoleon Bonaparte (1769-1821) Emperor of France Generals The best generals I have known were stupid or absent-minded men . . . Not only does a good army commander not need any special qualities, on the contrary he needs the absence of the highest and best human attributes - love, poetry, tenderness, and philosophic inquiring doubt. He should be limited, firmly convinced that what he is doing is very important (otherwise he will not have sufficient patience), and only then will he be a brave leader. God forbid that he should be humane, should love, or pity, or think of what is just and unjust. Leo Tolstoy (1828-1910) Russian novelist, philosopher from War and Peace trans. Louise and Aylmer Maude Generals It is better to have a lion at the head of an army of sheep than a sheep at the head of an army of lions. Daniel Defoe (1661-1731) English writer Generals My center is giving way, my right is in retreat; situation excellent. I shall attack. Ferdinand Foch (1851-1929) French general Generals Put your trust in God, my boys, and keep your powder dry. Valentine Blacker (1778-1823) British soldier, historian of Oliver Cromwell Generals You must not fight too often with one enemy, or you will teach him all your art of war. Napoleon Bonaparte (1769-1821) Emperor of France Generals War is too important a matter to be left to the generals. Georges Clemenceau (1841-1929) French politician, prime minister Generals The Generation Gap See: Age Arrogance: Burke; Harris Every generation is a secret society and has incommunicable enthusiasms, tastes and interests which are a mystery both to its predecessors and to posterity. Arthur Chapman (1873-1935) American poet, author The Generation Gap Our tastes greatly alter. The lad does not care for the child's rattle, and the old man does not care for the young man's whore. Dr. Samuel Johnson (1709-1784) English author, lexicographer The Generation Gap The old know what they want; the young are sad and bewildered. Logan Pearsall Smith (1865-1946) Anglo-American essayist The Generation Gap We have to hate our immediate predecessors to get free of their authority. D. H. Lawrence (1885-1930) English author The Generation Gap The denunciation of the young is a necessary part of the hygiene of older people, and greatly assists the circulation of their blood. Logan Pearsall Smith (1865-1946) Anglo-American essayist The Generation Gap It is all that the young can do for the old, to shock them and keep them up to date. George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) Anglo-Irish playwright, critic The Generation Gap One of these days there will be a terrible revolt of the old against the young. St. John Ervine (1888-1971) British dramatist, novelist The Generation Gap Generosity See: Government: Lever Give all thou canst; high Heaven rejects the lore Of nicely-calculated less or more. William Wordsworth (1770-1850) English poet Generosity Liberality consists less in giving a great deal than in gifts well-timed. Jean de la Bruyere (1645-1696) French writer, moralist Generosity What is called generosity is usually only the vanity of giving; we enjoy the vanity more than the thing given. Francois, Duc de La Rochefoucauld (1613-1680) French writer, moralist Generosity We must be aware of the dangers which lie in our most generous wishes. Some paradox of our nature leads us, when once we have made our fellow men the objects of our enlightened interest, to go on to make them the objects of our pity, then of our wisdom, ultimately of our coercion. Lionel Trilling (1905-1975) American critic Generosity As for the largest-hearted of us, what is the word we write most often in our chequebooks? - "Self." Eden Philpotts (1862-1960) British author Generosity Don't be selfish. If you have something you do not want, and know someone who has no use for it, give. In this way you can be generous without expenditure of self-denial and also help another to be the same. Elbert Hubbard (1856-1915) American author Generosity It is always so pleasant to be generous, though very vexatious to pay debts. Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882) American essayist, poet, philosopher Generosity It's better to give than to lend, and it costs about the same. Sir Philip Gibbs (1877-1962) British author, journalist Generosity Genius See: Innovation: Disraeli Self-image: Wilde Shakespeare: Hazlitt; Jonson Work: Reynolds Writers: Heine; Lowell The divine egoism that is genius. Mary Webb (1881-1927) British author Genius The dullard's envy of brilliant men is always assuaged by the suspicion that they will come to a bad end. Sir Max Beerbohm (1872-1956) British author Genius To mediocrity genius is unforgivable. Elbert Hubbard (1856-1915) American author Genius Doing easily what others find difficult is talent; doing what is impossible for talent is genius. Henri Amiel (1821-1881) Swiss philosopher, poet Genius Mediocrity knows nothing higher than itself, but talent instantly recognizes genius. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (1859-1930) English author Genius Every man of genius is considerably helped by being dead. Robert Lynd (1879-1949) Anglo-Irish essayist, journalist Genius The measure of a master is his success in bringing all men round to his opinion twenty years later. Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882) American essayist, poet, philosopher Genius Masterpieces are not single and solitary births; they are the outcome of many years of thinking in common, of thinking by the body of the people, so that the experience of the mass is behind the single voice. Virginia Woolf (1882-1941) British novelist Genius If we are to have genius we must put up with the inconvenience of genius, and that the world will never do; it wants geniuses, but would like them just like other people. George Moore (1852-1933) Irish author Genius Since when was genius found respectable? Elizabeth Barrett Browning (1806-1861) English poet Genius Great wits are sure to madness near allied. John Dryden (1631-1700) English poet, dramatist, critic Genius The most effective way of shutting our minds against a great man's ideas is to take them for granted and admit he was great and have done with him. George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) Anglo-Irish playwright, critic Genius Everybody denies I am a genius - but nobody ever called me one! Orson Welles (1915-1985) American filmmaker Genius Good God! What a genius I had when I wrote that book. Jonathan Swift (1667-1745) Anglo-Irish satirist of The Tale of a Tub Genius A man who is a genius and doesn't know it probably isn't. Stanislaus J. Lec (b. 1909) Polish poet Genius Milton, Madam, was a genius that could cut a Colossus from a rock; but he could not carve heads upon cherry-stones. Dr. Samuel Johnson (1709-1784) English author, lexicographer Genius Man can climb to the highest summits, but he cannot dwell there long. Morell, Candida George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) Anglo-Irish playwright, critic Genius The genius of Einstein leads to Hiroshima. Pablo Picasso (1881-1973) Spanish artist Genius Genocide A single death is a tragedy, a million deaths is a statistic. Josef Stalin (1879-1953) USSR dictator Genocide After all there is but one race - humanity. George Moore (1852-1933) Irish author Genocide Gentlemen See: The Army: Cromwell Bloodsports: Johnson Examinations: Wilde The Navy: Macaulay University: Congreve I can make a lord, but only God almighty can make a gentleman. King James I of England (1566-1625) Gentlemen Education begins a gentleman, conversation completes him. 18th-century English proverb Gentlemen He was the product of an English public school and university . . . no scholar, but essentially a gentleman. H. Seton Merriman (1862-1903) English novelist Gentlemen A gentleman is one who never hurts anyone's feelings unintentionally. Oscar Wilde (1854-1900) Anglo-Irish writer Gentlemen Almost an Emperor and not quite a gentleman. Lord Ancaster (1867-1951) British politician, administrator of Hugh, 5th earl of Lonsdale Gentlemen He is every other inch a gentleman. Rebecca West (1892-1983) British writer Gentlemen I am parshial to ladies if they are nice. I suppose it is my nature. I am not quite a gentleman but you would hardly notice it. Daisy Ashford (1881-1972) British writer of The Young Visiters, aged 9 Gentlemen It is at unimportant moments that a man is a gentleman. At important moments he ought to be something better. G. K. Chesterton (1874-1936) English author Gentlemen Anyone can be heroic from time to time, but a gentleman is something you have to be all the time. Luigi Pirandello (1867-1936) Italian playwright, author Gentlemen I do not know the American gentleman, God forgive me for putting two such words together. Charles Dickens (1812-1870) English novelist Gentlemen The only infallible rule we know is, that the man who is always talking about being a gentleman never is one. R. S. Surtees (1803-1864) English sporting novelist Gentlemen Germany We Germans will never produce another Goethe, but we may produce another Caesar. Oswald Spengler (1880-1936) German philosopher, historian in 1925 Germany They are a fine people but quick to catch the disease of anti-humanity. I think it's because of their poor elimination. Germany is a headquarters for constipation. George Grosz (1893-1959) German artist Germany Everything ponderous, viscous, and solemnly clumsy, all long-winded and boring types of style are developed in profuse variety among Germans. Friedrich Nietzsche (1844-1900) German philosopher Germany Whenever the literary German dives into a sentence, that is the last you are going to see of him till he emerges on the other side of his Atlantic with his verb in his mouth. Mark Twain (1835-1910) American author Germany Getting Ahead See: Ambition Promotion The Scots: Barrie Success Winning There are only two ways of getting ahead in the world: by one's own industry, or by the stupidity of others. Jean de la Bruyere (1645-1696) French writer, moralist Getting Ahead No one rises so high as he who knows not whither he is going. Oliver Cromwell (1599-1658) Lord Protector of England Getting Ahead When you are getting kicked from the rear it means you're in front. Fulton J. Sheen (1895-1979) American clergyman, author Getting Ahead You have to be a bastard to make it, and that's a fact. And the Beatles are the biggest bastards on Earth. John Lennon (1940-1980) English rock singer, songwriter Getting Ahead The path of social advancement is, and must be, strewn with broken friendships. H. G. Wells (1866-1946) English author, social thinker Getting Ahead To establish oneself in the world, one does all one can to seem established there already. Francois, Duc de La Rochefoucauld (1613-1680) French writer, moralist Getting Ahead The trouble with the rat-race is that even if you win, you're still a rat. Lily Tomlin (b. 1939) American comedy actress Getting Ahead Give and Take Do unto the other fellow the way he's like to do unto you an' do it fust. Edward Noyes Westcott (1847-1898) American novelist Give and Take Do not do unto others as you would that they should do unto you. Their tastes may not be the same. George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) Anglo-Irish playwright, critic Give and Take It is explained that all relationships require a little give and take. This is untrue. Any partnership demands that we give and give and give and at the last, as we flop into our graves exhausted, we are told that we didn't give enough. Quentin Crisp (b. 1908) British author Give and Take Glory See: Popularity: Hugo Avoid shame but do not seek glory - nothing so expensive as glory. Sydney Smith (1771-1845) English writer, clergyman Glory The paths of glory lead but to the grave. Thomas Gray (1716-1771) English poet Glory Military glory - the attractive rainbow that rises in showers of blood. Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865) American president Glory Is it not passing brave to be a King, And ride in triumph through Persepolis? Christopher Marlowe (1564-1593) English dramatist, poet Glory I have touch'd the highest point of all my greatness, And from that full meridian of my glory I haste now to my setting. Wolsey, King Henry VIII William Shakespeare (1564-1616) English dramatist, poet Glory The final event to himself has been, that as he rose like a rocket, he fell like the stick. Thomas Paine (1737-1809) Anglo-American writer of Edmund Burke Glory What is glory? It is to have a lot of nonsense talked about you. Gustave Flaubert (1821-1880) French novelist Glory God See: Art: Merton The British: Shaw Creation Faith: Pascal Forgiveness: Heine Luck: France; Greek proverb Miracles: Cary Prayer: Day Privilege: Saint Peter The Status Quo: Saint Paul Of course there's no such thing as a totally objective person, except Almighty God, if she exists. Lady Antonia Fraser (b. 1932) British historian God God is an unutterable sigh, planted in the depths of the soul. Jean Paul Richter (1763-1825) German author God The most beautiful of all emblems is that of God, whom Timaeus of Locris describes under the image of "A circle whose center is everywhere and circumference nowhere." Voltaire (1694-1778) French philosopher, writer God God, that dumping ground of our dreams. Jean Rostand (1894-1977) French biologist, writer God The only excuse for God is that he doesn't exist. Stendhal (1783-1842) French author God I believe in the incomprehensibility of God. Honore de Balzac (1799-1850) French writer God A comprehended God is no God. John Chrysostom (345-407) Greek ecclesiast, hermit God Every conjecture we can form with regard to the works of God has as little probability as the conjectures of a child with regard to the works of a man. Thomas Reid (1710-1796) Scottish philosopher God No statement about God is simply, literally true. God is far more than can be measured, described, defined in ordinary language, or pinned down to any particular happening. David Jenkins (b. 1925) theologian, Bishop of Durham God If God made us in His image we have certainly returned the compliment. Voltaire (1694-1778) French philosopher, writer God If the triangles made a god, they would give him three sides. Charles de Montesquieu (1689-1755) French philosopher, writer, lawyer God Somewhere in the Bible it say Jesus' hair was like lamb's wool, I say. Well, say Shug, if he came to any of these churches we talking bout he'd have to have it conked before anybody paid him any attention. The last thing niggers want to think about they God is that his hair kinky. Alice Walker (b. 1944) American author, critic God And almost every one when age, Disease, or sorrows strike him, Inclines to think there is a God, Or something very like Him. A. H. Clough (1819-1861) English poet God God is for men and religion for women. Joseph Conrad (1857-1924) English novelist God But if God had wanted us to think with our wombs, why did He give us a brain? Clare Boothe Luce (1903-1987) American diplomat, writer God God uses lust to impel men to marry, ambition to office, avarice to earning, and fear to faith. God led me like an old blind goat. Martin Luther (1483-1546) German leader of the Protestant Reformation God A man with God is always in the majority. John Knox (1505-1572) Scottish Presbyterian leader God One, with God, is always a majority, but many a martyr has been burned at the stake while the votes were being counted. Thomas B. Reed (1839-1902) American lawyer, politician God As you know, God is generally on the side of the big squadrons against the small ones. Comte de Bussy-Rabutin (1618-1693) French soldier, writer God God is not on the side of the big battalions, but on the side of those who shoot best. Voltaire (1694-1778) French philosopher, writer God To believe in God for me is to feel that there is a God, not a dead one, or a stuffed one, but a living one, who with irresistible force urges us toward more loving. Vincent Van Gogh (1853-1890) Dutch painter God In the faces of men and women I see God, and in my own face in the glass, I find letters from God dropt in the street, and every one is sign'd by God's name. And I leave them where they are, for I know that wheresoe'er I go, Others will punctually come for ever and ever. Walt Whitman (1819-1892) American poet God No man hates God without first hating himself. Fulton J. Sheen (1895-1979) American clergyman, author God Throw away thy rod, Throw away thy wrath; O my God, Take the gentle path. George Herbert (1593-1633) English clergyman, poet God God will forgive me the foolish remarks I have made about Him just as I will forgive my opponents the foolish things they have written about me, even though they are spiritually as inferior to me as I to thee, O God! Heinrich Heine (1797-1856) German poet, journalist God God will provide - ah, if only He would till He does! Yiddish proverb God By the year 2000 we will, I hope, raise our children to believe in human potential, not God. Gloria Steinem (b. 1934) American feminist writer God If God wants us to do a thing, He should make his wishes sufficiently clear. Sensible people will wait till He has done this before paying much attention to Him. Samuel Butler (1835-1902) English author God God is a verb, not a noun. R. Buckminster Fuller (1895-1983) American architect, engineer God We were deceived by the wisdom of the serpent, but we are freed by the foolishness of God. Saint Augustine (354-430) theologian God An act of God was defined as something which no reasonable man could have expected. A. P. Herbert (1890-1971) British author, politician God I have never understood why it should be considered derogatory to the Creator to suppose that he has a sense of humour. W. R. Inge (1860-1954) Dean of St. Paul's, London God Why is it when we talk to God, we're said to be praying - but when God talks to us, we're schizophrenic? Lily Tomlin (b. 1939) American comedy actress God Gawd knows, an' 'E won't split on a pal. Rudyard Kipling (1865-1936) English author God Goddesses A woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars. John the Divine (b. 1st century AD) Apostle of Jesus Goddesses And some to Mecca turn to pray, and I toward thy bed, Yasmin. James Elroy Flecker (1884-1915) English poet Goddesses What, when drunk, one sees in other women, one sees in Garbo sober. Kenneth Tynan (1927-1980) British critic Goddesses Golf A day spent in a round of strenuous idleness. William Wordsworth (1770-1850) English poet Golf It is almost impossible to remember how tragic a place the world is when one is playing golf. Robert Lynd (1879-1949) Anglo-Irish essayist, journalist Golf Golf is a good walk spoiled. Mark Twain (1835-1910) American author Golf A golf course outside a big town serves an excellent purpose in that it segregates, as though in a concentration camp, all the idle and idiot well-to-do. Sir Osbert Sitwell (1892-1969) British writer, poet Golf Golf is a game whose aim is to hit a very small ball into an even smaller hole, with weapons singularly ill-designed for the purpose. Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965) British statesman, writer Golf Good Deeds See: Altruism Benefactors Charity Intentions: Shaw Motives: La Rochefoucauld Style: Burke The luxury of doing good surpasses every other personal enjoyment. John Gay (1685-1732) English playwright, poet Good Deeds It is the mark of a good action that it appears inevitable in retrospect. Robert Louis Stevenson (1850-1894) Scottish novelist, essayist, poet Good Deeds That best portion of a good man's life, His little, nameless, unremembered acts Of kindness and love. William Wordsworth (1770-1850) English poet Good Deeds The greatest pleasure I know is to do a good action by stealth, and to have it found out by accident. Charles Lamb (1775-1834) English essayist, critic Good Deeds Verily the kindness that gazes upon itself in a mirror turns to stone, And a good deed that calls itself by tender names becomes the parent to a curse. Kahlil Gibran (1883-1931) Syrian mystic, poet Good Deeds The deed is all, not the glory. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749-1832) German poet, dramatist, novelist, scientist Good Deeds Every good deed is more than three parts pride. Gustave Flaubert (1821-1880) French novelist Good Deeds The last temptation is the greatest treason: To do the right deed for the wrong reason. T. S. Eliot (1888-1965) Anglo-American poet Good Deeds Goodness See: Kindness People cannot remain good unless good is expected of them. Bertolt Brecht (1898-1956) German dramatist, poet Goodness To be good, according to the vulgar standard of goodness, is obviously quite easy. It merely requires a certain amount of sordid terror, a certain lack of imaginative thought, and a certain low passion for middle-class respectability. Oscar Wilde (1854-1900) Anglo-Irish writer Goodness When I'm good, I'm very good, but when I'm bad I'm better. Mae West (1892-1980) American film actress Goodness Gossip See: History: Creighton Reputation: Howe Scandal: Wilde Slander: Wilde Suicide: Connolly And all who told it added something new, And all who heard it made enlargements too. Alexander Pope (1688-1744) English poet Gossip If it is abuse - why one is always sure to hear of it from one damned good-natured friend or other! Richard Brinsley Sheridan (1751-1816) Anglo-Irish dramatist Gossip It takes your enemy and your friend, working together, to hurt you to the heart: the one to slander you and the other to get the news to you. Mark Twain (1835-1910) American author Gossip Alas! they had been friends in youth; But whispering tongues can poison truth. Samuel Taylor Coleridge (1772-1834) English poet Gossip There is a demon that puts wings on certain tales and launches them like eagles into space. Alexandre Dumas (1802-1870) French author Gossip Gossip is the art of saying nothing in a way that leaves practically nothing unsaid. Walter Winchell (1897-1972) American columnist Gossip Gossip: sociologists on a mean and petty scale. Woodrow Wilson (1856-1924) American president Gossip Nobody's interested in sweetness and light. Hedda Hopper (1890-1966) American film actress, gossip columnist Gossip Show me someone who never gossips, and I'll show you someone who isn't interested in people. Barbara Walters (b. 1931) American television personality Gossip Gossip is vice enjoyed vicariously. Elbert Hubbard (1856-1915) American author Gossip At every word a reputation dies. Alexander Pope (1688-1744) English poet Gossip Confidante. One entrusted by A with the secrets of B confided to herself by C. Ambrose Bierce (1842-1914) American author Gossip If all men knew what others say of them, there would not be four friends in the world. Blaise Pascal (1623-1662) French scientist, philosopher Gossip How awful to reflect that what people say of us is true. Logan Pearsall Smith (1865-1946) Anglo-American essayist Gossip The sewing-circle - the Protestant confessional where each one confesses, not her own sins, but the sins of her neighbors. Charles B. Fairbanks (1827-1859) Gossip They come together like the coroner's inquest, to sit upon the murdered reputations of the week. William Congreve (1670-1729) English dramatist Gossip None are so fond of secrets as those who do not mean to keep them. C. C. Colton (1780-1832) English author, clergyman Gossip In scandal as in robbery, the receiver is always thought as bad as the thief. Lord Chesterfield (1694-1773) English statesman, man of letters Gossip Backbite. To "speak of a man as you find him" when he can't find you. Ambrose Bierce (1842-1914) American author Gossip Tattlers also and busybodies, speaking things which they ought not. Saint Paul (3-67) Apostle to the Gentiles Gossip She poured a little social sewage into his ears. George Meredith (1828-1909) English author Gossip Ah, well, the truth is always one thing, but in a way it's the other thing, the gossip, that counts. It shows where people's hearts lie. Paul Scott (1920-1978) British author Gossip Government See: Corruption: Colton; Ickes Elections: graffito Jokers: Rogers Newspapers: Phillips Opposition: Disraeli The Press: Jefferson Religion: Shaw; Russell Secrets: Bentham Taxation: Shaw; Voltaire The Athenians govern the Greek; I govern the Athenians; you, my wife, govern me; your son governs you. Themistocles (c. 528-c. 462 BC) Athenian statesman Government The punishment which the wise suffer who refuse to take part in the government, is to live under the government of worse men. Plato (428-347 BC) Greek philosopher Government Men are not governed by justice, but by law or persuasion. When they refuse to be governed by law or persuasion, they have to be governed by force or fraud, or both. Lord Summerhayes, Misalliance George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) Anglo-Irish playwright, critic Government Governments need to have both shepherds and butchers. Voltaire (1694-1778) French philosopher, writer Government Government is like a baby. An alimentary canal with a big appetite at one end and no sense of responsibility at the other. Ronald Reagan (b. 1911) American president Government Government is emphatically a machine: to the discontented a "taxing machine," to the contented a "machine for securing property." Thomas Carlyle (1795-1881) Scottish writer Government Government has no other end than the preservation of property. John Locke (1632-1704) English philosopher Government The hatred Americans have for their own government is pathological . . . at one level it is simply thwarted greed: since our religion is making a buck, giving a part of that buck to any government is an act against nature. Gore Vidal (b. 1925) American novelist, critic Government The business of Government is to see that no other organization is as strong as itself. Woodrow Wilson (1856-1924) American president Government The marvel of all history is the patience with which men and women submit to burdens unnecessarily laid upon them by their governments. William E. Borah (1865-1940) American politician Government To be governed is to be watched, inspected, spied upon, directed, lawridden, regulated, penned up, indoctrinated, preached at, checked, appraised, seized, censured, commanded by beings who have neither title, knowledge nor virtue. Pierre-Joseph Proudhon (1809-1865) French social theorist Government Nothing is so galling to a people not broken in from the birth as a paternal, or in other words a meddling government, a government which tells them what to read and say and eat and drink and wear. Thomas Babington Macaulay (1800-1859) English historian Government We mustn't be stiff and stand-off, you know. We must be thoroughly democratic, and patronize everybody without distinction of class. Broadbent, John Bull's Other Island George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) Anglo-Irish playwright, critic Government The government of the world I live in was not framed, like that of Britain, in after-dinner conversations over the wine. Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862) American philosopher, author, naturalist Government At the very heart of British government there is a luxuriant and voluntary exclusion of talent. Brian Chapman (b. 1923) British academic Government It is the duty of Her Majesty's Government neither to flap nor to falter. Harold Macmillan, Lord Stockton (1894-1986) British Conservative politician, prime minister Government The authorities were at their wit's end, nor had it taken them long to get there. Desmond MacCarthy (1877-1952) British critic Government Generosity is a part of my character, and I therefore hasten to assure this Government that I will never make an allegation of dishonesty against it wherever a simple explanation of stupidity will suffice. Leslie, Baron Lever (1905-1977) British solicitor, Labour politician Government The art of government is the organization of idolatry. George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) Anglo-Irish playwright, critic Government The object of government in peace and in war is not the glory of rulers or of races, but the happiness of the common man. William Beveridge (1879-1963) British economist Government For forms of government let fools contest, Whate'er is best administered is best. Alexander Pope (1688-1744) English poet Government Mankind, when left to themselves, are unfit for their own government. George Washington (1732-1799) American president Government Let us treat men and women well; treat them as if they were real; perhaps they are. Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882) American essayist, poet, philosopher Government Graffiti There was so much handwriting on the wall that even the wall fell down. Christopher Morley (1890-1957) American novelist, journalist Graffiti Gratitude Maybe the only thing worse than having to give gratitude constantly . . . is having to accept it. William Faulkner (1897-1962) American novelist Gratitude In most of mankind gratitude is merely a secret hope of further favors. Francois, Duc de La Rochefoucauld (1613-1680) French writer, moralist Gratitude Gratitude is a sickness suffered by dogs. Josef Stalin (1879-1953) USSR dictator Gratitude There are minds so impatient of inferiority that their gratitude is a species of revenge, and they return benefits, not because recompense is a pleasure but because obligation is a pain. Dr. Samuel Johnson (1709-1784) English author, lexicographer Gratitude We seldom find people ungrateful so long as we are in a condition to render them service. Francois, Duc de La Rochefoucauld (1613-1680) French writer, moralist Gratitude He receives comfort like cold porridge. Sebastian, The Tempest William Shakespeare (1564-1616) English dramatist, poet Gratitude Is it not possible to eat me without insisting that I sing the praises of my devourer? Feodor Dostoievski (1821-1881) Russian novelist Gratitude Greatness See: Death: Froude Glory: Shakespeare Heroes: Chesterton Motives: Burke Public Life: de la Bruyere Scholarship: Holmes Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon'em. Malvolio, quoting letter, Twelfth Night William Shakespeare (1564-1616) English dramatist, poet Greatness Great men hallow a whole people, and lift up all who live in their time. Sydney Smith (1771-1845) English writer, clergyman Greatness The great are only great because we carry them on our shoulders. Claude Dubosc de Montandre (b. 17th century) French writer, pamphleteer Greatness Great men are rarely isolated mountain-peaks; they are summits of ranges. T. W. Higginson (1823-1911) American clergyman, writer Greatness Everybody comes along at the right time . . . Leonardo was lucky because he came along at the right time. Oscar Wilde was lucky because he came at the right time - if he hadn't gone to court and been martyred he wouldn't be such a cult hero now. Or Jesus Christ - if he came back now he would really be up the shit because there's no capital punishment. David Bailey (b. 1938) British photographer Greatness Nothing great will ever be achieved without great men, and men are great only if they are determined to be so. General Charles de Gaulle (1890-1970) French president Greatness Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Great men are almost always bad men. Lord Acton (1834-1902) English historian Greatness What millions died that Caesar might be great! Thomas Campbell (1777-1844) Scottish poet Greatness No great man lives in vain. The history of the world is but the biography of great men. Thomas Carlyle (1795-1881) Scottish writer Greatness The world, will, in the end, follow only those who have despised as well as served it. Samuel Butler (1835-1902) English author Greatness It is a melancholy truth that even great men have their poor relations. Charles Dickens (1812-1870) English novelist Greatness We are both great men, but I have succeeded better in keeping it a profound secret than he has. Bill(E. W.) Nye (1850-1896) American journalist, humorous writer Greatness To have a great man for a friend seems pleasant to those who have never tried it; those who have, fear it. Horace (65-8 BC) Latin poet Greatness To be great is to be misunderstood. Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882) American essayist, poet, philosopher Greatness Greed See: Drink: Swift Avarice, sphincter of the heart. Matthew Green (1696-1737) English poet Greed Avarice, the spur of industry. David Hume (1711-1776) Scottish philosopher, historian Greed The love of money is the root of all evil. Saint Paul (3-67) Apostle to the Gentiles Greed Greed, like the love of comfort, is a kind of fear. Cyril Connolly (1903-1974) British critic Greed Avarice is generally the last passion of those lives of which the first part has been squandered in pleasure, and the second devoted to ambition. Dr. Samuel Johnson (1709-1784) English author, lexicographer Greed So for a good old-gentlemanly vice, I think I must take up with avarice. Lord Byron (1788-1824) English poet Greed There is enough for the needy but not for the greedy. Mohandas K. Gandhi (1869-1948) Indian political and spiritual leader Greed Grief See: Drink: Calverley Money: Smith Unhappiness Widowhood: Fuller Grief fills the room up of my absent child, Lies in his bed, walks up and down with me, Puts on his pretty looks, repeats his words. Constance, King John William Shakespeare (1564-1616) English dramatist, poet Grief Grief is the agony of an instant: the indulgence of grief the blunder of a life. Benjamin Disraeli (1804-1881) English prime minister Grief What we call mourning for our dead is perhaps not so much grief at not being able to call them back as it is grief at not being able to want to do so. Thomas Mann (1875-1955) German author, critic Grief The display of grief makes more demands than grief itself. How few men are sad in their own company. Seneca (c. 5-65) Roman writer, philosopher, statesman Grief We often console ourselves for being unhappy by a certain pleasure in appearing so. Francois, Duc de La Rochefoucauld (1613-1680) French writer, moralist Grief Pain hardens, and great pain hardens greatly, whatever the comforters say, and suffering does not ennoble, though it may occasionally lend a certain rigid dignity of manner to the suffering frame. A. S. Byatt (b. 1936) British author Grief In all the silent manliness of grief. Oliver Goldsmith (1728-1774) Anglo-Irish author Grief Sorrow, the great idealizer. James Russell Lowell (1819-1891) American poet, editor Grief People in distress never think that you feel enough. Dr. Samuel Johnson (1709-1784) English author, lexicographer Grief Nothing becomes so offensive so quickly as grief. When fresh it finds someone to console it, but when it becomes chronic, it is ridiculed, and rightly. Seneca (c. 5-65) Roman writer, philosopher, statesman Grief Weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning. Bible, Psalms Grief The Grotesque She resembles the Venus de Milo: she is very old, has no teeth, and has white spots on her yellow skin. Heinrich Heine (1797-1856) German poet, journalist The Grotesque Her skin was white as leprosy. Samuel Taylor Coleridge (1772-1834) English poet The Grotesque Grudges See: Prejudice: Bible I was angry with my friend. I told my wrath, my wrath did end. I was angry with my foe: I told it not, my wrath did grow. William Blake (1757-1827) English poet, artist Grudges Kindnesses are easily forgotten; but injuries? - what worthy man does not keep those in mind? William Makepeace Thackeray (1811-1863) English author Grudges To have a grievance is to have a purpose in life. Eric Hoffer (1902-1983) American philosopher Grudges Guerrilla Warfare Insurrection - by means of guerrilla bands - is the true method of warfare for all nations desirous of emancipating themselves from a foreign yoke . . . It is invincible, indestructible. Giuseppi Mazzini (1805-1872) Italian nationalist leader Guerrilla Warfare It is necessary to turn political crisis into armed crisis by performing violent actions that will force those in power to transform the military situation into a political situation. That will alienate the masses, who, from then on, will revolt against the army and the police and blame them for this state of things. Carlos Marighella (b. d. 1969) Brazilian guerrilla leader from his Minimanual of the Urban Guerrilla Guerrilla Warfare The conventional army loses if it does not win. The guerrilla wins if he does not lose. Henry Kissinger (b. 1923) American adviser on international affairs Guerrilla Warfare Guests See: Dinner Parties Hospitality Mankind is divisible into two great classes: hosts and guests. Sir Max Beerbohm (1872-1956) British author Guests The first day a man is a guest, the second a burden, the third a pest. Edouard Laboulaye (1811-1883) French writer, satirist Guests Some people can stay longer in an hour than others can in a week. William Dean Howells (1837-1920) American author Guests Fish and visitors smell in three days. Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790) American statesman, writer Guests If you'd lose a troublesome visitor, lend him money. Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790) American statesman, writer Guests Frank Harris is invited to all the great houses in England - once. Oscar Wilde (1854-1900) Anglo-Irish writer Guests When a man has been highly honored and has eaten a little he is most benevolent. Friedrich Nietzsche (1844-1900) German philosopher Guests Guilt Guilt has very quick ears to an accusation. Henry Fielding (1707-1754) English novelist, dramatist Guilt I had most need of blessing, and "Amen" Stuck in my throat. Macbeth, Macbeth William Shakespeare (1564-1616) English dramatist, poet Guilt The offender never forgives. Russian proverb Guilt True guilt is guilt at the obligation one owes to oneself to be oneself. R. D. Laing (1927-1989) British psychiatrist Guilt Habit See: Tradition: Book of Common Prayer; Mill Custom, then, is the great guide of human life. David Hume (1711-1776) Scottish philosopher, historian Habit Habit with him was all the test of truth, "It must be right: I've done it from my youth." George Crabbe (1754-1832) English poet, clergyman Habit The chains of habit are too weak to be felt until they are too strong to be broken. Dr. Samuel Johnson (1709-1784) English author, lexicographer Habit The second half of a man's life is made up of nothing but the habits he has acquired during the first half. Feodor Dostoievski (1821-1881) Russian novelist Habit Choose the best life, habit will make it pleasant. Epictetus (c. 55-c. 135) Stoic philosopher Habit To fall into a habit is to begin to cease to be. Miguel de Unamuno (1864-1936) Spanish philosopher, poet, novelist Habit Hair See: Baldness Beards Fair tresses man's imperial race ensnare, And beauty draws us with a single hair. Alexander Pope (1688-1744) English poet Hair The hair in the head is worth two in the brush. Oliver Herford (1863-1935) American poet, illustrator Hair The only thing that can stop hair falling is the floor. Will Rogers (1879-1935) American humorist Hair Hair, in fact, is probably the bane of most women's lives. Joan Collins (b. 1933) British film and television actress Hair The lovely hair that Galla wears Is hers - who could have thought it? She swears 'tis hers; and true she swears, For I know where she bought it! Martial (c. 40-c. 104) Roman poet Hair Esau my brother is a hairy man, and I am a smooth man. Bible, Genesis Hair Handshakes There is a hand that has no heart in it, there is a claw or paw, a flipper or fin, a bit of wet cloth to take hold of, a piece of unbaked dough on the cook's trencher, a cold clammy thing we recoil from. C. A. Bartol (1813-1900) American clergyman Handshakes His handshake ought not to be used except as a tourniquet. Margaret Halsey (b. 1910) American writer Handshakes I hate the giving of the hand unless the whole man accompanies it. Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882) American essayist, poet, philosopher Handshakes Never extend your hand further than you can withdraw it. Seumas MacManus (1869-1960) Irish author Handshakes Happiness See: Company: Byron Contentment Home: Smith Men: and Women: Wilde Sacrifice: Shaw Unhappiness: Shaw We all want to be happy, and we're all going to die. . . . You might say those are the only two unchallengeably true facts that apply to every human being on this planet. William Boyd (b. 1952) British novelist Happiness We are never happy: we can only remember that we were so once. Alexander Smith (1830-1867) Scottish poet Happiness One is never as unhappy as one thinks, nor as happy as one had hoped to be. Francois, Duc de La Rochefoucauld (1613-1680) French writer, moralist Happiness Ask yourself whether you are happy, and you cease to be so. John Stuart Mill (1806-1873) English philosopher, economist Happiness Happiness is a mystery, like religion, and should never be rationalised. G. K. Chesterton (1874-1936) English author Happiness Give a man health and a course to steer, and he'll never stop to trouble about whether he's happy or not. Brassbound, Captain Brassbound's Conversion George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) Anglo-Irish playwright, critic Happiness The search for happiness is one of the chief sources of unhappiness. Eric Hoffer (1902-1983) American philosopher Happiness Happiness is an imaginary condition formerly often attributed by the living to the dead, now usually attributed by adults to children, and by children to adults. Thomas Szasz (b. 1920) American psychiatrist Happiness Sotto Ogni clima, ogni ciel, si chiama indarno Felicita, vive tristezza e regna. Under all skies, all weathers, man's happiness lies always elsewhere; sorrow lives and reigns. Giacomo Leopardi (1798-1837) Italian poet Happiness If we only wanted to be happy it would be easy; but we want to be happier than other people, which is almost always difficult, since we think them happier than they are. Charles de Montesquieu (1689-1755) French philosopher, writer, lawyer Happiness I can sympathise with people's pains, but not with their pleasures. There is something curiously boring about somebody else's happiness. Aldous Huxley (1894-1963) English author Happiness Oh! how bitter a thing it is to look into happiness through another man's eyes. Orlando, As You Like It William Shakespeare (1564-1616) English dramatist, poet Happiness Grief can take care of itself, but to get the full value from joy you must have somebody to divide it with. Mark Twain (1835-1910) American author Happiness We have no more right to consume happiness without producing it than to consume wealth without producing it. Morell, Candida George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) Anglo-Irish playwright, critic Happiness Love kills happiness, happiness kills love. Miguel de Unamuno (1864-1936) Spanish philosopher, poet, novelist Happiness The happiest time in any man's life is when he is in red-hot pursuit of a dollar with a reasonable prospect of overtaking it. Josh Billings (1818-1885) American humorist Happiness The greatest happiness of the greatest number is the foundation of morals and legislation. Jeremy Bentham (1748-1832) English philosopher, political theorist, jurist Happiness Happiness is no laughing matter. Richard Whately (1787-1863) Archbishop of Dublin Happiness Here's a new day. O Pendulum move slowly! Harold Munro (1879-1932) British poet, critic Happiness Hard Times See: Adversity When you are down and out something always turns up - and it is usually the noses of your friends. Orson Welles (1915-1985) American filmmaker Hard Times There were times my pants were so thin I could sit on a dime and tell if it was heads or tails. Spencer Tracy (1900-1967) American film actor Hard Times Life isn't meant to be easy. It's hard to take being on the top - or on the bottom. I guess I'm something of a fatalist. You have to have a sense of history, I think, to survive some of these things . . . Life is one crisis after another. Richard Nixon (b. 1913) American president Hard Times Thy fate is the common fate of all; Into each life some rain must fall. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807-1882) American poet Hard Times Haste See: Age: Browning Modern Times: Carroll A nation rushing hastily too and fro, busily employed in idleness. Phaedrus (b. 1st century AD) Roman fabulist Haste He sows hurry and reaps indigestion. Robert Louis Stevenson (1850-1894) Scottish novelist, essayist, poet Haste No-wher so bisy a man as he ther nas, And yet he semed bisier than he was. Geoffrey Chaucer (1340-1400) English poet Haste Whoever is in a hurry, shows that the thing he is about is too big for him. Lord Chesterfield (1694-1773) English statesman, man of letters Haste No man who is in a hurry is quite civilized. Will Durant (1885-1981) American historian Haste What is the use of running when you are on the wrong road? proverb Haste Hate See: Antipathy: Hazlitt Love: La Rochefoucauld; Strindberg Men hate more steadily than they love. Dr. Samuel Johnson (1709-1784) English author, lexicographer Hate Now hatred is by far the longest pleasure; Men love in haste, but they detest at leisure. Lord Byron (1788-1824) English poet Hate What we need is hatred. From it our ideas are born. Jean Genet (1910-1986) French dramatist Hate We hold our hate too choice a thing For light and careless lavishing. Sir William Watson (1858-1935) British poet Hate Impotent hatred is the most horrible of all emotions; one should hate nobody whom one cannot destroy. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749-1832) German poet, dramatist, novelist, scientist Hate It is human nature to hate the man whom you have hurt. Tacitus (c. 55-c. 120) Roman historian Hate Always remember others may hate you but those who hate you don't win unless you hate them. And then you destroy yourself. Richard Nixon (b. 1913) American president Hate I never hated a man enough to give him his diamonds back. Zsa Zsa Gabor (b. 1919) Hungarian film actress Hate Health See: Anxiety: Haldane He had had much experience of physicians, and said "the only way to keep your health is to eat what you don't want, drink what you don't like, and do what you druther not." Mark Twain (1835-1910) American author Health Attention to health is the great hindrance to life. Plato (428-347 BC) Greek philosopher Health Cheerfulness, sir, is the principal ingredient in the composition of health. Arthur Murphy (1727-1805) Irish dramatist Health The preservation of health is a duty. Few seem conscious that there is such a thing as physical morality. Herbert Spencer (1820-1903) English philosopher Health Heartbreak Had we never loved sae kindly, Had we never loved sae blindly, Never met - or never parted - We had ne'er been broken-hearted. Robert Burns (1759-1796) Scottish poet Heartbreak When your heart is broken, your boats are burned: nothing matters any more. It is the end of happiness and the beginning of peace. Ellie, Heartbreak House George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) Anglo-Irish playwright, critic Heartbreak How else but through a broken heart May Lord Christ enter in? Oscar Wilde (1854-1900) Anglo-Irish writer Heartbreak Heaven See: Paradise: Nietzsche It is a curious thing that every creed promises a paradise which will be absolutely uninhabitable for anyone of civilised taste. Evelyn Waugh (1903-1966) British novelist Heaven Heaven is the place where the donkey at last catches up with the carrot. anonymous Heaven What they do in heaven we are ignorant of; what they do not do we are told expressly. Jonathan Swift (1667-1745) Anglo-Irish satirist Heaven Hell is paved with good intentions, but heaven goes in for something more dependable. Solid gold. Joyce Cary (1888-1957) British novelist Heaven Our remedies oft in ourselves do lie, Which we ascribe to heaven. Helena, All's Well That Ends Well William Shakespeare (1564-1616) English dramatist, poet Heaven Hell See: Immortality: Shaw Intentions: Shaw Leisure: Shaw London: Shelley Music: Shaw Abandon all hope, you who enter here! Dante (1265-1321) Italian poet Hell The most frightening idea that has ever corroded human nature - the idea of eternal punishment. John, Lord Morley (1838-1923) English writer, Liberal politician Hell Hell is paved with priests' skulls. John Chrysostom (345-407) Greek ecclesiast, hermit Hell They order things so damnably in hell. Hilaire Belloc (1870-1953) British author Hell Here there is no hope, and consequently no duty, no work, nothing to be gained by praying, nothing to be lost by doing what you like. Hell, in short, is a place where you have nothing to do but amuse yourself. The Statue, Man and Superman George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) Anglo-Irish playwright, critic Hell A fool's paradise is a wise man's hell. Thomas Fuller (1608-1661) English cleric Hell Hell is oneself; Hell is alone, the other figures in it merely projections. There is nothing to escape from and nothing to escape to. One is always alone. George Eliot (1819-1880) English novelist Hell Hell is other people. Jean-Paul Sartre (1905-1980) French philosopher, author Hell Hell hath no limits, nor is circumscribed In one self place; for where we are is hell, And where hell is, must we ever be. Christopher Marlowe (1564-1593) English dramatist, poet Hell If there were only some shorter and more direct route to the devil, it would save an awful lot of sorrow and anxiety in this world. Kin (F. McKinney) Hubbard (1868-1930) American humorist, journalist Hell I hold it to be the inalienable right of anybody to go to hell in his own way. Robert Frost (1874-1963) American poet Hell I verily think that a man buyeth hell here with so much pain that he might have heaven with less than the one-half. Sir Thomas More (1478-1535) English statesman, author Hell Heresy See: Dissent All evolution in thought and conduct must at first appear as heresy and misconduct. George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) Anglo-Irish playwright, critic Heresy Heresy is only another word for freedom of thought. Graham Greene (b. 1904) British novelist Heresy A heresy can spring only from a system that is in full vigor. Eric Hoffer (1902-1983) American philosopher Heresy A man may be a heretic in the truth; and if he believe things only because his pastor says so, or the assembly so determines, without knowing other reason, though his belief be true, yet the very truth he holds becomes his heresy. John Milton (1608-1674) English poet Heresy Even heresy has been an effort to narrow the Church. G. K. Chesterton (1874-1936) English author Heresy The appellation of heretics has always been applied to the less numerous party. Edward Gibbon (1737-1794) English historian Heresy His hand will be against every man, and every man's hand against him. Bible, Genesis Heresy That is the whole problem with being a heretic. One usually must think out everything for oneself. Aubrey Menen (b. 1912) British novelist, essayist Heresy What forests of laurel we bring, and the tears of mankind, to those who stood firm against the opinion of their contemporaries! Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882) American essayist, poet, philosopher Heresy For my name and memory I leave to men's charitable speeches, and to foreign nations and the next ages. Francis Bacon (1561-1626) English philosopher, essayist Heresy You pronounce sentence upon me with greater fear than I receive it. Giordano Bruno (1548-1600) Italian philosopher to the inquisitors who had condemned him to death Heresy Hermits See: Solitude The hunchback in the park A solitary mister Propped between trees and water. Dylan Thomas (1914-1953) Welsh poet Hermits The life of a solitary man will be certainly miserable, but not certainly devout. Dr. Samuel Johnson (1709-1784) English author, lexicographer Hermits To fly from, need not be to hate, mankind. Lord Byron (1788-1824) English poet Hermits He travels fastest who travels alone. Rudyard Kipling (1865-1936) English author Hermits Like two doomed ships that pass in storm We had crossed each other's way: But we made no sign, we said no word, We had no word to say. Oscar Wilde (1854-1900) Anglo-Irish writer Hermits The world forgetting, by the world forgot. Alexander Pope (1688-1744) English poet Hermits Wandering stars, to whom is reserved the blackness of darkness forever. Bible, Jude Hermits The true ascetic counts nothing his own save his harp. Joachim of Flora (c. 1130-c. 1202) Italian mystic, theologian Hermits And meanwhile we have gone on living, Living and partly living, Picking together the pieces, Gathering faggots at nightfall, Building a partial shelter, For sleeping and eating and drinking and laughter. T. S. Eliot (1888-1965) Anglo-American poet Hermits Heroes See: Generals: Porteous Sainthood: Geldof Self-image: Moore How can man die better Than facing fearful odds, For the ashes of his fathers And the temples of his Gods? Lord Macaulay (1800-1859) English historian Heroes A hero is no braver than an ordinary man, but he is brave five minutes longer. Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882) American essayist, poet, philosopher Heroes How prudently we proud men compete for nameless graves, while now and then some starveling of Fate forgets himself into immortality. Wendell Phillips (1811-1884) American abolitionist, orator Heroes Heroes are created by popular demand, sometimes out of the scantiest materials. Gerald W. Johnson (1890-1980) American author Heroes If we are marked to die, we are enow To do our country loss; and to live, The fewer men, the greater share of honour. King Henry, King Henry V William Shakespeare (1564-1616) English dramatist, poet Heroes Let us therefore brace ourselves to our duties, and so bear ourselves that, if the British Empire and its Commonwealth last for a thousand years, men will still say, "This was their finest hour." Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965) British statesman, writer Heroes Unhappy the land that is in need of heroes. Bertolt Brecht (1898-1956) German dramatist, poet Heroes No pain, no palm; no thorns, no throne; no gall, no glory; no cross, no crown. William Penn (1644-1718) religious leader, founder of Pennsylvania Heroes Had we lived I should have had a tale to tell of the hardihood, endurance and courage of my companions which would have stirred the heart of every Englishman. These rough notes and our dead bodies must tell the tale. Captain R. F.Scott (1868-1912) British antarctic explorer last message Heroes Having seen what my injuries were, I knew it was not necessary to die. Lieut.-Gen. Sir Steuart Pringle (b. 1928) Royal Marines following bomb attempt on his life Heroes One who never turned his back but marched breast forward, Never doubted clouds would break, Never dreamed, though right were worsted, wrong would triumph. Held we fall to rise, are baffled to fight better, Sleep to wake. Robert Browning (1812-1889) English poet Heroes What is our task? To make Britain a fit country for heroes to live in. David Lloyd George (1863-1945) Welsh Liberal politician, prime minister Heroes I am convinced that a light supper, a good night's sleep, and a fine morning, have sometimes made a hero of the same man, who, by an indigestion, a restless night, and rainy morning, would have proved a coward. Lord Chesterfield (1694-1773) English statesman, man of letters Heroes Claret is the liquor for boys; port for men; but he who aspires to be a hero must drink brandy. Dr. Samuel Johnson (1709-1784) English author, lexicographer Heroes The more characteristic American hero in the earlier day, and the more beloved type at all times, was not the hustler but the whittler. Mark Sullivan (1874-1952) American journalist Heroes The really great man is the man who makes every man feel great. G. K. Chesterton (1874-1936) English author Heroes Now stiff on a pillar with phallic air Nelson's stylite in Trafalgar Square Reminds the British what once they were. Lawrence Durrell (b. 1912) British author Heroes Ultimately a hero is a man who would argue with the Gods, and awakens devils to contest his vision. Norman Mailer (b. 1923) American author Heroes Show me a hero and I will write you a tragedy. F. Scott Fitzgerald (1896-1940) American author Heroes The greatest obstacle to being heroic is the doubt whether one may not be going to prove one's self a fool. Nathaniel Hawthorne (1804-1864) American novelist Heroes You cannot be a hero without being a coward. George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) Anglo-Irish playwright, critic Heroes Seldom any splendid story is wholly true. Dr. Samuel Johnson (1709-1784) English author, lexicographer Heroes Every hero becomes a bore at last. Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882) American essayist, poet, philosopher Heroes Hero-worship I do honour the very flea of his dog. Ben Jonson (1573-1637) English dramatist, poet Hero-worship Sir, you are making a monarchy of what should be a republic. Oliver Goldsmith (1728-1774) Anglo-Irish author reproving Boswell's idolization of Johnson's work Hero-worship Hero-worship is strongest where there is least regard for human freedom. Herbert Spencer (1820-1903) English philosopher Hero-worship Historians Events in the past may be roughly divided into those which probably never happened and those which do not matter. That is what makes the trade of historian so attractive. W. R. Inge (1860-1954) Dean of St. Paul's, London Historians Very few things happen at the right time, and the rest do not happen at all; the conscientious historian will correct these defects. Herodotus (484-425 BC) Greek historian Historians History repeats itself; historians repeat each other. Philip Guedalla (1889-1944) British biographer, historian Historians Historians are like deaf people who go on answering questions that no one has asked them. Leo Tolstoy (1828-1910) Russian novelist, philosopher Historians God cannot alter the past; that is why he is obliged to connive at the existence of historians. Samuel Butler (1835-1902) English author Historians A historian is a prophet in reverse. Friedrich von Schlegel (1772-1829) German historian, literary critic Historians Historian: an unsuccessful novelist. H. L. Mencken (1880-1956) American journalist Historians The first duty of an historian is to be on his guard against his own sympathies. J. A. Froude (1818-1894) English author Historians The middle sort of historians (of which the most part are) spoil all; they will chew our meat for us. Michel de Montaigne (1533-1592) French essayist, moralist Historians To give an accurate and exhaustive account of that period would need a far less brilliant pen than mine. Sir Max Beerbohm (1872-1956) British author Historians Another damned, thick, square book! Always scribble, scribble, scribble! Eh! Mr Gibbon? William Henry, Duke of Gloucester (1743-1805) brother of George III Historians Sapping a solemn creed with solemn sneer. Lord Byron (1788-1824) English poet of Gibbon Historians In analyzing history do not be too profound, for often the causes are quite superficial. Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882) American essayist, poet, philosopher Historians History See: Minorities: Emerson Women: Eliot The principal office of history I take to be this: to prevent virtuous actions from being forgotten, and that evil words and deeds should fear an infamous reputation with posterity. Tacitus (c. 55-c. 120) Roman historian History Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it. George Santayana (1863-1952) American philosopher, poet History History repeats itself, first as tragedy, second as farce. Karl Marx (1818-1883) German social philosopher, revolutionary History Every time history repeats itself the price goes up. anonymous History History is Philosophy teaching by examples. Henry St. John, Viscount Bolingbroke (1678-1751) English politician, intriguer History But what experience and historian teach is this - that peoples and governments have never learned anything from history, or acted on the principles deduced from it. George Hegel (1770-1831) German philosopher History History is bunk. Henry Ford (1863-1947) American industrialist History There is nothing new in the world except the history you do not know. Harry S. Truman (1884-1972) American president History Only the history of free peoples is worth our attention; the history of men under a despotism is merely a collection of anecdotes. Nicolas-Sebastien Chamfort (1741-1794) French writer, wit History The essential matter of history is not what happened but what people thought or said about it. Frederic W. Maitland (1850-1906) English writer on law History History, a distillation of Rumour. Thomas Carlyle (1795-1881) Scottish writer History Ancient histories are but fables that have been agreed upon. Voltaire (1694-1778) French philosopher, writer History History is the crystallization of popular beliefs. Donn Piatt (1819-1891) American journalist History Gossip is none the less gossip because it comes from venerable antiquity. Mandell Creighton (1843-1901) English prelate, historian History If a man could say nothing against a character but what he can prove, history could not be written. Dr. Samuel Johnson (1709-1784) English author, lexicographer History History is better written from letters . . . No public character has ever stood the revelation of private utterance and correspondence. Lord Acton (1834-1902) English historian History The so-called lessons of history are for the most part the rationalization of the victors. History is written by the survivors. Max Lerner (b. 1902) American academic, journalist History History. An account, mostly false, of events, mostly unimportant, which are brought about by rulers, mostly knaves, and soldiers, mostly fools. Ambrose Bierce (1842-1914) American author History History, which is, indeed, little more than the register of the crimes, follies, and misfortunes of mankind. Edward Gibbon (1737-1794) English historian History The history of the world is the record of a man in quest of his daily bread and butter. Hendrik Van Loon (1882-1944) American journalist, historian History Who has fully realized that history is not contained in thick books but lives in our very blood? Carl Jung (1875-1961) Swiss psychiatrist History English history is all about men liking their fathers, and American history is all about men hating their fathers and trying to burn down everything they ever did. Malcolm Bradbury (b. 1932) British author History That great dust-heap called "history." Augustine Birrell (1850-1933) English Liberal politician History Holland Where the broad ocean leans against the land. Oliver Goldsmith (1728-1774) Anglo-Irish author Holland Apart from cheese and tulips, the main product of the country is advocaat, a drink made from lawyers. Alan Coren (b. 1938) British editor, humorist Holland Hollywood See: Cinema Strip away the phony tinsel of Hollywood and you find the real tinsel underneath. Oscar Levant (1906-1972) American pianist, composer Hollywood Hollywood is a place where people from Iowa mistake each other for a star. Fred Allen (1894-1957) American comic Hollywood How much talent, initiative, genius, and creative ability have been destroyed by the film industry in its ruthlessly efficient sausage machine? Ingmar Bergman (b. 1918) Swedish film and theater director Hollywood You can't call Hollywood "The Industry" any more. Today we have a chance to put our personal fantasies on film. John Frankenheimer (b. 1930) American director Hollywood Hollywood is like being nowhere and talking to nobody about nothing. Michelangelo Antonioni (b. 1912) Italian film director Hollywood To survive there, you need the ambition of a Latin-American revolutionary, the ego of a grand opera tenor, and the physical stamina of a cow pony. Billie Burke (1885-1970) American stage and film actress Hollywood In Europe an actor is an artist. In Hollywood, if he isn't working, he's a bum. Anthony Quinn (b. 1915) American film actor Hollywood To be an Englishman in the film business is to know what it's like to be colonialised. Tony Garnett (b. 1936) British film producer Hollywood You can seduce a man's wife there, attack his daughter and wipe your hands on his canary, but if you don't like his movie you're dead. Joseph von Sternberg (1894-1969) American director Hollywood Working for Warner Brothers is like fucking a porcupine. It's a hundred pricks against one. Wilson Mizner (1876-1933) American dramatist, wit Hollywood An associate producer is the only guy in Hollywood who will associate with a producer. Fred Allen (1894-1957) American comic Hollywood Hollywood's a place where they'll pay you a thousand dollars for a kiss, and fifty cents for your soul. Marilyn Monroe (1926-1962) American film actress Hollywood Hollywood is the only place in the world where an amicable divorce means each one gets fifty percent of the publicity. Lauren Bacall (b. 1924) American film actress Hollywood The way things are going I'd be more interested in seeing Cleopatra play the life of Elizabeth Taylor. Earl Wilson (1907-1987) American author Hollywood I've been around so long I can remember Doris Day before she was a virgin. Groucho Marx (1895-1977) American comic actor Hollywood I want a movie that starts with an earthquake and works up to a climax. Samuel Goldwyn (1882-1974) American film producer Hollywood "Too caustic?" To hell with the cost, we'll make the picture anyway. Samuel Goldwyn (1882-1974) American film producer Hollywood You can fool all the people all the time if the advertising is right and the budget is big enough. Joseph E. Levine (1905-1987) American film producer, executive Hollywood Hollywood's trade, which is dreams at so many dollars per thousand feet, is managed by businessmen pretending to be artists and by artists pretending to be businessmen. In this queer world nobody stays as he was; the artist begins to lose his art, and the businessman becomes temperamental and overbalanced. J. B. Priestley (1894-1984) British writer Hollywood If we have to kiss Hollywood goodbye, it may be with one of those tender, old-fashioned, seven-second kisses as exchanged between two people of the opposite sex with all their clothes on. Anita Loos (1893-1981) American screenwriter Hollywood Home See: Poverty: Saki A comfortable house is a great source of happiness. It ranks immediately after health and a good conscience. Sydney Smith (1771-1845) English writer, clergyman Home Home is the place where, when you have to go there, They have to take you in. Robert Frost (1874-1963) American poet Home Never weather-beaten sail more willing bent to shore. Thomas Campion (1567-1620) English poet Home Home is where the heart is. Pliny the Elder (23-79) Roman scholar Home Every man likes the smell of his own farts. Icelandic proverb collected by Louis Kronenberger (1904-1980) American critic, editor, author Home A man's home may seem to be his castle on the outside; inside, it is more often his nursery. Clare Boothe Luce (1903-1987) American diplomat, writer Home Many a man who thinks to found a home discovers that he has merely opened a tavern for his friends. Norman Douglas (1868-1952) British author Home Charity begins at home, and justice begins next door. Charles Dickens (1812-1870) English novelist Home I hate housework! You make the beds, you do the dishes - and six months later you have to start all over again. Joan Rivers (b. 1935) American comedienne Home Everybody's always talking about people breaking into houses . . . but there are more people in the world who want to break out of houses. Thornton Wilder (1897-1975) American author Home Houses are built to live in, and not to look on: therefore let use be preferred before uniformity. Francis Bacon (1561-1626) English philosopher, essayist Home Have nothing in your home that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful. William Morris (1834-1896) English artist, writer, printer Home I want a house that has got over all its troubles; I don't want to spend the rest of my life bringing up a young and inexperienced house. Jerome K. Jerome (1859-1927) British author Home A house is a machine for living in. Le Corbusier (1887-1965) French architect Home Honesty See: Friends: Canning Portraits: Sargent Sincerity: Shaw A few honest men are better than numbers. Oliver Cromwell (1599-1658) Lord Protector of England Honesty Honest men are the soft easy cushions on which knaves repose and fatten. Thomas Otway (1652-1685) English dramatist Honesty It should seem that indolence itself would incline a person to be honest; as it requires infinitely greater pains and contrivance to be a knave. William Shenstone (1714-1763) English poet Honesty It would be ingratitude in some men to turn honest when they owe all they have to their knavery. Sir George Savile, Lord Halifax (1633-1695) English statesman, author Honesty Though I am not naturally honest, I am so sometimes by chance. Autolycus, The Winter's Tale William Shakespeare (1564-1616) English dramatist, poet Honesty There's one way to find out if a man is honest - ask him. If he says "yes," you know he is crooked. Groucho Marx (1895-1977) American comic actor Honesty He who says there is no such thing as an honest man, you may be sure is himself a knave. Bishop George Berkeley (1685-1753) Irish philosopher Honesty Nothing astonishes men so much as common sense and plain dealing. Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882) American essayist, poet, philosopher Honesty Always be ready to speak your mind, and a base man will avoid you. William Blake (1757-1827) English poet, artist Honesty Don't be ashamed to say what you are not ashamed to think. Michel de Montaigne (1533-1592) French essayist, moralist Honesty I am afraid we must make the world honest before we can honestly say to our children that honesty is the best policy. George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) Anglo-Irish playwright, critic Honesty It is kindness to refuse immediately what you intend to deny. Publilius Syrus (b. 1st century BC) Roman writer of mimes Honesty Honor See: The Law: Saurin Fame is something which must be won; honor is something which must not be lost. Arthur Schopenhauer (1788-1860) German philosopher Honor Without money honor is merely a disease. Jean Racine (1639-1699) French dramatist Honor The louder he talked of his honor, the faster we counted our spoons. Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882) American essayist, poet, philosopher Honor As to honour - you know - it's a very fine medieval inheritance, which women never got hold of. It wasn't theirs. Joseph Conrad (1857-1924) English novelist Honor Hope See: Middle Age: Chesterton Hope, the patient medicine For disease, disaster, sin. Wallace Rice (1859-1939) American poet, editor Hope Take hope from the heart of man and you make him a beast of prey. Ouida, Marie Louise de la Ramee (1839-1908) English novelist Hope Hope in every sphere of life is a privilege that attaches to action. No action, no hope. Peter Levi (b. 1931) British professor of poetry Hope Still bent to make some port he knows not where, Still standing for some false impossible shore. Matthew Arnold (1822-1888) English poet, critic Hope He that lives upon hope will die fasting. Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790) American statesman, writer Hope The miserable have no other medicine But only hope. Claudio, Measure for Measure William Shakespeare (1564-1616) English dramatist, poet Hope Vows begin when hope dies. Leonardo da Vinci (1425-1519) Italian artist, scientist Hope Hope is the universal liar. Ralph G. Ingersoll (1833-1899) American lawyer Hope Horses See: Cars: Salinger The horse, the horse! The symbol of surging potency and power of movement, of action, in man. D. H. Lawrence (1885-1930) English author Horses Nothing does as much for the insides of a man than the outsides of a horse. Ronald Reagan (b. 1911) American president Horses They say princes learn no art truly, but the art of horsemanship. The reason is, the brave beast is no flatterer. He will throw a prince as soon as his groom. Ben Jonson (1573-1637) English dramatist, poet Horses Go anywhere in England where there are natural, wholesome, contented, and really nice English people; and what do you always find? That the stables are the real centre of the household. Lady Utterwood, Heartbreak House George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) Anglo-Irish playwright, critic Horses A horse is dangerous at both ends and uncomfortable in the middle. Ian Fleming (1908-1964) British author Horses Hospitality See: Guests Home: Douglas Hospitality consists in a little fire, a little food, and an immense quiet. Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882) American essayist, poet, philosopher Hospitality We'll teach you to drink deep ere you depart. Hamlet, Hamlet William Shakespeare (1564-1616) English dramatist, poet Hospitality Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares. Bible, Hebrews Hospitality We shall always keep a spare corner in our heads to give passing hospitality to our friends' opinions. Joseph Joubert (1754-1824) French essayist, moralist Hospitality Hotels It used to be a good hotel, but that proves nothing - I used to be a good boy. Mark Twain (1835-1910) American author Hotels Why do they put the Gideon Bibles only in the bedrooms, where it's usually too late? Christopher Morley (1890-1957) American novelist, journalist Hotels The House of Lords The dust and silence of the upper shelf. Lord Macaulay (1800-1859) English historian The House of Lords Five hundred men, ordinary men, chosen accidentally from among the unemployed. David Lloyd George (1863-1945) Welsh Liberal politician, prime minister The House of Lords Twenty thousand thieves landed at Hastings. These founders of the House of Lords were greedy and ferocious dragoons, sons of greedy and ferocious pirates. Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882) American essayist, poet, philosopher The House of Lords Where might is, the right is: Long purses make strong swords. Let weakness learn meekness: God save the House of Lords! A. C. Swinburne (1837-1909) English poet, critic The House of Lords The typical backwoods peer had three qualities. He knew how to kill a fox, how to get rid of a bad tenant, and how to discard an unwanted mistress. A man with those three qualities would certainly have something to contribute to the work of the House of Lords. Lord Winster (1885-1961) British Labour politician The House of Lords My Lord Bath, you and I are now two as insignificant men as any in England. Sir Robert Walpole (1676-1745) English statesman on his elevation to the House of Lords The House of Lords The cure for admiring the House of Lords is to go and look at it. Walter Bagehot (1826-1877) English economist, critic The House of Lords Lives the man that can figure a naked Duke of Windlestraw addressing a naked House of Lords? Thomas Carlyle (1795-1881) Scottish writer The House of Lords When I'm sitting on the Woolsack in the House of Lords I amuse myself by saying "Bollocks" sotto voce to the bishops. Lord Hailsham (b. 1907) British Conservative politician The House of Lords Human Nature See: Killing: Twain At his present best many of his [Man's] ways are so unpleasant that they are unmentionable in polite society, and so painful that he is compelled to pretend that pain is often a good. George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) Anglo-Irish playwright, critic Human Nature It is easier to denature plutonium than to denature the evil spirit of man. Albert Einstein (1879-1955) German-American theoretical physicist Human Nature Men are so made that they can resist sound argument, and yet yield to a glance. Honore de Balzac (1799-1850) French writer Human Nature Only this distinguishes us from the other animals: we drink when we are not thirsty and we make love on the spur of any moment. Pierre de Beaumarchais (1732-1799) French dramatist Human Nature I have found men more kind than I expected, and less just. Dr. Samuel Johnson (1709-1784) English author, lexicographer Human Nature Even a tax-gatherer must find his feelings rather worked upon at times. Charles Dickens (1812-1870) English novelist Human Nature Not one is altogether noble nor altogether trustworthy nor altogether consistent; and not one is altogether vile. Not a single one but has at some time wept. H. G. Wells (1866-1946) English author, social thinker Human Nature Yet is every man his own greatest enemy, and as it were his own executioner. Sir Thomas Browne (1605-1682) English physician, author Human Nature Humanism Progressivist optimism modified by fashionable despair. Bernard Williams (b. 1929) British philosopher, author Humanism The splendour of human life, I feel sure, is greater to those who are not dazzled by the divine radiance. Bertrand Russell (1872-1970) British philosopher, mathematician, social reformer Humanism Humanity See: Absurdity: Knox Admiration: Pascal Business: Smith Creation Embarrassment: Twain Evolution: Gilbert Excess: James Fun: Butler Hope: Ouida Idleness: Johnson Laughter: Addison Love: Moore Morality: Huxley Nature: Whitehead Parasites: Shaw Self-knowledge: Boethius Sociability: Gay We are all more simply human than otherwise. Harry Stack Sullivan (1892-1949) American psychiatrist Humanity What a piece of work is man! How noble in reason! How infinite in faculty! in form and moving, how express and admirable! in action, how like an angel! in apprehension, how like a god! the beauty of the world! the paragon of animals! Hamlet, Hamlet William Shakespeare (1564-1616) English dramatist, poet Humanity Man is a little soul carrying around a corpse. Epictetus (c. 55-c. 135) Stoic philosopher Humanity Man is a tool-making animal. Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790) American statesman, writer Humanity The greatest animal in creation, the animal who cooks. Douglas Jerrold (1803-1857) English playwright, humorist Humanity Man is the only animal that can remain on friendly terms with the victims he intends to eat until he eats them. Samuel Butler (1835-1902) English author Humanity Self-preservation, nature's first great law, All the creatures, except man, doth awe. Andrew Marvell (1621-1678) English metaphysical poet Humanity Man is the only animal that laughs and weeps; for he is the only animal that is struck with the difference between what things are and what they might have been. William Hazlitt (1778-1830) English essayist Humanity Man is an exception, whatever else he is. If it is not true that a divine being fell, then we can only say that one of the animals went entirely off its head. G. K. Chesterton (1874-1936) English author Humanity One definition of man is "an intelligence served by organs." Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882) American essayist, poet, philosopher Humanity A being darkly wise, and rudely great. Alexander Pope (1688-1744) English poet Humanity Ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil. Bible, Genesis Humanity I'm always acutely conscious of the Force Behind - (Fate, God, our biological past creating our present, whatever one calls it - Mystery certainly) - and of the eternal tragedy of man in his glorious, self-destructive struggle to make the force express him instead of being, as an animal is, an infinitesimal incident in its expression. Eugene O'Neill (1888-1953) American playwright Humanity Human affairs are not serious, but they have to be taken seriously. Iris Murdoch (b. 1919) Anglo-Irish writer Humanity He's not the finest character that ever lived. But he's a human being, and a terrible thing is happening to him. So attention must be paid. Arthur Miller (b. 1915) American playwright Humanity Humanity I love you because when you're hard up you pawn your intelligence to buy a drink. e. e. cummings (1894-1962) American poet Humanity Were it not for the presence of the unwashed and the half-educated, the formless, queer and incomplete, the unreasonable and absurd, the infinite shapes of the delightful human tadpole, the horizon would not wear so wide a grin. F. M. Colby (1865-1925) American editor, essayist Humanity We are, to put it mildly, in a mess, and there is a strong chance that we shall have exterminated ourselves by the end of the century. Our only consolation will have to be that, as a species, we have had an exciting term of office. Desmond Morris (b. 1928) British anthropologist Humanity Such is the human race. Often it does seem such a pity that Noah . . . didn't miss the boat. Mark Twain (1835-1910) American author Humanity Humiliation One can reach a point of humiliation where violence is the only outlet. Arthur Koestler (1905-1983) British author Humiliation The one thing to do is to do nothing. Wait . . . You will find that you survive humiliation and that's an experience of incalculable value. T. S. Eliot (1888-1965) Anglo-American poet Humiliation Humility See: Applause: Kissinger Pride: Coleridge It is always the secure who are humble. G. K. Chesterton (1874-1936) English author Humility Turning the other cheek is a kind of moral jujitsu. Gerald Stanley Lee (1862-1944) American academic Humility Don't be humble, you're not that great. Golda Meir (1898-1978) Israeli prime minister Humility At home I am a nice guy; but I don't want the world to know. Humble people, I've found, don't get very far. Muhammad Ali (b. 1942) American boxer Humility Those men are most apt to be obsequious and conciliating abroad who are under the discipline of shrews at home. Washington Irving (1783-1859) American author Humility The old humility made a man doubtful about his efforts, which might make him work harder. But the new humility makes a man doubtful about his aims, which will make him stop working altogether. G. K. Chesterton (1874-1936) English author Humility Hugo, like a priest, always has his head bowed - bowed so low that he can see nothing but his own navel. Charles Baudelaire (1821-1867) French poet Humility If you bow at all bow low. Chinese proverb Humility Leave it to the coward to make a religion of his cowardice by preaching humility. George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) Anglo-Irish playwright, critic Humility Humor See: Insults: Lewis Jokers Sense of Humor Translation: Woolf Wit: Coleridge Humor is emotional chaos remembered in tranquility. James Thurber (1894-1961) American humorist, illustrator Humor A difference of taste in jokes is a great strain on the affections. George Eliot (1819-1880) English novelist Humor Hunger See: Morality: Brecht Rebellion: Howell Hunger is insolent, and will be fed. Alexander Pope (1688-1744) English poet Hunger No one can worship God or love his neighbor on an empty stomach. Woodrow Wilson (1856-1924) American president Hunger You cannot reason with a hungry belly; it has no ears. Greek proverb Hunger There is no such thing as bad bread when you have a good appetite. Gabriel Garcia Marquez (b. 1928) Colombian writer Hunger Hunger is the best sauce in the world. Miguel de Cervantes (1547-1616) Spanish novelist, dramatist, poet Hunger Husbands See: Adultery: Voltaire Humility: Irving Marriage Villains: Gay Wives I began as a passion and ended as a habit, like all husbands. George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) Anglo-Irish playwright, critic Husbands A husband is what is left of the lover after the nerve has been extracted. Helen Rowland (1875-1950) American journalist Husbands I know many married men, I even know a few happily married men, but don't know one who wouldn't fall down the first open coal-hole running after the first pretty girl who gave him a wink. George Jean Nathan (1882-1958) American critic Husbands He is dreadfully married. He's the most married man I ever saw in my life. Artemus Ward (1834-1867) American journalist Husbands Being a husband is a whole-time job. That is why so many husbands fail. They cannot give their entire attention to it. Arnold Bennett (1867-1931) British novelist Husbands The majority of husbands remind me of an orangutan trying to play the violin. Honore de Balzac (1799-1850) French writer Husbands If there were no husbands, who would look after our mistresses? George Moore (1852-1933) Irish author Husbands A little in drink, but at all times your faithful husband. Sir Richard Steele (1672-1729) English essayist, dramatist, editor midnight letter to his wife Husbands Can you support the expense of a husband, hussy, in gaming, drinking and whoring? Have you money enough to carry on the daily quarrels of man and wife about who shall squander most? Peachum, The Beggar's Opera John Gay (1685-1732) English playwright, poet Husbands Husbands, love your wives, and be not bitter against them. Saint Paul (3-67) Apostle to the Gentiles Husbands A good husband makes a good wife. Robert Burton (1577-1640) English clergyman, author Husbands Husbands never become good. They merely become proficient. H. L. Mencken (1880-1956) American journalist Husbands I revere the memory of Mr F. as an estimable man and most indulgent husband, only necessary to mention Asparagus and it appeared or to hint at any little delicate thing to drink and it came like magic in a pint bottle; it was not ecstasy but it was comfort. Flora Finching, Little Dorrit Charles Dickens (1812-1870) English novelist Husbands Nothing flatters a man as much as the happiness of his wife; he is always proud of himself as the source of it. Dr. Samuel Johnson (1709-1784) English author, lexicographer Husbands There you are you see, quite simply, if you cannot have your dear husband for a comfort and a delight, for a breadwinner and a crosspatch, for a sofa, a chair or a hotwater bottle, one can use him as a Cross to be borne. Stevie Smith (1902-1971) British poet Husbands . . . a moody, broody Oriental. He was twenty years older than me but it might as well have been a hundred. He was really three hundred years behind me. Zsa Zsa Gabor (b. 1919) Hungarian film actress of her first husband, Burham Belge Husbands Every man who is high up like to think he has done it all himself, and the wife smiles and lets it go at that. J. M. Barrie (1860-1937) Scottish playwright Husbands He knows little who will tell his wife all he knows. Thomas Fuller (1608-1661) English cleric Husbands An archaeologist is the best husband any woman can have: the older she gets, the more interested he is in her. Agatha Christie (1891-1976) British author Husbands It is ridiculous to think you can spend your entire life with just one person. Three is about the right number. Yes, I imagine three husbands would do it. Clare Boothe Luce (1903-1987) American diplomat, writer Husbands Husbands are chiefly good lovers when they are betraying their wives. Marilyn Monroe (1926-1962) American film actress Husbands Hygiene See: Smells: Miller Bath twice a day to be really clean, once a day to be passably clean, once a week to avoid being a public nuisance. Anthony Burgess (b. 1917) British author Hygiene I've never had a great many baths and . . . it does not make a great difference to health . . . As for appearance, most of that is underneath and nobody sees it. Hugh Gaitskell (1906-1963) British Labour politician proposing an economy drive, 1947 Hygiene Henry IV's feet and armpits enjoyed an international reputation. Aldous Huxley (1894-1963) English author Hygiene Hypocrisy See: Patronage: Huxley The smyler with the knife under the cloke. Geoffrey Chaucer (1340-1400) English poet Hypocrisy Hypocrisy, the only evil that walks invisible. John Milton (1608-1674) English poet Hypocrisy An open foe may prove a curse, But a pretended friend is worse. John Gay (1685-1732) English playwright, poet Hypocrisy A fav'rite has no friend. Thomas Gray (1716-1771) English poet Hypocrisy The two maxims of any great man at court are always to keep his countenance and never to keep his word. Jonathan Swift (1667-1745) Anglo-Irish satirist Hypocrisy With affection beaming in one eye and calculation out of the other. Charles Dickens (1812-1870) English novelist Hypocrisy A hypocrite combines the smooth appearance of virtue with the solid satisfaction of vice. C. E. M. Joad (1891-1953) British author, academic Hypocrisy Hypocrisy is a tribute that vice pays to virtue. Francois, Duc de La Rochefoucauld (1613-1680) French writer, moralist Hypocrisy No man is a hypocrite in his pleasures. Dr. Samuel Johnson (1709-1784) English author, lexicographer Hypocrisy Hypocrisy is anything whatever may deceive the cleverest and most penetrating man, but the least wide-awake of children recognizes it, and is revolted by it, however ingeniously it may be disguised. Leo Tolstoy (1828-1910) Russian novelist, philosopher Hypocrisy Idealism See: America: Wilkie; Wilson Americans: Chesterton Ireland: Pearse Motives: Burke When they come downstairs from their ivory towers, idealists are apt to walk straight into the gutter. Logan Pearsall Smith (1865-1946) Anglo-American essayist Idealism We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars. Oscar Wilde (1854-1900) Anglo-Irish writer Idealism A man gazing at the stars is proverbially at the mercy of the puddles in the road. Alexander Smith (1830-1867) Scottish poet Idealism The idealist is incorrigible: if he is thrown out of his heaven he makes an ideal of his hell. Friedrich Nietzsche (1844-1900) German philosopher Idealism He was one of those men who think that the world can be saved by writing a pamphlet. Benjamin Disraeli (1804-1881) English prime minister Idealism It is useless for the sheep to pass resolutions in favour of vegetarianism while the wolf remains of a different opinion. W. R. Inge (1860-1954) Dean of St. Paul's, London Idealism One should never put on one's best trousers when going out to battle for freedom and truth. Henrik Ibsen (1828-1906) Norwegian dramatist Idealism Saddle your dreams afore you ride 'em. Mary Webb (1881-1927) British author Idealism An idealist is a person who helps other people to be prosperous. Henry Ford (1863-1947) American industrialist Idealism An idealist is a man who looks at a rose, and thinks, because it smells sweet, it will make better soup than a cabbage. H. L. Mencken (1880-1956) American journalist Idealism Idealism increases in direct proportion to one's distance from the problem. John Galsworthy (1867-1933) English novelist, dramatist Idealism Idealism is the despot of thought, just as politics is the despot of will. Mikhail Bakunin (1814-1876) Russian political theorist Idealism The idealist walks on tiptoe, the materialist on his heels. Malcolm de Chazal (1902-1981) French writer Idealism We for a certainty are not the first Have sat in taverns while the tempest hurled Their hopeful plans to emptiness, and cursed Whatever brute and blackguard made the world. A. E. Housman (1859-1936) British poet, classical scholar Idealism Ideas See: Ideology: Lec Such as take lodgings in a head that's to be let unfurnished. Samuel Butler (1612-1680) English poet Ideas Daring ideas are like chessmen moved forward; they may be beaten, but they may start a winning game. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749-1832) German poet, dramatist, novelist, scientist Ideas If anyone has a new idea in this country, there are twice as many people who advocate putting a man with a red flag in front of it. Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh (b. 1921) Ideas Uneducated clever women, who have seen much of the world, are in middle life so much the most cultured part of the community. They have been saved from this horrible burden of inert ideas. Alfred North Whitehead (1861-1947) British philosopher Ideas An Idea isn't responsible for the people who believe in it. Don Marquis (1878-1937) American humorist, journalist Ideas Ideology See: Economics: Galbraith In a war of ideas it is people who get killed. Stanislaus J. Lec (b. 1909) Polish poet Ideology Always recognize that human individuals are ends, and do not use them as means to your end. Immanuel Kant (1724-1804) German philosopher Ideology Our blight is ideologies - they are the long-expected Antichrist! Carl Jung (1875-1961) Swiss psychiatrist Ideology Idleness See: The Army: Tolstoy Exercise: Hutchins Golf: Wordsworth Haste: Phaedrus Inertia: Scott Poets: Cresswell Reason: Shaw Smoking: Colette Unemployment: Johnson The insupportable labour of doing nothing. Sir Richard Steele (1672-1729) English essayist, dramatist, editor Idleness Idleness is an appendix to nobility. Robert Burton (1577-1640) English clergyman, author Idleness Idleness is only a coarse name for my infinite capacity for living in the present. Cyril Connolly (1903-1974) British critic Idleness 'Tis the voice of the sluggard; I heard him complain, "You have wak'd me too soon, I must slumber again." Isaac Watts (1674-1748) English hymn writer Idleness I look upon indolence as a sort of suicide; for the man is effectually destroyed, though the appetites of the brute may survive. Lord Chesterfield (1694-1773) English statesman, man of letters Idleness Laziness. Unwarranted repose of manner in a person of low degree. Ambrose Bierce (1842-1914) American author Idleness Perhaps man is the only being that can properly be called idle. Dr. Samuel Johnson (1709-1784) English author, lexicographer Idleness You must have been warned against letting the golden hours slip by. Yes, but some of them are golden only because we let them slip. James M. Barrie (1860-1937) British playwright Idleness What is this life if, full of care, We have no time to stand and stare? W. H. Davies (1871-1940) British poet Idleness It is better to have loafed and lost than never to have loafed at all. James Thurber (1894-1961) American humorist, illustrator Idleness A loafer always has the correct time. Kin (F. McKinney) Hubbard (1868-1930) American humorist, journalist Idleness Life is too short to do anything for oneself that one can pay others to do for one. W. Somerset Maugham (1874-1965) British author Idleness To do great work a man must be very idle as well as very industrious. Samuel Butler (1835-1902) English author Idleness It is impossible to enjoy idling thoroughly unless one has plenty of work to do. Jerome K. Jerome (1859-1927) British author Idleness Life is mostly froth and bubble. Two things stand like stone: Dodging duty at the double, Leaving work alone. anonymous Idleness Convent. A place of retirement for women who wish for leisure to meditate upon the sin of idleness. Ambrose Bierce (1842-1914) American author Idleness Ignorance See: Knowledge: Inge; Newman Religion: Marlowe Thinking: Gray Youth: Montagu Ignorance is the mother of devotion. Dean Henry Cole (1500-1580) English prelate Ignorance Where ignorance is bliss, 'Tis folly to be wise. Thomas Gray (1716-1771) English poet Ignorance Ignorance is not innocence, but sin. Robert Browning (1812-1889) English poet Ignorance Nothing in the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity. Martin Luther King (1929-1968) American civil rights leader Ignorance Better be ignorant of a matter than half know it. Publilius Syrus (b. 1st century BC) Roman writer of mimes Ignorance What you don't know would make a great book. Sydney Smith (1771-1845) English writer, clergyman Ignorance Everybody is ignorant, only on different subjects. Will Rogers (1879-1935) American humorist Ignorance Illness If prolonged it cannot be severe, and if severe, it cannot be prolonged. Seneca (c. 5-65) Roman writer, philosopher, statesman Illness Long illness is the real vampirism: think of living a year or two after one is dead, by sucking the life-blood out of a frail young creature at one's bedside! Dr. Oliver Wendell Holmes (1809-1894) American writer, physician Illness We are so fond of one another, because our ailments are the same. Jonathan Swift (1667-1745) Anglo-Irish satirist Illness All interest in disease and death is only another expression of interest in life. Thomas Mann (1875-1955) German author, critic Illness Illness is the doctor to whom we pay most heed; to kindness, to knowledge, we make promise only; pain we obey. Marcel Proust (1871-1922) French novelist Illness I have Bright's disease and he has mine. S. J. Perelman (1904-1979) American humorist Illness Illusions An era can be said to end when its basic illusions are exhausted. Arthur Miller (b. 1915) American playwright Illusions It is respectable to have no illusions - and safe - and profitable, and dull. Joseph Conrad (1857-1924) English novelist Illusions There are three things which every man thinks he can do - namely, drive a gig, edit a newspaper, and farm a small property. Sydney Smith (1771-1845) English writer, clergyman Illusions We must select the illusion which appeals to our temperament, and embrace it with passion if we want to be happy. Cyril Connolly (1903-1974) British critic Illusions Illusions: of Grandeur I recoil, overcome with the glory of my rosy hue and the knowledge that I, a mere cock, have made the sun rise. Edmond Rostand (1868-1918) French poet, playwright Illusions: of Grandeur Some people think that Davis has a God complex, but this is absurd. On the seventh day, he works. Dick Schapp (b. 1934) American journalist of of Sammy Davis Junior Illusions: of Grandeur He never wrote a letter or a message wherein he did not speak of God as if the Creator was waiting to see him in the lobby. Elbert Hubbard (1856-1915) American author of Kaiser Wilhelm II Illusions: of Grandeur Imagination See: Facts: Marquis de Vauvenargues Poets: Macaulay Heard melodies are sweet, but those unheard Are sweeter. John Keats (1795-1821) English poet Imagination Imagination is the eye of the soul. Joseph Joubert (1754-1824) French essayist, moralist Imagination One's real life is so often the life that one does not lead. Oscar Wilde (1854-1900) Anglo-Irish writer Imagination [Man] does not see the real world. The real world is hidden from him by the wall of imagination. George Gurdjieff (1874-1949) Russian mystic, author Imagination You can't depend on your judgment when your imagination is out of focus. John F. Kennedy (1917-1963) American president Imagination Imitation A man never knows what a fool he is until he hears himself imitated by one. Sir Herbert Beerbohm Tree (1853-1917) English actor-manager Imitation The only good copies are those which make us see the absurdity of bad originals. Francois, Duc de La Rochefoucauld (1613-1680) French writer, moralist Imitation When people are free to do as they please, they usually imitate each other. Eric Hoffer (1902-1983) American philosopher Imitation Almost all absurdity of conduct arises from the imitation of those whom we cannot resemble. Dr. Samuel Johnson (1709-1784) English author, lexicographer Imitation To do exactly the opposite is also a form of imitation. G. C. Lichtenberg (1742-1799) German physicist, writer Imitation Immortality See: The Church: Robinson Death: Saint Paul Sundays: Ertz He had decided to live for ever or die in the attempt. Joseph Heller (b. 1923) American novelist Immortality The average man, who does not know what to do with his life, wants another one which shall last forever. Anatole France (1844-1924) French author Immortality What man is capable of the insane self-conceit of believing that an eternity of himself would be tolerable even to himself? George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) Anglo-Irish playwright, critic Immortality The idea of immortality . . . will continue . . . as long as love kisses the lips of death. It is the rainbow - Hope, shining upon the tears of grief. Ralph G. Ingersoll (1833-1899) American lawyer Immortality Our very life depends on our knowing whether the soul is mortal or immortal. Blaise Pascal (1623-1662) French scientist, philosopher Immortality I don't want to achieve immortality through my work . . . I want to achieve it through not dying. Woody Allen (b. 1935) American filmmaker Immortality To himself everyone is an immortal; he may know that he going to die, but he can never know that he is dead. Samuel Butler (1835-1902) English author Immortality If you wish to live forever you must be wicked enough to be irretrievably damned; in hell alone do people retain their sinful nature: that is to say, their individuality. George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) Anglo-Irish playwright, critic Immortality Impotence See: Seduction: Grant Thou treacherous, base deserter of my flame, False to my passion, fatal to my fame, Through what mistaken magic dost thou prove So true to lewdness, so untrue to love? John Wilmot, Earl of Rochester (1647-1680) English courtier, poet Impotence Inconsistency See: Opinion: Alther Do I contradict myself? Very well then I contradict myself, (I am large, I contain multitudes). Walt Whitman (1819-1892) American poet Inconsistency Like the British Constitution; she owes her success in practice to her inconsistencies in principle. Thomas Hardy (1840-1928) English novelist, poet Inconsistency People who honestly mean to be true really contradict themselves much more rarely than those who try to be "consistent." Dr. Oliver Wendell Holmes (1809-1894) American writer, physician Inconsistency Indecision How long halt ye between two opinions? Bible, Kings Indecision Neither have they hearts to stay, Nor wit enough to run away. Samuel Butler (1612-1680) English poet Indecision We know what happens to people who stay in the middle of the road. They get run over. Aneurin Bevan (1897-1960) British Labour politician Indecision There is no more miserable human being than one in whom nothing is habitual but indecision. William James (1842-1910) American psychologist, philosopher Indecision He who hesitates is sometimes saved. James Thurber (1894-1961) American humorist, illustrator Indecision Independence See: Poverty: Cobbett Independence I have long considered the grand blessing of life, the basis of every virtue - and independence I will ever secure by contracting my wants, though I were to live on a barren heath. Mary Wollstonecraft (1759-1797) English feminist writer Independence It is very easy for rich people to preach the virtues of self-reliance to the poor. It is also very foolish, because, as a matter of fact, the wealthy, so far from being self-reliant, are dependent on the constant attention of scores, and sometimes even hundreds, of persons who are employed in waiting on them and ministering to their wants. Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965) British statesman, writer Independence The man who goes alone can start today; but he who travels with another must wait till that other is ready. Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862) American philosopher, author, naturalist Independence It's the man who dares to take, who is independent, not he who gives. D. H. Lawrence (1885-1930) English author Independence Indifference See: Apathy I regard you with an indifference closely bordering on aversion. Robert Louis Stevenson (1850-1894) Scottish novelist, essayist, poet Indifference The worst sin towards our fellow creatures is not to hate them, but to be indifferent to them; that's the essence of humanity. Anderson, The Devil's Disciple George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) Anglo-Irish playwright, critic Indifference Nothing is more conducive to peace of mind than not having any opinion at all. G. C. Lichtenberg (1742-1799) German physicist, writer Indifference Lukewarmness I account a sin as great in love as in religion. Abraham Cowley (1618-1667) English author Indifference Individuality See: Immortality: Shaw Comrades! We must abolish the cult of the individual decisively, once and for all. Nikita Khrushchev (1894-1971) Soviet premier Individuality Why runners make lousy communists. In a word, individuality. It's the one characteristic all runners, as different as they are, seem to share . . . Stick with it. Push yourself. Keep running. And you'll never lose that wonderful sense of individuality you now enjoy. Right, comrade? advertisement for running shoes at the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles Individuality No member of a crew is praised for the rugged individuality of his rowing. Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882) American essayist, poet, philosopher Individuality When God decides to destroy a man in the struggle of life He first cultivates his individuality. Henrik Ibsen (1828-1906) Norwegian dramatist Individuality Resistance to the organized mass can be effected only by the man who is as well organized in his individuality as the mass itself. Carl Jung (1875-1961) Swiss psychiatrist Individuality Inequality See: Class Education: Schelling Self-confidence: Woolf When Adam delved and Eve span, Who was then the gentleman? John Ball (d. hanged 1381) English priest, agitator Inequality I never could believe that Providence had sent a few men into the world, ready booted and spurred to ride, and millions ready saddled and bridled to be ridden. Richard Rumbold (1622-1685) English soldier, conspirator Inequality The rich man in his castle, The poor man at his gate, God made them, high or lowly, And order'd their estate. Cecil F. Alexander (1818-1895) English poet Inequality If human equality is to be forever averted - if the High, as we have called them, are to keep their places permanently - then the prevailing mental condition must be controlled insanity. George Orwell (1903-1950) British author Inequality The true pleasure of life is to live with your inferiors. William Makepeace Thackeray (1811-1863) English author Inequality There is always inequality in life. Some men are killed in a war and some men are wounded and some men never leave the country. Life is unfair. John F. Kennedy (1917-1963) American president Inequality There are only two families in the world, as a grandmother of mine used to say, the haves and the have-nots. Miguel de Cervantes (1547-1616) Spanish novelist, dramatist, poet Inequality We need inequality in order to eliminate poverty. Sir Keith Joseph (b. 1918) British Conservative politician Inequality Inertia Fixed like a plant on his peculiar spot, To draw nutrition, propagate, and rot. Alexander Pope (1688-1744) English poet Inertia When a man hasn't a good reason for doing a thing, he has a good reason for letting it alone. Sir Walter Scott (1771-1832) Scottish novelist, poet Inertia Nothing happens, nobody comes, nobody goes, it's awful. Samuel Beckett (1906-1989) Irish dramatist, novelist Inertia Infallibility See: The Church: Shaw Church of England: Steele Complacency: Carlyle I may have my faults, but being wrong ain't one of them. Jimmy Hoffa (1913-1983) American trade unionist Infallibility Even the youngest among us is not infallible. Benjamin Jowett (1817-1893) English scholar, essayist Infallibility The famous Dogma of Papal Infallibility is by far the most modest pretension of the kind in existence. Compared with our infallible democracies, our infallible medical councils, our infallible astronomers, our infallible judges, and our infallible parliaments the Pope is on his knees in the dust confessing his ignorance before the throne of God, asking only that as to certain historical matters on which he has clearly more sources of information open to him than anyone else his decision shall be taken as final. George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) Anglo-Irish playwright, critic Infallibility Inflation See: Recession: Thatcher The best way to destroy the capitalist system is to debauch the currency. By a continuing process of inflation governments can confiscate, secretly and unobserved, an important part of the wealth of their citizens. John Maynard Keynes (1883-1946) English economist Inflation One of the principal troubles about inflation is that the public likes it. Lord Woolton (1883-1964) British Conservative politician Inflation I haven't heard of anybody who wants to stop living on account of the cost. Kin (F. McKinney) Hubbard (1868-1930) American humorist, journalist Inflation Ingratiation See: Failure: Swope Flattery: Hazlitt Insults: Johnson He makes people pleased with him by making them first pleased with themselves. Lord Chesterfield (1694-1773) English statesman, man of letters Ingratiation Take here the grand secret - if not of pleasing all, yet of displeasing none - court mediocrity, avoid originality, and sacrifice to fashion. Johann Kaspar Lavater (1741-1801) Swiss divine, poet Ingratiation You might as well fall flat on your face as lean over too far backwards. James Thurber (1894-1961) American humorist, illustrator Ingratiation Inheritance My sword I give to him that shall succeed me in my pilgrimage, and my courage and skill to him that can get it. John Bunyan (1628-1688) English author Inheritance It's going to be fun to watch and see how long the meek can keep the earth after they inherit it. Kin (F. McKinney) Hubbard (1868-1930) American humorist, journalist Inheritance He's a fool that makes his doctor his heir. Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790) American statesman, writer Inheritance The weeping of an heir is laughter in disguise. Michel de Montaigne (1533-1592) French essayist, moralist Inheritance Never say you know a man until you have divided an inheritance with him. Johann Kaspar Lavater (1741-1801) Swiss divine, poet Inheritance All heiresses are beautiful. John Dryden (1631-1700) English poet, dramatist, critic Inheritance Innocence Every harlot was a virgin once. William Blake (1757-1827) English poet, artist Innocence I used to be Snow White - but I drifted. Mae West (1892-1980) American film actress Innocence Innocence ends when one is stripped of the delusion that one likes oneself. Joan Didion (b. 1934) American writer Innocence Innocence is like a dumb leper who has lost his bell, wandering the world, meaning no harm. Graham Greene (b. 1904) British novelist Innocence Only the old are innocent. That is what the Victorians understood, and the Christians. Original sin is the property of the young. The old grow beyond corruption very quickly. Malcolm Bradbury (b. 1932) British author Innocence Men do not suspect faults which they do not commit. Dr. Samuel Johnson (1709-1784) English author, lexicographer Innocence He was a simple soul who had not been introduced to his own subconscious. Warwick Deeping (1877-1950) British author Innocence Look for me in the nurseries of heaven. Francis Thompson (1859-1907) English poet Innocence Innovation See: Originality: Twain He who anticipates his century is generally persecuted when living, and always pilfered when dead. Benjamin Disraeli (1804-1881) English prime minister Innovation A "new thinker," when studied closely, is merely a man who does not know what other people have thought. F. M. Colby (1865-1925) American editor, essayist Innovation New and stirring ideas are belittled, because if they are not belittled the humiliating question arises, "Why then are you not taking part in them?" H. G. Wells (1866-1946) English author, social thinker Innovation The new always carries with it the sense of violation, of sacrilege. What is dead is sacred; what is new, that is, different, is evil, dangerous, or subversive. Henry Miller (1891-1980) American author Innovation Insignificance See: Life: Shakespeare We are merely the stars' tennis-balls, struck and bandied Which way please them. John Webster (1580-1625) English dramatist Insignificance No! I am not Prince Hamlet, nor was meant to be: Am an attendant Lord, one that will do To swell a progress, start a scene or two, advise the prince. T. S. Eliot (1888-1965) Anglo-American poet Insignificance It needs more skill than I can tell To play the second fiddle well. C. H. Spurgeon (1834-1892) English preacher Insignificance My own idea is that these things are as piffle before the wind. Daisy Ashford (1881-1972) British writer of The Young Visiters, aged 9 Insignificance There is nothing insignificant. Samuel Taylor Coleridge (1772-1834) English poet Insignificance Inspiration See: Passion: Emerson Stung by the splendour of a sudden thought. Robert Browning (1812-1889) English poet Inspiration The inspirations of today are the shams of tomorrow - the purpose has departed. Elbert Hubbard (1856-1915) American author Inspiration You beat your pate, and fancy wit will come; Knock as you please, there's nobody at home. Alexander Pope (1688-1744) English poet Inspiration My sole inspiration is a telephone call from a director. Cole Porter (1893-1964) American composer, lyricist Inspiration Instinct See: Philosophy: Bradley Be a good animal, true to your animal instincts. D. H. Lawrence (1885-1930) English author Instinct The natural man has only two primal passions - to get and to beget. Sir William Osler (1849-1919) Canadian physician Instinct Instinct. When the house burns one forgets even lunch. Yes,but one eats it later in the ashes. Friedrich Nietzsche (1844-1900) German philosopher Instinct Mistrust first impulses, they are always good. Charles, Count Talleyrand (1754-1838) French statesman Instinct Institutions Wherever a man goes, men will pursue him and paw him with their dirty institutions, and, if they can, constrain him to belong to their desperate oddfellow society. Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862) American philosopher, author, naturalist Institutions The whole history of civilization is strewn with creeds and institutions which were invaluable at first and deadly afterwards. Walter Bagehot (1826-1877) English economist, critic Institutions An institution is the lengthened shadow of one man. Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882) American essayist, poet, philosopher Institutions The more rational an institution is the less it suffers by making concessions to others. George Santayana (1863-1952) American philosopher, poet Institutions All establishments die of dignity. They are too proud to think themselves ill, and to take a little physic. Sydney Smith (1771-1845) English writer, clergyman Institutions Every institution not only carries within it the seeds of its own dissolution, but prepares the way for its most hated rival. W. R. Inge (1860-1954) Dean of St. Paul's, London Institutions Insults See: Abuse Age: Old Age: Addison An injury is much sooner forgotten than an insult. Lord Chesterfield (1694-1773) English statesman, man of letters Insults If I have said something to hurt a man once, I shall not get the better of this by saying many things to please him. Dr. Samuel Johnson (1709-1784) English author, lexicographer Insults There are two insults which no human will endure: the assertion that he hasn't a sense of humor, and the doubly impertinent assertion that he has never known trouble. Sinclair Lewis (1885-1951) American novelist Insults No one can be as calculatedly rude as the British, which amazes Americans, who do not understand studied insult and can only offer abuse as a substitute. Paul Gallico (1897-1976) American novelist Insults Insurance See: Disasters: Gilbert What can't be cured must be insured. Oliver Herford (1863-1935) American poet, illustrator Insurance Insurance. An ingenious modern game of chance in which the player is permitted to enjoy the comfortable conviction that he is beating the man who keeps the table. Ambrose Bierce (1842-1914) American author Insurance Integrity A man should be upright, not be kept upright. Marcus Aurelius (121-180) Roman emperor, philosopher Integrity Few men have virtue to withstand the highest bidder. George Washington (1732-1799) American president Integrity Integrity without knowledge is weak and useless, and knowledge without integrity is dangerous and dreadful. Dr. Samuel Johnson (1709-1784) English author, lexicographer Integrity Intellectuals See: Obesity: Shakespeare The noble temptation to see too much in everything. G. K. Chesterton (1874-1936) English author Intellectuals We should take care not to make the intellect our god; it has, of course, powerful muscles, but no personality. Albert Einstein (1879-1955) German-American theoretical physicist Intellectuals And still they gaz'd, and still the wonder grew, That one small head could carry all he knew. Oliver Goldsmith (1728-1774) Anglo-Irish author Intellectuals Nothing mattered except states of mind, chiefly our own. John Maynard Keynes (1883-1946) English economist Intellectuals An intellectual is someone whose mind watches itself. I am happy to be both halves, the watcher and the watched. Albert Camus (1913-1960) French writer Intellectuals Swollen in head, weak in legs, sharp in tongue but empty in belly. Mao Zedong (1893-1976) founder of the People's Republic of China on intellectuals Intellectuals To the man-in-the-street, who, I'm sorry to say, Is a keen observer of life, The word "Intellectual" suggests straight away A man who's untrue to his wife. W. H. Auden (1907-1973) Anglo-American poet Intellectuals An intellectual is a man who doesn't know how to park a bike. Spiro Agnew (b. 1918) American Republican politician Intellectuals A highbrow is a person educated beyond his intelligence. J. Brander Matthews (1852-1929) American essayist, critic Intellectuals Intellectuals can tell themselves anything, sell themselves any bill of goods, which is why they are so often patsies for the ruling classes in nineteenth-century France and England, or twentieth-century Russia and America. Lillian Hellman (1907-1984) American playwright, author Intellectuals A new word ending in "ism" that no one else knew was for him a gift of the gods. Pio Baroja (1872-1956) Spanish novelist, essayist Intellectuals The good are so harsh to the clever, The clever so rude to the good! Elizabeth Wordsworth (1840-1932) English educator Intellectuals Intellectuals are the most intolerant of all people. Paul Durcan (b. 1944) Irish poet Intellectuals For all your answers are great and excellent; and which a man can hardly understand. Apocrypha Intellectuals Intelligence See: Humanity: Emerson Opinion: Alther Self-deception: La Rochefoucauld There is nobody so irritating as somebody with less intelligence and more sense than we have. Don Herold (1889-1966) American humorist, writer, artist Intelligence The successful man will see just so much more than his neighbours as they will be able to see, too, when it is shown them, but not enough to puzzle them. Samuel Butler (1835-1902) English author Intelligence The height of cleverness is being able to conceal it. Francois, Duc de La Rochefoucauld (1613-1680) French writer, moralist Intelligence The third-rate mind is only happy when it is thinking with the majority. The second-rate mind is only happy when it is thinking with the minority. The first-rate mind is only happy when it is thinking. A. A. Milne (1882-1956) British author Intelligence There are three types of intelligent person: the first so intelligent that being called very intelligent must seem natural and obvious; the second sufficiently intelligent to see that he is being flattered, not described; the third so little intelligent that he will believe anything. John Fowles (b. 1926) British author Intelligence This intelligence-testing business reminds me of the way they used to weigh hogs in Texas. They would get a long plank, put it over a cross-bar, and somehow tie the hog on one end of the plank. They'd search all around till they found a stone that would balance the weight of the hog and they'd put that on the other end of the plank. Then they'd guess the weight of the stone. John Dewey (1859-1952) American teacher, philosopher, reformer Intelligence Here is a startling alternative which to the English, alone among great nations, has not been startling but a matter of course. Here is a casual assumption that a choice must be made between goodness and intelligence; that stupidity is first cousin to moral conduct, and cleverness the first step into mischief; that reason and God are not on good terms with each other. John Erskine (1879-1951) American author Intelligence There may be an optimum level of intelligence and perhaps we have already exceeded it. Our brains may be too big - dooming us as Triceratops was doomed by his armour. Arthur C. Clarke (b. 1917) British author Intelligence As far as I can remember, there is not one word in the Gospels in praise of intelligence. Bertrand Russell (1872-1970) British philosopher, mathematician, social reformer Intelligence I have finally come to the conclusion that a good reliable set of bowels is worth more to a man than any quantity of brains. Josh Billings (1818-1885) American humorist Intelligence Intentions See: Dancing: Morley Good Deeds: Eliot Motives: Shaw "Let me get my arms about you," says the bear. "I have not the smallest intention of squeezing you." Sydney Smith (1771-1845) English writer, clergyman Intentions No one would remember the Good Samaritan if he'd only had good intentions - he had money too. Margaret Thatcher (b. 1925) English prime minister Intentions The world is ruled by deeds, not by good intentions, and one efficient sinner is worth ten futile saints and martyrs. George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) Anglo-Irish playwright, critic Intentions "He means well" is useless unless he does well. Plautus (254-184 BC) Roman playwright Intentions With malice towards none; with charity for all; with firmness in the right, as God gives us to see the right - let us strive on to finish the work we are in. Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865) American president Intentions Moral of the Work. In war: resolution. In defeat: defiance. In victory: magnanimity. In peace: goodwill. Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965) British statesman, writer Intentions Hell is paved with good intentions, not bad ones. All men mean well. George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) Anglo-Irish playwright, critic Intentions Most mistaken people mean well, and all mistaken people mean something. G. K. Chesterton (1874-1936) English author Intentions His designs were strictly honourable, as the phrase is, that is to rob a lady of her fortune by way of marriage. Henry Fielding (1707-1754) English novelist, dramatist Intentions Man has his will, - but woman has her way. Dr. Oliver Wendell Holmes (1809-1894) American writer, physician Intentions Internationalism My country is the world, and my religion is to do good. Thomas Paine (1737-1809) Anglo-American writer Internationalism A steady patriot of the World alone, The friend of every country but his own. George Canning (1770-1827) English statesman, prime minister Internationalism Interest does not tie nations together; it sometimes separates them. But sympathy and understanding does unite them. Woodrow Wilson (1856-1924) American president Internationalism We deny your internationalism, because it is a luxury which only the upper classes can afford; the working people are hopelessly bound to their native shores. Benito Mussolini (1883-1945) Fascist dictator of Italy addressed to the Socialists Internationalism Intervention See: Prayer: Howe The full potentialities of human fury cannot be reached until a friend of both parties tactfully intervenes. G. K. Chesterton (1874-1936) English author Intervention Those who in quarrels interpose, Must often wipe a bloody nose. John Gay (1685-1732) English playwright, poet Intervention "If everybody minded their own business," the Duchess said in a hoarse growl, "the world would go round a deal faster than it does." Lewis Carroll (1832-1898) English writer, mathematician Intervention Interviews See: Politicians: McDonald The Press: Signoret I cried, "Come tell me how you live!" And thumped him on the head. Lewis Carroll (1832-1898) English writer, mathematician Interviews It is not every question that deserves an answer. Publilius Syrus (b. 1st century BC) Roman writer of mimes Interviews I'm notorious for giving a bad interview. I'm an actor and I can't help but feel I'm boring when I'm on as myself. Rock Hudson (1925-1985) American film actor Interviews If I possessed the power of conveying unlimited sexual attraction through the potency of my voice, I would not be reduced to accepting a miserable pittance from the BBC for interviewing a faded female in a damp basement. Gilbert Harding (1907-1960) British broadcaster on being asked to sound more sexy when interviewing Mae West Interviews It is hardly ever any use to go and interview people. If they are at all nice to meet they will not want to meet you. Evelyn Waugh (1903-1966) British novelist Interviews Intimacy You don't hold any mystery for me, darling, do you mind? There isn't a particle of you that I don't know, remember, and want. Elyot, Private Lives Noel Coward (1899-1973) English playwright, actor, composer Intimacy Intimacies between women often go backwards, beginning in revelation and ending up in small talk without loss of esteem. Elizabeth Bowen (1899-1973) Anglo-Irish novelist Intimacy If ever a man and his wife, or a man and his mistress, who pass nights as well as days together, absolutely lay aside all good breeding, their intimacy will soon degenerate into a coarse familiarity. Lord Chesterfield (1694-1773) English statesman, man of letters Intimacy To really know someone is to have loved and hated him in turn. Marcel Jouhandeau (1888-1979) French writer Intimacy Introspection The terrible fluidity of self-revelation. Henry James (1843-1916) American novelist Introspection When a man is wrapped up in himself he makes a pretty small package. John Ruskin (1819-1900) English critic Introspection Investment 'Tis money that begets money. Thomas Fuller (1654-1734) English physician Investment We cannot eat the fruit while the tree is in blossom. Benjamin Disraeli (1804-1881) English prime minister Investment There is no finer investment for any community than putting milk into babies. Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965) British statesman, writer Investment There are two times in a man's life when he should not speculate: when he can't afford it, and when he can. Mark Twain (1835-1910) American author Investment Involvement See: Protest: Debs None of us liveth to himself, and no man dieth to himself. Saint Paul (3-67) Apostle to the Gentiles Involvement No man is an island entire of itself; every man is a part of the main . . . Any man's death diminishes me because I am involved in mankind, and therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee. John Donne (1572-1631) English divine, metaphysical poet Involvement I postpone death by living, by suffering, by error, by risking, by giving, by losing. Anais Nin (1903-1977) American diarist, author Involvement To say yes, you have to sweat and roll up your sleeves and plunge both hands into life up to the elbows. It is easy to say no, even if saying no means death. Jean Anouilh (1910-1987) French dramatist Involvement Ireland Ireland is the old sow that eats her farrow. James Joyce (1882-1941) Irish novelist Ireland Fightin' like divils for conciliation, an' hatin' each other for the love of God. Charles James Lever (1809-1872) Irish novelist Ireland Put an Irishman on the spit, and you can always get another Irishman to turn him. George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) Anglo-Irish playwright, critic Ireland The Irish are a fair people; they never speak well of one another. Dr. Samuel Johnson (1709-1784) English author, lexicographer Ireland The moment the very name of Ireland is mentioned, the English seem to . . . act with the barbarity of tyrants and the fatuity of idiots. Sydney Smith (1771-1845) English writer, clergyman Ireland Like all Irishmen I suffer from agrophobia - fear of agriculture. In England farming is a hobby or an affectation. In Ireland it's a tragic existence. Brendan Behan (1923-1964) Irish playwright Ireland In Ireland there is so little sense of compromise that a girl has to choose between perpetual adoration and perpetual pregnancy. George Moore (1852-1933) Irish author Ireland There is an Irish way of paying compliments as though they were irresistible truths which makes what would otherwise be an impertinence delightful. Katharine Tynan Hinkson (1861-1931) Irish poet, novelist Ireland The Gael is not like other men; the spade, and the loom, and the sword are not for him. But a destiny more glorious than that of Rome, more glorious than that of Britain, awaits him: to become the saviour of idealism in modern intellectual and social life. Patrick Pearse (1879-1916) Irish nationalist, educator Ireland My one claim to originality among Irishmen is that I have never made a speech. George Moore (1852-1933) Irish author Ireland Ireland: Northern Ireland Anyone who isn't confused here doesn't really understand what is going on. man in Belfast Ireland: Northern Ireland Irony Jesus wept; Voltaire smiled. From that divine tear and from that human smile is derived the grace of present civilization. Victor Hugo (1802-1885) French poet, dramatist, novelist Irony The free mind must have one policeman. Irony. Elbert Hubbard (1856-1915) American author Irony Isolation See: Vice: Proust We're all of us sentenced to solitary confinement inside our own skins, for life. Tennessee Williams (1914-1983) American playwright Isolation The last and greatest art is to limit and isolate oneself. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749-1832) German poet, dramatist, novelist, scientist Isolation Israel In Israel, in order to be a realist you must believe in miracles. David Ben Gurion (1886-1973) Israeli statesman Israel Israel itself was nothing more than one of the consequences of imperialism. Gamal Abdul Nasser (1918-1970) Egyptian president Israel The greatest security for Israel is to create new Egypts. Ronald Reagan (b. 1911) American president Israel My generation, dear Ron, swore on the Altar of God that whoever proclaims the intent of destroying the Jewish state or the Jewish people, or both, seals his fate. Menachem Begin (b. 1913) Israeli politician, prime minister letter to "Ronald" Reagan Israel We Jews have a secret weapon in our struggle with the Arabs - we have no place to go. Golda Meir (1898-1978) Israeli prime minister Israel Italy Midnight, and love, and youth, and Italy! Edward Bulwer-Lytton (1803-1873) English novelist, playwright Italy A man who has not been in Italy, is always conscious of an inferiority. Dr. Samuel Johnson (1709-1784) English author, lexicographer Italy Everyone soon or late comes round by Rome. Robert Browning (1812-1889) English poet Italy Venice is like eating an entire box of chocolate liqueurs in one go. Truman Capote (1924-1984) American author Italy Italia! oh Italia! thou who hast The fatal gift of beauty. Lord Byron (1788-1824) English poet Italy Italy is a poor country full of rich people. Richard Gardner (b. 1927) American diplomat, former US ambassador in Rome Italy Italy is a geographical expression. Prince Metternich (1773-1859) Austrian statesman Italy Thou Paradise of exiles, Italy! Percy Bysshe Shelley (1792-1822) English poet Italy Travelling is the ruin of all happiness! There's no looking at a building here after seeing Italy. Fanny Burney (1752-1840) English author Italy I love the language, that soft bastard Latin, Which melts like kisses from a female mouth, And sounds as if it should be writ on satin With syllables which breathe of the sweet South. Lord Byron (1788-1824) English poet Italy Lump the whole thing! say that the Creator made Italy from designs by Michael Angelo! Mark Twain (1835-1910) American author Italy Open my heart and you will see, Graved inside of it, "Italy." Robert Browning (1812-1889) English poet Italy Jazz See: Song: Holiday Jazz is the big brother of the blues. If a guy's playing blues like we play, he's in high school. When he starts playing jazz it's like going on to college, to a school of higher learning. B. B. King (b. 1925) American blues guitarist Jazz Jazz is the only music in which the same note can be played night after night but differently each time. Ornette Coleman (b. 1930) American jazz musician Jazz Playing "bop" is like playing Scrabble with all the vowels missing. Duke Ellington (1899-1974) American jazz musician Jazz I'll play it first and tell you what it is later. Miles Davis (b. 1926) American jazz musician Jazz Jealousy See: Moral Indignation: Wells Love is as strong as death; jealousy is cruel as the grave. Bible, Song of Solomon Jealousy I had rather be a toad, And live upon the vapour of a dungeon, Than keep a corner of the thing I love For others' uses. Othello, Othello William Shakespeare (1564-1616) English dramatist, poet Jealousy Jealousy, that dragon which slays love under the pretence of keeping it alive. Havelock Ellis (1859-1939) British psychologist, author Jealousy What does a strict guard avail, as a lewd wife cannot be watched and a chaste one does not have to be? John of Salisbury (1115-1180) English scholar, philosopher Jealousy To jealousy, nothing is more frightful than laughter. Francoise Sagan (b. 1935) French novelist Jealousy I had been happy, if the general camp, Pioneers and all, had tasted her sweet body, So I had nothing known. Othello, Othello William Shakespeare (1564-1616) English dramatist, poet Jealousy The Jews See: Israel The world is divided into two groups of nations - those which want to expel the Jews and those which do not want to receive them. Chaim Weizmann (1874-1952) Jewish statesman The Jews The Jews are among the aristocracy of every land; if a literature is called rich in the possession of a few classic tragedies, what shall we say to a national tragedy lasting for fifteen hundred years, in which the poets and actors were also the heroes. George Eliot (1819-1880) English novelist The Jews I determine who is a Jew. Hermann Goering (1893-1946) German Nazi leader The Jews I don't like 'Ebrews. They work harder; they're more sober; they're honest, and they're everywhere. John Galsworthy (1867-1933) English novelist, dramatist The Jews The Jews generally give value. They make you pay; but they deliver the goods. In my experience the men who want something for nothing are invariably Christians. The Nobleman, Saint Joan George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) Anglo-Irish playwright, critic The Jews The Jews are a frightened people. Nineteen centuries of Christian love have broken their nerves. Israel Zangwill (1864-1926) British writer The Jews From the beginning, the Christian was the theorizing Jew; consequently the Jew is the practical Christian. Karl Marx (1818-1883) German social philosopher, revolutionary The Jews The pursuit of knowledge for its own sake, an almost fanatical love of justice and the desire for personal independence - these are the features of the Jewish tradition which make me thank my stars that I belong to it. Albert Einstein (1879-1955) German-American theoretical physicist The Jews With Judaism we have a relationship which we do not have with any other religion. You are our dearly beloved brothers and, in a certain way, it could be said that you are our elder brothers. Pope John Paul II (b. 1920) The Jews A Jewish man with parents alive is a fifteen-year-old boy, and will remain a fifteens-year-old boy until they die. Philip Roth (b. 1933) American novelist The Jews Pessimism is a luxury that a Jew can never allow himself. Golda Meir (1898-1978) Israeli prime minister The Jews Dr. Johnson See: Sociability: Boswell Writers: Goldsmith I hate mankind, for I think myself one of the best of them, and I know how bad I am. Dr. Samuel Johnson (1709-1784) English author, lexicographer Dr. Johnson Johnson's conversation was by much too strong for a person accustomed to obsequiousness and flattery; it was mustard in a young child's mouth. Hester Piozzi, Mrs. Thrale (1741-1821) English writer Dr. Johnson Now that the old lion is dead every ass thinks he may kick at him. Samuel Parr (1747-1925) English schoolteacher Dr. Johnson Dr Johnson can be thankful that God invented Boswell before science invented the pocket tape recorder. Reviewer in The Guardian, 1986 Dr. Johnson Jokers See: Comedy: Grey The Rich: Goldsmith Alas, poor Yorick! I knew him, Horatio: a fellow of infinite jest, of most excellent fancy. Hamlet, Hamlet William Shakespeare (1564-1616) English dramatist, poet Jokers I remain just one thing, and one thing only - and that is a clown. It places me on a far higher plane than any politician. Charlie Chaplin (1889-1977) English comic actor, director Jokers All human race would fain be wits, And millions miss for one that hits. Alexander Pope (1688-1744) English poet Jokers I don't know jokes; I just watch the government and report the facts. Will Rogers (1879-1935) American humorist Jokers The difficulty with humorists is that they will mix what they believe with what they don't; whichever seems likelier to win an effect. John Updike (b. 1932) American author Jokers The teller of a mirthful tale has latitude allowed him. We are content with less than absolute truth. Charles Lamb (1775-1834) English essayist, critic Jokers Motley's the only wear. Jacques, As You Like It William Shakespeare (1564-1616) English dramatist, poet Jokers Who makes a pun will pick a pocket. English proverb Jokers The marvellous thing about a joke with a double meaning is that it can only mean one thing. Ronnie Barker (b. 1929) British comedian Jokers Sir, to be facetious it is not necessary to be indecent. J. E. T. Rogers (1823-1890) British political economist Jokers For every ten jokes thou hast got an hundred enemies. Laurence Sterne (1713-1768) English author Jokers He jests at scars that never felt a wound. Romeo, Romeo and Juliet William Shakespeare (1564-1616) English dramatist, poet Jokers Journalism See: Newspapers The Press War Correspondents It was long ago in my life as a simple reporter that I decided that facts must never get in the way of truth. James Cameron (1911-1985) British journalist Journalism Doctors bury their mistakes. Lawyers hang them. But journalists put theirs on the front page. anonymous Journalism There is much to be said in favour of modern journalism. By giving us the opinions of the uneducated it keeps us in touch with the ignorance of the community. By carefully chronicling the current events of contemporary life it shows us of what very little importance such events really are. By invariably discussing the unnecessary it makes us understand what things are requisite for culture, and what are not. Oscar Wilde (1854-1900) Anglo-Irish writer Journalism The man must have a rare recipe for melancholy, who can be dull in Fleet Street. Charles Lamb (1775-1834) English essayist, critic Journalism A certain squalid knot of alleys where the town's bad blood once slept corruptly. Robert Browning (1812-1889) English poet of Fleet Street Journalism What a squalid and irresponsible little profession it is at the moment. Nothing prepares you for how bad Fleet Street really is until it craps on you from a great height. Ken Livingstone (b. 1945) British Labour politician Journalism You cannot hope to bribe or twist (Thank God) the British journalist. But seeing what the man will do Unbribed, there's no occasion to. Humbert Wolfe (1885-1940) British poet, author Journalism Give someone half a page in a newspaper and they think they own the world. Jeffrey Bernard British journalist Journalism I guess I'll have to gain 60lb, start smoking a cigar and wear clothes that don't match. Garth Iorg Toronto Blue Jays baseball player Journalism There is but one way for a newspaperman to look at a politician, and that is down. Frank H. Simonds (1878-1936) American journalist, author Journalism Most rock journalism is people who can't write interviewing people who can't talk for people who can't read. Frank Zappa (b. 1940) American rock musician Journalism Journalism is still an underdeveloped profession and, accordingly, newspapermen are quite often regarded as were surgeons and musicians a century ago, as having the rank, roughly speaking, of barbers and riding masters. Walter Lippmann (1889-1974) American journalist Journalism Journalism will kill you, but it will keep you alive while you're at it. Horace Greeley (1811-1872) American newspaper editor, politician Journalism Judges See: Divorce: Wodehouse Trials: Pope A judge is not supposed to know anything about the facts of life until they have been presented in evidence and explained to him at least three times. Lord Chief Justice Parker (1900-1972) British judge Judges A justice and his clerk is now little more than a blind man and his dog. William Shenstone (1714-1763) English poet Judges And summed up so well that it came to far more than the witnesses had ever said. Lewis Carroll (1832-1898) English writer, mathematician Judges Judgment Day And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened. John the Divine (b. 1st century AD) Apostle of Jesus Judgment Day Thou art weighed in the balances, and found wanting. Bible, Daniel Judgment Day Judgments I have lived in this world just long enough to look carefully the second time into things that I am the most certain of the first time. Josh Billings (1818-1885) American humorist Judgments To make judgments on things that are great and high, a soul of the same stature is needed, otherwise we ascribe to them the vices which belong to us. Michel de Montaigne (1533-1592) French essayist, moralist Judgments It is well, when one is judging a friend, to remember that he is judging you with the same godlike and superior impartiality. Arnold Bennett (1867-1931) British novelist Judgments We are all inclined to judge ourselves by our ideals; others by their acts. Harold Nicolson (1886-1968) British diplomat, writer Judgments Speak of me as I am; nothing extenuate, Nor set down aught in malice. Othello, Othello William Shakespeare (1564-1616) English dramatist, poet Judgments Juries See: Trials: Pope Our civilization has decided . . . that determining the guilt or innocence of men is a thing too important to be trusted to trained men . . . When it wants a library catalogued, or the solar system discovered, or any trifle of that kind, it uses up its specialists. But when it wishes anything done which is really serious, it collects twelve of the ordinary men standing round. The same thing was done, if I remember right, by the Founder of Christianity. G. K. Chesterton (1874-1936) English author Juries A jury consists of twelve persons chosen to decide who has the better lawyer. Robert Frost (1874-1963) American poet Juries The public do not know enough to be experts, yet know enough to decide between them. Samuel Butler (1835-1902) English author Juries The jury, passing on the prisoner's life, May have in the sworn twelve a thief or two Guiltier than him they try. Angleo, Measure for Measure William Shakespeare (1564-1616) English dramatist, poet Juries "Write that down," the King said to the jury, and the jury eagerly wrote down all three dates on their slates, and then added them up, and reduced the answer to shillings and pence. Lewis Carroll (1832-1898) English writer, mathematician Juries Justice See: The Law: McIlvanney The Press: Bennett Let justice be done, though the world perish. Holy Roman Emperor Ferdinand I (1503-1564) Justice Justice is my being allowed to do whatever I like. Injustice is whatever prevents my doing so. Samuel Butler (1835-1902) English author Justice Injustice is relatively easy to bear: what stings is justice. H. L. Mencken (1880-1956) American journalist Justice Justice is too good for some people and not good enough for the rest. Norman Douglas (1868-1952) British author Justice The love of justice is, in most men, nothing more than the fear of suffering injustice. Francois, Duc de La Rochefoucauld (1613-1680) French writer, moralist Justice It is better that ten guilty persons escape than one innocent suffer. Sir William Blackstone (1723-1780) English jurist Justice A rape! a rape! . . . Yes, you have ravish'd justice; forced her to do your pleasure. John Webster (1580-1625) English dramatist Justice A good parson once said that where mystery begins religion ends. Cannot I say, as truly at least, of human laws, that where mystery begins justice ends? Edmund Burke (1729-1797) Irish philosopher, statesman Justice Justice consists in doing no injury to men; decency in giving them no offense. Cicero (106-43 BC) Roman orator, philosopher Justice Justice must tame, whom mercy cannot win. Sir George Savile, Lord Halifax (1633-1695) English statesman, author Justice When justice has spoken, humanity must have its turn. Pierre Vergniaud (1753-1793) French revolutionary leader Justice A God all mercy is a God unjust. Edward Young (1683-1765) English poet, playwright Justice Justice is a concept. Muscle is the reality. Linda Blandford British correspondent, The Guardian Justice Only a socially just country has the right to exist. Pope John Paul II (b. 1920) Justice Life is unfair. Milton Friedman (b. 1912) American economist Justice Killing See: Assassination Bloodsports: Clark Murder Kill one man and you are a murderer. Kill millions and you are a conqueror. Kill all and you are God. Jean Rostand (1894-1977) French biologist, writer Killing All creatures kill - there seems to be no exception. But of the whole list man is the only one that kills for fun; he is the only one that kills in malice, the only one that kills for revenge. Mark Twain (1835-1910) American author Killing To live without killing is a thought which could electrify the world, if men were only capable of staying awake long enough to let the thought soak in. Henry Miller (1891-1980) American author Killing Killjoys Dost thou think, because thou art virtuous, there shall be no more cakes and ale? Sir Toby Belch, Twelfth Night William Shakespeare (1564-1616) English dramatist, poet Killjoys We'll show you too some elders of the town. Whose only joy is to put joy down. A. P. Herbert (1890-1971) British author, politician Killjoys Kindness He was so benevolent, so merciful a man that, in his mistaken passion, he would have held an umbrella over a duck in a shower of rain. Douglas Jerrold (1803-1857) English playwright, humorist Kindness If you're naturally kind you attract a lot of people you don't like. William Feather (b. 1889) American businessman Kindness When kindness has left people, even for a few moments, we become afraid of them as if their reason has left them. Willa Cather (1876-1947) American author Kindness Benevolent people are very apt to be one-sided and fussy, and not of the sweetest temper if others will not be good and happy in their way. Sir Arthur Helps (1813-1875) English writer Kindness True kindness presupposes the faculty of imagining as one's own the suffering and joy of others. Andre Gide (1869-1951) French author Kindness Do not ask me to be kind; just ask me to act as though I were. Jules Renard (1864-1910) French novelist, playwright Kindness Kissing The sound of a kiss is not so loud as that of a cannon, but its echo lasts a great deal longer. Dr. Oliver Wendell Holmes (1809-1894) American writer, physician Kissing He took the bride about the neck And kiss'd her lips with such a clamorous smack That at the parting all the church did echo. Gremio (of Petruchio), The Taming of the Shrew William Shakespeare (1564-1616) English dramatist, poet Kissing But his kiss was so sweet, And so closely he pressed, That I languished and pined Till I granted the rest. John Gay (1685-1732) English playwright, poet Kissing He kissed likewise the maid in the kitchen, and seemed upon the whole a most loving, kissing, kind-hearted gentleman. William Cowper (1731-1800) English poet Kissing The kiss originated when the first male reptile licked the first female reptile, implying in a subtle, complimentary way that she was as succulent as the small reptile he had for dinner the night before. F. Scott Fitzgerald (1896-1940) American author Kissing When women kiss, it always reminds me of prize-fighters shaking hands. H. L. Mencken (1880-1956) American journalist Kissing What lies lurk in kisses. Heinrich Heine (1797-1856) German poet, journalist Kissing A kiss can be a comma, a question mark or an exclamation point. That's basic spelling that every woman ought to know. Mistinguett (1873-1956) French dancer, singer Kissing Knowledge See: Learning: Chesterfield; Emerson Science: Spencer The fruit of the tree of knowledge always drives man from some paradise or other. W. R. Inge (1860-1954) Dean of St. Paul's, London Knowledge For lust of knowing what should not be known, We take the Golden Road to Samarkand. James Elroy Flecker (1884-1915) English poet Knowledge Woman first discovered that the fruit of knowledge was good to look upon, good to eat, and fairly digestible; and for the example of eating, sensible men are all grateful. Elbert Hubbard (1856-1915) American author Knowledge Children with Hyacinth's temperament don't know better as they grow older; they merely know more. Saki (H. H. Munro) (1870-1916) Scottish author Knowledge The important thing is not to know more than all men, but to know more at each moment than any particular man. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749-1832) German poet, dramatist, novelist, scientist Knowledge The struggling for knowledge has a pleasure in it like that of wrestling with a fine woman. Sir George Savile, Lord Halifax (1633-1695) English statesman, author Knowledge People of quality know everything without ever having learned anything. Moliere (1622-1673) French playwright Knowledge We must make up our minds to be ignorant of much, if we would know anything. Cardinal John Newman (1801-1890) English churchman, theologian Knowledge The longer the island of knowledge, the longer the shoreline of wonder. Ralph W. Sockman (1889-1970) American clergyman Knowledge It gets harder the more you know. Because the more you find out the uglier everything seems. Frank Zappa (b. 1940) American rock musician Knowledge To know all is not to forgive all. It is to despise everybody. Quentin Crisp (b. 1908) British author Knowledge Knowledge is power, if you know it about the right person. Ethel Watts Mumford (1878-1940) American novelist, humorous writer Knowledge If ye had not ploughed with my heifer, ye had not found out my riddle. Bible, Judges Knowledge Ladies A lady is a woman who makes a man behave like a gentleman. Russell Lynes (b. 1910) American editor, critic Ladies To behold her is an immediate check to loose behaviour; to love her is a liberal education. Sir Richard Steele (1672-1729) English essayist, dramatist, editor Ladies Ermined and minked and Persian- lambed, Be-puffed (be-painted, too, alas!) Be-decked, be-diamonded - be-damned! The Women of the Better Class. Oliver Herford (1863-1935) American poet, illustrator Ladies It was not a bosom to repose upon, but it was a capital bosom to hang jewels upon. Charles Dickens (1812-1870) English novelist Ladies A lady is one who never shows her underwear unintentionally. Lillian Day (b. 1893) American writer Ladies . . . A lady is nothing very specific. One man's lady is another man's woman; sometimes, one man's lady is another man's wife. Definitions overlap but they almost never coincide. Russell Lynes (b. 1910) American editor, critic Ladies Landlords With one hand he put a penny in the urn of poverty, and with the other took a shilling out. Rev. Robert Pollok (1798-1827) Scottish poet Landlords They have given us into the hands of the new unhappy lords, Lords without anger and honour, who dare not carry their swords. They fight by shuffling papers; they have bright dead alien eyes; They look at our labour and laughter as a tired man looks at flies. G. K. Chesterton (1874-1936) English author Landlords Language See: Speech: Jonson Nothing is more common than for men to think that because they are familiar with words they understand the ideas they stand for. Cardinal John Newman (1801-1890) English churchman, theologian Language One of the difficulties in the language is that all our words from loose using have lost their edge. Ernest Hemingway (1899-1961) American writer Language If thought corrupts language, language can also corrupt thought. George Orwell (1903-1950) British author Language In the end we shall make thoughtcrime literally impossible, because there will be no words in which to express it. George Orwell (1903-1950) British author Language Language is a uniquely human characteristic. Each person has programmed into his genes a faculty called universal grammar. Noam Chomsky (b. 1928) American philosopher Language Broadly speaking, the short words are the best, and the old words best of all. Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965) British statesman, writer Language I speak Spanish to God, Italian to women, French to men and German to my horse. attributed to Holy Roman Emperor Charles V (1500-1558) Language The more one thinks about Latin the easier it is to see why the Roman Empire fell. Lord Derby (b. 1918) British administrator Language Laughter See: Farewells: Wilde Fools: Eliot Jealousy: Sagan Teeth: Franklin Wit: Chesterfield If we may believe our logicians, man is distinguished from all other creatures by the faculty of laughter. Joseph Addison (1672-1719) English essayist Laughter In my mind, there is nothing so illiberal and so ill-bred, as audible laughter. Lord Chesterfield (1694-1773) English statesman, man of letters Laughter I hasten to laugh at everything for fear of being obliged to weep at it. Pierre de Beaumarchais (1732-1799) French dramatist Laughter What provokes you to risibility, Sir? Have I said anything that you understand? Then I ask pardon of the rest of the company. Dr. Samuel Johnson (1709-1784) English author, lexicographer Laughter Nothing can confound a wise man more than laughter from a dunce. Lord Byron (1788-1824) English poet Laughter I believe they talked of me, for they laughed consumedly. George Farquhar (1678-1707) Irish dramatist Laughter The vulgar often laugh, but never smile, whereas well-bred people often smile, but seldom laugh. Lord Chesterfield (1694-1773) English statesman, man of letters Laughter A thing derided is a thing dead; a laughing man is stronger than a suffering man. Gustave Flaubert (1821-1880) French novelist Laughter The Law See: Business: Young Who thinks the Law has anything to do with Justice? It's what we have because we can't have Justice. William McIlvanney (b. 1936) British novelist The Law One of the greatest delusions in the world is the hope that the evils of this world can be cured by legislation. Thomas B. Reed (1839-1902) American lawyer, politician The Law An unpaid legislature and an unpaid magistracy are institutions essentially aristocratic - contrivances for keeping legislature and judicature exclusively in the hands of those who can afford to serve without pay. John Stuart Mill (1806-1873) English philosopher, economist The Law The law, in its majestic equality, forbids rich and poor alike to sleep under bridges, beg in the streets or steal bread. Anatole France (1844-1924) French author The Law Law grinds the poor, and rich men rule the law. Oliver Goldsmith (1728-1774) Anglo-Irish author The Law Without law no little souls fresh from God would be branded illegitimate as soon as they reach earth. Elbert Hubbard (1856-1915) American author The Law The law is sort of hocus-pocus science, that smiles in yer face while it picks yer pocket. Charles Macklin (1697-1797) Irish actor, dramatist The Law Laws, like houses, lean on one another. Edmund Burke (1729-1797) Irish philosopher, statesman The Law If you have ten thousand regulations you destroy all respect for the law. Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965) British statesman, writer The Law I know no method to secure the repeal of bad or obnoxious laws so effective as their stringent execution. Ulysses S. Grant (1822-1885) American president The Law I've been told that since the beginning of civilization, millions and millions of laws have not improved on the Ten Commandments one bit. Ronald Reagan (b. 1911) American president The Law Laws are dumb in times of war. Cicero (106-43 BC) Roman orator, philosopher The Law The law often allows what honour forbids. William Saurin (1757-1839) Irish politician The Law Courts of law, and all the paraphernalia and folly of law . . . cannot be found in a rational state of society. Robert Owen (1771-1858) Welsh social reformer The Law The good of the people is the greatest law. Cicero (106-43 BC) Roman orator, philosopher The Law Lawyers The only road to the highest stations in this country is that of the law. Sir William Jones (1746-1794) English orientalist, jurist Lawyers Lawyers know life practically. A bookish man should always have them to converse with. Dr. Samuel Johnson (1709-1784) English author, lexicographer Lawyers A lawyer without history or literature is a mechanic, a mere working mason; if he possesses some knowledge of these, he may venture to call himself an architect. Sir Walter Scott (1771-1832) Scottish novelist, poet Lawyers Whenever you wish to do anything against the law, Cicely, always consult a good solicitor first. Sir Howard, Captain Brassbound's Conversion George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) Anglo-Irish playwright, critic Lawyers I once heard you say that it took you twenty years to recover from your legal training - from the habit of mind that is bent on making out a case rather than on seeing the large facts of a situation in their proportion. W. H. Page (1855-1918) American diplomat, publisher to Woodrow Wilson Lawyers A solicitor is a man who calls in a person he doesn't know to sign a contract he hasn't seen to buy property he doesn't want with money he hasn't got. Sir Dingwall Bateson (1898-1967) president of the Law Society, 1952-1953 Lawyers A society of men bred up from their youth in the art of proving by words multiplied for the purpose that white is black and black is white according as they are paid. Jonathan Swift (1667-1745) Anglo-Irish satirist Lawyers There is the prostitute, one who lets out her body for hire. A dreadful thing, but are we ourselves so innocent? Do not lawyers, for instance, let out their brains for hire? Lord Brabazon (1884-1964) British motorist, aviator, politician Lawyers Woe unto you, lawyers! For ye have taken away the key of knowledge: ye entered not in yourselves, and them that were entering in ye hindered. Jesus (4 BC-29 AD) founder of Christianity Lawyers Bluster, sputter, question, cavil; but be sure your argument is intricate enough to confound the court. William Wycherley (1640-1716) English dramatist Lawyers Lawyers' are like lovers' quarrels. Lord Campbell (1779-1861) English jurist Lawyers There are few grave legal questions involved in a poor estate. Ed (E. W.) Howe (1853-1937) American journalist, novelist Lawyers I think we may class the lawyer in the natural history of monsters. John Keats (1795-1821) English poet Lawyers I really went to the Bar because I thought it would be easier to go on the stage after failing at the Bar than to go to the Bar after failing on the stage. Lord Gardiner (b. 1900) former Lord Chancellor of Great Britain Lawyers If there were no bad people there would be no good lawyers. Charles Dickens (1812-1870) English novelist Lawyers Leadership See: Generals: Defoe Mobs: Ledru-Rollin Obedience: Savile Political Parties: Rogers It is a fine thing to command, even if it be only a herd of cattle. Miguel de Cervantes (1547-1616) Spanish novelist, dramatist, poet Leadership To be Omnipotent but friendless is to reign. Percy Bysshe Shelley (1792-1822) English poet Leadership To be a leader of men one must turn one's back on men. Havelock Ellis (1859-1939) British psychologist, author Leadership Charlatanism of some degree is indispensable to effective leadership. Eric Hoffer (1902-1983) American philosopher Leadership Only he can command who has the courage and initiative to disobey. William McDougall (1871-1938) British psychologist Leadership We were not born to sue, but to command. King Richard, King Richard II William Shakespeare (1564-1616) English dramatist, poet Leadership It is always a great mistake to command when you are not sure you will be obeyed. Honore, Comte de Mirabeau (1749-1791) French statesman Leadership Keep your fears to yourself, but share your courage with others. Robert Louis Stevenson (1850-1894) Scottish novelist, essayist, poet Leadership Follow me if I advance! Kill me if I retreat! Revenge me if I die! Ngo Dinh Diem (d. 1963) on becoming president of Vietnam, 1954 Leadership The efficiency of the truly national leader consists primarily in preventing the division of the attention of a people, and always in concentrating it on a single enemy. Adolf Hitler (1889-1945) German dictator Leadership For if the trumpet give an uncertain sound, who shall prepare himself to the battle? Saint Paul (3-67) Apostle to the Gentiles Leadership The wise man who is not heeded is counted a fool, and the fool who proclaims the general folly first and loudest passes for a prophet and Fuhrer, and sometimes it is luckily the other way round as well, or else mankind would long since have perished of stupidity. Carl Jung (1875-1961) Swiss psychiatrist Leadership I am a lone monk walking the world with a leaky umbrella. Mao Zedong (1893-1976) founder of the People's Republic of China Leadership What is the throne? A bit of wood, gilt and draped. I am the state. Here it is I alone who represent the people. Even if I had done wrong you should not have accused me publicly. People wash their dirty linen at home. France has more need of me than I of France. Napoleon Bonaparte (1769-1821) Emperor of France to the French Senate in 1814 Leadership In Poland everyone is a leader. Lech Walesa (b. 1943) Polish Solidarity leader Leadership We want a few mad people now. See where the sane ones have landed us! Poulengey, Saint Joan George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) Anglo-Irish playwright, critic Leadership No one would have doubted his ability to reign had he never been emperor. Tacitus (c. 55-c. 120) Roman historian of Emperor Galba Leadership So long as the people of any country place their hopes of political salvation in leadership of any description, so long will disappointment attend them. William Lovett (1800-1877) English Chartist leader Leadership Learning See: Quotations: Young Reading: Penn Scholarship Shakespeare: Hazlitt A little learning is a dangerous thing; Drink deep, or taste not the Pierian spring: There shallow draughts intoxicate the brain, And drinking largely sobers us again. Alexander Pope (1688-1744) English poet Learning A learned fool is one who has read everything, and simply remembered it. Josh Billings (1818-1885) American humorist Learning His knowledge of books had in some degree diminished his knowledge of the world. William Shenstone (1714-1763) English poet Learning Learning. The kind of ignorance distinguishing the studious. Ambrose Bierce (1842-1914) American author Learning No person ever knew so much that was so little of purpose. Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882) American essayist, poet, philosopher of Macaulay Learning He not only overflowed with learning, but stood in the slop. Sydney Smith (1771-1845) English writer, clergyman of Macaulay as conversationalist Learning All other men are specialists, but his specialism is omniscience. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (1859-1930) English author of Mycroft Holmes Learning A learned blockhead is a greater blockhead than an ignorant one. Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790) American statesman, writer Learning Wear your learning, like your watch, in a private pocket: and do not merely pull it out and strike it; merely to show that you have one. Lord Chesterfield (1694-1773) English statesman, man of letters Learning Pedantry is the dotage of knowledge. Holbrook Jackson (1874-1948) British writer Learning Erudition. Dust shaken out of a book into an empty skull. Ambrose Bierce (1842-1914) American author Learning Some people will never learn anything; for this reason, because they understand everything too soon. Alexander Pope (1688-1744) English poet Learning The man who is too old to learn was probably always too old to learn. Henry S. Haskins (b. 1875) American author Learning With just enough of learning to misquote. Lord Byron (1788-1824) English poet Learning Lebanon Here, even the law of the jungle has broken down. Walid Jumblatt (b. 1949) leader of the Lebanese Druze Lebanon The Left See: Communism Marxism Socialism Leftwingers are incapable of conspiring because they are all egomaniacs. Norman Mailer (b. 1923) American author The Left Leisure A perpetual holiday is a good working definition of hell. George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) Anglo-Irish playwright, critic Leisure More free time means more time to waste. The worker who used to have only a little time in which to get drunk and beat his wife now has time to get drunk, beat his wife - and watch TV. Robert M. Hutchins (1899-1977) American educator, writer Leisure Leisure is the mother of philosophy. Thomas Hobbes (1588-1679) English philosopher Leisure The basis on which good repute in any highly organized industrial community ultimately rests is pecuniary strength; and the means of showing pecuniary strength, and so of gaining or retaining a good name, are leisure and a conspicuous consumption of goods. Thorstein Veblen (1857-1929) American social scientist Leisure To be able to fill leisure intelligently is the last product of civilisation. Bertrand Russell (1872-1970) British philosopher, mathematician, social reformer Leisure Liberals Cosmopolitan critics, men who are the friends of every country save their own. Benjamin Disraeli (1804-1881) English prime minister Liberals They act as if they supposed that to be very sanguine about the general improvement of mankind is a virtue that relieves them from taking trouble about any improvement in particular. John, Lord Morley (1838-1923) English writer, Liberal politician Liberals The liberals have not softened their view of actuality to make themselves live closer to the dream, but instead sharpen their perceptions and fight to make the dream actuality or give up the battle in despair. Margaret Mead (1901-1978) American anthropologist Liberals Liberalism . . . is the supreme form of generosity; it is the right which the majority concedes to minorities and hence it is the noblest cry that has ever resounded in this planet. Jose Ortega y Gasset (1883-1955) Spanish essayist, philosopher Liberals We who are liberal and progressive know that the poor are our equals in every sense except that of being equal to us. Lionel Trilling (1905-1975) American critic Liberals I sit on a man's back, choking him and making him carry me, and yet assure myself and others that I am very sorry for him and wish to ease his lot by all possible means - except by getting off his back. Leo Tolstoy (1828-1910) Russian novelist, philosopher Liberals The Liberal State is a mask behind which there is no face; it is a scaffolding behind which there is no building. Benito Mussolini (1883-1945) Fascist dictator of Italy Liberals The worst enemy of the new radicals are the old liberals. Vladimir Ilyich Lenin (1870-1924) Russian revolutionary leader Liberals Liberation We sure liberated the hell out of this place. American soldier in ruined French village quoted by Max Miller Liberation Liberty See: Corruption: Gibbon Freedom Patriotism: Jefferson and Paine Repression: Wilkie Revolution: Savile I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty or give me death. Patrick Henry (1736-1799) American statesman Liberty Liberty means responsibility. That is why most men dread it. George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) Anglo-Irish playwright, critic Liberty He that would make his own liberty secure must guard even his enemy from oppression. Thomas Paine (1737-1809) Anglo-American writer Liberty Liberty has never come from the government. Liberty has always come from the subjects of it. The history of liberty is a history of resistance. Woodrow Wilson (1856-1924) American president Liberty A regard for liberty, though a laudable passion, ought commonly to be subordinate to a reverence for established government. David Hume (1711-1776) Scottish philosopher, historian Liberty It is true that liberty is precious - so precious that it must be rationed. attributed to Vladimir Ilyich Lenin (1870-1924) Russian revolutionary leader Liberty It will be found an unjust and unwise jealousy, to deprive a man of his natural liberty upon a supposition that he may abuse it. Oliver Cromwell (1599-1658) Lord Protector of England Liberty Of what use is political liberty to those who have no bread? It is of value only to ambitious theorists and politicians. Jean-Paul Marat (1743-1793) French revolutionary Liberty The condition upon which God hath given liberty to man is eternal vigilance. John Philpot Curran (1750-1817) Irish lawyer, politician Liberty I see that you, too, put up monuments to your great dead. anonymous Frenchman arriving by sea in New York during Prohibition Liberty Libraries Knowledge is of two kinds. We know a subject ourselves, or we know where we can find information upon it. Dr. Samuel Johnson (1709-1784) English author, lexicographer Libraries A man should keep his little brain attic stocked with all the furniture that he is likely to use, and the rest he can put away in the lumber room of his library, where he can get it if he wants it. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (1859-1930) English author Libraries The true University of these days is a collection of books. Thomas Carlyle (1795-1881) Scottish writer Libraries Every library should try to be complete on something, if it were only the history of pinheads. Dr. Oliver Wendell Holmes (1809-1894) American writer, physician Libraries My library was dukedom large enough. Prospero, The Tempest William Shakespeare (1564-1616) English dramatist, poet Libraries Meek young men grow up in libraries. Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882) American essayist, poet, philosopher Libraries Life See: Comedy: Chaplin Ennui: Laforgue Life. A spiritual pickle preserving the body from decay. Ambrose Bierce (1842-1914) American author Life Life is a mauvais quart d'heure made up of exquisite moments. Oscar Wilde (1854-1900) Anglo-Irish writer Life The dreamcrossed twilight between birth and dying. T. S. Eliot (1888-1965) Anglo-American poet Life Life is an offensive, directed against the repetitious mechanisms of the universe. Alfred North Whitehead (1861-1947) British philosopher Life Life is the art of drawing sufficient conclusions from insufficient premises. Samuel Butler (1835-1902) English author Life Life consists of what a man is thinking of all day. Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882) American essayist, poet, philosopher Life Living is my profession and my art. Michel de Montaigne (1533-1592) French essayist, moralist Life Either the soul is immortal and we shall not die, or it perishes with the flesh, and we shall not know then that we are dead. Live, then, as if you were eternal. Andre Maurois (1885-1967) French author Life May you live all the days of your life. Jonathan Swift (1667-1745) Anglo-Irish satirist Life There's night and day, brother, both sweet things; sun, moon, and stars, brother, all sweet things; there's likewise a wind on the heath. Life is very sweet, brother; who would wish to die? George Borrow (1803-1881) English writer Life Life is like playing a violin solo in public and learning the instrument as one goes on. Samuel Butler (1835-1902) English author Life Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards. Soren Kierkegaard (1813-1855) Danish philosopher Life 'Tis all a Chequer-board of Nights and Days Where Destiny with Men for Pieces plays: Hither and thither moves, and mates and slays, And one by one back in the Closest lays. from the Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam trans. Edward Fitzgerald (1809-1883) Life As flies to wanton boys, are we to the gods; They kill us for their sport. Gloucester, King Lear William Shakespeare (1564-1616) English dramatist, poet Life Life is a zoo in a jungle. Peter de Vries (b. 1910) American writer Life The meaning of life is that it stops. Franz Kafka (1883-1924) German novelist, short story writer Life But there is good news yet to hear and fine things to be seen Before we go to Paradise by way of Kensal Green. G. K. Chesterton (1874-1936) English author Life It is a tale Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury; Signifying nothing. Macbeth, Macbeth William Shakespeare (1564-1616) English dramatist, poet Life Man that is born of woman hath but a short time to live, and is full of misery. He cometh up, and is cut down, like a flower; he fleeth as it were a shadow, and never continueth in one stay. Book of Common Prayer Life A useless life is an early death. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749-1832) German poet, dramatist, novelist, scientist Life We should kick and struggle and determine to live as long as we can. For however long we live, we shall feel at the last that we have not got half the things into life that we ought to have done. Benjamin Jowett (1817-1893) English scholar, essayist Life The force that through the green fuse drives the flower Drives my green age; that blasts the roots of trees Is my destroyer. Dylan Thomas (1914-1953) Welsh poet Life A physician can sometimes parry the scythe of death, but has no power over the sand in the hourglass. Hester Piozzi, Mrs. Thrale (1741-1821) English writer Life The days of our years are threescore years and ten; and if by reason of strength they be fourscore years, yet is their strength labour and sorrow; for it is soon cut off, and we fly away. Bible, Psalms Life Droll thing life is - that mysterious arrangement of merciless logic for a futile purpose. The most you can hope from it is some knowledge of yourself - that comes too late - a crop of unextinguishable regrets. Joseph Conrad (1857-1924) English novelist Life Living is a sickness from which sleep provides relief every sixteen hours. It's a palliative. The remedy is death. Nicolas-Sebastien Chamfort (1741-1794) French writer, wit Life When I hear somebody sigh that "Life is hard," I am always tempted to ask, "Compared to what?" Sydney J. Harris (1917-1986) American journalist Life I should have no objection to a repetition of the same life from its beginning, only asking the advantages authors have in a second edition to correct some faults of the first. Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790) American statesman, writer Life Is life worth living? This is a question for an embryo, not for a man. Samuel Butler (1835-1902) English author Life Life is an end in itself, and the only question as to whether it is worth living is whether you have had enough of it. Dr. Oliver Wendell Holmes (1809-1894) American writer, physician Life Literature See: Hero-worship: Goldsmith Writers Writing Literature - the most seductive, the most deceiving, the most dangerous of professions. John, Lord Morley (1838-1923) English writer, Liberal politician Literature Literature is the effort of man to indemnify himself from the wrongs of his condition. Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882) American essayist, poet, philosopher Literature Literature flourishes best when it is half a trade and half an art. W. R. Inge (1860-1954) Dean of St. Paul's, London Literature Literature is the orchestration of platitudes. Thornton Wilder (1897-1975) American author Literature Great literature is simply language charged with meaning to the utmost possible degree. Ezra Pound (1885-1972) American poet Literature The cultivation of literary pursuits forms the basis of all sciences, and in their perfection consist the reputation and prosperity of kingdoms. Marques de Pombal (1699-1782) Portuguese statesman Literature Literature is always a good card to play for Honours. It makes people think that Cabinet ministers are educated. Arnold Bennett (1867-1931) British novelist Literature Our American professors like their literature clear and cold and pure and very dead. Sinclair Lewis (1885-1951) American novelist Literature All that is literature seeks to communicate power: all that is not literature, to communicate knowledge. Thomas de Quincey (1785-1859) English author Literature Literature . . . is the union of suffering with the instinct for form. Thomas Mann (1875-1955) German author, critic Literature All good books are alike in that they are truer than if they had really happened. Ernest Hemingway (1899-1961) American writer Literature Great literature must spring from an upheaval in the author's soul. If that upheaval is not present then it must come from the works of any other author which happens to be handy and easily adapted. Robert Benchley (1889-1945) American humorous writer Literature A classic is something that everybody wants to have read and nobody wants to read. Mark Twain (1835-1910) American author Literature Speak of the moderns without contempt, and of the ancients without idolatry. Lord Chesterfield (1694-1773) English statesman, man of letters Literature Litigation See: Trials Come, agree, the law's costly. Jonathan Swift (1667-1745) Anglo-Irish satirist Litigation To go to law and not be out of one's mind is scarcely granted to the saints. St. Francis de Sales (1567-1622) French churchman, devotional writer Litigation I was never ruined but twice: once when I lost a lawsuit, and once when I won one. Voltaire (1694-1778) French philosopher, writer Litigation Keep out of Chancery . . . It's being ground to bits in a slow mill; it's being roasted at a slow fire; it's being stung to death by single bees; it's being drowned by drops; it's going mad by grains. Tom Jarndyce, Bleak House Charles Dickens (1812-1870) English novelist Litigation Litigant. A person about to give up his skin for the hope of retaining his bones. Ambrose Bierce (1842-1914) American author Litigation For certain people, after fifty, litigation takes the place of sex. Gore Vidal (b. 1925) American novelist, critic Litigation Living Together Do you think your mother and I should have lived comfortably so long together if ever we had been married? Baggage! Peachum, The Beggar's Opera John Gay (1685-1732) English playwright, poet Living Together Selfishness is not living as one wishes to live, it is asking others to live as one wishes to live. Oscar Wilde (1854-1900) Anglo-Irish writer Living Together It is better to dwell in a corner of the housetop than with a brawling woman in a wide house. Bible, Proverbs Living Together Logic Walter Shandy attributed most of his son's misfortunes to the fact that at a highly critical moment his wife had asked him if he had wound the clock, a question so irrelevant that he despaired of the child's ever being able to pursue a logical train of thought. Laurence Sterne (1713-1768) English author Logic London See: City Life Dear damned distracting town. Alexander Pope (1688-1744) English poet London Behold now this vast city; a city of refuge, the mansion-house of liberty, encompassed and surrounded with His protection. John Milton (1608-1674) English poet London London, that great sea, whose ebb and flow At once is deaf and loud. Percy Bysshe Shelley (1792-1822) English poet London That monstrous tuberosity of civilised life, the capital of England. Thomas Carlyle (1795-1881) Scottish writer London Here falling houses thunder on your head, And here a female atheist talks you dead. Dr. Samuel Johnson (1709-1784) English author, lexicographer London The worst place in the world for a good woman to grow better in. Sir John Vanbrugh (1664-1726) English playwright, architect London London is a modern Babylon. Benjamin Disraeli (1804-1881) English prime minister London Hell is a city much like London - A populous and a smoky city; There are all sorts of people undone, And there is little or no fun done; Small justice shown, and still less pity. Percy Bysshe Shelley (1792-1822) English poet London London is a roost for every bird. Benjamin Disraeli (1804-1881) English prime minister London I have passed all my days in London, until I have formed as many and intense local attachments as any of you mountaineers can have done with dead nature. The lighted shops of the Strand and Fleet Street, the innumerable trades, tradesmen, and customers, coaches, waggons, playhouses, all the bustle and wickedness round about Covent Garden, the very women of the town, the watchmen, drunken scenes, rattles . . . I often shed tears in the motley Strand from fullness of joy at so much life. Charles Lamb (1775-1834) English essayist, critic London What rubbish! Marshal GebhardBlucher (1742-1819) Prussian general on first view of London London You find no man, at all intellectual, who is willing to leave London. No, Sir, when a man is tired of London, he is tired of life; for there is in London all that life can afford. Dr. Samuel Johnson (1709-1784) English author, lexicographer London A broken heart is a very pleasant complaint for a man in London if he has a comfortable income. Ann, Man and Superman George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) Anglo-Irish playwright, critic London It is strange with how little notice, good, bad or indifferent, a man may live and die in London. Charles Dickens (1812-1870) English novelist London Enfin, dans un amas de choses, sombre, immense, Un peuple noir, vivant et mourant en silence. Finally, within a huge and sombre mass of things, a blackened people, living and dying in silence. Henri Auguste Barbier (1805-1882) French poet London Loneliness See: City Life: Thoreau Stardom: Garland; Joplin Suspicion: Eliot Only in a house where one has learnt to be lonely does one have this solicitude for things. One's relation to them, the daily seeing or touching, begins to become love, and to lay one open to pain. Elizabeth Bowen (1899-1973) Anglo-Irish novelist Loneliness Loneliness is to endure the presence of one who does not understand. Elbert Hubbard (1856-1915) American author Loneliness Who knows what true loneliness is - not the conventional word but the naked terror? To the lonely themselves it wears a mask. Joseph Conrad (1857-1924) English novelist Loneliness Man's loneliness is but his fear of life. Eugene O'Neill (1888-1953) American playwright Loneliness Loquacity See: Age: Old Age: Jonson Anecdotes: La Rochefoucauld Politicians: Stevenson Silence: Smith They never taste who always drink; They always talk who never think. Matthew Prior (1664-1721) English poet, diplomat Loquacity To talk without thinking is to shoot without aiming. 18th-century English proverb Loquacity The habit of common and continuous speech is a symptom of mental deficiency. It proceeds from not knowing what is going on in other people's minds. Walter Bagehot (1826-1877) English economist, critic Loquacity The round-faced man in black entered, and dissipated all doubts on the subject, by beginning to talk. He did not cease while he stayed; nor has he since, that I know of. William Hazlitt (1778-1830) English essayist of Coleridge Loquacity He can compress the most words into the smallest ideas, of any man I ever met. Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865) American president Loquacity Half the world is composed of people who have something to say and can't, and the other half who have nothing to say and keep on saying it. Robert Frost (1874-1963) American poet Loquacity There are few wild beasts more to be dreaded than a talking man having nothing to say. Jonathan Swift (1667-1745) Anglo-Irish satirist Loquacity I prefer tongue-tied knowledge to ignorant loquacity. Cicero (106-43 BC) Roman orator, philosopher Loquacity The only way to entertain some folks is to listen to them. Kin (F. McKinney) Hubbard (1868-1930) American humorist, journalist Loquacity Losing We are not interested in the possibilities of defeat. Queen Victoriaof England (1819-1901) Losing Victory has a hundred fathers but defeat is an orphan. Galeazzo Ciano (1903-1944) Italian Fascist leader Losing We have resolved to endure the unendurable and suffer what is unsufferable. Emperor Hirohitoof Japan (1901-1989) following the dropping of the atomic bomb on Hiroshima Losing One of the first businesses of a sensible man is to know when he is beaten, and to leave off fighting at once. Samuel Butler (1835-1902) English author Losing What makes us so bitter against people who outwit us is that they think themselves cleverer than we are. Francois, Duc de La Rochefoucauld (1613-1680) French writer, moralist Losing Show me a good loser and I will show you a loser. Paul Newman (b. 1925) American film actor Losing Love See: Death: Marvell Fidelity: Wilde Food: Shaw Happiness: de Unamuno Heartbreak Jealousy: Bible, Song of Solomon Lovers Marriage: Baudelaire; Coleridge; Collins; de Maupassant; Russell Marriage: Swift; Wycherley Passion: Goldsmith Promises: Etherege Reason: Pascal Religion: France Secrets: Antiphanes Sex: Donne; Gauguin; Perelman Suicide: Walsh O lyric Love, half angel and half bird And all a wonder and a wild desire. Robert Browning (1812-1889) English poet Love What a recreation it is to be in love! It sets the heart aching so delicately, there's no taking a wink of sleep for the pleasure of the pain. George Colman the Younger (1762-1836) English dramatist Love All the little emptiness of love! Rupert Brooke (1887-1915) British poet Love True love is like ghosts, which everyone talks about and few have seen. Francois, Duc de La Rochefoucauld (1613-1680) French writer, moralist Love Whoso loves believes the impossible. Elizabeth Barrett Browning (1806-1861) English poet Love When one is in love one begins to deceive oneself. And one ends by deceiving others. Oscar Wilde (1854-1900) Anglo-Irish writer Love Love is too young to know what conscience is. William Shakespeare (1564-1616) English dramatist, poet Love There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear. Saint John (b. 1st century AD) Apostle of Jesus Love Many people when they fall in love look for a little haven of refuge from the world, where they can be sure of being admired when they are not admirable, and praised when they are not praiseworthy. Bertrand Russell (1872-1970) British philosopher, mathematician, social reformer Love Love is a gross exaggeration of the difference between one person and everybody else. George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) Anglo-Irish playwright, critic Love Love is the wisdom of the fool and the folly of the wise. Dr. Samuel Johnson (1709-1784) English author, lexicographer Love People who are not in love fail to understand how an intelligent man can suffer because of a very ordinary woman. This is like being surprised that anyone should be stricken with cholera because of a creature so insignificant as the comma bacillus. Marcel Proust (1871-1922) French novelist Love Love is a disease which fills you with a desire to be desired. Henri, Comte de Toulouse-Lautrec (1864-1901) French painter, lithographer Love Love's like the measles - all the worse when it comes late in life. Douglas Jerrold (1803-1857) English playwright, humorist Love Stay me with flagons, comfort me with apples, for I am sick of love. Bible, Song of Solomon Love How sad and bad and mad it was - But then, how it was sweet! Robert Browning (1812-1889) English poet Love It is best to love wisely, no doubt; but to love foolishly is better than not to be able to love at all. William Makepeace Thackeray (1811-1863) English author Love To say the truth, reason and love keep little company together now-a-days. Bottom, A Midsummer Night's Dream William Shakespeare (1564-1616) English dramatist, poet Love Love is not really blind - the bandage is never so tight but that it can peep. Elbert Hubbard (1856-1915) American author Love Love is not blind; that is the last thing it is. Love is bound; and the more it is bound the less it is blind. G. K. Chesterton (1874-1936) English author Love Take me to you, imprison me. For I, Except you enthrall me, never shall be free, Nor ever chaste, except you ravish me. John Donne (1572-1631) English divine, metaphysical poet Love Love seeks not to possess, but to be possessed. R. H. Benson (1871-1914) British novelist Love If there's delight in love, 'tis when I see That heart, which others bleed for, bleed for me. William Congreve (1670-1729) English dramatist Love Do you want to enjoy her love, or do you want to dominate it? John Drinkwater (1882-1937) British author Love Love doesn't grow on the trees like apples in Eden - it's something you have to make. And you must use your imagination to make it too, just like anything else. It's all work, work. Joyce Cary (1888-1957) British novelist Love Much more genius is needed to make love than to command armies. Ninon de Lenclos (1620-1705) French society lady, wit Love When first we met we did not guess That Love would prove so hard a master. Robert Bridges (1844-1930) British poet Love The course of true love never did run smooth. Lysander, A Midsummer Night's Dream William Shakespeare (1564-1616) English dramatist, poet Love Never the time and the place and the loved one all together! Robert Browning (1812-1889) English poet Love A thick head can do as much damage as a hard heart. H. W. Dodds (1889-1980) Princeton University president Love Every theory of love, from Plato down, teaches that each individual loves in the other sex what he lacks in himself. G. Stanley Hall (1844-1924) American psychologist, philosopher, educator Love We are nearer loving those who hate us than those who love us more than we wish. Francois, Duc de La Rochefoucauld (1613-1680) French writer, moralist Love The fickleness of the women I love is only equalled by the infernal constancy of the women who love me. Charteris, The Philanderer George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) Anglo-Irish playwright, critic Love I love her and she loves me, and we hate each other with a wild hatred born of love. J. August Strindberg (1849-1912) Swedish dramatist Love The more one loves a mistress, the more one is ready to hate her. Francois, Duc de La Rochefoucauld (1613-1680) French writer, moralist Love If she herself will not love, Nothing can make her: The devil take her! Sir John Suckling (1609-1642) English poet Love And I shall find some girl perhaps, And a better one than you, With eyes as wise, but kindlier, And lips as soft, but true, And I daresay she will do. Rupert Brooke (1887-1915) British poet Love Men have died from time to time, and worms have eaten them, but not for love. Rosalind, As You Like It William Shakespeare (1564-1616) English dramatist, poet Love When love grows diseas'd, the best thing we can do is to put it to a violent death; I cannot endure the torture of a ling'ring and consumptive passion. Sir George Etherege (1635-1691) English dramatist, diplomat Love Love never dies of starvation, but often of indigestion. Ninon de Lenclos (1620-1705) French society lady, wit Love Love is like linen, often changed, the sweeter. Phineas Fletcher (1582-1650) English poet Love It is better to love two too many than one too few. Sir John Harington (1561-1612) English writer, courtier Love One can find women who have never had one love affair, but it is rare indeed to find any who have had only one. Francois, Duc de La Rochefoucauld (1613-1680) French writer, moralist Love Women fall in love through their ears and men through their eyes. Woodrow Wyatt (b. 1918) British journalist, Labour politician Love In women pity begets love, in men love begets pity. J. Churton Collins (1848-1908) English author, critic, scholar Love Love is the history of a woman's life; it is an episode in man's. Madame de Stael (1766-1817) French writer, wit Love Falling in love is a matter of intermittent propinquity; the cure for it, propinquity. Elbert Hubbard (1856-1915) American author Love Familiar acts are beautiful through love. Percy Bysshe Shelley (1792-1822) English poet Love Love does not consist in gazing at each other but in looking together in the same direction. Antoine de Saint-Exupery (1900-1944) French aviator, writer Love One of the glories of society is to have created woman where Nature made a female, to have created a continuity of desire where Nature only thought of perpetuating the species; in fine, to have invented love. George Moore (1852-1933) Irish author Love A new commandment I give unto you, that ye love one another. Jesus (4 BC-29 AD) founder of Christianity Love Love: First Love First love is only a little foolishness and a lot of curiosity. Broadbent, John Bull's Other Island George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) Anglo-Irish playwright, critic Love: First Love The magic of first love is our ignorance that it can ever end. Benjamin Disraeli (1804-1881) English prime minister Love: First Love We always believe our first love is our last, and our last love our first. George Whyte-Melville (1821-1878) Scottish author Love: First Love In her first passion woman loves her lover, In all the others all she loves is love. Lord Byron (1788-1824) English poet Love: First Love Love: at First Sight I did but see her passing by And yet I love her till I die. Thomas Ford (1580-1648) English composer Love: at First Sight Where both deliberate, the love is slight: Who ever lov'd, that lov'd not at first sight? Christopher Marlowe (1564-1593) English dramatist, poet Love: at First Sight The only true love is love at first sight; second sight dispels it. Israel Zangwill (1864-1926) British writer Love: at First Sight Lovers See: Husbands: Moore Promises: Catullus And the lovers lie abed with all their griefs in their arms. Dylan Thomas (1914-1953) Welsh poet Lovers Imparadised in one another's arms. John Milton (1608-1674) English poet Lovers Busy old fool, unruly Sun, Why dost thou thus, Through windows and through curtains call on us? Must to thy motions lovers' seasons run? John Donne (1572-1631) English divine, metaphysical poet Lovers We that are true lovers run into strange capers. Touchstone, As You Like It William Shakespeare (1564-1616) English dramatist, poet Lovers A lover is someone who gives as much consideration to your warts as you do, and continues to admire you as you do. Many love affairs are simply servings of self-pity for two. Alan Brien (b. 1925) British novelist, journalist Lovers Every man wants a woman to appeal to his better side, his nobler instincts and his higher nature - and another woman to help him forget them. Helen Rowland (1875-1950) American journalist Lovers A mistress should be like a little country retreat near the town; not to dwell in constantly, but only for a night and away. William Wycherley (1640-1716) English dramatist Lovers One can be a soldier without dying, and a lover without sighing. Edwin Arnold (1832-1904) British poet Lovers I would not miss your face, your neck, your hands, your limbs, your bosom and certain other of your charms. Indeed, not to become boring by naming them all, I could do without you, Chloe, altogether. Martial (c. 40-c. 104) Roman poet Lovers Nay but you, who do not love her, Is she not pure gold, my mistress? Robert Browning (1812-1889) English poet Lovers Age cannot wither her, not custom stale Her infinite variety. Other women cloy The appetites they feed, but she makes hungry Where most she satisfies. Enobarbus, Antony and Cleopatra William Shakespeare (1564-1616) English dramatist, poet Lovers When Death to either shall come, - I pray it be first to me. Robert Bridges (1844-1930) British poet Lovers Love ceases to be a pleasure when it ceases to be a secret. Aphra Behn (1640-1689) English playwright, poet Lovers A lover without indiscretion is no lover at all. Thomas Hardy (1840-1928) English novelist, poet Lovers Lovers' quarrels are the renewal of love. Terence (c. 190-159 BC) Roman dramatist Lovers The difference is wide that the sheets will not decide. Proverb Lovers At the beginning of love and at its end, lovers are embarrassed if left alone. Jean de la Bruyere (1645-1696) French writer, moralist Lovers There are few people who are not ashamed of their love affairs when the infatuation is over. Francois, Duc de La Rochefoucauld (1613-1680) French writer, moralist Lovers Scratch a lover and find a foe. Dorothy Parker (1893-1967) American humorous writer Lovers Queen Guinevere, for whom I make here a little mention, that while she lived she was a true lover, and therefore she had a good end. Sir Thomas Malory (c. 1430-1471) English author Lovers Loyalty See: Fidelity Royalty: Queen Elizabeth I If you are not too long, I will wait for you all my life. Oscar Wilde (1854-1900) Anglo-Irish writer Loyalty Intreat me not to leave thee, or to return from following after thee: for whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge: thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God. Bible, Ruth Loyalty Histories are more full of examples of the fidelity of dogs than of friends. Alexander Pope (1688-1744) English poet Loyalty To be sure, the dog is loyal. But why, on that account, should we take him as an example? He is loyal to men, not to other dogs. Karl Kraus (1874-1936) Austrian poet, journalist Loyalty There are two kinds of fidelity, that of dogs and that of cats: you, gentlemen, have the fidelity of cats, who never leave the house. Napoleon Bonaparte (1769-1821) Emperor of France speaking after he had escaped from Elba, to French courtiers who had not followed him there Loyalty We are all the President's men. Henry Kissinger (b. 1923) American adviser on international affairs after invasion of Cambodia, 1970 Loyalty No man can serve two masters. Jesus (4 BC-29 AD) founder of Christianity Loyalty Luck now and then there is a person born who is so unlucky that he runs into accidents which started out to happen to somebody else. Don Marquis (1878-1937) American humorist, journalist Luck Luck's always to blame. Jean de la Fontaine (1621-1695) French poet, fabulist Luck It often amuses me to hear men impute all their misfortunes to fate, luck, or destiny, whilst their successes or good fortune they ascribe to their own sagacity, cleverness or penetration. Samuel Taylor Coleridge (1772-1834) English poet Luck Chance is a word that does not make sense. Nothing happens without a cause. Voltaire (1694-1778) French philosopher, writer Luck Chance is perhaps the pseudonym of God when he does not wish to sign his work. Anatole France (1844-1924) French author Luck When God throws the dice are loaded. Greek proverb Luck Fortune's a right whore: If she give ought, she deals it in small parcels, that she may take away all at one swoop. John Webster (1580-1625) English dramatist Luck If at first you do succeed, don't take any more chances. Kin (F. McKinney) Hubbard (1868-1930) American humorist, journalist Luck Watch out when you're getting all you want; fattening frogs ain't in luck. Joel Chandler Harris (1848-1908) American author Luck There is death in the pot. Bible, Kings Luck Lust Abstinence sows sand all over The ruddy limbs and flaming hair, But desire gratified Plants fruits of life and beauty there. William Blake (1757-1827) English poet, artist Lust The trouble with life is that there are so many beautiful women and so little time. John Barrymore (1882-1942) American stage and film actor Lust This is the monstruosity in love, lady, that the will is infinite and the execution confined; that the desire is boundless, and the act a slave to limit. Troilus, Troilus and Cressida William Shakespeare (1564-1616) English dramatist, poet Lust He is every woman's man and every man's woman. Gaius Scribonius Curio (d. 53 BC) Roman consul of Julius Caesar Lust What most men desire is a virgin who is a whore. Edward Dahlberg (1900-1977) American novelist, poet, critic Lust People will insist . . . on treating the mons Veneris as though it were Mount Everest. Aldous Huxley (1894-1963) English author Lust Down, wanton, down! Have you no shame That at the whisper of Love's name, Or Beauty's, presto! up you raise Your angry head and stand and gaze? Robert Graves (1895-1985) British poet, novelist Lust We have two tyrannous physical passions; concupiscence and chastity. We become mad in pursuit of sex: we become equally mad in the persecution of that pursuit. George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) Anglo-Irish playwright, critic Lust Luxury Give us the luxuries of life, and we will dispense with its necessities. J. L. Motley (1814-1877) American historian Luxury The lust for comfort, that stealthy thing that enters the house a guest, and then becomes a host, and then a master. Kahlil Gibran (1883-1931) Syrian mystic, poet Luxury The saddest thing I can imagine is to get used to luxury. Charlie Chaplin (1889-1977) English comic actor, director Luxury Living in the lap of luxury isn't bad, except you never know when luxury is going to stand up. Orson Welles (1915-1985) American filmmaker Luxury Lying See: Age: Old Age: Shakespeare Excuses: Savile Men: and Women: Gay Poets: Byron Politicians: Carlyle Propaganda: Lichtenberg Self-deception: Hoffer Statistics: Disraeli Truth: Blake Visionaries: Nietzsche Wives: Hubbard A little inaccuracy sometimes saves tons of explanation. Saki (H. H. Munro) (1870-1916) Scottish author Lying And, after all, what is a lie? 'Tis but The truth in masquerade. Lord Byron (1788-1824) English poet Lying Oh what a tangled web we weave When first we practise to deceive! Sir Walter Scott (1771-1832) Scottish novelist, poet Lying Most lies are quite successful, and human society would be impossible without a great deal of good-natured lying. George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) Anglo-Irish playwright, critic Lying The silent colossal National Lie that is the support and confederate of all the tyrannies and shams and inequalities and unfairnesses that afflict the peoples - that is the one to throw bricks and sermons at. Mark Twain (1835-1910) American author Lying The great mass of people . . . will more easily fall victim to a big lie than to a small one. Adolf Hitler (1889-1945) German dictator Lying No man spreads a lie with so good a race as he that believes it. John Arbuthnot (1667-1735) English writer, physician Lying No man lies so boldly as the man who is indignant. Friedrich Nietzsche (1844-1900) German philosopher Lying Women lie about their age; men about their income. William Feather (b. 1889) American businessman Lying When I make a mistake every one can see it, but not when I lie. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749-1832) German poet, dramatist, novelist, scientist Lying Husband a lie, and trump it up in some extraordinary emergency. Joseph Addison (1672-1719) English essayist Lying Good lies need a leavening of truth to make them palatable. William McIlvanney (b. 1936) British novelist Lying The best liar is he who makes the smallest amount of lying go the longest way. Samuel Butler (1835-1902) English author Lying He did not stand shivering upon the brink, he was a thorough-paced liar, and plunged at once into the depths of your credulity. Charles Lamb (1775-1834) English essayist, critic Lying I do not mind lying, but I hate inaccuracy. Samuel Butler (1835-1902) English author Lying The cruellest lies are often told in silence. Robert Louis Stevenson (1850-1894) Scottish novelist, essayist, poet Lying If you are going to lie, you go to jail for the lie rather than the crime. So believe me, don't ever lie. Richard Nixon (b. 1913) American president to John Dean III, due to testify before Watergate Committee, April 1973 Lying A lie will easily get you out of a scrape, and yet, strangely and beautifully, rapture possesses you when you have taken the scrape and left out the lie. C. E. Montague (1867-1928) British author, journalist Lying He will lie even when it is inconvenient, the sign of the true artist. Gore Vidal (b. 1925) American novelist, critic Lying It is hard to believe that a man is telling the truth when you know that you would lie if you were in his place. H. L. Mencken (1880-1956) American journalist Lying The liar's punishment is not in the least that he is not believed, but that he cannot believe anyone else. George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) Anglo-Irish playwright, critic Lying Machinery See: Technology From coupler-flange to spindle-guide I see Thy Hand, O God - Predestination in the stride o' yon connectin'-rod. Rudyard Kipling (1865-1936) English author Machinery The machine does not isolate man from the great problems of nature but plunges him more deeply into them. Antoine de Saint-Exupery (1900-1944) French aviator, writer Machinery Machines are worshipped because they are beautiful and valued because they confer power; they are hated because they are hideous and loathed because they impose slavery. Bertrand Russell (1872-1970) British philosopher, mathematician, social reformer Machinery Ever since our love for machines replaced the love we used to have for our fellow men, catastrophes proceed to increase. Man Ray (1890-1976) French photographer Machinery Men have become the tools of their tools. Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862) American philosopher, author, naturalist Machinery Madness See: Power: Shakespeare Royalty: Bagehot The mind is its own place, and in itself Can make a Heaven of Hell, a Hell of Heaven. John Milton (1608-1674) English poet Madness Insanity is often the logic of an accurate mind overtaxed. Dr. Oliver Wendell Holmes (1809-1894) American writer, physician Madness It is his reasonable conversation which mostly frightens us in a madman. Anatole France (1844-1924) French author Madness We must remember that every "mental" symptom is a veiled cry of anguish. Against what? Against oppression, or what the patient experiences as oppression. The oppressed speak a million tongues . . . . Thomas Szasz (b. 1920) American psychiatrist Madness Schizophrenic behaviour is a special strategy that a person invents in order to live in an unlivable situation. R. D. Laing (1927-1989) British psychiatrist Madness Schizophrenia is the name for a condition that most psychiatrists ascribe to patients they call schizophrenic. R. D. Laing (1927-1989) British psychiatrist Madness In the past, men created witches: now they create mental patients. Thomas Szasz (b. 1920) American psychiatrist Madness If a patient is poor he is committed to a public hospital as a "psychotic." If he can afford a sanatorium, the diagnosis is "neurasthenia." If he is wealthy enough to be in his own home under the constant watch of nurses and physicians, he is simply "an indisposed eccentric." Pierre Janet (1859-1947) French physician, psychologist Madness Makeup See: Faces: Holmes God hath given you one face, and you make yourselves another. Hamlet, Hamlet William Shakespeare (1564-1616) English dramatist, poet Makeup Most women are not so young as they are painted. Sir Max Beerbohm (1872-1956) British author Makeup I always wear boot polish on my eyelashes, because I am a very emotional person and it doesn't run when I cry. Barbara Cartland (b. 1901) British novelist Makeup [Be it resolved] that all women, of whatever age, rank, profession, or degree; whether virgin maids or widows; that shall after the passing of this Act, impose upon and betray into matrimony any of His Majesty's male subjects, by scents, paints, cosmetics, washes, artificial teeth, false hair, Spanish wool, iron stays, hoops, high-heeled shoes, or bolstered hips, shall incur the penalty of the laws now in force against witchcraft, sorcery, and such like misdemeanours, and that the marriage, upon conviction, shall stand null and void. Act of Parliament, 1670 Makeup Management See: Business Work: Frost; Russell The Working Class: Giraudoux A man is known by the company he organizes. Ambrose Bierce (1842-1914) American author Management The ability to deal with people is as purchasable a commodity as sugar or coffee. And I pay more for that ability than for any other under the sun. John D. Rockefeller (1839-1937) American industrialist, philanthropist Management The trouble with senior management to an outsider is that there are too many one-ulcer men holding down two-ulcer men's jobs. Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh (b. 1921) Management The great requisite for the prosperous management of ordinary business is the want of imagination. William Hazlitt (1778-1830) English essayist Management The eye of a master will do more work than both his hands. Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790) American statesman, writer Management The good governor should have a broken leg and keep at home. Miguel de Cervantes (1547-1616) Spanish novelist, dramatist, poet Management I always suspect a director who says he can afford to be away from the office only for a week at a time. This generally means either that he is a frightened man or else he is thoroughly inefficient and incapable of delegation. Sir Robert Powell (b. 1909) British businessman, civil servant Management I won't keep a dog and bark myself. Jonathan Swift (1667-1745) Anglo-Irish satirist Management Let us have patience with our inferiors. They are ourselves of yesterday. Isaac Goldberg (1887-1938) American critic Management There is something rarer than ability. It is the ability to recognize ability. Elbert Hubbard (1856-1915) American author Management Lots of folks confuse bad management with destiny. Kin (F. McKinney) Hubbard (1868-1930) American humorist, journalist Management I am a young executive. No cuffs than mine are cleaner; I have a Slimline brief-case and I use the firm's Cortina. John Betjeman (1906-1984) British poet Management Manana See: Reform: Wells Procrastination is the art of keeping up with yesterday. Don Marquis (1878-1937) American humorist, journalist Manana Procrastination is the thief of time. Edward Young (1683-1765) English poet, playwright Manana Don't put off till tomorrow what can be enjoyed today. Josh Billings (1818-1885) American humorist Manana Manners See: The Aristocracy: James Courtesy The English: Perelman Intimacy: Chesterfield Tact I don't recall your name but your manners are familiar. Oliver Herford (1863-1935) American poet, illustrator Manners Good manners are made up of petty sacrifices. Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882) American essayist, poet, philosopher Manners Unruly manners of ill-timed applause Wrong the best speaker or the justest cause. Alexander Pope (1688-1744) English poet Manners Good breeding consists in concealing how much we think of ourselves and how little we think of the other person. Mark Twain (1835-1910) American author Manners The society of women is the foundation of good manners. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749-1832) German poet, dramatist, novelist, scientist Manners Manhood is meted into courtesies, valour into compliment, and men are only turned into tongue. Beatrice, Much Ado About Nothing William Shakespeare (1564-1616) English dramatist, poet Manners If a person has no delicacy, he has you in his power. William Hazlitt (1778-1830) English essayist Manners I have always been of the mind that in a democracy manners are the only effective weapons against the bowie-knife. James Russell Lowell (1819-1891) American poet, editor Manners The highest perfection of politeness is only a beautiful edifice, built, from the base to the dome, of ungraceful and gilded forms of charitable and unselfish lying. Mark Twain (1835-1910) American author Manners Marketing You can automate the production of cars but you cannot atuomate the production of customers. Walter Reuther (1907-1970) American trade union leader Marketing Marriage See: Books: Moliere Divorce Husbands Passion: Goldsmith Virtue: Shaw Wives Women: Keats For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh. Saint Paul (3-67) Apostle to the Gentiles Marriage The marriage state, with and without the affection suitable to it, is the completest image of Heaven and Hell we are capable of receiving in this life. Sir Richard Steele (1672-1729) English essayist, dramatist, editor Marriage By all means marry: if you get a good wife you'll become happy; if you get a bad one, you'll become a philosopher. Socrates (469-399 BC) Greek philosopher Marriage One was never married, and that's his hell; another is, and that's his plague. Robert Burton (1577-1640) English clergyman, author Marriage It is like a cage; one sees the birds outside desperate to get in, and those inside equally desperate to get out. Michel de Montaigne (1533-1592) French essayist, moralist Marriage There is, indeed, nothing that so much seduces reason from vigilance, as the thought of passing life with an amiable woman. Dr. Samuel Johnson (1709-1784) English author, lexicographer Marriage Marriage is a great institution, but I'm not ready for an institution yet. Mae West (1892-1980) American film actress Marriage Marriage is popular because it combines the maximum of temptation with the maximum of opportunity. George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) Anglo-Irish playwright, critic Marriage Be not hasty to marry; it's better to have one plough going than two cradles; and more profit to have a barn filled than a bed. Thomas Fuller (1608-1661) English cleric Marriage Marriage. The state or condition of a community consisting of a master, a mistress and two slaves, making in all, two. Ambrose Bierce (1842-1914) American author Marriage I would rather be a beggar and single than a queen and married. Queen Elizabeth I (1533-1603) Marriage I gravely doubt whether women ever were married by capture. I think they pretended to be; as they still do. G. K. Chesterton (1874-1936) English author Marriage It is always incomprehensible to a man that a woman should ever refuse an offer of marriage. Jane Austen (1775-1817) English novelist Marriage Alas, she married another. They frequently do. I hope she is happy - because I am. Artemus Ward (1834-1867) American journalist Marriage Marriage is the only adventure open to the cowardly. Voltaire (1694-1778) French philosopher, writer Marriage The greatest sacrifice in marriage is the sacrifice of the adventurous attitude towards life. George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) Anglo-Irish playwright, critic Marriage You, that are going to be married, think things can never be done too fast; but we, that are old, and know what we are about, must elope methodically, madam. Oliver Goldsmith (1728-1774) Anglo-Irish author Marriage I am not against hasty marriages, where a mutual flame is fanned by an adequate income. Wilkie Collins (1824-1889) English novelist Marriage To church the parties went, At once with carnal and devout intent. Alexander Pope (1688-1744) English poet Marriage Let us embrace, and from this very moment vow an eternal misery together. Thomas Otway (1652-1685) English dramatist Marriage The world must be peopled. When I said I would die a bachelor, I did not think I should live till I were married. Benedick, Much Ado About Nothing William Shakespeare (1564-1616) English dramatist, poet Marriage When a man marries, dies, or turns Hindoo, his best friends hear no more of him. Percy Bysshe Shelley (1792-1822) English poet Marriage In marriage, a man becomes slack and selfish, and undergoes a fatty degeneration of his moral being. Robert Louis Stevenson (1850-1894) Scottish novelist, essayist, poet Marriage When a girl marries she exchanges the attentions of many men for the inattention of one. Helen Rowland (1875-1950) American journalist Marriage Many a man in love with a dimple makes the mistake of marrying the whole girl. Stephen Leacock (1869-1944) Canadian humorist, economist Marriage When the blind leads the blind, no wonder they both fall into matrimony. George Farquhar (1678-1707) Irish dramatist Marriage The deep, deep bliss of the double bed after the hurly-burly of the chaise longue. Mrs. Patrick Campbell (1865-1940) British actress Marriage They flaunt their conjugal felicity in one's face, as if it were the most fascinating of sins. Oscar Wilde (1854-1900) Anglo-Irish writer Marriage Marriage is a ghastly public confession of a strictly private intention. Ian Hay (1876-1952) British author Marriage Marriage is like a dull meal with the dessert at the beginning. Henri, Comte de Toulouse-Lautrec (1864-1901) French painter, lithographer Marriage 'Tis safest in matrimony to begin with a little aversion. Richard Brinsley Sheridan (1751-1816) Anglo-Irish dramatist Marriage It doesn't much signify whom one marries, for one is sure to find next morning that it was someone else. Samuel Rogers (1763-1855) English poet Marriage They dream in courtship, but in wedlock wake. Alexander Pope (1688-1744) English poet Marriage Before marriage, a man will lie awake thinking about something you said; after marriage, he'll fall asleep before you finish saying it. Helen Rowland (1875-1950) American journalist Marriage There is a lot to get used to in the first year of marriage. One wakes up in the morning and finds a pair of pigtails on the pillow that were not there before. Martin Luther (1483-1546) German leader of the Protestant Reformation Marriage The critical period in matrimony is breakfasttime. A. P. Herbert (1890-1971) British author, politician Marriage A man who marries a woman to educate her falls into the same fallacy as the woman who marries a man to reform him. Elbert Hubbard (1856-1915) American author Marriage Marrying to increase love is like gaming to become rich; you only lose what little stock you had before. William Wycherley (1640-1716) English dramatist Marriage Marriage is law, and love is instinct. Guy de Maupassant (1850-1893) French author Marriage Though women are angels, yet wedlock's the devil. Lord Byron (1788-1824) English poet Marriage Venus, a beautiful, good-natured lady, was the goddess of love; Juno, a terrible shrew, the goddess of marriage: and they were always mortal enemies. Jonathan Swift (1667-1745) Anglo-Irish satirist Marriage Being unable to abolish love, the Church has decided at least to disinfect it, and has invented marriage. Charles Baudelaire (1821-1867) French poet Marriage Love as a relation between men and women was ruined by the desire to make sure of the legitimacy of children. Bertrand Russell (1872-1970) British philosopher, mathematician, social reformer Marriage Marriage has no natural relation to love. Marriage belongs to society; it is a social contract. Samuel Taylor Coleridge (1772-1834) English poet Marriage The chain of wedlock is so heavy that it takes two to carry it, sometimes three. Alexandre Dumas (1802-1870) French author Marriage There can only be one end to marriage without love, and that is love without marriage. J. Churton Collins (1848-1908) English author, critic, scholar Marriage Keep your eyes wide open before marriage, and half-shut afterwards. Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790) American statesman, writer Marriage Marriage always demands the greatest understanding of the art of insincerity possible between two human beings. Vicki Baum (1888-1960) American writer Marriage Every time a woman makes herself laugh at her husband's often-told jokes she betrays him. The man who looks at his woman and says "What would I do without you?" is already destroyed. Germaine Greer (b. 1939) Australian feminist writer Marriage The amount of women in London who flirt with their own husbands is perfectly scandalous. It looks so bad. It is simply washing one's clean linen in public. Oscar Wilde (1854-1900) Anglo-Irish writer Marriage Once you are married, there is nothing for you, not even suicide, but to be good. Robert Louis Stevenson (1850-1894) Scottish novelist, essayist, poet Marriage After a few years of marriage a man can look right at a woman without seeing her and a woman can see right through a man without looking at him. Helen Rowland (1875-1950) American journalist Marriage Twenty years of romance make a woman look like a ruin, but twenty years of marriage make her something like a public building. Oscar Wilde (1854-1900) Anglo-Irish writer Marriage Without love, hatred, joy, or fear, They led - a kind of - as it were: Nor wish'd, nor car'd, nor laugh'd, nor cried: And so they liv'd, and so they died. Matthew Prior (1664-1721) English poet, diplomat Marriage In my conscience I believe the baggage loves me, for she never speaks well of me herself, nor suffers any body else to rail at me. William Congreve (1670-1729) English dramatist Marriage A successful marriage is an edifice that must be rebuilt every day. Andre Maurois (1885-1967) French author Marriage A marriage is likely to be called happy if neither party ever expected to get much happiness out of it. Bertrand Russell (1872-1970) British philosopher, mathematician, social reformer Marriage Whenever a husband and wife begin to discuss their marriage, they are giving evidence at an inquest. H. L. Mencken (1880-1956) American journalist Marriage Marriage is one long conversation, chequered by disputes. Robert Louis Stevenson (1850-1894) Scottish novelist, essayist, poet Marriage A wise woman will always let her husband have her way. Richard Brinsley Sheridan (1751-1816) Anglo-Irish dramatist Marriage One fool at least in every married couple. Henry Fielding (1707-1754) English novelist, dramatist Marriage Incompatibility. In matrimony a similarity of tastes, particularly the taste for domination. Ambrose Bierce (1842-1914) American author Marriage The calmest husbands make the stormiest wives. Isaac d'Israeli (1766-1848) English man of letters, father of Benjamin Disraeli Marriage Marriages not infrequently break up because the more compliant partner eventually feels compelled to reassert his or her lost, separate identity. Anthony Storr (b. 1920) British psychiatrist Marriage It is not marriage that fails; it is the people that fail. All that marriage does is to show people up. H. E. Fosdick (1878-1969) American Baptist minister Marriage A good marriage is at least 80 percent good luck in finding the right person at the right time. The rest is trust. Nanette Newman (b. 1934) British actress Marriage Only one marriage I regret. I remember after I got that marriage licence I went across from the marriage bureau to a bar for a drink. The bartender said, "What will you have, sir?" And I said, " A glass of hemlock." Ernest Hemingway (1899-1961) American writer Marriage I've been married once on the level, and twice in America. Texas Guinan (188?-1934) Canadian entertainer Marriage The plural of spouse is spice. Christopher Morley (1890-1957) American novelist, journalist Marriage Wen you're a married man, Samivel, you'll understand a good many things as you don't understand now; but vether it's worth goin' through so much, to learn so little, as the charity-boy said ven he got to the end of the alphabet, is a matter of taste. Mr. Weller, The Pickwick Papers Charles Dickens (1812-1870) English novelist Marriage Marriage has many pains, but celibacy has no pleasures. Dr. Samuel Johnson (1709-1784) English author, lexicographer Marriage Even if we take matrimony at its lowest, even if we regard it as no more than a sort of friendship recognised by the police. Robert Louis Stevenson (1850-1894) Scottish novelist, essayist, poet Marriage Marriage develops a binocular view of life, both masculine and feminine. Dr. William Brown (1881-1962) British psychologist, psychiatrist Marriage Marriage is an act of will that signifies and involves a mutual gift, which unites the spouses and binds them to their eventual souls, with whom they make up a sole family - a domestic church. Pope John Paul II (b. 1920) Marriage The value of marriage is not that adults produce children, but that children produce adults. Peter de Vries (b. 1910) American writer Marriage Martyrdom See: The Afterlife: Granville-Barker Conformity: Dryden Freedom: Ewer God: Reed Persecution: Hubbard Self-denial: Chesterton; Shaw Visionaries: Eco If a man hasn't discovered something that he will die for, he isn't fit to live. Martin Luther King (1929-1968) American civil rights leader Martyrdom Man is ready to die for an idea, provided that idea is not quite clear to him. Paul Eldridge (b. 1888) American writer Martyrdom It is the cause, not the death, that makes the martyr. Napoleon Bonaparte (1769-1821) Emperor of France Martyrdom A cause may be inconvenient, but it's magnificent. It's like champagne or high shoes, and one must be prepared to suffer for it. Arnold Bennett (1867-1931) British novelist Martyrdom What signify a few lives lost in a century or two? The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants. It is its natural manure. Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826) American president Martyrdom I don't mind martyrdom for a policy in which I believe, but I object to being burnt for someone else's principles. John Galsworthy (1867-1933) English novelist, dramatist Martyrdom There have been quite as many martyrs for bad causes as for good ones. Hendrik Van Loon (1882-1944) American journalist, historian Martyrdom I am very fond of truth, but not at all of martyrdom. Voltaire (1694-1778) French philosopher, writer Martyrdom The tyrant dies and his rule is over; the martyr dies and his rule begins. Soren Kierkegaard (1813-1855) Danish philosopher Martyrdom It is well for his peace that the saint goes to his martyrdom. He is spared the sight of the horror of his harvest. Oscar Wilde (1854-1900) Anglo-Irish writer Martyrdom The torments of martyrdom are probably most keenly felt by the bystanders. Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882) American essayist, poet, philosopher Martyrdom Play the man, Master Ridley; we shall this day light such a candle, by God's grace, in England, as I trust shall never be put out. Bishop Hugh Latimer (1485-1555) English churchman, Protestant martyr, schoolmaster at his execution pyre Martyrdom In a few minutes I am going out to shape all the singing tomorrows. Gabriel Peri French Communist leader before his execution by the Germans, 1942 Martyrdom But whether on the scaffold high, Or in the battle's van; The fittest place where man can die Is where he dies for man. Michael J. Barry (1817-1889) Irish barrister Martyrdom Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints. Bible, Psalms Martyrdom A thing is not necessarily true because a man dies for it. Oscar Wilde (1854-1900) Anglo-Irish writer Martyrdom Marxism See: Communism Socialism The Marxist analysis has got nothing to do with what happened in Stalin's Russia: it's like blaming Jesus Christ for the Inquisition in Spain. Tony Benn (b. 1925) British Labour politician Marxism Marxism is essentially a product of the bourgeois mind. J. A. Schumpeter (1883-1950) American economist, socialist Marxism All I know is I'm not a Marxist. Karl Marx (1818-1883) German social philosopher, revolutionary Marxism The Masses See: Sincerity: Bacon I can't help feeling wary when I hear anything said about the masses. First you take their faces from 'em, calling them the masses, and then you accuse 'em of not having any faces. J. B. Priestley (1894-1984) British writer The Masses The people are that part of the state which does not know what it wants. George Hegel (1770-1831) German philosopher The Masses It's no go the Government grants, it's no go the elections, Sit on your arse for fifty years and hang your hat on a pension. Louis MacNeice (1907-1963) British poet The Masses The forgotten man at the bottom of the economic pyramid. Franklin D. Roosevelt (1882-1945) American president The Masses The mind of the people is like mud, from which arise strange and beautiful things. W. J. Turner (1889-1946) British poet The Masses Masses are always breeding grounds of psychic epidemics. Carl Jung (1875-1961) Swiss psychiatrist The Masses Masturbation Don't knock it, it's sex with someone you love. Woody Allen (b. 1935) American filmmaker Masturbation Masturbation: the primary sexual activity of mankind. In the nineteenth century it was a disease; in the twentieth, it's a cure. Thomas Szasz (b. 1920) American psychiatrist Masturbation Mathematics See: Music: Debussy The concept of number is the obvious distinction between the beast and man. Thanks to number, the cry becomes song, noise acquires rhythm, the spring is transformed into a dance, force becomes dynamic, and outlines figures. Joseph Marie de Maistre (1753-1821) French author Mathematics I admit that twice two makes four is an excellent thing, but if we are to give everything its due, twice two makes five is sometimes a very charming thing too. Feodor Dostoievski (1821-1881) Russian novelist Mathematics Mathematics is the only science where one never knows what one is talking about nor whether what is said is true. Bertrand Russell (1872-1970) British philosopher, mathematician, social reformer Mathematics As far as the laws of mathematics refer to reality, they are not certain, and as far as they are certain, they do not refer to reality. Albert Einstein (1879-1955) German-American theoretical physicist Mathematics Stand firm in your refusal to remain conscious during algebra. In real life, I assure you, there is no such thing as algebra. Fran Lebowitz (b. 1951) American journalist Mathematics I have hardly ever known a mathematician who was capable of reasoning. Plato (428-347 BC) Greek philosopher Mathematics Mathematics possesses not only truth, but supreme beauty - a beauty cold and austere, like that of sculpture. Bertrand Russell (1872-1970) British philosopher, mathematician, social reformer Mathematics I could never make out what those damned dots meant. Lord RandolphChurchill (1849-1894) English statesman of decimal points Mathematics Maturity See: Age: Old Age Middle Age A child becomes an adult when he realizes that he has a right not only to be right but also to be wrong. Thomas Szasz (b. 1920) American psychiatrist Maturity We have not passed that subtle line between childhood and adulthood until we move from the passive voice to the active voice - that is, until we have stopped saying, "It got lost," and say, "I lost it." Sydney J. Harris (1917-1986) American journalist Maturity Your lordship, though not clean past your youth, hath yet some smack of age in you, some relish of the saltness of time. Falstaff, King Henry IV part 2 William Shakespeare (1564-1616) English dramatist, poet Maturity When people are old enough to know better they are old enough to do worse. Hesketh Pearson (1887-1964) British biographer Maturity One of the signs of passing youth is the birth of the sense of fellowship with other human beings as we take our place among them. Virginia Woolf (1882-1941) British novelist Maturity To be adult is to be alone. Jean Rostand (1894-1977) French biologist, writer Maturity Meanness See: Economizing Meanness is more in half-doing than in omitting acts of generosity. Elbert Hubbard (1856-1915) American author Meanness Mere parsimony is not economy . . . Expense, and great expense, may be an essential part of true economy. Edmund Burke (1729-1797) Irish philosopher, statesman Meanness It was said of old Sarah, Duchess of Marlborough, that she never puts dots over her i's, to save ink. Horace Walpole (1717-1797) English writer Meanness There are many things that we would throw away, if we were not afraid that others might pick them up. Oscar Wilde (1854-1900) Anglo-Irish writer Meanness Man hoards himself when he has nothing to give away. Edward Dahlberg (1900-1977) American novelist, poet, critic Meanness Medicine See: Doctors Hope: Rice; Shakespeare Some fell by laudanum, and some by steel, And death in ambush lay in every pill. Sir Samuel Garth (1661-1719) English physician, poet Medicine Medicine is a collection of uncertain prescriptions, the results of which, taken collectively, are more fatal than useful to mankind. Water, air, and cleanliness are the chief articles in my pharmacopoeia. Napoleon Bonaparte (1769-1821) Emperor of France Medicine The desire to take medicine is perhaps the greatest feature which distinguishes man from animals. Sir William Osler (1849-1919) Canadian physician Medicine Vaccination is the medical sacrament corresponding to baptism. Samuel Butler (1835-1902) English author Medicine Half the modern drugs could well be thrown out of the window, except that the birds might eat them. Martin Henry Fischer (1879-1962) American scientist, educator, author Medicine The whole imposing edifice of modern medicine is like the celebrated tower of Pisa slightly off balance. Charles, Prince of Wales (b. 1948) Medicine Memory See: Anecdotes: La Rochefoucauld Nostalgia A memory is what is left when something happens and does not completely unhappen. Edward de Bono (b. 1933) British writer Memory Memory, the priestess, kills the present and offers its heart ot the shrine of the dead past. Rabindranath Tagore (1861-1941) Indian author, philosopher Memory But the iniquity of oblivion blindly scattereth her poppy, and deals with the memory of men without distinction to merit of perpetuity. Sir Thomas Browne (1605-1682) English physician, author Memory Life is all memory, except for the one present moment that goes by you so quickly you hardly catch it going. Tennessee Williams (1914-1983) American playwright Memory Many a man fails to become a thinker for the sole reason that his memory is too good. Friedrich Nietzsche (1844-1900) German philosopher Memory But each day brings its petty dust Our soon-chok'd souls to fill, And we forget because we must, And not because we will. Matthew Arnold (1822-1888) English poet, critic Memory Men See: Men and Women Promiscuity: Coward Women: and Men How can a Woman scruple entire Subjection, how can she forbear to admire the worth and excellency of a Superior Sex, if she at all considers it? Have not all the great Actions that have been performed in the World been done by Men? Have not they founded Empires and overturn'd them? Do not they make Laws and continually repeal and amend them? Their vast Minds lay Kingdoms Waste, no bounds or measures can be prescrib'd to their Desires . . . They make Worlds and ruin them, form Systems of universal nature and dispute eternally about them; their pen gives worth to the most trifling Controversy . . . Mary Astell (1666-1735) English feminist writer Men One of the things being in politics has taught is that men are not a reasoned or reasonable sex. Margaret Thatcher (b. 1925) English prime minister Men The male sex still constitute in many ways the most obstinate vested interest one can find. Lord Longford (b. 1905) British author, moralist Men Women think of being a man as a gift. It is a duty. Even making love can be a duty. A man has always got to get it up, and love isn't always enough. Norman Mailer (b. 1923) American author Men A hard man's good to find - but you'll mostly find him asleep. Mae West (1892-1980) American film actress Men One hell of an outlay for a very small return with most of them. Glenda Jackson (b. 1937) English film actress Men I require only three things in a man. He must be handsome, ruthless, and stupid. Dorothy Parker (1893-1967) American humorous writer Men Women want mediocre men, and men are working hard to become as mediocre as possible. Margaret Mead (1901-1978) American anthropologist Men There is a vast difference between the savage and the civilized man, but it is never apparent to their wives until after breakfast. Helen Rowland (1875-1950) American journalist Men Men are those creatures with two legs and eight hands. Jayne Mansfield (1932-1967) American film actress Men Don't accept rides from strange men - and remember that all men are as strange as hell. Robin Morgan (b. 1941) American feminist Men A hairy body, and arms stiff with bristles, gives promise of a manly soul. Juvenal (c. 40-130) Roman satiric poet Men Macho does not prove mucho. Zsa Zsa Gabor (b. 1919) Hungarian film actress Men The more I see of men, the more I like dogs. Madame de Stael (1766-1817) French writer, wit Men Men: and Women With men he can be rational and unaffected, but when he has ladies to please, every feature works. Jane Austen (1775-1817) English novelist Men: and Women I must have women - there is nothing unbends the mind like them. Macheath, The Beggar's Opera John Gay (1685-1732) English playwright, poet Men: and Women The man who gets on best with women is the one who knows best how to get on without them. Charles Baudelaire (1821-1867) French poet Men: and Women A man can be happy with any woman as long as he does not love her. Oscar Wilde (1854-1900) Anglo-Irish writer Men: and Women There are two things a real man likes - danger and play; and he likes woman because she is the most dangerous of playthings. Friedrich Nietzsche (1844-1900) German philosopher Men: and Women All men are rapists and that's all they are. They rape us with their eyes, their laws, their codes. Marilyn French (b. 1929) American author Men: and Women To be sure he's a "Man," the male must see to it that the female be clearly a "Woman," the opposite of a "Man," that is the female must act like a faggot. Valerie Solanas (1940-1988) American artist, writer Men: and Women No men who think really deeply about women retain a high opinion of them; men either despise women or they have never thought seriously about them. Otto Weininger (1880-1903) Viennese philosopher Men: and Women Most men who run down women are only running down a certain woman. Remy de Gourmont (1858-1915) French critic, novelist Men: and Women Women love men for their defects; if men have enough of them women will forgive them everything, even their gigantic intellects. Oscar Wilde (1854-1900) Anglo-Irish writer Men: and Women Man is for woman a means; the end is always the child. Friedrich Nietzsche (1844-1900) German philosopher Men: and Women Men know that women are an overmatch for them, and therefore they choose the weakest or the most ignorant. If they did not think so, they never could be afraid of women knowing as much as themselves. Dr. Samuel Johnson (1709-1784) English author, lexicographer Men: and Women I feel sorry for men - they have more problems than women. In the first place they have to compete with women. Francoise Sagan (b. 1935) French novelist Men: and Women I do not think women understand how repelled a man feels when he sees a woman wholly absorbed in what she is thinking, unless it is her child, or her husband, or her lover. It gives one gooseflesh. Rebecca West (1892-1983) British writer Men: and Women Men and Women See: Age: Collins Compliments: Wilde Friendship: Lindbergh God: Conrad Love: Collins Love: de Stael Love: Wyatt Virtue: Howe More and more it appears that, biologically, men are designed for short, brutal lives and women for long miserable ones. Estelle Ramey professor of physiology, Georgetown University, 1985 Men and Women Men have a much better time of it than women. For one thing, they marry later; for another thing, they die earlier. H. L. Mencken (1880-1956) American journalist Men and Women Woman submits to her fate; man makes his. Emile Gaboriau (1835-1873) French author Men and Women Men make Gods, and women worship them. James G. Frazer (1854-1941) Scottish classicist, anthropologist Men and Women 'Tis strange what a man may do, and a woman yet think him an angel. William Randolph Hearst (1863-1951) American newspaper magnate Men and Women Sure men were born to lie, and women to believe them. John Gay (1685-1732) English playwright, poet Men and Women What passes for woman's intuition is often nothing more than man's transparency. George Jean Nathan (1882-1958) American critic Men and Women Once a woman is made man's equal, she becomes his superior. Margaret Thatcher (b. 1925) English prime minister Men and Women You see an awful lot of smart guys with dumb women, but you hardly ever see a smart woman with a dumb guy. Erica Jong (b. 1942) American author Men and Women Women, when they have made a sheep of a man, always tell him that he is a lion with a will of iron. Honore de Balzac (1799-1850) French writer Men and Women Men have as exaggerated an idea of their rights as women have of their wrongs. Ed (E. W.) Howe (1853-1937) American journalist, novelist Men and Women A man is as good as he has to be, and a woman as bad as she dares. Elbert Hubbard (1856-1915) American author Men and Women If men were as unselfish as women, women would very soon become more selfish than men. J. Churton Collins (1848-1908) English author, critic, scholar Men and Women When men and women agree, it is only in their conclusions; their reasons are always different. George Santayana (1863-1952) American philosopher, poet Men and Women To be happy with a man you must understand him a lot and love him a little. To be happy with a woman you must love her a lot and not try to understand her at all. Helen Rowland (1875-1950) American journalist Men and Women The little rift between the sexes is astonishingly widened by simply teaching one set of catchwords to the girls and another to the boys. Robert Louis Stevenson (1850-1894) Scottish novelist, essayist, poet Men and Women What is most beautiful in virile men is something feminine; what is most beautiful in feminine women is something masculine. Susan Sontag (b. 1933) American essayist Men and Women The great renewal of the world will perhaps consist in this, that man and maid, freed from all false feeling and aversion, will seek each other not as opposites, but as brother and sister, as neighbors, and will come together as human beings. Rainer Maria Rilke (1875-1926) German poet Men and Women Men and women, women and men. It will never work. Erica Jong (b. 1942) American author Men and Women Middle Age See: Age: Grattan Ideas: Whitehead Middle age is the time when a man is always thinking that in a week or two he will feel as good as ever. Don Marquis (1878-1937) American humorist, journalist Middle Age . . . youth is the period in which a man can be hopeless. The end of every episode is the end of the world. But the power of hoping through everything, the knowledge that the soul survives its adventures, that great inspiration comes to the middle-aged. G. K. Chesterton (1874-1936) English author Middle Age From the middle of life onward, only he remains vitally alive who is ready to die with life. Carl Jung (1875-1961) Swiss psychiatrist Middle Age My forties are the best time I have ever gone through. Elizabeth Taylor (b. 1932) Anglo-American film actress Middle Age All one's life as a young woman one is on show, a focus of attention, people notice you. You set yourself up to be noticed and admired. And then, not expecting it, you become middle-aged and anonymous. No one notices you. You achieve a wonderful freedom. It is a positive thing. You can move about, unnoticed and invisible. Doris Lessing (b. 1919) British writer Middle Age The really frightening thing about middle age is the knowledge that you'll grow out of it. Doris Day (b. 1924) American film actress Middle Age Millionaires See: The Rich I am not going to be quite as reclusive as I have been because it has apparently attracted so much attention that I have just got to live a somewhat modified life in order not to be an oddity. Howard Hughes (1905-1976) American businessman, film producer last public statement Millionaires It is impossible to think of Howard Hughes without seeing the apparently bottomless gulf between what we say we want and what we do want, between what we officially admire and secretly desire, between, in the largest sense, the people we marry and the people we love. In a nation which increasingly appears to prize social virtues, Howard Hughes remains not merely antisocial but grandly, brilliantly, surpassingly, asocial. He is the last private man, the dream we no longer admit. Joan Didion (b. 1934) American writer Millionaires No woman marries for money; they are all clever enough, before marrying a millionaire, to fall in love with him first. Cesare Pavese (1908-1950) Italian novelist Millionaires Minorities See: Cults: Altman Heresy: Gibbon No democracy can long survive which does not accept as fundamental to its very existence the recognition of the rights of minorities. Franklin D. Roosevelt (1882-1945) American president Minorities All history is a record of the power of minorities, and of minorities of one. Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882) American essayist, poet, philosopher Minorities It is always the minorities that hold the key to progress. R. B. Fosdick (1883-1969) American administrator, author Minorities How a minority, Reaching majority, Seizing authority, Hates a minority! Leonard H. Robbins (1877-1947) American author Minorities Miracles See: Prayer: Turgenev For those who believe in God no explanation is needed; for those who do not believe in God no explanation is possible. Father John Lafarge (b. 1880) of the cures of Lourdes Miracles A miracle may be accurately defined, a transgression of a law of nature by a particular volition of the Deity, or by the interposition of some invisible agent. David Hume (1711-1776) Scottish philosopher, historian Miracles God is a character, a real and consistent being, or He is nothing. If God did a miracle He would deny His own nature and the universe would simply blow up, vanish, become nothing. Joyce Cary (1888-1957) British novelist Miracles Miracles are the swaddling-clothes of infant churches. Thomas Fuller (1608-1661) English cleric Miracles If a man is a fool for believing in a Creator, then he is a fool for believing in a miracle; but not otherwise. G. K. Chesterton (1874-1936) English author Miracles What sort of God are we portraying and believing in if we insist on what I will nickname "the divine laser beam" type of miracle as the heart and basis of the Incarnation and the Resurrection? David Jenkins (b. 1925) theologian, Bishop of Durham Miracles A miracle is an event which creates faith. That is the purpose and nature of miracles. Frauds deceive. An event which creates faith does not deceive; therefore it is not a fraud, but a miracle. Archbishop, Saint Joan George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) Anglo-Irish playwright, critic Miracles Missionaries See: Christianity: Macdonald Making the world safe for hypocrisy. Thomas Wolfe (1900-1938) American author Missionaries The Order of Jesuits is a sword whose hilt is at Rome and whose point is everywhere. Abbe Guillaume Raynal (1713-1796) French historian, philosopher Missionaries Let the heathen go to hell; help your neighbor. Ed (E. W.) Howe (1853-1937) American journalist, novelist Missionaries The Christian missionary may preach the gospel to the poor naked heathen, but the spiritual heathen who populate Europe have as yet heard nothing of Christianity. Carl Jung (1875-1961) Swiss psychiatrist Missionaries A man found in the South Sea Islands a tribe of savages so meagre in intelligence that they could not lie. However, there were neighboring islands where missionaries of several denominations had settled. And there the savages were not sunk quite so low. Elbert Hubbard (1856-1915) American author Missionaries Civilised men arrived in the Pacific armed with alcohol, syphilis, trousers, and the Bible. Havelock Ellis (1859-1939) British psychologist, author Missionaries Go practise if you please With men and women: Leave a child alone For Christ's particular love's sake! Robert Browning (1812-1889) English poet Missionaries Mitigation He reminds me of the man who murdered both his parents, and then, when sentence was about to be pronounced, pleaded for mercy on the grounds that he was an orphan. Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865) American president Mitigation Friar Barnadine: Thou hast committed - Barabas: Fornication? But that was in another country; and besides, the wench is dead. Christopher Marlowe (1564-1593) English dramatist, poet Mitigation Mobs That beast with many heads, the staggering multitude. John Webster (1580-1625) English dramatist Mobs The mob has many heads but no brains. 17th-century English proverb Mobs Each of you, individually, walks with the presence of a fox, but collectively you are geese. Solon (c. 638-559 BC) Athenian statesman Mobs The tyranny of the multitude is a multiplied tyranny. Edmund Burke (1729-1797) Irish philosopher, statesman Mobs Nouns of number, or multitude, such as Mob, Parliament, Rabble, House of Commons, Regiment, Court of King's Bench, Den of Thieves, and the like. William Cobbett (1762-1835) English essayist, politician, agriculturalist Mobs Are we aware of our obligations to a mob? It is the mob that labour in your fields and serve in your houses - that man your navy, and recruit your army - that have enabled you to defy the world, and can also defy you when neglect and calamity have driven them to despair. You may call the people a mob; but do not forget that a mob too often speaks the sentiments of the people. Lord Byron (1788-1824) English poet speech to the House of Lords on the Luddites Mobs There is an accumulative cruelty in a number of men, though none in particular are ill-natured. Sir George Savile, Lord Halifax (1633-1695) English statesman, author Mobs I'm their leader, I've got to follow them. Alexandre Ledru-Rollin (1807-1864) French politician, revolutionary among the Paris mob at the barricades, 1848 Mobs Moderation See: Drink: Abstinence: Saint Augustine Excess: Wilde Self-denial: Shaw Moderation is the silken string running through the pearl chain of all virtues. Joseph Hall (1574-1656) Bishop of Norwich Moderation Moderation is a virtue only in those who are thought to have an alternative. Henry Kissinger (b. 1923) American adviser on international affairs Moderation Tell a man whose house is on fire to give a moderate alarm; tell him to moderately rescue his wife from the hands of the ravisher; tell the mother to gradually extricate her babe from the fire into which it has fallen; but urge me not to use moderation in a case like the present. W. L. Garrison (1805-1879) American abolitionist launching his newspaper The Liberator in his campaign against slavery Moderation Any plan conceived in moderation must fail when the circumstances are set in extremes. Prince Metternich (1773-1859) Austrian statesman Moderation Moderation in people who are contented comes from the calm that good fortune lends to their spirit. Francois, Duc de La Rochefoucauld (1613-1680) French writer, moralist Moderation My God, Mr Chairman, at this moment I stand astonished at my own moderation. Robert Clive (1725-1774) English soldier, colonial administrator defending himself against charges of embezzlement Moderation Modern Times See: Haste: Phaedrus It takes a kind of shabby arrogance to survive in our time, and a fairly romantic nature to want to. Edgar Z. Friedenberg (b. 1921) American sociologist Modern Times This strange disease of modern life. With its sick hurry, its divided aims. Matthew Arnold (1822-1888) English poet, critic Modern Times No man lives without jostling and being jostled; in all ways he has to elbow himself through the world, giving and receiving offence. Thomas Carlyle (1795-1881) Scottish writer Modern Times Now here, you see, it takes all the running you can do, to keep in the same place. If you want to get somewhere else, you must run at least twice as fast as that! Lewis Carroll (1832-1898) English writer, mathematician Modern Times The horror of the Twentieth Century is the size of each event and the paucity of its reverberation. Norman Mailer (b. 1923) American author Modern Times The atom bombs are piling up in the factories, the police are prowling through the cities, the lies are streaming from the loudspeakers, but the earth is still going round the sun. George Orwell (1903-1950) British author Modern Times In these times you have to be an optimist to open your eyes when you wake in the morning. Carl Sandburg (1878-1967) American poet Modern Times Let nothing be called natural In an age of bloody confusion, Ordered disorder, planned caprice, And dehumanized humanity, lest all things Be held unalterable! Bertolt Brecht (1898-1956) German dramatist, poet Modern Times The trouble with our age is that it is all signpost and no destination. Louis Kronenberger (1904-1980) American critic, editor, author Modern Times In the nineteenth century the problem was that God is dead; in the twentieth century the problem is that man is dead. Erich Fromm (1900-1980) American psychologist Modern Times Modesty See: The English: Flaubert Self-image: Gilbert Modesty: the gentle art of enhancing your charm by pretending not to be aware of it. Oliver Herford (1863-1935) American poet, illustrator Modesty Modesty is the only sure bait when you angle for praise. Lord Chesterfield (1694-1773) English statesman, man of letters Modesty He is a modest little man with much to be modest about. Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965) British statesman, writer of Clement Attlee Modesty Blessed is the man who, having nothing to say, abstains from giving wordy evidence of the fact. George Eliot (1819-1880) English novelist Modesty The English instinctively admire any man who has no talent, and is modest about it. James Agate (1877-1947) British critic Modesty I have often wished I had time to cultivate modesty . . . But I am too busy thinking about myself. Dame Edith Sitwell (1887-1964) British writer, poet Modesty Ah! Madam, . . . you know every thing in the world but your perfections, and you only know not those, because 'tis the top of perfection not to know them. William Congreve (1670-1729) English dramatist Modesty Money See: Greed: Saint Paul Intentions: Thatcher Poverty: Shaw There are few sorrows, however poignant, in which a good income is of no avail. Logan Pearsall Smith (1865-1946) Anglo-American essayist Money Ready money is Aladdin's lamp. Lord Byron (1788-1824) English poet Money Money is the sinews of love, as of war. George Farquhar (1678-1707) Irish dramatist Money Money is a singular thing. It ranks with love as man's greatest source of joy. And with death as his greatest source of anxiety. Money differs from an automobile, a mistress or cancer in being equally important to those who have it and those who do not. John Kenneth Galbraith (b. 1908) American economist Money If you would like to know the value of money, go and try to borrow some. Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790) American statesman, writer Money The value of money is that with it we can tell any man to go to the devil. It is the sixth sense which enables you to enjoy the other five. W. Somerset Maugham (1874-1965) British author Money They who are of the opinion that money will do everything, may very well be suspected to do everything for money. Sir George Savile, Lord Halifax (1633-1695) English statesman, author Money The want of money is the root of all evil. Samuel Butler (1835-1902) English author Money We all need money, but there are degrees of desperation. Anthony Burgess (b. 1917) British author Money Money is better than poverty, if only for financial reasons. Woody Allen (b. 1935) American filmmaker Money I don't like money, actually, but it quiets my nerves. Joe Louis (1914-1981) American boxer Money Making money ain't nothing exciting to me. You might be able to buy a little better booze than the wino on the corner. But you get sick just like the next cat and when you die you're just as graveyard dead as he is. Louis Armstrong (1900-1971) American jazz musician Money Money doesn't talk, it swears. Bob Dylan (b. 1941) American singer, songwriter Money Money dignifies what is frivolous if unpaid for. Virginia Woolf (1882-1941) British novelist Money Money is like muck, not good except it be spread. Francis Bacon (1561-1626) English philosopher, essayist Money There are few ways in which a man can be more innocently employed than in getting money. Dr. Samuel Johnson (1709-1784) English author, lexicographer Money Men who make money rarely saunter; men who save money rarely swagger. Edward Bulwer-Lytton (1803-1873) English novelist, playwright Money Money can't buy friends, but you can get a better class of enemy. Spike Milligan (b. 1918) British comedian, humorous writer Money When I was young I used to think that money was the most important thing in life; now that I am old, I know it is. Oscar Wilde (1854-1900) Anglo-Irish writer Money When it is a question of money, everybody is of the same religion. Voltaire (1694-1778) French philosopher, writer Money Monopolies Monopolies are like babies: nobody likes them until they have got one of their own. Lord Mancroft (1914-1987) British Conservative politician Monopolies Marilyn Monroe She was good at playing abstract confusion in the same way that a midget is good at being short. Clive James (b. 1939) Australian writer, critic Marilyn Monroe Can't act . . . Voice like a tight squeak . . . Utterly unsure of herself . . . Unable even to take refuge in her own insignificance. Columbia Pictures comments Marilyn Monroe To put it bluntly, I seem to be a whole superstructure with no foundation. But I'm working on the foundation. Marilyn Monroe (1926-1962) American film actress Marilyn Monroe Marilyn was mean. Terribly mean. The meanest woman I ever met around this town. I have never met anybody as mean as Marilyn Monroe or as utterly fabulous on the screen, and that includes Garbo. Billy Wilder (b. 1906) American writer-director Marilyn Monroe Monte Carlo That little state like Hampstead Heath in the South of France. Lady Docker (b. 1900) Monte Carlo Moral Indignation Compound for sins they are inclined to By damning those they have no mind to. Samuel Butler (1612-1680) English poet Moral Indignation Moral indignation is jealousy with a halo. H. G. Wells (1866-1946) English author, social thinker Moral Indignation Moral indignation is in most cases two percent moral, 48 percent indignation and 50 percent envy. Vittorio de Sica (1901-1974) Italian director Moral Indignation Morale Morale is when your hands and feet keep on working when your head says it can't be done. Admiral BenMoreell (1892-1978) American naval commander, businessman Morale Moralists See: Puritans The same people who can deny others everything are famous for refusing themselves nothing. Leigh Hunt (1784-1859) English poet, critic, essayist Moralists When we start deceiving ourselves into thinking not that we want something or need something, not that it is a pragmatic necessity for us to have it, but that it is a moral imperative that we have it, then is when we join the fashionable madmen, and then is when the thin whine of hysteria is heard in the land, and then is when we are in bad trouble. Joan Didion (b. 1934) American writer Moralists We are told by moralists with the plainest faces that immorality will spoil our looks. Logan Pearsall Smith (1865-1946) Anglo-American essayist Moralists Morality See: Health: Spencer Preaching: Johnson Religion: Shaw; Arnold Scandal: Wilde Taboo: Stevenson Grub first, then morality. Bertolt Brecht (1898-1956) German dramatist, poet Morality Of moral purpose I see no trace in Nature. That is an article of exclusively human manufacture - and very much to our credit. Thomas Henry Huxley (1825-1895) English biologist Morality Morality comes with the sad wisdom of age, when the sense of curiosity has withered. Graham Greene (b. 1904) British novelist Morality Morality is the theory that every human act must be either right or wrong and that ninety-nine percent of them are wrong. H. L. Mencken (1880-1956) American journalist Morality The nation's morals are like its teeth: the more decayed they are the more it hurts to touch them. George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) Anglo-Irish playwright, critic Morality We know no spectacle so ridiculous as the British public in one of its periodical fits of morality. Lord Macaulay (1800-1859) English historian Morality An Englishman thinks he is moral when he is only uncomfortable. The Devil, Man and Superman George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) Anglo-Irish playwright, critic Morality If thy morals make thee dreary, depend upon it they are wrong. Robert Louis Stevenson (1850-1894) Scottish novelist, essayist, poet Morality Morality is simply the attitude we adopt towards people we personally dislike. Oscar Wilde (1854-1900) Anglo-Irish writer Morality Don't let us make imaginary evils, when you know we have so many real ones to encounter. Oliver Goldsmith (1728-1774) Anglo-Irish author Morality About morals, I know only that what is moral is what you feel good after and what is immoral is what you feel bad after. Ernest Hemingway (1899-1961) American writer Morality Mother See: Parents With animals you don't see the male caring for the offspring. It's against nature. It is a woman's prerogative and duty, and a privilege. Princess Grace of Monaco (1928-1982) Mother God could not be everywhere and therefore he made mothers. Jewish proverb Mother The commonest fallacy among women is that simply having children makes one a mother - which is as absurd as believing that having a piano makes one a musician. Sydney J. Harris (1917-1986) American journalist Mother Often women have babies because they can't think of anything better to do. Lord Beaumontof Whitley (b. 1928) British prelate, politician, journalist Mother If you bungle raising your children, I don't think whatever else you do well matters very much. Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, Jacqueline Kennedy (b. 1929) American former First Lady Mother A suburban mother's role is to deliver children obstetrically once, and by car forever after. Peter de Vries (b. 1910) American writer Mother He that would the daughter win Must with the mother first begin. 17th-century English proverb Mother Perhaps the greatest social service that can be rendered by anybody to the country and to mankind is to bring up a family. But here again, because there is nothing to sell, there is a very general disposition to regard a married woman's work as no work at all, and to take it as a matter of course that she should not be paid for it. George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) Anglo-Irish playwright, critic Mother There is no slave out of heaven like a loving woman; and, of all loving women, there is no such slave as a mother. Henry Ward Beecher (1813-1887) American clergyman, editor, writer Mother Since nothing was too much to do for him, she laid on him the intolerable burden of finding nothing too much to do for her. James Gould Cozzens (1903-1978) American author Mother There are times when parenthood seems nothing but feeding the mouth that bites you. Peter de Vries (b. 1910) American writer Mother Motives See: Humility: Chesterton Truth: Blake We should often be ashamed of our finest actions if the world understood our motives. Francois, Duc de La Rochefoucauld (1613-1680) French writer, moralist Motives He never does a proper thing without giving an improper reason for it. Lady Britomart, Major Barbara George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) Anglo-Irish playwright, critic Motives Great men will never do great mischief but for some great end. Edmund Burke (1729-1797) Irish philosopher, statesman Motives Men are not only bad from good motives, but also often good from bad motives. G. K. Chesterton (1874-1936) English author Motives The motive for a deed usually changes during its performance: at least, after the deed has been done, it seems quite different. Friedrich Hebbel (1813-1863) German dramatist Motives No man does anything from a single motive. Samuel Taylor Coleridge (1772-1834) English poet Motives Never ascribe to an opponent motives meaner than your own. James M. Barrie (1860-1937) British playwright Motives Murder See: Killing Yet who would have thought the old man to have had so much blood in him? Lady Macbeth, Macbeth William Shakespeare (1564-1616) English dramatist, poet Murder If once a man indulge himself in murder, very soon he comes to think little of robbing; and from robbing he next comes to drinking and Sabbath-breaking, and from that to incivility and procrastination. Thomas de Quincey (1785-1859) English author Murder Every murderer is probably somebody's old friend. Agatha Christie (1891-1976) British author Murder Music See: Cinema: Stravinsky Hermits: Joachim Opera Pop Rock 'n' Roll Song It is the only sensual pleasure without vice. Dr. Samuel Johnson (1709-1784) English author, lexicographer Music Hearing often-times The still, sad music of humanity. William Wordsworth (1770-1850) English poet Music Is it not strange that sheep's guts should hale souls out of men's bodies? Benedick, Much Ado About Nothing William Shakespeare (1564-1616) English dramatist, poet Music Hearing in the distance Two mandolins like creatures in the dark Creating the agony of ecstasy. George Barker (b. 1913) British author, poet Music Swans sing before they die -'twere no bad thing Should certain persons die before they sing. Samuel Taylor Coleridge (1772-1834) English poet Music Difficult do you call it, Sir? I wish it were impossible. Dr. Samuel Johnson (1709-1784) English author, lexicographer of a violinist's playing Music When music fails to agree to the ear, to soothe the ear and the heart and the senses, then it has missed its point. Maria Callas (1923-1977) Greek-American opera singer Music Classical music is the kind that we keep hoping will turn into a tune. Kin (F. McKinney) Hubbard (1868-1930) American humorist, journalist Music Music is the arithmetic of sounds as optics is the geometry of light. Claude Debussy (1862-1918) French composer Music Good music resembles something. It resembles the composer. Jean Cocteau (1891-1963) French writer, film director Music The good composer is slowly discovered, the bad composer is slowly found out. Sir Ernest Newman (1868-1959) British musicologist Music I know only two tunes; one of them is "Yankee Doodle," and the other isn't. Ulysses S. Grant (1822-1885) American president Music Canned music is like audible wallpaper. Alistair Cooke (b. 1908) British journalist, broadcaster Music I do not see any good reason why the devil should have all the good tunes. Rowland Hill (1744-1833) English preacher, publisher of hymns Music Hell is full of musical amateurs: music is the brandy of the damned. Don Juan, Man and Superman George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) Anglo-Irish playwright, critic Music The English may not like music - but they absolutely love the noise it makes. Sir Thomas Beecham (1879-1961) British conductor Music There is something suspicious about music, gentlemen. I insist that she is, by her nature, equivocal. I shall not be going too far in saying at once that she is politically suspect. Thomas Mann (1875-1955) German author, critic Music Myths The great enemy of the truth is very often not the lie - deliberate, contrived and dishonest - but the myth - persistent, persuasive and unrealistic. John F. Kennedy (1917-1963) American president Myths A myth is a fixed way of looking at the world which cannot be destroyed because, looked at through the myth, all evidence supports that myth. Edward de Bono (b. 1933) British writer Myths Contemporary man has rationalized the myths, but he has not been able to destroy them. Octavio Paz (b. 1914) Mexican poet Myths Nagging Nagging is the repetition of unpalatable truths. Edith, Lady Summerskill (1901-1980) British Labour politician Nagging Nationalism See: Patriotism: Aldington Methinks I see in my mind a noble and puissant nation rousing herself like a strong man after sleep, and shaking her invincible locks. Methinks I see her as an eagle mewing her mighty youth, and kindling her undazzled eyes at the full midday beam. John Milton (1608-1674) English poet Nationalism No man has a right to fix the boundary of the march of a nation; no man has a right to say to his country - thus far shalt thou go and no farther. Charales Stewart Parnell (1846-1891) Irish nationalist politician Nationalism Germany will either be a world power or will not be at all. Adolf Hitler (1889-1945) German dictator Mein Kampf Nationalism It is humiliating to remain with our hands folded while others write history. It matters little who wins. To make a people great it is necessary to send them to battle even if you have to kick their arses. That is what I shall do. Benito Mussolini (1883-1945) Fascist dictator of Italy April 11, 1940 Nationalism Nations whose nationalism is destroyed are subject to ruin. Colonel MuhammarQaddafi (b. 1938) Libyan leader Nationalism After fifteen years of work I have achieved, as a common German soldier and merely with my fanatical will-power, the unity of the German nation, and have freed it from the death sentence of Versailles. Adolf Hitler (1889-1945) German dictator December 21, 1941 Nationalism The crazy combative patriotism that plainly threatens to destroy civilization is very largely begotten by the schoolmaster and the schoolmistress in their history lessons. They take the growing mind at a naturally barbaric phase and they inflame and fix its barbarism. H. G. Wells (1866-1946) English author, social thinker Nationalism Nature See: Art: Whistler Bloodsports: Clark Love: Moore Morality: Huxley Anyone who has got any pleasure at all from nature should try to put something back. Life is like a superlative meal and the world is the maitre d'hotel. What I am doing is the equivalent of leaving a reasonable tip. Gerald Durrell (b. 1925) British conservationist, author Nature In nature there are neither rewards nor punishments - there are consequences. Ralph G. Ingersoll (1833-1899) American lawyer Nature However much you knock at nature's door, she will never answer you in comprehensible words. Ivan Turgenev (1818-1883) Russian novelist, short story writer, dramatist Nature One impulse from a vernal wood May teach you more of man, Of moral evil and of good, Than all the ages can. William Wordsworth (1770-1850) English poet Nature It is false dichotomy to think of nature and man. Mankind is that factor in nature which exhibits in its most intense form the plasticity of nature. Alfred North Whitehead (1861-1947) British philosopher Nature All things are artificial, for nature is the art of God. Sir Thomas Browne (1605-1682) English physician, author Nature To be natural is to be obvious, and to be obvious is to be inartistic. Oscar Wilde (1854-1900) Anglo-Irish writer Nature The Navy The royal navy of England hath ever been its greatest defence and ornament; it is its ancient and natural strength, the floating bulwark of our island. Sir William Blackstone (1723-1780) English jurist The Navy In this country it's a good thing to shoot an admiral now and then to encourage the others. Voltaire (1694-1778) French philosopher, writer of England The Navy Don't talk to me about naval tradition. It's nothing but rum, sodomy and the lash. Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965) British statesman, writer The Navy We sailors get money like horses, and spend it like asses. Tobias Smollett (1721-1771) Scottish novelist, surgeon The Navy He was begotten in the galley and born under a gun. Every hair was a rope yarn, every finger a fish-hook, every tooth a marline-spike, and his blood right good Stockholm tar. Naval epitaph The Navy I must have the gentleman to haul and draw with the mariner, and the mariner with the gentleman . . . I would not know him, that would refuse to set his hand to a rope, but I know there is not any such here. Sir Francis Drake (1540-1596) English navigator The Navy There were gentlemen and there were seamen in the navy of Charles the Second. But the seamen were not gentlemen; and the gentlemen were not seamen. Lord Macaulay (1800-1859) English historian The Navy A ship of war, a wooden world fabricated by the frail hand of man, the great bridge of the ocean, conveying to all habitable places death, pox and drunkenness. Ned Ward (1667-1731) English humorous writer The Navy No man will be a sailor who has contrivance enough to get himself into a jail; for being in a ship is being in a jail, with the chance of being drowned . . . A man in a jail has more room, better food and commonly better company. Dr. Samuel Johnson (1709-1784) English author, lexicographer The Navy The wonder is always new that any sane man can be a sailor Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882) American essayist, poet, philosopher The Navy There is nothing - absolutely nothing - half so much worth doing as simply messing about in boats. Kenneth Grahame (1859-1932) British essayist, writer of children's books The Navy We are as near to heaven by sea as by land. Sir Humphrey Gilbert (1539-1583) English navigator (drowned at sea) The Navy Necessity See: Status: Seneca Necessity is the plea for every infringement of human freedom. It is the argument of tyrants; it is the creed of slaves. William Pitt (1759-1806) English politician, prime minister Necessity Freedom is the recognition of necessity. Friedrich Engels (1820-1895) German social philosopher, revolutionary Necessity Whoever heard of a man of fortune in England talk of the necessaries of life? . . . Whether we can afford it or no, we must have superfluities. John Gay (1685-1732) English playwright, poet Necessity We do what we must, and call it by the best names. Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882) American essayist, poet, philosopher Necessity Foul water will quench fire. 16th-century English proverb Necessity Neighbors See: Preaching: Shaw We make our friends; we make our enemies; but God makes our next-door neighbour. G. K. Chesterton (1874-1936) English author Neighbors Love your neighbour, yet pull not down your hedge. George Herbert (1593-1633) English clergyman, poet Neighbors Good fences make good neighbors. Robert Frost (1874-1963) American poet Neighbors For what do we live, but to make sport for our neighbours, and laugh at them in our turn? Jane Austen (1775-1817) English novelist Neighbors Neurosis See: Anxiety Oh the nerves, the nerves; the mysteries of this machine called man! Oh the little that unhinges it: poor creatures that we are! Charles Dickens (1812-1870) English novelist Neurosis As every man is hunted by his own daemon, vexed by his own disease, this checks all his activity. Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882) American essayist, poet, philosopher Neurosis The psychotic person knows that two and two make five and is perfectly happy about it; the neurotic person knows that two and two make four, but is terribly worried about it. radio doctor, 1954 Neurosis Everything great in the world comes from neurotics. They alone have founded our religions and composed our masterpieces. Marcel Proust (1871-1922) French novelist Neurosis The true believer is in a high degree protected against the danger of certain neurotic afflications; by accepting the universal neurosis he is spared the task of forming a personal neurosis. Sigmund Freud (1856-1939) Austrian psychiatrist Neurosis Neurosis is always a substitute for legitimate suffering. Carl Jung (1875-1961) Swiss psychiatrist Neurosis The New World The pious ones of Plymouth who, reaching the Rock, first fell upon their own knees and then upon the aborigines. William M. Evarts (1818-1901) American statesman The New World The next Augustan age will dawn on the other side of the Atlantic. There will, perhaps, be a Thucydides at Boston, a Xenophon at New York, and, in time, a Virgil at Mexico, and a Newton at Peru. At last, some curious traveller from Lima will visit England and give a description of the ruins of St Pauls, like the editions of Balbec and Palmyra. Horace Walpole (1717-1797) English writer The New World Europe and the UK are yesterday's world. Tomorrow is in the United States. R. W.(Tiny) Rowland (b. 1917) British businessman The New World New York New York, the nation's thyroid gland. Christopher Morley (1890-1957) American novelist, journalist New York New York is a catastrophe - but a magnificent catastrophe. Le Corbusier (1887-1965) French architect New York One belongs to New York instantly. One belongs to it as much in five minutes as in five years. Thomas Wolfe (1900-1938) American author New York I miss the animal buoyancy of New York, the animal vitality. I did not mind that it had no meaning and no depth. Anais Nin (1903-1977) American diarist, author New York If ever there was an aviary overstocked with jays it is that Yaptown-on-the-Hudson, called New York. O. Henry (1862-1910) American short story writer New York I think that New York is not the cultural center of America, but the business and administrative center of American culture. Saul Bellow (b. 1915) American novelist New York [New York] is the place where all the aspirations of the Western World meet to form one vast master aspiration, as powerful as the suction of a steam dredge. It is the icing on the pie called Christian civilization. H. L. Mencken (1880-1956) American journalist New York If it often said that New York is a city for only the very rich and the very poor. It is less often said that New York is also, at least for those of us who came there from somewhere else, a city for only the very young. Joan Didion (b. 1934) American writer New York Newspapers See: Editors Journalism The Press They are so filthy and bestial that no honest man would admit one into his house for a water-closet doormat. Charles Dickens (1812-1870) English novelist Newspapers If words were invented to conceal thought, newspapers are a great improvement on a bad invention. Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862) American philosopher, author, naturalist Newspapers All successful newspapers are ceaselessly querulous and bellicose. They never defend anyone or anything if they can help it; if the job is forced upon them, they tackle it by denouncing someone or something else. H. L. Mencken (1880-1956) American journalist Newspapers Possible? Is anything possible? Read the newspapers. Duke of Wellington (1769-1852) English soldier, statesman Newspapers It is always the unreadable that occurs. Oscar Wilde (1854-1900) Anglo-Irish writer Newspapers We welcome almost any break in the monotony of things, and a man has only to murder a series of wives in a new way to become known to millions of people who have never heard of Homer. Robert Lynd (1879-1949) Anglo-Irish essayist, journalist Newspapers Newspapers always excite curiosity. No one ever lays one down without a feeling of disappointment. Charles Lamb (1775-1834) English essayist, critic Newspapers The mission of a modern newspaper is to comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable. anonymous Newspapers It is part of the social mission of every great newspaper to provide a refuge and a home for the largest possible number of salaried eccentrics. Lord Thomsonof Fleet (1894-1976) Canadian newspaper publisher Newspapers By office boys for office boys. Marquis of Salisbury (1830-1903) English Conservative politician, prime minister of the Daily Mail Newspapers Headlines twice the size of the events. John Galsworthy (1867-1933) English novelist, dramatist Newspapers Journalism consists largely in saying "Lord Jones Dead" to people who never knew that Lord Jones was alive. G. K. Chesterton (1874-1936) English author Newspapers Half the world does not know how the other half lives, but is trying to find out. Ed (E. W.) Howe (1853-1937) American journalist, novelist Newspapers Whenever people are well-informed they can be trusted with their own government. Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826) American president Newspapers We live under a government of men and morning newspapers. Wendell Phillips (1811-1884) American abolitionist, orator Newspapers Neither in what it gives, nor in what it does not give, nor in the mode of presentation, must the unclouded face of truth suffer wrong. Comment is free but facts are sacred. C. P. Scott (1846-1932) British author, journalist Newspapers In the case of news, we should always wait for the sacrament of confirmation. Voltaire (1694-1778) French philosopher, writer Newspapers Reading someone else's newspaper is like sleeping with someone else's wife. Nothing seems to be precisely in the right place, and when you find what you are looking for, it is not clear then how to respond to it. Malcolm Bradbury (b. 1932) British author Newspapers Nicaragua See: Elections: Somoza We are not going to tolerate these attacks from outlaw states run by the strangest collection of misfits, looney tunes and squalid criminals since the Third Reich. Ronald Reagan (b. 1911) American president Nicaragua Night See: Bed: Johnson Sex: Herrick And the night shall be filled with music And the cares, that infest the day, Shall fold their tents, like the Arabs, And as silently steal away. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807-1882) American poet Night When man reassembles his fragmentary self and grows with the calm of a tree. Antoine de Saint-Exupery (1900-1944) French aviator, writer Night For the night Shows stars and women in a better light. Lord Byron (1788-1824) English poet Night In a real dark night of the soul it is always three o'clock in the morning. F. Scott Fitzgerald (1896-1940) American author Night Nonviolence It is my hope that as the Negro plunges deeper into the quest for freedom and justice he will plunge even deeper into the philosophy of nonviolence. The Negro all over the South must come to the point that he can say to his white brother: "We will match your capacity to inflict suffering with our capacity to endure suffering. We will meet your physical force with soul force. We will not hate you, but we will not obey your evil laws. We will soon wear you down by pure capacity to suffer." Martin Luther King (1929-1968) American civil rights leader Nonviolence It is better to be violent, if there is violence in our hearts, than to put on the cloak of nonviolence to cover impotence. Mohandas K. Gandhi (1869-1948) Indian political and spiritual leader Nonviolence The only thing that's been a worse flop than the organization of nonviolence has been the organization of violence. Joan Baez (b. 1941) American folk singer Nonviolence Passive resistance is an all-sided sword; it can be used anyhow; it blesses him who uses it and him against whom it is used without drawing a drop of blood; it produces far-reaching results. It never rusts and cannot be stolen. Competition between passive resisters does not exhaust them. The sword of passive resistance does not require a scabbard and one cannot be forcibly dispossessed of it. Mohandas K. Gandhi (1869-1948) Indian political and spiritual leader Nonviolence Noses A big nose is the mark of a man affable, good, courteous, witty, liberal, brave, such as I am. Edmond Rostand (1868-1918) French poet, playwright Noses Give me a man with a good allowance of nose . . . When I want any good headwork done, I always choose a man, if suitable otherwise, with a long nose. Napoleon Bonaparte (1769-1821) Emperor of France Noses Thy nose is as the tower of Lebanon which looketh towards Damascus. Bible, Song of Solomon Noses Nostalgia See: Happiness: Smith God gave us our memories so that we might have roses in December. J. M. Barrie (1860-1937) Scottish playwright Nostalgia I wept as I remembered how often you and I Had tired the sun with talking and sent him down the sky. William J. Cory (1823-1892) English poet Nostalgia Reminiscence makes one feel so deliciously aged and sad. George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) Anglo-Irish playwright, critic Nostalgia A feeling of sadness and longing That is not akin to pain, And resembles sorrow only As the mist resembles the rain. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807-1882) American poet Nostalgia The "good old times" - all times, When old, are good. Lord Byron (1788-1824) English poet Nostalgia Oh! the good times when we were so unhappy. Alexandre Dumas (1802-1870) French author Nostalgia Living in the past has one thing in its favor - it's cheaper. anonymous Nostalgia That is the land of lost content, I see it shining plain, The happy highways where I went And cannot come again. A. E. Housman (1859-1936) British poet, classical scholar Nostalgia Novelty See: Innovation: Wells; Miller Originality: Twain Anything that calls itself new is doomed to a short life. Tom Wolfe (b. 1931) American author, journalist Novelty It is only the modern that ever becomes old-fashioned. Oscar Wilde (1854-1900) Anglo-Irish writer Novelty The Nuclear Age See: The Arms Race: Forster; Mason; Wells War: Raphael The atom bomb was no "great decision" . . . It was merely another powerful weapon in the arsenal of righteousness. Harry S. Truman (1884-1972) American president The Nuclear Age The release of atomic energy has changed everything except our way of thinking and thus we are being driven unarmed toward a catastrophe. Albert Einstein (1879-1955) German-American theoretical physicist The Nuclear Age The terror of the atom age is not the violence of the new power but the speed of man's adjustment to it - the speed of his acceptance. E. B. White (1899-1985) American author, editor The Nuclear Age No country without an atomic bomb could properly consider itself independent. General Charles de Gaulle (1890-1970) French president in 1968 The Nuclear Age Hitherto man had to live with the idea of death as an individual; from now onward mankind will have to live with the idea of its death as a species. Arthur Koestler (1905-1983) British author The Nuclear Age Nudity See: Dress: Muhammad; Thoreau The House of Lords: Carlyle Paradise: Bible Naked came I out of my mother's womb, and naked shall I return thither. Bible, Job Nudity We shift and bedeck and bedrape us, Thou art noble and nude and antique. A. C. Swinburne (1837-1909) English poet, critic Nudity Every young sculptor seems to think that he must give the world some specimen of indecorous womanhood, and call it Eve, Venus, a Nymph, or any name that may apologize for a lack of decent clothing. Nathaniel Hawthorne (1804-1864) American novelist Nudity Nakedness reveals itself. Nudity is placed on display . . . The nude is condemned to never being naked. Nudity is a form of dress. John Berger (b. 1926) British critic Nudity I have seen three emperors in their nakedness, and the sight was not inspiring. Prince Otto von Bismarck (1815-1898) Prussian statesman Nudity There is an unseemly exposure of the mind, as well as of the body. William Hazlitt (1778-1830) English essayist Nudity To see you naked is to recall the Earth. Federico Garcia Lorca (1898-1936) Spanish lyric poet, dramatist Nudity Obedience See: Discretion: Newbolt When a gentleman hath learned to obey he will grow very much fitter to command; his own memory will advise him not to command too rigorous punishments. Sir George Savile, Lord Halifax (1633-1695) English statesman, author Obedience Those who know the least obey the best. George Farquhar (1678-1707) Irish dramatist Obedience It is much safer to obey than to rule. Thomas a Kempis (1380-1471) German monk, mystic Obedience Obesity Thou seest I have more flesh than another man, and therefore more frailty. Falstaff, King Henry IV part I William Shakespeare (1564-1616) English dramatist, poet Obesity A big man has no time really to do anything but just sit and be big. F. Scott Fitzgerald (1896-1940) American author Obesity Imprisoned in every fat man, a thin one is wildly signalling to be let out. Cyril Connolly (1903-1974) British critic Obesity Outside every fat man there is an even fatter man trying to close in. Kingsley Amis (b. 1922) British author Obesity He must have had a magnificent build before his stomach went in for a career of its own. Margaret Halsey (b. 1910) American writer Obesity That dark day when a man decides he must wear his belt under instead of over his cascading paunch. Peter de Vries (b. 1910) American writer Obesity Let me have men about me that are fat; Sleek-headed men and such as sleep o' nights; Yond' Cassius has a lean and hungry look; He thinks too much; such men are dangerous. Caesar, Julius Caesar William Shakespeare (1564-1616) English dramatist, poet Obesity Obstinacy See: Change: Shaw Opinion: Blake Obstinacy in a bad cause is but constancy in a good. Sir Thomas Browne (1605-1682) English physician, author Obstinacy They defend their errors as if they were defending their inheritance. Edmund Burke (1729-1797) Irish philosopher, statesman Obstinacy For every why he had a wherefore. Samuel Butler (1612-1680) English poet Obstinacy He has a first-rate mind until he makes it up. Violet Bonham-Carter, Lady Asquith (1887-1969) British Liberal politician of Sir Stafford Cripps Obstinacy Like all weak men he laid an exaggerated stress on not changing one's mind. W. Somerset Maugham (1874-1965) British author Obstinacy I am firm. You are obstinate. He is a pigheaded fool. Katharine Whitehorn (b. 1926) British journalist Obstinacy None so deaf as those who won't hear. 16th-century English proverb Obstinacy The Office See: Stardom: Wilde A molehill man is a pseudo-busy executive who comes to work at 9 am and finds a molehill on his desk. He has until 5 pm to make this molehill into a mountain. An accomplished molehill man will often have his mountain finished before lunch. Fred Allen (1894-1957) American comic The Office You can run an office without a boss, but you can't run an office without secretaries. Jane Fonda (b. 1937) American film actress The Office He [Robert Benchley] and I had an office so tiny that an inch smaller and it would have been adultery. Dorothy Parker (1893-1967) American humorous writer The Office Opera Nothing is capable of being well set to music that is not nonsense. Joseph Addison (1672-1719) English essayist Opera Opera in English is, in the main, just about as sensible as baseball in Italian. H. L. Mencken (1880-1956) American journalist Opera Opinion See: Hospitality: Joubert Indifference: Lichtenberg Psychiatric Wards: Twain Opinion is holding something to be provisionally true which you do not know to be false. Saint Bernard (1091-1153) French churchman, scholar Opinion The man who never alters his opinion is like standing water, and breeds reptiles of the mind. William Blake (1757-1827) English poet, artist Opinion The public buys its opinions as it buys its meat, or takes in its milk, on the principle that it is cheaper to do this than to keep a cow. So it is, but the milk is more likely to be watered. Samuel Butler (1835-1902) English author Opinion It's dull (as well as draughty) to keep an open mind. Philip Guedalla (1889-1944) British biographer, historian Opinion He never chooses an opinion; he just wears whatever happens to be in style. Leo Tolstoy (1828-1910) Russian novelist, philosopher Opinion He thinks by infection, catching an opinion like a cold. John Ruskin (1819-1900) English critic Opinion It's not that I don't have opinions, rather that I'm paid not to think aloud. Yitzhak Navon (b. 1921) Israeli politician, former president Opinion I never offered an opinion till I was sixty, and then it was one which had been in our family for a century. Benjamin Disraeli (1804-1881) English prime minister Opinion If you must tell me your opinions, tell me what you believe in. I have plenty of doubts of my own. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749-1832) German poet, dramatist, novelist, scientist Opinion Opinions have vested interests just as men have. Samuel Butler (1835-1902) English author Opinion New opinions are always suspected, and usually opposed, without any other reason but because they are not already common. John Locke (1632-1704) English philosopher Opinion There is nothing a woman so dislikes as to have her old opinions quoted to her, especially when they confute new ones. Katharine Tynan Hinkson (1861-1931) Irish poet, novelist Opinion I've always felt that a person's intelligence is directly reflected by the number of conflicting points of view he can entertain simultaneously on the same topic. Lisa Alther (b. 1944) American novelist Opinion It is clear that thought is not free if the profession of certain opinions makes it impossible to earn a living. Bertrand Russell (1872-1970) British philosopher, mathematician, social reformer Opinion Opportunity See: Temptation: Dryden How oft the sight of means to do ill deeds makes deeds ill done! King John, King John William Shakespeare (1564-1616) English dramatist, poet Opportunity Opportunity is the great bawd. Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790) American statesman, writer Opportunity Next to knowing when to seize an opportunity, the most important thing in life is to know when to forego an advantage. Benjamin Disraeli (1804-1881) English prime minister Opportunity I despise making the most of one's time. Half of the pleasures of life consist of the opportunities one has neglected. Justice Oliver WendellHolmes (1841-1935) American jurist Opportunity Opposites Without Contraries is no progression. Attraction and Repulsion, Reason and Energy, Love and Hate, are necessary to Human existence. William Blake (1757-1827) English poet, artist Opposites Opposition See: Protest: Kennedy Do not choose to be wrong for the sake of being different. Lord Samuel (1870-1963) British statesman Opposition No Government can long be secure without a formidable Opposition. Benjamin Disraeli (1804-1881) English prime minister Opposition Since we cannot match it let us take our revenge by abusing it. Michel de Montaigne (1533-1592) French essayist, moralist Opposition Oppression See: Despotism Liberals: Tolstoy Liberty: Cromwell Madness: Szasz Persecution: Penn Repression You can't hold a man down without staying down with him. Booker T. Washington (1856-1915) American educator, reformer Oppression The most potent weapon in the hands of the oppressor is the mind of the oppressed. Steve Biko (1946-1977) South African political leader Oppression This is the negation of God erected into a system of Government. William Ewald Gladstone (1809-1898) English prime minister Oppression Optimism See: The Economy: Kennedy Middle Age: Marquis Modern Times: Sandburg Pessimism: Hubbard Propaganda: Cassandra In the midst of winter, I finally learned that there was in me an invincible summer. Albert Camus (1913-1960) French writer Optimism A cheerful resignation is always heroic, but no phase of life is so pathetic as a forced optimism. Elbert Hubbard (1856-1915) American author Optimism An optimist is a fellow who believes what's going to be will be postponed. Kin (F. McKinney) Hubbard (1868-1930) American humorist, journalist Optimism An optimist is a guy who has never had much experience. Don Marquis (1878-1937) American humorist, journalist Optimism These are not dark days; these are great days - the greatest days our country has ever lived. Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965) British statesman, writer Optimism Oh, yet we trust that somehow good Shall be the final goal of ill! Lord Tennyson (1809-1892) English poet Optimism Optimism is a kind of heart stimulant - the digitalis of failure. Elbert Hubbard (1856-1915) American author Optimism Optimism: the world is the best of all possible worlds, and everything in it is a necessary evil. F. H. Bradley (1846-1924) British philosopher Optimism The optimist proclaims that we live in the best of all possible worlds; and the pessimist fears this is true. James Branch Cabell (1879-1958) American novelist, essayist Optimism Pessimism of the intellect; optimism of the will. Antonio Gramsci (1891-1937) Italian political theorist Optimism Optimism. The doctrine or belief that everything is beautiful, including what is ugly. Ambrose Bierce (1842-1914) American author Optimism Ah, well, there is just this world and then the next, and then all our troubles will be over. old lady quoted by L. O. Asquith Optimism Orgasm See: Genius: Shaw I may not be a great actress but I've become the greatest at screen orgasms. Ten seconds of heavy breathing, roll your head from side to side, simulate a slight asthma attack and die a little. Candice Bergen (b. 1946) American film actress Orgasm When the ecstatic body grips Its heaven, with little sobbing cries. E. R. Dodds (1893-1979) British classical scholar Orgasm Orgies If God had meant us to have group sex, I guess he'd have given us all more organs. Malcolm Bradbury (b. 1932) British author Orgies Originality See: Innovation: Colby As soon as you can say what you think, and not what some other person has thought for you, you are on the way to being a remarkable man. J. M. Barrie (1860-1937) Scottish playwright Originality Originality consists in thinking for yourself, and not in thinking unlike other people. J. Fitzjames Stephen (1829-1894) English jurist, writer Originality The more intelligent a man is, the more originality he discovers in men. Ordinary people see no difference between men. Blaise Pascal (1623-1662) French scientist, philosopher Originality A man with a new idea is a crank until the idea succeeds. Mark Twain (1835-1910) American author Originality Originality is a thing we constantly clamour for, and constantly quarrel with. Thomas Carlyle (1795-1881) Scottish writer Originality Originality is undetected plagiarism. W. R. Inge (1860-1954) Dean of St. Paul's, London Originality Why can't somebody give us a list of things that everybody thinks and nobody says, and another list of things that everybody says and nobody thinks. Dr. Oliver Wendell Holmes (1809-1894) American writer, physician Originality Damn those who said our good things before us. Aelius Donatus (b. 4th century) Roman grammarian Originality Everything has been said and we come more than seven thousand years of human thought too late. Jean de la Bruyere (1645-1696) French writer, moralist Originality A thought is often original, though you have uttered it a hundred times. Dr. Oliver Wendell Holmes (1809-1894) American writer, physician Originality Oxford Home of lost causes, and forsaken beliefs, and unpopular names, and impossible loyalties! Matthew Arnold (1822-1888) English poet, critic Oxford The ancient seat of pedantry, where they manufacture prigs as fast as butchers in Chicago handle hogs. R. B. Cunningham-Grahame (1852-1936) British author Oxford And when night Darkens the streets, then wander forth the sons Of Belial, flown with insolence and wine. John Milton (1608-1674) English poet Oxford I was a modest, good-humoured boy. It is Oxford that has made me insufferable. Sir Max Beerbohm (1872-1956) British author Oxford I had always imagined that Cliche was a suburb of Paris, until I discovered it to be a street in Oxford. Philip Guedalla (1889-1944) British biographer, historian Oxford Oxford and Cambridge The King to Oxford sent a troop of horse, For Tories own no argument but force: With equal skill to Cambridge books he sent, For Whigs admit no force but argument. Sir William Browne (1692-1774) English doctor Oxford and Cambridge Pain For we are born in other's pain, And perish in our own. Francis Thompson (1859-1907) English poet Pain Pain with the thousand teeth. Sir William Watson (1858-1935) British poet Pain Paradise And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed. Bible, Genesis Paradise Here with a Loaf of Bread beneath the Bough, A Flask of Wine, a Book of Verse - and Thou Beside me singing in the Wilderness - And Wilderness is Paradise enow. from The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam trans. Edward Fitzgerald (1809-1883) Paradise We, who have already borne on the road to Paradise the lives of the best among us, want a difficult, erect, implacable Paradise; a Paradise where one can never rest and which has, beside the threshold of the gates, angels with swords. J. A. Primo de Rivera (1903-1936) Spanish Falangist politician Paradise Everyone who has ever built anywhere a "new heaven" first found the power thereto in his own hell. Friedrich Nietzsche (1844-1900) German philosopher Paradise Paranoia See: Anxiety Laughter: Farquhar Sensitivity: Hubbard Depart from your enemies, yea, and beware of your friends. Apocrypha, Ecclesiasticus Paranoia Even a paranoid can have enemies. Henry Kissinger (b. 1923) American adviser on international affairs Paranoia A paranoid is a man who knows a little of what's going on. William S. Burroughs (b. 1914) American author Paranoia Parasites Man is the only animal that esteems itself rich in proportion to the number and voracity of its parasites. George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) Anglo-Irish playwright, critic Parasites Fool that I was! upon my eagle wings I bore this wren, till I was tired of soaring And now he mounts above me. John Dryden (1631-1700) English poet, dramatist, critic Parasites Great fleas have little fleas upon their backs to bite 'em, And little fleas have lesser fleas, and so ad infinitum. Augustus De Morgan (1806-1871) English mathematician Parasites Parents See: Children: Billings; Confucius Father Mother They fuck you up, your Mum and Dad. They may not mean to, but they do. And give you all the faults they had And add some extra, just for you. Philip Larkin (1922-1986) British poet Parents Parents are people who bear children, bore teenagers, and board newlyweds. anonymous Parents Children begin by loving their parents. After a time they judge them. Rarely, if ever, do they forgive them. Oscar Wilde (1854-1900) Anglo-Irish writer Parents If you must hold yourself up to your children as an object lesson (which is not necessary), hold yourself up as a warning and not as an example. George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) Anglo-Irish playwright, critic Parents Go directly - see what she's doing, and tell her she mustn't. Punch, 1872) Parents The suspicious parent makes an artful child. Thomas C. Haliburton (1796-1865) Canadian jurist and humorist Parents Reasoning with a child is fine, if you can reach the child's reason without destroying your own. John Mason Brown (1900-1969) American essayist, critic Parents I wish either my father or my mother, or indeed both of them, as they were in duty both equally bound to it, had minded what they were about when they begot me. Laurence Sterne (1713-1768) English author Parents How can I teach, how can I save, This child whose features are my own, Whose feet run down the ways where I have walked? Michael Roberts (1902-1948) British author Parents Respect the child. Be not too much his parent. Trespass not on his solitude. Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882) American essayist, poet, philosopher Parents How selfhood begins with a walking away, And love is proved in the letting go. C. Day-Lewis (1904-1972) British poet Parents Paris See: Tourism: Allen The cafe of Europe. Ferdinando Galiani (1728-1787) Italian economist Paris When Paris sneezes, Europe catches cold. Prince Metternich (1773-1859) Austrian statesman Paris The French woman says, "I am a woman and a Parisienne, and nothing foreign to me appears altogether human." Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882) American essayist, poet, philosopher Paris As an artist, a man has no home in Europe save Paris. Friedrich Nietzsche (1844-1900) German philosopher Paris Trade is art, and art's philosophy, In Paris. Elizabeth Barrett Browning (1806-1861) English poet Paris If you are lucky enough to have lived in Paris as a young man, then wherever you go for the rest of your life, it stays with you, for Paris is a moveable feast. Ernest Hemingway (1899-1961) American writer Paris In Paris they simply stared when I spoke to them in French; I never did succeed in making those idiots understand their own language. Mark Twain (1835-1910) American author Paris When good Americans die they go to Paris. Oscar Wilde (1854-1900) Anglo-Irish writer Paris Parliament See: The House of Lords To anyone with politics in his blood, this place is like a pub to a drunkard. David Lloyd George (1863-1945) Welsh Liberal politician, prime minister of the House of Commons Parliament You behold a range of exhausted volcanoes. Benjamin Disraeli (1804-1881) English prime minister of the Front Bench Parliament The Commons, faithful to their system, remained in a wise and masterly inactivity. Sir James Mackintosh (1765-1832) Scottish philosopher Parliament Parliament is not a congress of ambassadors from different and hostile interests; which interests each must maintain, as an agent and advocate, against other agents and advocates; but parliament is a deliberative assembly of one nation, with one interest, that of the whole; where, not local purposes, not local prejudices ought to guide, but the general good, resulting from the general reason of the whole. You choose a member indeed; but when you have chosen him, he is not a member of Bristol, but he is a member of parliament. Edmund Burke (1729-1797) Irish philosopher, statesman Parliament This place is the longest running farce in the West End. Cyril Smith (b. 1928) British Liberal politician Parliament Partnership And so we plow along, as the fly said to the ox. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807-1882) American poet Partnership Mr Morgan buys his partners; I grow my own. Andrew Carnegie (1835-1918) American industrialist, philanthropist Partnership When two men in a business always agree one of them is unnecessary. William Wrigley Jr. (1861-1932) American businessman Partnership Every sin is the result of a collaboration. Stephen Crane (1871-1900) American novelist, journalist Partnership Passion If we resist our passions, it is more because of their weakness than because of our strength. Francois, Duc de La Rochefoucauld (1613-1680) French writer, moralist Passion Some people lose control of their sluice gates of passion. Worker's Daily, Beijing 1981 Passion Passion, though a bad regulator, is a powerful spring. Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882) American essayist, poet, philosopher Passion The Passions are the only orators which always persuade. Francois, Duc de La Rochefoucauld (1613-1680) French writer, moralist Passion It seemed to me pretty plain, that they had more of love than matrimony in them. Oliver Goldsmith (1728-1774) Anglo-Irish author Passion The Past See: Regret: Wilder The past is a foreign country; they do things differently there. L. P. Hartley (1895-1972) British author The Past Each has his past shut in him like the leaves of a book known to him by heart and his friends can only read the title. Virginia Woolf (1882-1941) British novelist The Past We are well advised to keep on nodding terms with the people we used to be, whether we find them attractive company or not . . . We forget all too soon the things we thought we could never forget. Joan Didion (b. 1934) American writer The Past The only thing I regret about my past is the length of it. If I had to live my life again, I'd make the same mistakes, only sooner. Tallulah Bankhead (1902-1968) American film actress The Past Paternity See: Father Parents There was a young man in Rome that was very like Augustus Caesar; Augustus took knowledge of it and sent for the man, and asked him "Was your mother never at Rome?" He answered "No Sir; but my father was." Francis Bacon (1561-1626) English philosopher, essayist Paternity Maternity is a matter of fact; paternity is a matter of opinion. anonymous Paternity He that bulls the cow must keep the calf. 16th-century proverb Paternity Patience With close-lipp'd Patience for our only friend, Sad Patience, too near neighbour to Despair. Matthew Arnold (1822-1888) English poet, critic Patience Patience, the beggar's virtue. Philip Massinger (1583-1640) English dramatist Patience Patience, that blending of moral courage with physical timidity. Thomas Hardy (1840-1928) English novelist, poet Patience Patience is the virtue of an ass, that trots beneath his burden, and is quiet. Lord Lansdowne (1667-1735) English poet, dramatist Patience I'm extraordinarily patient provided I get my own way in the end. Margaret Thatcher (b. 1925) English prime minister Patience Beware the fury of a patient man. John Dryden (1631-1700) English poet, dramatist, critic Patience Never cut what you can untie. Joseph Joubert (1754-1824) French essayist, moralist Patience That which in mean men we entitle patience Is pale cold cowardice in noble breasts. Duchess of Gloucester, King Richard III William Shakespeare (1564-1616) English dramatist, poet Patience Patriotism See: The English: Walpole Internationalism: Canning Patriotism is your conviction that this country is superior to all others because you were born in it. George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) Anglo-Irish playwright, critic Patriotism My fellow Americans, ask not what your country can do for you - ask what you can do for your country. John F. Kennedy (1917-1963) American president Patriotism I only regret that I have but one life to lose for my country. Nathan Hale (1755-1776) American Revolutionary soldier speech before being executedas spy by the British Patriotism The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their country; but he that stands it NOW deserves the love and thanks of man and woman. Thomas Paine (1737-1809) Anglo-American writer Patriotism A man who is good enough to shed his blood for his country is good enough to be given a square deal afterwards. Theodore Roosevelt (1858-1919) American president Patriotism Our country right or wrong. When right, to be kept right; when wrong, to be put right. Carl Schurz (1829-1906) German orator, later American general and senator Patriotism "My country, right or wrong" is a thing that no patriot would think of saying except in a desperate case. It is like saying "My mother, drunk or sober." G. K. Chesterton (1874-1936) English author Patriotism Patriotism has become a mere national self-assertion, a sentimentality of flag-cheering with no constructive duties. H. G. Wells (1866-1946) English author, social thinker Patriotism Patriotism is a lively sense of collective responsibility. Nationalism is a silly cock crowing on its own dunghill. Richard Aldington (1892-1962) British author Patriotism Never was patriot yet, but was a fool. John Dryden (1631-1700) English poet, dramatist, critic Patriotism To me, it seems a dreadful indignity to have a soul controlled by geography. George Santayana (1863-1952) American philosopher, poet Patriotism Where liberty dwells there is my country. attributed to Thomas Paine (1737-1809) Anglo-American writer Patriotism Our country is wherever we are well off. John Milton (1608-1674) English poet Patriotism Whenever you hear a man speak of his love for his country, it is a sign that he expects to be paid for it. H. L. Mencken (1880-1956) American journalist Patriotism Patriotism is the refuge of a scoundrel. Dr. Samuel Johnson (1709-1784) English author, lexicographer Patriotism In Dr. Johnson's famous dictionary patriotism is defined as the last resort of a scoundrel. With all due respect to an enlightened but inferior lexicographer I beg to submit that it is the first. Ambrose Bierce (1842-1914) American author Patriotism True patriots we; for be it understood. We left our country for our country's good. George Barrington (1755-1810) celebrated pickpocket, transported to Botany Bay Patriotism The proper means of increasing the love we bear our native country is to reside some time in a foreign one. William Shenstone (1714-1763) English poet Patriotism It has never happened to me that I've had to choose between betraying a friend and betraying my country, but if it ever does so happen I hope I have the guts to betray my country. E. M. Forster (1879-1970) British novelist Patriotism I love my country better than my family, but I love human nature better than my country. Francois Fenelon (1651-1715) French prelate, writer Patriotism God has given you your country as cradle, and humanity as mother; you cannot rightly love your brethren of the cradle if you love not the common mother. Giuseppi Mazzini (1805-1872) Italian nationalist leader Patriotism I realise that patriotism is not enough. I must have no hatred or bitterness towards anyone. Edith Cavell (1865-1915) English name Patriotism Patronage Patron - Commonly a wretch who supports with insolence, and is paid with flattery. Dr. Samuel Johnson (1709-1784) English author, lexicographer Patronage If it were not for the intellectual snobs who pay - in solid cash - the tribute which philistinism owes to culture, the arts would perish with their starving practitioners. Let us thank heaven for hypocrisy. Aldous Huxley (1894-1963) English author Patronage Is not a patron, my lord, one who looks with unconcern on a man struggling for life in the water, and when he has reached ground, encumbers him with help? Dr. Samuel Johnson (1709-1784) English author, lexicographer Patronage Every time I bestow a vacant office I make a hundred discontented persons and one ingrate. King Louis XIV of France (1638-1715) Patronage The notice which you have been pleased to take of my labours, had it been early, had been kind; but it has been delayed till I am indifferent, and cannot enjoy it; till I am solitary, and cannot impart it; till I am known, and do not want it. Dr. Samuel Johnson (1709-1784) English author, lexicographer to Lord Chesterfield Patronage Payment See: Bills: Byron Give the laborer his wage before his perspiration be dry. Muhammad (c. 570-632) founder of Islam Payment Cash nexus is not the sole nexus of man with man. William Morris (1834-1896) English artist, writer, printer Payment Peace See: Appeasement The Arms Race: Vegetius Fascism: Mussolini War: Franklin; Saint Augustine If you would preserve peace, then prepare for peace. Barthelemy Enfantin (1776-1864) French economist, industrialist Peace Since wars begin in the minds of men, it is in the minds of men that the defenses of peace must be constructed. UNESCO constitution Peace Peace hath her victories, no less renowned than War. John Milton (1608-1674) English poet Peace You may either win your peace or buy it: win it, by resistance to evil; buy it, by compromise with evil. John Ruskin (1819-1900) English critic Peace As I have counselled you to be slow in taking on a war, so advise I you to be slow in peacemaking. Before ye agree look that the ground of your wars be satisfied in your peace, and that ye see a good surety for you and your people: otherways, an honourable and just war is more tolerable than a dishonourable and disadvantageous peace. King James I of England (1566-1625) Peace Peace and tranquillity! I should think so! Every bird of prey wants it to consume its booty in comfort. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749-1832) German poet, dramatist, novelist, scientist Peace They make a wilderness and call it peace. Tacitus (c. 55-c. 120) Roman historian Peace You discharge your olive-branch as if from a catapult. Cardinal John Newman (1801-1890) English churchman, theologian Peace When we say "War is over if you want it," we mean that if everyone demanded peace instead of another TV set, we'd have peace. John Lennon (1940-1980) English rock singer, songwriter Peace Mankind has grown strong in eternal struggles and it will only perish through eternal peace. Adolf Hitler (1889-1945) German dictator Peace The United States can declare peace upon the world, and win it. Ely Culbertson (1891-1955) American bridge champion Peace They shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more. Bible, Isaiah Peace Perfection See: Modesty: Congreve Skepticism: Ayer Faultily faultless, icily regular, splendidly null, Dead perfection, no more. Lord Tennyson (1809-1892) English poet Perfection So much perfection argues rottenness somewhere. Beatrice Webb (1858-1943) British Fabian Socialist of Sir Oswald Mosley Perfection He has not a single redeeming defect. Benjamin Disraeli (1804-1881) English prime minister Perfection The indefatigable pursuit of an unattainable Perfection even though it consist in nothing more than in the pounding of an old piano, is what alone gives a meaning to our lives on this unavailing star. Logan Pearsall Smith (1865-1946) Anglo-American essayist Perfection Striving to better, oft we mar what's well. Albany, King Lear William Shakespeare (1564-1616) English dramatist, poet Perfection No barber shaves so close but another finds his work. English proverb Perfection Persecution Martyrs and persecutors are the same type of man. As to which is the persecutor and which the martyr, this is only a question of transient power. Elbert Hubbard (1856-1915) American author Persecution Whoever is right, the persecutor must be wrong. William Penn (1644-1718) religious leader, founder of Pennsylvania Persecution The way of this world is to praise dead saints and persecute living ones. Nathaniel Howe (1764-1837) American clergyman Persecution If they come for me in the morning, they will come for you at night. Angela Davis (b. 1944) American radical Persecution Perseverance See: Obstinacy The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation. Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862) American philosopher, author, naturalist Perseverance Under the bludgeonings of chance My head is bloody, but unbowed. William Ernest Henley (1849-1903) English author Perseverance God Almighty hates a quitter. Samuel Fessenden (1847-1908) American lawyer, politician Perseverance The troubles of our proud and angry dust Are from eternity, and shall not fail. Bear them we can, and if we can we must. Shoulder the sky, my lad, and drink your ale. A. E. Housman (1859-1936) British poet, classical scholar Perseverance An arch never sleeps. Indian saying Perseverance Neither evil tongues, Rash judgements, nor the sneers of selfish men, Nor greetings where no kindness is, nor all The dreary intercourse of daily life, Shall e'er prevail against us. William Wordsworth (1770-1850) English poet Perseverance Persuasion See: Faith: Newman Passion: La Rochefoucauld Speeches: Macaulay We are not won by arguments that we can analyse but by tone and temper, by the manner which is the man himself. Samuel Butler (1835-1902) English author Persuasion He that winna be ruled by the rudder maun be ruled by the rock. Scottish proverb Persuasion The best way to convince a fool that he is wrong is to let him have his own way. Josh Billings (1818-1885) American humorist Persuasion There are two levers for moving men - interest and fear. Napoleon Bonaparte (1769-1821) Emperor of France Persuasion It was said that Mr Gladstone could persuade most people of most things, and himself of anything. W. R. Inge (1860-1954) Dean of St. Paul's, London Persuasion There is a holy, mistaken zeal in politics, as well as religion. By persuading others we convince ourselves. Junius (b. 18th century) pseudonym of a writer never identified Persuasion Perversion See: Chastity: de Gourmont Commit The oldest sins the newest kind of ways. King Henry, King Henry IV part 2 William Shakespeare (1564-1616) English dramatist, poet Perversion The human knee is a joint and not an entertainment. Percy Hammond (1873-1936) American critic Perversion Pessimism See: Optimism: Cabell; Gramsci One has to have the courage of one's pessimism. Ian McEwan (b. 1938) British author Pessimism It is wisdom in prosperity, when all is as thou wouldst have it, to fear and suspect the worst. Erasmus (1466-1536) Dutch humanist Pessimism She not only expects the worst, but makes the worst of when it happens. Michael Arlen (1895-1956) British novelist Pessimism My pessimism goes to the point of suspecting the sincerity of the pessimists. Jean Rostand (1894-1977) French biologist, writer Pessimism Do you know what a pessimist is? A man who thinks everybody as nasty as himself, and hates them for it. George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) Anglo-Irish playwright, critic Pessimism A pessimist is one who has been intimately acquainted with an optimist. Elbert Hubbard (1856-1915) American author Pessimism Philanthropy To fish for honour with a silver hook. Nicholas Breton (1545-1626) English poet Philanthropy To enjoy a good reputation, give publicly, and steal privately. Josh Billings (1818-1885) American humorist Philanthropy Philanthropist. A rich (and usually bald) old gentleman who has trained himself to grin while his conscience is picking his pocket. Ambrose Bierce (1842-1914) American author Philanthropy Philanthropy is the refuge of people who wish to annoy their fellow creatures. Oscar Wilde (1854-1900) Anglo-Irish writer Philanthropy Philosophy See: Doubt: Diderot Faith: Browne History: Viscount St. John Leisure: Hobbes Poets: Coleridge Revolution: Marx Unintelligible answers to insoluble problems. Henry B. Adams (1838-1918) American historian Philosophy When he who hears doesn't know what he who speaks means, and when he who speaks doesn't know what he himself means - that is philosophy. Voltaire (1694-1778) French philosopher, writer Philosophy It's easy to answer the ultimate questions - it saves you bothering with the immediate ones. George, Epitaph for George Dillon John Osborne (b. 1929) British playwright Philosophy I shall gladly obey His call; yet I would also feel grateful if He would grant me a little longer time with you, and if I could be permitted to solve a question on the origin of the soul. Saint Anselm (1034-1109) Italian churchman, theologian Philosophy Metaphysics is the finding of bad reasons for what we believe upon instinct; but to find these reasons is no less an instinct. F. H. Bradley (1846-1924) British philosopher Philosophy Metaphysics I detested. The science appeared to me an elaborate, diabolical invention for mystifying what was clear, and confounding what was intelligible. W. E. Aytoun (1813-1865) Scottish poet Philosophy Philosophy consists largely of one philosopher arguing that all others are jackasses. He usually proves it, and I should add that he also usually proves that he is one himself. H. L. Mencken (1880-1956) American journalist Philosophy There is only one thing that a philosopher can be relied on to do, and that is, to contradict other philosophers. William James (1842-1910) American psychologist, philosopher Philosophy As for the philosophers, they make imaginary laws for imaginary commonwealths. Francis Bacon (1561-1626) English philosopher, essayist Philosophy A blind man in a dark room looking for a black hat which is not there. anonymous Philosophy All are lunatics, but he who can analyze his delusions is called a philosopher. Ambrose Bierce (1842-1914) American author Philosophy There is nothing so absurd but some philosopher has said it. Cicero (106-43 BC) Roman orator, philosopher Philosophy I have tried too in my time to be a philosopher but, I don't know how, cheerfulness was always breaking in. Oliver Edwards (1711-1791) English lawyer Philosophy Bishop Berkeley destroyed this world in one volume octavo; and nothing remained, after his time, but mind; which experienced a similar fate from the hand of Mr. Hume in 1737. Sydney Smith (1771-1845) English writer, clergyman Philosophy Any philosophy that can be put "in a nutshell" belongs there. Sydney J. Harris (1917-1986) American journalist Philosophy Philosophies are devices for making it possible to do, coolly, continuously, and with a good conscience, things which otherwise one could do only in the heat of passion, spasmodically, and under the threat of subsequent remorse. Aldous Huxley (1894-1963) English author Philosophy Philosophy stands in the same relation to the study of the actual world as masturbation to sexual love. Karl Marx (1818-1883) German social philosopher, revolutionary Philosophy The flour is the important thing, not the mill; the fruits of philosophy, not the philosophy itself. When we ask what time it is we don't want to know how watches are constructed. G. C. Lichtenberg (1742-1799) German physicist, writer Philosophy For there was never yet philosopher That could endure the toothache patiently. Leonato, Much Ado About Nothing William Shakespeare (1564-1616) English dramatist, poet Philosophy Photography See: The Press: Newman A photograph is a secret about a secret. The more it tells you the less you know. Diane Arbus (1923-1971) American photographer Photography The magic of photography is metaphysical. What you see in the photograph isn't what you saw at the time. The real skill of photography is organised visual lying. Terence Donovan (b. 1936) British photographer Photography It takes a lot of imagination to be a good photographer. You need less imagination to be a painter, because you can invent things. But in photography everything is so ordinary; it takes a lot of looking before you learn to see the ordinary. David Bailey (b. 1938) British photographer Photography The virtue of the camera is not the power it has to transform the photographer into an artist, but the impulse it gives him to keep on looking. Brooks Atkinson (b. 1894) American critic, essayist Photography While there is perhaps a province in which the photograph can tell us nothing more than what we see with our own eyes, there is another in which it proves to us how little our eyes permit us to see. Dorothea Lange (1895-1965) American photographer Photography Piety Nothing is more repulsive than a furtively prurient spirituality; it is just as unsavory as gross sensuality. Carl Jung (1875-1961) Swiss psychiatrist Piety Their sighin', cantin', grace-proud faces, Their three-mile prayers, and half-mile graces Robert Burns (1759-1796) Scottish poet Piety A wicked fellow is the most pious when he takes to it. He'll beat you all in piety. Dr. Samuel Johnson (1709-1784) English author, lexicographer Piety Piety is the tinfoil of pretense. Elbert Hubbard (1856-1915) American author Piety Bernard always had a few prayers in the hall and some whiskey afterwards as he was rather pious. Daisy Ashford (1881-1972) British writer of The Young Visiters, aged 9 Piety How holy people look when they are sea-sick! Samuel Butler (1835-1902) English author Piety Pity See: Love: Collins Lovers: Brien When a man suffers himself, it is called misery; when he suffers in the suffering of another, it is called pity. Saint Augustine (354-430) theologian Pity Pity costs nothing, and ain't worth nothing. Josh Billings (1818-1885) American humorist Pity Pity is treason. Maximilien Robespierre (1785-1794) French revolutionary leader Pity If a madman were to come into this room with a stick in his hand, no doubt we should pity the state of his mind; but our primary consideration would be to take care of ourselves. We should knock him down first, and pity him afterwards. Dr. Samuel Johnson (1709-1784) English author, lexicographer Pity The wretched have no compassion. Dr. Samuel Johnson (1709-1784) English author, lexicographer Pity One cannot weep for the entire world, it is beyond human strength. One must choose. Jean Anouilh (1910-1987) French dramatist Pity Those who do not complain are never pitied. Jane Austen (1775-1817) English novelist Pity Plagiarism See: Originality: Inge Quotations: France Taking something from one man and making it worse is plagiarism. George Moore (1852-1933) Irish author Plagiarism It is a mean thief, or a successful author, that plunders the dead. Austin O'Malley (1858-1932) American oculist, writer Plagiarism Most writers steal a good thing when they can. Bryan Waller Proctor (1787-1874) English poet Plagiarism He invades authors like a monarch, and what would be theft in other poets is only victory in him. John Dryden (1631-1700) English poet, dramatist, critic of Ben Jonson Plagiarism When you take stuff from one writer, it's plagiarism; but when you take it from many writers, it's research. Wilson Mizner (1876-1933) American dramatist, wit Plagiarism Whatever is well said by another, is mine. Seneca (c. 5-65) Roman writer, philosopher, statesman Plagiarism It's a wise crack that knows its own father. Raymond Clapper (1892-1944) American journalist Plagiarism Planning When schemes are laid in advance, it is surprising how often the circumstances fit in with them. Sir William Osler (1849-1919) Canadian physician Planning It is a mistake to look too far ahead. Only one link in the chain of destiny can be handled at a time. Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965) British statesman, writer Planning We are always getting ready to live, but never living. Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882) American essayist, poet, philosopher Planning Platitudes See: Banality: Chesterton Literature: Wilder Proverbs: Huxley In spite of his practical ability, some of his experience had petrified into maxims and quotations. George Eliot (1819-1880) English novelist Platitudes In modern life nothing produces such an effect as a good platitude. It makes the whole world kin. Oscar Wilde (1854-1900) Anglo-Irish writer Platitudes The Republicans stroke platitudes until they purr like epigrams. Adlai Stevenson (1900-1965) American Democratic politician Platitudes A platitude is a truth we are tired of hearing. Sir Godfrey Nicholson (b. 1901) British businessman, Conservative politician Platitudes All generalizations are dangerous, even this one. Alexandre Dumas (1824-1895) French novelist Platitudes Play See: Cards Gambling Golf Pleasure Sport It should be noted that children's games are not merely games; one should regard them as their most serious activities. Michel de Montaigne (1533-1592) French essayist, moralist Play Life isn't all beer and skittles; but beer and skittles, or something better of the same sort, must form a good part of every Englishman's education. Thomas Hughes (1822-1896) English author Play If all the year were playing holidays, To sport would be as tedious as to work. Prince Hal, King Henry IV part I William Shakespeare (1564-1616) English dramatist, poet Play Men trifle with their business and their politics; but never trifle with their games. It brings truth home to them. They cannot pretend that they made a magnificent drive when they foozled it. The Englishman is at his best on the links, and at his worst in the Cabinet. George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) Anglo-Irish playwright, critic Play Public money is scarcely ever so well employed as in securing bits of waste ground and keeping them as open spaces. Sir Arthur Helps (1813-1875) English writer Play Amusement is the happiness of those who cannot think. Alexander Pope (1688-1744) English poet Play One half of the world cannot understand the pleasures of the other. Jane Austen (1775-1817) English novelist Play Pleasure See: Bloodsports: Johnson Hypocrisy: Johnson Play: Austen; Shakespeare A man hath no better thing under the sun than to eat and to drink and to be merry. Bible, Ecclesiastes Pleasure Ah, make the most of what we yet may spend, Before we too unto the Dust descend. from The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam trans. Edward Fitzgerald (1809-1883) Pleasure The truth is, I do indulge myself a little the more in pleasure, knowing that this is the proper age of my life to do it; and, out of my observation that most men that do thrive in the world do forget to take pleasure during the time that they are getting their estate, but reserve that till they have got one, and then it is too late for them to enjoy it. Samuel Pepys (1633-1703) English diarist aged 33 Pleasure If I had no duties, and no reference to futurity, I would spend my life in driving briskly in a post-chaise with a pretty woman. Dr. Samuel Johnson (1709-1784) English author, lexicographer Pleasure All the things I really like to do are either immoral, illegal, or fattening. Alexander Woollcott (1887-1943) American columnist, critic Pleasure Stolen waters are sweet, and bread eaten in secret is pleasant. Bible, Proverbs Pleasure Scratching is one of nature's sweetest gratifications, and the one nearest at hand. Michel de Montaigne (1533-1592) French essayist, moralist Pleasure Poetry Poetry is the spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings: it takes its origin from emotion recollected in tranquillity. William Wordsworth (1770-1850) English poet Poetry Poetry lifts the veil from the hidden beauty of the world, and makes familiar objects be as if they were not familiar. Percy Bysshe Shelley (1792-1822) English poet Poetry Poetry is what Milton saw when he went blind. Don Marquis (1878-1937) American humorist, journalist Poetry That willing suspension of disbelief for the moment, which constitutes poetic faith. Samuel Taylor Coleridge (1772-1834) English poet Poetry Poetry is the supreme fiction, madame. Wallace Stevens (1879-1955) American poet Poetry Poetry is truth in its Sunday clothes. Joseph Roux (1834-1886) French priest, writer Poetry Poetry is man's rebellion against being what he is. James Branch Cabell (1879-1958) American novelist, essayist Poetry Out of our quarrels with others we make rhetoric. Out of our quarrels with ourselves we make poetry. William Butler Yeats (1865-1939) Anglo-Irish poet, playwright Poetry Poetry is what gets lost in translation. attributed to Robert Frost (1874-1963) American poet Poetry One merit of poetry few persons will deny: it says more and in fewer words than prose. Voltaire (1694-1778) French philosopher, writer Poetry The world, we believe, is pretty well agreed in thinking that the shorter a prize poem is, the better. Lord Macaulay (1800-1859) English historian Poetry Prose on certain occasions can bear a great deal of poetry; on the other hand, poetry sinks and swoons under a moderate weight of prose. Walter Savage Landor (1775-1864) English author Poetry Writing free verse is like playing tennis with the net down. Robert Frost (1874-1963) American poet Poetry Poetry should surprise by a fine excess and not by singularity - it should strike the Reader as wording of his own highest thoughts, and appear almost a Remembrance. John Keats (1795-1821) English poet Poetry Science is for those who learn; poetry, for those who know. Joseph Roux (1834-1886) French priest, writer Poetry Knowledge of the subject is to the poet what durable materials are to the architect. Dr. Samuel Johnson (1709-1784) English author, lexicographer Poetry The roaring of the wind is my wife and the stars through the window pane are my children. The mighty abstract idea I have of beauty in all things stifles the more divided and minute domestic happiness. John Keats (1795-1821) English poet Poetry These poems, with all their crudities, doubts, and confusions, are written for the love of Man and in praise of God, and I'd be a damn' fool if they weren't. Dylan Thomas (1914-1953) Welsh poet Poetry After all, the commonplaces are the great poetic truths. Robert Louis Stevenson (1850-1894) Scottish novelist, essayist, poet Poetry Poetry is a mixture of common sense, which not all have, with an uncommon sense, which very few have. John Masefield (1878-1967) English poet, playwright Poetry The mind that finds its way to wild places is the poet's; but the mind that never finds its way back is the lunatic's. G. K. Chesterton (1874-1936) English author Poetry Perhaps no person can be a poet, or can even enjoy poetry, without a certain unsoundness of mind. Lord Macaulay (1800-1859) English historian Poetry Poetry is the language of a state of crisis. Stephane Mallarme (1842-1898) French Symbolist poet Poetry Poetry is devil's wine. Saint Augustine (354-430) theologian Poetry The poet's business is not to save the soul of man but to make it worth saving. James Elroy Flecker (1884-1915) English poet Poetry Poetry is the language in which man explores his own amazement. Christopher Fry (b. 1907) British playwright Poetry Poetry should be great and unobtrusive, a thing which enters into one's soul, and does not startle or amaze it with itself, but with its subject. John Keats (1795-1821) English poet Poetry Publishing a volume of verse is like dropping a rose petal down the Grand Canyon and waiting for the echo. Don Marquis (1878-1937) American humorist, journalist Poetry Poetry has never brought in enough to buy shoe-strings. William Wordsworth (1770-1850) English poet Poetry There's no money in poetry, but then there's no poetry in money either. Robert Graves (1895-1985) British poet, novelist Poetry A poem is not necessarily obscure because it does not aim to be popular. It is enough if a work be perspicuous to those for whom it is written. Samuel Taylor Coleridge (1772-1834) English poet Poetry The one man who should never attempt an explanation of a poem is its author. If the poem can be improved by its author's explanations it never should have been published. Archibald MacLeish (1892-1982) American poet Poetry Each venture Is a new beginning, a raid on the inarticulate With shabby equipment always deteriorating In the general mess of imprecision of feeling. T. S. Eliot (1888-1965) Anglo-American poet Poetry When you are old and gray and full of sleep, And nodding by the fire, take down this book. William Butler Yeats (1865-1939) Anglo-Irish poet, playwright Poetry Not marble nor the gilded monuments Of princes shall outlive this powerful rhyme. William Shakespeare (1564-1616) English dramatist, poet Poetry Poets See: Lord Byron Plagiarism: Dryden Wine: Horace I hate the whole race . . . There is no believing a word they say - your professional poets, I mean - there never existed a more worthless set than Byron and his friends for example. Duke of Wellington (1769-1852) English soldier, statesman Poets Sir, I admit your general rule, That every poet is a fool, But you yourself may serve to show it, That every fool is not a poet. Samuel Taylor Coleridge (1772-1834) English poet Poets Of course poets have morals and manners of their own. Thomas Hardy (1840-1928) English novelist, poet Poets Idleness, that is the curse of other men, is the nurse of poets. Walter D'Arcy Cresswell (b. 1896) British poet Poets The man who does not betake himself at once and desperately to sawing is called a loafer, though he may be knocking at the doors of heaven all the while. Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862) American philosopher, author, naturalist Poets Could a man live by it, it were not unpleasant employment to be a poet. Oliver Goldsmith (1728-1774) Anglo-Irish author Poets To be a poet is a condition rather than a profession. Robert Graves (1895-1985) British poet, novelist Poets God's most candid critics are those of his children whom he has made poets. Sir Walter Raleigh (1861-1922) British academic Poets Poets are the unacknowledged legislators of the world. Percy Bysshe Shelley (1792-1822) English poet Poets Good artists exist simply in what they make, and consequently are perfectly uninteresting in what they are. A really great poet is the most unpoetical of all creatures. But inferior poets are absolutely fascinating. The worse their rhymes are, the more picturesque they look. The mere fact of having published a book of second-rate sonnets makes a man quite irresistible. He lives the poetry that he cannot write. The others write the poetry that they dare not realize. Oscar Wilde (1854-1900) Anglo-Irish writer Poets Who shall measure the heat and violence of the poet's heart when caught and tangled in a woman's body? Virginia Woolf (1882-1941) British novelist Poets As fire is kindled by fire, so is a poet's mind kindled by contact with a brother poet. John Keble (1792-1866) English clergyman, poet Poets I stood among them, but not of them; in a shroud Of thoughts which were not their thoughts. Lord Byron (1788-1824) English poet Poets That is what all poets do: they talk to themselves out loud; and the world overhears them. But it's horribly lonely not to hear someone else talk sometimes. Marchbanks, Candida George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) Anglo-Irish playwright, critic Poets I am two fools, I know, For loving, and for saying so In whining poetry. John Donne (1572-1631) English divine, metaphysical poet Poets Dr Donne's verses are like the peace of God: they pass all understanding. King James I of England (1566-1625) Poets Poets utter great and wise things which they do not themselves understand. Plato (428-347 BC) Greek philosopher Poets Great poets are obscure for two opposite reasons; now, because they are talking about something too large for anyone to understand, and now again because they are talking about something too small for anyone to see. G. K. Chesterton (1874-1936) English author Poets No man was ever yet a great poet without being at the same time a profound philosopher. Samuel Taylor Coleridge (1772-1834) English poet Poets Being a professor of poetry is rather like being a Kentucky colonel. It's not really a subject one can profess - unless one hires oneself out to write pieces for funerals or the marriages of dons. W. H. Auden (1907-1973) Anglo-American poet Poets Nine-tenths of English poetic literature is the result either of vulgar careerism or of a poet trying to keep his hand in. Most poets are dead by their late twenties. Robert Graves (1895-1985) British poet, novelist Poets He lied with such a fervour of intention There was no doubt he earned his laureate pension. Lord Byron (1788-1824) English poet Poets A taste for drawing-rooms has spoiled more poets than ever did a taste for gutters. Thomas Beer (1889-1940) American essayist, novelist Poets But I, being poor, have only my dreams. I have spread my dreams under your feet; Tread softly, because you tread on my dreams. William Butler Yeats (1865-1939) Anglo-Irish poet, playwright Poets If you want to write poetry you must earn a living some other way. T. S. Eliot (1888-1965) Anglo-American poet Poets The whole of my returns from the writing trade not amounting to seven score pounds. William Wordsworth (1770-1850) English poet Poets In his youth, Wordsworth sympathised with the French Revolution, went to France, wrote good poetry, and had a natural daughter. At this period, he was a "bad" man. Then he became "good," abandoned his daughter, adopted correct principles, and wrote bad poetry. Bertrand Russell (1872-1970) British philosopher, mathematician, social reformer Poets The reason Milton wrote in fetters when he wrote of Angels and God, and at liberty when of the Devils and Hell, is because he was a true poet, and of the Devil's party without knowing it. William Blake (1757-1827) English poet, artist Poets His imagination resembled the wings of an ostrich. It enabled him to run, though not to soar. Lord Macaulay (1800-1859) English historian of Dryden Poets Cibber! write all thy Verses upon Glasses, The only way to save 'em from our Arses. Alexander Pope (1688-1744) English poet of Colley Cibber Poets Careless thinking carefully versified. James Russell Lowell (1819-1891) American poet, editor of Alexander Pope Poets In poetry, no less than in life, he is "a beautiful and ineffectual angel, beating in the void his luminous wings in vain." Matthew Arnold (1822-1888) English poet, critic of Shelley Poets He found in stones the sermons he had already hidden there. Oscar Wilde (1854-1900) Anglo-Irish writer of Wordsworth Poets I listen to nature and mankind with astonishment, and I copy what they teach me without pedantry and without giving things meanings that I can't really be certain they have. Nobody, not even the poet, holds the secret of the world. But people's sufferings, the constant injustice that flows through the world, my own body and my own thoughts, prevent me from moving my house and dwelling among the stars. Federico Garcia Lorca (1898-1936) Spanish lyric poet, dramatist Poets Magnificently unprepared For the long littleness of life. Frances Cornford (1886-1960) British poet of Rupert Brooke Poets Some rhyme a neebor's name to lash; Some rhyme (vain thought!) for needfu' cash; Some rhyme to court the country clash, An' raise a din; For me, an aim I never fash; I rhyme for fun. Robert Burns (1759-1796) Scottish poet Poets The Police See: Killjoys Con el alma de charol vienen por la carretera. Jorobados y nocturnos, por donde animan ordenan silencios de goma oscura y miedos de fina arena. With their souls of patent leather they come down the road. Hunched and nocturnal, where they breathe they impose silence of dark rubber and fear of fine sand. Federico Garcia Lorca (1898-1936) Spanish lyric poet, dramatist The Police I'm not against the police; I'm just afraid of them. Alfred Hitchcock (1899-1980) Anglo-American film director The Police I have never seen a situation so dismal that a policeman couldn't make it worse. Brendan Behan (1923-1964) Irish playwright The Police You are thought here to be the most senseless and fit man for the constable of the watch. Dogberry, Much Ado About Nothing William Shakespeare (1564-1616) English dramatist, poet The Police Every society gets the kind of criminal it deserves. What is equally true is that every community gets the kind of law enforcement it insists on. Robert Kennedy (1925-1968) American Democratic politician The Police Political Parties See: Elections Platitudes: Stevenson Politicians: Darling Propaganda: Pope Unemployment: Thatcher When great questions end, little parties begin. Walter Bagehot (1826-1877) English economist, critic Political Parties Party is the madness of many, for the gain of a few. Jonathan Swift (1667-1745) Anglo-Irish satirist Political Parties A sect or a party is an elegant incognito devised to save a man from the vexation of thinking. Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882) American essayist, poet, philosopher Political Parties The best party is but a kind of conspiracy against the rest of the nation. Sir George Savile, Lord Halifax (1633-1695) English statesman, author Political Parties The party should agree to vent nothing but the truth for three months together, which will give them credit for six months' lying afterwards. John Arbuthnot (1667-1735) English writer, physician Political Parties The Democratic Party is like a mule - without pride of ancestry or hope of posterity. Ignatius Donnelly (1831-1901) American writer, politician Political Parties As usual the Liberals offer a mixture of sound and original ideas. Unfortunately none of the sound ideas is original and none of the original is sound. Harold Macmillan, Lord Stockton (1894-1986) British Conservative politician, prime minister Political Parties The Labour Party is a moral crusade or it is nothing. Harold Wilson (b. 1916) British Labour politician, prime minister Political Parties We have never yet had a Labour Government that knew what taking power really means; they always act like second-class citizens. Dora Russell (1894-1986) British author, campaigner Political Parties The lounge of the main hotel is full of jollity, with large comfortable men sitting in braces; the bar is packed with talkative intellectuals, full of witty disloyalties. Anthony Sampson (b. 1926) British journalist, author at the Labour Party Conference Political Parties What a genius the Labour Party has for cutting itself in half and letting the two parts writhe in public. Cassandra, Sir William Connor (1909-1967) British journalist Political Parties Growing older, I have lost the need to be political, which means, in this country, the need to be left. I am driven into grudging toleration of the Conservative Party because it is the party of nonpolitics, of resistance to politics. Kingsley Amis (b. 1922) British author Political Parties In order to succeed in our party the backbencher must be as wise as a dove and as innocent as a serpent . . . Not to be a monetarist in today's party is to suffer from a severe handicap; it is the political equivalent of being young, black, and unemployed. Julian Critchley (b. 1930) British Conservative politician of the Conservative Party Political Parties A Conservative government is an organised hypocrisy. Benjamin Disraeli (1804-1881) English prime minister Political Parties No party is as bad as its leaders. Will Rogers (1879-1935) American humorist Political Parties Any party which takes credit for the rain must not be surprised if its opponents blame it for the drought. Dwight W. Morrow (1873-1931) American politician Political Parties All political parties die at last of swallowing their own lies. John Arbuthnot (1667-1735) English writer, physician Political Parties Politicians See: Crises: Kissinger Journalism: Simonds The President The Press: Nixon Ronald Reagan Margaret Thatcher Wealth: Chesterton Oh Lord, grant that we may not despise our rulers; and grant, oh Lord, that they may not act so we can't help it. Lyman Beecher (1775-1863) American preacher Politicians There have been many great men that have flattered the people, who ne'er loved them. Second Officer, Coriolanus William Shakespeare (1564-1616) English dramatist, poet Politicians Though it be a foul lie; set it a good face. Bishop John Bale (1495-1563) English ecclesiastic, dramatist Politicians My choice early in life was either to be a piano-player in a whorehouse or a politician. And to tell the truth there's hardly any difference. Harry S. Truman (1884-1972) American president Politicians He knows nothing; and he thinks he knows everything. That points clearly to a political career. Undershaft, Major Barbara George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) Anglo-Irish playwright, critic Politicians A politician is an arse upon which everyone has sat except a man. e. e. cummings (1894-1962) American poet Politicians Little other than a red-tape talking machine, and unhappy bag of parliamentary eloquence. Thomas Carlyle (1795-1881) Scottish writer Politicians A sophistical rhetorician, inebriated with the exuberance of his own verbosity. Benjamin Disraeli (1804-1881) English prime minister of Gladstone Politicians The most successful politician is he who says what everybody is thinking most often and in the loudest voice. Theodore Roosevelt (1858-1919) American president Politicians Reader, suppose you were an idiot. And suppose you were a member of Congress. But I repeat myself. Mark Twain (1835-1910) American author Politicians A politician is a statesman who approaches every question with an open mouth. Adlai Stevenson (1900-1965) American Democratic politician Politicians A statesman is a politician who is held upright by equal pressure from all directions. Eric A. Johnston (1896-1963) American entrepreneur Politicians A politican thinks of the next election; a statesman, of the next generation. James Freeman Clarke (1810-1888) American theologian Politicians A constitutional statesman is in general a man of common opinions and uncommon abilities. Walter Bagehot (1826-1877) English economist, critic Politicians D'ye think that statesmen's kindnesses proceed from any principles but their own need? Sir Robert Howard (1626-1698) English dramatist Politicians A politician will do anything to keep his job - even become a patriot. William Randolph Hearst (1863-1951) American newspaper magnate Politicians The tragedy of one successful politician after another is the gradual substitution of narcissism for an interest in the community. Bertrand Russell (1872-1970) British philosopher, mathematician, social reformer Politicians Your representative owes you, not his industry only, but his judgement; and he betrays instead of serving you if he sacrifices it to your opinion. Edmund Burke (1729-1797) Irish philosopher, statesman Politicians Politicians are not people who seek power in order to implement policies they think necessary. They are people who seek policies in order to attain power. Evelyn Waugh (1903-1966) British novelist Politicians Our differences are policies, our agreements principles. William McKinley (1843-1901) American president Politicians To sacrifice one's honour to one's party is so unselfish an act that our most generous statesmen have not hesitated to do it. Lord Darling (1849-1936) British judge Politicians We all know that Prime Ministers are wedded to the truth, but like other wedded couples they sometimes live apart. Saki (H. H. Munro) (1870-1916) Scottish author Politicians An honest politician is one who, when he is bought, will stay bought. Simon Cameron (1799-1889) American Republican politician Politicians In fighting politicians you think you are winning and suddenly you find you have lost. Viscount Montgomery (1887-1976) British soldier Politicians He was trying to save both his faces. John Gunther (1901-1970) American journalist Politicians Whenever a man has cast a longing eye on offices, a rottenness begins in his conduct. Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826) American president Politicians There's just one rule for politicians all over the world: Don't say in Power what you say in Opposition; if you do, you only have to carry out what the other fellows have found impossible. John Galsworthy (1867-1933) English novelist, dramatist Politicians There are hardly two creatures of a more differing species than the same man when pretending to a place and when in possession of it. Sir George Savile, Lord Halifax (1633-1695) English statesman, author Politicians To be out of place is not necessarily to be out of power. Dr. Samuel Johnson (1709-1784) English author, lexicographer Politicians Resolv'd to ruin or to rule the state. John Dryden (1631-1700) English poet, dramatist, critic Politicians The Right Honourable gentleman is indebted to his memory for his jests, and to his imagination for his facts. Richard Brinsley Sheridan (1751-1816) Anglo-Irish dramatist Politicians There is one statesman of the present day of whom I always say that he would have escaped making the blunders that he has made if he had only ridden more in omnibuses. Sir Arthur Helps (1813-1875) English writer Politicians He thinks like a Tory and talks like a Radical, and that's so important now-a-days. Oscar Wilde (1854-1900) Anglo-Irish writer Politicians He was a power politically for years, but he has never got prominent enough to have his speeches garbled. Kin (F. McKinney) Hubbard (1868-1930) American humorist, journalist Politicians His watchword is always Duty; and he never forgets that the nation which lets its duty get on the opposite side to its interest is lost. George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) Anglo-Irish playwright, critic Politicians In Pierre Elliot Trudeau Canada has at last produced a political leader worthy of assassination. Irving Layton (b. 1912) Canadian poet Politicians You're not an MP, you're a gastronomic pimp. Aneurin Bevan (1897-1960) British Labour politician to a colleague accused of attending too many public dinners Politicians He has the lucidity which is the by-product of a fundamentally sterile mind. Aneurin Bevan (1897-1960) British Labour politician of Neville Chamberlain, prime minister Politicians He seems determined to make a trumpet sound like a tin whistle. Aneurin Bevan (1897-1960) British Labour politician of Clement Attlee, prime minister Politicians The Prime Minister has an absolute genius for putting flamboyant labels on empty luggage. Aneurin Bevan (1897-1960) British Labour politician of Harold Macmillan Politicians Such a gift horse to his opponents that it would be ungrateful for us to look him in the mouth. Violet Bonham-Carter, Lady Asquith (1887-1969) British Liberal politician of Aneurin Bevan Politicians Women MPs have struck the bell of fame with a putty hammer. Cassandra, Sir William Connor (1909-1967) British journalist Politicians . . . notwithstanding all my violence in politicks and talking so much on that subject, I perfectly agree with you that no woman has any business to meddle with that or any other serious business, farther than giving her opinion (if she is ask'd). Lady Bessborough (1720-1760) letter to Lord Granville Politicians I wouldn't want to mislead you by doing other than saying however easy it would be for me to answer the question you have asked, it is not fair for me to go further than I have. And I would not read too much into that. Ian McDonald British Ministry of Defense spokesman 1982 Politicians As I interpret the President, we're now at the end of the beginning of the upturn of the downturn. John F. Kennedy (1917-1963) American president when Senator Politicians There are two problems in my life. The political ones are insoluble and the economic ones are incomprehensible. Sir Alec Douglas-Home (b. 1930) British Conservative politician, prime minister Politicians Exhortation to other people to do something is the last resort of politicians who are at a loss to know what to do themselves. Sir Paul Chambers (1904-1981) British industrialist Politicians Get thee glass eyes, And, like a scurvy politician, seem To see the things thou dost not. Lear, King Lear William Shakespeare (1564-1616) English dramatist, poet Politicians Can there be a more horrible object in existence than an eloquent man not speaking the truth? Thomas Carlyle (1795-1881) Scottish writer Politicians No man, I fear, can effect great benefits for his country without some sacrifice of the minor virtues. Sydney Smith (1771-1845) English writer, clergyman Politicians Politics See: Government Parliament Persuasion: Junius Man is by nature a political animal. Aristotle (384-322 BC) Greek philosopher Politics Politics is the science of how who gets what, when and why. Sidney Hillman (1887-1946) American trade unionist Politics He who gives food to the people will win. Lech Walesa (b. 1943) Polish Solidarity leader Politics Magnanimity in politics is not seldom the truest wisdom; and a great empire and little minds go ill together. Edmund Burke (1729-1797) Irish philosopher, statesman Politics Politics is the diversion of trivial men who, when they succeed at it, become important in the eyes of more trivial men. George Jean Nathan (1882-1958) American critic Politics I claim not to have controlled events, but confess plainly that events have controlled me. Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865) American president Politics Politics is not an exact science. Prince Otto von Bismarck (1815-1898) Prussian statesman Politics Practical politics consists in ignoring facts. Henry B. Adams (1838-1918) American historian Politics I am invariably of the politics of people at whose table I sit, or beneath whose roof I sleep. George Borrow (1803-1881) English writer Politics I could not be leading a religious life unless I identified myself with the whole of mankind, and that I could not do unless I took part in politics. Mohandas K. Gandhi (1869-1948) Indian political and spiritual leader Politics Religion is organized to satisfy and guide the soul - politics does the same thing for the body. Joyce Cary (1888-1957) British novelist Politics I have never regarded politics as the arena of morals. It is the arena of interests. Aneurin Bevan (1897-1960) British Labour politician Politics In politics, what begins in fear usually ends in folly. Samuel Taylor Coleridge (1772-1834) English poet Politics Politics is not a bad profession. If you succeed there are many rewards, if you disgrace yourself you can always write a book. Ronald Reagan (b. 1911) American president Politics Polls A straw vote only shows which way the hot air blows. O. Henry (1862-1910) American short story writer Polls Pollution See: Ecology I durst not laugh, for fear of opening my lips and receiving the bad air. Casca, Julius Caesar William Shakespeare (1564-1616) English dramatist, poet Pollution Pollution is nothing but the resources we are not harvesting. We allow them to disperse because we've been ignorant of their value. R. Buckminster Fuller (1895-1983) American architect, engineer Pollution Eighty percent of pollution is caused by plants and trees. Ronald Reagan (b. 1911) American president Pollution Pop Every popular song has at least one line or sentence that is perfectly clear - the line that fits the music. Ezra Pound (1885-1972) American poet Pop My reputation is a media creation. John Lydon, Johnny Rotten (b. 1957) British punk rock star Pop The Pope See: Catholicism: Ayscough Infallibility: Shaw The Pope? How many divisions has he got? Josef Stalin (1879-1953) USSR dictator to Pierre Laval, French foreign minister, in reply to suggestion that the Soviet Union should propitiate the Pope The Pope It is an error to believe that the Roman Pontiff can and ought to reconcile himself to, and agree with, progress, liberalism, and contemporary civilization. Pope Pius IX (1792-1878) The Pope Popularity Popularity? It's glory's small change. Victor Hugo (1802-1885) French poet, dramatist, novelist Popularity I have never wished to cater to the crowd; for what I know they do not approve, and what they approve I do not know. Epicurus (341-270 BC) Greek philosopher Popularity Popularity is a crime from the moment it is sought; it is only a virtue where men have it whether they will or no. Lord Halifax (1796-1865) Popularity He cast off his friends as a huntsman his pack, For he knew when he pleas'd he could whistle them back. Oliver Goldsmith (1728-1774) Anglo-Irish author Popularity Pornography See: Delinquency: Gilmour It's red hot, mate. I hate to think of this sort of book getting into the wrong hands. As soon as I've finished this, I shall recommend they ban it. Tony Hancock (1924-1968) British comedian from script by Ray Galton and Alan Simpson Pornography A woman reading Playboy feels a little like a Jew reading a Nazi manual. Gloria Steinem (b. 1934) American feminist writer Pornography I would like to see all people who read pornography or have anything to do with it put in a mental hospital for observation so we could find out what we have done to them. Linda Lovelace (b. 1952) American model, actress Pornography Nine-tenths of the appeal of pornography is due to the indecent feelings concerning sex which moralists inculcate in the young; the other tenth is physiological, and will occur in one way or another whatever the state of the law may be. Bertrand Russell (1872-1970) British philosopher, mathematician, social reformer Pornography Obscenity is such a tiny kingdom that a single tour covers it completely. Heywood Broun (1888-1939) American journalist, novelist Pornography Portraits Every time I paint a portrait I lose a friend. John Sargent (1856-1925) American artist Portraits Every portrait that is painted with feeling is a portrait of the artist, not of the sitter. Oscar Wilde (1854-1900) Anglo-Irish writer Portraits There are only two styles of portrait painting; the serious and the smirk. Charles Dickens (1812-1870) English novelist Portraits When one starts from a portrait and seeks by successive eliminations to find pure form . . . one inevitably ends up with an egg. Similarly, by starting from an egg and following the opposite course, one can arrive at a portrait. Pablo Picasso (1881-1973) Spanish artist Portraits Most of our portrait painters are doomed to absolute oblivion. They never paint what they see. They paint what the public sees, and the public never sees anything. Oscar Wilde (1854-1900) Anglo-Irish writer Portraits Mr Lely, I desire you would use all your skill to paint my picture truly like me, and not flatter me at all; but remark all these roughnesses, pimples, warts, and everything as you see me, otherwise I will never pay a farthing for it. Oliver Cromwell (1599-1658) Lord Protector of England Portraits Few persons who have ever sat for a portrait can have felt anything but inferior while the process is going on. Anthony Powell (b. 1905) British novelist Portraits Posterity See: Writers: Ade When we are planning for posterity, we ought to remember that virtue is not heriditary. Thomas Paine (1737-1809) Anglo-American writer Posterity Be careful of this - it is my carte de visite to posterity. Jean Francois Champollion (1790-1832) French archaeologist on his death-bed, giving his printer the proofs of his study deciphering the hieroglyphics on the Rosetta stone Posterity We are always doing something for Posterity, but I would fain see Posterity do something for us. Joseph Addison (1672-1719) English essayist Posterity Poverty See: Culture: Menen Money: Butler Unemployment: Johnson Oh, God! that bread should be so dear, And flesh and blood so cheap. Thomas Hood (1799-1845) English poet Poverty We all live in a state of ambitious poverty. Juvenal (c. 40-130) Roman satiric poet Poverty Poverty does not mean the possession of little, but the lack of much. Antipater of Macedonia (c. 397-c. 319 BC) Macedonian general Poverty Too poor for a bribe, and too proud to importune, He had not the method of making a fortune. Thomas Gray (1716-1771) English poet of his own character Poverty This mournful truth is ev'rywhere confessed, Slow rises worth, by poverty depressed. Dr. Samuel Johnson (1709-1784) English author, lexicographer Poverty The seven deadly sins . . . Food, clothing, firing, rent, taxes, respectability and children. Nothing can lift those seven millstones from man's neck but money; and the spirit cannot soar until the millstones are lifted. Undershaft, Major Barbara George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) Anglo-Irish playwright, critic Poverty The common argument that crime is caused by poverty is a kind of slander on the poor. H. L. Mencken (1880-1956) American journalist Poverty Hark ye, Clinker, you are a most notorious offender. You stand convicted of sickness, hunger, wretchedness, and want. Tobias Smollett (1721-1771) Scottish novelist, surgeon Poverty There's no scandal like rags, nor any crime so shameful as poverty. George Farquhar (1678-1707) Irish dramatist Poverty Poverty is not a shame, but the being ashamed of it is. Thomas Fuller (1608-1661) English cleric Poverty O world, how apt the poor are to be proud! Olivia, Twelfth Night William Shakespeare (1564-1616) English dramatist, poet Poverty Poverty is no disgrace to a man, but it is confoundedly inconvenient. Sydney Smith (1771-1845) English writer, clergyman Poverty The fundamental strength of Egypt's economy is its broad base of individual poverty. Middle East correspondent, The London TimesFebruary 1958 Poverty I think the advantages of self dependent poverty for the purpose of developing moral fiber are greatly exaggerated. John Kenneth Galbraith (b. 1908) American economist while US ambassador to India Poverty There are 200 million poor in the world who would gladly take the vow of poverty if they could eat, dress and have a home like myself and many of those who profess the vow of poverty. Fulton J. Sheen (1895-1979) American clergyman, author Poverty No man should commend poverty unless he is poor. Saint Bernard (1091-1153) French churchman, scholar Poverty My earliest emotions are bound to the earth and to the labors of the fields. I find in the land a profound suggestion of poverty and I love poverty above all other things; not sordid and famished poverty but poverty that is blessed - simple, humble, like brown bread. Federico Garcia Lorca (1898-1936) Spanish lyric poet, dramatist Poverty Poverty keeps together more homes than it breaks up. Saki (H. H. Munro) (1870-1916) Scottish author Poverty That's another advantage of being poor - a doctor will cure you faster. Kin (F. McKinney) Hubbard (1868-1930) American humorist, journalist Poverty Resolve not to be poor: whatever you have, spend less. Poverty is a great enemy to human happiness; it certainly destroys liberty, and it makes some virtues impracticable, and others extremely difficult. Dr. Samuel Johnson (1709-1784) English author, lexicographer Poverty To be poor and independent is very nearly an impossibility. William Cobbett (1762-1835) English essayist, politician, agriculturalist Poverty My father was second cousin to a baronet, and my mother the daughter of a country gentleman whose rule was, when in difficulties, mortgage. That was my sort of poverty. George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) Anglo-Irish playwright, critic Poverty The prevalent fear of poverty among the educated classes is the worst moral disease from which our civilization suffers. William James (1842-1910) American psychologist, philosopher Poverty Poverty is an anomaly to rich people. It is very difficult to make out why people who want dinner do not ring the bell. Walter Bagehot (1826-1877) English economist, critic Poverty A good poor man is better than a good rich man because he has to resist more temptations. Plato (428-347 BC) Greek philosopher Poverty The poorest He that is in England hath a life to live as the greatest He. Thomas Raineborough (d. 1648) Puritan soldier, politician Poverty "No one has ever said it," observed Lady Caroline, "but how painfully true it is that the poor have us always with them!" Saki (H. H. Munro) (1870-1916) Scottish author Poverty Poverty has strange bedfellows. Edward Bulwer-Lytton (1803-1873) English novelist, playwright Poverty I used to think I was poor. Then they told me I wasn't poor, I was needy. Then they told me it was self-defeating to think of myself as needy, I was deprived. Then they told me deprived was a bad image, I was underprivileged. Then they told me underprivileged was overused, I was disadvantaged. I still don't have a dime. But I sure have a great vocabulary. Jules Feiffer (b. 1929) American cartoonist Poverty I hate the poor and look forward eagerly to their extermination. George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) Anglo-Irish playwright, critic Poverty If you've ever really been poor, you remain poor at heart all your life. Arnold Bennett (1867-1931) British novelist Poverty Come away; poverty's catching. Aphra Behn (1640-1689) English playwright, poet Poverty Power See: Despotism: Russell Greatness: Acton The President: Adams You cannot have power for good without having power for evil too. Even mother's milk nourishes murderers as well as heroes. Cusins, Major Barbara George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) Anglo-Irish playwright, critic Power Those who have been once intoxicated with power, and have derived any kind of emolument from it, even though but for one year, can never willingly abandon it. Edmund Burke (1729-1797) Irish philosopher, statesman Power Power is the ultimate aphrodisiac. Henry Kissinger (b. 1923) American adviser on international affairs Power A cock has great influence on his own dunghill. Publilius Syrus (b. 1st century BC) Roman writer of mimes Power Unused power slips imperceptibly into the hands of another. Konrad Heiden (1901-1975) German author Power The purpose of getting power is to be able to give it away. Aneurin Bevan (1897-1960) British Labour politician Power Power? It's like a Dead Sea fruit. When you achieve it, there is nothing there. Harold Macmillan, Lord Stockton (1894-1986) British Conservative politician, prime minister Power Power admits no equal, and dismisses friendship for flattery. Edward Moore (1712-1757) English fabulist, dramatist Power Madness in great ones must not unwatch'd go. Claudius, Hamlet William Shakespeare (1564-1616) English dramatist, poet Power The good old rule Sufficeth them, the simple plan, That they should take, who have the power, And they should keep who can. William Wordsworth (1770-1850) English poet Power You only have power over people so long as you don't take everything away from them. But when you've robbed a man of everything he's no longer in your power - he's free again. Alexander Solzhenitsyn (b. 1918) Russian novelist Power They say power corrupts and perhaps it does. What I know, in myself, is quite a different thing. That power corrupts the people it is exercised over. Raymond Williams (1921-1988) British academic Power Power, like a desolating pestilence, Pollutes whate'er it touches. Percy Bysshe Shelley (1792-1822) English poet Power Alexander at the head of the world never tasted the true pleasure that boys of his own age have enjoyed at the head of a school. Horace Walpole (1717-1797) English writer Power No man is good enough to be another man's master. Undershaft, Major Barbara George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) Anglo-Irish playwright, critic Power Praise See: Flattery: King Louis XIV; Johnson Modesty: Chesterfield Fondly we think we honour merit then, When we but praise ourselves in other men. Alexander Pope (1688-1744) English poet Praise I will praise any man that will praise me. Enobarbus, Antony and Cleopatra William Shakespeare (1564-1616) English dramatist, poet Praise He who praises everybody praises nobody. Dr. Samuel Johnson (1709-1784) English author, lexicographer Praise I know of no manner of speaking so offensive as that of giving praise, and closing it with an exception. Sir Richard Steele (1672-1729) English essayist, dramatist, editor Praise Among the smaller duties of life I hardly know any one more important than that of not praising where praise is not due. Sydney Smith (1771-1845) English writer, clergyman Praise Praise yourself daringly, something always sticks. Francis Bacon (1561-1626) English philosopher, essayist Praise The advantage of doing one's praising for oneself is that one can lay it on so thick and exactly in the right places. Samuel Butler (1835-1902) English author Praise A continual feast of commendation is only to be attained by merit or by wealth. Dr. Samuel Johnson (1709-1784) English author, lexicographer Praise Eulogy. Praise of a person who has either advantages of wealth and power, or the consideration to be dead. Ambrose Bierce (1842-1914) American author Praise The greatest mistake I made was not to die in office. Dean Acheson (1893-1971) American Democratic politician on hearing eulogies to his successor as Secretary of State, John Foster Dulles, who died in office Praise Prayer See: Enemies: Voltaire God: Tomlin Sleep: Browne Bow, stubborn knees! Claudius, Hamlet William Shakespeare (1564-1616) English dramatist, poet Prayer Pray. To ask the laws of the universe to be annulled on behalf of a single petitioner confessedly unworthy. Ambrose Bierce (1842-1914) American author Prayer Whatever a man prays for, he prays for a miracle. Every prayer reduces itself to this: "Great God, grant that twice two be not four." Ivan Turgenev (1818-1883) Russian novelist, short story writer, dramatist Prayer Whatsoever we beg of God, let us also work for it. Jeremy Taylor (1613-1667) English churchman, writer Prayer Serving God is doing good to man, but praying is thought an easier service and therefore more generally chosen. Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790) American statesman, writer Prayer If you want to make a man very angry, get someone to pray for him. Ed (E. W.) Howe (1853-1937) American journalist, novelist Prayer Prayer does not change God, but it changes him who prays. Soren Kierkegaard (1813-1855) Danish philosopher Prayer The Lord's Prayer contains the sum total of religion and morals. Duke of Wellington (1769-1852) English soldier, statesman Prayer The man who says his prayers in the evening is a captain posting his sentries. After that, he can sleep. Charles Baudelaire (1821-1867) French poet Prayer I throw myself down in my chamber, and I call in, and invite God, and his Angels thither, and when they are there, I neglect God and his Angels, for the noise of a fly, for the rattling of a coach, for the whining of a door. John Donne (1572-1631) English divine, metaphysical poet Prayer Prayer should be short without giving God Almighty reasons why He should grant this or that. He knows best what is good for us. John Selden (1584-1654) English jurist, statesman Prayer The best prayers have often more groans than words. John Bunyan (1628-1688) English author Prayer A short prayer enters heaven; a long drink empties the flagon. Rabelais (1494-1553) French humanist, author Prayer We often want one thing and pray for another, not telling the truth even to the gods. Seneca (c. 5-65) Roman writer, philosopher, statesman Prayer He didn't actually accuse God of inefficiency, but when he prayed his tone was loud and angry, like that of a dissatisfied guest in a carelessly managed hotel. Clarence Day (1874-1935) American author Prayer God is not a cosmic bell-boy for whom we can press a button to get things. H. E. Fosdick (1878-1969) American Baptist minister Prayer Prayer must never be answered: if it is, it ceases to be prayer and becomes correspondence. Oscar Wilde (1854-1900) Anglo-Irish writer Prayer I have lived to thank God that all my prayers have not been answered. Jean Ingelow (1820-1897) English poet Prayer O Lord! thou knowest how busy I must be this day: if I forget thee, do not thou forget me. Sir Jacob Astley (1579-1652) English Royalist soldier Prayer It is best to read the weather forecasts before we pray for rain. Mark Twain (1835-1910) American author Prayer Preaching To be good is noble, but to teach others how to be good is nobler - and less trouble. Mark Twain (1835-1910) American author Preaching Preaching is heady wine. It is pleasant to tell people where they get off. Arnold Lunn (1888-1974) British author Preaching Philosophy rests on the proposition that whatever is is right. Preaching begins by assuming that whatever is is wrong. Elbert Hubbard (1856-1915) American author Preaching Go into the street, and give one man a lecture on morality, and another a shilling, and see which will respect you most. Dr. Samuel Johnson (1709-1784) English author, lexicographer Preaching The best sermon is preached by the minister who has a sermon to preach and not by the man who has to preach a sermon. William Feather (b. 1889) American businessman Preaching That we should practice what we preach is generally admitted; but anyone who preaches what he and his hearers practice must incur the gravest moral disapprobation. Logan Pearsall Smith (1865-1946) Anglo-American essayist Preaching Only the sinner has the right to preach. Christopher Morley (1890-1957) American novelist, journalist Preaching The British churchgoer prefers a severe preacher because he thinks a few home truths will do his neighbours no harm. George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) Anglo-Irish playwright, critic Preaching When I hear a man preach, I like to see him act as if he were fighting bees. Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865) American president Preaching I preached as never sure to preach again, And as a dying man to dying men. Richard Baxter (1615-1691) English Nonconformist cleric Preaching To preach long, loud, and Damnation, is the way to be cried up. We love a man that damns us, and we run after him again to save us. John Selden (1584-1654) English jurist, statesman Preaching Nothing in the world delights a truly religious people so much as consigning them to eternal damnation. James Hogg (1770-1835) Scottish poet Preaching An advantage itinerant preachers have over those who are stationary, the latter cannot well improve their delivery of a sermon by so many rehearsals. Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790) American statesman, writer Preaching Not one clergyman in ten uses his own voice - he uses only an imitation. Elbert Hubbard (1856-1915) American author Preaching The Methodists love your big sinners, as proper subjects to work upon. Horace Walpole (1717-1797) English writer Preaching Few sinners are saved after the first twenty minutes of a sermon. Mark Twain (1835-1910) American author Preaching Even in the church, where boredom is prolific, I hail thee first, Episcopalian bore: Who else could serve as social soporific, And without snoring teach the rest to snore. Christopher Morley (1890-1957) American novelist, journalist Preaching The world runs after pulpit orators. They please the ear, and do not disturb the conscience. They move the emotions but do not change the will. Cardinal Henry Manning (1808-1892) English theologian Preaching Prejudice A great many people think they are thinking when they are merely rearranging their prejudices. William James (1842-1910) American psychologist, philosopher Prejudice A prejudice is a vagrant opinion without visible means of support. Ambrose Bierce (1842-1914) American author Prejudice Our prejudices are our mistresses; reason is at best our wife, very often needed, but seldom minded. Lord Chesterfield (1694-1773) English statesman, man of letters Prejudice One may no more live in the world without picking up the moral prejudices of the world than one will be able to go to hell without perspiring. H. L. Mencken (1880-1956) American journalist Prejudice The fathers have eaten a sour grape, and the children's teeth are set on edge. Bible, Jeremiah Prejudice The President See: Loyalty: Kissinger Politicians: Kennedy Ronald Reagan I really don't think I'm worthy of the office, but I have to put the country before my own limitations. Art Buchwald (b. 1925) American humorist The President When I was a boy I was told that anybody could become President; I'm beginning to believe it. Clarence Darrow (1857-1938) American lawyer, writer The President Power is poison. Its effect on Presidents has always been tragic. Henry B. Adams (1838-1918) American historian The President I have nothing to hide. The White House has nothing to hide. Richard Nixon (b. 1913) American president The President No man will ever carry out of the Presidency the reputation which carried him into it. Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826) American president The President Even the President of the United States sometimes must have to stand naked. Bob Dylan (b. 1941) American singer, songwriter The President As President Nixon says, presidents can do almost anything, and President Nixon has done many things that nobody would have thought of doing. Golda Meir (1898-1978) Israeli prime minister The President The (United States') presidential system just won't work any more. Anyone who gets in under it ought not to be allowed to serve. Gore Vidal (b. 1925) American novelist, critic The President I sit here all day trying to persuade people to do the things they ought to have sense enough to do without my persuading them . . . that's all the powers of the President amount to. Harry S. Truman (1884-1972) American president The President When you get to be President, there are all those things, the honors, the twenty-one gun salutes, all those things. You have to remember it isn't for you. It's for the Presidency. Harry S. Truman (1884-1972) American president The President Nothing would please the Kremlin more than to have the people of this country choose a second-rate President. Richard Nixon (b. 1913) American president The President I feel very proud, even though they didn't elect me, to be President of the Argentines. General Galtieri (b. 1926) President of Argentina The President In the Bob Hope Golf Classic the participation of President Gerald Ford was more than enough to remind you that the nuclear button was at one stage at the disposal of a man who might have either pressed it by mistake or else pressed it deliberately to obtain room service. Clive James (b. 1939) Australian writer, critic The President We're an ideal political family, as accessible as Disneyland. Maureen Reagan (b. 1941) daughter of President Reagan The President The buck stops here. Harry S. Truman (1884-1972) American president The President The President: the Vice President Once there were two brothers. One ran away to sea, the other was elected Vice-President, and nothing was ever heard of either of them again. Thomas R. Marshall (1854-1925) American lawyer, vice-president The President: the Vice President The Press See: Journalism Newspapers In old days men had the rack. Now they have the press. Oscar Wilde (1854-1900) Anglo-Irish writer The Press The price of justice is eternal publicity. Arnold Bennett (1867-1931) British novelist The Press No government ought to be without censors; and where the press is free none ever will. Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826) American president The Press You know very well that whether you are on page one or page thirty depends on whether they fear you. It is just as simple as that. Richard Nixon (b. 1913) American president of the press The Press The freedom of the press works in such a way that there is not much freedom from it. Princess Grace of Monaco (1928-1982) The Press The men with the muck-rake are often indispensable to the well-being of society, but only if they knew when to stop raking the muck. Theodore Roosevelt (1858-1919) American president The Press One gets the impression from the popular Press that rape has become the British national pastime. Lord Wigoder (b. 1921) British barrister, Liberal politician The Press Generally speaking, the Press lives on disaster. Clement Attlee (1883-1967) British Labour politician, prime minister The Press The Press can best be compared to haemorrhoids. Gareth Davies (b. 1956) Welsh rugby captain The Press Photographers are the most loathsome inconvenience. They're merciless. They're the pits. Paul Newman (b. 1925) American film actor The Press If you guys could get just one percent of the stories right. John McEnroe (b. 1959) American tennis player of the Press at Wimbledon, 1985 The Press I'm sure if I have any plans, the Press will inform me. Arthur Scargill (b. 1938) British trade unionist The Press I got to know Ike's plumbing like the back of my hand. I could walk around his innards in the dark. Cassandra, Sir William Connor (1909-1967) British journalist The Press The most important service rendered by the press and the magazines is that of educating people to approach printed matter with distrust. Samuel Butler (1835-1902) English author The Press Report me and my cause aright. Hamlet, Hamlet William Shakespeare (1564-1616) English dramatist, poet The Press Goodbye, and don't betray me too much. Simone Signoret (1921-1985) closing an interview The Press Pride See: Good Deeds: Flaubert Poverty: Shakespeare My family pride is something inconceivable. I can't help it. I was born sneering. William S. Gilbert (1836-1911) English librettist Pride I cannot dig; to beg I am ashamed. Jesus (4 BC-29 AD) founder of Christianity in the parable of the unjust steward Pride And the Devil did grin, for his darling sin Is pride that apes humility. Samuel Taylor Coleridge (1772-1834) English poet Pride Primitive Life No arts; no letters; no society; and which is worst of all continual fear and danger of violent death; and the life of man, solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short. Thomas Hobbes (1588-1679) English philosopher Primitive Life So often among so-called "primitives" one comes across spiritual personalities who immediately inspire respect, as though they were the fully matured products of an undisturbed fate. Carl Jung (1875-1961) Swiss psychiatrist Primitive Life Principles See: The English: Shaw Religion: Luther Tradition: Disraeli When a fellow says, "It ain't the money but the principle of the thing," it's the money. Kin (F. McKinney) Hubbard (1868-1930) American humorist, journalist Principles Principles have no real force except when one is well-fed. Mark Twain (1835-1910) American author Principles The difficulty is to know conscience from self-interest. William Dean Howells (1837-1920) American author Principles It is easier to fight for one's principles than to live up to them. Alfred Adler (1870-1937) Austrian psychiatrist Principles Priorities The three most important things a man has are, briefly, his private parts, his money, and his religious opinions. Samuel Butler (1835-1902) English author Priorities The least pain in our little finger gives us more concern and uneasiness than the destruction of millions of our fellow-beings. William Hazlitt (1778-1830) English essayist Priorities Prison See: Anxiety: Greer A Robin Redbreast in a cage Puts all Heaven in a Rage. William Blake (1757-1827) English poet, artist Prison The first prison I ever saw had inscribed on it "Cease to do evil: learn to do well"; but as the inscription was on the outside, the prisoners could not read it. George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) Anglo-Irish playwright, critic Prison I know not whether Laws be right Or whether Laws be wrong; All that we know who live in gaol Is that the wall is strong; And that each day is like a year, A year whose days are long. from Ballad of Reading Gaol Oscar Wilde (1854-1900) Anglo-Irish writer Prison In prison those things withheld from and denied the prisoner become precisely what he wants most of all. Eldridge Cleaver (b. 1935) American black leader, writer Prison Anyone who has been to an English public school will always feel comparatively at home in prison. It is the people brought up in the gay intimacy of the slums who find prison so soul-destroying. Evelyn Waugh (1903-1966) British novelist Prison Stone walls do not a prison make Nor iron bars a cage; Minds innocent and quiet take That for an hermitage. Richard Lovelace (1618-1658) English poet Prison The most anxious man in a prison is the governor. George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) Anglo-Irish playwright, critic Prison Private Education See: Prison: Waugh Public schools teach the young to argue without quarreling, to quarrel without suspecting, and to suspect without slandering. Dr. Kurt Hahn (1886-1974) German educationalist Private Education First religious and moral principles: secondly, gentlemanly conduct: thirdly, intellectual ability. Thomas Arnold (1785-1842) English educator, scholar Private Education But, good gracious, you've got to educate him first. You can't expect a boy to be vicious till he's been to a good school. Saki (H. H. Munro) (1870-1916) Scottish author Private Education Public schools are the nurseries of all vice and immorality. Henry Fielding (1707-1754) English novelist, dramatist Private Education You can still buy five years' education at one of the best schools for less than half the cost of a Bentley. Lord Jamesof Rusholme (b. 1909) British educator Private Education Private Interest We must especially beware of that small group of selfish men who would clip the wings of the American Eagle in order to feather their own nests. Franklin D. Roosevelt (1882-1945) American president Private Interest The little I know of it has not served to raise my opinion of what is vulgarly called the "Monied Interest"; I mean, that blood-sucker, that muckworm, that calls itself "the friend of government." William Pitt (1708-1778) English politician, prime minister Private Interest Privilege What men value in this world is not rights, but privileges. H. L. Mencken (1880-1956) American journalist Privilege What men prize most is a privilege, even if it be that of a chief mourner at a funeral. James Russell Lowell (1819-1891) American poet, editor Privilege God is no respecter of persons. Saint Peter (b. 1st century AD) Apostle of Christ Privilege Procreation See: Fertility: Keynes Sex: Luther; Browne He plough'd her, and she cropp'd. Agrippa, Antony and Cleopatra William Shakespeare (1564-1616) English dramatist, poet Procreation Common morality now treats childbearing as an aberration. There are practically no good reasons left for exercising one's fertility. Germaine Greer (b. 1939) Australian feminist writer Procreation The purpose of population is not ultimately peopling earth. It is to fill heaven. G. D. Leonard (b. 1921) Bishop of London 1983 Procreation A hen is only an egg's way of making another egg. Samuel Butler (1835-1902) English author Procreation Progress See: Change: Hooker; Shaw Father: Twain Reform: Gladstone The world is moving so fast these days that the man who says it can't be done is generally interrupted by someone doing it. Elbert Hubbard (1856-1915) American author Progress The longer I live the more keenly I feel that whatever was good enough for our fathers is not good enough for us. Oscar Wilde (1854-1900) Anglo-Irish writer Progress The slogan of progress is changing from the full dinner pail to the full garage. Herbert Hoover (1874-1964) American Republican politician, president Progress All progress is based upon a universal innate desire on the part of every organism to live beyond its income. Samuel Butler (1835-1902) English author Progress The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore, all progress depends on the unreasonable man. George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) Anglo-Irish playwright, critic Progress There is a slow movement in history toward the recognition of a man by his fellow man. When this happens all that has been done in the past will fall into place and find its true value. Jean-Paul Sartre (1905-1980) French philosopher, author in his last interview Progress You can't say that civilization don't advance, for in every war they kill you a new way. Will Rogers (1879-1935) American humorist Progress We have stopped believing in progress. What progress that is! Jorge Luis Borges (1899-1986) Argentine poet, critic, short storywriter Progress Promiscuity See: Love: Fletcher Elyot: It doesn't suit women to be promiscuous. Amanda: It doesn't suit men for women to be promiscuous. Private Lives Noel Coward (1899-1973) English playwright, actor, composer Promiscuity We still have these double standards, where the emphasis is all on the male's sexual appetites - that it's OK for him to collect as many scalps as he can before he settles down and "pays the pace." If a woman displays the same attitude, all the epithets that exist in the English language are laid at her door, and with extraordinary bitterness. Glenda Jackson (b. 1937) English film actress Promiscuity Europeans used to say Americans were puritanical. Then they discovered that we were not puritans. So now they say we are obsessed with sex. Mary McCarthy (1912-1989) American author Promiscuity Permissiveness is simply removing the dust sheets from our follies. Edna O'Brien (b. 1936) Irish author Promiscuity It is as absurd to say that a man can't love one woman all the time as it is to say that a violinist needs several violins to play the same piece of music. Honore de Balzac (1799-1850) French writer Promiscuity You were born with your legs apart. They'll send you to your grave in a Y-shaped coffin. Joe Orton (1933-1967) British playwright Promiscuity The sexual freedom of today for most people is really only a convention, an obligation, a social duty, a social anxiety, a necessary feature of the consumer's way of life. Pier Paolo Pasolini (1922-1975) Italian film director, essayist Promiscuity Like the bee its sting, the promiscuous leave behind them in each encounter something of themselves by which they are made to suffer. Cyril Connolly (1903-1974) British critic Promiscuity Promises See: Hope: da Vinci The man who promises everything is sure to fulfil nothing, and everyone who promises too much is in danger of using evil means in order to carry out his promises, and is already on the road to perdition. Carl Jung (1875-1961) Swiss psychiatrist Promises Sed mulier cupido quod dicit amanti, In vento et rapida scribere oportet aqua. What a woman says to her avid lover should be written in wind and running water. Catullus (87-54 BC) Roman lyric poet Promises Do not vow - our love is frail as is our life, and full as little in our power. Sir George Etherege (1635-1691) English dramatist, diplomat Promises Promises and pie-crust are made to be broken. Jonathan Swift (1667-1745) Anglo-Irish satirist Promises Half the promises people say were never kept, were never made. Ed (E. W.) Howe (1853-1937) American journalist, novelist Promises The rule is, jam tomorrow and jam yesterday - but never jam today. Lewis Carroll (1832-1898) English writer, mathematician Promises It is not the oath that makes us believe the man, but the man the oath. Aeschylus (525-456 BC) Greek tragic poet Promises Promotion See: Partnership: Carnegie Work: Frost Comrades, you have lost a good captain to make him an ill general. Michel de Montaigne (1533-1592) French essayist, moralist Promotion It is easier to appear worthy of a position one does not hold, than of the office which one fills. Francois, Duc de La Rochefoucauld (1613-1680) French writer, moralist Promotion Every man who takes office in Washington either grows or swells, and when I give a man an office, I watch him carefully to see whether he is swelling or growing. Woodrow Wilson (1856-1924) American president Promotion Propaganda See: Idealism: Disraeli The three chief qualifications of a party writer are to stick at nothing, to delight in flinging dirt, and to slander in the dark by guess. Alexander Pope (1688-1744) English poet Propaganda Propaganda is that branch of the art of lying which consists in nearly deceiving your friends without quite deceiving your enemies. F. M. Cornford (1874-1943) British author Propaganda Nobody has ever succeeded in keeping nations at war except by lies. Salvador de Madariaga (1886-1978) Spanish diplomat, writer, critic Propaganda As soon as by one's own propaganda even a glimpse of right on the other side is admitted, the cause for doubting one's own right is laid. Adolf Hitler (1889-1945) German dictator Propaganda In our country the lie has become not just a moral category but a pillar of the State. Alexander Solzhenitsyn (b. 1918) Russian novelist Propaganda He that has the worst cause makes the most noise. proverb Propaganda Get your facts first, and then you can distort 'em as much as you please. Mark Twain (1835-1910) American author Propaganda The most dangerous of all falsehoods is a slightly distorted truth. G. C. Lichtenberg (1742-1799) German physicist, writer Propaganda I have never seen pessimism in a Company prospectus. Cassandra, Sir William Connor (1909-1967) British journalist Propaganda Why is propaganda so much more successful when it stirs up hatred than when it tries to stir up friendly feeling? Bertrand Russell (1872-1970) British philosopher, mathematician, social reformer Propaganda Property See: Communism: Proudhon Government: Locke Landlords Socialism: Wells Next to the right of liberty, the right of property is the most important individual right guaranteed by the Constitution and the one which, united with that of personal liberty, has contributed more to the growth of civilization than any other institution established by the human race. William Howard Taft (1857-1930) American president Property It is preoccupation with possession, more than anything else, that prevents men from living freely and nobly. Bertrand Russell (1872-1970) British philosopher, mathematician, social reformer Property If property had simply pleasures, we could stand it; but its duties make it unbearable. In the interest of the rich we must get rid of it. Oscar Wilde (1854-1900) Anglo-Irish writer Property By abolishing private property one takes away the human love of aggression. Sigmund Freud (1856-1939) Austrian psychiatrist Property In our rich consumers' civilization we spin cocoons around ourselves and get possessed by our possessions. Max Lerner (b. 1902) American academic, journalist Property If a man owns land, the land owns him. Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882) American essayist, poet, philosopher Property The law doth punish man or woman That steals the goose from off the common, But lets the greater felon loose, That steals the common from the goose. anonymous Property Property is a god. This god already has its theology (called state politics and juridical right) and also its morality, the most adequate expression of which is summed up in the phrase: "That man is worth so much!" Mikhail Bakunin (1814-1876) Russian political theorist Property Thieves respect property. They merely wish the property to become their property that they may more perfectly respect it. G. K. Chesterton (1874-1936) English author Property Prophecy Prophecy is the most gratuitous form of error. George Eliot (1819-1880) English novelist Prophecy Prostitution See: Lawyers: Brabazon Lust: Dahlberg O unknown man, Whose hunger on my hunger wrought, Body shall give what body can, Shall give you all - save what you sought. E. R. Dodds (1893-1979) British classical scholar Prostitution If a woman hasn't got a tiny streak of a harlot in her, she's a dry stick as a rule. D. H. Lawrence (1885-1930) English author Prostitution If you want to buy my wares Follow me and climb the stairs . . . Love for sale. Love for Sale Cole Porter (1893-1964) American composer, lyricist Prostitution Prisons are built with stones of Law, Brothels with bricks of Religion. William Blake (1757-1827) English poet, artist Prostitution Protest While there is a lower class, I am in it; while there is a criminal element, I am of it; and while there is a soul in prison, I am not free. Eugene V. Debs (1855-1926) American trade unionist Protest Lean, hungry, savage, anti-everythings. Dr. Oliver Wendell Holmes (1809-1894) American writer, physician Protest One fifth of the people are against everything all the time. Robert Kennedy (1925-1968) American Democratic politician Protest Yippies, hippies, yahoos, Black Panthers, lions and tigers alike - I'd swap the whole damn zoo for the kind of young Americans I saw in Vietnam. Spiro Agnew (b. 1918) American Republican politician Protest It's the kind of gathering where one feels a need to apologise for never having been to prison. Dame Vera Laughton Mathews (1888-1959) British suffragette Protest If any demonstrator ever lays down in front of my car, it'll be the last car he'll ever lay down in front of. George C. Wallace (b. 1919) American Independent politician Protest I feel that I am a citizen of the American dream and that the revolutionary struggle of which I am a part is a struggle against the American nightmare. Eldridge Cleaver (b. 1935) American black leader, writer Protest America I'm putting my queer shoulder to the wheel. Allen Ginsberg (b. 1926) American poet Protest I pondered all these things and how men fight and lose the battle, and the thing that they fought for comes about in spite of their defeat, and, when it comes, turns out not to be what they meant, and other men have to fight for what they meant under another name. William Morris (1834-1896) English artist, writer, printer Protest Proverbs A proverb is the wisdom of many and the wit of one. Lord JohnRussell (1792-1878) English statesman, prime minister Proverbs Proverbs are always platitudes until you have personally experienced the truth of them. Aldous Huxley (1894-1963) English author Proverbs A country can be judged by the quality of its proverbs. German proverb Proverbs Psychiatric Wards The rule is perfect: in all matters of opinion our adversaries are insane. Mark Twain (1835-1910) American author Psychiatric Wards Psychiatrists A psychiatrist is a man who goes to the Folies-Bergere and looks at the audience. Bishop Mervyn Stockwood (b. 1913) British churchman, author Psychiatrists Institutional psychiatry is a continuation of the Inquisition. All that has changed really is the vocabulary and the social style. The vocabulary conforms to the intellectual expectations of our age: it is a pseudo-medical jargon that parodies the concepts of science. The social style conforms to the political expectations of our age: it is a pseudo-liberal social movement that parodies the ideals of freedom and rationality. Thomas Szasz (b. 1920) American psychiatrist Psychiatrists I have myself spent nine years in a lunatic asylum and have never suffered from the obsession of wanting to kill myself; but I know that each conversation with a psychiatrist in the morning, made me want to hang myself because I knew I could not strangle him. Antonin Artaud (1896-1948) French theater producer, actor, theorist Psychiatrists Canst thou not minister to a mind diseased; Pluck from the misery a rooted sorrow; Raze out the written troubles of the brain; And, with some sweet oblivious antidote Cleanse the stuffed bosom of that perilous stuff Which weighs upon the heart? Macbeth, Macbeth William Shakespeare (1564-1616) English dramatist, poet Psychiatrists One should only see a psychiatrist out of boredom. Muriel Spark (b. 1918) British novelist Psychiatrists Psychoanalysis See: Science: Freud Psychoanalysis is confession without absolution. G. K. Chesterton (1874-1936) English author Psychoanalysis Psychoanalysis is the probing of mind by mind; confession is the communion of conscience and God. Fulton J. Sheen (1895-1979) American clergyman, author Psychoanalysis No doubt fate would find it easier than I do to relieve you of your illness. But you will be able to convince yourself that much will be gained if we succeed in transforming your hysterical misery into common unhappiness. Sigmund Freud (1856-1939) Austrian psychiatrist Psychoanalysis "When dreams come true," the ballad singer sang, And loudly through the hall the plaudits rang; For some folk's time has been so ill-employed They've hardly glanced at either Jung or Freud. Iolo Aneurin Williams (1890-1962) British author, journalist Psychoanalysis Psychoanalysis cannot be considered a method of education if by education we mean the topiary art of clipping a tree into a beautiful artificial shape. But those who have a higher conception of education will prize most the method of cultivating a tree so that it fulfills to perfection its own natural conditions of growth. Carl Jung (1875-1961) Swiss psychiatrist Psychoanalysis Psychoanalysts believe that the only "normal" people are those who cause no trouble either to themselves or anyone else. A. J. P. Taylor (b. 1906) British historian Psychoanalysis Psychoanalysis pretends to investigate the Unconscious. The Unconscious by definition is what you are not conscious of. But the Analysts already know what's in it - they should, because they put it all in beforehand. Saul Bellow (b. 1915) American novelist Psychoanalysis Where id was, there shall ego be. Sigmund Freud (1856-1939) Austrian psychiatrist Psychoanalysis The Public See: The Masses Opinion: Butler Portraits: Wilde The public! How many fools does it take to make a public? Nicolas-Sebastien Chamfort (1741-1794) French writer, wit The Public If it has to choose who is to be crucified, the crowd will always save Barabbas. Jean Cocteau (1891-1963) French writer, film director The Public No one ever went broke underestimating the taste of the American public. H. L. Mencken (1880-1956) American journalist The Public Public opinion, a vulgar, impertinent, anonymous tyrant who deliberately makes life unpleasant for anyone who is not content to be the average man. W. R. Inge (1860-1954) Dean of St. Paul's, London The Public Public Opinion, an attempt to organize the ignorance of the community and to elevate it to the dignity of physical force. Oscar Wilde (1854-1900) Anglo-Irish writer The Public When the people have no other tyrant, their own public opinion becomes one. Edward Bulwer-Lytton (1803-1873) English novelist, playwright The Public There are times when public opinion is the worst of all opinions. Nicolas-Sebastien Chamfort (1741-1794) French writer, wit The Public If forty million people say a foolish thing it does not become a wise one, but the wise man is foolish to give them the lie. W. Somerset Maugham (1874-1965) British author The Public The public, with its mob yearning to be instructed, edified and pulled by the nose, demands certainties; . . . but there are no certainties. H. L. Mencken (1880-1956) American journalist The Public The public seldom forgive twice. Johann Kaspar Lavater (1741-1801) Swiss divine, poet The Public There is not a more mean, stupid, dastardly, pitiless, selfish, spiteful, envious, ungrateful animal than the public. William Hazlitt (1778-1830) English essayist The Public The Public is an old woman. Let her maunder and mumble. Thomas Carlyle (1795-1881) Scottish writer The Public Public Life See: The Public: Lavater Public life is the paradise of voluble windbags. George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) Anglo-Irish playwright, critic Public Life The General has dedicated himself so many times, he must feel like the cornerstone of a public building. Adlai Stevenson (1900-1965) American Democratic politician of President Eisenhower Public Life If you're there before it's over, you're on time. James(Jimmy J.) Walker (1881-1946) American lawyer, mayor of New York Public Life The first lesson in public life is to make sure you have a strong corps of implacable enemies. Cassandra, Sir William Connor (1909-1967) British journalist Public Life Eminent posts make great men greater and little men less. Jean de la Bruyere (1645-1696) French writer, moralist Public Life A man occupied with public or other important business cannot, and need not, attend to spelling. Napoleon Bonaparte (1769-1821) Emperor of France Public Life Publicity See: The Press: Bennett Sir, if they should cease to talk of me I must starve. Dr. Samuel Johnson (1709-1784) English author, lexicographer Publicity All publicity is good, except an obituary notice. Brendan Behan (1923-1964) Irish playwright Publicity I have bought golden opinions from all sorts of people. Macbeth, Macbeth William Shakespeare (1564-1616) English dramatist, poet Publicity A telescope will magnify a star a thousand times, but a good press agent can do even better. Fred Allen (1894-1957) American comic Publicity To have news value is to have a tin can tied to one's tail. T. E. Lawrence (1888-1935) British soldier, scholar Publicity I want it so that you can't wipe your ass on a piece of paper that hasn't got my picture on it. Lyndon B. Johnson (1908-1973) American president to his press agent Publicity Pubs There is no private house in which people can enjoy themselves so well as in a capital tavern. Dr. Samuel Johnson (1709-1784) English author, lexicographer Pubs Where village statesmen talked with looks profound, And news much older than their ale went round. Oliver Goldsmith (1728-1774) Anglo-Irish author Pubs There is nothing which has yet been contrived by man, by which so much happiness is produced as by a good tavern or inn; a tavern chair is the throne of human felicity. Dr. Samuel Johnson (1709-1784) English author, lexicographer Pubs Punctuality See: Public Life: Walker He was always late on principle, his principle being that punctuality is the thief of time. Oscar Wilde (1854-1900) Anglo-Irish writer Punctuality Punctuality is the virtue of the bored. Evelyn Waugh (1903-1966) British novelist Punctuality I am a believer in punctuality though it makes me very lonely. E. V. Lucas (1868-1938) British journalist, essayist Punctuality Punctuality is the politeness of kings. Louis XVIII of France (1755-1824) Punctuality Punishment See: Capital Punishment Hell: John Justice: Savile; Young As a man chasteneth his son, so the Lord God chasteneth thee. Bible, Deuteronomy Punishment The generality of men are naturally apt to be swayed by fear rather than reverence, and to refrain from evil rather because of the punishment that it brings than because of its own foulness. Aristotle (384-322 BC) Greek philosopher Punishment He deserves to be preached to death by wild curates. Sydney Smith (1771-1845) English writer, clergyman Punishment Evil-doers are not to be allowed their way on the ground that they are unable to hurt our souls: the hurt may be in the cowardice or sloth that will not punish them. The Teaching of Epictetus T. W. Rolleston (1857-1920) Irish poet Punishment Whenever the offence inspires less horror than the punishment, the rigour of penal law is obliged to give way to the common feelings of mankind. Edward Gibbon (1737-1794) English historian Punishment Thwackum was for doing justice, and leaving mercy to Heaven. Henry Fielding (1707-1754) English novelist, dramatist Punishment The first time a schoolmaster ordered me to take my trousers down I knew it was not from any doubt that he could punish me efficiently enough with them up. Lawrence, Lord Olivier (1907-1989) British actor, director Punishment He must have known me if he had seen me as he was wont to see me, for he was in the habit of flogging me constantly. Perhaps he did not recognise me by my face. Anthony Trollope (1815-1882) English novelist Punishment The Bible warns very strongly that you are to obey your parents. The rod is considered old-fashioned in many homes. Psychiatrists say it will warp your personality. When I did something wrong as a boy, my mother warped part of me, but it wasn't my personality. Billy Graham (b. 1918) American evangelist Punishment Flogging is a form of debauchery. George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) Anglo-Irish playwright, critic Punishment I'm all for bringing back the birch, but only between consenting adults. Gore Vidal (b. 1925) American novelist, critic Punishment The only true way to make the mass of mankind see the beauty of justice is by showing to them in pretty plain terms the consequences of injustice. Sydney Smith (1771-1845) English writer, clergyman Punishment And where the offence is, let the great axe fall. Claudius, Hamlet William Shakespeare (1564-1616) English dramatist, poet Punishment Men are not hanged for stealing horses, but that horses may not be stolen. Sir George Savile, Lord Halifax (1633-1695) English statesman, author Punishment Distrust everyone in whom the impulse to punish is powerful. Friedrich Nietzsche (1844-1900) German philosopher Punishment Punk Punks in their silly leather jackets are a cliche. I have never liked the term and have never discussed it. I just got on with it and got out of it when it became a competition. John Lydon, Johnny Rotten (b. 1957) British punk rock star Punk I can imagine him becoming a successful hairdresser, a singing Vidal Sassoon. Malcolm McLaren British rock impresario of Johnny Rotten Punk Puritans See: Religion: Russell Puritanism: The haunting fear that someone, somewhere, may be happy. H. L. Mencken (1880-1956) American journalist Puritans The Puritan hated bearbaiting, not because it gave pain to the bear, but because it gave pleasure to the spectators. Lord Macaulay (1800-1859) English historian Puritans A puritan is a person who pours righteous indignation into the wrong things. G. K. Chesterton (1874-1936) English author Puritans The objection to Puritans is not that they try to make us think as they do, but that they try to make us do as they think. H. L. Mencken (1880-1956) American journalist Puritans Intolerance is the besetting sin of moral fervour. Alfred North Whitehead (1861-1947) British philosopher Puritans The Puritan through Life's sweet garden goes To pluck the thorn and cast away the rose. Kenneth Hare (1888-1962) British poet, author Puritans Purity To the pure all things are indecent. Oscar Wilde (1854-1900) Anglo-Irish writer Purity Mud-pies gratify one of our first and best instincts. So long as we are dirty, we are pure. Charles D. Warner (1829-1900) American essayist, novelist Purity Quarrels See: Lovers: proverb; Terence Poetry: Yeats 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 (1633-1703) English diarist Quarrels Next to the wound, what women make best is the bandage. Barbey d'Aurevilly (1808-1889) French novelist, poet, critic Quarrels The falling out of faithful friends, renewing is of love. Richard Edwardes (1523-1566) English poet Quarrels I strove with none; for none was worth my strife. Walter Savage Landor (1775-1864) English author Quarrels Quotations See: Learning: Byron Ronald Reagan: Mondale Wealth: Lynd A book that furnishes no quotations is, me judice, no book - it is a plaything. Thomas Love Peacock (1785-1866) English author Quotations The wisdom of the wise and the experience of the ages are perpetuated by quotations. Benjamin Disraeli (1804-1881) English prime minister Quotations It is a good thing for an uneducated man to read books of quotations. Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965) British statesman, writer Quotations Some, for renown, on scraps of learning dote, And think they grow immortal as they quote. Edward Young (1683-1765) English poet, playwright Quotations One has to secrete a jelly in which to slip quotations down people's throats and one always secretes too much jelly. Virginia Woolf (1882-1941) British novelist Quotations We prefer to believe that the absence of inverted commas guarantees the originality of a thought, whereas it may be merely that the utterer has forgotten its source. Clifton Fadiman (b. 1904) American critic Quotations When a thing has been said and said well, have no scruple. Take it and copy it. Anatole France (1844-1924) French author Quotations It is better to be quotable than to be honest. Tom Stoppard (b. 1937) British playwright Quotations The surest way to make a monkey of a man is to quote him. Robert Benchley (1889-1945) American humorous writer Quotations I often quote myself. It adds spice to my conversation. George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) Anglo-Irish playwright, critic Quotations By necessity, by proclivity, and by delight, we all quote. Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882) American essayist, poet, philosopher Quotations Be sure you go to the author to get at HIS meaning, not to find yours. John Ruskin (1819-1900) English critic Quotations Race See: Fraternity The Jews: Galsworthy Slavery: Hammond South Africa: Tutu Stardom: Davis Jr. It is a great shock at the age of five or six to find that in a world of Gary Coopers you are the Indian. James Baldwin (1924-1987) American novelist Race I believe in white supremacy until the blacks are educated to a point of responsibility. John Wayne (1907-1979) American film actor Race Segregation now, segregation tomorrow and segregation forever! George C. Wallace (b. 1919) American Independent politician Race Segregation is the adultery of an illicit intercourse between injustice and immorality. Martin Luther King (1929-1968) American civil rights leader Race A racially integrated community is a chronological term timed from the entrance of the first black family to the exit of the last white family. Saul Alinsky (1909-1972) American radical Race No one has been barred on account of his race from fighting or dying for America - there are no "white" or "colored" signs on the foxholes or graveyards of battle. John F. Kennedy (1917-1963) American president Race I have no purpose to introduce political and social equality between the white and black races. There is a physical difference between the two, which, in my judgment, will probably forever forbid their living together upon the footing of perfect equality; and inasmuch as it becomes a necessity that there must be a difference, I . . . am in favor of the race to which I belong having the superior position. Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865) American president Race Whites must be made to realize that they are only human, not superior. Same with blacks. They must be made to realize that they are also human, not inferior. Steve Biko (1946-1977) South African political leader Race The trouble with our people is as soon as they got out of slavery they didn't want to give the white man nothing else. But the fact is, you got to give 'em something. Either your money, your land, your woman or your ass. Alice Walker (b. 1944) American author, critic Race Every time I embrace a black woman I'm embracing slavery, and when I put my arms around a white woman, well I'm hugging freedom. The white man forbade me to have the white woman on pain of death . . . I will not be free until the day I can have a white woman in my bed. Eldridge Cleaver (b. 1935) American black leader, writer Race The truth is that Mozart, Pascal, Boolean algebra, Shakespeare, parliamentary government, baroque churches, Newton, the emancipation of women, Kant, Marx, and Ballanchine ballets don't redeem what this particular civilization has wrought upon the world. The white race is the cancer of human history. Susan Sontag (b. 1933) American essayist Race Purity of race does not exist. Europe is a continent of energetic mongrels. H. A. L. Fisher (1865-1940) British historian Race Race prejudice is not only a shadow over the colored - it is a shadow over all of us, and the shadow is darkest over those who feel it least and allow its evil effects to go on. Pearl S. Buck (1892-1973) American novelist Race Thank God I am black. White people will have a lot to answer for at the last judgement. Bishop Desmond Tutu (b. 1932) South African religious leader Race Rain See: England: Phelps Scotland: Ford Seasons: Watson The Weather Still fall, the Rain- Dark as the world of man, black as our loss - Blind as the nineteen hundred and forty nails Upon the cross. Dame Edith Sitwell (1887-1964) British writer, poet Rain The tanned appearance of many Londoners is not sunburn - it is rust. London Evening Standard, 1961 during Britain's wettest winter on record Rain Nature, like man, sometimes weeps for gladness. Benjamin Disraeli (1804-1881) English prime minister Rain Reactionaries See: Tradition: Mill; Twain The march of the human mind is slow. Edmund Burke (1729-1797) Irish philosopher, statesman Reactionaries A reactionary is a somnambulist walking backwards. Franklin D. Roosevelt (1882-1945) American president Reactionaries He is a man walking backwards with his face to the future. Aneurin Bevan (1897-1960) British Labour politician of Sir Walter Elliot Reactionaries Reading See: Books: Bacon; Kempis Critics: Smith Writing: Birrell Reading is to the mind what exercise is to the body. Joseph Addison (1672-1719) English essayist Reading There is a great deal of difference between the eager man who wants to read a book and the tired man who wants a book to read. G. K. Chesterton (1874-1936) English author Reading Reading is sometimes an ingenious device for avoiding thought. Sir Arthur Helps (1813-1875) English writer Reading He has left off reading altogether, to the great improvement of his originality. Charles Lamb (1775-1834) English essayist, critic Reading Much reading is an oppression of the mind, and extinguishes the natural candle, which is the reason of so many senseless scholars in the world. William Penn (1644-1718) religious leader, founder of Pennsylvania Reading He had read much, but his contemplation was much more than his reading. He was wont to say that if he had read as much as other men he should have known no more than other men. John Aubrey (1626-1697) English antiquary, author of Hobbes Reading A reading machine, always wound up and going, He mastered whatever was not worth the knowing. James Russell Lowell (1819-1891) American poet, editor Reading 'Tis the good reader that makes the good book. Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882) American essayist, poet, philosopher Reading Reading a book is like rewriting it for yourself . . . You bring to a novel, anything you read, all your experience of the world. You bring your history and you read it in your own terms. Angela Carter (b. 1940) British author Reading Readers are of two sorts: one who carefully goes through a book, and the other who as carefully lets the book go through him. Douglas Jerrold (1803-1857) English playwright, humorist Reading Do not read, as children do, to amuse yourself or, like the ambitious, for instruction. No, read in order to live. Gustave Flaubert (1821-1880) French novelist Reading A man ought to read just as his inclination leads him; for what he reads as a task will do him little good. Dr. Samuel Johnson (1709-1784) English author, lexicographer Reading Education . . . has produced a vast population able to read but unable to distinguish what is worth reading. G. M. Trevelyan (1876-1962) British historian Reading As writers become more numerous, it is natural for readers to become more indolent. Oliver Goldsmith (1728-1774) Anglo-Irish author Reading I took a course in speed reading, learning to read straight down the middle of the page, and was able to read War and Peace in twenty minutes. It's about Russia. Woody Allen (b. 1935) American filmmaker Reading To read between the lines was easier than to follow the text. Henry James (1843-1916) American novelist Reading Choose an author as you choose a friend. Wentworth Dillon, Earl of Roscommon (c. 1633-1685) Irish author Reading Ronald Reagan A triumph of the embalmer's art. Gore Vidal (b. 1925) American novelist, critic Ronald Reagan People have an image of me that I might recklessly get us into a war. Ronald Reagan (b. 1911) American president Ronald Reagan Ronald Reagan has violated every principle for which America stands. He denies the jurisdiction of the World Court; he acts without consulting Congress and in opposition to the advice of US allies. Serving as judge, jury and executioner, he orders military strikes that kill civilians . . . The President has no legal power to order US forces to murder indiscriminately and to terrorize those he styles his enemies. Such acts constitute high crimes and misdemeanors. Reagan's subversion of the principles of truth and the rule of law is the greatest threat facing the American people and the world. Ramsay Clark (b. 1927) former US Attorney General Ronald Reagan As the age of television progresses the Reagans will be the rule, not the exception. To be perfect for television is all a President has to be these days. Gore Vidal (b. 1925) American novelist, critic Ronald Reagan You've got to be careful quoting Ronald Reagan, because when you quote him accurately it's called mud-slinging. Walter F. Mondale (b. 1928) American Democratic politician Ronald Reagan I've always believed there is a certain divine scheme of things. I'm not quite able to explain how my election happened or why I'm here, apart from believing it is part of God's plan for me. Ronald Reagan (b. 1911) American president on attaining governorship of California, 1966 Ronald Reagan Realism You may be sure that when a man begins to call himself a "realist," he is preparing to do something he is secretly ashamed of doing. Sydney J. Harris (1917-1986) American journalist Realism When you have got an elephant by the hind legs and he is trying to run away, it's best to let him run. Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865) American president Realism It is folly to expect men to do all that they may reasonably be expected to do. Richard Whately (1787-1863) Archbishop of Dublin Realism Reality is something you rise above. Liza Minnelli (b. 1946) American actress Realism Reason See: Hunger: Greek proverb Love: Shakespeare Parents: Brown Prejudice: Chesterfield My own mind is my own church. Thomas Paine (1737-1809) Anglo-American writer Reason Sure, he, that made us with such large discourse, Looking before and after, gave us not That capability and godlike reason, To fust in us unused. Hamlet, Hamlet William Shakespeare (1564-1616) English dramatist, poet Reason People are governed by the head; a kind heart is of little value in chess. Nicolas-Sebastien Chamfort (1741-1794) French writer, wit Reason Le coeur a ses raisons que la raison ne connait point. The heart has its reasons which reason does not know. Blaise Pascal (1623-1662) French scientist, philosopher Reason Reason is and ought to be the slave of the passions and can never pretend to any other office than to serve and obey them. David Hume (1711-1776) Scottish philosopher, historian Reason If you can engage people's pride, love, pity, ambition (or whatever is their prevailing passion) on your side, you need not fear what their reason can do against you. Lord Chesterfield (1694-1773) English statesman, man of letters Reason Irrationally held truths may be more harmful than reasoned errors. Thomas Henry Huxley (1825-1895) English biologist Reason "It stands to reason" is a formula that gives its user the unfair advantage of at once invoking reason and refusing to listen to it. H. W. Fowler (1858-1933) British lexicographer Reason I'll not listen to reason . . . Reason always means what someone else has got to say. Elizabeth Cleghorn Gaskell (1810-1865) English novelist, biographer Reason I am sick of reasonable people: they see all the reasons for being lazy and doing nothing. The Secretary, Geneva George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) Anglo-Irish playwright, critic Reason If the animals had reason, they would act just as ridiculous as we menfolks do. Josh Billings (1818-1885) American humorist Reason There is much to suggest that when human beings acquired the powers of conscious attention and rational thought they became so fascinated with these new tools that they forgot all else, like chickens hypnotized with their beaks to a chalk line. A. E. Watts Reason Rebellion See: Revolution A hungry man is an angry man. James Howell (1594-1666) English diplomat, writer Rebellion A populace never rebels from passion for attack, but from impatience of suffering. Edmund Burke (1729-1797) Irish philosopher, statesman Rebellion I hold it that a little rebellion, now and then, is a good thing, and as necessary in the political world as storms in the physical. Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826) American president Rebellion Rebellion to tyrants is obedience to god. John Bradshaw (1602-1659) English lawyer, regicide Rebellion No one can go on being a rebel too long without turning into an autocrat. Lawrence Durrell (b. 1912) British author Rebellion Insurrection. An unsuccessful revolution; disaffection's failure to substitute misrule for bad government. Ambrose Bierce (1842-1914) American author Rebellion Recession See: Unemployment: Truman Most of us have stopped using silver every day. Margaret Thatcher (b. 1925) English prime minister Recession These dark days will be worth all they cost us if they teach us that our true destiny is not to be ministered unto but to minister to ourselves and to our fellow men. Franklin D. Roosevelt (1882-1945) American president Recession Recklessness Always goes as if he had a spare neck in his pocket. R. S. Surtees (1803-1864) English sporting novelist Recklessness We run carelessly to the precipice, after we have put something before us to prevent ourselves from seeing it. Blaise Pascal (1623-1662) French scientist, philosopher Recklessness Reform See: Change: Hooker Revolution: Shaw Why, Sir, most schemes of political improvement are very laughable things. Dr. Samuel Johnson (1709-1784) English author, lexicographer Reform Every reform was once a private opinion. Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882) American essayist, poet, philosopher Reform In England we have come to rely upon a comfortable time-lag of fifty years or a century intervening between the perception that something ought to be done and a serious attempt to do it. H. G. Wells (1866-1946) English author, social thinker Reform You cannot fight against the future. Time is on our side. William Ewald Gladstone (1809-1898) English prime minister Reform Every reform is only a mask under cover of which a more terrible reform, which dares not yet name itself, advances. Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882) American essayist, poet, philosopher Reform Moderate reformers always hate those who go beyond them. J. A. Froude (1818-1894) English author Reform All reformers are bachelors. George Moore (1852-1933) Irish author Reform Regret Nessun maggior dolore, Che ricordarsi del tempo felice Nella miseria. There is no greater sorrow than to recall a happy time in the midst of wretchedness. 'Inferno,' Divina Commedia Dante (1265-1321) Italian poet Regret It's no use asking people if they regret things. It would be like asking King Lear if he regretted dividing up his kingdom. Malcolm Muggeridge (b. 1903) British journalist Regret Regret is a woman's natural food, - she thrives upon it. Sir Arthur Pinero (1855-1934) British actor, playwright, essayist Regret My one regret in life is that I am not someone else. Woody Allen (b. 1935) American filmmaker Regret Hindsight is always 20:20. Billy Wilder (b. 1906) American writer-director Regret Religion See: Christianity Faith: Twain God: Conrad Success: Barrie Superstition: Burke Tolerance: Lunn Times consecrates; and what is grey with age becomes religion. Samuel Taylor Coleridge (1772-1834) English poet Religion If the stars should appear one night in a thousand years, how would men believe and adore! Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882) American essayist, poet, philosopher Religion All religions begin with a revolt against morality, and perish when morality conquers them. George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) Anglo-Irish playwright, critic Religion The true meaning of religion is thus not simply morality but morality touched by emotion. Matthew Arnold (1822-1888) English poet, critic Religion From the age of fifteen, dogma has been the fundamental principle of my religion: I know no other religion; I cannot enter into the idea of any other sort of religion; religion, as a mere sentiment, is to me a dream and a mockery. Cardinal John Newman (1801-1890) English churchman, theologian Religion The truth of religion is in its ritual and the truth of dogma is in its poetry. John Cowper Powys (1872-1963) British author, poet Religion Men are not made religious by performing certain actions which are externally good, but they must first have righteous principles, and then they will not fail to perform virtuous actions. Martin Luther (1483-1546) German leader of the Protestant Reformation Religion Religion's in the heart, not in the knees. Douglas Jerrold (1803-1857) English playwright, humorist Religion I never sleep comfortably except when I am at sermon or when I pray to God. Rabelais (1494-1553) French humanist, author Religion If you are going to have religion at all, it is better to have it tough - blood and nails and vinegar. Owen Chadwick (b. 1916) British historian Religion Religion would not have any enemies if it were not an enemy to their vices. Jean-Baptiste Massillon (1663-1742) French preacher Religion Most men's anger against religion is as if two men should quarrel for a lady they neither of them care for. Sir George Savile, Lord Halifax (1633-1695) English statesman, author Religion Irreligion. The principal one of the great faiths of the world. Ambrose Bierce (1842-1914) American author Religion We have just enough religion to make us hate, but not enough to make us love one another. Jonathan Swift (1667-1745) Anglo-Irish satirist Religion Men never do evil so completely and cheerfully as when they do it from religious conviction. Blaise Pascal (1623-1662) French scientist, philosopher Religion Men will wrangle for religion; write for it, fight for it; die for it; anything but live for it. C. C. Colton (1780-1832) English author, clergyman Religion I count religion but a childish toy, And hold there is no sin but ignorance. Christopher Marlowe (1564-1593) English dramatist, poet Religion Men despise religion; they hate it, and fear it is true. Blaise Pascal (1623-1662) French scientist, philosopher Religion People who feel themselves to be exiles in this world are mightily inclined to believe themselves citizens of another. George Santayana (1863-1952) American philosopher, poet Religion And lips say "God be pitiful," Who ne'er said "God be praised." Elizabeth Barrett Browning (1806-1861) English poet Religion What I mean by a religious person is one who conceives himself or herself to be the instrument of some purpose in the universe which is a high purpose, and is the motive power of evolution, that is of a continual ascent in organisation and power of life, and extension of life. George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) Anglo-Irish playwright, critic Religion After coming into contact with a religious man I always feel I must wash my hands. Friedrich Nietzsche (1844-1900) German philosopher Religion I have noticed all my life that many people think they have religion when they are troubled with dyspepsia. Ralph G. Ingersoll (1833-1899) American lawyer Religion Religion is the sigh of the oppressed creature, the heart of a heartless world, and the soul of soulless conditions. It is the opium of the people Karl Marx (1818-1883) German social philosopher, revolutionary Religion It is beyond our power to explain either the prosperity of the wicked or the afflictions of the righteous. Talmud Religion Nobody can deny but religion is a comfort to the distressed, a cordial to the sick, and sometimes a restraint on the wicked; therefore, whoever would laugh or argue it out of the world, without giving some equivalent for it, ought to be treated as a common enemy. Lady Mary Wortley Montagu (1689-1762) English society figure, letter writer Religion It is necessary for men to be deceived in religion. Marcus Terentius Varro (116-27 BC) Roman writer Religion Religions die when they are proved to be true. Science is the record of dead religions. Oscar Wilde (1854-1900) Anglo-Irish writer Religion Where it is a duty to worship the sun it is pretty sure to be a crime to examine the laws of heat. John, Lord Morley (1838-1923) English writer, Liberal politician Religion Religion has made an honest woman of the supernatural, and we won't have it kicking over the traces again. Christopher Fry (b. 1907) British playwright Religion The various modes of worship which prevailed in the Roman world were all considered by the people as eqully true; by the philosopher as equally false; and by the magistrate as equally useful. Edward Gibbon (1737-1794) English historian Religion Religion may in most of its forms be defined as the belief that the gods are on the side of the Government. Bertrand Russell (1872-1970) British philosopher, mathematician, social reformer Religion Government is impossible without a religion: that is, without a body of common assumptions. The open mind never acts. George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) Anglo-Irish playwright, critic Religion As nations improve, so do their gods. G. C. Lichtenberg (1742-1799) German physicist, writer Religion All religions are founded on the fear of the many and the cleverness of the few. Stendhal (1783-1842) French author Religion Man is a being born to believe. And if no Church comes forward with its title-deeds of truth . . . to guide him, he will find altars and idols in his own heart and his own imagination. Benjamin Disraeli (1804-1881) English prime minister Religion A maker of idols is never an idolater. Chinese proverb Religion All the sweetness of religion is conveyed to the world by the hands of story-tellers and imagemakers. Without their fictions the truths of religion would for the multitude be neither intelligible nor even apprehensible; and the prophets would prophesy and the teachers teach in vain. George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) Anglo-Irish playwright, critic Religion The more facts a religion takes account of, the greater is its victory, and that is why religions appeal to Puritan temperaments. Bertrand Russell (1872-1970) British philosopher, mathematician, social reformer Religion The fashion just now is a Roman Catholic frame of mind with an agnostic conscience: you get the medieval picturesqueness of the one with the modern conveniences of the other. Saki (H. H. Munro) (1870-1916) Scottish author Religion Impiety. Your irreverence toward my diety. Ambrose Bierce (1842-1914) American author Religion It matters little what profession, whether of religion or irreligion, a man may make, provided only he follows it out with charitable inconsistency, and without insisting on it to the bitter end. Samuel Butler (1835-1902) English author Religion Religion has done love a great service by making it a sin. Anatole France (1844-1924) French author Religion Every religion of the beautiful ends in orgy. Benjamin Disraeli (1804-1881) English prime minister Religion Religion is by no means a proper subject of conversation in a mixed company. Lord Chesterfield (1694-1773) English statesman, man of letters Religion Religion is a way of walking, not a way of talking. W. R. Inge (1860-1954) Dean of St. Paul's, London Religion The religion of one age is the literary entertainment of the next. Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882) American essayist, poet, philosopher Religion Religion. A daughter of Hope and Fear, explaining to Ignorance the nature of the Unknowable. Ambrose Bierce (1842-1914) American author Religion Repentance Even in the shadow of death, two and two do not make six. Leo Tolstoy (1828-1910) Russian novelist, philosopher on his deathbed, answering pleas that he should return to the Church Repentance You cannot repent too soon, because you do not know how soon it may be too late. Thomas Fuller (1608-1661) English cleric Repentance Most people repent of their sins by thanking God they ain't so wicked as their neighbors. Josh Billings (1818-1885) American humorist Repentance Repentance is but want of power to sin. John Dryden (1631-1700) English poet, dramatist, critic Repentance It is much easier to repent of sins that we have committed than to repent of those we intend to commit. Josh Billings (1818-1885) American humorist Repentance Repression See: Liberty: Cromwell Opinion: Russell Oppression Southern Rhodesia is only being turned into a police State in the sense that policemen are being given greater authority to safeguard the fundamental liberties of the people. Sir Roy Welensky (b. 1907) Rhodesian politician, prime minister Repression We can never be sure that the opinion we are endeavouring to stifle is a false opinion; and even if we were sure, stifling it would be an evil still. John Stuart Mill (1806-1873) English philosopher, economist Repression Whenever we take away the liberties of those whom we hate we are opening the way to loss of liberty for those we love. Wendell L. Wilkie (1892-1944) American lawyer, businessman, politician Repression Reproach They have a right to censure that have a heart to help. William Penn (1644-1718) religious leader, founder of Pennsylvania Reproach There is luxury in self-reproach. When we blame ourselves we feel no one else has a right to blame us. Oscar Wilde (1854-1900) Anglo-Irish writer Reproach Reputation See: Fame: La Rochefoucauld Gossip: Congreve; Pascal; Pope; Smith Philanthropy: Billings What people say behind your back is your standing in the community. Ed (E. W.) Howe (1853-1937) American journalist, novelist Reputation The great difficulty is first to win a reputation; the next to keep it while you live; and the next to preserve it after you die. Benjamin Haydon (1786-1846) British artist Reputation Character is much easier kept than recovered. Thomas Paine (1737-1809) Anglo-American writer Reputation Many a man's reputation would not know his character if they met on the street. Elbert Hubbard (1856-1915) American author Reputation How many people live on the reputation of the reputation they might have made. Dr. Oliver Wendell Holmes (1809-1894) American writer, physician Reputation Many men and woman enjoy popular esteem, not because they are known, but because they are unknown. Nicolas-Sebastien Chamfort (1741-1794) French writer, wit Reputation Often women are virtuous because they value their reputation and prefer not to be disturbed. Francois, Duc de La Rochefoucauld (1613-1680) French writer, moralist Reputation Reputation, reputation, reputation! O, I have lost my reputation! I have lost the immortal part of myself, and what remains is bestial. Cassio, Othello William Shakespeare (1564-1616) English dramatist, poet Reputation Resignation See: Age: Old Age: Ferber Blindness: Milton Death: Shakespeare Death: Dying: Landor Optimism: Hubbard Mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826) American president Resignation I can imagine no more comfortable frame of mind for the conduct of life than a humorous resignation. W. Somerset Maugham (1874-1965) British author Resignation A calm despair, without angry convulsions or reproaches directed at heaven, is the essence of wisdom. Alfred de Vigny (1797-1863) French poet, novelist, dramatist Resignation What cannot be cured must be endured. Rabelais (1494-1553) French humanist, author Resignation Resolve See: Whimsy: Herford What reinforcement we may gain from hope; If not, what resolution from despair. John Milton (1608-1674) English poet Resolve A person under the firm persuasion that he can command resources virtually has them. Livy (59 BC-17 AD) Roman historian Resolve If I repeat "My will be done," with the necessary degree of faith and persistency, the chances are that, sooner or later and somehow or other, I shall get what I want. Aldous Huxley (1894-1963) English author Resolve Respectability See: Goodness: Wilde Reputation: Chamfort Snobbery: Peacock The more things a man is ashamed of, the more respectable he is. Tanner, Man and Superman George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) Anglo-Irish playwright, critic Respectability Vanity is the cause of a great deal of virtue in man; the vainest are those who like to be thought respectable. Sir Arthur Pinero (1855-1934) British actor, playwright, essayist Respectability Men have to do some awfully mean things to keep up their respectability. George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) Anglo-Irish playwright, critic Respectability Virtue has never been as respectable as money. Mark Twain (1835-1910) American author Respectability Retirement Fear no more the heart o' the sun, Nor the furious winter's rages; Thou thy worldly task hast done, Home art gone and ta'en thy wages. William Shakespeare (1564-1616) English dramatist, poet Retirement Have you ever been out for a late autumn walk in the closing part of the afternoon, and suddenly looked up to realize that the leaves have practically all gone? And the sun has set and the day gone before you knew it - and with that a cold wind blows across the landscape? That's retirement. Stephen Leacock (1869-1944) Canadian humorist, economist Retirement Retirement is the ugliest word in the language. Ernest Hemingway (1899-1961) American writer Retirement Few men of action have been able to make a graceful exit at the appropriate time. Malcolm Muggeridge (b. 1903) British journalist Retirement Americans hardly ever retire from business: they are either carried out feet first or they jump from a window. Professor A. L.Goodhart (1891-1978) American lawyer Retirement When a man retires and time is no longer a matter of urgent importance, his colleagues generally present him with a clock. R. C. Sherriff (1896-1975) British author Retirement Eating's going to be a whole new ballgame. I may even have to buy a new pair of trousers. Lester Piggot (b. 1935) British champion jockey on his retirement Retirement Retirement from the concert world is like giving up smoking. You have got to finish completely. Beniamino Gigli (1890-1957) Italian tenor Retirement Lord Tyrawley and I have been dead these two years, but we don't choose to have it known. Lord Chesterfield (1694-1773) English statesman, man of letters Retirement Revenge If you prick us, do we not bleed? if you tickle us, do we not laugh? if you poison us, do we not die? and if you wrong us, shall we not revenge? Shylock, The Merchant of Venice William Shakespeare (1564-1616) English dramatist, poet Revenge You slap my cheek and I'll turn it. But you slap my wife or my children, boy, and I'll put you on the floor! Dr. James Robison American TV religious personality Revenge Revenge is a kind of wild justice, which the more a man's nature runs to, the more ought law to weed it out. Francis Bacon (1561-1626) English philosopher, essayist Revenge Revenge is often like biting a dog because the dog bit you. Austin O'Malley (1858-1932) American oculist, writer Revenge Nothing is more costly, nothing is more sterile, than vengeance. Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965) British statesman, writer Revenge And reassembling our afflicted powers, Consult how we may henceforth most offend. John Milton (1608-1674) English poet Revenge The devil himself has not yet created a suitable vengeance for the blood of a slain infant. Menachem Begin (b. 1913) Israeli politician, prime minister Revenge A man that studieth revenge keeps his own wounds green. Francis Bacon (1561-1626) English philosopher, essayist Revenge Revolution See: Civilization: Ellis Rebellion Women: Hubbard The old order changeth, yielding place to new, And God fulfils himself in many ways. Lord Tennyson (1809-1892) English poet Revolution A revolution is an opinion backed by bayonets. Napoleon Bonaparte (1769-1821) Emperor of France Revolution How much the greatest event it is that ever happened in the world! and how much the best! Charles James Fox (1749-1806) English Whig politician of the fall of the Bastille Revolution If there's no dancing, count me out. Emma Goldman (1869-1940) American anarchist of the Russian Revolution Revolution Inferiors revolt in order that they may be equal, and equals that they may be superior. Such is the state of mind which creates revolutions. Aristotle (384-322 BC) Greek philosopher Revolution Revolutions have never lightened the burden of tyranny: they have only shifted it to another shoulder. George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) Anglo-Irish playwright, critic Revolution When the people contend for their liberty they seldom get anything by their victory but new masters. Sir George Savile, Lord Halifax (1633-1695) English statesman, author Revolution Every revolution evaporates and leaves behind only the slime of a new bureaucracy. Franz Kafka (1883-1924) German novelist, short story writer Revolution The philosophers have only interpreted the world. The point, however, is to change it. Karl Marx (1818-1883) German social philosopher, revolutionary Revolution I wanted to change the world. But I have found that the only thing one can be sure of changing is oneself. Aldous Huxley (1894-1963) English author Revolution The only way to regenerate the world is to do the thing which lies nearest us, and not hunt after grand, far-fetched ones for ourselves. Charles Kingsley (1819-1875) English author, clergyman Revolution He who would reform himself must first reform society. George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) Anglo-Irish playwright, critic Revolution If we were to promise people nothing better than only revolution, they would scratch their heads and say: "Is it not better to have good goulash?" Nikita Khrushchev (1894-1971) Soviet premier Revolution Revolution is not a dinner party, nor an essay, nor a painting, nor a piece of embroidery; it cannot be advanced softly, gradually, carefully, considerately, respectfully, politely, plainly and modestly. Mao Zedong (1893-1976) founder of the People's Republic of China Revolution I, John Brown, am now quite certain that the crimes of this guilty land will never be purged away but with Blood. John Brown (1800-1859) American abolitionist written on the day of his execution Revolution The surest guide to the correctness of the path that women take is joy in the struggle. Revolution is the festival of the oppressed. Germaine Greer (b. 1939) Australian feminist writer Revolution I have been ever of opinion that revolutions are not to be evaded. Benjamin Disraeli (1804-1881) English prime minister Revolution Revolutionaries See: Vocation: Moliere We are dead men on furlough. Vladimir Ilyich Lenin (1870-1924) Russian revolutionary leader Revolutionaries I am thirty-three - the age of the good sans-culotte Jesus; an age fatal to revolutionists. Camille Desmoulins (1760-1794) French journalist, revolutionary Revolutionaries It is better to die on your feet than to live on your knees. Dolores Ibarruri, La Pasionaria (1895-1989) Valencia, 1936 Revolutionaries He that goeth about to persuade a multitude that they are not so well governed as they ought to be shall never want attentive and favourable hearers. Richard Hooker (1554-1600) English theologian Revolutionaries Revolutionary movements attract those who are not good enough for established institutions as well as those who are too good for them. George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) Anglo-Irish playwright, critic Revolutionaries The traditional figures of revolution, Rousseau, Karl Marx, Lenin and others, were no great emancipators of women and were themselves chauvinist. They left their wives slaving over a hot stove. Sally Oppenheim (b. 1930) British Conservative politician Revolutionaries Those who speak of revolution without making it real in their own daily lives talk with a corpse in their mouths. Raoul Vaneigem (b. 1934) Belgian political theorist Revolutionaries A man who has had his dinner is never a revolutionist: his politics are all talk. George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) Anglo-Irish playwright, critic Revolutionaries To be a revolutionary you have to be a human being. You have to care about people who have no power. Jane Fonda (b. 1937) American film actress Revolutionaries Revolutionaries do not make revolutions. The revolutionaries are those who know when power is lying in the street and then they can pick it up. Armed uprising by itself has never yet led to revolution. Hannah Arendt (1906-1975) American political philosopher Revolutionaries Every revolutionary ends up by becoming either an oppressor or a heretic. Albert Camus (1913-1960) French writer Revolutionaries The Rich See: Funerals: Dobell Independence: Churchill The Law: France; Goldsmith Millionaires Poverty: Bagehot; Saki Wealth He must have killed a lot of men to have made so much money. Moliere (1622-1673) French playwright The Rich Anyone who makes a lot of money quickly must be pretty crooked - honest pushing away at the grindstone never made anyone a bomb. Mandy Rice-Davies (b. 1944) call-girl in British political scandal, 1963 The Rich He that maketh haste to be rich shall not be innocent. Bible, Proverbs The Rich If Heaven had looked upon riches to be a valuable thing, it would not have given them to such a scoundrel. Jonathan Swift (1667-1745) Anglo-Irish satirist The Rich God shows his contempt for wealth by the kind of person he selects to receive it. Austin O'Malley (1858-1932) American oculist, writer The Rich O, what a world of vile, ill-favoured faults, Looks handsome in three hundred pounds a year. Anne, The Merry Wives of Windsor William Shakespeare (1564-1616) English dramatist, poet The Rich Gold lends a touch of beauty even to the ugly. Nicolas Boileau (1636-1711) French poet, critic The Rich To suppose, as we all suppose, that we could be rich and not behave as the rich behave, is like supposing that we could drink all day and stay sober. Logan Pearsall Smith (1865-1946) Anglo-American essayist The Rich The rich never feel so good as when they are speaking of their possessions as responsibilities. Robert Lynd (1879-1949) Anglo-Irish essayist, journalist The Rich Come, let us pity those who are better off then we are. Come, my friend, and remember that the rich have butlers and no friends, And we have friends and no butlers. Ezra Pound (1885-1972) American poet The Rich The wretchedness of being rich is that you live with rich people. Logan Pearsall Smith (1865-1946) Anglo-American essayist The Rich The jests of the rich are ever successful. Oliver Goldsmith (1728-1774) Anglo-Irish author The Rich Heiresses are never jilted. George Meredith (1828-1909) English author The Rich The greatest luxury of riches is, that they enable you to escape so much good advice. The rich are always advising the poor, but the poor seldom venture to return the compliment. Sir Arthur Helps (1813-1875) English writer The Rich I honestly wouldn't spend another winter in England, if I were you. befurred lady to shivering beggar Nicolas Bentley (1907-1978) British artist, author, publisher The Rich The Right What we have to fear is the emergence from beneath, not from above, of some new energetic organisation which will say, "Britain is a great country, kill the blacks and the Jews, replace this weak government with a strong one. Let's smarten ourselves up and wear a uniform." For it will be Big Brother shouting these words. But, having read Nineteen Eighty-Four, he'll be too cunning to call himself Big Brother. Anthony Burgess (b. 1917) British author The Right McCarthyism is Americanism with its sleeves rolled. Joseph McCarthy (1908-1957) American Republican politician The Right They'll nail anyone who ever scratched his ass during the National Anthem. Humphrey Bogart (1899-1957) American film actor of the Un-American Activities Committee The Right Any time a politician tells you "The Russians are coming," hang on to your wallet. It's just another raid on the treasury. Gore Vidal (b. 1925) American novelist, critic The Right I have a feeling that at any time about three million Americans can be had for any militant reaction against Law, decency, the Constitution, the Supreme Court, compassion and the rule of reason. John Kenneth Galbraith (b. 1908) American economist The Right Rock 'n' Roll Rock 'n' roll is part of a pest to undermine the morals of the youth of our nation. It is sexualistic, unmoralistic and . . . brings people of both races together. North Alabama White Citizens' Council, 1950s Rock 'n' Roll Romance See: Italy: Bulwer-Lytton Marriage: Wilde Romance is a love affair in other than domestic surroundings. Sir Walter Raleigh (1861-1922) British academic Romance Is not this the true romantic feeling - not to desire to escape life, but to prevent life from escaping you? Thomas Wolfe (1900-1938) American author Romance Romance, like the rabbit at the dog track, is the elusive, fake, and never attained reward which, for the benefit and amusement of our masters, keeps us running and thinking in safe circles. Beverly Jones (b. 1927) American feminist writer Romance Nothing spoils a romance so much as a sense of humour in the woman. Oscar Wilde (1854-1900) Anglo-Irish writer Romance Royalty See: Death: Dying: Tennyson Flattery: King Louis XIV Glory: Marlowe Tyranny: Burke Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown. King Henry, King Henry IV part 2 William Shakespeare (1564-1616) English dramatist, poet Royalty Royalty is a government in which the attention of the nation is concentrated on one person doing interesting actions. Walter Bagehot (1826-1877) English economist, critic Royalty Kings are not born; they are made by universal hallucination. George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) Anglo-Irish playwright, critic Royalty A king is a thing men have made for their own sakes, for quietness' sake. Just as if in a family one man is appointed to buy the meat. John Selden (1584-1654) English jurist, statesman Royalty Royalty is but a feather in a man's cap; let children enjoy their rattle. Oliver Cromwell (1599-1658) Lord Protector of England Royalty And what, in a mean man, I should call folly, is in your majesty remarkable wisdom. Philip Massinger (1583-1640) English dramatist Royalty Everyone likes flattery; and when you come to Royalty you should lay it on with a trowel. Benjamin Disraeli (1804-1881) English prime minister Royalty Must! Is must a word to be addressed to princes? Little man, little man! thy father, if he had been alive, durst not have used that word. Queen Elizabeth I (1533-1603) to Robert Cecil Royalty I know the song ["There was an old man and he had an old sow"] and I can make all those noises at home but I cannot do them with a tiara on. Queen Elizabeth II (b. 1926) of Great Britain and Northern Ireland Royalty A careless song, with a little nonsense now and then, does not misbecome the monarch. Horace Walpole (1717-1797) English writer Royalty My only excuse for being so various is that I appear as "chymist, fiddler, statesman and buffoon" entirely by request. Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh (b. 1921) Royalty Vulgarity in a king flatters the majority of the nation. George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) Anglo-Irish playwright, critic Royalty It has been said, not truly, but with a possible approximation to truth, that in 1802 every hereditary monarch was insane. Walter Bagehot (1826-1877) English economist, critic Royalty Royalty is a neurosis. Get well soon. Adrian Mitchell (b. 1932) British poet verse addressed to the Prince of Wales Royalty All the time I feel I must justify my existence. Charles, Prince of Wales (b. 1948) Royalty Altogether the cost to the state of the monarchy is probably not less than two million pounds a year - as much as Omo and Daz spend on advertising. Anthony Sampson (b. 1926) British journalist, author 1965 Royalty The brood of that dutiful and pleasant gentlewoman Elizabeth II and her immediate connections is now distending the country with a brand-new brazen aristocracy; a nouveau ancien regime. New Statesman, 1986 Royalty The royal refugee our breed restores With foreign courtiers and with foreign whores, And carefully repeopled us again Throughout his lazy, long, lascivious reign. Daniel Defoe (1661-1731) English writer of Charles II of England Royalty Though God hath raised me high, yet this I count the glory of my crown: that I have reigned with your loves. Queen Elizabeth I (1533-1603) Royalty We live in what virtually amounts to a museum - which does not happen to a lot of people. Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh (b. 1921) Royalty Oh, do turn it off, it is so embarrassing unless one is there - like hearing the Lord's Prayer when playing canasta. Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother/ (b. 1900) of the National Anthem played at a televised Cup Final Royalty If you find you are to be presented to the Queen, do not rush up to her. She will eventually be brought around to you, like a dessert trolley at a good restaurant. advice in the Los Angeles Times, 1983 Royalty I never see any home cooking. All I get is fancy stuff. Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh (b. 1921) Royalty I know I have the body of a weak and feeble woman, but I have the heart and stomach of a king, and of a king of England too. Queen Elizabeth I (1533-1603) Royalty Don't forget your great guns, which are the most respectable arguments of the rights of kings. Frederick the Great of Prussia (1712-1786) Royalty Divine right of kings means the divine right of anyone who can get uppermost. Herbert Spencer (1820-1903) English philosopher Royalty I cannot be indifferent to the assassination of a member of my profession. We should be obliged to shut up business if we, the Kings, were to consider the assassination of Kings as of no consequence at all. King Edward VII (1841-1910) refusing to recognize the Karageorgevic regime in Serbia after the murder of King Alexander and the extermination of the Obrenovic dynasty, 1903 Royalty War is the trade of kings. John Dryden (1631-1700) English poet, dramatist, critic Royalty My people and I have come to an agreement which satisfies us both. They are to say what they please, and I am to do what I please. Frederick the Great of Prussia (1712-1786) Royalty A king is not allowed the luxury of a good character. Our country has produced millions of blameless greengrocers, but not one blameless monarch. King Magnus, The Apple Cart George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) Anglo-Irish playwright, critic Royalty I do not oppose, it is my duty not to oppose; but observe that I warn. Walter Bagehot (1826-1877) English economist, critic national statement by a British constitutional sovereign Royalty I am your anointed Queen. I will never be by violence constrained to do anything. I thank God I am endued with such qualities that if I were turned out of the Realm in my petticoat I were able to live in any place in Christome. Queen Elizabeth I (1533-1603) Royalty There is not a single crowned head in Europe whose talents or merit would entitle him to be elected a vestryman by the people of any parish in America. Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826) American president Royalty I now quit altogether public affairs, and I lay down my burden. King Edward VIII (1894-1972) abdication speech Royalty Here lies our Sovereign Lord, the King Whose word no man relies on: He never says a foolish thing Nor ever does a wise one. John Wilmot, Earl of Rochester (1647-1680) English courtier, poet written on the door of Charles II's bedchamber Royalty A prince who will not undergo the difficulty of understanding must undergo the danger of trusting. Sir George Savile, Lord Halifax (1633-1695) English statesman, author Royalty Put not your trust in princes. Bible, Psalms Royalty All my possessions for a moment of time. Queen Elizabeth I (1533-1603) last words Royalty The Russians See: The Right: Vidal The USSR They came to the court balls dropping pearls and vermin. Lord Macaulay (1800-1859) English historian The Russians Let it be clearly udnerstood that the Russian is a delightful person till he tucks in his shirt. Rudyard Kipling (1865-1936) English author The Russians I don't know a good Russian from a bad Russian. I can tell a good Frenchman from a bad Frenchman. I can tell a good Italian from a bad Italian. I know a good Greek when I see one. But I don't understand the Russians. Franklin D. Roosevelt (1882-1945) American president The Russians It's easier for a Russian to become an atheist than for anyone else in the world. Feodor Dostoievski (1821-1881) Russian novelist The Russians Sacrifice See: Capitalism: Lenin Manners: Emerson Self-denial: Chesterton Women: Maugham The whole point of a sacrifice is that you give up something you never really wanted in the first place. People are doing it around you all the time. They give up their careers, say - or their beliefs - or sex. Jimmy, Look Back in Anger John Osborne (b. 1929) British playwright Sacrifice The two things that worthless people sacrifice everything for are happiness and freedom, and their punishment is that they get both only to find that they have no capacity for the happiness and no use for the freedom. George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) Anglo-Irish playwright, critic Sacrifice Greater love hath no man than this, that he lay down his friends for his life. Jeremy Thorpe (b. 1929) British Liberal politician following a Cabinet reorganization by Prime Minister Harold Macmillan Sacrifice Sacrifice is a form of bargaining. Holbrook Jackson (1874-1948) British writer Sacrifice Too long a sacrifice Can make a stone of the heart. William Butler Yeats (1865-1939) Anglo-Irish poet, playwright Sacrifice Sainthood See: The Devil: Cowper Fame: Geldof Martyrdom: Bible, Psalms; Wilde Persecution: Howe Saint. A dead sinner revised and edited. Ambrose Bierce (1842-1914) American author Sainthood The only difference between the saint and the sinner is that every saint has a past and every sinner has a future. Oscar Wilde (1854-1900) Anglo-Irish writer Sainthood The fifty to eighty years required to see a candidate through to sainthood can exhaust the time and money of the sponsors. Cardinal Leon-Joseph Suenens (b. 1904) Belgian ecclesiastic Sainthood Being a saint, which I'm not, is a pain, to be honest. Bob Geldof (b. 1954) Irish rock musician Sainthood Saints should always be judged guilty until they are proved innocent. George Orwell (1903-1950) British author Sainthood I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith. Saint Paul (3-67) Apostle to the Gentiles Sainthood Salesmen For a salesman there is no rock bottom to the life. He don't put a bolt to a nut, he don't tell you the law or give you medicine. He's a man way out there in the blue, riding on a smile and a shoeshine. And when they start not smiling back - that's an earthquake. And then you get yourself a couple of spots on your hat, and you're finished . . . A salesman is got to dream, boy. It comes with the territory. Arthur Miller (b. 1915) American playwright Salesmen Nothing is as irritating as the fellow that chats pleasantly while he's overcharging you. Kin (F. McKinney) Hubbard (1868-1930) American humorist, journalist Salesmen Bold knaves thrive without one grain of sense, But good men starve for want of impudence. John Dryden (1631-1700) English poet, dramatist, critic Salesmen Salvation See: Self-defense: Savile The salvation of the world depends on the men who will not take evil good-humouredly, and whose laughter destroys the fool instead of encouraging him. George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) Anglo-Irish playwright, critic Salvation No one can be redeemed by another. No God and no saint is able to shield a man from the consequence of his evil doings. Every one of us must become his own redeemer. Subhadra Bhikshu (b. d. 1917) author of The Buddhist Way Salvation He who created us without our help will not save us without our consent. Saint Augustine (354-430) theologian Salvation Human salvation lies in the hands of the creatively maladjusted. Martin Luther King (1929-1968) American civil rights leader Salvation Satire Ridicule is the best test of truth. Lord Chesterfield (1694-1773) English statesman, man of letters Satire Satire is a sort of glass, wherein beholders do generally discover everybody's face but their own. Jonathan Swift (1667-1745) Anglo-Irish satirist Satire We audiences have tasted our own blood and liked it. Alan Brien (b. 1925) British novelist, journalist Satire It is difficult not to write satire. Juvenal (c. 40-130) Roman satiric poet Satire Strange! that a Man who has wit enough to write a Satire should have folly enough to publish it. Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790) American statesman, writer Satire "My Lord - I must live" - once said a wretched author of satire to a minister who had reproached him for following so degrading a profession. "I fail to see why," replied the Great Man coldly. Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712-1778) Swiss-French philosopher, political theorist Satire The true end of satire is the amendment of vices by correction. John Dryden (1631-1700) English poet, dramatist, critic Satire Satire, though it may exaggerate the vice it lashes, is not justified in creating it in order that it may be lashed. Anthony Trollope (1815-1882) English novelist Satire Satire is the last flicker of originality in a passing epoch as it faces the onrush of staleness and boredom. Freshness has gone; bitterness remains. Alfred North Whitehead (1861-1947) British philosopher Satire Scandal See: Gossip Tea: Fielding An event has happened, upon which it is difficult to speak, and impossible to be silent. Edmund Burke (1729-1797) Irish philosopher, statesman Scandal A stink is still worse for the stirring. Miguel de Cervantes (1547-1616) Spanish novelist, dramatist, poet Scandal Many of the scandals that I have seen have begun from glossing over unpleasant facts. Lord Chandos (1893-1972) British industrialist, politician Scandal History is made in the class struggle and not in bed. Alex Mitchell British left-wing journalist following deposition of leader of Workers' Revolutionary Party and sex scandal, 1985 Scandal Le scandale du monde est ce qui fait l'offense, Et ce n'est pas pecher que pecher en silence. It is the public scandal that offends; to sin in secret is no sin at all. Moliere (1622-1673) French playwright Scandal Scandal is merely the compassionate allowance which the gay make to the humdrum. Think how many blameless lives are brightened by the blazing indiscretions of other people. Saki (H. H. Munro) (1870-1916) Scottish author Scandal The malice of a good thing is the barb that makes it stick. Richard Brinsley Sheridan (1751-1816) Anglo-Irish dramatist Scandal Gossip is charming! History is merely gossip. But scandal is gossip made tedious by morality. Oscar Wilde (1854-1900) Anglo-Irish writer Scandal Nobody looks at the sun except at an eclipse. Seneca (c. 5-65) Roman writer, philosopher, statesman Scandal Scholarship See: Learning The ink of the scholar is more sacred than the blood of the martyr. Muhammad (c. 570-632) founder of Islam Scholarship Opposing one species of superstition to another, set them a quarrelling; while we ourselves, during their fury and contention, happily make our escape into the calm, though obscure, regions of philosophy. David Hume (1711-1776) Scottish philosopher, historian Scholarship The world's great men have not commonly been great scholars, nor great scholars great men. Dr. Oliver Wendell Holmes (1809-1894) American writer, physician Scholarship He was a rake among scholars, and a scholar among rakes. Lord Macaulay (1800-1859) English historian of Sir Richard Steele Scholarship His studies were pursued but never effectually overtaken. H. G. Wells (1866-1946) English author, social thinker Scholarship I cannot forgive a scholar his homeless despondency. Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882) American essayist, poet, philosopher Scholarship There mark what ills the scholar's life assail: Toil, envy, want, the patron, and the gaol. Dr. Samuel Johnson (1709-1784) English author, lexicographer Scholarship Of making many books there is no end; and much study is a weariness of the flesh. Bible, Ecclesiastes Scholarship School See: Education Power: Walpole Private Education Students Teachers University The founding fathers in their wisdom decided that children were an unnatural strain on parents. So they provided jails called schools, equipped with tortures called education. School is where you go between when your parents can't take you and industry can't take you. John Updike (b. 1932) American author School Thou hast most traitorously corrupted the youth of the realm in erecting a grammar school. Jack Cade, King Henry VI part 2 William Shakespeare (1564-1616) English dramatist, poet School What are schools for if not indoctrination against Communism? Richard Nixon (b. 1913) American president School I have never let my schooling interfere with my education. Mark Twain (1835-1910) American author School Science See: The Cosmos: Lamb Knowledge: Sockman Religion: Wilde Technology We vivisect the nightingale To probe the secret of his note. Thomas Bailey Aldrich (1836-1907) American writer, editor Science The universe is full of magical things, patiently waiting for our wits to grow sharper. Eden Philpotts (1862-1960) British author Science I seem to have been only a boy playing on the seashore, and diverting myself in now and then finding a smoother pebble or a prettier shell than ordinary, whilst the great ocean of truth lay all undiscovered before me. Sir Isaac Newton (1642-1727) English mathematician, physicist Science The marble index of a mind for ever Voyaging through strange seas of thought alone. William Wordsworth (1770-1850) English poet of a statue of Newton Science Nature and nature's laws lay hid in night; God said "Let Newton be!" and all was light. Alexander Pope (1688-1744) English poet Science It did not last: the Devil, howling "Ho Let Einstein be!" restored the status quo. John Squire (1884-1958) British author Science I am actually not at all a man of science, not an observer, not an experimenter, not a thinker. I am by temperament nothing but a conquistador - an adventurer. Sigmund Freud (1856-1939) Austrian psychiatrist Science In everything that relates to science, I am a whole Encyclopaedia behind the rest of the world. Charles Lamb (1775-1834) English essayist, critic Science When I am in the company of scientists I feel like a curate who has strayed into a drawing room full of dukes. W. H. Auden (1907-1973) Anglo-American poet Science We are much beholden to Machiavel and others, that write what men do, and not what they ought to do. Francis Bacon (1561-1626) English philosopher, essayist Science Science commits suicide when it adopts a creed. Thomas Henry Huxley (1825-1895) English biologist Science Science knows only one commandment: contribute to science. Bertolt Brecht (1898-1956) German dramatist, poet Science Creativity in science could be described as the act of putting two and two together to make five. Arthur Koestler (1905-1983) British author Science We have the idea that if a thing can be done, then it ought to be done. That if something has been invented, then we must use it. We don't stop to think of the possible consequences of its use. J. B. Priestley (1894-1984) British writer Science In the arts of life man invents nothing; but in the arts of death he outdoes Nature herself, and produces by chemistry and machinery all the slaughter of plague, pestilence, and famine. The Devil, Man and Superman George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) Anglo-Irish playwright, critic Science There are no such things as applied sciences, only applications of science. Louis Pasteur (1822-1895) French chemist Science Science is a collection of successful recipes. Paul Valery (1871-1945) French poet, essayist Science The true worth of a researcher lies in pursuing what he did not seek in his experiment as well as what he sought. Claude Bernard (1813-1878) French physiologist Science Aristotle could have avoided the mistake of thinking that women have fewer teeth than men by the simple device of asking Mrs Aristotle to open her mouth. Bertrand Russell (1872-1970) British philosopher, mathematician, social reformer Science The progress of science is strewn, like an ancient desert trail, with the bleached skeleton of discarded theories which once seemed to possess eternal life. Arthur Koestler (1905-1983) British author Science The great tragedy of science - the slaying of a beautiful theory by an ugly fact. Thomas Henry Huxley (1825-1895) English biologist Science All science is dominated by the idea of approximation. Bertrand Russell (1872-1970) British philosopher, mathematician, social reformer Science Science is organised knowledge. Herbert Spencer (1820-1903) English philosopher Science The world, which took but six days to make, is like to take us six thousand years to make out. Sir Thomas Browne (1605-1682) English physician, author Science The most incomprehensible thing about the world is that it is comprehensible. Albert Einstein (1879-1955) German-American theoretical physicist Science Scotland See: Argument: Franklin That garret of the earth - that knuckle-end of England - that land of Calvin, oat-cakes, and sulphur. Sydney Smith (1771-1845) English writer, clergyman Scotland A land of meanness, sophistry and lust. Lord Byron (1788-1824) English poet Scotland The beauty of Scotland is that it is big enough to be important in the UK and small enough for everyone to know everyone else. George Younger (b. 1931) Scottish Conservative politician Scotland If the Scotch knew enough to go in when it rained, they would never get any outdoor exercise. Simeon Ford (1855-1933) American hotelier Scotland The noblest prospect that a Scotchman ever sees is the high road, that leads him to England. Dr. Samuel Johnson (1709-1784) English author, lexicographer Scotland In all my travels I never met with any one Scotchman but what was a man of sense. I believe everybody of that country that has any, leaves it as fast as they can. Dr. Francis Lockier (1667-1740) English prelate, man of letters Scotland The Scots There are few more impressive sights in the world than a Scotsman on the make. J. M. Barrie (1860-1937) Scottish playwright The Scots I have been trying all my life to like Scotchmen, and am obliged to desist from the experiment in despair. Charles Lamb (1775-1834) English essayist, critic The Scots Much . . . may be made of a Scotchman, if he be caught young. Dr. Samuel Johnson (1709-1784) English author, lexicographer The Scots As Dr Johnson never said, is there any Scotsman without charm? J. M. Barrie (1860-1937) Scottish playwright The Scots It requires a surgical operation to get a joke well into a Scotch understanding. The only idea of wit, or rather that inferior variety of the electric talent which prevails occasionally in the North, and which, under the name of "Wut," is so infinitely distressing to people of good taste, is laughing immoderately at stated intervals. Sydney Smith (1771-1845) English writer, clergyman The Scots Their learning is like bread in a besieged town: every man gets a little, but no man gets a full meal. Dr. Samuel Johnson (1709-1784) English author, lexicographer The Scots I've sometimes thought that the difference between the Scotch and the English is that the Scotch are hard in all other respects but soft with women, and the English are hard with women and soft in all other respects. J. M. Barrie (1860-1937) Scottish playwright The Scots Minds like ours, my dear James, must always be above national prejudices, and in all companies it gives me true pleasure to declare that, as a people, the English are very little indeed inferior to the Scotch. John Wilson (1785-1854) Scottish philosopher The Scots The Sea See: Piety: Butler They that go down to the sea in ships, that do business in great waters, these see the works of the Lord and his wonders in the deep. Bible, Psalms The Sea To me, the sea is like a person - like a child that I've known a long time. It sounds crazy, I know, but when I swim in the sea I talk to it. I never feel alone when I'm out there. Gertrude Ederle (b. 1906) American swimmer 30 years after becoming the first woman to swim the English Channel The Sea for whatever we lose (like a you or a me) it's always ourselves we find in the sea. e. e. cummings (1894-1962) American poet The Sea The sea has never been friendly to man. At most it has been the accomplice of human restlessness. Joseph Conrad (1857-1924) English novelist The Sea The snotgreen sea. The scrotumtightening sea. James Joyce (1882-1941) Irish novelist The Sea Seasons January grey is here, Like a sexton by her grave; February bears the bier, March with grief doth howl and rave, And April weeps - but, O ye hours! Follow with May's fairest flowers. Dirge for the Year Percy Bysshe Shelley (1792-1822) English poet Seasons April, April, Laugh thy girlish laughter; Then, the moment after, Weep thy girlish tears. Sir William Watson (1858-1935) British poet Seasons Winter lingered so long in the lap of Spring that it occasioned a great deal of talk. Bill(E. W.) Nye (1850-1896) American journalist, humorous writer Seasons Like a lovely woman late for her appointment She's suddenly here, taking us unawares, So beautifully annihilating expectation That we applaud her punctual arrival. Gerald Bullett (1893-1958) British author, poet of Spring Seasons Summer set lip to earth's bosom bare And left the flushed print in a poppy there. Francis Thompson (1859-1907) English poet Seasons Autumn wins you best by this, its mute Appeal to sympathy for its decay. Robert Browning (1812-1889) English poet Seasons Winter is icummen in, Lhude sing Goddamm. Raineth drop and staineth slop, And how the wind doth ramm! Sing: Goddamm. Ezra Pound (1885-1972) American poet Seasons Secrets See: Gossip: Colton Lovers: Behn Pleasure: Bible, Ecclesiastes Two things a man cannot hide: that he is drunk, and that he is in love. Antiphanes (b. 4th century BC) Athenian playwright Secrets Whoever wishes to keep a secret must hide the fact that he possesses one. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749-1832) German poet, dramatist, novelist, scientist Secrets If you wish to preserve your secret, wrap it up in frankness. Alexander Smith (1830-1867) Scottish poet Secrets How can we expect someone else to keep our secret if we have not been able to keep it ourselves? Francois, Duc de La Rochefoucauld (1613-1680) French writer, moralist Secrets The vanity of being known to be trusted with a secret is generally one of the chief motives to disclose it. Dr. Samuel Johnson (1709-1784) English author, lexicographer Secrets I have the most perfect confidence in your indiscretion. Sydney Smith (1771-1845) English writer, clergyman Secrets There are some occasions when a man must tell half his secret, in order to conceal the rest. Lord Chesterfield (1694-1773) English statesman, man of letters Secrets Everybody knows that corruption thrives in secret places . . . and we believe it a fair presumption that secrecy means impropriety. Woodrow Wilson (1856-1924) American president Secrets Everything secret degenerates . . . nothing is safe that does not show how it can bear discussion and publicity. Lord Acton (1834-1902) English historian Secrets Secrecy, being an instrument of conspiracy, ought never to be the system of a regular government. Jeremy Bentham (1748-1832) English philosopher, political theorist, jurist Secrets The great, terrible, important powers of the world, like social caste and religious domination, always rest on secrets. A man is born on the wrong side of the street and can therefore never enter into certain drawing rooms, even though he be in every way superior to everyone in those drawing rooms. When you try to find out what the difference is between him and the rest, and why he is accursed, you find that the reason is a secret. It is a secret that a certain kind of straw hat is damnable. Little boys know these things about other little boys. The world is written over with mysterious tramp-languages and symbols of Masonic hieroglyphics. Arthur Chapman (1873-1935) American poet, author Secrets There are no secrets better kept than the secrets that everybody guesses. Crofts, Mrs. Warren's Profession George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) Anglo-Irish playwright, critic Secrets Sects Fanatics have their dreams, wherewith they weave A paradise for a sect. John Keats (1795-1821) English poet Sects 'Tis a strange thing, Sam, that among us people can't agree the whole week because they go different ways upon Sundays. George Farquhar (1678-1707) Irish dramatist Sects Most people have some sort of religion. At least they know which church they're staying away from. John Erskine (1879-1951) American author Sects See how these Christians love one another. Tertullian (c. 160-240) Roman theologian Sects It is becoming impossible for those who mix at all with their fellow-men to believe that the grace of God is distributed denominationally. W. R. Inge (1860-1954) Dean of St. Paul's, London Sects And when religious sects ran mad, He held, in spite of all their learning, That if a man's belief is bad, It will not be improved by burning. Winthrop Mackworth Praed (1802-1839) English poet Sects Every sect is a moral check on its neighbour. Competition is as wholesome in religion as in commerce. Walter Savage Landor (1775-1864) English author Sects All sects seem to me to be right in what they assert, and wrong in what they deny. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749-1832) German poet, dramatist, novelist, scientist Sects Seduction See: Self-image: Johnson The difference between rape and ecstasy is salesmanship. Lord Thomsonof Fleet (1894-1976) Canadian newspaper publisher Seduction A wise woman never yields by appointment. It should always be an unforeseen happiness. Stendhal (1783-1842) French author Seduction The resistance of a woman is not always proof of her virtue, but more often of her experience. Ninon de Lenclos (1620-1705) French society lady, wit Seduction By keeping men off, you keep them on. John Gay (1685-1732) English playwright, poet Seduction Had we but world enough, and time, This coyness, lady, were no crime. Andrew Marvell (1621-1678) English metaphysical poet Seduction In order to avoid being called a flirt, she always yielded easily. Charles, Count Talleyrand (1754-1838) French statesman Seduction Men lose more conquests by their own awkwardness than by any virtue in the woman. Ninon de Lenclos (1620-1705) French society lady, wit Seduction If men knew all that women think, they'd be twenty times more daring. Alphonse Karr (1808-1890) French journalist, novelist Seduction Men who do not make advances to women are apt to become victims to women who make advances to them Walter Bagehot (1826-1877) English economist, critic Seduction Older women are best because they always think they may be doing it for the last time. Ian Fleming (1908-1964) British author Seduction The trouble with Ian is that he gets off with women because he can't get on with them. Rosamond Lehmann (b. 1903) British author of Ian Fleming Seduction To succeed with the opposite sex, tell her you're impotent. She can't wait to disprove it. Cary Grant (1904-1986) Anglo-American film actor Seduction He in a few minutes ravished this fair creature, or at least would have ravished her, if she had not, by a timely compliance, prevented him. Henry Fielding (1707-1754) English novelist, dramatist Seduction Weep not for little Leonie, Abducted by a French Marquis! Though loss of honour was a wrench, Just think how it's improved her French. Harry Graham (1874-1936) British author, rhymster Seduction Self See: Appearances: Huxley Egoism We are all serving a life-sentence in the dungeon of self. Cyril Connolly (1903-1974) British critic Self Man who man would be, Must rule the empire of himself. Percy Bysshe Shelley (1792-1822) English poet Self It is . . . amusing to find oneself thought to be very different from what one is, especially as one knows that one cannot really be at all like what one imagines oneself to be. It is a sort of trinity - three persons in one ass. Robert Bridges (1844-1930) British poet Self Most human beings use their public life like a visiting card. They show it to others and say, This is me. The others take the card and think to themselves, If you say so. But most human beings have another life too, a gray one, lurking in the darkness, torturing us, a life we try to hide like an ugly sin. Federico Garcia Lorca (1898-1936) Spanish lyric poet, dramatist Self Self-confidence I have yet to encounter that common myth of weak men, an insurmountable barrier. J. L. Allen (1849-1925) American author Self-confidence Those who believe that they are exclusively in the right are generally those who achieve something. Aldous Huxley (1894-1963) English author Self-confidence Self-confidence is the first requisite to great undertakings. Dr. Samuel Johnson (1709-1784) English author, lexicographer Self-confidence I wish I was as cocksure of anything as Tom Macaulay is of everything. Lord Melbourne (1779-1848) English statesman, Prime Minister Self-confidence Without self-confidence we are as babes in the cradle. And how can we generate this imponderable quality, which is yet so invaluable, most quickly? By thinking that other people are inferior to oneself. By feeling that one has some innate superiority - it may be wealth, or rank, a straight nose, or the portrait of a grandfather by Romney - for there is no end to the pathetic devices of the human imagination - over other people. Virginia Woolf (1882-1941) British novelist Self-confidence Self-control See: Self-denial: Dickens Writers: Boileau When angry, count four; when very angry, swear. Mark Twain (1835-1910) American author Self-control He that would govern others, first should be the master of himself. Philip Massinger (1583-1640) English dramatist Self-control O! it is excellent To have a giant's strength, but it is tyrannous To use it like a giant. Isabella, Measure for Measure William Shakespeare (1564-1616) English dramatist, poet Self-control Remember that there is always a limit to self-indulgence, but none to self-restraint. Mohandas K. Gandhi (1869-1948) Indian political and spiritual leader Self-control Self-deception See: Love: Wilde Recklessness: Pascal Self-knowledge: Conrad Suckers: Demosthenes It is in the ability to deceive oneself that one shows the greatest talent. Anatole France (1844-1924) French author Self-deception We lie loudest when we lie to ourselves. Eric Hoffer (1902-1983) American philosopher Self-deception We like to be deceived. Blaise Pascal (1623-1662) French scientist, philosopher Self-deception The surest way to be deceived is to consider oneself cleverer than others. Francois, Duc de La Rochefoucauld (1613-1680) French writer, moralist Self-deception We are never deceived; we deceive ourselves. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749-1832) German poet, dramatist, novelist, scientist Self-deception Most of our platitudes notwithstanding, self-deception remains the most difficult deception. The tricks that work on others count for nothing in that very well-lit back alley where one keeps assignations with oneself: no winning smiles will do here, no prettily drawn lists of good intentions. Joan Didion (b. 1934) American writer Self-deception Self-defense See: Apologies: King Charles I Courtesy: Lucas Pity: Johnson To the question, What shall we do to be saved in this World? there is no answer but this, Look to your Moat. Sir George Savile, Lord Halifax (1633-1695) English statesman, author Self-defense Self-defence is nature's eldest law. John Dryden (1631-1700) English poet, dramatist, critic Self-defense These animals are so treacherous that they defend themselves against attacks! anonymous, France Self-defense Self-denial See: Drink: Abstinence Lust: Blake Subdue your appetites, my dears, and you've conquered human natur'. Mr. Squeers, Nicholas Nickleby Charles Dickens (1812-1870) English novelist Self-denial Self-denial is not a virtue; it is only the effect of prudence on rascality. George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) Anglo-Irish playwright, critic Self-denial Self-denial is the shining sore on the leprous body of Christianity. Frank Harris (1856-1931) British journalist, novelist, biographer Self-denial Most of us have suffered from a certain sort of lady who by her perverse unselfishness gives more trouble than the selfish; who almost clamours for the unpopular dish and scrambles for the worst seat. Most of us have known parties or expeditions full of this seething fuss of self-effacement. G. K. Chesterton (1874-1936) English author Self-denial Self-sacrifice enables us to sacrifice other people without blushing. George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) Anglo-Irish playwright, critic Self-denial Abstainer. A weak man who yields to the temptation of denying himself a pleasure. Ambrose Bierce (1842-1914) American author Self-denial Self-destructiveness But I do nothing upon myself, and yet I am mine own Executioner. John Donne (1572-1631) English divine, metaphysical poet Self-destructiveness Self-doubt See: Heroes: Hawthorne Propaganda: Hitler The actor who took the role of King Lear played the king as though he expected someone to play the ace. Eugene Field (1850-1895) American author Self-doubt He who undervalues himself is justly undervalued by others. William Hazlitt (1778-1830) English essayist Self-doubt It is easy - terribly easy - to shake a man's faith in himself. To take advantage of that to break a man's spirit is devil's work. Morell, Candida George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) Anglo-Irish playwright, critic Self-doubt No man can make you feel inferior without your consent. Eleanor Roosevelt (1884-1962) American columnist, lecturer, U.S. delegate at United Nations Self-doubt No, when the fight begins within himself, A man's worth something. Robert Browning (1812-1889) English poet Self-doubt Self-image See: Eloquence: Billings Genius: Swift Innocence: Didion Self-doubt: Hazlitt; Roosevelt Self-knowledge I think it's one of the scars in our culture that we have too high an opinion of ourselves. We align ourselves with the angels instead of the higher primates. Angela Carter (b. 1940) British author Self-image Monkeys are superior to men in this: when a monkey looks into a mirror, he sees a monkey. Malcolm de Chazal (1902-1981) French writer Self-image The greatest magnifying glasses in the world are a man's own eyes when they look upon his own person. Alexander Pope (1688-1744) English poet Self-image You've no idea what a poor opinion I have of myself - and how little I deserve it. William S. Gilbert (1836-1911) English librettist Self-image I have nothing to declare except my genius. Oscar Wilde (1854-1900) Anglo-Irish writer at the New York customs Self-image The very purpose of existence is to reconcile the glowing opinion we have of ourselves with the appalling things that other people think about us. Quentin Crisp (b. 1908) British author Self-image It is terrible to destroy a person's picture of himself in the interests of truth or some other abstraction. Doris Lessing (b. 1919) British writer Self-image Nothing is more depressing than the conviction that one is not a hero. George Moore (1852-1933) Irish author Self-image There are few things that we so unwillingly give up, even in advanced age, as the supposition that we still have the power of ingratiating ourselves with the fair sex. Dr. Samuel Johnson (1709-1784) English author, lexicographer Self-image The ablest man I ever met is the man you think you are. Franklin D. Roosevelt (1882-1945) American president Self-image To love oneself is the beginning of a life-long romance. Oscar Wilde (1854-1900) Anglo-Irish writer Self-image He that falls in love with himself, will have no rivals. Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790) American statesman, writer Self-image Self-love seems so often unrequited. Anthony Powell (b. 1905) British novelist Self-image To have that sense of one's intrinsic worth which constitutes self-respect is potentially to have everything: the ability to discriminate, to love and to remain indifferent. To lack it is to be locked within oneself, paradoxically incapable of either love or indifference. Joan Didion (b. 1934) American writer Self-image Self-respect - the secure feeling that no one, as yet, is suspicious. H. L. Mencken (1880-1956) American journalist Self-image Self-knowledge See: Introspection: James Self-image "Know thyself"? If I knew myself, I'd run away. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749-1832) German poet, dramatist, novelist, scientist Self-knowledge He knows the universe and does not know himself. Jean de la Fontaine (1621-1695) French poet, fabulist Self-knowledge No man ever understands quite his own artful dodges to escape from the grim shadow of self-knowledge. Joseph Conrad (1857-1924) English novelist Self-knowledge In other living creatures the ignorance of themselves is nature, but in men it is a vice. Boethius (480-525) Roman philosopher Self-knowledge If people can be educated to see the lowly side of their own natures, it may be hoped that they will also learn to understand and to love their fellow men better. A little less hypocrisy and a little more tolerance toward oneself can only have good results in respect for our neighbor; for we are all too prone to transfer to our fellows the injustice and violence we inflict upon our own natures. Carl Jung (1875-1961) Swiss psychiatrist Self-knowledge Self-pity The dupe of friendship, and the fool of love; have I not reason to hate and to despise myself? Indeed I do; and chiefly for not having hated and despised the world enough. William Hazlitt (1778-1830) English essayist Self-pity God put self-pity by the side of despair like the cure by the side of the disease. Albert Camus (1913-1960) French writer Self-pity I never saw a wild thing Sorry for itself. A small bird will drop frozen dead From a bough Without ever having felt sorry for itself. D. H. Lawrence (1885-1930) English author Self-pity Self-pity comes so naturally to all of us, that the most solid happiness can be shaken by the compassion of a fool. Andre Maurois (1885-1967) French author Self-pity Self-sufficiency The proverb warns that, "You should not bite the hand that feeds you." But maybe you should, if it prevents you from feeding yourself. Thomas Szasz (b. 1920) American psychiatrist Self-sufficiency Be thine own palace, or the world's thy jail. John Donne (1572-1631) English divine, metaphysical poet Self-sufficiency Sense of Humor See: Comedy: Grey God: Inge Laughter From the silence which prevails I conclude Lauderdale has been making a joke. Richard Brinsley Sheridan (1751-1816) Anglo-Irish dramatist Sense of Humor Men will confess to treason, murder, arson, false teeth, or a wig. How many of them will own up to a lack of humor? F. M. Colby (1865-1925) American editor, essayist Sense of Humor A sense of humour keen enough to show a man his own absurdities will keep him from the commission of all sins, or nearly all, save those that are worth committing. Samuel Butler (1835-1902) English author Sense of Humor To appreciate nonsense requires a serious interest in life. Gelett Burgess (1866-1951) American humorist, illustrator Sense of Humor Sensitivity Some people are so sensitive that they feel snubbed if an epidemic overlooks them. Kin (F. McKinney) Hubbard (1868-1930) American humorist, journalist Sensitivity Man is much more sensitive to the contempt of others than to contempt for himself. Friedrich Nietzsche (1844-1900) German philosopher Sensitivity Exaggerated sensitiveness is an expression of the feeling of inferiority. Alfred Adler (1870-1937) Austrian psychiatrist Sensitivity It is axiomatic that we should all think of ourselves as being more sensitive than other people because, when we are sensitive in our dealing with others, we cannot be aware of it at the time: conscious insensitivity is a self-contradiction. W. H. Auden (1907-1973) Anglo-American poet Sensitivity Sentimentality See: Unhappiness: Burroughs Sentimentality is the emotional promiscuity of those who have no sentiment. Norman Mailer (b. 1923) American author Sentimentality Sentimentality is only sentiment that rubs you up the wrong way. W. Somerset Maugham (1874-1965) British author Sentimentality It is as healthy to enjoy sentiment as to enjoy jam. G. K. Chesterton (1874-1936) English author Sentimentality Sentimentality - that's what we call the sentiment we don't share. Graham Greene (b. 1904) British novelist Sentimentality A sentimentalist is simply one who desires to have the luxury of an emotion without paying for it. Oscar Wilde (1854-1900) Anglo-Irish writer Sentimentality Sentimentality is a superstructure covering brutality. Carl Jung (1875-1961) Swiss psychiatrist Sentimentality Sex See: The English: Mikes; Younger Ennui: Pope Masturbation Orgasm Orgies Perversion Promiscuity Sport: King Mtetwa And the world's shrunken to a heap Of hot flesh straining on a bed. E. R. Dodds (1893-1979) British classical scholar Sex Love is not the dying moan of a distant violin - it's the triumphant twang of a bedspring. S. J. Perelman (1904-1979) American humorist Sex So must pure lovers' souls descend T'affections and to faculties Which sense may reach and apprehend; Else a great prince in prison dies. John Donne (1572-1631) English divine, metaphysical poet Sex For all the pseudo-sophistication of twentieth-century sex theory, it is still assumed that a man should make love as if his principal intention was to people the wilderness. Germaine Greer (b. 1939) Australian feminist writer Sex The reproduction of mankind is a great marvel and mystery. Had God consulted me in the matter, I should have advised him to continue the generation of the species by fashioning them of clay. Martin Luther (1483-1546) German leader of the Protestant Reformation Sex I could be content that we might procreate like trees, without conjunction, or that there were any way to perpetuate the world without this trivial and vulgar way of coition. Sir Thomas Browne (1605-1682) English physician, author Sex This sex attraction, though it is so useful for keeping the world peopled, has nothing to do with beauty: it blinds us to ugliness instead of opening our eyes to beauty. George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) Anglo-Irish playwright, critic Sex Making love? It's a communion with a woman. The bed is the holy table. There I find passion - and purification. Omar Sharif (b. 1932) Egyptian film actor Sex Girls who put out are tramps. Girls who don't are ladies. This is, however, a rather archaic use of the word. Should one of you boys happen upon a girl who doesn't put out, do not jump to the conclusion that you have found a lady. What you have probably found is a lesbian. Fran Lebowitz (b. 1951) American journalist Sex Embraces are cominglings from the Head to the Feet, And not a pompous High Priest entering by a Secret Place. William Blake (1757-1827) English poet, artist Sex License my roving hands, and let them go Before, behind, between, above, below. John Donne (1572-1631) English divine, metaphysical poet Sex Sex, unlike justice, should not be seen to be done. Evelyn Laye (b. 1900) British actress, singer Sex Night makes no difference 'twixt the Priest and Clerk: Joan as my Lady is as good i'th'dark. Robert Herrick (1591-1674) English poet, critic Sex Enough if in the veins we know Body's delirium, body's peace - Ask not that ghost to ghost shall go, Essence in essence merge and cease. E. R. Dodds (1893-1979) British classical scholar Sex In America sex is an obsession, in other parts of the world it is a fact. Marlene Dietrich (b. 1901) German-American film actress Sex It has to be admitted that we English have sex on the brain, which is a very unsatisfactory place to have it. Malcolm Muggeridge (b. 1903) British journalist Sex I have long lost any capacity for surprise where sex is concerned. Judge GeoffreyHoward (1889-1973) British judge Sex There goes a saying, and 'twas shrewdly said, Old fish at table, but young flesh in bed. Alexander Pope (1688-1744) English poet Sex Men always fall for frigid women because they put on the best show. Fanny Brice (1891-1951) American entertainer Sex All this fuss about sleeping together. For physical pleasure I'd sooner go to the dentist any day. Evelyn Waugh (1903-1966) British novelist Sex Someone asked Sophocles: "How do you stand in respect to the pleasures of sex? Are you still capable of intercourse?" "Hush, sir," he said, "It gives me the greatest joy to have escaped the clutches of that savage and fierce master." Plato (428-347 BC) Greek philosopher trans. A. D. Lindsay Sex When sexual indulgence has reduced a man to the shape of Lord Hailsham, sexual continence involves no more than a sense of the ridiculous. Lord Paget (b. 1908) British Labour politician during the Profumo debate, 1963 Sex The more sex becomes a non-issue in people's lives, the happier they are. Shirley Maclaine (b. 1934) American film actress Sex Sex is. There is nothing more to be done about it. Sex builds no roads, writes no novels and sex certainly gives no meaning to anything in life but itself. Gore Vidal (b. 1925) American novelist, critic Sex In Europe men and women have intercourse because they love each other. In the South Seas they love each other because they have had intercourse. Who is right? Paul Gauguin (1838-1903) French artist Sex Sex is an emotion in motion. Mae West (1892-1980) American film actress Sex I think sex is dead anyway. Elizabeth Taylor (b. 1932) Anglo-American film actress in 1958 Sex Sex Appeal 'Tisn't beauty, so to speak, nor good talk necessarily. It's just IT. Some women'll stay in a man's memory if they once walked down a street. Rudyard Kipling (1865-1936) English author Sex Appeal Being a sex symbol has to do with an attitude, not looks. Most men think it's looks, most women know otherwise. Kathleen Turner (b. 1956) American film actress Sex Appeal Sex appeal is 50 percent what you've got and 50 percent what people think you've got. Sophia Loren (b. 1934) Italian film actress Sex Appeal Being a sex symbol was rather like being a convict. Raquel Welch (b. 1940) American film actress Sex Appeal Shakespeare The remarkable thing about Shakespeare is that he is really very good - in spite of all the people who say he is very good. Robert Graves (1895-1985) British poet, novelist Shakespeare He was not of an age, but for all time! Ben Jonson (1573-1637) English dramatist, poet Shakespeare He was the man who, of all modern, and perhaps ancient poets, had the largest and most comprehensive soul. John Dryden (1631-1700) English poet, dramatist, critic Shakespeare A quibble is to Shakespeare what luminous vapours are to the traveller: he follows it at all adventures; it is sure to lead him out of his way and sure to engulf him in the mire. Dr. Samuel Johnson (1709-1784) English author, lexicographer Shakespeare If we wish to know the force of human genius we should read Shakespeare. If we wish to see the insignificance of human learning we may study his commentators. William Hazlitt (1778-1830) English essayist Shakespeare Shakespeare is the sexiest great writer in the language. A. L. Rowse (b. 1903) British academic Shakespeare For I loved the man and do honour his memory, on this side idolatry, as much as any. Ben Jonson (1573-1637) English dramatist, poet Shakespeare I am more easily bored with Shakespeare and have suffered more ghastly evenings with Shakespeare than with any other dramatist I know. Peter Brook (b. 1925) British theater director Shakespeare It would positively be a relief to me to dig him up and throw stones at him. George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) Anglo-Irish playwright, critic Shakespeare good frend for jesus sake forbeare to digg the dust encloased heare blese be ye man yt spares thes stones and curst be he yt moves my bones epitaph on Shakespeare's tomb at Stratford Shakespeare Shame See: Lovers: La Rochefoucauld Paradise: Bible, Genesis Poverty: Fuller Respectability: Shaw We live in an atmosphere of shame. We are ashamed of everything that is real about us; ashamed of ourselves, of our relatives, of our income, of our accents, of our opinions, of our experience, just as we are ashamed of our naked skins. Tanner, Man and Superman George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) Anglo-Irish playwright, critic Shame Shame is the feeling you have when you agree with the woman who loves you that you are the man she thinks you are. Carl Sandburg (1878-1967) American poet Shame Whoever blushes is already guilty; true innocence is not ashamed of anything. Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712-1778) Swiss-French philosopher, political theorist Shame George Bernard Shaw Bernard Shaw is an excellent man; he has not an enemy in the world, and none of his friends like him. Oscar Wilde (1854-1900) Anglo-Irish writer George Bernard Shaw The way Shaw believes in himself is very refreshing in these atheistic days when so many people believe in no God at all. Israel Zangwill (1864-1926) British writer George Bernard Shaw Show Business See: Hollywood: Levant All my shows are great. Some of them are bad. But they are all great. Lord Grade (b. 1906) British film and TV entrepreneur Show Business That's what show business is - sincere insincerity. Benny Hill (b. 1925) British comedian Show Business Significance See: Coincidence: Priestley The tiniest hair casts a shadow. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749-1832) German poet, dramatist, novelist, scientist Significance Silence See: Applause: Emerson Conversation: Chesterton The English: Heine Lying: Stevenson Modesty: Eliot And when he had opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven about the space of half an hour. John the Divine (b. 1st century AD) Apostle of Jesus Silence And Silence like a poultice comes To heal the blows of sound. Dr. Oliver Wendell Holmes (1809-1894) American writer, physician Silence I have been breaking silence these twenty-three years and have hardly made a rent in it. Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862) American philosopher, author, naturalist Silence I have often repented speaking, but never of holding my tongue. Xenocrates (396-315 BC) Greek philosopher Silence Silence is the virtue of fools. Francis Bacon (1561-1626) English philosopher, essayist Silence Even a fool, when he holdeth his peace, is counted wise. Bible, Proverbs Silence The most silent people are generally those who think most highly of themselves. William Hazlitt (1778-1830) English essayist Silence There may be other reasons for a man's not speaking in publick than want of resolution: he may have nothing to say. Dr. Samuel Johnson (1709-1784) English author, lexicographer Silence His enemies might have said before that he talked rather too much; but now he has occasional flashes of silence, that make his conversation perfectly delightful. Sydney Smith (1771-1845) English writer, clergyman of Macaulay Silence That man's silence is wonderful to listen to. Thomas Hardy (1840-1928) English novelist, poet Silence Sin See: Church of England: Wilson Crime: Milton The English: de Madariaga Mitigation: Marlowe Partnership: Crane Preaching: Twain Religion: France; Marlowe Repentance: Billings; Dryden Sainthood: Bierce; Wilde Scandal: Moliere Sense of Humor: Butler One leak will sink a ship, and one sin will destroy a sinner. John Bunyan (1628-1688) English author Sin That which we call sin in others, is experiment for us. Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882) American essayist, poet, philosopher Sin A large part of mankind is angry not with the sins, but with the sinners. Seneca (c. 5-65) Roman writer, philosopher, statesman Sin Nothing makes one so vain as being told that one is a sinner. Oscar Wilde (1854-1900) Anglo-Irish writer Sin Commit a sin twice and it will not seem a crime. rabbinical saying Sin To sin is in itself excusable; to be taken is a crime. John Fletcher (1579-1625) English dramatist Sin No matter how hard the times get, the wages of sin are always liberal and on the dot. Kin (F. McKinney) Hubbard (1868-1930) American humorist, journalist Sin There are only two sorts of men: the one the just, who believe themselves sinners; the other sinners, who believe themselves just. Blaise Pascal (1623-1662) French scientist, philosopher Sin He that falls into sin is a man; that grieves at it, is a saint; that boasteth of it, is a devil. Thomas Fuller (1608-1661) English cleric Sin It makes a great difference whether a person is unwilling to sin, or does not know how. Seneca (c. 5-65) Roman writer, philosopher, statesman Sin To abstain from sin when a man cannot sin is to be forsaken by sin, not to forsake it. Saint Augustine (354-430) theologian Sin Many are saved from sin by being so inept at it. Mignon McLaughlin American author Sin For God's sake, if you sin, take pleasure in it, And do it for the pleasure . . . Gerald Gould (1885-1936) British poet Sin When we sin, we are all ashamed at the presence of our inferiors. John Chrysostom (345-407) Greek ecclesiast, hermit Sin Few love to hear the sins they love to act. Pericles, Pericles William Shakespeare (1564-1616) English dramatist, poet Sin Should we all confess our sins to one another we would all laugh at one another for our lack of originality. Kahlil Gibran (1883-1931) Syrian mystic, poet Sin A private sin is not so prejudicial in the world as a public indecency. Miguel de Cervantes (1547-1616) Spanish novelist, dramatist, poet Sin When the righteous man turneth away from his righteousness that he hath committed and doeth that which is neither quite lawful nor quite right, he will generally be found to have gained in amiability what he has lost in holiness. Samuel Butler (1835-1902) English author Sin Christ died for our sins. Dare we make his martyrdom meaningless by not committing them? Jules Feiffer (b. 1929) American cartoonist Sin Sin writes histories, goodness is silent. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749-1832) German poet, dramatist, novelist, scientist Sin Sincerity See: Sociability: La Rochefoucauld It is dangerous to be sincere unless you are also stupid. George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) Anglo-Irish playwright, critic Sincerity Most remarks that are worth making are commonplace remarks. The thing that makes them worth saying is that we really mean them. Robert Lynd (1879-1949) Anglo-Irish essayist, journalist Sincerity I only desire sincere relations with the worthiest of my acquaintance, that they may give me an opportunity once in a year to speak the truth. Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862) American philosopher, author, naturalist Sincerity Do not wonder if the common people speak more truly than those of higher rank; for they speak with more safety. Francis Bacon (1561-1626) English philosopher, essayist Sincerity The Sixties All that Swinging Sixties nonsense, we all thought it was passe at the time. David Bailey (b. 1938) British photographer The Sixties I was appalled when the San Francisco ethic didn't mushroom and envelop the whole world into this loving community of acid freaks. I was very naive. Grace Slick (b. 1939) American rock singer The Sixties Skepticism See: Doubt Skepticism is the chastity of the intellect. George Santayana (1863-1952) American philosopher, poet Skepticism It is by insisting on an impossible standard of perfection that the sceptic makes himself secure. A. J. Ayer (1910-1989) British philosopher Skepticism Truth, Sir, is a cow, which will yield sceptics no more milk; so they have gone to milk the bull. Dr. Samuel Johnson (1709-1784) English author, lexicographer Skepticism Slander See: Gossip Satire: Franklin No character, however upright, is a match for constantly reiterated attacks, however false. Alexander Hamilton (1755-1804) American statesman Slander I will make a bargain with the Democrats. If they will stop telling lies about Republicans we will stop telling the truth about them. Chauncey Depew (1834-1928) American Republican politician Slander The slanders poured down like Niagara. If you take into consideration the setting - the war and the revolution - and the character of the accused - revolutionary leaders of millions who were conducting their party to the sovereign power - you can say without exaggeration that July 1917 was the month of the most gigantic slander in world history. Leon Trotsky (1879-1940) Russian revolutionary leader Slander Lie lustily, some filth will stick. Thomas Hall (1610-1665) English preacher, author Slander Our disputants put me in mind of the scuttlefish that, when he is unable to extricate himself, blackens the water about him till he becomes invisible. Joseph Addison (1672-1719) English essayist Slander Calumny differs from most other injuries in this dreadful circumstance: he who commits it can never repair it. Dr. Samuel Johnson (1709-1784) English author, lexicographer Slander Slander-mongers and those who listen to slander, if I had my way, would all be strung up, the talkers by the tongue, the listeners by the ears. Plautus (254-184 BC) Roman playwright Slander It is perfectly monstrous the way people go about nowadays saying things against one, behind one's back, that are absolutely and entirely true. Oscar Wilde (1854-1900) Anglo-Irish writer Slander Slang Never was such a cracked tin whistle played on the splendid quarter-deck of the English spoken word. Cassandra, Sir William Connor (1909-1967) British journalist Slang All slang is metaphor, and all metaphor is poetry. G. K. Chesterton (1874-1936) English author Slang Correct English is the slang of prigs who write history and essays. And the strongest slang of all is the slang of poets. George Eliot (1819-1880) English novelist Slang Slang is a language that rolls up its sleeves, spits on its hands and goes to work. Carl Sandburg (1878-1967) American poet Slang I know only two words of American slang, "swell" and "lousy." I think "swell" is lousy, but "lousy" is swell. J. B. Priestley (1894-1984) British writer Slang Slavery See: Women: Emerson In all social systems there must be a class to do the mean duties . . . It constitutes the very mudsills of society . . . Fortunately for the South, she found a race adapted to that purpose . . . We use them for that purpose and call them slaves. J. H. Hammond (1807-1864) American senator speech to the Senate, 1858 Slavery I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just; that his justice cannot sleep forever. Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826) American president Slavery Slavery is founded on the selfishness of man's nature - opposition to it on his love of justice. These principles are in eternal antagonism; and when brought into collision so fiercely as slavery extension brings them, shocks and throes and convulsions must ceaselessly follow. Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865) American president Slavery Mister Ward, don't yur blud bile at the thawd that three million and a half of your culled brethren air a clanking their chains in the South? - Sez I, not a bile! Let 'em clank! Artemus Ward (1834-1867) American journalist Slavery The distinguishing sign of slavery is to have a price, and to be bought for it. John Ruskin (1819-1900) English critic Slavery Sleep See: Dreaming Life: Chamfort Prayer: Baudelaire Religion: Rabelais Sleep, dear Sleep, sweet harlot of the senses, Delilah of the spirit. Christopher Morley (1890-1957) American novelist, journalist Sleep All men whilst they are awake are in one common world: but each of them, when he is asleep, is in a world of his own. Plutarch (46-120) Greek essayist, biographer Sleep We term sleep a death . . . by which we may be literally said to die daily; in fine, so like death, I dare not trust it without my prayers. Sir Thomas Browne (1605-1682) English physician, author Sleep Sleep is when all the unsorted stuff comes flying out as from a dustbin upset in a high wind. William Golding (b. 1911) British author Sleep Oh Sleep! it is a gentle thing, Beloved from pole to pole, To Mary Queen the praise be given! She sent the gentle sleep from Heaven, That slid into my soul. Samuel Taylor Coleridge (1772-1834) English poet Sleep Blessings on him that invented sleep! It covers a man, thoughts and all, like a cloak; it is meat for the hungry, drink for the thirsty, heat for the cold, and cold for the hot. It is the currency with which everything may be purchased, and the balance that sets even king and shepherd, simpleton and sage. Miguel de Cervantes (1547-1616) Spanish novelist, dramatist, poet Sleep We are not hypocrites in our sleep. William Hazlitt (1778-1830) English essayist Sleep Those no-sooner-have-I-touched-the-pillow people are past my comprehension. There is something bovine about them. J. B. Priestley (1894-1984) British writer Sleep Come Sleep! Oh Sleep, the certain knot of peace, The baiting-place of wit, the balm of woe, The poor man's wealth, the prisoner's release, Th'indifferent judge between the high and low. Sir Philip Sidney (1554-1586) English poet, critic, soldier Sleep Sloanes The wealthy curled darlings of our nation. Brabantio, Othello William Shakespeare (1564-1616) English dramatist, poet Sloanes A fine puss-gentleman that's all perfume. William Cowper (1731-1800) English poet Sloanes A clever, ugly man every now and then is successful with the ladies, but a handsome fool is irresistible. William Makepeace Thackeray (1811-1863) English author Sloanes Smells See: Defecation: Artaud I counted two and seventy stenches, All well defined, and several stinks! Samuel Taylor Coleridge (1772-1834) English poet of Cologne Smells The rankest compound of villainous smell that ever offended nostril. William Shakespeare (1564-1616) English dramatist, poet Smells Of nothing are you allowed to get the real odor or savor. Everything is sterilized and wrapped in cellophane. The only odor which is recognized and admitted as an odor is halitosis and of this all Americans live in mortal dread. Henry Miller (1891-1980) American author Smells The woman one loves always smells good. Remy de Gourmont (1858-1915) French critic, novelist Smells Smoking A custom loathsome to the eye, hateful to the nose, harmful to the brain, dangerous to the lungs, and in the black, stinking fume thereof nearest resembling the horrible Stygian smoke of the pit that is bottomless. King James I of England (1566-1625) Smoking There's nothing quite like tobacco; it's the passion of decent folk, and whoever lives without tobacco doesn't deserve to live. Moliere (1622-1673) French playwright Smoking The pipe, with solemn interposing puff, Makes half a sentence at a time enough; The dozing sages drop the drowsy strain, Then pause, and puff - and speak, and pause again. William Cowper (1731-1800) English poet Smoking The believing we do something when we do nothing is the first illusion of tobacco. Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882) American essayist, poet, philosopher Smoking Smokers, male and female, inject and excuse idleness in their lives every time they light a cigarette. Colette (1873-1954) French novelist Smoking What joy in that light cloud! Ermanno Wolf-Ferrari (1876-1948) Italo-German composer Smoking But when I don't smoke I scarcely feel as if I'm living. I don't feel as if I'm living unless I'm killing myself. Russell Hoban (b. 1925) British author Smoking I have every sympathy with the American who was so horrified by what he had read of the effects of smoking that he gave up reading. Henry G. Strauss, Lord Conesford (1892-1974) British lawyer, politician Smoking I kissed my first woman and smoked my first cigarette on the same day; I have never had time for tobacco since. Arturo Toscanini (1867-1957) Italian conductor Smoking Tobacco is the tomb of love. Benjamin Disraeli (1804-1881) English prime minister Smoking Smugness I do not object to Gladstone's always having the ace of trumps up his sleeve, but only to his pretence that God had put it there. Henry Labouchere (1831-1912) English journalist, politician Smugness Every man has a right to be conceited until he is successful. Benjamin Disraeli (1804-1881) English prime minister Smugness And then in the fullness of joy and hope, Seemed washing his hands with invisible soap, In imperceptible water. Thomas Hood (1799-1845) English poet Smugness I seem to see looming between us that wincing, winsome face discharging, as though from some suppurating wound of the spirit, an unstaunchable ooze of sneers. J. W. Lambert (b. 1917) British author, journalist, broadcaster of Malcolm Muggeridge Smugness Of all the horrid, hideous notes of woe, Sadder than owl-songs or the midnight blast, Is that portentous phrase, "I told you so." Lord Byron (1788-1824) English poet Smugness Snobbery See: Class: Shaw Snobbery - the "pox Britannica." Anthony Sampson (b. 1926) British journalist, author Snobbery It is impossible, in our condition of society, not to be sometimes a Snob. William Makepeace Thackeray (1811-1863) English author Snobbery Respectable means rich, and decent means poor. I should die if I heard my family called decent. Thomas Love Peacock (1785-1866) English author Snobbery Heaven grant him now some noble nook, For, rest his soul! he'd rather be Genteelly damn'd beside a Duke, Then sav'd in vulgar company. Thomas Moore (1779-1852) Irish poet Snobbery Snobs talk as if they had begotten their own ancestors. Herbert Agar (1897-1980) American author, journalist Snobbery Philistine - a term of contempt applied by prigs to the rest of their species. Sir Leslie Stephen (1832-1904) British author, philosopher Snobbery Laughter would be bereaved if snobbery died. Peter Ustinov (b. 1921) British author, actor, wit Snobbery Snubs See: Sensitivity: Hubbard He was as irrepressibly good-humoured under ghastly snubs as a parliamentary candidate on the hustings. Thomas Hardy (1840-1928) English novelist, poet Snubs Mrs Montagu has dropt me. Now, Sir, there are people whom one should like very well to drop, but would not wish to be dropt by. Dr. Samuel Johnson (1709-1784) English author, lexicographer Snubs Sociability See: Company Dinner Parties: Carlyle; Chesterton; Patmore; Virgil Friendliness On clean-shirt day he went abroad, and paid visits. James Boswell (1740-1795) Scottish biographer of Doctor Johnson Sociability Of all animals of prey, man is the only sociable one. Every one of us preys upon his neighbour, and yet we herd together. John Gay (1685-1732) English playwright, poet Sociability What men call social virtue, good fellowship, is commonly but the virtue of pigs in a litter, which lie close together to keep each other warm. Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862) American philosopher, author, naturalist Sociability Scoundrels are always sociable. Arthur Schopenhauer (1788-1860) German philosopher Sociability If you wish to appear agreeable in society you must consent to be taught many things which you already know. Johann Kaspar Lavater (1741-1801) Swiss divine, poet Sociability Be really reserved with everybody, and seemingly reserved with nobody; for it is disagreeable to seem reserved, and dangerous not to be. Lord Chesterfield (1694-1773) English statesman, man of letters Sociability He that will live in this world must be endowed with the three rare qualities of dissimulation, equivocation, and mental reservation. Aphra Behn (1640-1689) English playwright, poet Sociability The most exhausting thing in life is being insincere. That is why so much social life is exhausting. Anne Morrow Lindbergh (b. 1906) American poet, essayist Sociability Nothing so much prevents our being natural as the desire to seem so. Francois, Duc de La Rochefoucauld (1613-1680) French writer, moralist Sociability Once the realization is accepted that even between the closest human beings infinite distances continue to exist, a wonderful living side by side can grow up, if they succeed in loving the distance between them which makes it possible for each to see the other whole against the sky. Rainer Maria Rilke (1875-1926) German poet trans. Jane Barnard Green and M. D. Herter Norton Sociability Making a film with Garbo does not constitute an introduction. Robert Montgomery (1904-1981) American actor, director Sociability Socialism See: Capitalism: Churchill Communism Economics: Galbraith Marxism Trade Unions: Shaw For the right moment you must wait, as Fabius did most patiently, when warring against Hannibal, though many censured his delays; but when the time comes you must strike hard, as Fabius did, or your waiting will be in vain. Frank Podmore (1855-1910) English psychist, founder of the Fabian Society from Fabian Society's first tract Socialism Socialism can only arrive by bicycle. Jose Antonio Viera Gallo (b. 1943) Chilean politician in Allende's government Socialism We cannot outline socialism. What socialism will look like when it takes on its final form we do not know and cannot say. Vladimir Ilyich Lenin (1870-1924) Russian revolutionary leader Socialism In socialism there should always remain a trace of the anarchist and the libertarian, and not too much of the prig and the prude. Anthony Crosland (1918-1977) British Labour politician Socialism Whether considered as a doctrine, or as an historical fact, or as a movement, socialism, if it really remains socialism, cannot be brought into harmony with the dogmas of the Catholic church . . . Religious socialism, Christian socialism, are expressions implying a contradiction in terms. Pope Pius XI (1857-1939) Socialism As with the Christian religion, the worst advertisement for Socialism is its adherents. George Orwell (1903-1950) British author Socialism Essentially Socialism is no more and no less than a criticism of the idea of property in the light of the public good. H. G. Wells (1866-1946) English author, social thinker Socialism Socialism proposes no adequate substitute for the motive of enlightened selfishness that today is at the basis of all human labor and effort, enterprise and new activity. William Howard Taft (1857-1930) American president Socialism By concentrating on what is good in people, by appealing to their idealism and their sense of justice, and by asking them to put their faith in the future, socialists put themselves at a severe disadvantage. Ian McEwan (b. 1938) British author Socialism Socialists make the mistake of confusing individual worth with success. They believe you cannot allow people to succeed in case those who fail feel worthless. Kenneth Baker (b. 1934) British Conservative politician Socialism Socialism is simply the degenerate capitalism of bankrupt capitalists. Its one genuine object is to get more money for its professors. H. L. Mencken (1880-1956) American journalist Socialism Society Society can only exist on the basis that there is some amount of polished lying and that no one says exactly what he thinks. Lin Yutang (1895-1976) Chinese writer Society Society is a masked ball, where every one hides his real character, and reveals it in hiding. Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882) American essayist, poet, philosopher Society What are we going to get out of it, what's it all in aid of - is it really just for the sake of a gloved hand waving at you from a golden coach? Jean, The Entertainer John Osborne (b. 1929) British playwright Society Society everywhere is in conspiracy against the manhood of every one of its members . . . The virtue in most requests is conformity. Self-reliance is its aversion. It loves not realities and creators, but names and customs. Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882) American essayist, poet, philosopher Society Never speak disrespectfully of Society, Algernon. Only people who can't get into it do that. Oscar Wilde (1854-1900) Anglo-Irish writer Society Solemnity See: Ceremony: Lichtenberg Historians: Byron Never make people laugh. If you would succeed in life, you must be solemn, solemn as an ass. All the great monuments are built over solemn asses. Thomas Corwin (1794-1865) American politician Solemnity No one is exempt from talking nonsense: the misfortune is to do it solemnly. Michel de Montaigne (1533-1592) French essayist, moralist Solemnity Nothing in the world annoys a man more than not being taken seriously. Palacio Valdes (1853-1938) Spanish novelist Solemnity Solemn people are generally humbugs. Bertrand Russell (1872-1970) British philosopher, mathematician, social reformer Solemnity In the last analysis ability is commonly found to consist mainly in a high degree of solemnity. Ambrose Bierce (1842-1914) American author Solemnity Solitude See: Age: Old Age: Vaughan Atheism: Osborne Hell: Eliot Hermits I never found the companion that was so companionable as solitude. Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862) American philosopher, author, naturalist Solitude Whosoever is delighted in solitude is either a wild beast or a god. Francis Bacon (1561-1626) English philosopher, essayist Solitude There are some solitary wretches, who seem to have left the rest of mankind only as Eve left Adam, to meet the devil in private. Alexander Pope (1688-1744) English poet Solitude A solitude is the audience-chamber of God. Walter Savage Landor (1775-1864) English author Solitude The greatest thing in the world is to know how to be on your own. Michel de Montaigne (1533-1592) French essayist, moralist Solitude In solitude, where we are LEAST alone. Lord Byron (1788-1824) English poet Solitude Solitude gives birth to the original in us, to beauty unfamiliar and perilous - to poetry. But also, it gives birth to the opposite: to the perverse, the illicit, the absurd. Thomas Mann (1875-1955) German author, critic Solitude Solitude is un-American Erica Jong (b. 1942) American author Solitude One can acquire everything in solitude except character. Stendhal (1783-1842) French author Solitude Solitude is to the mind what fasting is to the body, fatal if it is too prolonged, and yet necessary. Luc, Marquis de Vauvenargues (1715-1747) French moralist Solitude Solitude is dangerous to reason, without being favourable to virtue . . . Remember that the solitary mortal is certainly luxurious, probably superstitious, and possibly mad. Dr. Samuel Johnson (1709-1784) English author, lexicographer Solitude Solitude is the mother of anxieties. Publilius Syrus (b. 1st century BC) Roman writer of mimes Solitude Perhaps even one's feelings get tired, when one is alone with oneself. Ugo Betti (1892-1953) Italian playwright Solitude Ships that pass in the night, and speak each other in passing, Only a signal shown, and a distant voice in the darkness; So on the ocean of life, we pass and speak one another. Only a look and a voice, then darkness again and a silence. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807-1882) American poet Solitude Life without a friend is death without a witness. Spanish proverb Solitude Song See: Music: Hill It is the best of all trades to make songs, and the second best to sing them. Hilaire Belloc (1870-1953) British author Song Song: the licensed medium for bawling in public things too silly or sacred to be uttered in ordinary speech. Oliver Herford (1863-1935) American poet, illustrator Song These days, what isn't worth saying is sung. Pierre de Beaumarchais (1732-1799) French dramatist Song Odd life! must one swear to the truth of a song? Matthew Prior (1664-1721) English poet, diplomat Song That's the wise thrush; he sings each song twice over, Lest you should think he never could recapture The first fine careless rapture! Robert Browning (1812-1889) English poet Song I can't stand to sing the same song the same way two nights in succession. If you can, then it ain't music, it's close order drill, or exercise or yodeling or something, not music. Billie Holiday (1915-1959) American jazz singer Song When Satan makes impure verses, Allah sends a divine tune to cleanse them. George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) Anglo-Irish playwright, critic Song I would rather be remembered by a song than by a victory. Alexander Smith (1830-1867) Scottish poet Song The Soul See: Anxiety: Haldane Certainty: Meredith Conformity: Woolf The Cosmos: Charles Immortality: Pascal Night: Fitzgerald Unhappiness: Carlyle The soul is a troublesome possession, and when man developed it he lost the Garden of Eden. W. Somerset Maugham (1874-1965) British author The Soul Most people sell their souls, and live with a good conscience on the proceeds. Logan Pearsall Smith (1865-1946) Anglo-American essayist The Soul A beautiful soul has no other merit than its existence. Friedrich von Schiller (1759-1805) German dramatist, poet The Soul The soul is the body and the body is the soul. They tell us they are different because they want to persuade us that we can keep our souls if we let them make slaves of our bodies. Ellie, Heartbreak House George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) Anglo-Irish playwright, critic The Soul The soul's a sort of sentimental wife, That prays and whimpers of the higher life. Richard Le Gallienne (1866-1947) British poet The Soul Instead of being at the mercy of wild beasts, earthquakes, landslides, and inundations, modern man is battered by the elemental forces of his own psyche. This is the World Power that vastly exceeds all other powers on earth. The Age of Enlightenment, which stripped nature and human institutions of gods, overlooked the God of Terror who dwells in the human soul. Carl Jung (1875-1961) Swiss psychiatrist The Soul Every soul is a melody which needs renewing. Stephane Mallarme (1842-1898) French Symbolist poet The Soul Why do you hasten to remove anything which hurts your eye, while if something affects your soul you postpone the cure until next year? Horace (65-8 BC) Latin poet The Soul South Africa I am fifty-two years of age. I am a bishop in the Anglican Church, and a few people might be constrained to say that I was reasonably responsible. In the land of my birth I cannot vote. And why? Because he or she possesses that wonderful biological attribute - a white skin. Bishop Desmond Tutu (b. 1932) South African religious leader South Africa Is not our role to stand for the one thing which means our own salvation here but with which it will also be possible to save the world, and with which Europe will be able to save itself, namely the preservation of the white man and his state? Hendrik Verwoerd (1901-1966) South African politician, prime minister South Africa Christ in this country would quite likely have been arrested under the Suppression of Communism Act. Joost de Blank (1908-1968) Archbishop of Cape Town (1957-1963) South Africa As far as criticism is concerned, we don't resent that unless it is absolutely biased, as it is in most cases. John Vorster (1915-1983) South African politician, prime minister South Africa The drama can only be brought to its climax in one of two ways - through the selective brutality of terrorism or the impartial horrors of war. Kenneth Kaunda (b. 1924) Zambian statesman, president of the situation in South Africa, 1980 South Africa Together, hand in hand, with our matches and our necklaces, we shall liberate this country. Winnie Mandela (b. 1934) South African political leader South Africa Space See: The Cosmos: von Schiller; Lamb Space is the stature of God. Joseph Joubert (1754-1824) French essayist, moralist Space The eternal silence of those inifinite spaces terrifies me. Blaise Pascal (1623-1662) French scientist, philosopher Space Space isn't remote at all. It's only an hour's drive away if your car could go straight upwards. Sir Fred Hoyle (b. 1915) British astronomer Space Walking in space, man has never looked more puny or more significant. Alexander Chase (b. 1926) American journalist Space Today we can no more predict what use mankind may make of the Moon than could Columbus have imagined the future of the continent he had discovered. Arthur C. Clarke (b. 1917) British author Space Space flights are merely an escape, a fleeing away from oneself, because it is easier to go to Mars or to the moon than it is to penetrate one's own being. Carl Jung (1875-1961) Swiss psychiatrist Space Speech See: Conversation: Holmes Words Language most shews a man: Speak, that I may see thee. Ben Jonson (1573-1637) English dramatist, poet Speech Speech was given to man to disguise his thoughts. Charles, Count Talleyrand (1754-1838) French statesman Speech Let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt. Saint Paul (3-67) Apostle to the Gentiles Speech Many a man's tongue broke his nose. Seumas MacManus (1869-1960) Irish author Speech The stroke of the whip maketh marks in the flesh: but the stroke of the tongue breaketh the bones. Many have fallen by the edge of the sword; but not so many as have fallen by the tongue. Apocrypha, Ecclesiasticus Speech Speak clearly, if you speak at all; Carve every word before you let it fall. Dr. Oliver Wendell Holmes (1809-1894) American writer, physician Speech If your face is not clean, wash it: don't cut your head off. If your diction is slipshod and impure, correct and purify it: don't throw it away and make shift for the rest of your life with a hideous affectation accent, false emphases, unmeaning pauses, aggravating slowness, ill-conditioned gravity, and perverse resolution to "get it from the chest" and make it sound as if you got it from the cellar. Of course, if you are a professional humbug - a bishop or a judge, for instance - then the case is different; for the salary makes it seem worth your while to dehumanize yourself and pretend to belong to a different species. George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) Anglo-Irish playwright, critic Speech I don't want to talk grammar. I want to talk like a lady. Liza, Pygmalion George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) Anglo-Irish playwright, critic Speech All speech, written or spoken, is a dead language, until it finds a willing and prepared hearer. Robert Louis Stevenson (1850-1894) Scottish novelist, essayist, poet Speech Speeches See: Action: Gaboriau Guests: Nietzsche Passion: La Rochefoucauld Preaching Understanding Let thy speech be short, comprehending much in few words. Aprocrypha, Ecclesiasticus Speeches What orators lack in depth they make up to you in length. Charles de Montesquieu (1689-1755) French philosopher, writer, lawyer Speeches Most people have ears, but few have judgement; tickle those ears, and depend upon it, you will catch their judgements, such as they are. Lord Chesterfield (1694-1773) English statesman, man of letters Speeches A good indignation makes an excellent speech. Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882) American essayist, poet, philosopher Speeches Strong men delight in forceful speech. Soldiers relish a speaker delivering himself a little unreservedly. John Keble (1792-1866) English clergyman, poet Speeches Begin low, speak slow; take fire, rise higher; when most impressed be self-possessed; at the end wax warm, and sit down in a storm. anonymous Speeches Adepts in the speaking trade Keep a cough by them ready made. Charles Churchill (1731-1764) English clergyman, poet Speeches He can best be described as one of those orators who, before they get up, do not know what they are going to say; when they are speaking, do not know what they are saying; and, when they have sat down, do not know what they have said. Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965) British statesman, writer Speeches He's a wonderful talker who has the art of telling you nothing in a great harangue. Moliere (1622-1673) French playwright Speeches The object of oratory alone is not truth, but persuasion. Lord Macaulay (1800-1859) English historian Speeches When a subject is highly controversial . . . one cannot hope to tell the truth. One can only show how one came to hold whatever opinion one does hold. One can only give one's audience the chance of drawing their own conclusions as they observe the limitations, the prejudices, the idiosyncrasies of the speaker. Virginia Woolf (1882-1941) British novelist Speeches She plunged into a sea of platitudes and with the powerful breast stroke of a Channel swimmer made her confident way towards the white cliffs of the obvious. W. Somerset Maugham (1874-1965) British author Speeches He rose without a friend, and sat down without an enemy. Henry Grattan (1746-1820) Irish politician of a member of the Irish Parliament Speeches All you need to do to get a speech out of Mr Choate is to open his mouth, drop in a dinner, and up comes a speech. Chauncey Depew (1834-1928) American Republican politician of Ambassador Joseph H. Choate Speeches How many grave speeches which have surprised, shocked, and directed the nation, have been made by Great Men too soon after a noble dinner, words winged by the Press without an accompanying and explanatory wine list. H. M. Tomlinson (1873-1958) British novelist Speeches It usually takes more than three weeks to prepare a good impromptu speech. Mark Twain (1835-1910) American author Speeches Why doesn't the fellow who says, "I'm no speechmaker," let it go at that instead of giving a demonstration. Kin (F. McKinney) Hubbard (1868-1930) American humorist, journalist Speeches I do not object to people looking at their watches when I am speaking. But I strongly object when they start shaking them to make certain they are still going. Lord Birkett (1883-1962) British lawyer, Liberal politician Speeches You know very well that after a certain age a man has only one speech. George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) Anglo-Irish playwright, critic Speeches He hears On all sides, from innumerable tongues, A dismal universal hiss, the sound Of public scorn. John Milton (1608-1674) English poet Speeches The great orator always shows a dash of contempt for the opinions of his audience. Elbert Hubbard (1856-1915) American author Speeches I never failed to convince an audience that the best thing they could do was to go way. Thomas Love Peacock (1785-1866) English author Speeches A speech is like a love affair: any fool can start one but to end it requires considerable skill. Lord Mancroft (1914-1987) British Conservative politician Speeches Spirituality Zen does not confuse spirituality with thinking about God while one is peeling potatoes. Zen spirituality is just to peel the potatoes. Alan Watts (1915-1973) American philosopher, author Spirituality Yoga in Mayfair or Fifth Avenue, or in any other place which is on the telephone, is a spiritual fake. Carl Jung (1875-1961) Swiss psychiatrist Spirituality Spontaneity See: Speeches: Twain The most decisive actions of our life - I mean those that are most likely to decide the whole course of our future - are, more often than not, unconsidered. Andre Gide (1869-1951) French author Spontaneity Sport See: Cricket Exercise: Coward Foul play: Shakespeare; Stewart Golf Individuality: Advertisement University: Bowra War: Mencken Winning: Mansell Duas tantem res anxius optat, Panem et Circenses. Two things only the people anxiously desire, bread and the Circus games. Juvenal (c. 40-130) Roman satiric poet Sport A ballplayer's got to be kept hungry to become a big-leaguer. That's why no boy from a rich family ever made the big leagues. Joe DiMaggio (b. 1914) American baseball player Sport Show me a good loser in professional sports and I'll show you an idiot. Show me a good sportsman and I'll show you a player I'm looking to trade. Leo Durocher (b. 1906) American baseball manager Sport I don't like that Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome. It's a shame a great guy like Humphrey had to be named after it. Billy Martin (1928-1989) American baseball manager Sport I don't think I can be expected to take seriously any game which takes less than three days to reach its conclusion. Tom Stoppard (b. 1937) British playwright on baseball Sport It's like standing under a cold shower tearing up five pound notes. Edward Heath (b. 1916) British Conservative politician, prime minister of ocean-racing Sport All fighters are prostitutes and all promoters are pimps. Larry Holmes (b. 1949) American boxing champion Sport New Yorkers love it when you spill your guts out there. Spill your guts at Wimbledon and they make you stop and clean it up. Jimmy Connors (b. 1952) American tennis player Sport If you're up against a girl with big boobs, bring her to the net and make her hit backhand volleys. Billy Jean King (b. 1943) American tennis player Sport A lot of beautiful girls may be made available to you before the game. Such traps are aimed at destabilizing you. You are going to war, and must be on the lookout for all kinds of weapons. King Mtetwa Swaziland Home Affairs Minister, 1985 to Highlanders FC players before match in Lesotho Sport Serious sport has nothing to do with fair play. It is bound up with hatred, jealousy, boastfulness, disregard of all rules and sadistic pleasure in witnessing violence: in other words it is war minus the shooting. George Orwell (1903-1950) British author Sport Games are for people who can neither read nor think. The Lady, On the Rocks George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) Anglo-Irish playwright, critic Sport Stardom See: Fame Thy name is an ointment poured forth, therefore do the virgins love thee. Bible, Song of Solomon Stardom They are trying to make me into a fixed star. I am an irregular planet. Martin Luther (1483-1546) German leader of the Protestant Reformation Stardom Being a star has made it possible for me to get insulted in places where the average Negro could never hope to get insulted. Sammy Davis Jr. (b. 1925) American entertainer Stardom You're not a star until they can spell your name in Karachi. Humphrey Bogart (1899-1957) American film actor Stardom I stopped believing in Santa Claus when I was six. Mother took me to see him in a department store and he asked for my autograph. Shirley Temple Black, Shirley Temple (b. 1928) American film actress Stardom God makes stars. I just produce them. Samuel Goldwyn (1882-1974) American film producer Stardom In America I had two secretaries - one for autographs and the other for locks of hair. Within six months one had died of writer's cramp, and the other was completely bald. Oscar Wilde (1854-1900) Anglo-Irish writer Stardom One thing about being successful is that I stopped being afraid of dying. Once you're a star you're dead already. You're embalmed. Dustin Hoffman (b. 1937) American actor Stardom It's nice to be a part of history but people should get it right. I may not be perfect, but I'm bloody close. John Lydon, Johnny Rotten (b. 1957) British punk rock star Stardom There is not a more unhappy being than a superannuated idol. Joseph Addison (1672-1719) English essayist Stardom If I'm such a legend, then why am I so lonely? If I'm such a legend, then why do I sit at home for hours staring at the damned telephone, hoping it's out of order, even calling the operator asking her if she's sure it's not out of order? Judy Garland (1922-1969) American film actress Stardom On stage I make love to 25,000 people; then I go home alone. Janis Joplin (1943-1970) American singer Stardom Staring See: Idleness: Davies Oh! Death will find me long before I tire Of watching you. Rupert Brooke (1887-1915) British poet Staring I have known a vast quantity of nonsense talked about bad men not looking you in the face. Don't trust that conventional idea. Dishonesty will stare honesty out of countenance any day in the week if there is anything to be got by it. Charles Dickens (1812-1870) English novelist Staring The State See: Force: Kaunda The state includes the dead, the living, and the coming generations. Edmund Burke (1729-1797) Irish philosopher, statesman The State The State is a collection of officials, different for different purposes, drawing comfortable incomes so long as the status quo is preserved. The only alteration they are likely to desire in the status quo is an increase of bureaucracy and of the power of bureaucrats. Bertrand Russell (1872-1970) British philosopher, mathematician, social reformer The State A state without the means of some change is without the means of its own conservation. Edmund Burke (1729-1797) Irish philosopher, statesman The State The state . . . is the most flagrant negation, the most cynical and complete negation of humanity. Mikhail Bakunin (1814-1876) Russian political theorist The State The word state is identical with the word war. P. A. Kropotkin (1842-1912) Russian anarchist The State The obligation of subjects to the sovereign is understood to last as long, and no longer, than the power lasteth by which he is able to protect them. Thomas Hobbes (1588-1679) English philosopher The State If the state is strong, it crushes us. If it is weak, we perish. Paul Valery (1871-1945) French poet, essayist The State While the state exists there is no freedom; when there is freedom there will be no state. Vladimir Ilyich Lenin (1870-1924) Russian revolutionary leader The State The state is not abolished, it withers away. Friedrich Engels (1820-1895) German social philosopher, revolutionary The State Statistics See: Facts: Smith Genocide: Stalin There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics. Benjamin Disraeli (1804-1881) English prime minister Statistics Statistics are like alienists - they will testify for either side. Fiorello La Guardia (1882-1947) American politician, mayor of New York Statistics He uses statistics as a drunken man uses lampposts - for support rather than illumination. Andrew Lang (1844-1912) Scottish author Statistics I could prove God statistically. George Gallup (1901-1984) American statistician, pollster Statistics I always find that statistics are hard to swallow and impossible to digest. The only one I can ever remember is that if all the people who go to sleep in church were laid end to end they would be a lot more comfortable. Mrs. Robert A.Taft wife of American politician Statistics Status See: America: Twain Leisure: Veblen If we all wore crowns the kings would go bare-headed. R. H. Benson (1871-1914) British novelist Status It is only middle-class people who, quite mistakenly, imagine that a lively pursuit of the latest in reading or painting will advance their status in the world. Mary McCarthy (1912-1989) American author Status I don't know of anything better than a woman if you want to spend money where it'll show. Kin (F. McKinney) Hubbard (1868-1930) American humorist, journalist Status It is the superfluous things for which men sweat. Seneca (c. 5-65) Roman writer, philosopher, statesman Status The Status Quo See: Inequality: Alexander; Orwell The State: Russell The powers that be are ordained of God. Saint Paul (3-67) Apostle to the Gentiles The Status Quo Strangers I do desire we may be better strangers. Orlando, As You Like It William Shakespeare (1564-1616) English dramatist, poet Strangers I have always depended on the kindness of strangers. Tennessee Williams (1914-1983) American playwright Strangers Men always talk about the most important things to perfect strangers. In the perfect stranger we perceive man himself; the image of God is not disguised by resemblances to an uncle or doubts of the wisdom of a moustache. G. K. Chesterton (1874-1936) English author Strangers Strength See: Power: Wordsworth My strength is as the strength of ten, Because my heart is pure. Lord Tennyson (1809-1892) English poet Strength What stronger breastplate than a heart untainted! Thrice is he armed that hath his quarrel just, And he but naked, though locked up in steel, Whose conscience with injustice is corrupted. King Henry, King Henry VI part 2 William Shakespeare (1564-1616) English dramatist, poet Strength Thrice is he armed that hath his quarrel just, but four times he who gets his blow in fust. Josh Billings (1818-1885) American humorist Strength There is only one right in the world and that right is one's own strength. Adolf Hitler (1889-1945) German dictator Strength Calmness and irony are the only weapons worthy of the strong. Emile Gaboriau (1835-1873) French author Strength The weak have one weapon: the errors of those who think they are strong. Georges Bidault (1899-1983) French resistance leader, statesman Strength There may come a time when the lion and the lamb will lie down together, but I am still betting on the lion. Josh Billings (1818-1885) American humorist Strength Students See: Examinations Oxford: Milton School University Disciples do owe their masters only a temporary belief, and a suspension of their own judgement till they be fully instructed; and not an absolute resignation nor perpetual captivity. Francis Bacon (1561-1626) English philosopher, essayist Students The average PhD thesis is nothing but a transference of bones from one graveyard to another. J. Frank Dobie (1888-1964) American author Students Generally young men are regarded as radicals. This is a popular misconception. The most conservative persons I ever met are college undergraduates. Woodrow Wilson (1856-1924) American president Students When I was a student at the Sorbonne in Paris I used to go out and riot occasionally. I can't remember now what side it was on. John Foster Dulles (1888-1959) American Republican politician Students Study to be quiet, and to do your own business. Saint Paul (3-67) Apostle to the Gentiles Students Paul, thou art beside thyself; much learning doth make thee mad. Festus Bible, Acts of the Apostles Students Style See: Fashion Writing: Pascal I do not much dislike the matter, but The manner of his speech. Caesar, Antony and Cleopatra William Shakespeare (1564-1616) English dramatist, poet Style She represents merely tone and technique without intelligence. Sir Ernest Newman (1868-1959) British musicologist Style Properly understood style is not a seductive decoration added to a functional structure; it is of the essence of a work of art. Evelyn Waugh (1903-1966) British novelist Style To me style is just the outside of content, and content the inside of style, like the outside and inside of the human body - both go together, they can't be separated. Jean-Luc Godard (b. 1930) French writer, film director Style Style consists in certain fashions, or certain eccentricities, or certain manners, of certain people, in certain situations, and possessed of a certain share of fashion or importance. Washington Irving (1783-1859) American author Style In doing good, we are generally cold and languid and sluggish, but the works of malice and injustice are quite in another style. They are finished with a bold, masterly hand. Edmund Burke (1729-1797) Irish philosopher, statesman Style Subjectivity The same battle in the clouds will be known to the deaf only as lightning and to the blind only as thunder. George Santayana (1863-1952) American philosopher, poet Subjectivity He that is giddy thinks the world turns round. Widow, The Taming of the Shrew William Shakespeare (1564-1616) English dramatist, poet Subjectivity We see things not as they are, but as we are. H. M. Tomlinson (1873-1958) British novelist Subjectivity The fly sat upon the axel-tree of the chariot-wheel and said, What a dust do I raise! Francis Bacon (1561-1626) English philosopher, essayist Subjectivity The Suburbs See: Commuters: Chesterton Heaven is not built of country seats But little queer suburban streets. Christopher Morley (1890-1957) American novelist, journalist The Suburbs Slums may well be breeding-grounds of crime, but middle-class suburbs are incubators of apathy and delirium. Cyril Connolly (1903-1974) British critic The Suburbs Conformity may not always reign in the prosperous bourgeois suburb, but it ultimately always governs. Louis Kronenberger (1904-1980) American critic, editor, author The Suburbs They were as fed horses in the morning: every one neighed after his neighbour's wife. Bible, Jeremiah The Suburbs Success See: Food: Twain Fools: Twain Intelligence: Butler Luck: Coleridge Smugness: Disraeli Socialism: Baker Solemnity: Corwin Wisdom: Eldridge The moral flabbiness born of the exclusive worship of the bitch-goddess success. That - with the squalid cash interpretation put on the word success - is our national disease. William James (1842-1910) American psychologist, philosopher letter to H. G. Wells Success One's religion is whatever he is most interested in, and yours is Success. James M. Barrie (1860-1937) British playwright Success Everything yields to success, even grammar. Victor Hugo (1802-1885) French poet, dramatist, novelist Success The secret of success in life is known only to those who have not succeeded. J. Churton Collins (1848-1908) English author, critic, scholar Success Whenever a friend succeeds a little something in me dies. Gore Vidal (b. 1925) American novelist, critic Success We can come to look upon the deaths of our enemies with as much regret as we feel for those of our friends, namely, when we miss their existence as witnesses to our success. Arthur Schopenhauer (1788-1860) German philosopher Success The road to success is filled with women pushing their husbands along. Lord Dewar (1864-1930) British writer Success A successful man is one who makes more money than his wife can spend. A successful woman is one who can find such a man. Lana Turner (b. 1920) American film and TV actress Success All you need in this life is ignorance and confidence, and then success is sure. Mark Twain (1835-1910) American author Success 'Tis not in mortals to command success, But we'll do more, Sempronius; we'll deserve it. Joseph Addison (1672-1719) English essayist Success For a hundred that can bear adversity there is hardly one that can bear prosperity. Thomas Carlyle (1795-1881) Scottish writer Success The common idea that success spoils people by making them vain, egotistic, and selfcomplacent is erroneous; on the contrary, it makes them, for the most part, humble, tolerant, and kind. Failure makes people cruel and bitter. W. Somerset Maugham (1874-1965) British author Success The penalty of success is to be bored by the attentions of people who formerly snubbed you. Mary W. Little (b. 1880) American writer Success Nothing recedes like success. Walter Winchell (1897-1972) American columnist Success Suckers The most positive men are the most credulous. Alexander Pope (1688-1744) English poet Suckers We are inclined to believe those whom we do not know, because they have never deceived us. Dr. Samuel Johnson (1709-1784) English author, lexicographer Suckers A man is his own easiest dupe, for what he wishes to be true he generally believes to be true. Demosthenes (c. 384-322 BC) Greek politician Suckers A certain portion of the human race has certainly a taste for being diddled. Thomas Hood (1799-1845) English poet Suckers There's a sucker born every minute. Phineas T. Barnum (1810-1891) American showman Suckers And remember, dearie, never give a sucker an even break. W. C. Fields (1879-1946) American film actor Suckers Suffering See: Grief: Byatt Rebellion: Burke God had one son on earth without sin, but never one without suffering. Saint Augustine (354-430) theologian Suffering You are outside life, you are above life, you are afflicted with ills the ordinary person does not know, you transcend the normal level and that is what people hold against you, you poison their quietude, you corrode their stability. You feel repeated and fugitive pain, insoluble pain, pain outside thought, pain which is neither in the body, nor the mind, but which partakes of both. And I, who share your ills, I am asking: who should dare to restrict the means that bring us relief? Antonin Artaud (1896-1948) French theater producer, actor, theorist plea for free use of opium for sufferers including 'lucid madmen, tabetics, cancer patients and those afflicted with chronic meningitis' Suffering It is not true that suffering ennobles the character; happiness does that sometimes, but suffering for the most part, makes men petty and vindictive. W. Somerset Maugham (1874-1965) British author Suffering Few can believe that suffering, especially by others, is in vain. Anything that is disagreeable must surely have beneficial economic effects. John Kenneth Galbraith (b. 1908) American economist Suffering There is one psychological peculiarity in the human being that always strikes one: to shun even the slightest signs of trouble on the outer edge of your existence at times of well-being . . . to try not to know about the sufferings of others and your own or one's own future sufferings, to yield in many situations, even important spiritual and central ones - as long as it prolongs one's well-being. Alexander Solzhenitsyn (b. 1918) Russian novelist Suffering One does not love a place less for having suffered in it. Jane Austen (1775-1817) English novelist Suffering How much atonement is enough? The bombing must be allowed as at least part-payment: those of our young people who are concerned about the moral problem posed by the Allied air offensive should at least consider the moral problem that would have been posed if the German civilian population had not suffered at all. Clive James (b. 1939) Australian writer, critic Suffering The only antidote to mental suffering is physical pain. Karl Marx (1818-1883) German social philosopher, revolutionary Suffering I love the majesty of human suffering. Alfred de Vigny (1797-1863) French poet, novelist, dramatist Suffering Suicide See: Confessions: Webster Psychiatrists: Artaud Sundays: Wertmuller Je m'en vais enfin de ce monde, ou il faut que le coeur se brise ou se bronze. And so I leave this world, where the heart must either break or turn to lead. Nicolas-Sebastien Chamfort (1741-1794) French writer, wit suicide note Suicide The prevalence of suicide is a test of height in civilization; it means that the population is winding up its nervous and intellectual system to the utmost point of tension and that sometimes it snaps. Havelock Ellis (1859-1939) British psychologist, author Suicide I take it that no man is educated who has never dallied with the thought of suicide. William James (1842-1910) American psychologist, philosopher Suicide It is always consoling to think of suicide: in that way one gets through many a bad night. Friedrich Nietzsche (1844-1900) German philosopher Suicide If you are of the opinion that the contemplation of suicide is sufficient evidence of a poetic nature, do not forget that actions speak louder than words. Fran Lebowitz (b. 1951) American journalist Suicide There are many who dare not kill themselves for fear of what the neighbours will say. Cyril Connolly (1903-1974) British critic Suicide Razors pain you; Rivers are damp; Acids stain you And drugs cause cramp; Guns aren't lawful; Nooses give; Gas smells awful; You might as well live. Dorothy Parker (1893-1967) American humorous writer Suicide A lover forsaken a new love may get, But a neck when once broken can never be set. William Walsh (1663-1708) English poet Suicide However great a man's fear of life . . . suicide remains the courageous act, the clear-headed act of a mathematician. The suicide has judged by the laws of chance - so many odds against one, that to live will be more miserable than to die. His sense of mathematics is greater than his sense of survival. Graham Greene (b. 1904) British novelist Suicide It is the role of cowardice, not of courage, to crouch in a hole, under a massive tomb, to avoid the blows of fortune. Michel de Montaigne (1533-1592) French essayist, moralist Suicide Just as I shall select my ship when I am about to go on a voyage, or my house when I propose to take a residence, so I shall choose my death when I am about to depart from life. Seneca (c. 5-65) Roman writer, philosopher, statesman Suicide Dear World, I am leaving you because I am bored. I am leaving you with your worries. Good luck. George Sanders (1906-1972) British actor suicide note Suicide Sundays Now once a weeke, upon our Sabbath day, It is enough to doo our small devotion, And then to follow any merrie motion. Edmund Spenser (1552-1599) English poet Sundays Sometimes there's nothing but Sundays for weeks on end. Why can't they move Sunday to the middle of the week so you could put it in the OUT tray on your desk. Russell Hoban (b. 1925) British author Sundays Sabbath. A weekly festival having its origin in the fact that God made the world in six days and was arrested on the seventh. Ambrose Bierce (1842-1914) American author Sundays Millions long for immortality who do not know what to do with themselves on a rainy Sunday afternoon. Susan Ertz (1894-1985) British novelist Sundays Some rainy winter Sundays when there's a little boredom, you should always carry a gun. Not to shoot yourself, but to know exactly that you're always making a choice. Lina Wertmuller (b. 1928) Italian film director Sundays It was a Sunday afternoon, wet and cheerless: and a duller spectacle this earth of ours has not to show than a rainy Sunday in London. Thomas de Quincey (1785-1859) English author Sundays I spent a year in that town, one Sunday. Warwick Deeping (1877-1950) British author Sundays Why do I do this every Sunday? Even the book reviews seem to be the same as last week's. Different books - same reviews. Jimmy, Look Back in Anger John Osborne (b. 1929) British playwright Sundays Superstition Superstition is the religion of feeble minds. Edmund Burke (1729-1797) Irish philosopher, statesman Superstition Superstition is godless religion. Joseph Hall (1574-1656) Bishop of Norwich Superstition Supernaturalism is the mysticism of the materialist. W. R. Inge (1860-1954) Dean of St. Paul's, London Superstition Superstition is the poetry of life. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749-1832) German poet, dramatist, novelist, scientist Superstition Survival To survive it is often necessary to fight, and to fight you have to dirty yourself. George Orwell (1903-1950) British author Survival To win your battle in this society, you've got to have your cave. Then food. Then some kind of mate. After that, everything's a luxury. Rod Steiger (b. 1925) American actor Survival If you live among wolves you have to act like a wolf. Nikita Khrushchev (1894-1971) Soviet premier Survival Once one determines that he or she has a mission in life, that's it's not going to be accomplished without a great deal of pain, and that the rewards in the end may not outweigh the pain - if you recognize historically that always happens, then when it comes, you survive it. Richard Nixon (b. 1913) American president Survival One can survive anything these days except death. Oscar Wilde (1854-1900) Anglo-Irish writer Survival Before undergoing a surgical operation arrange your temporal affairs. You may live. Ambrose Bierce (1842-1914) American author Survival Nothing in life is so exhilarating as to be shot at without result. Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965) British statesman, writer Survival I have never been so gloriously filled with life as I was at Auschwitz. It was . . . a triumph to do death down for just a few hours, for perhaps one more minute. Nathan, aged eighteen quoted by Charity Blackstock Survival J'ai vecu. I survived. Joseph, Comte Sieyes (1748-1836) French revolutionary asked what he had done during the Reign of Terror Survival Suspicion There is nothing makes a man suspect much, more than to know little. Francis Bacon (1561-1626) English philosopher, essayist Suspicion We are paid for our suspicions by finding what we suspected. Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862) American philosopher, author, naturalist Suspicion We have to distrust each other. It is our only defense against betrayal. Tennessee Williams (1914-1983) American playwright Suspicion What loneliness is more lonely than distrust? George Eliot (1819-1880) English novelist Suspicion Swearing See: Discretion: Hardy Self-control: Twain A whoreson jacknapes must take me up for swearing; as if I borrowed mine oaths of him and might not spend them at my pleasure . . . When a gentleman is disposed to swear, it is not for any standers-by to curtail his oaths, ha? Cloten, Cymbeline William Shakespeare (1564-1616) English dramatist, poet Swearing The man who first abused his fellows with swear-words instead of bashing their brains out with a club should be counted among those who laid the foundations of civilization. John Cohen (b. 1911) British psychologist Swearing Profanity furnishes a relief denied even to prayer. Mark Twain (1835-1910) American author Swearing Grant me some wild expressions, Heavens, or I shall burst. George Farquhar (1678-1707) Irish dramatist Swearing Take not God's name in vain; select a time when it will have effect. Ambrose Bierce (1842-1914) American author Swearing Swear me, Kate, like a lady as thou art, a good mouth-filling oath. Hotspur, King Henry IV part I William Shakespeare (1564-1616) English dramatist, poet Swearing It comes to pass oft that a terrible oath, with a swaggering accent sharply twanged off, gives manhood more approbation than ever proof itself would have earned him. Sir Toby Belch, Twelfth Night William Shakespeare (1564-1616) English dramatist, poet Swearing All were swearing steadily and quietly and all were using the same time-dishonoured Army oaths with such lavishness that made it necessary to split words open in the middle in order to cram all the obscenities in. Cassandra, Sir William Connor (1909-1967) British journalist Swearing A footman may swear but he cannot swear like a lord. He can swear as often, but can he swear with equal delicacy, propriety and judgement? Jonathan Swift (1667-1745) Anglo-Irish satirist Swearing 'Twas but my tongue, 'twas not my soul that swore. Euripides (480-406 BC) Greek tragic poet Swearing Swindles See: Foul play: Shakespeare It was beautiful and simple as all truly great swindles are. O. Henry (1862-1910) American short story writer Swindles I do not, more than another man, mind being cheated at cards; but I find it a little nauseating if my opponent then publicly ascribes his success to the partnership of the Most High. F. E. Smith, Lord Birkenhead (1872-1930) British Conservative politician, lawyer Swindles Cheat me in the price, but not in the goods. Thomas Fuller (1654-1734) English physician Swindles Switzerland I look upon Switzerland as an inferior sort of Scotland. Sydney Smith (1771-1845) English writer, clergyman Switzerland The Swiss . . . are not a people so much as a neat clean quite solvent business. William Faulkner (1897-1962) American novelist Switzerland In Switzerland they had brother love, five hundred years of democracy and peace, and what did they produce? The cuckoo clock! Orson Welles (1915-1985) American filmmaker from the film The Third Man Switzerland Taboo See: Disgrace To make our idea of morality centre on forbidden acts is to defile the imagination and to introduce into our judgements of our fellow-men a secret element of gusto. Robert Louis Stevenson (1850-1894) Scottish novelist, essayist, poet Taboo Perhaps the long ages during which pork had been prohibited had made it seem to the Jews as delicious as fornication. Bertrand Russell (1872-1970) British philosopher, mathematician, social reformer Taboo It's an odd thing, but now one knows it's profoundly moral and packed with deep spiritual significance a lot of the old charm seems to have gone. Osbert Lancaster (1908-1986) British cartoonist Maudie Littlehampton onLady Chatterley's Lover Taboo Tact See: Conversation: Wilde Tact consists in knowing how far we may go too far. Jean Cocteau (1891-1963) French writer, film director Tact Never claim as a right what you can ask as a favour. J. Churton Collins (1848-1908) English author, critic, scholar Tact Forbear to mention what thou canst not praise. Matthew Prior (1664-1721) English poet, diplomat Tact It's bad manners to begin courting a widow before she gets home from the funeral. Seumas MacManus (1869-1960) Irish author Tact 'Tis not seasonable to call a man a traitor that has an army at his heels. John Selden (1584-1654) English jurist, statesman Tact Speak softly and carry a big stick. Theodore Roosevelt (1858-1919) American president Tact Talent See: Genius: Amiel; Conan Doyle Writers: Emerson Whom the gods wish to destroy they first call promising. Cyril Connolly (1903-1974) British critic Talent A middling talent makes a more serene life. Iris Murdoch (b. 1919) Anglo-Irish writer Talent There's no shortage of talent. There's only a shortage of talent that can recognize talent. Jerry Wald (1911-1962) American writer-producer Talent If a man can write a better book, preach a better sermon, or make a better mouse-trap, than his neighbor, though he build his house in the woods, the world will make a beaten path to his door. attributed to Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882) American essayist, poet, philosopher Talent Everyone has talent at twenty-five. The difficulty is to have it at fifty. Edgar Degas (1834-1917) French painter, sculptor Talent Taste See: Vulgarity: Connolly Ah, good taste! What a dreadful thing! Taste is the enemy of creativeness. Pablo Picasso (1881-1973) Spanish artist Taste People care more about being thought to have good taste than about being thought either good, clever or amiable. Samuel Butler (1835-1902) English author Taste A man of great common sense and good taste, - meaning thereby a man without originality or moral courage. George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) Anglo-Irish playwright, critic Taste Between good sense and good taste there is the same difference as between cause and effect. Jean de la Bruyere (1645-1696) French writer, moralist Taste People who like this sort of thing will find this the sort of thing they like. Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865) American president of a book Taste What is exhilirating in bad taste is the aristocratic pleasure of giving offense. Charles Baudelaire (1821-1867) French poet Taste No taste is so acquired as that for someone else's quality of mind. Cyril Connolly (1903-1974) British critic Taste I wish you all sorts of prosperity, with a little more taste. Alain-Rene Le Sage (1668-1747) French playwright, novelist Taste Taxation See: Certainty: Franklin Government: Borah Truth: Dickens In general, the art of government consists in taking as much money as possible from one party of the citizens to give to the other. Voltaire (1694-1778) French philosopher, writer Taxation A government which robs Peter to pay Paul can always depend on the support of Paul. George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) Anglo-Irish playwright, critic Taxation The art of taxation consists in so plucking the goose as to obtain the largest amount of feathers with the least amount of hissing. Jean Baptiste Colbert (1619-1683) French statesman Taxation They sing now. They will pay later. Jules, Cardinal Mazarin (1602-1661) French statesman on the news that the people of Paris greeted each of his new taxes with a satirical song Taxation To tax and to please, no more than to love and to be wise, is not given to men. Edmund Burke (1729-1797) Irish philosopher, statesman Taxation All money nowadays seems to be produced with a natural homing instinct for the Treasury. Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh (b. 1921) Taxation We are looking for a wealth tax that will bring in sufficient revenue to justify having a wealth tax. Dick Spring (b. 1950) leader of Irish Labour Party Taxation Taxes cause crime. When the tax rate reaches 25 percent, there is an increase in lawlessness. America's tax system is inspired by Karl Marx. Ronald Reagan (b. 1911) American president Taxation The avoidance of taxes is the only pursuit that still carries any reward. John Maynard Keynes (1883-1946) English economist Taxation To produce an income tax return that has any depth to it, any feeling, one must have Lived - and Suffered. Frank Sullivan (1892-1976) American humorist, journalist Taxation Tea See: Coffee: Holmes What would the world do without tea? How did it exist? Sydney Smith (1771-1845) English writer, clergyman Tea Its proper use is to amuse the idle, relax the studious and dilute the full meals of those who cannot use exercise and will not use abstinence. Dr. Samuel Johnson (1709-1784) English author, lexicographer Tea If I had known there was no Latin word for tea I would have let the vulgar stuff alone. Hilaire Belloc (1870-1953) British author Tea Come oh come ye tea-thirsty restless ones - the kettle boils, bubbles and sings, musically. Rabindranath Tagore (1861-1941) Indian author, philosopher Tea Love and scandal are the best sweeteners of tea. Henry Fielding (1707-1754) English novelist, dramatist Tea While there's tea there's hope. Sir Arthur Pinero (1855-1934) British actor, playwright, essayist Tea Teachers See: Nationalism: Wells Punishment: Olivier Punishment: Trollope A teacher affects eternity. Henry B. Adams (1838-1918) American historian Teachers It is the supreme art of the teacher to awaken joy in creative expression and knowledge. Albert Einstein (1879-1955) German-American theoretical physicist Teachers Arrogance, pedantry, and dogmatism are the occupational diseases of those who spend their lives directing the intellects of the young. Henry S. Canby (1878-1961) American author, editor Teachers I owe a lot to my teachers and mean to pay them back some day. Stephen Leacock (1869-1944) Canadian humorist, economist Teachers Why are we never quite at ease in the presence of a schoolmaster? Because we are conscious that he is not quite at his ease in ours. He is awkward, and out of place in the society of his equals. He comes like Gulliver from among his little people, and he cannot fit the stature of his understanding to yours. Charles Lamb (1775-1834) English essayist, critic Teachers Everybody who is incapable of learning has taken to teaching. Oscar Wilde (1854-1900) Anglo-Irish writer Teachers He who can, does. He who cannot, teaches. George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) Anglo-Irish playwright, critic Teachers I am inclined to think that one's education has been in vain if one fails to learn that most schoolmasters are idiots. Hesketh Pearson (1887-1964) British biographer Teachers The vanity of teaching often tempts a man to forget he is a blockhead. Sir George Savile, Lord Halifax (1633-1695) English statesman, author Teachers God forgive me for having thought it possible that a schoolmaster could be out and out a rational being. Sir Walter Scott (1771-1832) Scottish novelist, poet Teachers The average schoolmaster is and always must be essentially an ass, for how can one imagine an intelligent man engaging in so puerile an avocation? H. L. Mencken (1880-1956) American journalist Teachers He can receive no pleasure from a casual glimpse of Nature, but must catch at it as an object of instruction . . . He cannot relish a beggarman, or a gipsy, for thinking of the suitable improvement . . . A boy is at his board, and in his path, and in all his movements. He is boy-rid, sick of perpetual boy. Charles Lamb (1775-1834) English essayist, critic Teachers A teacher is one who, in his youth, admired teachers. H. L. Mencken (1880-1956) American journalist Teachers Slaves and schoolboys often love their masters. George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) Anglo-Irish playwright, critic Teachers One looks back with appreciation to the brilliant teachers, but with gratitude to those who touched our human feelings. The curriculum is so much necessary raw material, but warmth is the vital element for the growing plant and for the soul of the child. Carl Jung (1875-1961) Swiss psychiatrist Teachers We loved the doctrine for the teacher's sake. Daniel Defoe (1661-1731) English writer Teachers A schoolmaster should have an atmosphere of awe, and walk wonderingly, as if he was amazed at being himself. Walter Bagehot (1826-1877) English economist, critic Teachers A teacher should be sparing of his smile. William Cowper (1731-1800) English poet Teachers We schoolmasters must temper discretion with deceit. Evelyn Waugh (1903-1966) British novelist Teachers A pure pedantic schoolmaster, sweeping his living from the posteriors of little children. Ben Jonson (1573-1637) English dramatist, poet Teachers Well had the boding tremblers learned to trace The day's disasters in his morning face. Oliver Goldsmith (1728-1774) Anglo-Irish author Teachers A teacher should have maximal authority and minimal power. Thomas Szasz (b. 1920) American psychiatrist Teachers The true teacher defends his pupils against his own personal influence. A. B. Alcott (1799-1888) American author, educator, mystic Teachers No bubble is so iridescent or floats longer than that blown by the successful teacher. Sir William Osler (1849-1919) Canadian physician Teachers It is when the gods hate a man with uncommon abhorrence that they drive him into the profession of a schoolmaster. Seneca (c. 5-65) Roman writer, philosopher, statesman Teachers It were better to perish than to continue schoolmastering. Thomas Carlyle (1795-1881) Scottish writer Teachers The members of the most responsible, the least advertised, the worst paid, and the most richly rewarded profession in the world. Ian Hay (1876-1952) British author Teachers Therefore for the love of God appoint teachers and schoolmasters, you that have the charge of youth; and give the teachers stipends worthy of their pains. Bishop Hugh Latimer (1485-1555) English churchman, Protestant martyr, schoolmaster Teachers Technology See: Machinery Science Socialism: Gallo The drive toward complex technical achievement offers a clue to why the US is good at space gadgetry and bad at slum problems. John Kenneth Galbraith (b. 1908) American economist Technology Technology is the science of arranging life so that one need not experience it. anonymous Technology Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic. Arthur C. Clarke (b. 1917) British author Technology I claim that in losing the spinning wheel we lost our left lung. We are, therefore, suffering from galloping consumption. The restoration of the wheel arrests the progress of the fell disease. Mohandas K. Gandhi (1869-1948) Indian political and spiritual leader Technology One machine can do the work of fifty ordinary men. No machine can do the work of one extraordinary man. Elbert Hubbard (1856-1915) American author Technology Teeth See: Science: Russell She laughs at everything you say. Why? Because she has fine teeth. Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790) American statesman, writer Teeth Smiling as if she had teeth of sugar that were always melting. Rainer Maria Rilke (1875-1926) German poet Teeth The best of friends fall out, and so His teeth had done some years ago. Thomas Hood (1799-1845) English poet Teeth When examined by the Divisional Surgeon, defendant was very abusive, and when asked to clench his teeth he took them out, gave them to the doctor and said "You clench them." Police report Woking Herald and News Teeth Television See: Cinema: James Television is the first truly democratic culture - the first culture available to everybody and entirely governed by what the people want. The most terrifying thing is what the people do want. Clive Barnes (b. 1927) British drama critic Television Almost from the moment the horror occurred, television changed. It was no longer a small box containing entertainment, news, and sports; suddenly, it was a window opening onto violently unpredictable life in Washington and in Dallas, where a President had been assassinated. Newsweek magazine, 1963 on coverage of Kennedy's assassination Television Television is a whore. Any man who wants her full favors can have them in five minutes with a pistol. anonymous Television Television is now so desperately hungry for material that they're scraping the top of the barrel. Gore Vidal (b. 1925) American novelist, critic Television Let's face it, there are no plain women on television. Anna Ford (b. 1943) British television personality Television TV has something in common with the world of racing: it is crowded with untrustworthy characters and bristles with opportunities to cheat. Paul Johnson (b. 1928) British journalist Television You have debased [my] child . . . You have made him a laughing-stock of intelligence . . . a stench in the nostrils of the gods of the ionosphere. Dr. Leede Forest (1873-1961) American inventor of the audion tube to National Association of Broadcasters Television Television is an invention that permits you to be entertained in your living room by people you wouldn't have in your home. David Frost (b. 1939) British television personality Television It is a medium of entertainment which permits millions of people to listen to the same joke at the same time, and yet remain lonesome. T. S. Eliot (1888-1965) Anglo-American poet Television They are simple and true and they compose one. Pablo Casals (1876-1973) Spanish cellist, conductor on westerns Television I find television very educational. Every time someone switches it on I go into another room and read a good book. Groucho Marx (1895-1977) American comic actor Television I hate television. I hate it as much as peanuts. But I can't stop eating peanuts. Orson Welles (1915-1985) American filmmaker Television Temper We boil at different degrees. Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882) American essayist, poet, philosopher Temper A lady of what is commonly called an uncertain temper - a phrase which being interpreted signifies a temper tolerably certain to make everybody more or less uncomfortable. Charles Dickens (1812-1870) English novelist Temper A tart temper never mellows with age, and a sharp tongue is the only edged tool that grows keener with constant use. Washington Irving (1783-1859) American author Temper Temptation See: Poverty: Plato Thou strong seducer, Opportunity. John Dryden (1631-1700) English poet, dramatist, critic Temptation I am not over-fond of resisting temptation. William Beckford (1759-1844) English author Temptation There are several good protections against temptation but the surest is cowardice. Mark Twain (1835-1910) American author Temptation Do you really think it is weakness that yields to temptation? I tell you that there are terrible temptations which it requires strength, strength and courage, to yield to. Oscar Wilde (1854-1900) Anglo-Irish writer Temptation "You oughtn't to yield to temptation." "Well, somebody must, or the thing becomes absurd." Anthony Hope Hawkins (1863-1933) British novelist Temptation Why resist temptation - there will always be more. Don Herold (1889-1966) American humorist, writer, artist Temptation The resolution to avoid an evil is seldom framed till the evil is so far advanced as to make avoidance impossible. Thomas Hardy (1840-1928) English novelist, poet Temptation The only way to get rid of temptation is to yield to it. Oscar Wilde (1854-1900) Anglo-Irish writer Temptation The devil tempted Christ, but it was Christ who tempted the devil to tempt him. Samuel Butler (1835-1902) English author Temptation Honest bread is very well - it's the butter that makes the temptation. Douglas Jerrold (1803-1857) English playwright, humorist Temptation A little of what you fancy does you good. Marie Lloyd (1870-1922) British music hall entertainer Temptation Terrorism See: Guerrilla Warfare: Marighella A little group of willful men reflecting no opinion but their own have rendered the great Government of the United States helpless and contemptible. Woodrow Wilson (1856-1924) American president Terrorism After seeing Rambo last night I know what to do next time this happens. Ronald Reagan (b. 1911) American president following the hijack of an airplane carrying American passengers, 1985 Terrorism They can run, but they can't hide. Ronald Reagan (b. 1911) American president following the interception of the plane carrying the hijackers of the Achille Lauro cruise-ship, 1985 Terrorism No one can kill Americans and brag about it. No one. Ronald Reagan (b. 1911) American president after the attack on Libya, March 1986 Terrorism The greatest danger of bombs is in the explosion of stupidity that they provoke. Octave Mirabeau (1850-1917) French writer, dramatist Terrorism Texas It is considerably smaller than Australia and British Somaliland put together. As things stand at present there is nothing much the Texans can do about this, and . . . they are inclined to shy away from the subject in ordinary conversation, muttering defensively about the size of oranges. Alex Atkinson British humorous writer Texas If a man's from Texas, he'll tell you. If he's not, why embarrass him by asking? John Gunther (1901-1970) American journalist Texas Margaret Thatcher She's the best man in England. Ronald Reagan (b. 1911) American president Margaret Thatcher If I were married to her, I'd be sure to have dinner ready when she got home. George Shultz (b. 1920) American Republican politician, secretary of state Margaret Thatcher This woman is headstrong, obstinate and dangerously self-opinionated. report by Personnel Officer at ICI, rejecting her for a job in 1948 Margaret Thatcher I'll stay until I'm tired of it. So long as Britain needs me, I shall never be tired of it. Margaret Thatcher (b. 1925) English prime minister Margaret Thatcher It was then that the iron entered my soul. Margaret Thatcher (b. 1925) English prime minister on her time in Mr. Heath's Cabinet Margaret Thatcher She has fought resolutely for the class she represents and there are some lessons we might learn from that. Tony Benn (b. 1925) British Labour politician Margaret Thatcher Theater See: Criticism: Brown Tragedy: O'Neill Writers: Hall Can this cockpit hold the vasty fields of France? Chorus, King Henry V William Shakespeare (1564-1616) English dramatist, poet Theater The theatre is the best way of showing the gap between what is said and what is seen to be done, and that is why, ragged and gaptoothed as it is, it has still a far healthier potential than some poorer, abandoned arts. David Hare (b. 1947) British playwright Theater Every now and then, when you're on stage, you hear the best sound a player can hear. It's a sound you can't get in movies or in television. It is the sound of a wonderful, deep silence that means you've hit them where they live. Shelley Winters (b. 1922) American film actress Theater Long experience has taught me that in England nobody goes to the theatre unless he or she has bronchitis. James Agate (1877-1947) British critic Theater I open with a clock striking, to beget an awful attention in the audience: it also marks the time, which is four o'clock in the morning, and saves a description of the rising sun, and a great deal about gilding the eastern hemisphere. Richard Brinsley Sheridan (1751-1816) Anglo-Irish dramatist Theater Drama is life with the dull bits cut out. Alfred Hitchcock (1899-1980) Anglo-American film director Theater All tragedies are finish'd by death, all comedies are ended by a marriage. Lord Byron (1788-1824) English poet Theater The drama's laws, the drama's patrons give, For we that live to please, must please to live. Dr. Samuel Johnson (1709-1784) English author, lexicographer Theater A first night . . . notoriously distracting owing to the large number of people who stand about looking famous. Denis Mackail (1892-1971) British novelist Theater I have no time to read play-bills; one merely comes to meet one's friends, and show that one's alive. Fanny Burney (1752-1840) English author Theater It hath evermore been the notorious badge of prostituted Strumpets and the lewdest Harlots, to ramble abroad to Plays, to Playhouses; whither no honest, chaste or sober Girls or Women, but only branded Whores and infamous Adulteresses, did usually resort in ancient times. William Prynne (1600-1669) Puritan pamphleteer Theater To save the Theater, the Theater must be destroyed, and actors and actresses all die of the Plague . . . they make art impossible. Eleanor Duse (1859-1924) Italian actress Theater Theology Theology is the effort to explain the unknowable in terms of the not worth knowing. H. L. Mencken (1880-1956) American journalist Theology I have only a small flickering light to guide me in the darkness of a thick forest. Up comes a theologian and blows it out. Denis Diderot (1713-1784) French philosopher, encyclopediste Theology In all systems of theology the devil figures as a male person. Yet it is women who keep the church going. Don Marquis (1878-1937) American humorist, journalist Theology It is an old habit with theologians to beat the living with the bones of the dead. Ralph G. Ingersoll (1833-1899) American lawyer Theology My theology, briefly, is that the universe was dictated but not signed. Christopher Morley (1890-1957) American novelist, journalist Theology Theories See: Action: Engels Children: Wilmot Science: Huxley It is a capital mistake to theorize before one has data. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (1859-1930) English author Theories You know very well that unless you're a scientist, it's much more important for a theory to be shapely than for it to be true. Christopher Hampton (b. 1946) British playwright Theories No theory is good except on condition that one uses it to go beyond. Andre Gide (1869-1951) French author Theories A theory can be proved by experiment; but no path leads from experiment to the birth of a theory. Albert Einstein (1879-1955) German-American theoretical physicist Theories Therapy They all sit around feeling very spiritual, with their mental hands on each other's knees, discussing sex as if it were the Art of Fugue. Jimmy, Look Back in Anger John Osborne (b. 1929) British playwright Therapy Thinking An Englishman thinks seated; a Frenchman, standing; an American, pacing; an Irishman, afterward. Austin O'Malley (1858-1932) American oculist, writer Thinking It is difficult, if not impossible, for most people to think otherwise than in the fashion of their own period. George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) Anglo-Irish playwright, critic Thinking [Men] use thought only to justify their injustices, and speech only to disguise their thoughts. Voltaire (1694-1778) French philosopher, writer Thinking There is no expedient to which man will not resort to avoid the real labour of thinking. Sir Joshua Reynolds (1723-1792) English painter Thinking The extra calories needed for one hour of intense mental effort would be completely met by the eating of one oyster cracker or one half of a salted peanut. Francis G. Benedict (1870-1957) American chemist Thinking Sixty minutes of thinking of any kind is bound to lead to confusion and unhappiness. James Thurber (1894-1961) American humorist, illustrator Thinking Thought would destroy their paradise. Thomas Gray (1716-1771) English poet Thinking The Third World A nation's strength ultimately consists in what it can do on its own, and not in what it can borrow from others. Indira Gandhi (1917-1984) Indian prime minister The Third World Our mistake was in the assumption that freedom - real freedom - would necessarily and with little trouble follow liberation from alien rule . . . Our countries are effectively being governed by people who have only the most marginal interest in our affairs. Julius Nyerere (b. 1921) African statesman, president of Tanzania The Third World The Third World is not a reality, but an ideology. Hannah Arendt (1906-1975) American political philosopher The Third World Where there are two PhDs in a developing country, one is Head of State and the other is in exile. Lord Samuel (1898-1978) British administrator, author The Third World Time See: Happiness: Munro Punctuality Time, the avenger! Lord Byron (1788-1824) English poet Time Time, you old gipsy man, Will you not stay, Put up your caravan Just for one day? Ralph Hodgeson (1871-1962) British poet Time Time and I against any two. Spanish proverb Time Time: That which man is always trying to kill, but which ends in killing him. Herbert Spencer (1820-1903) English philosopher Time As if you could kill time without injuring eternity. Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862) American philosopher, author, naturalist Time Time turns the old days to derision, Our loves into corpses or wives; And marriage and death and division Make barren our lives. A. C. Swinburne (1837-1909) English poet, critic Time The surest poison is time. Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882) American essayist, poet, philosopher Time We must use time as a tool, not as a couch. John F. Kennedy (1917-1963) American president Time Time is very dangerous without a rigid routine. If you do the same thing every day at the same time for the same length of time, you'll save yourself from many a sink. Routine is a condition of survival. Flannery O'Connor (1925-1964) American author Time It haunts me, the passage of time. I think time is a merciless thing. I think life is a process of burning oneself out and time is the fire that burns you. But I think the spirit of man is a good adversary. Tennessee Williams (1914-1983) American playwright Time O, call back yesterday, bid time return! William Shakespeare (1564-1616) English dramatist, poet Time O, for an engine to keep back all clocks! Ben Jonson (1573-1637) English dramatist, poet Time I recommend you to take care of the minutes: for hours will take care of themselves. Lord Chesterfield (1694-1773) English statesman, man of letters Time Time is a great legalizer, even in the field of morals. H. L. Mencken (1880-1956) American journalist Time Time goes, you say? Ah, no! Alas, Time stays; we go. Austin Dobson (1840-1921) British author Time Tout passe, tout casse, tout lasse. Everything passes, everything perishes, everything palls. anonymous Time And thus the whirligig of time brings in his revenges. Feste, Twelfth Night William Shakespeare (1564-1616) English dramatist, poet Time Tolerance See: Fools: Jackson For ye suffer fools gladly, seeing ye yourselves are wise. Saint Paul (3-67) Apostle to the Gentiles Tolerance To understand everything makes one very indulgent. Madame de Stael (1766-1817) French writer, wit Tolerance Broadmindedness is the result of flattening highmindedness out. George Saintsbury (1845-1933) English literary critic Tolerance Toleration . . . is the greatest gift of the mind; it requires the same effort of the brain that it takes to balance oneself on a bicycle. Helen Keller (1880-1968) American author, lecturer Tolerance There is, however, a limit at which forbearance ceases to be a virtue. Edmund Burke (1729-1797) Irish philosopher, statesman Tolerance By being civilized we mean that there is a certain list of things about which we permit a man to have an opinion different from ours. Usually they are things which we have ceased to care about: for instance, the worship of God. Aubrey Menen (b. 1912) British novelist, essayist Tolerance The modern theory that you should always treat the religious convictions of other people with profound respect finds no support in the Gospels. Mutual tolerance of religious views is the product not of faith, but of doubt. Arnold Lunn (1888-1974) British author Tolerance Torture The healthy man does not torture others - generally it is the tortured who turn into torturers. Carl Jung (1875-1961) Swiss psychiatrist Torture Pain forces even the innocent to lie. Publilius Syrus (b. 1st century BC) Roman writer of mimes Torture There is only one thing that arouses animals more than pleasure, and that is pain. Under torture you are as if under the dominion of those grasses that produce visions. Everything you have heard told, everything you have read returns to your mind, as if you were being transported, not toward heaven, but toward hell. Under torture you say not only what the inquisitor wants, but also what you imagine might please him, because a bond (this, truly, diabolical) is established between you and him. Umberto Eco (b. 1932) Italian scholar, novelist Torture Touch O why do you walk through the fields in gloves, Missing so much and so much? O fat white woman whom nobody loves, Why do you walk through the fields in gloves When the grass is soft as the breast of doves And shivering sweet to the touch? Frances Cornford (1886-1960) British poet Touch Tourism See: The British: Morley Italy: Burney Paris: Twain Travel Sailing round the world in a dirty gondola Oh, to be back in the land of Coca-Cola! Bob Dylan (b. 1941) American singer, songwriter Tourism The vagabond, when rich, is called a tourist. Paul Richard (1874-1960) Tourism C'est magnifique, mais ce n'est pas la gare. anonymous taxi-passenger in Paris, Riviera-bound, delivered to St. Lazare Tourism The American arrives in Paris with a few French phrases he has culled from a conversational guide or picked up from a friend who owns a beret. Fred Allen (1894-1957) American comic Tourism The time to enjoy a European trip is about three weeks after unpacking. George Ade (1866-1944) American humorist, playwright Tourism Well, I learned a lot. You'd be surprised. They're all individual countries. Ronald Reagan (b. 1911) American president following tour of South America, 1982 Tourism Worth seeing? Yes; but not worth going to see. Dr. Samuel Johnson (1709-1784) English author, lexicographer to Boswell's "Is not the Giant's Causeway worth seeing?" Tourism Trade Unions The history of all countries shows that the working class, exclusively by its own effort, is able to develop only trade union consciousness. Vladimir Ilyich Lenin (1870-1924) Russian revolutionary leader Trade Unions Trade Unionism is not Socialism: it is the Capitalism of the Proletariat. George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) Anglo-Irish playwright, critic Trade Unions Solidarity still exists inside us, even in those who deny it. Lech Walesa (b. 1943) Polish Solidarity leader Trade Unions It obviously hurt him to wear the dinner-jacket of respectability instead of the boiler suit of revolt. Cassandra, Sir William Connor (1909-1967) British journalist of Ted Hill, later Lord Hill, leader of the Boilermakers' Union Trade Unions No king on earth is as safe in his job as a Trade Union official. There is only one thing that can get him sacked; and that is drink. Not even that, as long as he doesn't actually fall down. Boanerges, The Apple Cart George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) Anglo-Irish playwright, critic Trade Unions Unionism, seldom if ever, uses such power as it has to insure better work; almost always it devotes a large part of that power to safeguarding bad work. H. L. Mencken (1880-1956) American journalist Trade Unions With all their faults, trade-unions have done more for humanity than any other organization of men that ever existed. They have done more for decency, for honesty, for education, for the betterment of the race, for the developing of character in man, than any other association of men. Clarence Darrow (1857-1938) American lawyer, writer Trade Unions Tradition A precedent embalms a principle. Benjamin Disraeli (1804-1881) English prime minister Tradition Tradition means giving votes to the most obscure of all classes - our ancestors. It is the democracy of the dead. Tradition refuses to submit to the small and arrogant oligarchy of those who merely happen to be walking around. G. K. Chesterton (1874-1936) English author Tradition People will not look forward to posterity, who never look backward to their ancestor. Edmund Burke (1729-1797) Irish philosopher, statesman Tradition Loyalty to petrified opinion never yet broke a chain or freed a human soul. Mark Twain (1835-1910) American author Tradition The despotism of custom is everywhere the standing hindrance to human advancement. John Stuart Mill (1806-1873) English philosopher, economist Tradition How long soever it hath continued, if it be against reason, it is of no force in law. Sir Edward Coke (1552-1634) English lawyer Tradition There was never any thing by the wit of man so well devised, or so sure established, which in continuance of time hath not been corrupted. Book of Common Prayer Tradition Tragedy See: Europe: Baldwin Where the theater is concerned, one must have a dream and the Greek dream in tragedy is the noblest ever. Eugene O'Neill (1888-1953) American playwright Tragedy Commonplace people dislike tragedy because they dare not suffer and cannot exult. John Masefield (1878-1967) English poet, playwright Tragedy Tragedy on the stage is no longer enough for me, I shall bring it into my own life. Antonin Artaud (1896-1948) French theater producer, actor, theorist Tragedy We begin to live when we have conceived life as a tragedy. William Butler Yeats (1865-1939) Anglo-Irish poet, playwright Tragedy Training The helmsman is recognized in the tempest; the soldier is proven in warfare. Saint Cyprian, Bishop of Carthage (210-258) Training A man can seldom - very, very, seldom - fight a winning fight against his training: the odds are too heavy. Mark Twain (1835-1910) American author Training Tranquilizers Threre's nought, no doubt, so much the spirit calms As rum and true religion. Lord Byron (1788-1824) English poet Tranquilizers Translation See: Poetry: Frost A translator is to be like his author; it is not his business to excel him. Dr. Samuel Johnson (1709-1784) English author, lexicographer Translation Traduttori, traditori. Translators, traitors. Italian proverb Translation Nor ought a genius less than his that writ Attempt translation. Sir John Denham (1615-1669) English poet Translation Humour is the first of the gifts to perish in a foreign tongue. Virginia Woolf (1882-1941) British novelist Translation Transport See: Cars The English: Greer What is this that roareth thus? Can it be a Motor Bus? Yes, the smell and hideous hum Indicat Motorem Bum . . . Domine, defende nos Contra hos Motores Bos! Alfred D. Godley (1856-1925) British scholar Transport The tight compartment fills: our careful eyes Go to explore each other's destinies. Harold Munro (1879-1932) British poet, critic Transport The coach jumbled us insensibly into some sort of familiarity. Sir Richard Steele (1672-1729) English essayist, dramatist, editor Transport Most people sulk in stage-coaches; I always talk. Sydney Smith (1771-1845) English writer, clergyman Transport Nothing helps scenery like ham and eggs. Mark Twain (1835-1910) American author Transport My experience of ships is that on them one makes an interesting discovery about the world. One finds one can do without it completely. Malcolm Bradbury (b. 1932) British author Transport I have done almost every human activity inside a taxi which does not require main drainage. Alan Brien (b. 1925) British novelist, journalist Transport Restore human legs as a means of travel. Pedestrians rely on food for fuel and need no special parking facilities. Lewis Mumford (1895-1990) American writer on environment Transport Travel See: Hermits: Kipling Independence: Thoreau Tourism Transport But we have tasted wild fruit, listened to strange music; And all shores of the earth are but as doors of an inn. Laurence Binyon (1869-1943) British poet Travel Navigare necesse est, Vivere non est necesse. Navigation is essential; life is not. Hanseatic proverb Travel When one realizes that his life is worthless he either commits suicide or travels. Edward Dahlberg (1900-1977) American novelist, poet, critic Travel The whole object of travel is not to set foot on foreign land; it is at last to set foot on one's own country as a foreign land. G. K. Chesterton (1874-1936) English author Travel To be really cosmopolitan a man must be at home even in his own country. T. W. Higginson (1823-1911) American clergyman, writer Travel I dislike feeling at home when I am abroad. George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) Anglo-Irish playwright, critic Travel A man who leaves home to mend himself and others is a philosopher; but he who goes from country to country, guided by the blind impulse of curiosity, is a vagabond. Oliver Goldsmith (1728-1774) Anglo-Irish author Travel All travelling becomes dull in exact proportion to its rapidity. John Ruskin (1819-1900) English critic Travel Extensive travelling induces a feeling of encapsulation, and travel, so broadening at first, contracts the mind. Paul Theroux (b. 1941) American author Travel In America there are two classes of travel - first-class and with children. Robert Benchley (1889-1945) American humorous writer Travel Like all great travellers, I have seen more than I remember, and remember more than I have seen. Benjamin Disraeli (1804-1881) English prime minister Travel Travel is glamorous only in retrospect. Paul Theroux (b. 1941) American author Travel "If you wish to be thoroughly misinformed about a country, consult a man who has lived there for thirty years and speaks the language like a native." George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) Anglo-Irish playwright, critic quoting Palmerston Travel I travel light; as light, that is, as a man can travel who will still carry his body around because of its sentimental value. Christopher Fry (b. 1907) British playwright Travel One should always have one's boots on and be ready to leave. Michel de Montaigne (1533-1592) French essayist, moralist Travel Treachery Treason doth never prosper: what's the reason? For if it prosper, none dare call it treason. Sir John Harington (1561-1612) English writer, courtier Treachery Combinations of wickedness would overwhelm the world did not those who have long practised perfidy grow faithless to each other. Dr. Samuel Johnson (1709-1784) English author, lexicographer Treachery Treason is loved of many, but the traitor hated of all. Robert Greene (1558-1592) English dramatist Treachery All his usual formalities of perfidy were observed with scrupulous technique. Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965) British statesman, writer of Hitler's invasion of Russia Treachery Trials See: Litigation All trials are trials for one's life, just as all sentences are sentences of death. Oscar Wilde (1854-1900) Anglo-Irish writer Trials Trial. A formal inquiry designed to prove and put upon record the blameless characters of judges, advocates and jurors. Ambrose Bierce (1842-1914) American author Trials Appeal. In law, to put the dice into the box for another throw. Ambrose Bierce (1842-1914) American author Trials The hungry judges soon the sentence sign, And wretches hang that jurymen may dine. Alexander Pope (1688-1744) English poet Trials Trust See: Royalty: Bible, Psalms Suckers: Johnson Tyranny: Aeschylus Wives: Wilde Trust everybody, but cut the cards. Finley Peter Dunne (1867-1936) American journalist, humorist Trust It is an equal failing to trust everybody, and to trust nobody. 18th-century English proverb Trust I cannot give them my confidence; pardon me, gentlemen, confidence is a plant of slow growth in an aged bosom: youth is the season of credulity. William Pitt (1708-1778) English politician, prime minister Trust Truth See: The Dead: Voltaire Death: Dying: Arnold Lying: Byron Martyrdom: Voltaire Newspapers: Scott Prayer: Seneca Satire: Chesterfield War Correspondents: Johnson It is always the best policy to speak the truth, unless of course you are an exceptionally good liar. Jerome K. Jerome (1859-1927) British author Truth It takes two to speak the truth - one to speak, and another to hear. Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862) American philosopher, author, naturalist Truth Telling the truth to people who misunderstand you is generally promoting falsehood. Anthony Hope Hawkins (1863-1933) British novelist Truth A truth that's told with bad intent Beats all the lies you can invent. William Blake (1757-1827) English poet, artist Truth To become properly acquainted with a truth we must first have disbelieved it, and disputed against it. Prince Otto von Bismarck (1815-1898) Prussian statesman Truth The terrible thing about the quest for truth is that you find it. Remy de Gourmont (1858-1915) French critic, novelist Truth Men occasionally stumble over the truth, but most of them pick themselves up and hurry off as if nothing had happened. Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965) British statesman, writer Truth In this world, truth can wait; she's used to it. Douglas Jerrold (1803-1857) English playwright, humorist Truth The truth would become more popular if it were not always stating ugly facts. Henry S. Haskins (b. 1875) American author Truth "It was as true," said Mr Barkis, "as taxes is. And nothing's truer than them." David Copperfield Charles Dickens (1812-1870) English novelist Truth It is the customary fate of new truths, to begin as heresies, and to end as superstitions. Thomas Henry Huxley (1825-1895) English biologist Truth I am convinced that the desire to formulate truths is a virulent disease. William James (1842-1910) American psychologist, philosopher Truth There are no whole truths; all truths are half-truths. It is trying to treat them as whole truths that plays the devil. Alfred North Whitehead (1861-1947) British philosopher Truth Perhaps the mission of those who love mankind is to make people laugh at the truth, to make truth laugh, because the only truth lies in learning to free ourselves from insane passion for the truth. Umberto Eco (b. 1932) Italian scholar, novelist Truth Truth . . . never comes into the world but like a bastard, to the ignominy of him that brought her froth. John Milton (1608-1674) English poet Truth God offers to every mind its choice between truth and repose. Take which you please; you can never have both. Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882) American essayist, poet, philosopher Truth It is the calling of great men, not so much to preach new truths, as to rescue from oblivion those old truths which it is our wisdom to remember and our weakness to forget. Sydney Smith (1771-1845) English writer, clergyman Truth I tell the truth, not as much as I would but as much as I dare - and I dare more and more as I grow older. Michel de Montaigne (1533-1592) French essayist, moralist Truth An honest man speaks the truth, though it may give offence; a vain man, in order that it may. William Hazlitt (1778-1830) English essayist Truth Truth is the most valuable thing we have. Let us economize it. Mark Twain (1835-1910) American author Truth Truth is so important that it needs to be surrounded by a bodyguard of lies. George Shultz (b. 1920) American Republican politician, secretary of state on the disinformation campaign against Libya, 1986 Truth It is hard to believe that a man is telling the truth when you know that you would lie if you were in his place. H. L. Mencken (1880-1956) American journalist Truth It is better to remain silent than speak the truth ill-humouredly, and so spoil an excellent dish by covering it with bad sauce Jean-Pierre Camus (1584-1652) French churchman, author Truth Truth that peeps Over the glass's edge when dinner's done. Robert Browning (1812-1889) English poet Truth Plato is dear to me, but dearer still is truth. Aristotle (384-322 BC) Greek philosopher Truth The first wrote, wine is the strongest. The second wrote, the king is the strongest. The third wrote, women are strongest: but above all things truth beareth away the victory. Apocrypha, Esdras I Truth A man may be in as just possession of truth as of a city, and yet be forced to surrender. Sir Thomas Browne (1605-1682) English physician, author Truth When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (1859-1930) English author Truth Let us begin by committing ourselves to the truth - to see it like it is, and tell it like it is - to find the truth, to speak the truth, and to live the truth. Richard Nixon (b. 1913) American president accepting presidential nomination, 1968 Truth What is truth? said jesting Pilate; and would not stay for an answer. Francis Bacon (1561-1626) English philosopher, essayist Truth Tyranny See: Despotism Mobs: Burke The Public: Bulwer-Lytton Revolution: Shaw I have sworn upon the altar of God eternal hostility against every form of tyranny over the mind of man. Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826) American president Tyranny It is far easier to act under conditions of tyranny than to think. Hannah Arendt (1906-1975) American political philosopher Tyranny The worst form of tyranny the world has ever known: the tyranny of the weak over the strong. It is the only tyranny that lasts. Oscar Wilde (1854-1900) Anglo-Irish writer Tyranny Kings will be tyrants from policy, when subjects are rebels from principle. Edmund Burke (1729-1797) Irish philosopher, statesman Tyranny In every tyrant's heart there springs in the end This poison, that he cannot trust a friend. Aeschylus (525-456 BC) Greek tragic poet trans. Gilbert Murray Tyranny Like Cato, give his little senate laws, And sit attentive to his own applause. Alexander Pope (1688-1744) English poet Tyranny In the groves of their academy, at the end of every vista, you see nothing but the gallows. Edmund Burke (1729-1797) Irish philosopher, statesman Tyranny Understanding See: Intellectuals: Apocrypha Where I am not understood, it shall be concluded that something very useful and profound is couched underneath. Jonathan Swift (1667-1745) Anglo-Irish satirist Understanding I have suffered from being misunderstood, but I would have suffered a hell of a lot more if I had been understood. Clarence Darrow (1857-1938) American lawyer, writer Understanding Unless one is a genius, it is best to aim at being intelligible. Anthony Hope Hawkins (1863-1933) British novelist Understanding Nowadays to be intelligible is to be found out. Oscar Wilde (1854-1900) Anglo-Irish writer Understanding If one does not understand a person, one tends to regard him as a fool. Carl Jung (1875-1961) Swiss psychiatrist Understanding A lot of words get spilled as the urge to be understood clashes with an aversion to being understood too well. New York Times, 1985 Understanding I strive to be brief but I become obscure. Horace (65-8 BC) Latin poet Understanding If you are sure you understand everything that is going on, you are hopelessly confused. Walter F. Mondale (b. 1928) American Democratic politician Understanding Shallow understanding from people of good will is more frustrating than absolute misunderstanding from people of ill-will. Martin Luther King (1929-1968) American civil rights leader Understanding Unemployment See: Business: Smith You take my life when you take the means whereby I live. Shylock, The Merchant of Venice William Shakespeare (1564-1616) English dramatist, poet Unemployment A man willing to work, and unable to find work, is perhaps the saddest sight that fortune's inequality exhibits under this sun. Thomas Carlyle (1795-1881) Scottish writer Unemployment To be idle and to be poor have always been reproaches, and therefore every man endeavours with his utmost care to hide his poverty from others, and his idleness from himself. Dr. Samuel Johnson (1709-1784) English author, lexicographer Unemployment It's a recession when your neighbor loses his job; it's a depression when you lose yours. Harry S. Truman (1884-1972) American president Unemployment A man who has no office to go to - I don't care who he is - is a trial of which you can have no conception. George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) Anglo-Irish playwright, critic Unemployment The loss of one's job is a misfortune which should be borne with dignity and reticence. Norman St. John-Stevas (b. 1929) British Conservative politician Unemployment He didn't riot. He got on his bike and looked for work. Norman Tebbit (b. 1931) British Conservative politician of his unemployed father during the Depression Unemployment Better wear out shoes than sheets. 17th-century English proverb Unemployment Sometimes I've heard it said that conservatives have been associated with unemployment. That's absolutely wrong. We'd have been drummed out of office if we'd had this level of unemployment. Margaret Thatcher (b. 1925) English prime minister May 1977, when there were 1,269,000 out of work in the UK Unemployment O that we now had here But one ten thousand of those men in England That do no work today! Westmoreland, King Henry V William Shakespeare (1564-1616) English dramatist, poet Unemployment We believe that if men have the talent to invent new machines that put men out of work, they have the talent to put those men back to work. John F. Kennedy (1917-1963) American president Unemployment Unhappiness See: Despair Grief Money: Smith Unhappiness is not knowing what we want and killing ourselves to get it. Don Herold (1889-1966) American humorist, writer, artist Unhappiness 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 (1795-1881) Scottish writer Unhappiness Unhappiness is best defined as the difference between our talents and our expectations. Edward de Bono (b. 1933) British writer Unhappiness Let no one till his death be called unhappy. Measure not the work until the day's out and the labour done. Elizabeth Barrett Browning (1806-1861) English poet Unhappiness In deep sadness there is no sentimentality. William S. Burroughs (b. 1914) American author Unhappiness When sorrows come, they come not single spies. But in battalions. King, Hamlet William Shakespeare (1564-1616) English dramatist, poet Unhappiness He's simply got the instinct for being unhappy highly developed. Saki (H. H. Munro) (1870-1916) Scottish author Unhappiness Men who are unhappy, like men who sleep badly, are always proud of the fact. Bertrand Russell (1872-1970) British philosopher, mathematician, social reformer Unhappiness The world will never be long without some good reason to hate the unhappy. Dr. Samuel Johnson (1709-1784) English author, lexicographer Unhappiness The secret of being miserable is to have leisure to bother about whether you are happy or not. The cure for it is occupation. George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) Anglo-Irish playwright, critic Unhappiness Uniforms This death's livery which walled its bearers from ordinary life was sign that they have sold their wills and bodies to the State: and contracted themselves into a service not the less abject for that its beginning was voluntary. T. E. Lawrence (1888-1935) British soldier, scholar Uniforms We know, Mr Weller - we, who are men of the world - that a good uniform must work its way with the women, sooner or later. The Gentleman in Blue, The Pickwick Papers Charles Dickens (1812-1870) English novelist Uniforms University See: Education Examinations Oxford Oxford and Cambridge Europe crystallizes and slowly mummifies under the chains of its frontiers, its factories, its law courts, its universities. The frozen spirit cracks under the slabs of stone which press upon it. It's the fault of your mouldy systems, your logic of two and two makes four, it is your fault, University Chancellors, caught in the nets of your own syllogisms. Antonin Artaud (1896-1948) French theater producer, actor, theorist University Universities incline wits to sophistry and affectation. Francis Bacon (1561-1626) English philosopher, essayist University Life at a university with its intellectual and inconclusive discussions at the postgraduate level is on the whole a bad training for the real world. Only men of very strong character surmount this handicap. Sir Paul Chambers (1904-1981) British industrialist University A university is an alma mater, knowing her children one by one, not a foundry, or a mint, or a treadmill. Cardinal John Newman (1801-1890) English churchman, theologian University A university should be a place of light, of liberty, and of learning. Benjamin Disraeli (1804-1881) English prime minister University With one or two exceptions, colleges expect their players of games to be reasonably literate. Sir Maurice Bowra (1898-1971) British classicist, Warden of Wadham College, Oxford University 'Tis well enough for a servant to be bred at university: but the education is a little too pedantic for a gentleman. William Congreve (1670-1729) English dramatist University They teach you anything in universities today. You can major in mud pies. Orson Welles (1915-1985) American filmmaker University Socrates gave no diplomas or degrees, and would have subjected any disciple who demanded one to a disconcerting catechism on the nature of true knowledge. G. M. Trevelyan (1876-1962) British historian University Remote and ineffectual don. Hilaire Belloc (1870-1953) British author University A professor is one who talks in someone else's sleep. W. H. Auden (1907-1973) Anglo-American poet University A man who has never gone to school may steal from a freight car; but if he has a university education, he may steal the whole railroad. Theodore Roosevelt (1858-1919) American president University The USSR See: Apathy: Thurber Communism: Attlee Propaganda: Solzhenitsyn The Russians I cannot forecast to you the action of Russia. It is a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma. Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965) British statesman, writer The USSR In the Soviet Union everything happens slowly. Always remember that. A. N. Shevchenko (b. 1930) defecting Soviet diplomat The USSR The Soviet Union will remain a one-party nation even if an opposition party were permitted - because everyone would join that party. Ronald Reagan (b. 1911) American president The USSR The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics is not just a country, but an empire - the largest and probably the last, in history. Time magazine, 1980 The USSR No nation has ever devoured its heroes with such primordial zest. Cassandra, Sir William Connor (1909-1967) British journalist The USSR For us in Russia, communism is a dead dog, while, for many people in the West, it is still a living lion. Alexander Solzhenitsyn (b. 1918) Russian novelist The USSR I have been over into the future, and it works. Lincoln Steffens (1866-1936) American writer, editor to Bernard Baruch, on his return from the Soviet Union in 1919 The USSR Our achievements leave class enemies breathless. Leonid Brezhnev (1906-1982) Soviet premier The USSR Give us time and we shall produce panties for your wives in colors which cannot be seen anywhere else. Nikita Khrushchev (1894-1971) Soviet premier The USSR They were right. The Soviet regime is not the embodiment of evil as you think in the West. They have laws and I broke them. I hate tea and they love tea. Who is wrong? Alexander Zinoviev (b. 1922) Soviet philosopher on his forced exile from the Soviet Union The USSR Vanity See: Respectability: Pinero Secrets: Johnson There was never yet fair woman but she made mouths in a glass. Fool, King Lear William Shakespeare (1564-1616) English dramatist, poet Vanity The time he can spare from the adornment of his person he devotes to the neglect of his duties. Dr. Samuel Johnson (1709-1784) English author, lexicographer Vanity Cure yourself of the condition of bothering about how you look to other people. Be concerned only . . . with the idea God has of you. Miguel de Unamuno (1864-1936) Spanish philosopher, poet, novelist Vanity We are so vain that we even care for the opinion of those we don't care for. Marie von Ebner-Eschenbach (1830-1916) Austrian author Vanity Vegetarians I have no doubt that it is a part of the destiny of the human race, in its gradual improvement, to leave off eating animals, as surely as the savage tribes have left off eating each other when they came in contact with the more civilized. Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862) American philosopher, author, naturalist Vegetarians Most vegetarians I ever see looked enough like their food to be classed as cannibals. Finley Peter Dunne (1867-1936) American journalist, humorist Vegetarians A man of my spiritual intensity does not eat corpses. George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) Anglo-Irish playwright, critic Vegetarians Vice See: Gossip: Hubbard Hypocrisy: Joad; La Rochefoucauld Pleasure: Woollcott Religion: Massillon Self-denial: Shaw Virtue: Lynd; Maurois It seems impossible to root out of an Englishman's mind the notion that vice is delightful, and that abstention from it is privation. George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) Anglo-Irish playwright, critic Vice Vice is a creature of such hideous mien that the more you see it the better you like it. Finley Peter Dunne (1867-1936) American journalist, humorist Vice No exile at the South Pole or on the summit of Mont Blanc separates us more effectively from others than the practice of a hidden vice. Marcel Proust (1871-1922) French novelist Vice How like herrings and onions our vices are in the morning after we have committed them. Samuel Taylor Coleridge (1772-1834) English poet Vice What maintains one vice would bring up two children. Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790) American statesman, writer Vice Le ciel defend, de vrai, certains contentements Mais on trouve avec lui des accommodements. It's true Heaven forbids some pleasures, but a compromise can usually be found. Moliere (1622-1673) French playwright Vice Victims I am a man more sinn'd against than sinning. Lear, King Lear William Shakespeare (1564-1616) English dramatist, poet Victims I hate victims who respect their executioners. Jean-Paul Sartre (1905-1980) French philosopher, author Victims Vietnam Vietnam was what we had instead of happy childhoods. Michael Herr (b. 1940) American journalist Vietnam This is not a jungle war, but a struggle for freedom on every front of human activity. Lyndon B. Johnson (1908-1973) American president Vietnam North Vietnam cannot defeat or humiliate the United States. Only Americans can do that. Richard Nixon (b. 1913) American president November 1969 Vietnam There is the guilt all soldiers feel for having broken the taboo against killing, a guilt as old as war itself. Add to this the soldier's sense of shame for having fought in actions that resulted, indirectly or directly, in the deaths of civilians. Then pile on top of that an attitude of social opprobrium, an attitude that made the fighting man feel personally morally responsible for the war, and you get your proverbial walking time bomb. Philip Caputo (b. 1941) American author, Vietnam veteran from his book, A Rumor of War Vietnam Above all, Vietnam was a war that asked everything of a few and nothing of most in America. Myra McPherson American author from Long Time Passing Vietnam I would like to ask a question. Would this sort of war or savage bombing which has taken place in Vietnam have been tolerated for so long had the people been European? Indira Gandhi (1917-1984) Indian prime minister Vietnam Villains See: Piety: Johnson As there is a use in medicine for poison, so the world cannot move without rogues. Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882) American essayist, poet, philosopher Villains In the old days villains had moustaches and kicked the dog. Audiences are smarter today. They don't want their villain to be thrown at them with green limelight on his face. They want an ordinary human being with failings. Alfred Hitchcock (1899-1980) Anglo-American film director Villains As for an authentic villain, the real thing, the absolute, the artist, one rarely meets him even once in a lifetime. The ordinary bad hat is always in part a decent fellow. Colette (1873-1954) French novelist Villains It takes a certain courage and a certain greatness even to be truly base. Jean Anouilh (1910-1987) French dramatist Villains Gamesters and highwaymen are generally very good to their whores, but they are the very devils to their wives. Peachum, The Beggar's Opera John Gay (1685-1732) English playwright, poet Villains Violence In violence we forget who we are. Mary McCarthy (1912-1989) American author Violence If you strike a child, take care that you strike it in anger, even at the risk of maiming it for life. A blow in cold blood neither can nor should be forgiven. George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) Anglo-Irish playwright, critic Violence I write about violence as naturally as Jane Austen wrote about manners. Violence shapes and obsesses our society, and if we do not stop being violent we have no future. Edward Bond (b. 1934) British playwright Violence Violence suits those who have nothing to lose. Jean-Paul Sartre (1905-1980) French philosopher, author Violence Virtue See: Chastity: de Montaigne Excellence: Twain Good Deeds: Wordsworth Hypocrisy: Joad; La Rochefoucauld Posterity: Paine Reputation: La Rochefoucauld Respectability: Pinero; Twain Be virtuous: not too much; just what's correct. Excess in anything is a defect. Jacques Monvel (1745-1812) French actor, dramatist Virtue Be virtuous and you will be eccentric. Mark Twain (1835-1910) American author Virtue What is virtue but the Trade Unionism of the married? Don Juan, Man and Superman George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) Anglo-Irish playwright, critic Virtue Men are virtuous because women are; women are virtuous from necessity. Ed (E. W.) Howe (1853-1937) American journalist, novelist Virtue There are few good women who do not tire of their role. Francois, Duc de La Rochefoucauld (1613-1680) French writer, moralist Virtue Feminine virtue is nothing but a convenient masculine intervention. Ninon de Lenclos (1620-1705) French society lady, wit Virtue Virtue has its own reward, but no sale at the box office. Mae West (1892-1980) American film actress Virtue The virtues of society are the vices of the saint. Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882) American essayist, poet, philosopher Virtue Virtue knows that it is quite impossible to get on without compromise, and tunes herself, as it were, a trifle sharp to allow for an inevitable fall in playing. Samuel Butler (1835-1902) English author Virtue Fear God, and offend not the Prince nor his laws, And keep thyself out of the magistrate's claws. Tomas Tusser (c. 1520-c. 1580) English writer on agriculture Virtue That mixture of Christian sorrow and mundane relish which the virtuous employ in talking of the vicious. Andre Maurois (1885-1967) French author Virtue By virtue we merely mean the avoidance of the vices that do not attract us. Robert Lynd (1879-1949) Anglo-Irish essayist, journalist Virtue I cannot love anyone if I hate myself. That is the reason why we feel so extremely uncomfortable in the presence of people who are noted for their special virtuousness, for they radiate an atmosphere of the torture they inflict on themselves. That is not a virtue but a vice. Carl Jung (1875-1961) Swiss psychiatrist Virtue The chief assertion of religious morality is that white is a colour. Virtue is not the absence of vices or the avoidance of moral dangers; virtue is a vivid and separate thing, like pain or a particular smell. G. K. Chesterton (1874-1936) English author Virtue Men's evil manners live in brass, their virtues We write in water. Griffith, King Henry VIII William Shakespeare (1564-1616) English dramatist, poet Virtue Virtue shuns ease as a companion. It demands a rough and thorny path. Michel de Montaigne (1533-1592) French essayist, moralist Virtue Assume a virtue, if you have it not. Hamlet, Hamlet William Shakespeare (1564-1616) English dramatist, poet Virtue Visionaries See: Christianity: Ellis Leadership: Shaw How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace. Bible, Isaiah Visionaries Sir, the pretending to extraordinary revelations and gifts of the Holy ghost is a horrid thing, a very horrid thing. Joseph Butler (1692-1752) Bishop of Durham to John Wesley Visionaries I just want to do God's will. And he's allowed me to go up to the mountain. And I've looked over, and I've seen the Promised Land. Martin Luther King (1929-1968) American civil rights leader Visionaries You see things; and say "Why?" But I dream things that never were; and I say "Why not?" The Serpent, Back to Methuselah George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) Anglo-Irish playwright, critic Visionaries Fear prophets . . . and those prepared to die for the truth, for as a rule they make many others die with them, often before them, at times instead of them. Umberto Eco (b. 1932) Italian scholar, novelist Visionaries The visionary lies to himself, the liar only to others. Friedrich Nietzsche (1844-1900) German philosopher Visionaries Where there is not vision, the people perish. Bible, Proverbs Visionaries "When the sun rises, do you not see a round disc of fire somewhat like a guinea?" "O no, no, I see an innumerable company of the heavenly host crying 'Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord God Almighty!' " William Blake (1757-1827) English poet, artist Visionaries St Teresa of Avila described our life in this world as like a night at a second-class hotel. Malcolm Muggeridge (b. 1903) British journalist Visionaries Vocation Little monk, you are embarking on a difficult journey. Martin Luther (1483-1546) German leader of the Protestant Reformation on the eve of his departure for Worms Vocation The test of a vocation is the love of the drudgery it involves. Logan Pearsall Smith (1865-1946) Anglo-American essayist Vocation This is the true joy in life, the being used for a purpose recognised by yourself as a mighty one; the being thoroughly worn out before you are thrown on the scrap heap. George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) Anglo-Irish playwright, critic Vocation Cest une folie a nulle autre seconde, De vouloir se meler de corriger le monde. Of all follies there is none greater than wanting to put the world to rights. Moliere (1622-1673) French playwright Vocation Vulgarity See: War: Wilde Writing: Shaw Vulgarity is the garlic in the salad of taste. Cyril Connolly (1903-1974) British critic Vulgarity It's worse than wicked, my dear, it's vulgar. Punch, 19th century Vulgarity A thing is not vulgar merely because it is common. William Hazlitt (1778-1830) English essayist Vulgarity The higher a man stands, the more the word "vulgar" become unintelligible to him. John Ruskin (1819-1900) English critic Vulgarity Vulgarity is simply the conduct of other people. Oscar Wilde (1854-1900) Anglo-Irish writer Vulgarity Wales With its wild names like peals of bells in the darkness. Dylan Thomas (1914-1953) Welsh poet Wales An impotent people, sick with inbreeding, Worrying the carcase of an old song. R. S. Thomas (b. 1913) Welsh poet, clergyman Wales War See: The Arms Race Father: Croesus Generals: Clemenceau; Bonaparte Glory: Lincoln Guerrilla Warfare The Law: Cicero Nationalism: Mussolini Peace Royalty: Dryden Vietnam War Correspondents War Crimes Winning: Dryden Youth: Graves War's a brain-spattering, windpipe-splitting art. Lord Byron (1788-1824) English poet War War is nothing more than the continuation of politics by other means. Karl von Clausewitz (1780-1831) Prussian soldier, strategist War War is only a cowardly escape from the problems of peace. Thomas Mann (1875-1955) German author, critic War A long as there are sovereign nations possessing great power, war is inevitable. Albert Einstein (1879-1955) German-American theoretical physicist War What a country calls its vital economic interests are not the things which enable its citizens to live, but the things which enable it to make war. Petrol is more likely than wheat to be a cause of international conflict. Simone Weil (1909-1943) French mystic, philosopher War Roused by the lash of his own stubborn tail Our lion now will foreign fores assail. John Dryden (1631-1700) English poet, dramatist, critic War We go to gain a little patch of ground That hath in it no profit but the name. Captain, Hamlet William Shakespeare (1564-1616) English dramatist, poet War The belief in the possibility of a short decisive war appears to be one of the most ancient and dangerous of human illusions. Robert Lynd (1879-1949) Anglo-Irish essayist, journalist War We are at a great disadvantage when we make war on people who have nothing to lose. Francesco Guicciardini (1483-1540) Italian historian, statesman War Oh, the brave Music of a distant Drum! from The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam trans. Edward Fitzgerald (1809-1883) War How good bad music and bad reasons sound when we march against an enemy. Friedrich Nietzsche (1844-1900) German philosopher War The lamps are going out all over Europe; we shall not see them lit again in our lifetime. Lord Greyof Falloden (1862-1933) British statesman August 3, 1914 War What passing-bells for these who die as cattle? Only the monstrous anger of the guns. Wilfred Owen (1893-1918) British poet War The Angel of Death has been abroad throughout the land, you may almost hear the beating of his wings. John Bright (1811-1889) English radical politician War Lo! thy dread empire, Chaos! is restor'd; Light dies before thy uncreating words: Thy hand, great Anarch! lets the curtain fall, And universal darkness buries all. Alexander Pope (1688-1744) English poet War They have caused Egypt to stagger as a drunken man staggereth in his vomit. David Ben Gurion (1886-1973) Israeli statesman of the Israeli army in the 1956 Suez campaign War History shows that there are no invincible armies. Josef Stalin (1879-1953) USSR dictator War Here dead lie we because we did not choose To live and shame the land from which we sprung. Life to be sure, is nothing much to lose; But young men think it is, and we were young. A. E. Housman (1859-1936) British poet, classical scholar War The war has already almost destroyed that nation . . . I have seen, I guess, as much blood and disaster as any living man and it just turned my stomach the last time I was there. After I looked at that wreckage and those thousands of women and children and everything, I vomited. Douglas MacArthur (1880-1964) American general of the Korean war War I have nothing to offer but blood, toil, tears and sweat. Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965) British statesman, writer War . . . That strange feeling we had in the war. Have you found anything in your lives since to equal it in strength? A sort of splendid carelessness it was, holding us together. Noel Coward (1899-1973) English playwright, actor, composer War War is elevating, because the individual disappears before the great conception of the state. Heinrich von Treitschke (1834-1896) German historian War The inevitableness, the idealism, and the blessing of war, as an indispensable and stimulating law of development, must be repeatedly emphasized. Friedrich von Bernhardi (1849-1930) German militarist in Germany and the Next War War As long as war is regarded as wicked, it will always have its fascination. When it is looked upon as vulgar, it will cease to be popular. Oscar Wilde (1854-1900) Anglo-Irish writer War What is it, after all, the people get? Why! taxes, widows, wooden legs, and debt. Francis Moore (1656-1715) English astrologer, physician War What we have gained by the war is, in one word, all that we should have lost without it. William Pitt (1759-1806) English politician, prime minister War And while I am talking to you mothers and fathers, I give you one more assurance. I have said this before, but I shall say it again and again and again: Your boys are not going to be sent into any foreign wars. Franklin D. Roosevelt (1882-1945) American president October 30, 1940 War War is the statesman's game, the priest's delight, The lawyer's jest, the hired assassin's trade. Percy Bysshe Shelley (1792-1822) English poet War War is the only sport that is genuinely amusing. And it is the only sport that has any intelligible use. H. L. Mencken (1880-1956) American journalist War What war has always been is a puberty ceremony. It's a very rough one, but you went away a boy and came back a man, maybe with an eye missing or whatever but godammit you were a man and people had to call you a man thereafter. Kurt Vonnegut (b. 1922) American novelist War For a war to be just three things are necessary - public authority, just cause, right motive. Saint Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274) Italian philosopher, theologian War Force and fraud are in war the two cardinal virtues. Thomas Hobbes (1588-1679) English philosopher War If both sides dont' want war, how can war break out? Menachem Begin (b. 1913) Israeli politician, prime minister in 1981 War The purpose of all war is peace. Saint Augustine (354-430) theologian War More than an end to war, we want an end to the beginnings of all wars. Franklin D. Roosevelt (1882-1945) American president War Of the four wars in my lifetime, none came about because the U.S. was too strong. Ronald Reagan (b. 1911) American president War My views with regard to war are well known. I grew up in a tradition where we consider all wars immoral. Richard Nixon (b. 1913) American president War War has . . . become a luxury which only the small nations can afford. Hannah Arendt (1906-1975) American political philosopher War I'd like to see the government get out of war altogether and leave the whole feud to private industry. Joseph Heller (b. 1923) American novelist War At last, after innumerable glamorous and frightful years, mankind approaches a war which is totally predictable from beginning to end. Frederic Raphael (b. 1931) British author War Child of God, therefore children of God, therefore brothers. All wars are civil wars. Eric Gill (1882-1940) British sculptor War They talk about who won and who lost. Human reason won. Mankind won. Nikita Khrushchev (1894-1971) Soviet premier of the Cuban missile crisis, 1962 War There never was a good war or a bad peace. Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790) American statesman, writer War War Correspondents That front-line face, he never got anything on film that he didn't get on himself, after three years he'd turned into the thing he came to photograph. Michael Herr (b. 1940) American journalist War Correspondents I will put in my poems that with you is heroism upon land and sea, And I will report all heroism from an American point of view. Walt Whitman (1819-1892) American poet War Correspondents The first casualty when war comes is truth. Hiram Johnson (1866-1945) American Republican politician War Correspondents The time to leave this place is when all white people begin to look alike. Paul Hoffman (b. 1929) American journalist on leaving the Congo, 1961 War Correspondents We all knew that if you stayed too long you became one of those poor bastards who had to have a war on all the time, and where was that? Michael Herr (b. 1940) American journalist War Correspondents War Crimes The worst atrocities are probably committed by those who are most afraid. Lord d'Abernon (1857-1941) British administrator, author War Crimes The next war criminals will come from the chemical and electronics industries. Alfred Krupp (1907-1967) German arms manufacturer (imprisoned for war crimes 1948-1951) War Crimes Wealth See: Luxury Respectability: Twain The Rich The Working Class: George Ill fares the land, to hastening ills a prey, Where wealth accumulates, and men decay. Oliver Goldsmith (1728-1774) Anglo-Irish author Wealth It is the interest of the commercial world that wealth should be found everywhere. Edmund Burke (1729-1797) Irish philosopher, statesman Wealth Better see rightly on a pound a week than squint on a million. George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) Anglo-Irish playwright, critic Wealth Let us not be too particular; it is better to have old second-hand diamonds than none at all. Mark Twain (1835-1910) American author Wealth Wealth is not without its advantages and the case to the contrary, although it has often been made, has never proved widely persuasive. John Kenneth Galbraith (b. 1908) American economist Wealth There are few sorrows, however poignant, in which a good income is of no avail. Logan Pearsall Smith (1865-1946) Anglo-American essayist Wealth What I call loaded I'm not. What other people call loaded I am. Zsa Zsa Gabor (b. 1919) Hungarian film actress Wealth If you can actually count your money then you are not really a rich man. J. Paul Getty (1892-1976) American business executive Wealth I find all this money a considerable burden. John Paul Getty Jr. American business executive 1985 Wealth What difference does it make how much you have? What you do not have amounts to much more. Seneca (c. 5-65) Roman writer, philosopher, statesman Wealth The secret point of money and power in America is neither the things that money can buy nor power for power's sake . . . but absolute personal freedom, mobility, privacy. It is the instinct which drove America to the Pacific, all through the nineteenth century, the desire to be able to find a restaurant open in case you want a sandwich, to be a free agent, live by one's own rules. Joan Didion (b. 1934) American writer Wealth What is called a high standard of living consists in considerable measure in arrangements for avoiding muscular energy, increasing sensual pleasure, and enhancing caloric intake beyond any conceivable nutritional requirement. Nonetheless, the belief that increased production is a worthy social goal is very nearly absolute. John Kenneth Galbraith (b. 1908) American economist Wealth Wealth, howsoever got, in England makes Lords of mechanics, gentlemen of rakes; Antiquity and birth are needless here; 'Tis impudence and money makes a peer. Daniel Defoe (1661-1731) English writer Wealth Wealth will be a protection against political corruption. The English statesman is bribed not to be bribed. He is born with a silver spoon in his mouth, so that he may never afterwards be found with the silver spoons in his pocket. G. K. Chesterton (1874-1936) English author Wealth But Satan now is wiser than of yore, And tempts by making rich, not making poor. Alexander Pope (1688-1744) English poet Wealth If you look up a dictionary of quotations you will find few reasons for a sensible man to desire to become wealthy. Robert Lynd (1879-1949) Anglo-Irish essayist, journalist Wealth The Weather See: England: Chesterton; Coleridge; Phelps; Byron; Walpole Rain He maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. Jesus (4 BC-29 AD) founder of Christianity The Weather It was so cold the other day, I almost got married. Shelley Winters (b. 1922) American film actress The Weather Heat, ma'am! . . . it was so dreadful here that I found there was nothing left for it but to take off my flesh and sit in my bones. Sydney Smith (1771-1845) English writer, clergyman The Weather Everybody talks about the weather, but nobody does anything about it. Charles D. Warner (1829-1900) American essayist, novelist The Weather Don't knock the weather; nine-tenths of the people couldn't start a conversation if it didn't change once in a while. Kin (F. McKinney) Hubbard (1868-1930) American humorist, journalist The Weather People get a bad impression of it [the English climate] by continually trying to treat it as if it was a bank clerk, who ought to be on time on Tuesday next, instead of philosophically seeing it as a painter, who may do anything so long as you don't try to predict what. Katharine Whitehorn (b. 1926) British journalist The Weather There is really no such thing as bad weather, only different kinds of good weather. John Ruskin (1819-1900) English critic The Weather Weddings Of all actions of a man's life his marriage does least concern other people; yet of all actions of our life it is most meddled with by other people. John Selden (1584-1654) English jurist, statesman Weddings If it were not for the presents, an elopement would be preferable. George Ade (1866-1944) American humorist, playwright Weddings Strange to say what delight we married people have to see these poor fools decoyed into our condition. Samuel Pepys (1633-1703) English diarist Weddings That is ever the way. 'Tis all jealousy to the bride and good wishes to the corpse. James M. Barrie (1860-1937) British playwright Weddings A man looks pretty small at a wedding, George. All those good women standing shoulder to shoulder, making sure that the knot's tied in a mighty public way. Thornton Wilder (1897-1975) American author Weddings The wedding march always reminds me of the music played when soldiers go into battle. Heinrich Heine (1797-1856) German poet, journalist Weddings Welfare 'Tis not enough to help the feeble up, but to support him after. Timon, Timon of Athens William Shakespeare (1564-1616) English dramatist, poet Welfare Benefits should be granted a little at a time, so that they may be the better enjoyed. Niccolo Machiavelli (1469-1527) Italian political philosopher Welfare Religion was nearly dead because there was no longer real belief in future life; but something was struggling to take its place - service - social service - the ants' creed, the bees' creed. John Galsworthy (1867-1933) English novelist, dramatist Welfare We are faced with a choice between the work ethic that built this nation's character - and the new welfare ethic that could cause the American character to weaken. Richard Nixon (b. 1913) American president Welfare Whimsy Unpredictability, too, can become monotonous. Eric Hoffer (1902-1983) American philosopher Whimsy She has a whim of iron. Oliver Herford (1863-1935) American poet, illustrator of his wife Whimsy Wickedness See: Delinquency: Mencken Evil Vulgarity: Punch Women: Ecclesiasticus Wickedness is a myth invented by good people to account for the curious attractiveness of others. Oscar Wilde (1854-1900) Anglo-Irish writer Wickedness Some wicked people would be less dangerous had they no redeeming qualities. Francois, Duc de La Rochefoucauld (1613-1680) French writer, moralist Wickedness It is a fact that cannot be denied: the wickedness of others becomes our own wickedness because it kindles something evil in our own hearts. Carl Jung (1875-1961) Swiss psychiatrist Wickedness Wicked is not much worse than indiscreet. John Donne (1572-1631) English divine, metaphysical poet Wickedness Widowhood See: Tact: MacManus Take example by your father, my boy, and be wery careful o' vidders all your life, specially if they've kept a public house, Sammy. Charles Dickens (1812-1870) English novelist Widowhood Sorrow for a husband is like a pain in the elbow, sharp and short. Thomas Fuller (1654-1734) English physician Widowhood The comfortable estate of widowhood is the only hope that keeps up a wife's spirits. Peachum, The Beggar's Opera John Gay (1685-1732) English playwright, poet Widowhood Of course I am shocked by his death, but not nearly as shocked as when he walked out on me. Lady George-Brown of her husband, British politician Lord George-Brown Widowhood Widows are divided into two classes - the bereaved and relieved. anonymous Widowhood He first deceased; she for a little tried To live without him, liked it not, and died. Sir Henry Wotton (1568-1639) English diplomat, poet Widowhood Give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning. Bible, Isaiah Widowhood Wills See: Lawyers: Howe Die, and endow a college, or a cat. Alexander Pope (1688-1744) English poet Wills He that defers his charity until he is dead is, if a man weighs it rightly, rather liberal of another man's goods than his own. Francis Bacon (1561-1626) English philosopher, essayist Wills The man who waits to make an entirely reasonable will dies intestate. George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) Anglo-Irish playwright, critic Wills Wine See: Drink You know, my Friends, with what a brave Carouse I made a Second Marriage in my house; Divorced old barren Reason for my Bed, And took the Daughter of the Vine to Spouse. from The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam trans. Edward Fitzgerald (1809-1883) Wine Nothing equals the joy of the drinker, except the joy of the wine in being drunk. French saying Wine Drink no longer water, but use a little wine for thy stomach's sake and thine often infirmities. Saint Paul (3-67) Apostle to the Gentiles Wine No poems can please for long or live that are written by water-drinkers. Horace (65-8 BC) Latin poet Wine Water for oxen, wine for kings. Spanish proverb Wine A mind of the calibre of mine cannot derive its nutriment from cows. George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) Anglo-Irish playwright, critic Wine The Grape that can with Logic absolute The Two-and-Seventy jarring Sects confute. from The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam trans. Edward Fitzgerald (1809-1883) Wine One of the disadvantages of wine is that it makes a man mistake words for thoughts. Dr. Samuel Johnson (1709-1784) English author, lexicographer Wine I may not here omit those two main plagues, and common dotages of human kind, wine and women, which have infatuated and besotted myriads of people. They go commonly together. Robert Burton (1577-1640) English clergyman, author Wine The dipsomaniac and the abstainer are not only both mistaken, but they both make the same mistake. They both regard wine as a drug and not a drink. G. K. Chesterton (1874-1936) English author Wine Wine gives a man nothing . . . It only puts in motion what had been locked up in frost. Dr. Samuel Johnson (1709-1784) English author, lexicographer Wine There is a devil in every berry of the grape. Qu'ran Wine I prefer the gout. Lord Derby (1865-1948) British administrator on trying a South African port recommended for gout sufferers Wine It's a Naive Domestic Burgundy without Any Breeding, But I Think You'll be Amused by its Presumption. James Thurber (1894-1961) American humorist, illustrator cartoon caption Wine I often wonder what the Vintners buy One-half so precious as the stuff they sell. from The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam trans. Edward Fitzgerald (1809-1883) Wine Ah! bouteille, ma mie, Pourquoi vous videz-vous? Ah, bottle, my friend, why do you empty yourself? Moliere (1622-1673) French playwright Wine Wine makes a man better pleased with himself; I do not say that it makes him more pleasing to others. Dr. Samuel Johnson (1709-1784) English author, lexicographer Wine Winning See: Foul play: Shakespeare Getting Ahead: Tomlin War: Khrushchev; Pitt Your first win is like making love and you enjoy it so much the first time that you want to do it again and again. Nigel Mansell (b. 1953) British racing driver on winning South African Grand Prix soon after his British victory, 1985 Winning I never thought myself beaten so long as I could present a front to the enemy. If I was beaten at one point I went to another, and in that way I won all my victories. Duke of Wellington (1769-1852) English soldier, statesman Winning We will get everything out of her [Germany] that you can squeeze out of a lemon and a bit more . . . I will squeeze her until you can hear the pips squeak. Sir Eric Geddes (1875-1937) Scottish Conservative politician on war reparations after the First World War Winning An intelligent victor will, whenever possible, present his demands to the vanquished in installments. Adolf Hitler (1889-1945) German dictator Mein Kampf Winning Even victors are by victories undone. John Dryden (1631-1700) English poet, dramatist, critic Winning Thrusting my nose firmly between his teeth, I threw him heavily to the ground on top of me. Mark Twain (1835-1910) American author Winning A victory recounted in detail is hard to distinguish from a defeat. Jean-Paul Sartre (1905-1980) French philosopher, author Winning That is the whole secret of successful fighting. Get your enemy at a disadvantage; and never, on any account, fight him on equal terms. Sergius, Arms and the Man George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) Anglo-Irish playwright, critic Winning You may have to fight a battle more than once to win it. Margaret Thatcher (b. 1925) English prime minister Winning Nothing except a battle lost can be half so melancholy as a battle won. Duke of Wellington (1769-1852) English soldier, statesman Winning When in doubt, win the trick. Edmond Hoyle (1672-1769) English writer on cards Winning Wisdom See: Education: Kingsley Epigrams: Birrell Excess: Blake Ignorance: Gray Royalty: Massinger Youth: Chesterfield Some folks are wise, and some are otherwise. Tobias Smollett (1721-1771) Scottish novelist, surgeon Wisdom There is somebody wiser than any of us, and that is everybody. Napoleon Bonaparte (1769-1821) Emperor of France Wisdom Every law which originated in ignorance and malice, and gratifies the passions from which it sprang, we call the wisdom of our ancestors. Sydney Smith (1771-1845) English writer, clergyman Wisdom The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. Bible, Psalms Wisdom Truth from his lips prevailed with double sway, And fools, who came to scoff, remained to pray. Oliver Goldsmith (1728-1774) Anglo-Irish author Wisdom It is the province of knowledge to speak, and it is the privilege of wisdom to listen. Dr. Oliver Wendell Holmes (1809-1894) American writer, physician Wisdom Tomorrow a stranger will say with masterly good sense precisely what we have thought and felt all the time. Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882) American essayist, poet, philosopher Wisdom Clever people master life; the wise illuminate it and create fresh difficulties. Emil Nolde (1867-1956) German painter Wisdom History teaches us that men and nations behave wisely once they have exhausted all other alternatives. Abba Eban (b. 1915) Israeli politician Wisdom Many a crown of wisdom is but the golden chamberpot of success, worn with pompous dignity. Paul Eldridge (b. 1888) American writer Wisdom He who is only wise lives a sad life. Voltaire (1694-1778) French philosopher, writer Wisdom It's the height of folly to want to be the only wise one. Francois, Duc de La Rochefoucauld (1613-1680) French writer, moralist Wisdom So wise so young, they say, do never live long. Gloucester, King Richard III William Shakespeare (1564-1616) English dramatist, poet Wisdom It is costly wisdom that is bought by experience. Roger Ascham (1515-1568) English writer, classical scholar Wisdom The cat, having sat upon a hot stove lid, will not sit upon a hot stove lid again. Nor upon a cold stove lid. Mark Twain (1835-1910) American author Wisdom Wit See: Lord Byron: Moore Fools: La Rochefoucauld; Shakespeare The Scots: Smith Wit lies in recognizing the resemblance among things which differ and the difference between things which are alike. Madame de Stael (1766-1817) French writer, wit Wit Wit is the clash and reconcilement of incongruities, the meeting of extremes round a corner. Leigh Hunt (1784-1859) English poet, critic, essayist Wit True wit is nature to advantage dressed, What oft was thought but ne'er so well expressed. Alexander Pope (1688-1744) English poet Wit Wit is a sword; it is meant to make people feel the point as well as see it. G. K. Chesterton (1874-1936) English author Wit Surprise is so essential an ingredient of wit that no wit will bear repetition. Sydney Smith (1771-1845) English writer, clergyman Wit He's winding up the watch of his wit; by and by it will strike. Sebastian, The Tempest William Shakespeare (1564-1616) English dramatist, poet Wit A witty things never excites laughter; it pleases only the mind and never distorts the countenance. Lord Chesterfield (1694-1773) English statesman, man of letters Wit There's a helluva distance between wisecracking and wit. Wit has truth in it; wisecracking is simply callisthenics with words. Dorothy Parker (1893-1967) American humorous writer Wit Wit and Humor - if any difference it is in duration - lightning and electric light. Same material, apparently; but one is vivid, and can do damage - the other fools along and enjoys elaboration. Mark Twain (1835-1910) American author Wit Humour is consistent with pathos, whilst wit is not. Samuel Taylor Coleridge (1772-1834) English poet Wit Wit is the salt of conversation, not the food. William Hazlitt (1778-1830) English essayist Wit Brevity is the soul of wit. Polonius, Hamlet William Shakespeare (1564-1616) English dramatist, poet Wit Wives See: Husbands Marriage Success: Dewar Widowhood Wives are young men's mistresses, companions for middle age, and old men's nurses. Francis Bacon (1561-1626) English philosopher, essayist Wives To suckle fools, and chronicle small beer. William Shakespeare (1564-1616) English dramatist, poet Wives I chose my wife, as she did her wedding-gown, not for a fine glossy surface, but such qualities as would wear well. Oliver Goldsmith (1728-1774) Anglo-Irish author Wives He will hold thee, when his passion shall have spent its novel force, Something better than his dog, a little dearer than his horse. Lord Tennyson (1809-1892) English poet Wives In that second it dawned on me that I had been living here for eight years with a strange man and had borne him three children. Henrik Ibsen (1828-1906) Norwegian dramatist Wives Matrimonial devotion Doesn't seem to suit her notion. William S. Gilbert (1836-1911) English librettist Wives One can always recognise women who trust their husbands; they look so thoroughly unhappy. Oscar Wilde (1854-1900) Anglo-Irish writer Wives The woman who cannot evolve a good lie in defense of the man she loves is unworthy the name of wife. Elbert Hubbard (1856-1915) American author Wives This comes of James teaching me to think for myself, and never to hold back out of fear of what other people may think of me. It works beautifully as long as I think the same things as he does. Candida, Candida George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) Anglo-Irish playwright, critic Wives It's my old girl that advises. She has the head. But I never own to it before her. Discipline must be maintained. Mr. Bagnet, Bleak House Charles Dickens (1812-1870) English novelist Wives Good wives and private soldiers should be ignorant. William Wycherley (1640-1716) English dramatist Wives That's what a man wants in a wife, mostly; he wants to make sure o' one fool as'll tell him he's wise. George Eliot (1819-1880) English novelist Wives A man likes his wife to be just clever enough to comprehend his cleverness, and just stupid enough to admire it. Israel Zangwill (1864-1926) British writer Wives If a woman has her PhD in physics, has mastered in quantum theory, plays flawless Chopin, was once a cheerleader, and is now married to a man who plays baseball, she will forever be "former cheerleader married to star athlete." Maryanne Ellison Simmons wife of baseball catcher Ted Simmons Wives A man is in general better pleased when he has a good dinner upon his table, than when his wife talks Greek. Dr. Samuel Johnson (1709-1784) English author, lexicographer Wives Kissing don't last: cookery do! George Meredith (1828-1909) English author Wives There is one thing more exasperating than a wife who can cook and won't, and that's the wife who can't cook and will. Robert Frost (1874-1963) American poet Wives Accidents will occur in the best regulated families, and in families not regulated by that pervading influence which sanctifies while it enhances the - a - I would say, in short, by the influence of Woman, in the lofty character of Wife, they may be expected with confidence and must be borne with philosophy. Mr. Micawber, David Copperfield Charles Dickens (1812-1870) English novelist Wives She'd have you spew up what you've drunk when you were out. Caecilius (b. 2d century BC) Latin poet Wives Many men owe their success to their wives. I owe my wife to my success. anonymous millionaire Wives An ideal wife is any woman who has an ideal husband. Booth Tarkington (1869-1946) American novelist, playwright Wives Those graceful acts, those thousand decencies, That daily flow from all her words and actions. John Milton (1608-1674) English poet Wives Women See: Age: Bierce; Engel; de Lenclos; Mizner; de Poitiers Age: Old Age: Coleridge Antipathy: Pugh Anxiety: Glasgow Argument: Collins Bloodsports: Surtees Crying: Shakespeare; Wilde; Byron Discretion: Bible, Proverbs Dress: Muhammad Feminism Flattery: Chesterfield Flirting: Collins Goddesses Hair: Collins Ladies Love: First Love: Byron Manners: von Goethe Men: and Women Men and Women Opinion: Hinkson Politicians: Cassandra Quarrels: d'Aurevilly Regret: Pinero Reputation: La Rochefoucauld Seduction: de Lenclos Status: Hubbard Wine: Burton Wives Writers: Finch; Woolf Woman - a foe to friendship, an unescapable punishment, a necessary evil. John Chrysostom (345-407) Greek ecclesiast, hermit Women All wickedness is but little to the wickedness of a woman. Apocrypha, Ecclesiasticus Women Women give themselves to God when the Devil wants nothing more to do with them. Sophie Arnould (1740-1802) French operatic soprano Women The judgment of God upon your sex endures even today; and with it inevitably endures your position of criminal at the bar of justice. You are the gateway to the devil. Tertullian (c. 160-240) Roman theologian Women Woman's place is in the wrong. James Thurber (1894-1961) American humorist, illustrator Women Women have a wonderful sense of right and wrong, but little sense of right and left. Don Herold (1889-1966) American humorist, writer, artist Women Give a woman an inch an she'll park a car on it. E. P. B. White (b. 1914) Chief Constable of Gloucestershire Women A woman's appearance depends upon two things: the clothes she wears and the time she gives to her toilet . . . Against the first we bring the charge of ostentation, against the second of harlotry. Tertullian (c. 160-240) Roman theologian Women Aren't women prudes if they don't and prostitutes if they do? Kate Millet (b. 1934) American feminist writer Women Taught from infancy that beauty is woman's sceptre, the mind shapes itself to the body, and roaming round its gilt cage, only seeks to adorn its prison. Mary Wollstonecraft (1759-1797) English feminist writer Women Women are not much, but they are the best other sex we have. Don Herold (1889-1966) American humorist, writer, artist Women When children cease to be altogether desirable women cease to be altogether necessary. John Langdon-Davies (1897-1971) British author Women A woman is like a teabag - only in hot water do you realize how strong she is. Nancy Reagan (b. 1923) American former First Lady Women If women got a slap round the face more often, they'd be a bit more reasonable. Charlotte Rampling (b. 1945) British film actress Women Most women have no character at all. Alexander Pope (1688-1744) English poet Women The opinion I have of the generality of women - who appear to me as children to whom I would rather give a sugar plum than my time, forms a barrier against matrimony which I rejoice in. John Keats (1795-1821) English poet Women A woman might claim to retain some of the child's faculties, although very limited and defused, simply because she has not been encouraged to learn methods of thought and develop a disciplined mind. As long as education remains largely induction ignorance will retain these advantages over learning and it is time that women impudently put them to work. Germaine Greer (b. 1939) Australian feminist writer Women She was a gentlewoman, a scholar and a saint, and after having been three times married she took the vow of celibacy. What more could be expected of any woman? Elizabeth Wordsworth (1840-1932) English educator Women As artists they're rot, but as providers they're oil wells; they gush. Norris said she never wrote a story unless it was fun to do. I understand Ferber whistles at her typewriter. And there was that poor sucker Flaubert rolling around on his floor for three days looking for the right word. Dorothy Parker (1893-1967) American humorous writer Women A woman, especially, if she have the misfortune of knowing anything, should conceal it as well as she can. Jane Austen (1775-1817) English novelist Women Thus women's secrets I've surveyed And let them see how curiously they're made, And that, tho' they of different sexes be, Yet in the whole they are the same as we. from The Works of Aristotle in Four Parts, 1822, quoted by Germaine Greer (b. 1939) Australian feminist writer Women When a woman behaves like a man why doesn't she behave like a nice man? Dame Edith Evans (1888-1976) British actress Women I am glad that I am not a man, as I should be obliged to marry a woman. Madame de Stael (1766-1817) French writer, wit Women In the divorce court women complain of losing weight. Outside the divorce court they complain of putting it on. Sir Arthian Davies (1901-1979) British judge Women A woman will always sacrifice herself if you give her the opportunity. It is her favourite form of self-indulgence. W. Somerset Maugham (1874-1965) British author Women Good women always think it is their fault when someone else is being offensive. Bad women never take the blame for anything. Anita Brookner (b. 1938) British author Women There is only one real tragedy in a woman's life. The fact that her past is always her lover, and her future invariably her husband. Oscar Wilde (1854-1900) Anglo-Irish writer Women A woman's whole life is a history of the affections. Washington Irving (1783-1859) American author Women The happiest women, like the happiest nations, have no history. George Eliot (1819-1880) English novelist Women There is no spectacle on earth more appealing than that of a beautiful woman in the act of cooking dinner for someone she loves. Thomas Wolfe (1900-1938) American author Women If all men are born free, how is it that all women are born slaves? Mary Astell (1666-1735) English feminist writer Women The slavery of women happened when the men were slaves of kings. Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882) American essayist, poet, philosopher Women Women live like Bats or Owls, labour like Beasts, and die like Worms. Margaret Cavendish, Duchess of Newcastle (1623-1673) English writer Women You can always rely on a society of equals taking it out on the woman. Alan Sillitoe (b. 1938) British novelist Women If ever there was a colonized race on this planet it's the female race, there's no question about that. Shirley Maclaine (b. 1934) American film actress Women Th' hand that rocks th' cradle is just as liable to rock the country. Kin (F. McKinney) Hubbard (1868-1930) American humorist, journalist Women The great question that has never been answered, and which I have not yet been able to answer despite my thirty years of research into the feminine soul, is: What does a woman want? Sigmund Freud (1856-1939) Austrian psychiatrist Women For my part I distrust all generalisations about women, favourable and unfavourable, masculine and feminine, ancient and modern. Bertrand Russell (1872-1970) British philosopher, mathematician, social reformer Women Being a woman is of special interest only to aspiring male transsexuals. To actual women it is merely a good excuse not to play football. Fran Lebowitz (b. 1951) American journalist Women Women: and Men Women are told from their infancy and taught by the example of their mothers, that a little knowledge of human weakness, justly termed cunning, softness of temper, "outward" obedience and a scrupulous attention to a puerile kind of properiety, will obtain for them the protection of man. Mary Wollstonecraft (1759-1797) English feminist writer Women: and Men The only way for a woman to provide for herself decently is for her to be good to some man that can afford to be good to her. Mrs. Warren, Mrs. Warren's Profession George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) Anglo-Irish playwright, critic Women: and Men Brigands demand your money or your life; women demand both. Samuel Butler (1835-1902) English author Women: and Men The way to fight a woman is with your hat - grab it and run. John Barrymore (1882-1942) American stage and film actor Women: and Men Woman begins by resisting a man's advances and ends by blocking his retreat. Oscar Wilde (1854-1900) Anglo-Irish writer Women: and Men Here's to man! Would that we could fall into her arms without falling into her hands. Ambrose Bierce (1842-1914) American author Women: and Men She plucked from my lapel the invisible strand of lint (the universal act of woman to proclaim ownership). O. Henry (1862-1910) American short story writer Women: and Men As much as women belong to us, we no longer belong to them. Michel de Montaigne (1533-1592) French essayist, moralist Women: and Men Most women set out to try to change a man, and when they have changed them they do not like him. Marlene Dietrich (b. 1901) German-American film actress Women: and Men The only time a woman really succeeds in changing a man is when he's a baby. Natalie Wood (1938-1981) American film actress Women: and Men There is nothing women hate so much as to see men selfishly enjoying themselves without the solace of feminine society. Katharine Tynan Hinkson (1861-1931) Irish poet, novelist Women: and Men A woman must choose: with a man liked by women, she is not sure; with a man disliked by women, she is not happy. Anatole France (1844-1924) French author Women: and Men A woman may very well form a friendship with a man, but for this to endure, it must be assisted by a little physical antipathy. Friedrich Nietzsche (1844-1900) German philosopher Women: and Men A man of sense only trifles with them, plays with them, humours and flatters them, as he does with a sprightly and forward child; but he neither consults them about, nor trusts them with, serious matters. Lord Chesterfield (1694-1773) English statesman, man of letters Women: and Men Women have served all these centuries as looking-glasses possessing the magic and delicious power of reflecting the figure of man at twice its natural size. Virginia Woolf (1882-1941) British novelist Women: and Men A man's women folk, whatever their outward show of respect for his merit and authority, always regard him secretly as an ass, and with something akin to pity . . . In this fact, perhaps, lies one of the best proofs of feminine intelligence or, as the common phrase makes it, feminine intuition. H. L. Mencken (1880-1956) American journalist Women: and Men Perhaps women have always been in closer contact with reality than men: it would seem to be the just recompense for being deprived of idealism. Germaine Greer (b. 1939) Australian feminist writer Women: and Men Women are not angels. They are as foolish as men in many ways; but they have had to devote themselves to life whilst men have had to devote themselves to death . . . Women have been forced to fear whilst men have been forced to dare: the heroism of a woman is to nurse and protect life, and of a man to destroy it and court death. George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) Anglo-Irish playwright, critic Women: and Men Being a woman is a terribly difficult trade, since it consists principally of dealing with men. Joseph Conrad (1857-1924) English novelist Women: and Men I expect that Woman will be the last thing civilised by Man. George Meredith (1828-1909) English author Women: and Men Words See: Language Speech Words are the clothes that thoughts wear - only the clothes. Samuel Butler (1835-1902) English author Words Words, like eyeglasses, blur everything that they do not make clearer. Joseph Joubert (1754-1824) French essayist, moralist Words Words ought to be a little wild for they are the assault of thoughts on the unthinking. John Maynard Keynes (1883-1946) English economist Words "When I use a word," Humpty Dumpty said in rather a scornful tone, "it means just what I choose it to mean - neither more nor less." Lewis Carroll (1832-1898) English writer, mathematician Words Would you repeat that again, sir, for it soun's sae sonorous that the words droon the ideas? John Wilson (1785-1854) Scottish philosopher Words One forgets words as one forgets names. One's vocabulary needs consent fertilisation or it will die. Evelyn Waugh (1903-1966) British novelist Words Words are, of course, the most powerful drug used by mankind. Rudyard Kipling (1865-1936) English author Words In fact, words are well adapted for description and arousing of emotions, but for many kinds of precise thought other symbols are much better. J. B. S. Haldane (1892-1964) British scientist Words Work See: Communism: Marx Humility: Chesterton Illusions: of Grandeur: Schapp The Office Slavery: Ruskin My father taught me to work; he did not teach me to love it. Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865) American president Work I like work; it fascinates me. I can sit and look at it for hours. I love to keep it by me; the idea of getting rid of it nearly breaks my heart. Jerome K. Jerome (1859-1927) British author Work Work with some men is as besetting a sin as idleness. Samuel Butler (1835-1902) English author Work Work is the curse of the drinking classes. Oscar Wilde (1854-1900) Anglo-Irish writer Work Perpetual devotion to what a man calls his business is only to be sustained by perpetual neglect of many other things. Robert Louis Stevenson (1850-1894) Scottish novelist, essayist, poet Work Unchanging work at a uniform task kills the explosive flow of a man's animal spirits, which draw refreshing zest from a simple change of activity. Karl Marx (1818-1883) German social philosopher, revolutionary Work Clearly the most unfortunate people are those who must do the same thing over and over again, every minute, or perhaps twenty to the minute. They deserve the shortest hours and the highest pay. John Kenneth Galbraith (b. 1908) American economist Work Work is of two kinds: first, altering the position of matter at or near the earth's surface relatively to other such matter; second, telling other people to do so. The first kind is unpleasant and ill-paid; the second is pleasant and highly paid. Bertrand Russell (1872-1970) British philosopher, mathematician, social reformer Work Anyone can do any amount of work, provided it isn't the work he is supposed to be doing at that moment. Robert Benchley (1889-1945) American humorous writer Work Nothing is really work unless you would rather be doing something else. James M. Barrie (1860-1937) British playwright Work If you have genius, industry will improve it; if you have none, industry will supply its place. Sir Joshua Reynolds (1723-1792) English painter Work We must cultivate our own garden. When man was put in the garden of Eden he was put there so that he should work, which proves that man was not born to rest. Let us work without questioning, it is the only way to make life tolerable. Voltaire (1694-1778) French philosopher, writer Work We must hold a man amenable to reason for the choice of his daily craft or profession. It is not an excuse any longer for his deeds that they are the custom of his trade. What business has he with an evil trade? Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882) American essayist, poet, philosopher Work All professions are conspiracies against the laity. Sir Patrick, The Doctor's Dilemma George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) Anglo-Irish playwright, critic Work By working faithfully eight hours a day, you may eventually get to be a boss and work twelve hours a day. Robert Frost (1874-1963) American poet Work When I was young I worked for a capitalist twelve hours a day and I was always tired. Now I work for myself twenty hours a day and I never get tired. Nikita Khrushchev (1894-1971) Soviet premier Work Work expands so as to fill the time available for its completion. C. Northcote Parkinson (b. 1909) British historian, author Work The really efficient laborer will be found not to crowd his day with work, but will saunter to his task surrounded by a wide halo of ease and lesiure. Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862) American philosopher, author, naturalist Work It is too difficult to think nobly when one thinks only of earning a living. Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712-1778) Swiss-French philosopher, political theorist Work Nothing dignifies human labour so much as the saving of it. John Rodgers (b. 1906) British administrator, politician Work Work is the province of cattle. Dorothy Parker (1893-1967) American humorous writer Work The Working Class See: Internationalism: Mussolini Trade Unions: Lenin The General Strike has taught the working class more in four days than years of talking could have done. Arthur James Balfour (1848-1930) British Conservative politician, prime minister The Working Class The working-class is now issuing from its hiding-place to assert an Englishman's heaven-born privilege of doing as he likes, and is beginning to perplex us by marching where it likes, meeting where it likes, bawling what it likes, breaking what it likes. Matthew Arnold (1822-1888) English poet, critic The Working Class There are only three ways by which any individual can get wealth - by work, by gift, or by theft. And clearly, the reason why the workers get so little is that the beggars and thieves get so much. Henry George (1839-1897) American economist The Working Class I tell you, sir, the only safeguard of order and discipline in the modern world is a standardized worker with interchangeable parts. That would solve the entire problem of management. Jean Giraudoux (1882-1944) French author, playwright The Working Class In every one of those little stucco boxes there's some poor bastard who's never free except when he's fast asleep and dreaming that he's got the boss down the bottom of a well and is bunging lumps of coal at him. George Orwell (1903-1950) British author The Working Class I am a friend of the working-man, and I would rather be his friend than be one. Clarence Darrow (1857-1938) American lawyer, writer The Working Class Worldliness See: Self-knowledge: de la Fontaine I rather like the world. The flesh is pleasing and the Devil does not trouble me. Elbert Hubbard (1856-1915) American author Worldliness The world is a beautiful book, but of little use to him who cannot read it. Carlo Goldoni (1707-1793) Italian dramatist Worldliness I have been in love, and in debt, and in drink, this many and many a year. Alexander Brome (1620-1666) English poet Worldliness So many worlds, so much to do. So little done, such things to be. Lord Tennyson (1809-1892) English poet Worldliness Worth See: Socialism: Baker I have never believed in the superiority of the inferior. H. G. Wells (1866-1946) English author, social thinker Worth We never know the worth of water till the well is dry. 18th-century English proverb Worth Nowadays people know the price of everything and the value of nothing. Oscar Wilde (1854-1900) Anglo-Irish writer Worth Writers See: Artists: Joyce Lord Byron Censorship: Solzhenitsyn Controversy: Johnson Critics: Johnson Failure: Nathan Historians Dr. Johnson Literature: Chesterfield Plagiarism: Dryden; O'Malley; Proctor Shakespeare Women: Parker Writing Give me a condor's quill! Give me Vesuvius' crater for an inkstand! Herman Melville (1819-1891) American writer Writers On the day when a young writer corrects his first proof sheets, he is as proud as a schoolboy who has just got his first dose of pox. Charles Baudelaire (1821-1867) French poet Writers Admitted into the company of paper blurrers. Sir Philip Sidney (1554-1586) English poet, critic, soldier Writers Why did I write? whose sin to me unknown Dipt me in ink, my parents' or my own? Alexander Pope (1688-1744) English poet Writers Why did I write? Because I found life unsatisfactory. Tennessee Williams (1914-1983) American playwright Writers I know not, madam, that you have a right, upon moral principles, to make your readers suffer so much. Dr. Samuel Johnson (1709-1784) English author, lexicographer to Mrs. Sheridan Writers If you were to make little fishes talk, they would talk like whales. Oliver Goldsmith (1728-1774) Anglo-Irish author to Dr. Johnson Writers I portray men as they ought to be portrayed, but Euripides portrays them as they are. Sophocles (c. 495-406 BC) Greek tragic poet quoted by Aristotle Writers Without, or with, offence to freinds or foes, I sketch your world exactly as it goes. Lord Byron (1788-1824) English poet Writers If justice and truth take place, if he is rewarded according to his desert, his name will stink to all generations. John Wesley (1703-1791) English preacher, founder of Methodism of Lord Chesterfield Writers His style is chaos illumined by flashes of lightning. As a writer, he has mastered everything except language. Oscar Wilde (1854-1900) Anglo-Irish writer of George Meredith Writers He had a wonderful talent for packing thought close, and rendering it portable. Lord Macaulay (1800-1859) English historian of Francis Bacon Writers Three-fifths of him genius, and two-fifths sheer fudge. James Russell Lowell (1819-1891) American poet, editor of Edgar Allan Poe Writers He was worse than provincial - he was parochial. Henry James (1843-1916) American novelist of H. D. Thoreau Writers Henry James writes fiction as if it were a painful duty. Oscar Wilde (1854-1900) Anglo-Irish writer Writers The work of Henry James has always seemed divisible by a simple dynastic arrangement into three reigns: James I, James II, and the Old Pretender. Philip Guedalla (1889-1944) British biographer, historian Writers His writing is not about something. It is the thing itself. Samuel Beckett (1906-1989) Irish dramatist, novelist of James Joyce Writers If the Christ were content with humble toilers for disciples, that wasn't good enough for our Bert. He wanted dukes' half sisters and belted earls wiping his feet with their hair; grand apotheosis of the snob, to humiliate the objects of his own awe by making them venerate him. In his brisk youth before he met Frieda and became a prophet, he was indeed a confidence man. Angela Carter (b. 1940) British author of D. H. Lawrence Writers I don't regard Brecht as a man of iron-grey purpose and intellect, I think he is a theatrical whore of the first quality. Peter Hall (b. 1930) British theater director Writers Writers are always selling somebody out. Joan Didion (b. 1934) American writer Writers I started out very quiet and I beat Mr Turgenev. Then I trained hard and I beat Mr de Maupassant. I've fought two draws with Mr Stendhal, and I think I had an edge in the last one. But nobody's going to get me in any ring with Mr Tolstoy unless I'm crazy or I keep getting better. Ernest Hemingway (1899-1961) American writer Writers The author who invents a title well Will always find his covered dulness sell. Thomas Chatterton (1752-1770) English poet Writers One man is as good as another until he has written a book. Benjamin Jowett (1817-1893) English scholar, essayist Writers How vain it is to sit down to write when you have not stood up to live. Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862) American philosopher, author, naturalist Writers Talent alone cannot make a writer. There must be a man behind the book. Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882) American essayist, poet, philosopher Writers For the sake of a few fine imaginative or domestic passages, are we to be bullied into a certain philosophy engendered in the whims of an egotist. John Keats (1795-1821) English poet Writers No one who cannot halt at self-imposed boundaries could ever write. Nicolas Boileau (1636-1711) French poet, critic Writers An original writer is not one who imitates no one, but whom no one can imitate. Francois-Rene de Chateaubriand (1768-1848) French writer Writers Every great and original writer, in proportion as he is great and original, must himself create the taste by which he is to be relished. William Wordsworth (1770-1850) English poet Writers American writers want to be not good but great; and so are neither. Gore Vidal (b. 1925) American novelist, critic Writers The faults of great writers are generally excellencies carried to excess. Samuel Taylor Coleridge (1772-1834) English poet Writers Only a mediocre writer is always at his best. W. Somerset Maugham (1874-1965) British author Writers No author is a man of genius to his publisher. Heinrich Heine (1797-1856) German poet, journalist Writers There is probably no hell for authors in the next world - they suffer so much from critics and publishers in this. C. N. Bovee (1820-1904) American editor, writer Writers After being turned down by numerous publishers, he decided to write for posterity. George Ade (1866-1944) American humorist, playwright Writers No man but a blockhead ever wrote except for money. Dr. Samuel Johnson (1709-1784) English author, lexicographer Writers The life of writing men has always been . . . a bitter business. It is notoriously accompanied, for those who wrote well, by poverty and contempt; or by fatuity and wealth for those who write ill. Hilaire Belloc (1870-1953) British author Writers Alas! a woman that attempts the pen, Such a presumptuous creature is esteemed, The fault can by no virtue be redeemed. They tell us we mistake our sex and way; Good breeding, fashion, dancing, dressing, play, Are the accomplishments we should desire; To write, or read, or think, or to enquire, Would cloud our beauty, and exhaust our time, And interrupt the conquests of our prime, Whilst the dull manage of a servile house Is held by some our utmost art and use. Anne Finch, Lady Winchilsea (1660-1720) English poet Writers The indifference of the world which Keats and Flaubert and other men of genius have found so hard to bear was in her case not indifference but hostility. The world did not say to her as it said to them, Write if you choose; it makes no difference to me. The world said with a guffaw, Write? What's the good of you writing? Virginia Woolf (1882-1941) British novelist on women writers Writers Writers don't need love. All they require is money. John Osborne (b. 1929) British playwright Writers Some day I hope to write a book where the royalties will pay for the copies I give away. Clarence Darrow (1857-1938) American lawyer, writer Writers If a writer has to rob his mother, he will not hesitate; the "Ode on a Grecian Urn" is worth any number of old ladies. William Faulkner (1897-1962) American novelist Writers A woman must have money and a room of her own if she is to write fiction. Virginia Woolf (1882-1941) British novelist Writers A first edition of his work is a rarity, but a second is rarer still. Franklin P. Adams (1881-1960) American journalist, humorist Writers The man who is asked by an author what he thinks of his work is put to the torture and is not obliged to speak the truth. Dr. Samuel Johnson (1709-1784) English author, lexicographer Writers Any author who speaks about his own books is almost as bad as a mother who talks about her own children. Benjamin Disraeli (1804-1881) English prime minister Writers What no wife of a writer can ever understand is that a writer is working when he's staring out of a window. Burton Rascoe (1892-1957) American writer, editor Writers You must not suppose, because I am a man of letters, that I never tried to earn an honest living. George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) Anglo-Irish playwright, critic Writers Writing See: Autobiography Biography Editing Fiction Literature: Benchley; Emerson; Inge; Morley Plagiarism: Mizner Writers The insatiate itch of scribbling. William Gifford (1756-1826) English journalist Writing Writing is not a profession, but a vocation of unhappiness. Georges Simenon (1904-1985) French novelist Writing The best way to become acquainted with a subject is to write a book about it. Benjamin Disraeli (1804-1881) English prime minister Writing The greatest part of a writer's time is spent in reading, in order to write; a man will turn over half a library to make one book. Dr. Samuel Johnson (1709-1784) English author, lexicographer Writing All books are either dreams or swords, You can cut or you can durg with words. Amy Lowell (1874-1925) American poet, critic, biographer Writing I always write a good first line, but I have trouble in writing the others. Moliere (1622-1673) French playwright Writing "Fool!" said my muse to me. "look in thy heart, and write." Sir Philip Sidney (1554-1586) English poet, critic, soldier Writing It is just when ideas are lacking that a phrase is most welcome. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749-1832) German poet, dramatist, novelist, scientist Writing I do most of my work sitting down; that's where I shine. Robert Benchley (1889-1945) American humorous writer Writing This morning I took out a comma and this afternoon I put it back again. Oscar Wilde (1854-1900) Anglo-Irish writer Writing The paragraph is a great art form. I'm very intersted in paragraphs and I write paragraphs very, very carefully. Iris Murdoch (b. 1919) Anglo-Irish writer Writing Composition is, for the most part, an effort of slow diligence and steady perseverance, to which the mind is dragged by necessity or resolution. Dr. Samuel Johnson (1709-1784) English author, lexicographer Writing I write when I'm inspired, and I see to it that I'm inspired at nine o'clock every morning. Peter de Vries (b. 1910) American writer Writing Some collaboration has to take place in the mind between the woman and the man before the art of creation can be accomplished. Some marriage of opposites has to be consummated. The whole of the mind must lie wide open if we are to get the sense that the writer is communicating his experience with perfect fullness. Virginia Woolf (1882-1941) British novelist Writing One becomes a writer, but one must be born a novelist. If a person has sensitivity, culture, and imagination, it is not difficult to become a writer. It is impossible to become a novelist, story-teller or fabler; either you have a natural gift for narrating, or you don't. Alberto Moravia (b. 1907) Italian novelist Writing Ultimately, literature is nothing but carpentry. With both you are working with reality, a material just as hard as wood. Gabriel Garcia Marquez (b. 1928) Colombian writer Writing True ease in writing comes from art, not chance, As those move easiest who have learned to dance. 'Tis not enough no harshness gives offence The sound must seem an echo to the sense. Alexander Pope (1688-1744) English poet Writing Making books is a craft, like making clocks: it takes more than wit to be an author. Jean de la Bruyere (1645-1696) French writer, moralist Writing Writing, madam, 's a mechanic part of wit! A gentleman should never go beyond a song or a billet. Sir George Etherege (1635-1691) English dramatist, diplomat Writing I couldn't write the things they publish now, with no beginning and no end, and a little incest in the middle. Irvin S. Cobb (1876-1944) American writer Writing Good authors, too, who once knew better words Now only use four-letter words Writing prose . . . Anything goes. Cole Porter (1893-1964) American composer, lyricist Writing Vulgarity is a necessary part of a complete author's equipment; and the clown is sometimes the best part of the circus. George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) Anglo-Irish playwright, critic Writing Style and structure are the essence of a book; great ideas are hogwash. Vladimir Nabokov (1899-1977) Russian-American novelist Writing I'm always, always trying to interpret Life in terms of lives, never just lives in terms of characters. Eugene O'Neill (1888-1953) American playwright Writing What I like in a good author is not what he says, but what he whispers. Logan Pearsall Smith (1865-1946) Anglo-American essayist Writing How can I know what I think till I see what I say? E. M. Forster (1879-1970) British novelist riposte to maxim 'Never begin a sentence until you know how to end it' Writing The essence of prose is to perish - to be dissolved and replaced by the image it denotes. Paul Valery (1871-1945) French poet, essayist Writing In literature the ambition of the novice is to acquire the literary language; the struggle of the adept is to get rid of it. George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) Anglo-Irish playwright, critic Writing When we see a natural style, we are astonished and delighted; for we expected to see an author, and we find a man. Blaise Pascal (1623-1662) French scientist, philosopher Writing My spelling is Wobbly. It's good spelling but it Wobbles, and letters get in the wrong places. A. A. Milne (1882-1956) British author Writing One should always aim at being interesting rather than exact. Voltaire (1694-1778) French philosopher, writer Writing In all pointed sentences, some degree of accuracy must be sacrificed to conciseness. Dr. Samuel Johnson (1709-1784) English author, lexicographer Writing If you require a practical rule of me, I will present you with this: Whenever you feel an impulse to perpetrate a piece of exceptionally fine writing, obey it - wholeheartedly - and delete it before sending your manuscript to press. Murder Your Darlings. Sir Arthur Quiller-Couch (1863-1944) British writer Writing In composing, as a general rule, run your pen through every other word you have written; you have no idea what vigour it will give your style. Sydney Smith (1771-1845) English writer, clergyman Writing Make'em laugh; make'em cry; make'em wait. Charles Reade (1814-1884) English novelist advice to young author on writing novels Writing Every drop of ink in my pen ran cold. Horace Walpole (1717-1797) English writer Writing There are two literary maladies - writer's cramp and swelled head. Coulson Kernahan (1858-1943) British author Writing That's not writing, that's typing. Truman Capote (1924-1984) American author of Jack Kerouac Writing What is written without effort is in general read without pleasure. Dr. Samuel Johnson (1709-1784) English author, lexicographer Writing Reading is not a duty, and has consequently no business to be made disagreeable. Augustine Birrell (1850-1933) English Liberal politician Writing There are three difficulties in authorship: to write anything worth the publishing, to find honest men to publish it, and to get sensible men to read it. C. C. Colton (1780-1832) English author, clergyman Writing The impulse to create beauty is rather rare in literary men . . . Far ahead of it comes the yearning to make money. And after the yearning to make money comes the yearning to make a noise. H. L. Mencken (1880-1956) American journalist Writing The only sensible ends of literature are, first, the pleasurable toil of writing; second, the gratification of one's family and friends; and, lastly, the solid cash. Nathaniel Hawthorne (1804-1864) American novelist Writing If you want to get rich from writing, write the sort of thing that's read by persons who move their lips when they're reading to themselves. Don Marquis (1878-1937) American humorist, journalist Writing Once in seven years I burn all my sermons; for it is a shame if I cannot write better sermons now than I did seven years ago. John Wesley (1703-1791) English preacher, founder of Methodism Writing Trivial personalities decomposing in the eternity of print. Virginia Woolf (1882-1941) British novelist Writing 'Tis pleasant, sure, to see one's name in print; A book's a book, although there's nothing in't. Lord Byron (1788-1824) English poet Writing Camerado, this is no book, Who touches this touches a man. Walt Whitman (1819-1892) American poet Writing With sixty staring me in the face, I have developed inflammation of the sentence structure and definite hardening of the paragraphs. James Thurber (1894-1961) American humorist, illustrator Writing Of making many books there is no end; and much study is a weariness of the flesh. Bible, Ecclesiastes Writing The aim, if reached or not, makes great the life; Try to be Shakespeare, leave the rest to fate. Robert Browning (1812-1889) English poet Writing Youth See: Adolescence Childhood Children Delinquency: Shakespeare Fallibility: Shaw Freedom: Cocteau The Generation Gap: Ervine; Shaw; Smith But thy eternal summer shall not fade. William Shakespeare (1564-1616) English dramatist, poet Youth Those whom the gods love grow young. Oscar Wilde (1854-1900) Anglo-Irish writer Youth I remember my youth and the feeling that will never come back any more - the feeling that I could last forever, outlast the sea, the earth, and all men. Joseph Conrad (1857-1924) English novelist Youth He wears the rose of youth upon him. Antony, Antony and Cleopatra William Shakespeare (1564-1616) English dramatist, poet Youth Breathless, we flung us on the windy hill, Laughed in the sun, and kissed the lovely grass. Rupert Brooke (1887-1915) British poet Youth There is nothing can pay one for that invaluable ignorance which is the companion of youth; those sanguine groundless hopes, and that lively vanity, which make all the happiness of life. Lady Mary Wortley Montagu (1689-1762) English society figure, letter writer Youth Towering in the confidence of twenty-one. Dr. Samuel Johnson (1709-1784) English author, lexicographer Youth A man loves the meat in his youth that he cannot endure in his age. Benedick, Much Ado About Nothing William Shakespeare (1564-1616) English dramatist, poet Youth O'er her warm cheek, and rising bosom, move The bloom of young Desire, and purple light of Love. Thomas Gray (1716-1771) English poet Youth Bliss was it in that dawn to be alive, But to be young was very heaven! William Wordsworth (1770-1850) English poet Youth Youth, large, lusty, loving - Youth, full of grace, force, fascination, Do you know that Old Age may come after you, with equal grace, force, fascination? Walt Whitman (1819-1892) American poet Youth Young men are apt to think themselves wise enough, as drunken men are apt to think themselves sober enough. Lord Chesterfield (1694-1773) English statesman, man of letters Youth I am not young enough to know everything. James M. Barrie (1860-1937) British playwright Youth Youth is a period of missed opportunities. Cyril Connolly (1903-1974) British critic Youth Give me the young man who has brains enough to make a fool of himself! Robert Louis Stevenson (1850-1894) Scottish novelist, essayist, poet Youth Don't let young people confide in you their aspirations; when they drop them, they will drop you. Logan Pearsall Smith (1865-1946) Anglo-American essayist Youth The young always have the same problem - how to rebel and conform at the same time. They have now solved this by defying their parents and copying one another. Quentin Crisp (b. 1908) British author Youth What are these, So withered, and so wild in their attire That look not like the inhabitants o' the earth, And yet are on't? Banquo, Macbeth William Shakespeare (1564-1616) English dramatist, poet Youth The wine of youth does not always clear with advancing years; sometimes it grows turbid. Carl Jung (1875-1961) Swiss psychiatrist Youth The trouble with young people today is that emotionally and psychologically the West is due for another war and they can't have it - it's impossible. Robert Graves (1895-1985) British poet, novelist Youth Youth is a disease that must be borne with patiently! Time, indeed, will cure it. R. H. Benson (1871-1914) British novelist Youth What is more enchanting than the voices of young people when you can't hear what they say? Logan Pearsall Smith (1865-1946) Anglo-American essayist Youth Only the young die good. Oliver Herford (1863-1935) American poet, illustrator Youth Whom the gods love die young no matter how long they live. Elbert Hubbard (1856-1915) American author Youth Z Thou whoreson Zed! thou unnecessary letter! Edgar, King Lear William Shakespeare (1564-1616) English dramatist, poet Z Youth