CHORUS: Visitations of love that come Raging and violent on a man Bring him neither good repute nor goodness. But if Aphrodite descends in gentleness No other goddess brings such delight.Dave (WIST Quotations)
Truly, I live in dark times! The guileless word is folly. A smooth forehead Suggests insensitivity. The man who laughs Has simply not yet had The terrible news.Dave (WIST Quotations)
A quotation from Eleanor Roosevelt
As long as we are not actually destroyed, we can work to gain greater understanding of other peoples and to try to present to the peoples of the world the values of our own beliefs. We can do this by demonstrating our conviction that human life is worth preserving and that we are willing to help others to enjoy benefits of our civilization just as we have enjoyed it.
Eleanor Roosevelt (1884–1962) First Lady of the US (1933–1945), politician, diplomat, activist
Column (1951-12-20), “My Day”
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Bear ye one another’s burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ. [Ἀλλήλων τὰ βάρη βαστάζετε καὶ οὕτως ἀναπληρώσετε τὸν νόμον τοῦ Χριστοῦ.] See Thomas à Kempis (c. 1420). (Source (Greek)).Dave (WIST Quotations)
A quotation (probably not) from Oscar Wilde
Some men improve the world only by leaving it.
Oscar Wilde (1854-1900) Irish poet, wit, dramatist
(Spurious)
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Some men improve the world only by leaving it. Not found in Wilde's writing; its earliest appearance is around AD 2000.Dave (WIST Quotations)
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Power always Sincerely, conscientiously, de très bon Foi, believes itself Right. Power always thinks it has a great Soul and vast Views, beyond the Comprehension of the Weak; and that it is doing God Service when it is violating all his Laws.
John Adams (1735–1826) American lawyer, Founding Father, statesman, US President (1797–1801)
Letter (1816-02-02) to Thomas Jefferson
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Power always Sincerely, conscientiously, de très bon Foi, believes itself Right. Power always thinks it has a great Soul and vast Views, beyond the Comprehension of the Weak; and that it is doing God Service when it is violating all his Laws.Dave (WIST Quotations)
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A quotation from Henry Commager
And as for the argument that criticism [of government foreign policy] may give aid and comfort to some enemy, that is a form of blackmail unworthy of those who profess it. If it is to be accepted, we will have an end to genuine discussion of foreign policies, for it will inevitably be invoked to stop debate and criticism whenever that debate gets acrimonious or the criticism cuts too close to the bone. And to the fevered mind of the FBI, the CIA, and some Senators, criticism always gives aid and comfort to the enemy or cuts too close to the bone.
Henry Steele Commager (1902-1998) American historian, writer, activist
Essay (1965-12-18), “The Problem of Dissent,” Saturday Review
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When the savages of Louisiana want some fruit, they cut down the tree at the base and gather the fruit. That is how a despotic government works.
[Quand les sauvages de la Louisiane veulent avoir du fruit, ils coupent l’arbre au pied, & cueillent le fruit. Voilà le gouvernement despotique.]
Charles-Lewis de Secondat, Baron de Montesquieu (1689-1755) French political philosopher
Spirit of Laws [The Spirit of the Laws; De l’esprit des lois], Book 5, ch. 13 (5.13) (1748) [tr. Stewart (2018)]
More about (and translations of) this quote: wist.info/montesquieu/82151/
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When dictatorship is a fact, revolution becomes a right.
[Quand la dictature est un fait, la révolution devient un droit.]
Victor Hugo (1802-1885) French writer
(Attributed)
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You can’t sleep until noon with the proper élan unless you have some legitimate reason for staying up until three (parties don’t count).
Jean Kerr (1922-2003) American author and playwright [b. Bridget Jean Collins]
Essay (1957), “Introduction,” Please Don’t Eat the Daisies
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You can't sleep until noon with the proper élan unless you have some legitimate reason for staying up until three (parties don't count).Dave (WIST Quotations)
It is always a temptation to a rich and lazy nation,
To puff and look important and to say: —
“Though we know we should defeat you, we have not the time to meet you.
We will therefore pay you cash to go away.”
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 writer
School History, “Dane-Geld (A.D. 980-1016),” st. 3-4 (1911) [with C.R.L. Fletcher]
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A quotation from Wendell Berry
The folly at the root of this foolish economy began with the idea that a corporation should be regarded, legally, as “a person.” But the limitless destructiveness of this economy comes about precisely because a corporation is not a person. A corporation, essentially, is a pile of money to which a number of persons have sold their moral allegiance. Unlike a person, a corporation does not age. It does not arrive, as most persons finally do, at a realization of the shortness and smallness of human lives; it does not come to see the future as the lifetime of the children and grandchildren of anybody in particular.
Wendell Berry (b. 1934) American farmer, educator, poet, conservationist
Essay (2000), “The Total Economy,” Citizenship Papers (2003)
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A quotation from Joseph Addison
CATO: Forbear, Sempronius! — see they suffer death,
But in their deaths remember they are men.
Strain not the laws to make their tortures grievous.
Joseph Addison (1672-1719) English essayist, poet, statesman
Cato, Act 3, sc. 5, l. 60ff (1713)
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There is no cure for birth and death save to enjoy the interval.
George Santayana (1863-1952) Spanish-American poet and philosopher [Jorge Agustín Nicolás Ruíz de Santayana y Borrás]
Essay (1916 ca.), “War Shrines,” Soliloquies in England, ch. 24 (1922)
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SIR THOMAS MORE: Say now the king (As he is clement, if th’ offender mourn) Should so much come to short of your great trespass As but to banish you, whether would you go? What country, by the nature of your error, Should give you harbor? Go you to F…Dave (WIST Quotations)
No one wants advice — only corroboration.
John Steinbeck (1902-1968) American writer
The Winter of Our Discontent, Part I, ch. 6 (1961)
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The pleasure of remembering had been taken from me, because there was no longer anyone to remember with. It felt like losing your co-rememberer meant losing the memory itself, as if the things we’d done were less real and important than they had been hours before.
John Green (b. 1977) American author
The Fault in Our Stars, ch. 21 (2012)
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And I have again observed, my dear friend, in this trifling affair, that misunderstandings and neglect occasion more mischief in the world than even malice and wickedness. At all events, the two latter are of less frequent occurrence.
[Und ich habe, mein Lieber, wieder bei diesem kleinen Geschäft gefunden, dass Missverständnisse und Trägheit vielleicht mehr Irrungen in der Welt machen als List und Bosheit. Wenigstens sind die beiden letzteren gewiss seltener.]
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749-1832) German poet, statesman, scientist
Die Leiden des jungen Werthers [The Sorrows of Young Werther], “Letter from May 4th” (1774) [tr. Taylor]
More about (and translations of) this quote: wist.info/goethe-johann/6749/
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A quotation from Charles Darwin
It has often and confidently been asserted, that man’s origin can never be known: but ignorance more frequently begets confidence than does knowledge: it is those who know little, and not those who know much, who so positively assert that this or that problem will never be solved by science.
Charles Darwin (1809-1882) English naturalist
The Descent of Man, Introduction (1871)
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It has often and confidently been asserted, that man's origin can never be known: but ignorance more frequently begets confidence than does knowledge: it is those who know little, and not those who know much, who so positively assert that this or tha…Dave (WIST Quotations)
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A quotation from Robert Penn Warren
You live through time, that little piece of time that is yours, but that piece of time is not only your own life, it is the summing-up of all the other lives that are simultaneous with yours. It is, in other words, History, and what you are is an expression of History, and you do not live your life, but somehow, your life lives you, and you are, therefore, only what History does to you.
Robert Penn Warren (1905-1989) American poet, novelist, literary critic
Band of Angels, ch. 6 (1955)
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A quotation from Terry Pratchett
There were times that called for mindless, terror-filled panic, and times that called for measured, considered, thoughtful panic.
Terry Pratchett (1948-2015) English author
Discworld No. 22, The Last Continent (1998)
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There were times that called for mindless, terror-filled panic, and times that called for measured, considered, thoughtful panic.Dave (WIST Quotations)
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A quotation from Adlai Stevenson
And the freedom of the mind, my friends, has served America well. The vigor of our political life, our capacity for change, our cultural, scientific, and industrial achievements, all derive from free inquiry, from the free mind — from the imagination, resourcefulness, and daring of men who are not afraid of new ideas. Most all of us favor free enterprise for business. Let us also favor free enterprise for the mind. For, in the last analysis, we would fight to the death to protect it.
Adlai Stevenson (1900-1965) American diplomat, statesman
Speech (1952-08-27), “The Nature of Patriotism,” American Legion Convention, Madison Square Garden, New York City
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And the freedom of the mind, my friends, has served America well. The vigor of our political life, our capacity for change, our cultural, scientific, and industrial achievements, all derive from free inquiry, from the free mind -- from the imaginatio…Dave (WIST Quotations)
A quotation from La Rochefoucauld
We try to make virtues of the faults we do not wish to correct.
[Nous essayons de nous faire honneur des défauts que nous ne voulons pas corriger.]
François VI, duc de La Rochefoucauld (1613-1680) French epigrammatist, memoirist, noble
Réflexions ou sentences et maximes morales [Reflections; or Sentences and Moral Maxims], ¶442 (1665-1678) [tr. Kronenberger (1959)]
More about (and translations of) this quote: wist.info/la-rochefoucauld-fra…
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We try to make virtues of the faults we do not wish to correct. [Nous essayons de nous faire honneur des défauts que nous ne voulons pas corriger.] First appeared in the 5th (1678) edition. (Source (French)).Dave (WIST Quotations)
A quotation from Samuel Johnson
It is commonly observed, that when two Englishmen meet, their first talk is of the weather; they are in haste to tell each other, what each must already know, that it is hot or cold, bright or cloudy, windy or calm.
Samuel Johnson (1709-1784) English writer, lexicographer, critic
Essay (1758-06-24), The Idler, No. 11
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Those who will not reason
Perish in the act:
Those who will not act
Perish for that reason.
W. H. Auden (1907-1973) Anglo-American poet [Wystan Hugh Auden]
“Shorts,” No. 7 (c. 1930), Collected Poems, Part 2 “1927-1932” (1976 ed.) [ed. Mendelson]
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Those who will not reason Perish in the act: Those who will not act Perish for that reason.Dave (WIST Quotations)
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Nothing incites to money-crimes like great poverty or great wealth.
Mark Twain (1835-1910) American writer [pseud. of Samuel Clemens]
Quoted in Merle Johnson, ed., More Maxims of Mark (1927)
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Nothing incites to money-crimes like great poverty or great wealth. Not found in a primary source. Johnson was a rare book collector who published the first thorough bibliography of Twain's works in 1910.Dave (WIST Quotations)
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A quotation from William Drummond
He, who will not reason, is a bigot; he, who cannot, is a fool; and he, who dares not, is a slave.
William Drummond of Logie-Almond (1770-1828) Scottish classical scholar, philosopher, diplomat, politician
Academical Questions, Preface (1805)
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He, who will not reason, is a bigot; he, who cannot, is a fool; and he, who dares not, is a slave. Sometimes misattributed to Byron.Dave (WIST Quotations)
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Religion has treated knowledge sometimes as an enemy, sometimes as a hostage; often as a captive and more often as a child; but knowledge has become of age and religion must either renounce her acquaintance , or introduce her as a companion and respect her as a friend.
Charles Caleb "C. C." Colton (1780-1832) English cleric, writer, aphorist
Lacon: Or, Many Things in Few Words, Vol. 2, § 141 (1822)
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Religion has treated knowledge sometimes as an enemy, sometimes as a hostage; often as a captive and more often as a child; but knowledge has become of age and religion must either renounce her acquaintance , or introduce her as a companion and respe…Dave (WIST Quotations)
Just now, when every one is bound, under pain of a decree in absence convicting them of lèse-respectability, to enter on some lucrative profession, and labour therein with something not far short of enthusiasm, a cry from the opposite party, who are …Dave (WIST Quotations)
Let the man who has acquired Enough not ask for MORE.
A house and acreage, a pile of bronze and gold coins,
Have never been able to lower the sick man’s fever
Or drive out his worries. The proprietor must be well
If he plans to enjoy the good things he’s gathered together.
[Quod satis est cui contingit, nihil amplius optet.
Non domus et fundus, non aeris acervus et auri
Aegroto doniini deduxit corpore febres,
on animo curas; valeat possessor oportet,
Si conpertatis rebus bene cogitat uti.]
Horace (65–8 BC) Roman poet, satirist, soldier, politician [Quintus Horatius Flaccus]
Epistles [Epistularum, Letters], Book 1, ep. 2 “To Lollius,” l. 46ff (1.2.46-50) (14 BC) [tr. Palmer Bovie (1959)]
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Let the man who has acquired Enough not ask for more. A house and acreage, a pile of bronze and gold coins, Have never been able to lower the sick man's fever Or drive out his worries. The proprietor must be well If he plans to enjoy the good things…Dave (WIST Quotations)
Those who “abjure” violence can only do so because others are committing violence on their behalf.
George Orwell (1903-1950) English journalist, essayist, writer [pseud. of Eric Arthur Blair]
Essay (1945-05), “Notes on Nationalism,” Polemic Magazine (1945-10)
More about this quote: wist.info/orwell-george/4843/
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Those who "abjure" violence can only do so because others are committing violence on their behalf. This seems to be the origin of the Orwell misattribution, "People sleep peaceably in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do viole…Dave (WIST Quotations)
A quotation from Salman Rushdie
From the beginning men used God to justify the unjustifiable.
Salman Rushdie (b. 1947) Indian novelist
The Satanic Verses, Part 2 “Mahound” (1988)
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A quotation from Kerry Greenwood
She felt that the day should not be bounced in on with rude energy, but carefully and delicately seduced into being, and children and animals were sadly impervious to reason on this matter.
Kerry Greenwood (b. 1954) Australian author and lawyer
Phryne Fisher No. 11, Away with the Fairies, ch. 1 (2001)
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A quotation from Christopher Marlowe
FAUSTUS. Come, I think hell’s a fable.
MEPHISTOPHILES: Ay, think so still, till experience change thy mind.
Christopher "Kit" Marlowe (1564-1593) English dramatist and poet
The Tragicall History of the Life and Death of Doctor Faustus, Act 2, sc. 1 (sc. 5), l. 573ff (1594; 1604 “A” text)
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FAUSTUS. Come, I think hell's a fable. MEPHISTOPHILES: Ay, think so still, till experience change thy mind. The "B" text (1594; 1616) as a slight variance in Faust's line: FAUSTUS: I think hell's a mere fable.Dave (WIST Quotations)
A quotation from Arthur Conan Doyle
I’m not going to tell you much more of the case, Doctor. You know a conjurer gets no credit once he has explained his trick; and if I show you too much of my method of working, you will come to the conclusion that I am a very ordinary individual after all.
Arthur Conan Doyle (1859-1930) British writer and physician
Story (1886-04), “A Study in Scarlet,” Part 1, ch. 4 [Holmes], Beeton’s Christmas Annual, Vol. 28 (1887-11-21)
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I'm not going to tell you much more of the case, Doctor. You know a conjurer gets no credit once he has explained his trick; and if I show you too much of my method of working, you will come to the conclusion that I am a very ordinary individual…Dave (WIST Quotations)
If you are rich and are worth your salt, you will teach your sons that though they may have leisure, it is not to be spent in idleness; for wisely used leisure merely means that those who possess it, being free from the necessity of working for their…Dave (WIST Quotations)
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A quotation from Thomas Carlyle
Can the man say, Fiat lux, Let there be light; and out of chaos make a world? Precisely as there is light in himself, will he accomplish this.
Thomas Carlyle (1795-1881) Scottish essayist and historian
Lecture (1840-05-12), “The Hero as Poet,” Home House, Portman Square, London
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Can the man say, Fiat lux, Let there be light; and out of chaos make a world? Precisely as there is light in himself, will he accomplish this. Talking about Shakespeare and his creativity.Dave (WIST Quotations)
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Rudeness is the weak man’s imitation of strength.
Eric Hoffer (1902-1983) American writer, philosopher, longshoreman
Passionate State of Mind, Aphorism 241 (1955)
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Rudeness is the weak man's imitation of strength.Dave (WIST Quotations)
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🇪🇷Götterdämmerung
in reply to WIST Quotations • • •Nice tidy triangle, but Drummond forgot the fourth corner: the earnest.
He can reason, will reason, even dares to reason... till it costs him something. Then suddenly he "prefers not to" like cowardice is a lifestyle & silence is a virtue.
WIST Quotations
in reply to 🇪🇷Götterdämmerung • •🇪🇷Götterdämmerung
in reply to WIST Quotations • • •fair point. There is a real "slavery to fear" that fits Drummond's last clause.
My only tweak is that not all "daring not" is fear in the same way. Some of it is calculated comfort, like risk management pretending to be prudence.
The slave is constrained by punishment while the careerist is constrained by incentives. Both limit speech but one is coerced & the other is chosen. The difference matters even if the outcome (silence) looks the same.
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