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A quotation from Disraeli

The Disappointment of Manhood succeeds to the delusion of Youth; let us hope that the heritage of Old Age is not Despair!

Benjamin Disraeli (1804–1881) English politician and author
Vivian Grey, Book 8, ch. 5 (1827)

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Disraeli, Benjamin - Vivian Grey, Book 8, ch. 5 (1827) | WIST Quotations

The Disappointment of Manhood succeeds to the delusion of Youth; let us hope that the heritage of Old Age is not Despair! See also Disraeli (1844).
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Twain, Mark - Novel (1889), A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court, Part 3 "The Tale of the Lost Land," ch. 10 "Beginnings of Civilization" | WIST Quotations

I could have given my own sect the preference and made everybody a Presbyterian without any trouble, but that would have been to affront a law of human nature: spiritual wants and instincts are as various in the human family as are physical appetites…
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A quotation from Robert Louis Stevenson

The world is so full of a number of things,
I’m sure we should all be as happy as kings.

Robert Louis Stevenson (1850–1894) Scottish essayist, novelist, poet
Poem (1885), “Happy Thought,” A Child’s Garden of Verses

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Stevenson, Robert Louis - Poem (1885), "Happy Thought," A Child’s Garden of Verses | WIST Quotations

The world is so full of a number of things, I'm sure we should all be as happy as kings.
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A quotation from Horace

Well begun is half done; dare to be wise; begin!
 
[Dimidium facti qui coepit habet; sapere aude;
incipe!]

Horace (65–8 BC) Roman poet, satirist, soldier, politician [Quintus Horatius Flaccus]
Epistles [Epistularum, Letters], Book 1, ep. 2 “To Lollius,” l. 40ff (1.2.40-41) (20 BC) [tr. Fairclough (Loeb) (1926)]

Well begun is half done; dare to be wise; begin! - Horace

More about (and translations of) this quote: wist.info/horace/32340/

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Horace - Epistles [Epistularum, Letters], Book 1, ep. 2 "To Lollius," l. 40ff (1.2.40-41) (20 BC) [tr. Fairclough (Loeb) (1926)] | WIST Quotations

Well begun is half done; dare to be wise; begin! [Dimidium facti qui coepit habet; sapere aude; incipe!] See Aristotle. (Source (Latin)). Other translations: The facte begun, to one halfe is done, be wyse and take good harte: Begin. [tr.
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A quotation from Orwell

The weakness of the child is that it starts with a blank sheet. It neither understands nor questions the society in which it lives, and because of its credulity other people can work upon it, infecting it with the sense of inferiority and the dread of offending against mysterious, terrible laws.

George Orwell (1903–1950) English journalist, essayist, writer [pseud. of Eric Arthur Blair]
Essay (1948-06), “‘Such, Such Were the Joys …’,” Partisan Review (1952-09)

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Orwell, George - Essay (1948-06), "'Such, Such Were the Joys ...'," Partisan Review (1952-09) | WIST Quotations

The weakness of the child is that it starts with a blank sheet. It neither understands nor questions the society in which it lives, and because of its credulity other people can work upon it, infecting it with the sense of inferiority and the dread o…
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Doyle, Arthur Conan - Story (1891-09), "A Case of Identity," [Holmes], The Strand Magazine, Vol. 2, No. 3 | WIST Quotations

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Roosevelt, Theodore - Autobiography, ch. 1 "Boyhood and Youth" (1913) | WIST Quotations

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A quotation not from Thomas Carlyle

The block of granite which was an obstacle in the path of the weak, becomes a steppingstone in the path of the strong.

Thomas Carlyle (1795–1881) Scottish essayist and historian
(Misattributed)

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Carlyle, Thomas - (Misattributed) | WIST Quotations

The block of granite which was an obstacle in the path of the weak, becomes a steppingstone in the path of the strong. This quotation is widely attributed to Carlyle (e.g.
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A quotation from Doctor Who

   ROMANA: Don’t you think that’s a bit dangerous?
   THE DOCTOR: No, I don’t! What could possibly go — (The TARDIS lurches, knocking the Doctor over) — wrong? You know, I’ve simply got to stop saying that! Every single time I say “What could possibly go wrong?” something goes — oh! (The TARDIS lurches again, knocking both over) It’s uncanny, isn’t it?

Doctor Who (1963–1989) British science fiction television series, original run (BBC)
17×05 “The Horns of Nimon,” Part 1 (1979-12-22) [w. Anthony Read]

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Doctor Who (1963) - 17x05 "The Horns of Nimon," Part 1 (1979-12-22) [w. Anthony Read] | WIST Quotations

ROMANA: Don't you think that's a bit dangerous? THE DOCTOR: No I don't. What could possibly go — (The TARDIS lurches, knocking the Doctor over) — wrong? You know, I've simply got to stop saying that! Every single time I say "What could possibly go wr…
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A quotation from Shakespeare

GLENDOWER: I can call spirits from the vasty deep.
HOTSPUR: Why, so can I, or so can any man;
   But will they come when you do call for them?

William Shakespeare (1564–1616) English dramatist and poet
Henry IV, Part 1, Act 3, sc. 1, l. 55ff (3.1.55-57) (1597)

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Shakespeare, William - Henry IV, Part 1, Act 3, sc. 1, l. 55ff (3.1.55-57) (1597) | WIST Quotations

GLENDOWER: I can call spirits from the vasty deep. HOTSPUR: Why, so can I, or so can any man; But will they come when you do call for them?
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A quotation from Josh Billings

I never knu a man to brag ov hiz munny, or hiz pedigree, who had enny thing else worth bragging about.
 
[I never knew a man to brag of his money, or his pedigree, who had anything else worth bragging about.]

Josh Billings (1818–1885) American humorist, aphorist [pseud. of Henry Wheeler Shaw]
Josh Billings’ Farmer’s Allminax, 1877-10 (1877 ed.)

More about this quote: wist.info/billings-josh/85536/

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Billings, Josh - Josh Billings' Farmer's Allminax, 1877-10 (1877 ed.) | WIST Quotations

I never knu a man to brag ov hiz munny, or hiz pedigree, who had enny thing else worth bragging about. [I never knew a man to brag of his money, or his pedigree, who had anything else worth bragging about.]
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A quotation from Eric Hoffer

Though they seem at opposite poles, fanatics of all kinds are actually crowded together at one end. It is the fanatic and the moderate who are poles apart and never meet. The fanatics of various hues eye each other with suspicion and are ready to fly at each other’s throat. But they are neighbors and almost of one family. They hate each other with the hatred of brothers.

Eric Hoffer (1902–1983) American writer, philosopher, longshoreman
True Believer: Thoughts on the Nature of Mass Movements, Part 3, ch. 13, § 62 (3.13.62) (1951)

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Hoffer, Eric - True Believer: Thoughts on the Nature of Mass Movements, Part 3, ch. 13, § 62 (3.13.62) (1951) | WIST Quotations

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A quotation from Cicero

MARCUS: There is naturally in our minds a quite insatiable longing to discover truth.
 
[Natura inest in mentibus nostris insatiabilis quaedam cupiditas veri.]

Marcus Tullius Cicero (106–43 BC) Roman orator, statesman, philosopher
Tusculan Disputations [Tusculanae Disputationes], Book 1, ch. 19 (1.19.) / sec. 44 (1.44) (45 BC) [tr. Douglas (1985)]

More about (and translations of) this quote: wist.info/cicero-marcus-tulliu…

#quote #quotes #quotation #qotd #cicero #tusculandisputations #desire #inquiry #intellect #mind #questioning #truth #truthseeking

Cicero, Marcus Tullius - Tusculan Disputations [Tusculanae Disputationes], Book 1, ch. 19 (1.19.) / sec. 44 (1.44) (45 BC) [tr. Douglas (1985)] | WIST Quotations

MARCUS: There is naturally in our minds a quite insatiable longing to discover truth. [Natura inest in mentibus nostris insatiabilis quaedam cupiditas veri.] On how the soul, after death, will find happiness in contemplation of the universe.
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A quotation from George Herbert

                                           A civil guest
Will no more talk all, than eat all, the feast.

George Herbert (1593–1633) Welsh priest, orator, poet.
Poem (1614), “The Church-Porch,” ll. 305-306, The Temple (1633)

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#quote #quotes #quotation #qotd #georgeherbert #breeding #civility #conversation #guest #hospitality #monologue #politeness #talking

Herbert, George - Poem (1614), "The Church-Porch," ll. 305-306, The Temple (1633) | WIST Quotations

A civil guest Will no more talk all, than eat all, the feast. Benjamin Franklin quotes this poem (and, for a change, provides the attribution) in Poor Richard Improved (1748 ed.
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A quotation from Ta-Nehisi Coates

I don’t really worry about the young, whose excesses are confined to lecture halls and quadrangles, so much as I fear the old, whose tyrannies are legislative.

Ta-Nehisi Coates (b. 1975) American writer, journalist, educator
The Message, ch. 3 “Bearing the Burning Cross” (2024)

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#quote #quotes #quotation #qotd #TaNehisiCoates #debate #elders #extremism #legislation #power #tyranny #youth #radicals

Coates, Ta-Nehisi - The Message, ch. 3 "Bearing the Burning Cross" (2024) | WIST Quotations

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A quotation from Gracian

A wise man gets more use from his enemies than a fool from his friends.
 
[Al varón sabio más le aprovechan sus enemigos que al necio sus amigos.]

Baltasar Gracián y Morales (1601–1658) Spanish Jesuit priest, writer, philosopher
The Art of Worldly Wisdom [Oráculo Manual y Arte de Prudencia], § 84 (1647) [tr. Jacobs (1892)]

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Gracián, Baltasar - The Art of Worldly Wisdom [Oráculo Manual y Arte de Prudencia], § 84 (1647) [tr. Jacobs (1892)] | WIST Quotations

A wise man gets more use from his enemies than a fool from his friends. [Al varón sabio más le aprovechan sus enemigos que al necio sus amigos.] Because friends flatter while the criticism of enemies can help someone correct his shortcomings.
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A quotation from Bertrand Russell

If you wish a man to commit some abominable crime, from which he would naturally recoil in horror, you first teach him loyalty to a gang of arch-criminals, and then make his crime appear to him as exemplifying the virtue of loyalty. Of this process, patriotism is the most perfect instance.

Bertrand Russell (1872–1970) English mathematician and philosopher
Education and the Social Order [Education and the Modern World], ch. 1 “The Individual vs. the Citizen” (1932)

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Russell, Bertrand - Education and the Social Order [Education and the Modern World], ch. 1 "The Individual vs. the Citizen" (1932) | WIST Quotations

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A quotation from Molly Ivins

Wake me up when impending egalitarianism is a problem. In the meantime, oligarchy is eating our ass, our dreams, our country, our heritage, our democracy, our justice, and our tax code.

Molly Ivins (1944–2007) American writer, political columnist [Mary Tyler Ivins]
Essay (2001-04), “Wake Me When We’re Equal,” The Progressive, Vol. 65, No. 4

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Ivins, Molly - Essay (2001-04), "Wake Me When We're Equal," The Progressive, Vol. 65, No. 4 | WIST Quotations

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A quotation from James Howell

By seeing one thou knowest him half, by hearing him speak thou knowst all.
 
[Vedendo uno conosci mezzo, udendolo parlar il conosci tutto.]

James Howell (c. 1594–1666) Welsh historian, writer, aphorist
Paroimiographia [Παροιμιογραφία]: Proverbs, or, Old Sayed Sawes & Adages, “Proverbs in Italian” (1659)
[compiler]

More about this quote: wist.info/howell-james/85513/

#quote #quotes #quotation #qotd #jameshowell #proverb #character #insight #personality #proverb #sight #sound #speech #tells

Howell, James - Paroimiographia [Παροιμιογραφία]: Proverbs, or, Old Sayed Sawes & Adages, "Proverbs in Italian" (1659) [compiler] | WIST Quotations

By seeing one thou knowest him half, by hearing him speak thou knowst all. [Vedendo uno conosci mezzo, udendolo parlar il conosci tutto.] See also the Bible, Menander.
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A quotation from Bill Watterson

   CALVIN: (watching TV) Why isn’t my life like this situation comedy? Why don’t I have a bunch of friends with nothing to do but drop by and instigate wacky adventures? Why aren’t my conversations peppered with spontaneous witticisms? Why don’t my friends demonstrate heartfelt concern for my well-being when I have problems?
   HOBBES: Why don’t you know any gorgeous babes?
   CALVIN: I gotta get my life some writers.

Bill Watterson (b. 1958) American cartoonist
Calvin and Hobbes (1995-11-03)

Calvin and Hobbes (1995-11-03)

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Watterson, Bill - Calvin and Hobbes (1995-11-03) | WIST Quotations

CALVIN: Why isn't my life like this situation comedy? Why don't I have a bunch of friends with nothing to do but drop by and instigate wacky adventures? Why aren't my conversations peppered with spontaneous witticisms? Why don't my friends demonstrat…
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A quotation from Ambrose Bierce

FOE, n. A person instigated by his wicked nature to deny one’s merits or exhibit superior merits of his own.

Ambrose Bierce (1842–1914?) American writer and journalist
“Foe,” “Devil’s Dictionary” column, San Francisco Wasp (1884-12-06)

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#quote #quotes #quotation #qotd #ambrosebierce #devilsdictionary #

Bierce, Ambrose - "Foe," "Devil's Dictionary" column, San Francisco Wasp (1884-12-06) | WIST Quotations

FOE, n. A person instigated by his wicked nature to deny one's merits or exhibit superior merits of his own. Not collected in later books.
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Bible, Vol. 1. Old Testament - Book 22b. Sirach (Ecclesiasticus) 31:27ff (Sir 31:27–28) [tr. NRSV (2021 ed.)] | WIST Quotations

Wine is very life to humans if taken in moderation. What is life to one who is without wine? It has been created to make people happy. Wine drunk at the proper time and in moderation is rejoicing of heart and gladness of soul.
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A quotation from Montesquieu

To delight in reading is to trade life’s dreary moments for moments of pure joy.
 
[Aimer à lire, c’est faire un échange des heures d’ennui que l’lon doit avoir en sa vie contre des heures délicieuses.]

Charles-Lewis de Secondat, Baron de Montesquieu (1689–1755) French political philosopher
Pensées Diverses [Assorted Thoughts], # 1632 / 1143 (1720-1755) [ed. Guterman (1963)]

Montesquieu quote

More about (and translations of) this quote: wist.info/montesquieu/78314/

#quote #quotes #quotation #qotd #montesquieu #pensees #books #boredom #delight #dreariness #ennui #entertainment #joy #meme #pleasure #reading

Montesquieu - Pensées Diverses [Assorted Thoughts], # 1632 / 1143 (1720-1755) [ed. Guterman (1963)] | WIST Quotations

To delight in reading is to trade life's dreary moments for moments of pure joy. [Aimer à lire, c'est faire un échange des heures d'ennui que l'lon doit avoir en sa vie contre des heures délicieuses.] (Source (French)).
WIST Quotations
#books #entertainment #meme #reading #quote #joy #quotes #boredom #pleasure #qotd #quotation #pensees #delight #ennui #montesquieu #dreariness

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A quotation from Margaret Mead

The children must be taught how to think, not what to think.

Margaret Mead (1901–1978) American anthropologist
Coming of Age in Samoa, ch. 14 (1928)

More about this quote: wist.info/mead-margaret/85496/

#quote #quotes #quotation #qotd #margaretmead #belief #education #orthodoxy #problemsolving #solutions #teaching #thinking #thought

Mead, Margaret - Coming of Age in Samoa, ch. 14 (1928) | WIST Quotations

The children must be taught how to think, not what to think. Often given without the initial "The". Writing of the need for parents educating children at home to avoid pushing "an ethical cause or a religious belief" through smiles or frowns.
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A quotation from Henry Commager

The concept of loyalty as conformity is a false one. It is narrow and restrictive, denies freedom of thought and of conscience, and is irremediably stained by private and selfish considerations.

Henry Steele Commager (1902–1998) American historian, writer, activist
Essay (1947-09), “Who Is Loyal to America?” sec. 3, Harper’s Magazine, Vol. 195, No. 1168

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Commager, Henry Steele - Essay (1947-09), "Who Is Loyal to America?" sec. 3, Harper's Magazine, Vol. 195, No. 1168 | WIST Quotations

The concept of loyalty as conformity is a false one. It is narrow and restrictive, denies freedom of thought and of conscience, and is irremediably stained by private and selfish considerations. Collected in Freedom, Loyalty, Dissent (1954).
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Homer - The Odyssey [Ὀδύσσεια], Book 6, l. 187ff (6.187-190) [Nausicaa] (c. 700 BC) [tr. Pope (1725), l. 227ff] | WIST Quotations

O stranger, cease thy care; Wise is the soul, but man is born to bear; Jove weighs affairs of earth in dubious scales, And the good suffers, while the bad prevails.
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#quote #odyssey #quotes #suffering #qotd #endurance #fate #prosperity #homer #quotation #fortune #nausicaa #divinejustice #divinewill #divinejudgment #divinefavor #problemOfSuffering #problemofevil

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A quotation from Jean Kerr

   BOB: I thought we understood each other. I thought we talked things out!
   DIRK: Yes, and you listened very carefully to every word you had to say.

Jean Kerr (1922–2003) American author and playwright [b. Bridget Jean Collins]
Mary, Mary, Act 2 (1961)

More about this quote: wist.info/kerr-jean/85490/

#quote #quotes #quotation #qotd #jeankerr #marymary #communication #dialogue #engagement #hearing #listening #monologue #talking #understanding

Kerr, Jean - Mary, Mary, Act 2 (1961) | WIST Quotations

BOB: I thought we understood each other. I thought we talked things out! DIRK: Yes, and you listened very carefully to every word you had to say.
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A quotation from Richard Steele

I am, dear Prue a little in Drink but at all times
                                        Yr Faithfull Husband

Richard Steele (1672–1729) Anglo-Irish writer, journalist, playwright, politician
Letter (1708-09-27) to Mary "Prue" Scurlock Steele

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Steele, Richard - Letter (1708-09-27) to Mary "Prue" Scurlock Steele | WIST Quotations

I am, dear Prue a little in Drink but at all times Yr Faithfull Husband Over the course of his courting of and marriage (1707) to his second wife, whom he nicknamed "Prue," Steele wrote her more than 400 letters.
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A quotation from Propertius

Afflicted by love’s madness all are blind.
 
[Scilicet insano nemo in amore videt.]

Propertius (50–16 BC) Roman elegiac poet [Sextus Propertius]
Elegies, Book 2, Elegy 14, l. 18ff (2.14.18) [ed. Harbottle (1906)]

More about (and translations of) this quote: wist.info/propertius/85483/

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Propertius - Elegies, Book 2, Elegy 14, l. 18ff (2.14.18) [ed. Harbottle (1906)] | WIST Quotations

Afflicted by love’s madness all are blind. [Scilicet insano nemo in amore videt.] (Source (Latin)). Other translations: And surely no one sees when love his senses steals away. [tr. Cranstoun (1875); 3.
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A quotation from La Rochefoucauld

Hope, deceitful as she is, serves at least to conduct us through life by an agreeable path.
 
[L’espérance, toute trompeuse qu’elle est, sert au moins à nous mener à la fin de la vie par un chemin agréable.]

François VI, duc de La Rochefoucauld (1613–1680) French epigrammatist, memoirist, noble
Réflexions ou sentences et maximes morales [Reflections; or Sentences and Moral Maxims], ¶168 (1665–1678) [ed. Gowens (1851), ¶171]

More about (and translations of) this quote: wist.info/la-rochefoucauld-fra…

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La Rochefoucauld, Francois - Réflexions ou sentences et maximes morales [Reflections; or Sentences and Moral Maxims], ¶168 (1665–1678) [ed. Gowens (1851), ¶171] | WIST Quotations

Hope, deceitful as she is, serves at least to conduct us through life by an agreeable path. [L’espérance, toute trompeuse qu’elle est, sert au moins à nous mener à la fin de la vie par un chemin agréable.] Appeared in the 1st (1665) edition.
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Shakespeare, William - Twelfth Night, Act 2, Sc. 5, l. 147ff (2.5.147–150) (1601) | WIST Quotations

MALVOLIO: In my stars I am above thee, but be not afraid of greatness. Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon ’em.
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ADMINISTRIVIA - Doing the Numbers

If you have any interest in how obsessively analytical someone can get about a quotations collection, check out my new admin post: wist.info/administrivia/85470/

If you don't, because you're just here for the quotes ... check back in about ten hours.

A woodcut of an old-timey scribe

~~Admin - (2026-08-16) Doing the Numbers | WIST Quotations

Crikey. It''s been almost two years to the day since I last did one of these updates. It takes a fair amount of time to do one, so that's one excuse. The other is that ... well, I didn't realize it had been that long. Better make a note on…
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A quotation from Samuel Johnson

He who has so little knowledge of human nature, as to seek happiness by changing any thing but his own dispositions, will waste his life in fruitless efforts, and multiply the griefs which he purposes to remove.

Samuel Johnson (1709–1784) English writer, lexicographer, critic
Essay (1750-04-07), The Rambler, No. 6

More about this quote: wist.info/johnson-samuel/35246…

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Johnson, Samuel - Essay (1750-04-07), The Rambler, No. 6 | WIST Quotations

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A quotation from Ingersoll

It was also believed [in barbarous times] that certain things must be accepted as true, no matter whether they were reasonable or not; that it was pleasing to God to believe a certain creed, especially if it happened to be the creed of the majority.

Robert Green Ingersoll (1833–1899) American lawyer, freethinker, orator
Lecture (1881-05-01) “The Great Infidels,” Booth’s Theater, New York

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Ingersoll, Robert Green - Lecture (1881-05-01) "The Great Infidels," Booth's Theater, New York | WIST Quotations

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Stevenson, Adlai - Speech (1965-07-09), "Strengthening the International Development Institutions," sec. 12, United Nations Economic and Social Council, Palais des Nations, Geneva, Switzerland | WIST Quotations

We travel together, passengers on a little spaceship, dependent upon its vulnerable reserve of air and soil; all committed for our safety to its security and peace; preserved from annihilation only by the care, the work, and I will say, the love we g…
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A quotation from Francis Bacon

Young men, in the conduct and manage of actions, embrace more than they can hold; stir more than they can quiet; fly to the end, without consideration of the means and degrees; pursue some few principles which they have chanced upon absurdly; care not to innovate, which draws unknown inconveniences; use extreme remedies at first; and that, which doubleth all errors, will not acknowledge or retract them, like an unruly horse, that will neither stop nor turn.

Francis Bacon (1561–1626) English philosopher, scientist, author, statesman
Essay (1612), “Of Youth and Age,” Essays, No. 42 (1625)

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Bacon, Francis - Essay (1612), "Of Youth and Age," Essays, No. 42 (1625) | WIST Quotations

Young men, in the conduct and manage of actions, embrace more than they can hold; stir more than they can quiet; fly to the end, without consideration of the means and degrees; pursue some few principles which they have chanced upon absurdly; care no…
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A quotation from Mark Twain

I was afraid of a united Church; it makes a mighty power, the mightiest conceivable, and then when it by and by gets into selfish hands, as it is always bound to do, it means death to human liberty and paralysis to human thought.

Mark Twain (1835–1910) American writer [pseud. of Samuel Clemens]
Novel (1889), A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court, Part 3 “The Tale of the Lost Land,” ch. 10 “Beginnings of Civilization”

More about this quote: wist.info/twain-mark/85458/

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Twain, Mark - Novel (1889), A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court, Part 3 "The Tale of the Lost Land," ch. 10 "Beginnings of Civilization" | WIST Quotations

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A quotation from Robert Louis Stevenson

I have a little shadow that goes in and out with me,
   And what can be the use of him is more than I can see.
He is very, very like me from the heels up to the head;
   And I see him jump before me, when I jump into my bed.

Robert Louis Stevenson (1850–1894) Scottish essayist, novelist, poet
Poem (1885), “My Shadow,” st. 1, A Child’s Garden of Verses

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Stevenson, Robert Louis - Poem (1885), "My Shadow," st. 1, A Child’s Garden of Verses | WIST Quotations

I have a little shadow that goes in and out with me, And what can be the use of him is more than I can see. He is very, very like me from the heels up to the head; And I see him jump before me, when I jump into…
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A quotation from Horace

Virtue begins by shunning vice; wisdom
By shunning folly.
 
[Virtus est vitium fugere et sapientia prima
stultitia caruisse.]

Horace (65–8 BC) Roman poet, satirist, soldier, politician [Quintus Horatius Flaccus]
Epistles [Epistularum, Letters], Book 1, ep. 1 “To Maecenas,” l. 41ff (1.1.41-42) (20 BC) [tr. Ferry (2001)]

More about (and translations of) this quote: wist.info/horace/14188/

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A quotation from George Orwell

Each generation imagines itself to be more intelligent than the one before it, and wiser than the one that comes after it.

George Orwell (1903–1950) English journalist, essayist, writer [pseud. of Eric Arthur Blair]
Essay (1945-12), Review of Herbert Read, A Coat of Many Colours, Poetry Quarterly, Vol. 7, No. 4 (1945, Winter)

More about this quote: wist.info/orwell-george/3040/

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Orwell, George - Essay (1945-12), Review of Herbert Read, A Coat of Many Colours, Poetry Quarterly, Vol. 7, No. 4 (1945, Winter) | WIST Quotations

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