Favorite quotes

There is no greater mistake than the hasty conclusion that opinions are worthless because they are badly argued. -Thomas Huxley, biologist and writer (1825-1895)

 

Of all the preposterous assumptions of humanity over humanity, nothing exceeds most of the criticisms made on the habits of the poor by the well-housed, well-warmed, and well-fed. -Herman Melville, novelist and poet (1819-1891)

 

Animals have these advantages over man: they never hear the clock strike, they die without any idea of death, they have no theologians to instruct them, their last moments are not disturbed by unwelcome and unpleasant ceremonies, their funerals cost them nothing, and no one starts lawsuits over their wills. -Voltaire, philosopher and writer (1694-1778)

 

The Earth is a very small stage in a vast cosmic arena. Think of the rivers of blood spilled by all those generals and emperors so that, in glory and triumph, they could become the momentary masters of a fraction of a dot. Think of the endless cruelties visited by the inhabitants of one corner of this pixel on the scarcely distinguishable inhabitants of some other corner, how frequent their misunderstandings, how eager they are to kill one another, how fervent their hatreds. -Carl Sagan, astronomer and writer (1934-1996)

 

I have gained this by philosophy: that I do without being commanded what others do only from fear of the law. -Aristotle, philosopher (384-322 BCE)

 

Absolute justice is achieved by the suppression of all contradiction: therefore it destroys freedom. -Albert Camus, writer, philosopher, Nobel laureate (1913-1960)

 

Religion is something left over from the infancy of our intelligence, it will fade away as we adopt reason and science as our guidelines. -Bertrand Russell, philosopher, mathematician, author, Nobel laureate (1872-1970)

 

If you want to make peace with your enemy, you have to work with your enemy. Then he becomes your partner. -Nelson Mandela, activist, South African president, Nobel Peace Prize( born 1918)

 

Before we set our hearts too much on anything, let us examine how happy are those who already possess it. -Francois, duc de La Rochefoucauld, moralist (1613-1680)

 

Zen is not a particular state but the normal state: silent, peaceful, unagitated. In Zazen neither intention, analysis, specific effort nor imagination take place. It's enough just to be without hypocrisy, dogmatism, arrogance -- embracing all opposites. -Taisen Deshimaru, Zen teacher (1914-1982)

 

To know how to say what other people only think is what makes men poets and sages; and to dare to say what others only dare to think, makes men martyrs or reformers, or both. Elizabeth Rundle Charles, writer (1828-1896)

 

The feeling of being hurried is not usually the result of living a full life and having no time. It is on the contrary born of a vague fear that we are wasting our life. When we do not do the one thing we ought to do, we have no time for anything else -- we are the busiest people in the world. -Eric Hoffer, philosopher and author (1902-1983)

 

In this world there are only two tragedies. One is not getting what one wants, and the other is getting it. The last is much the worst. -Oscar Wilde, writer (1854-1900)

 

We are not afraid to entrust the American people with unpleasant facts, foreign ideas, alien philosophies, and competitive values. For a nation that is afraid to let its people judge the truth and falsehood in an open market is a nation that is afraid of its people. -John F. Kennedy, 35th US president (1917-1963)

 

Advertising is legalized lying. -H.G. Wells, writer (1866-1946)

 

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, biographer (c. 46-120)

 

A very popular error: having the courage of one's convictions; rather it is a matter of having the courage for an attack on one's convictions. -Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche, philosopher (1844-1900)

 

I live in the world rather as a spectator of mankind than as one of the species. -Joseph Addison, essayist and poet (1672-1719)

 

There is nothing like desire for preventing the things one says from bearing any resemblance to what one has in one's mind. -Marcel Proust, novelist (1871-1922)

 

Think of the poorest person you have ever seen and ask if your next act will be of any use to him. -Mahatma Gandhi (1869-1948)