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Quotes

Sic semper tyrannis! The South is avenged.

—John Wilkes Booth, 1865

To be too conscious is an illness—a real thoroughgoing illness.

—Fyodor Dostoevsky, 1864

Music is our myth of the inner life.

—Susanne K. Langer, 1942

To hide and feel guilty would be the beginning of defeat.

—Milan Kundera, 1978

If you are truly serious about preparing your child for the future, don’t teach him to subtract—teach him to deduct.

—Fran Lebowitz, 1981

War is the child of pride, and pride the daughter of riches.

—Jonathan Swift, 1697

I detest war. It spoils armies.

—Grand Duke Constantine of Russia, c. 1820

In most cases men willingly believe what they wish.

—Julius Caesar, 52 BC

I have loved the stars too truly to be fearful of the night.

—Sarah Williams, 1868

I don’t believe in total freedom for the artist. Left on his own, free to do anything he likes, the artist ends up doing nothing at all. If there’s one thing that’s dangerous for an artist, it’s precisely this question of total freedom, waiting for inspiration and all the rest of it.

—Federico Fellini, c. 1950

The first thing that a new migrant sends to his family back home isn’t money; it’s a story.

—Suketu Mehta, 2019

I’m doomed to die, right? Why should I care if I go to Hades either with gout in my leg or a runner’s grace? Plenty of people will carry me there.

—Nicharchus, c. 90

Casting lots causes contentions to cease, and keeps the mighty apart.

—Book of Proverbs, c. 350 BC