All progress is based upon a universal, innate desire on the part of every organism to live beyond its income.
—Samuel Butler, c. 1890
Archive
Quotes
Better no law than no law enforced.
—Danish proverbIn the matter of furnishing, I find a certain absence of ugliness far worse than ugliness.
—Colette, 1944There is no greater sorrow than to recall a happy time in the midst of wretchedness.
—Dante Alighieri, c. 1321Keep running after a dog, and he will never bite you.
—François Rabelais, 1535Again, men in general desire the good, and not merely what their fathers had.
—Aristotle, c. 350 BCIt is a certain sign of a wise government and proceeding, when it can hold men’s hearts by hopes, when it cannot by satisfaction.
—Francis Bacon, 1625As the saying goes, an old woman is always uneasy when dry bones are mentioned in a proverb.
—Chinua Achebe, 1958Kill a man, and you are an assassin. Kill millions of men, and you are a conqueror. Kill everyone, and you are a god.
—Jean Rostand, 1939The life of the city never lets you go, nor do you ever want it to.
—Wallace Stevens, 1952Sex is more exciting on the screen and between the pages than between the sheets.
—Andy Warhol, 1975A hick town is one where there is no place to go where you shouldn’t go.
—Alexander Woollcott, c. 1935Strength of mind is exercise, not rest.
—Alexander Pope, 1733