No man ever distinguished himself who could not bear to be laughed at.
—Maria Edgeworth, 1809
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Quotes
’Tis an ill cook that cannot lick his own fingers.
—William Shakespeare, c. 1595If you wish to avoid foreign collision, you had better abandon the ocean.
—Henry Clay, 1812Weaseling out of things is important to learn. It’s what separates us from the animals—except the weasel.
—The Simpsons, 1993The only authors whom I acknowledge as American are the journalists. They indeed are not great writers, but they speak the language of their countrymen, and make themselves heard by them.
—Alexis de Tocqueville, 1840The most advanced nations are always those who navigate the most.
—Ralph Waldo Emerson, 1870Friendship is a plant that loves the sun—thrives ill under clouds.
—Bronson Alcott, 1872Under the wide and starry sky, / Dig the grave and let me lie.
—Robert Louis Stevenson, 1887I count myself in nothing else so happy / As in a soul remembering my good friends.
—William Shakespeare, c. 1595Labor disgraces no man; unfortunately, you occasionally find men who disgrace labor.
—Ulysses S. Grant, 1877Revolutions are not about trifles, but they are produced by trifles.
—Aristotle, c. 350 BCTwo things only the people anxiously desire, bread and the circus games.
—Juvenal, c. 121My language is the common prostitute that I turn into a virgin.
—Karl Kraus, c. 1910