Water has many ways of reminding us that when we are in it we are out of our element.
—Christopher Hitchens, 2008
Archive
Quotes
Luck, in the great game of war, is undoubtedly lord of all.
—Arthur Griffiths, 1899The greatest veneration one can show the law is to keep a watch on it.
—Nadine Gordimer, 1971Let my epitaph be, “Here lies Joseph, who failed in everything he undertook.”
—Holy Roman Emperor Joseph II, 1790The merchant always has fresh losses to expect, and the dread of base poverty forbids his rest.
—Decimus Magnus Ausonius, c. 390Strength of mind is exercise, not rest.
—Alexander Pope, 1733Be a good animal, true to your animal instincts.
—D.H. Lawrence, 1911Man is a noble animal, splendid in ashes and pompous in the grave.
—Thomas Browne, 1658Understanding is a very dull occupation.
—Gertrude Stein, 1937Once suspicion is aroused, everything feeds it.
—Amelia Edith Barr, 1885The young always have the same problem—how to rebel and conform at the same time. They have now solved this by defying their elders and copying one another.
—Quentin Crisp, 1968Life isn’t all beer and skittles, but beer and skittles, or something better of the same sort, must form a good part of every Englishman’s education.
—Thomas Hughes, 1857Charity begins at home, and justice begins next door.
—Charles Dickens, 1843