Fear is the foundation of most governments.
—John Adams, 1776
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Quotes
The life of spies is to know, not be known.
—George Herbert, c. 1621Revolutions are celebrated when they are no longer dangerous.
—Pierre Boulez, 1989That which the sober man keeps in his breast, the drunken man lets out at the lips. Astute people, when they want to ascertain a man’s true character, make him drunk.
—Martin Luther, 1569How gloriously legible are the constellations of the heavens!
—Anthony Trollope, 1859One’s friends are that part of the human race with which one can be human.
—George Santayana, c. 1914Nowadays three witty turns of phrase and a lie make a writer.
—G.C. Lichtenberg, c. 1780The desire of knowledge, like the thirst of riches, increases ever with the acquisition of it.
—Laurence Sterne, 1760Revolution can never be forecast; it cannot be foretold; it comes of itself. Revolution is brewing and is bound to flare up.
—Vladimir Lenin, 1918If you are truly serious about preparing your child for the future, don’t teach him to subtract—teach him to deduct.
—Fran Lebowitz, 1981I 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. 1950One form of loneliness is to have a memory and no one to share it with.
—Phyllis Rose, 1991There is no art without Eros.
—Max Frisch, 1983