People commonly travel the world over to see rivers and mountains, new stars, garish birds, freak fish, grotesque breeds of human; they fall into an animal stupor that gapes at existence, and they think they have seen something.
—Søren Kierkegaard, 1843
Archive
Quotes
Time’s ruins build eternity’s mansions.
—James Joyce, 1922In the matter of furnishing, I find a certain absence of ugliness far worse than ugliness.
—Colette, 1944What is the hardest task in the world? To think.
—Ralph Waldo Emerson, 1841Every fool becomes a philosopher after ten days of rain.
—Clover Adams, 1882Those who travel heedlessly from place to place, observing only their distance from each other and attending only to their accommodation at the inn at night, set out fools, and will certainly return so.
—Philip Dormer Stanhope, 1747Nothing tastes as good as skinny feels.
—Kate Moss, 2009One of the animals which a generous and sociable man would soonest become is a dog. A dog can have a friend; he has affections and character; he can enjoy equally the field and the fireside; he dreams, he caresses, he propitiates; he offends and is pardoned; he stands by you in adversity; he is a good fellow.
—Leigh Hunt, 1834Fame is but the empty noise of madmen.
—Epictetus, c. 100Nature never jests.
—Albrecht von Haller, 1751We cherish our friends not for their ability to amuse us but for ours to amuse them.
—Evelyn Waugh, 1963It is impossible to live pleasurably without living wisely, well, and justly, and impossible to live wisely, well, and justly without living pleasurably.
—Epicurus, c. 300 BCThe self is like an infant: given free rein, it craves to suckle.
—al-Busiri, c. 1250