An American will build a house in which to pass his old age and sell it before the roof is on.
—Alexis de Tocqueville, 1840
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Quotes
Three may keep a secret, if two of them are dead.
—Benjamin Franklin, 1735God sells us all things at the price of labor.
—Leonardo da Vinci, c. 1500Fashion, n. A despot whom the wise ridicule and obey.
—Ambrose Bierce, 1911No matter how much cats fight, there always seem to be plenty of kittens.
—Abraham LincolnOne’s body, hair, and skin are a gift from one’s parents—do not dare to allow them to be harmed.
—Classic of Filial Piety, c. 200 BCEight hours for work, eight hours for sleep, eight hours for what we will.
—Slogan of the National Labor Union of the United States, 1866Perish the universe, provided I have my revenge.
—Savinien Cyrano de Bergerac, 1654In my dreams I sleep with everybody.
—Anaïs Nin, 1933It is better to live unknown to the law.
—Irish proverbAll progress is based upon a universal, innate desire on the part of every organism to live beyond its income.
—Samuel Butler, c. 1890Drunkenness is the very sepulcher / Of man’s wit and his discretion.
—Geoffrey Chaucer, c. 1390We should have a great many fewer disputes in the world if words were taken for what they are, the signs of our ideas only, and not for things themselves.
—John Locke, 1690