No punishment has ever possessed enough power of deterrence to prevent the commission of crimes.
—Hannah Arendt, 1963
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Quotes
The legislator is like the navigator of a ship on the high seas. He can steer the vessel on which he sails, but he cannot alter its construction, raise the wind, or stop the waves from swelling beneath his feet.
—Alexis de Tocqueville, 1835The surest guide to the correctness of the path that women take is joy in the struggle. Revolution is the festival of the oppressed.
—Germaine Greer, 1970Drinking with women is as unnatural as scolding with ’em.
—William Wycherley, 1675If you are a dog and your owner suggests that you wear a sweater, suggest that he wear a tail.
—Fran Lebowitz, 1981Can we not live without pleasure, who cannot but with pleasure die?
—Tertullian, c. 215I am always sorry when any language is lost, because languages are the pedigrees of nations.
—Samuel Johnson, 1773Society as a whole must be converted into a gigantic school.
—Che Guevara, 1965Some men never recover from education.
—Oliver St. John Gogarty, 1954I never even saw the use of the sea. Many a sad heart has it caused, and many a sick stomach has it occasioned! The boldest sailor climbs on board with a heavy soul and leaps on land with a light spirit.
—Benjamin Disraeli, 1827How many desolate creatures on the earth have learnt the simple dues of fellowship and social comfort in a hospital.
—Elizabeth Barrett Browning, 1857The path of social advancement is, and must be, strewn with broken friendships.
—H.G. Wells, 1905If you have any soul worth expressing, it will show itself in your singing.
—John Ruskin, 1865