In every ill turn of fortune, the most unhappy sort of unfortunate man is the one who has been happy.
—Boethius, c. 520
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Quotes
O, how bitter a thing it is to look into happiness through another man’s eyes.
—William Shakespeare, c. 1599Epitaph, n. An inscription on a tomb, showing that virtues acquired by death have a retroactive effect.
—Ambrose Bierce, 1906There comes a time in every rightly constructed boy’s life when he has a raging desire to go somewhere and dig for hidden treasure.
—Mark Twain, 1876Honesty, for me, is usually the worst policy imaginable.
—Patricia Highsmith, 1960Cows are among the gentlest of breathing creatures; none show more passionate tenderness to their young when deprived of them—and, in short, I am not ashamed to profess a deep love for these quiet creatures.
—Thomas De Quincey, 1821If you are a dog and your owner suggests that you wear a sweater, suggest that he wear a tail.
—Fran Lebowitz, 1981Thanks be to God: since my leaving drinking of wine, I do find myself much better and do mind my business better, and do spend less money, and less time lost in idle company.
—Samuel Pepys, 1662There is no greater disaster than not to know contentment.
—Laozi, c. 550 BCSo long as one believes in God, one has the right to do the Good in order to be moral.
—Jean-Paul Sartre, c. 1950Pride and excess bring disaster for man.
—Xunzi, 250 BCThere lurks in every human heart a desire of distinction which inclines every man first to hope and then to believe that nature has given him something peculiar to himself.
—Samuel Johnson, 1763Be courteous to all but intimate with few, and let those few be well tried before you give them your confidence.
—George Washington, 1783