Archive

Quotes

God seems to have left the receiver off the hook, and time is running out.

—Arthur Koestler, 1967

Sometime they’ll give a war and nobody will come.

—Carl Sandburg, 1936

We cherish our friends not for their ability to amuse us but for ours to amuse them.

—Evelyn Waugh, 1963

Gossip is a sort of smoke that comes from the dirty tobacco pipes of those who diffuse it; it proves nothing but the bad taste of the smoker.

—George Eliot, 1876

Laughter always arises from a gaiety of disposition, absolutely incompatible with contempt and indignation.

—Voltaire, 1736

Rewards and punishment are the lowest form of education.

—Zhuangzi, c. 286 BC

Some of us would be greatly astonished to learn the reasons why others respect us.

—Marquis de Vauvenargues, 1746

How can we bear misfortune most easily? If we see our enemies faring worse.

—Thales of Miletus, c. 585 BC

After midnight the moon set and I was alone with the stars. I have often said that the lure of flying is the lure of beauty, and I need no other flight to convince me that the reason flyers fly, whether they know it or not, is the aesthetic appeal of flying.

—Amelia Earhart, 1935

The gods play games with men as balls.

—Plautus, c. 200 BC

A watch is always too fast or too slow. I cannot be dictated to by a watch.

—Jane Austen, 1814

If you read somebody’s diary, you get what you deserve.

—David Sedaris, 2004

A difference of taste in jokes is a great strain on the affections.

—George Eliot, 1876