To think ill of mankind, and not wish ill to them, is perhaps the highest wisdom and virtue.
—William Hazlitt, 1823Quotes
Such then is the human state, that to wish greatness for one’s country is to wish harm to one’s neighbors.
—Voltaire, 1764We have really everything in common with America nowadays, except, of course, language.
—Oscar Wilde, 1887Who sees all beings in his own self, and his own self in all beings, loses all fear.
—The Upanishads, c. 800 BCStrangers are an endangered species.
—Adrienne Rich, 1980It’s good to remember that in crises, natural crises, human beings forget for a while their ignorances, their biases, their prejudices. For a little while, neighbors help neighbors and strangers help strangers.
—Maya Angelou, 2011The almost insoluble task is to let neither the power of others, nor our own powerlessness, stupefy us.
—Theodor Adorno, 1951Our enemies are innovative and resourceful, and so are we. They never stop thinking about new ways to harm our country and our people, and neither do we.
—George W. Bush, 2004There are chance meetings with strangers that interest us from the first moment, before a word is spoken.
—Fyodor Dostoevsky, 1866This is not a clash between civilizations. It is a clash about civilization.
—Tony Blair, 2006Your worst enemy cannot harm you as much as your own thoughts, unguarded.
—The Dhammapada, c. 400 BCNo man has any natural authority over his fellow man.
—Jean-Jacques Rousseau, 1762