Man is the only animal that can remain on friendly terms with the victims he intends to eat until he eats them.
—Samuel Butler, c. 1890
Archive
Quotes
Pride and excess bring disaster for man.
—Xunzi, 250 BCThe believer in magic and miracles reflects on how to impose a law on nature—and, in brief, the religious cult is the outcome of this reflection.
—Friedrich Nietzsche, 1878Possessions, outward success, publicity, luxury—to me these have always been contemptible. I believe that a simple and unassuming manner of life is best for everyone, best both for the body and the mind.
—Albert Einstein, 1931Travelers, poets, and liars are three words all of one significance.
—Richard Brathwaite, 1631Seven years would be insufficient to make some people acquainted with each other, and seven days are more than enough for others.
—Jane Austen, 1811Our nature lies in movement; complete calm is death.
—Blaise Pascal, c. 1640The law looks at no one’s face.
—Gabriel Okara, 1964Disobedience, in the eyes of anyone who has read history, is man’s original virtue. It is through disobedience that progress has been made—through disobedience and through rebellion.
—Oscar Wilde, 1891I am tormented with an everlasting itch for things remote. I love to sail forbidden seas and land on barbarous coasts.
—Herman Melville, 1853Imagination continually outruns the creature it inhabits.
—Katherine Anne Porter, 1949Those who make the worst use of their time are the first to complain of its brevity.
—Jean de La Bruyère, 1688There is no greater disaster than not to know contentment.
—Laozi, c. 550 BC