Life is the art of being well deceived.
—William Hazlitt, c. 1817Quotes
Good men must not obey the laws too well.
—Ralph Waldo Emerson, 1844Man is the one name belonging to every nation upon earth: there is one soul and many tongues, one spirit and various sounds; every country has its own speech, but the subjects of speech are common to all.
—Tertullian, c. 217The first mistake of art is to assume that it’s serious.
—Lester Bangs, 1971A change in the weather is sufficient to create the world and oneself anew.
—Marcel Proust, c. 1920Man is the only animal that can remain on friendly terms with the victims he intends to eat until he eats them.
—Samuel Butler, c. 1890We have to distrust each other. It is our only defense against betrayal.
—Tennessee Williams, 1953Real generosity toward the future lies in giving all to the present.
—Albert Camus, 1951Hygienic law, like martial law, supersedes rights in crises.
—Samuel Hopkins Adams, 1913Drunkenness is the very sepulcher / Of man’s wit and his discretion.
—Geoffrey Chaucer, c. 1390In the case of news, we should always wait for the sacrament of confirmation.
—Voltaire, 1764Some nights are like honey—and some like wine—and some like wormwood.
—L.M. Montgomery, 1927Feasts must be solemn and rare, or else they cease to be feasts.
—Aldous Huxley, 1929