Without virtue, both riches and honor, to me, seem like the passing cloud.
—Confucius, c. 350 BC
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Quotes
A righteous man regardeth the life of his beast.
—The BibleIron may break gold, but water remains whole.
—Ge Hong, c. 300Calamities are of two kinds: misfortune to ourselves, and good fortune to others.
—Ambrose Bierce, 1906Every creature in the world is like a book and a picture, to us, and a mirror.
—Alain de Lille, c. 1200Vox populi, vox humbug.
—William Tecumseh Sherman, 1863He who would have clear water should go to the fountainhead.
—Italian proverbA man is not idle, because he is absorbed in thought. There is visible labor and there is an invisible labor.
—Victor Hugo, 1862In every ill turn of fortune, the most unhappy sort of unfortunate man is the one who has been happy.
—Boethius, c. 520Laughter almost ever cometh of things most disproportioned to ourselves and nature. Laughter hath only a scornful tickling.
—Philip Sidney, 1582However harmless a thing is, if the law forbids it, most people will think it wrong.
—W. Somerset Maugham, 1896For sooner will men hold fire in their mouths than keep a secret.
—Petronius, c. 60Men willingly believe what they wish.
—Julius Caesar, c. 50 BC