I want to be the white man’s brother, not his brother-in-law.
—Martin Luther King Jr., 1962
Archive
Quotes
If we pretend to respect the artist at all, we must allow him his freedom of choice, in the face, in particular cases, of innumerable presumptions that the choice will not fructify. Art derives a considerable part of its beneficial exercise from flying in the face of presumptions.
—Henry James, 1884Anyone who in discussion quotes authority uses his memory rather than his intellect.
—Leonardo da Vinci, c. 1500Survivors look back and see omens, messages they missed.
—Joan Didion, 2005Sobriety diminishes, discriminates, and says no; drunkenness expands, unites, and says yes.
—William James, 1902There is no crime without precedent.
—Seneca the Younger, c. 60If the human race wants to go to hell in a basket, technology can help it get there by jet.
—Charles M. Allen, 1967It is far, far better and much safer to have a firm anchor in nonsense than to put out on the troubled seas of thought.
—John Kenneth Galbraith, 1958Let your boat of life be light, packed with only what you need—a homely home and simple pleasures, one or two friends worth the name, someone to love and someone to love you, a cat, a dog, and a pipe or two, enough to eat and enough to wear, and a little more than enough to drink; for thirst is a dangerous thing.
—Jerome K. Jerome, 1889All of life is a foreign country.
—Jack Kerouac, 1949Labor is no disgrace.
—Hesiod, c. 700 BCNo wise man ever wished to be younger.
—Jonathan Swift, 1706There is nothing more tyrannical than a strong popular feeling among a democratic people.
—Anthony Trollope, 1862