Jazz is the result of the energy stored up in America.
—George Gershwin, 1933
Archive
Quotes
Commerce tends to wear off those prejudices which maintain distinction and animosity between nations.
—William Robertson, 1769The more enlightened our houses are, the more their walls ooze ghosts.
—Italo Calvino, 1967To make laws that man cannot and will not obey serves to bring all law into contempt.
—Elizabeth Cady Stanton, 1860When a coward sees a man he can beat, he becomes hungry for a fight.
—Chinua Achebe, 1960Revolutionaries are greater sticklers for formality than conservatives.
—Italo Calvino, 1957Life is a farce, and should not end with a mourning scene.
—Horace Walpole, 1784Everyone complains about his memory, and no one complains about his judgment.
—La Rochefoucauld, 1666To know all is not to forgive all. It is to despise everybody.
—Quentin Crisp, 1968There must be quite a few things a hot bath won’t cure, but I don’t know many of them.
—Sylvia Plath, 1963I went [to war] because I couldn’t help it. I didn’t want the glory or the pay; I wanted the right thing done.
—Louisa May Alcott, 1863I have never felt salvation in nature. I love cities above all.
—Michelangelo Antonioni, 1967One of the things men should most strive to do is win a good reputation and see that no one questions it.
—Juan Manuel, 1335