He who dies of epidemic disease is a martyr.
—Muhammad, c. 630
Archive
Quotes
Democracy means simply the bludgeoning of the people by the people for the people.
—Oscar Wilde, 1891There is something stirring in the way civilization gapes like a savage at the achievements of nature.
—Karl Kraus, 1909Appearances often are deceiving.
—Aesop, c. 550 BCOnce any group in society stands in a relatively deprived position in relation to other groups, it is genuinely deprived.
—Margaret Mead, 1972The state dictates and coerces; religion teaches and persuades. The state enacts laws; religion gives commandments. The state is armed with physical force and makes use of it if need be; the force of religion is love and benevolence.
—Moses Mendelssohn, 1783A regime which combines perpetual surveillance with total indulgence is hardly conducive to healthy development.
—P.D. James, 1992Thanks be to God: since my leaving drinking of wine, I do find myself much better and do mind my business better, and do spend less money, and less time lost in idle company.
—Samuel Pepys, 1662What harm is there in getting knowledge and learning, were it from a sot, a pot, a fool, a winter mitten, or an old slipper?
—François Rabelais, 1533Do not do unto others as you would that they should do unto you. Their tastes may not be the same.
—George Bernard Shaw, 1903In politics, what begins in fear usually ends in folly.
—Samuel Taylor Coleridge, 1830If the human race wants to go to hell in a basket, technology can help it get there by jet.
—Charles M. Allen, 1967The law is not the same at morning and at night.
—George Herbert, c. 1633