The best of all rulers is but a shadowy presence to his subjects.
—Laozi
Archive
Quotes
They are trying to make me into a fixed star. I am an irregular planet.
—Martin Luther, c. 1530War to the castles; peace to the cottages.
—Nicolas Chamfort, 1790He who has nothing has no friends.
—Greek proverbMost people who sneer at technology would starve to death if the engineering infrastructure were removed.
—Robert A. Heinlein, 1984Abstainer, n. A weak man who yields to the temptation of denying himself a pleasure.
—Ambrose Bierce, 1906Laughter always arises from a gaiety of disposition, absolutely incompatible with contempt and indignation.
—Voltaire, 1736Why is a ship under sail more poetical than a hog in a high wind? The hog is all nature, the ship is all art.
—Lord Byron, 1821He that serves God for money will serve the Devil for better wages.
—Roger L’Estrange, 1692The legislator is like the navigator of a ship on the high seas. He can steer the vessel on which he sails, but he cannot alter its construction, raise the wind, or stop the waves from swelling beneath his feet.
—Alexis de Tocqueville, 1835Attacks on me will do no harm, and silent contempt is the best answer to them.
—James Monroe, 1808The play is the tragedy “Man,” And its hero the conqueror worm.
—Edgar Allan Poe, 1843The thing that impresses me most about America is the way parents obey their children.
—Edward VIII, 1957