In revolutions men fall and rise. Long before this war is over, much as you hear me praised now, you may hear me cursed and insulted.
—William Tecumseh Sherman, 1864
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Quotes
Man is a noble animal, splendid in ashes and pompous in the grave.
—Thomas Browne, 1658Let us make our own mistakes, but let us take comfort in the knowledge that they are our own mistakes.
—Tom Mboya, 1958People will never fight for your freedom if you have not given evidence that you are prepared to fight for it yourself.
—Bayard Rustin, 1986Friend! It is a common word, often lightly used. Like other good and beautiful things, it may be tarnished by careless handling.
—Harriet Jacobs, 1861Enemies to me are the sauce piquant to my dish of life.
—Elsa Maxwell, 1955There never is absolute birth nor complete death, in the strict sense, consisting in the separation of the soul from the body. What we call births are developments and growths, while what we call deaths are envelopments and diminutions.
—Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz, 1714The more corrupt the state, the more numerous its laws.
—Tacitus, c. 110Sex is more exciting on the screen and between the pages than between the sheets.
—Andy Warhol, 1975A fair complexion is unbecoming to a sailor: he ought to be swarthy from the waters of the sea and the rays of the sun.
—Ovid, c. 1 BCDo not ask me to be kind; just ask me to act as though I were.
—Jules Renard, 1898You have all the characteristics of a popular politician: a horrible voice, bad breeding, and a vulgar manner.
—Aristophanes, c. 424 BCAnyone who’s never experienced the pleasure of betrayal doesn’t know what pleasure is.
—Jean Genet, 1986