What will not attract a man’s stare at sea?—a gull, a turtle, a flying fish!
—Richard Burton, 1883Quotes
Nothing is so easy as to deceive one’s self; for what we wish, that we readily believe.
—Demosthenes, 349 BCOh, democracy! Whither are you leading us?
—Aristophanes, 414 BCGod is alive. Magic is afoot.
—Leonard Cohen, 1966’Tis not a ridiculous devotion to say a prayer before a game at tables?
—Thomas Browne, 1642It is more blessed to give than to receive.
—Acts of the Apostles, c. 80Nature is often hidden, sometimes overcome, seldom extinguished.
—Francis Bacon, 1625Every man takes the limits of his own vision for the limits of the world.
—Arthur Schopenhauer, 1851I don’t believe in an afterlife, although I am bringing a change of underwear.
—Woody Allen, 1971A wise woman never yields by appointment. It should always be an unforeseen happiness.
—Stendhal, 1822Lord, I do not ask that thou shouldst give me wealth; only show me where it is, and I will attend to the rest.
—Kate Douglas Wiggin, 1898We should look for someone to eat and drink with before looking for something to eat and drink, for dining alone is leading the life of a lion or wolf.
—Epicurus, c. 300 BCCivilization, as we know it, is a movement and not a condition, a voyage and not a harbor.
—Arnold Toynbee, 1948