Why has the government been instituted at all? Because the passions of men will not conform to the dictates of reason and justice without constraint.
—Alexander Hamilton, 1787Quotes
A man of genius makes no mistakes. His errors are volitional and are the portals of discovery.
—James Joyce, 1922The Romans would never have found time to conquer the world if they had been obliged first to learn Latin.
—Heinrich Heine, 1827Religion is by no means a proper subject of conversation in mixed company.
—Philip Dormer Stanhope, 1754Most vegetarians I ever saw looked enough like their food to be classed as cannibals.
—Finley Peter Dunne, 1900The life of a sailor is very unhealthy.
—Francis Galton, 1883Whereof one cannot speak, thereof one must be silent.
—Ludwig Wittgenstein, 1921Toil is man’s allotment; toil of brain, or toil of hands, or a grief that’s more than either, the grief and sin of idleness.
—Herman Melville, 1849I prefer liberty with unquiet to slavery with quiet.
—Sallust, c. 35 BCThe spirit of liberty is the spirit which is not too sure it is right.
—Judge Learned Hand, 1944Much money makes a country poor, for it sets a dearer price on every thing.
—George Herbert, 1640Charity is murder and you know it.
—Dorothy Parker, 1956Eight hours for work, eight hours for sleep, eight hours for what we will.
—Slogan of the National Labor Union of the United States, 1866