Quotes of famous people

Authors

Tupac Shakur photo
Tupac Shakur 154
rapper and actor 1971–1996
Barack Obama photo
Barack Obama 1158
44th President of the United States of America 1961
William Shakespeare photo
William Shakespeare 699
English playwright and poet 1564–1616
George Orwell photo
George Orwell 473
English author and journalist 1903–1950
Oscar Wilde photo
Oscar Wilde 812
Irish writer and poet 1854–1900
See more authors

Created in the last 14 days

Články

Latin quotes
English quotes

Recommended quotes

José de San Martín photo

“I shall always be ready to make the ultimate sacrifice for the liberty of the country, but as in the character of a simple private citizen and in no other.”

José de San Martín (1778–1850) Argentine general and independence leader

Farewell address to the Peruvian people (20 September 1822), as quoted in '‪Captain of the Andes : The Life of José de San Martín, Liberator of Argentina, Chile and Peru (1943) b‬y Margaret Hayne Harrison, p. 159
Context: I have witnessed the declaration of independence of the States of Chile and Peru. I hold in my hand the standard carried by Pizarro when he enslaved the Empire of the Incas, and I am no longer a public man. Ten years of revolution and war have been repaid to me with usury. My promises to the people for whom I have waged war have been fulfilled — to accomplish their independence and leave the choice of their rulers to their own will. The presence of an unfortunate soldier, however disinterested he may be, is not desirable in newly constituted states. On the other hand, I am tired of having it said that I wish to make myself King. In short, I shall always be ready to make the ultimate sacrifice for the liberty of the country, but as in the character of a simple private citizen and in no other. As for my conduct in public office, my compatriots, as is usually the case, will divide their opinions; their children will render true judgment. Peruvians, I leave you with your national representation established. If you place your entire confidence in it, count on succes; if not, anarchy will destroy you. May Heaven preside over your destinies and may you reach the summit of happiness and peace.

İsmail Enver photo

“The threat could be eliminated by removing the Armenians from the places where they lived and sending them to other places.”

İsmail Enver (1881–1922) Turkish military officer and a leader of the Young Turk revolution

Quoted in "A Shameful Act: The Armenian Genocide and the Question of Turkish Responsibility" - by Taner Akcam - History - 2007 - Page 143.

Marguerite Duras photo
Lemmy Kilmister photo
Carl Sagan photo
Francois Villon photo
Lyndon B. Johnson photo

“The law cannot save those who deny it but neither can the law serve any who do not use it. The history of injustice and inequality is a history of disuse of the law. Law has not failed — and is not failing. We as a nation have failed ourselves by not trusting the law and by not using the law to gain sooner the ends of justice which law alone serves.”

Lyndon B. Johnson (1908–1973) American politician, 36th president of the United States (in office from 1963 to 1969)

1960s, Memorial Day speech (1963)
Context: The law cannot save those who deny it but neither can the law serve any who do not use it. The history of injustice and inequality is a history of disuse of the law. Law has not failed — and is not failing. We as a nation have failed ourselves by not trusting the law and by not using the law to gain sooner the ends of justice which law alone serves. If the white over-estimates what he has done for the Negro without the law, the Negro may under-estimate what he is doing and can do for himself with the law.

Beatrice Mtetwa photo

“What should be important is the fact that you are the best man or woman for the job and if you are you should be appointed.”

Beatrice Mtetwa (1957) Zimbabwean human rights lawyer

Source: Beatrice Mtetwa: In Conversation with Trevor https://kubatana.net/2019/11/05/beatrice-mtetwa-in-conversation-with-trevor/

José Baroja photo

“…sometimes I feel like I betray the writer when I try to teach literature.”

José Baroja (1983) Chilean author and editor

Source: https://portal.ucm.cl/noticias/la-literatura-la-biografia-emocional-humano-se-ha-atrevido-escribirla

Kanye West photo
Timothée Chalamet photo

“I think an Oscar nomination does open doors. I have been fortunate to have had some incredible roles since the movie. [Whether] the nomination had anything to do with that, I don’t know – I just know I am incredibly grateful to be getting the work that I am.”

Timothée Chalamet (1995) French-American Actor (1995)

Source: "Interview: Timothée Chalamet on being a young Hollywood actor" in SilverKris https://www.silverkris.com/interview-timothee-chalamet/ (13 December 2019)

George Eliot photo
Neil deGrasse Tyson photo

“The universe is under no obligation to make sense to you. —NDT”

Variant: The Universe is under no obligation to make sense to you.
Source: Astrophysics for People in a Hurry

Richard Wurmbrand photo

“A faith that can be destroyed by suffering is not faith.”

Richard Wurmbrand (1909–2001) Romanian Christian minister of Jewish descent

If Prison Walls Could Speak (1972)

Dr. Seuss photo

“Don't cry because it's over. Smile because it happened.”

Dr. Seuss (1904–1991) American children's writer and illustrator, co-founder of Beginner Books

Often attributed to Dr. Seuss without citation; also cited as an anonymous proverb.
This quote has also been attributed to Gabriel García Márquez, in Spanish: "No llores porque ya se terminó, sonríe porque sucedió."
Compare lines from In Memoriam A.H.H. of Tennyson:
  'Tis better to have loved and lost
  Than never to have loved at all.
Disputed
Variant: Don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened.

Bob Marley photo
Freddie Mercury quote: “Modern paintings are like women, you'll never enjoy them if you try to understand them. ”
Freddie Mercury photo
Robert Fulghum photo