“Good humour is the only shield to keep off the darts of the satirical railer: if you have a quiver well stored, and are sure of hitting him between the joints of the harness, do not spare him; but you had better not bend your bow than miss your aim.”
The Dignity of Human Nature (1754)
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James Burgh49
British politician 1714–1775Related quotes
“Aim high. You may still miss the target but at least you won’t shoot your foot off.”
Lois McMaster Bujold Vorkosigan Saga
Vorkosigan Saga, Komarr (1998)
Source: Miles in Love
Muhammad al-Taqi (811–835) ninth of the Twelve Imams of Twelver Shi'ism
[Baqir Sharīf al-Qurashi, The life of Imam Muhammad al-Jawad, Wonderful Maxims and Arts, 2005]
Thomas Carlyle (1795–1881) Scottish philosopher, satirical writer, essayist, historian and teacher
1850s, Latter-Day Pamphlets (1850), Model Prisons (March 1, 1850)
Theodore L. Cuyler (1822–1909) American minister
Source: Dictionary of Burning Words of Brilliant Writers (1895), P. 433.
“Aim for the moon. If you miss, you may hit a star.”
W. Clement Stone (1902–2002) American New Thought author
As quoted in The Power of Choice (2007) by Joyce Guccione, p. 199
also attributed to Oscar Wilde (1854–1900) and Les Brown (1912–2001)
Misattributed
“When a man steals your wife there is no better revenge than to let him keep her.”
Sacha Guitry (1885–1957) French dramatist and playwright
Book of Humorous Quotations, ed. Connie Robertson (1998), page 83