“When an acquaintance goes by I often step back from my window, not so much to spare him the effort of acknowledging me as to spare myself the embarrassment of seeing that he has not done so.”

“For I found myself embarrassed with so many doubts and errors that it seemed to me that the effort to instruct myself had no effect other than the increasing discovery of my own ignorance”

René Descartes (1596–1650) French philosopher, mathematician, and scientist

“Spare no effort to suppress selfishness, unless that effort would entail sorrow.”

Thomas Jackson (1824–1863) Confederate general

“I would like to spare the time and effort of hack reviewers and, generally, persons who move their lips when reading.”

Vladimir Nabokov (1899–1977) Russian-American novelist, lepidopterist, professor

“When I look out my window,
Many sights to see.
And when I look in my window,
So many different people to be…”

Donovan (1946) Scottish singer, songwriter and guitarist

“When a bunch of known corrupt people unite against one man and spare no effort to ridicule him, blackmail him and attempt to assassinate his character, blindly follow that one man!”

Marcus Aurelius book Meditations

“Bess stepped back and looked at Nancy admiringly. 'Your hunches are so often right it startles me.”

Carolyn Keene book The Whispering Statue

“While they were content to peck cautiously at the ball, he never spared himself in his efforts to do it a violent injury.”

P.G. Wodehouse (1881–1975) English author

“It is not advisable to venture unsolicited opinions. You should spare yourself the embarrassing discovery of their exact value to your listener.”

Ayn Rand book Atlas Shrugged

“My eyes rolled so far back in my head that I could see myself think”

Janet Evanovich (1943) Novelist