“Can you tell me, in a world that is flagrant with the failures of civilisation, what there is particularly immortal about yours?”

The Napoleon of Notting Hill (1904)
The Napoleon of Notting Hill (1904)
Context: Many clever men like you have trusted to civilization. Many clever Babylonians, many clever Egyptians, many clever men at the end of Rome. Can you tell me, in a world that is flagrant with the failures of civilisation, what there is particularly immortal about yours?

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Do you have more details about the quote "Can you tell me, in a world that is flagrant with the failures of civilisation, what there is particularly immortal abo…" by G. K. Chesterton?
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G. K. Chesterton 229
English mystery novelist and Christian apologist 1874–1936

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“Immortality. I notice that as soon as writers broach this question they begin to quote. I hate quotation. Tell me what you know.”

Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882) American philosopher, essayist, and poet

May 1849: This is a remark Emerson wrote referring to the unreliability of second hand testimony and worse upon the subject of immortality. It is often taken out of proper context, and has even begun appearing on the internet as "I hate quotations. Tell me what you know" or sometimes just "I hate quotations".
1820s, Journals (1822–1863)
Source: The Essays of Ralph Waldo Emerson

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“You mustn't alway believe what I say", he once told me. "Questions tempt you to tell lies, particularly when there is no answer.”

Pablo Picasso (1881–1973) Spanish painter, sculptor, printmaker, ceramicist, and stage designer

From Picasso, His Life and Work, Sir Roland Penrose, (1981), p. 413
Attributed from posthumous publications

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“If you can't tell your sister,
If you can't tell a priest,
'Cause it's so deep you don't think that you can speak about it
To anyone,
Can you tell it to your heart?
Can you find it in your heart
To let go of these feelings…”

Kate Bush (1958) British recording artist; singer, songwriter, musician and record producer

Source: Song lyrics, The Sensual World (1989)

“I am less than what you tell about me but more than what you think about me”

Nahj al-Balagha
Context: A man sarcastically started praising Imam Ali, though he had no faith in him and Imam Ali hearing these praises from him said "I am less than what you tell about me but more than what you think about me."

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“It's always easy to blame others. You can spend your entire life blaming the world, but your successes or failures are entirely your own.”

Source: Aleph (2011)
Context: It’s always easy to blame others. You can spend your entire life blaming the world, but your successes or failures are entirely your own responsibility. You can try to stop time, but it’s a complete waste of energy.

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