Source: The Commercial Power of Great Britain, 1925, p. xxxi ; Highlighted section cited in: Joel Mokyr. The Enlightened Economy: Britain and the Industrial Revolution, 1700-1850. 2011. p. 237
Context: The successes obtained in the government of the arts, are similar to the successes obtained in the government of men. We may succeed for a time, by fraud, by surprise, by violence: we can succeed permanently only by means directly opposite. It is not alone the courage, the intelligence, the activity of the manufacturer and the merchant which maintain the superiority of the productions and the commerce of their country; it is far more their wisdom, their economy, above all their probity.
“Few men in our history have ever obtained the Presidency by planning to obtain it.”
Diary (4 February 1879)
1870s
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James A. Garfield 129
American politician, 20th President of the United States (i… 1831–1881Related quotes
Letter to Josiah Quincy III (14 February 1825)
1820s
Source: Our Modern Idol: Mathematical Science (1984), p. 41.
Though widely attributed to Herodotus this in fact comes from the Histories of Polybius, Book 16, chapter 28: "Some men, like bad runners in the stadium, abandon their purposes when close to the goal; while it is at that particular point, more than at any other, that others secure the victory over their rivals". (Translation of Evelyn S Shuckburgh).
Misattributed
Original: (it) Fate sempre attenzione a chiedere aiuto. Il vero aiuto si ottiene da poche, pochissime persone: quelle che ci mettono il cuore.
Source: prevale.net
Letter to Elias Shipman and others of New Haven (12 July 1801). Often misquoted as, "few die and none resign".
1800s, First Presidential Administration (1801–1805)
Essentials to Peace (1953)
Context: Discussions without end have been devoted to the subject of peace, and the efforts to obtain a general and lasting peace have been frequent through many years of world history. There has been success temporarily, but all have broken down, and with the most tragic consequences since 1914. What I would like to do is point our attention to some directions in which efforts to attain peace seem promising of success.
Wright Jr. 87 Years Behind the Black Curtain: An Autobiography. 1965
“Men go to far greater lengths to avoid what they fear than to obtain what they desire.”
Source: The Da Vinci Code