Quotes For Men
page 2

Bram van Velde photo

“The important thing is to be nothing.”

Bram van Velde (1895–1981) Dutch painter

1960's, Conversations with Samuel Beckett and Bram van Velde' (1965 - 1969)

Albert Pike photo

“A good man will find that there is goodness in the world; an honest man will find that there is honesty in the world; and a man of principle will find principle and integrity in the hearts of others.”

Source: Morals and Dogma of the Ancient and Accepted Scottish Rite of Freemasonry (1871), Ch. XXII : Grand Master Architect, p. 194
Context: To the gentle, many will be gentle; to the kind, many will be kind. A good man will find that there is goodness in the world; an honest man will find that there is honesty in the world; and a man of principle will find principle and integrity in the hearts of others.
There are no blessings which the mind may not convert into the bitterest of evils; and no trials which it may not transform into the noblest and divinest blessings. There are no temptations from which assailed virtue may not gain strength, instead of falling before them, vanquished and subdued.

Randy Pausch photo
Mark Twain photo
Theodore Roosevelt photo
Oscar Wilde photo

“Man is least himself when he talks in his own person. Give him a mask, and he will tell you the truth.”

Oscar Wilde (1854–1900) Irish writer and poet

The Critic as Artist (1891), Part II

Daniel Webster photo

“Whatever makes men good Christians, makes them good citizens.”

Daniel Webster (1782–1852) Leading American senator and statesman. January 18, 1782 – October 24, 1852. Served as the Secretary of Sta…

Speech at Plymouth, Massachusetts (22 December 1820)

Basil of Caesarea photo
Prevale photo

“The opportunity of your life, it's you.”

Prevale (1983) Italian DJ and producer

Original: ​(it) L'occasione della tua vita, sei tu.
Source: prevale.net

Ralph Waldo Emerson photo

“A great man is always willing to be little.”

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

1840s, Essays: First Series (1841), Compensation
Context: Our strength grows out of our weakness. The indignation which arms itself with secret forces does not awaken until we are pricked and stung and sorely assailed. A great man is always willing to be little. Whilst he sits on the cushion of advantages, he goes to sleep. When he is pushed, tormented, defeated, he has a chance to learn something; he has been put on his wits, on his manhood; he has gained facts; learns his ignorance; is cured of the insanity of conceit; has got moderation and real skill. The wise man throws himself on the side of his assailants. It is more his interest than it is theirs to find his weak point. The wound cicatrizes and falls off from him like a dead skin, and when they would triumph, lo! he has passed on invulnerable. Blame is safer than praise. I hate to be defended in a newspaper. As long as all that is said is said against me, I feel a certain assurance of success. But as soon as honeyed words of praise are spoken for me, I feel as one that lies unprotected before his enemies. In general, every evil to which we do not succumb is a benefactor.

Edward Gibbon photo
Muhammad Ali photo

“The man with no imagination has no wings.”

Muhammad Ali (1942–2016) African American boxer, philanthropist and activist
Ralph Waldo Emerson photo

“No great man ever complains of want of opportunity.”

Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882) American philosopher, essayist, and poet
George Gordon Byron photo
Martin Luther King, Jr. photo

“The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.”

Strength to Love, p. 25
1960s, Strength to Love (1963)
Context: The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy. The true neighbor will risk his position, his prestige and even his life for the welfare of others.

F. Scott Fitzgerald photo
Elbert Hubbard photo

“Men are punished by their sins, not for them.”

Elbert Hubbard (1856–1915) American writer, publisher, artist, and philosopher fue el escritor del jarron azul

Variant: We are punished by our sins not for them.
Source: Love, Life and Work
Source: The Note Book of Elbert Hubbard (1927), p. 12
in The Note Book, Kessinger Publishing (reprint 1998)
Context: If you err it is not for me to punish you. We are punished by our sins not for them.

John F. Kennedy photo

“A man does what he must — in spite of personal consequences, in spite of obstacles and dangers, and pressures — and that is the basis of all human morality.”

1964 Memorial Edition, p. 266 http://www.jfklibrary.org/Research/Research-Aids/Ready-Reference/JFK-Quotations/Profiles-in-Courage-quotations.aspx
Variant: A man does what he must — in spite of personal consequences, in spite of obstacles and dangers and pressures — and that is the basis of all human morality.
Source: Pre-1960, Profiles in Courage (1956)
Context: The courage of life is often a less dramatic spectacle than the courage of a final moment; but it is no less a magnificent mixture of triumph and tragedy. A man does what he must — in spite of personal consequences, in spite of obstacles and dangers, and pressures — and that is the basis of all human morality. In whatever area in life one may meet the challenges of courage, whatever may be the sacrifices he faces if he follows his conscience — the loss of his friends, his fortune, his contentment, even the esteem of his fellow men — each man must decide for himself the course he will follow. The stories of past courage can define that ingredient — they can teach, they can offer hope, they can provide inspiration. But they cannot supply courage itself. For this each man must look into his own soul.
Context: For without belittling the courage with which men have died, we should not forget those acts of courage with which men — such as the subjects of this book — have lived. The courage of life is often a less dramatic spectacle than the courage of a final moment; but it is no less a magnificent mixture of triumph and tragedy. A man does what he must — in spite of personal consequences, in spite of obstacles and dangers, and pressures — and that is the basis of all human morality. In whatever area in life one may meet the challenges of courage, whatever may be the sacrifices he faces if he follows his conscience — the loss of his friends, his fortune, his contentment, even the esteem of his fellow men — each man must decide for himself the course he will follow. The stories of past courage can define that ingredient — they can teach, they can offer hope, they can provide inspiration. But they cannot supply courage itself. For this each man must look into his own soul.

Chuck Norris photo

“Men are like steel — when they lose their temper, they lose their worth.”

Chuck Norris (1940) American martial artist and actor

Though often attributed to Norris, this seems to have appeared as an anonymous proverb at least as early as 1961, in an edition of The Physical Educator
Misattributed

David Brinkley photo
Mario Puzo photo

“A man who doesn't spend time with his family can never be a real man.”

Variant: A man who is not a father to his children can never be a real man
Source: The Godfather

“If the world were a logical place, men would ride side saddle.”

Rita Mae Brown (1944) Novelist, poet, screenwriter, activist

Sudden Death (1983)
Variant: "If the World Made Sense, Men Would Ride Sidesaddle" was the title of a 1993 one-man comedy by Ed Navis, performed at Wings Theatre, New York.
Variant: If the world were a logical place, then men would ride side-saddle.

Kathleen Norris photo
Henry David Thoreau photo
Chris Rock photo

“Wealth is not about having a lot of money; it's about having a lot of options.”

Chris Rock (1965) American comedian, actor, screenwriter, television producer, film producer, and director
Anthony Robbins photo
Henry David Thoreau photo
Walter Scott photo

“All men who have turned out worth anything have had the chief hand in their own education.”

Walter Scott (1771–1832) Scottish historical novelist, playwright, and poet

Letter to J. G. Lockhart (c. 16 June 1830), in H. J. C. Grierson (ed.), Letters of Sir Walter Scott, Vol. II (1936), as reported in The Oxford Dictionary of Quotations (1999), p. 652

Sören Kierkegaard photo

“It is very important in life to know when your cue comes.”

Sören Kierkegaard (1813–1855) Danish philosopher and theologian, founder of Existentialism
Guy De Maupassant photo
Henry James photo

“Be not afraid of life. Believe that life is worth living, and your belief will help create the fact.”

Henry James (1843–1916) American novelist, short story author, and literary critic

William James, "Is Life Worth Living?," The Will to Believe and Other Essays in Popular Philosophy (1897).
Misattributed

Albert Einstein photo

“The value of a man should be seen in what he gives and not in what he is able to receive.”

Albert Einstein (1879–1955) German-born physicist and founder of the theory of relativity
Ernest Hemingway photo
Robert Jordan photo

“There is one rule, above all others, for being a man. Whatever comes, face it on your feet.”

al'Lan Mandragoran
(15 November 1990)
Source: The Great Hunt

Confucius photo

“The superior man is modest in his speech, but exceeds in his actions.”

Confucius (-551–-479 BC) Chinese teacher, editor, politician, and philosopher

James Legge translation.
Variant translations: The superior man acts before he speaks, and afterwards speaks according to his actions.
The greater man does not boast of himself, But does what he must do.
A good man does not give orders, but leads by example.
The Analects, Chapter I, Chapter IV

Joseph Conrad photo

“The mind of man is capable of anything.”

Source: Heart of Darkness

“Every man dies, not every man really lives”

Randall Wallace (1949) American filmmaker

Source: Braveheart

Stephen King photo
Nicholas Sparks photo
John Wooden photo
Ralph Waldo Emerson photo
Sören Kierkegaard photo
Brandon Sanderson photo
Milan Kundera photo
John Kenneth Galbraith photo

“The modern conservative is engaged in one of man's oldest exercises in moral philosophy; that is, the search for a superior moral justification for selfishness.”

John Kenneth Galbraith (1908–2006) American economist and diplomat

“Stop the Madness,” Interview with Rupert Cornwell, Toronto Globe and Mail (6 July 2002) (see http://wist.info/galbraith-john-kenneth/7463/ )

Jack Kerouac photo

“No man should go through life without once experiencing healthy, even bored solitude in the wilderness, finding himself depending solely on himself and thereby learning his true and hidden strength.”

Lonesome Traveler (1960)
Context: No man should go through life without once experiencing healthy, even bored solitude in the wilderness, finding himself depending solely on himself and thereby learning his true and hidden strength. Learning for instance, to eat when he's hungry and sleep when he's sleepy.

Andrew Carnegie photo
Jack London photo

“The function of man is to live, not to exist.”

Jack London (1876–1916) American author, journalist, and social activist

Variant: The proper function of man is to live, not to exist.

Milan Kundera photo

“Happiness is the longing for repetition.”

Milan Kundera (1929–2023) Czech author of Czech and French literature
George Gordon Byron photo

“I love not man the less, but nature more”

George Gordon Byron (1788–1824) English poet and a leading figure in the Romantic movement
Ingrid Bergman photo

“A kiss is a lovely trick designed by nature to stop speech when words become superfluous.”

Ingrid Bergman (1915–1982) Film actress from Sweden

"Webster's Electronic Quotebase," ed. Keith Mohler, 1994

Milan Kundera photo

“A man is responsible for his ignorance.”

Source: Laughable Loves

Alexandre Dumas photo
Francis Bacon photo
John D. Rockefeller photo

“The most important thing for a young man is to establish a credit — a reputation, character.”

John D. Rockefeller (1839–1937) American business magnate and philanthropist

The Men Who Are Making America (1918) by Bertie Charles Forbes

Ernest Hemingway photo

“But man is not made for defeat... a man can be destroyed but not defeated.”

Variant: A man can be destroyed but not defeated.
Source: The Old Man and the Sea (1952)

Winston S. Churchill photo

“Insanity is doing the same thing over and over again but expecting different results.”

Rita Mae Brown (1944) Novelist, poet, screenwriter, activist

Brown did include this quote in her book Sudden Death (Bantam Books, New York, 1983), p. 68, but it appears she was just paraphrasing a quote that had already been written elsewhere. The earliest known appearance of a similar quote is the "approval version" of the Narcotics Anonymous "Basic Text" released in November 1981, which included the quote "Insanity is repeating the same mistakes and expecting different results." A PDF scan of the 1981 approval version can be found here http://www.nauca.us/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/1981-11-Basic-Text-Approval-Form-White.pdf, with the quote appearing on p. 11 (p. 25 of the PDF), at the end of the fourth paragraph (which begins "We have a disease; progressive, incurable and fatal"). More in this article https://quoteinvestigator.com/2017/03/23/same/ on Quote Investigator website.
Misattributed

Mary Pickford photo

“You may have a fresh start any moment you choose, for this thing that we call "failure" is not the falling down, but the staying down.”

Mary Pickford (1892–1979) Canadian-American actress

"Why Not Try God?", Chapter 6 (newspaper serial), appeared in St. Petersburg Times, 25 January 1936, sect. 2, p. 3 http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=SQxPAAAAIBAJ&sjid=500DAAAAIBAJ&pg=4725,3554118&dq=pickford+not-the-falling-down&hl=en

James Anthony Froude photo

“You cannot dream yourself into a character; you must hammer and forge yourself one.”

Markham Sutherland's father, quoted in Letter I.
The Nemesis of Faith (1849)

“Men are not against you, they are merely for themselves.”

Gene Fowler (1890–1960) American journalist

Skyline: A Reporter's Reminiscence of the 1920s (1961) p. 105

Johannes Grenzfurthner photo

“I think that Man in creating God somewhat overestimated his abilities.”

Johannes Grenzfurthner (1975) Austrian artist, writer, curator, and theatre and film director

aphorism used in mRIF http://monochrom.at/mrif

Kin Hubbard photo

“Men are not punished for their sins, but by them.”

Kin Hubbard (1868–1930) cartoonist

As quoted in Geary's Guide to the World's Great Aphorists‎ (2007) by James Geary, p. 39

Robert Owen photo

“Man is the creature of circumstances.”

Robert Owen (1771–1858) Welsh social reformer

"The Philanthropist".

George Savile, 1st Marquess of Halifax photo

“A Man who is Master of Patience, is Master of everything else.”

George Savile, 1st Marquess of Halifax (1633–1695) English politician

Political, Moral, and Miscellaneous Reflections (1750), Miscellaneous Thoughts and Reflections

“What a man knows should find its expression in what he does. The value of superior knowledge is chiefly in that it leads to a performing manhood.”

Christian Nestell Bovee (1820–1904) American writer

Source: Intuitions and Summaries of Thought (1862), Volume II, p. 24.

Emanuel Swedenborg photo

“Man knows that love is, but not what it is.”

Emanuel Swedenborg (1688–1772) Swedish 18th century scientist and theologian

Divine Love and Wisdom #1

Fyodor Dostoyevsky photo
Cyril Connolly photo

“The true index of a man’s character is the health of his wife.”

Part II: Te Palinure Petens (p. 64)
The Unquiet Grave (1944)

Euripidés photo

“Circumstances rule men and not men circumstances.”

Euripidés (-480–-406 BC) ancient Athenian playwright

Herodotus, Book 7, Ch. 49; Misattributed to Euripedes in "The Imperial Four" by Professor Creasy in Bentley's Miscellany Vol. 33 (January 1853), p. 22
Variant translation: Circumstances rule men; men do not rule circumstances.
Misattributed

George Santayana photo

“The young man who has not wept is a savage, and the old man who will not laugh is a fool.”

George Santayana (1863–1952) 20th-century Spanish-American philosopher associated with Pragmatism

Source: Dialogues in Limbo (1926), Ch. 3, P. 57

Henry Ward Beecher photo
Mahatma Gandhi photo

“Earth provides enough to satisfy every man's need but not for every man's greed.”

Mahatma Gandhi (1869–1948) pre-eminent leader of Indian nationalism during British-ruled India

Quoted by Pyarelal Nayyar in Mahatma Gandhi: The Last Phase (Volume 10), page 552 http://books.google.com/books?id=sswBAAAAMAAJ&q=%22The+Earth+provides+enough+to+satisfy+every+man's+need+but+not+for+every+man's+greed%22 (1958)
1940s

Bernard Baruch photo

“Vote for the man who promises least; he'll be the least disappointing.”

Bernard Baruch (1870–1965) American businessman

As quoted in Meyer Berger’s New York (1960)

George Moore (novelist) photo

“A man travels the world over in search of what he needs and returns home to find it.”

George Moore (novelist) (1852–1933) Irish novelist, short-story writer, poet, art critic, memoirist and dramatist

The Brook Kerith http://www.gutenberg.org/files/12821/12821-h/12821-h.htm, ch. 11 (1916).

Anthony Robbins photo

“Action is the foundational key to all success.”

Anthony Robbins (1960) Author, actor, professional speaker

As quoted in Stack the Logs! : Building a Success Framework to Reach Your Dreams (2003) by Frank F. Lunn, p. 45

Ralph Waldo Emerson photo

“There is no knowledge that is not power.”

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

Old Age
1870s, Society and Solitude (1870)

Sallust photo

“Think like a man of action, and act like a man of thought.”

Sallust (-86–-34 BC) Roman historian, politician

Henri Bergson, as quoted in The Forbes Scrapbook of Thoughts on the Business of Life (1950), p. 442; this only seems to have become attributed to Sallust in the early 21st century.
Misattributed

“He has but one great fear that fears to do wrong.”

Christian Nestell Bovee (1820–1904) American writer

Reported in Josiah Hotchkiss Gilbert, Dictionary of Burning Words of Brilliant Writers (1895), p. 244.

Daniel Defoe photo

“All men would be tyrants if they could.”

Daniel Defoe (1660–1731) English trader, writer and journalist

Jure divino: a satyre, Introduction, l. 2 (1706).

Lawrence Durrell photo
Albert Camus photo

“Man is the only creature who refuses to be what he is.”

Introduction
The Rebel (1951)

Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr. photo

“The young man knows the rules, but the old man knows the exceptions.”

Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr. (1841–1935) United States Supreme Court justice

Attributed in the Sioux City Journal http://www.siouxcityjournal.com/ (6 Jul 2008), p. A8
In fact, from a " Valedictory Address https://books.google.com/books?id=7joCAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA426&dq=The+young+man+knows+the+rules,+but+the+old+man+knows+the+exceptions&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0CCcQ6AEwAmoVChMI1-e4oOewyAIVWFmICh0eVQsI#v=onepage&q=%22The%20young%20man%20knows%20the%20rules%2C%20but%20the%20old%20man%20knows%20the%20exceptions%22&f=false, delivered to the Graduating Class of the Bellevue Hospital College" in 1871 by Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr, reprinted in the New York Medical Journal 13 (April 1871): 426.
Misattributed