Neil Gaiman book Neverwhere
Source: Neverwhere (1996), Chapter 10; Gaiman here references the famous statement of Isaac Asimov from "Foundation", Astounding Science-Fiction (May 1942)
“God is the immemorial refuge of the incompetent, the helpless, the miserable. They find not only sanctuary in His arms, but also a kind of superiority, soothing to their macerated egos: He will set them above their betters.”
35
1940s–present, Minority Report : H.L. Mencken's Notebooks (1956)
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H.L. Mencken281
American journalist and writer 1880–1956Related quotes
James Hamilton (1814–1867) Scottish minister and a prolific author of religious tracts
Source: Dictionary of Burning Words of Brilliant Writers (1895), P. 240.
“Violence,” came the retort, “is the last refuge of the incompetent.”
Isaac Asimov book Foundation
Variant: Violence is the last refuge of the incompetent.
Source: Part II, The Encyclopedists, section 5; This also appears three times in "Bridle and Saddle" which is titled "The Mayors" within Foundation. It is derived from the famous phrase by Samuel Johnson: "Patriotism is the last refuge of a scoundrel" and from the words of Lady Anne Bellamy in H. Rider Haggard's Dawn, “I do not believe in violence; it is the last resource of fools.” Asimov is usually quoted simply with "Violence is the last refuge of the incompetent."
Anton LaVey book The Satanic Bible
The Satanic Bible (1969)
Marcelo H. del Pilar (1850–1896) Filipino writer, lawyer, and journalist (1850-1896)
Marcelo H. del Pilar to the women of Bulacan (1889)
“There was a helplessness to his joy, the same kind of helplessness as in that woman’s despair.”
Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie book Purple Hibiscus
Source: Purple Hibiscus (2003)
“My ego doesn't need soothing. I don't want him soothing anything of mine, including you.”
Ilona Andrews American husband-and-wife novelist duo
Source: Magic Slays
“He finds that everything, above and below, is filled with God.”
Ramakrishna (1836–1886) Indian mystic and religious preacher
Source: The Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna (1942), p. 909
Context: There are three kinds of devotees: superior, mediocre, and inferior. The inferior devotee says, "God is out there." According to him God is different from His creation. The mediocre devotee says: "God is the Antaryami, the Inner Guide. God dwells in everyone's heart." The mediocre devotee sees God in the heart. But the superior devotee sees that God alone has become everything; He alone has become the twenty-four cosmic principles. He finds that everything, above and below, is filled with God.
Sarah Dessen book What Happened to Goodbye
What Happened To Goodbye (2011)
Source: What Happened to Goodbye