The Great Infidels (1881)
Context: Great virtues may draw attention from defects, they cannot sanctify them. A pebble surrounded by diamonds remains a common stone, and a diamond surrounded by pebbles is still a gem. No one should attempt to refute an argument by pronouncing the name of some man, unless he is willing to adopt all the ideas and beliefs of that man. It is better to give reasons and facts than names. An argument should not depend for its force upon the name of its author. Facts need no pedigree, logic has no heraldry, and the living should not awed by the mistakes of the dead.
“Better a diamond with a flaw than a pebble without.”
The quote "Better a diamond with a flaw than a pebble without." is famous quote attributed to Confucius (-551–-479 BC), Chinese teacher, editor, politician, and philosopher.
Attributed in Mohammed Sirajul Islam (1967), Everyman's General Knowledge
In fact this is a Chinese saying by a Confucian scholar from the Ming Dynasty, 焦竑 (Jiao Hong) (1540—1620)《玉堂丛语》卷五: 宁为有瑕玉,不作无瑕石。
Misattributed, Chinese
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Confucius 269
Chinese teacher, editor, politician, and philosopher -551–-479 BCRelated quotes
“A fine quotation is a diamond on the finger of a man of wit, and a pebble in the hand of a fool.”
Part 1, LXXIV
Meditations of a Parish Priest (1866)
“Let us not be too particular. It is better to have old second-hand diamonds than none at all.”
Source: The Last Book in the Universe
“My father has a diamond bigger than the Ritz-Carlton Hotel.”
"The Diamond As Big As The Ritz"
Quoted, Tales of the Jazz Age (1922)
Context: "The Schnlitzer-Murphys had diamonds as big as walnuts — "
"That's nothing." Percy had leaned forward and dropped his voice to a low whisper. "That's nothing at all. My father has a diamond bigger than the Ritz-Carlton Hotel."
“I'd rather have roses on my table than diamonds on my neck.”
“Sometimes glass glitters more than diamonds because it has more to prove.”
Source: The Truth
Built to Last, written with Jeff Lynne
Lyrics, Into The Great Wide Open (1991)