Arnold Hauser (1892–1978) Hungarian art historian
The Social History of Art, Volume I. From Prehistoric Times to the Middle Ages, 1999, Chapter IV. The Middle Ages
Recommended quotes page 85
“To seek to keep the established constitution unchanged argues a good citizen and a good man.”
Augustus (-63–14 BC) founder of Julio-Claudian dynasty and first emperor of the Roman Empire
Of Cato, as quoted in An Examination of the Isis Cult with Preliminary Exploration into New Testament Studies (2008) by Elizabeth A. McCabe
“The moon like a flower
In heaven's high bower,
With silent delight,
Sits and smiles on the night.”
Night, st. 1
1780s, Songs of Innocence (1789–1790)
“All that is human must retrograde if it does not advance.”
Edward Gibbon (1737–1794) English historian and Member of Parliament
Edward Gibbon The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire
Source: The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire
“Books are those faithful mirrors that reflect to our mind the minds of sages and heroes.”
Edward Gibbon (1737–1794) English historian and Member of Parliament
“Revenge is profitable, gratitude is expensive.”
Edward Gibbon The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire
Vol. 1, Chap. 11.
The Decline And Fall Of The Roman Empire: Volume 1 (1776)
Source: The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire
“I make it a point never to argue with people for whose opinion I have no respect.”
Edward Gibbon (1737–1794) English historian and Member of Parliament
“Conversation enriches the understanding, but solitude is the school of genius.”
Edward Gibbon (1737–1794) English historian and Member of Parliament
Edward Gibbon The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire
Volume 1, Chapter 2 "Of the Union and Internal Prosperity of the Roman Empire, in the Age of the Antonines" http://www.ccel.org/ccel/gibbon/decline/files/volume1/chap2.htm. The portion regarding the views of the religions of the time taken by various constituencies has been misreported as Gibbon's own assessment of religion generally. See Paul F. Boller, John George, They Never Said It: A Book of Fake Quotes, Misquotes, and Misleading Attributions (1990), pp. 34–35.<br>The bold text has been misattributed to Lucretius and Seneca the Younger. <br class="br">The Decline And Fall Of The Roman Empire (1776) <br class="br">Source: The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire <br class="br">Context: The various modes of worship, which prevailed in the Roman world, were all considered by the people, as equally true; by the philosopher, as equally false; and by the magistrate, as equally useful. And thus toleration produced not only mutual indulgence, but even religious concord. <br class="br">Context: The policy of the emperors and the senate, as far as it concerned religion, was happily seconded by the reflections of the enlightened, and by the habits of the superstitious, part of their subjects. The various modes of worship, which prevailed in the Roman world, were all considered by the people, as equally true; by the philosopher, as equally false; and by the magistrate, as equally useful. And thus toleration produced not only mutual indulgence, but even religious concord.<br>The superstition of the people was not embittered by any mixture of theological rancour; nor was it confined by the chains of any speculative system. The devout polytheist, though fondly attached to his national rites, admitted with implicit faith the different religions of the earth. Fear, gratitude, and curiosity, a dream or an omen, a singular disorder, or a distant journey, perpetually disposed him to multiply the articles of his belief, and to enlarge the list of his protectors. The thin texture of the Pagan mythology was interwoven with various but not discordant materials.
“My early and invincible love of reading--I would not exchange for the treasures of India.”
Edward Gibbon (1737–1794) English historian and Member of Parliament
“The winds and waves are always on the side of the ablest navigators.”
Edward Gibbon (1737–1794) English historian and Member of Parliament
Vol. 1, Chap. 68. Compare: "On dit que Dieu est toujours pour les gros bataillons" (translated: "It is said that God is always on the side of the heaviest battalions"), Voltaire, Letter to M. le Riche. 1770; "J'ai toujours vu Dieu du coté des gros bataillons (translated: "I have always noticed that God is on the side of the heaviest battalions"), De la Ferté to Anne of Austria.
The Decline And Fall Of The Roman Empire: Volume 1 (1776)
“We improve ourselves by victory over our self. There must be contests, and you must win.”
Edward Gibbon (1737–1794) English historian and Member of Parliament
“Overcome the devils with a thing called love.”
Bob Marley (1945–1981) Jamaican singer, songwriter, musician
“It's not the men in your life that matters, it's the life in your men.”
Mae West (1893–1980) American actress and sex symbol
I'm No Angel (1933)
Al Franken (1951) American comedian and politician
Lies: And the Lying Liars Who Tell Them (2003)
Context: If you listen to a lot of conservatives, they'll tell you that the difference between them and us is that conservatives love America and liberals hate America.... They don't get it. We love America just as much as they do. But in a different way. You see, they love America like a 4-year-old loves his mommy. Liberals love America like grown-ups. To a 4-year-old, everything Mommy does is wonderful and anyone who criticizes Mommy is bad. Grown-up love means actually understanding what you love, taking the good with the bad and helping your loved one grow. Love takes attention and work and is the best thing in the world.
That's why we liberals want America to do the right thing. We know America is the hope of the world, and we love it and want it to do well.
Simón Bolívar (1783–1830) Venezuelan military and political leader, South American libertador
Statement of 1829, as quoted in The Great Fear : The Reconquest of Latin America by Latin Americans (1963) by John Gerassi
Variant translations:
[The United States] appears destined by Providence to plague America with miseries in the name of Freedom.
As quoted in Simón Bolívar : Essays on the Life and Legacy of the Liberator (2008) by David Bushnell and Lester D. Langley, p. 135
The United States seems destined by Providence to plague America with misery in the name of liberty.
As quoted in Latin American Evangelical Theology in the 1970's : The Golden Decade (2009) by J. D. S. Salinas and Daniel Salinas, p. 38