Quotes

“The plow has probably done more harm — in the long run — than the sword.”

Edward Abbey (1927–1989) American author and essayist

Source: A Voice Crying in the Wilderness (Vox Clamantis in Deserto) (1990), Ch. 11 : Money Et Cetera, p. 100

Ernesto Che Guevara photo

“Far more important than a good remuneration is the pride of serving one's neighbor.”

Ernesto Che Guevara (1928–1967) Argentine Marxist revolutionary

On Revolutionary Medicine (1960)

Nathaniel Hawthorne photo

“The young have less charity for aged follies than the old for those of youth.”

"The Wedding Knell" (1837) from Twice-Told Tales (1837, 1851)

Leo Tolstoy photo

“If a poor person envies a rich person, he is no better than the rich person.”

Leo Tolstoy (1828–1910) Russian writer

Source: Path of Life (1909), p. 89

Denis Diderot photo

“We are far more liable to catch the vices than the virtues of our associates.”

Denis Diderot (1713–1784) French Enlightenment philosopher and encyclopædist

As quoted in Thesaurus of Epigrams: A New Classified Collection of Witty Remarks, Bon Mots and Toasts (1942) by Edmund Fuller

Marshall McLuhan photo

“The bias of each medium of communication is far more distorting than the deliberate lie.”

Marshall McLuhan (1911–1980) Canadian educator, philosopher, and scholar-- a professor of English literature, a literary critic, and a …

JQ. Journalism quarterly, Volume 50, Association for Education in Journalism, 1973, p. 145
1970s

Emmitt Smith photo

“Football is a team sport, and there is no one individual who is bigger than the next person.”

Emmitt Smith (1969) American football player and sports broadcaster

Fred Mitchell (January 26, 1994) "Self-Doubt Will Never Plague Dallas' Smith", Chicago Tribune, p. Sports: 2.

Cassandra Clare photo

“Honestly Jace, don't you know better than to play with broken glass?”

Clary to Jace, pg. 466
The Mortal Instruments, City of Bones (2007)

James A. Garfield photo

“I would rather be defeated than make capital out of my religion.”

James A. Garfield (1831–1881) American politician, 20th President of the United States (in office in 1881)

Source: 1880s, Garfield's Words (1882)

Eric Foner photo

“America at the turn of this century is a far freer, more egalitarian society than in 1900.”

Eric Foner (1943) American historian

2000s, The Century: A Nation's-Eye View (2002)

“Pythagoras said, that it was requisite either to be silent, or to say something better than silence.”

Stobaeus Ancient Greek anthologist

36
Pythagorean Ethical Sentences

Brian W. Aldiss photo

“Science fiction is no more written for scientists than ghost stories are written for ghosts.”

Brian W. Aldiss (1925–2017) British science fiction author

Penguin Science Fiction (1961) Introduction

François de La Rochefoucauld photo

“If we resist our passions, it is more through their weakness than our strength.”

Si nous résistons à nos passions, c'est plus par leur faiblesse que par notre force.
If we conquer our passions, it is more from their weakness than from our strength.
Maxim 122.
Reflections; or Sentences and Moral Maxims (1665–1678)

“The only thing worse than a knee-jerk liberal is a knee-pad conservative.”

Edward Abbey (1927–1989) American author and essayist

A Voice Crying in the Wilderness (Vox Clamantis in Deserto) (1990)

Will Rogers photo

“Letting the cat outta the bag is a whole lot easier than putting it back.”

Will Rogers (1879–1935) American humorist and entertainer

The Manly Wisdom of Will Rogers (2001)

“Better that an individual should suffer an injury than that the public should suffer an inconvenience.”

William Henry Ashurst (judge) (1725–1807) English judge

Russell v. The Mayor of Devon (1788), 1 T. R. 673.

Omid Djalili photo

“I am the only Iranian comedian in the world… and that's three more than Germany!”

Omid Djalili (1965) Iranian-British stand-up comedian

No Agenda (2007)

Scott Lynch photo

“When you’re a priest, people tend to see the robe rather than the man.”

Interlude “The Half-Crown War” section 1 (p. 414)
The Lies of Locke Lamora (2006)

Mel Brooks photo

“Tomás de Torquemada: It's better to lose your skullcap than your skull.”

Mel Brooks (1926) American director, writer, actor, and producer

History of the World, Part I

Pythagoras photo

“A blow from your friend is better than a kiss from your enemy.”

Pythagoras (-585–-495 BC) ancient Greek mathematician and philosopher

As quoted in Geary's Guide to the World's Great Aphorists‎ (2007) by James Geary, p. 118