Quotes about lot
page 39

“The reader might reflect that an awful lot of supposing has to take place in order for the quantity theory of money to be true.”

Part I, Chapter 5, Mechanistic Modelling, p. 95
The Death of Economics (1994)

Lawrence M. Krauss photo
Ken Thompson photo
Jean Chrétien photo

“I didn't feel the need to have a lot of yes-men standing around me. As Mitchell Sharp once put it, the bigger the staff, the smaller the minister.”

Jean Chrétien (1934) 20th Prime Minister of Canada

Source: My Years As Prime Minister (2007), Chapter One, At Laurier's Desk, p. 38

Joe Haldeman photo

“Like a lot of things that everybody knows, it wasn’t true.”

Source: Forever Peace (1997), pp. 44-45

Virat Kohli photo

“I just want to congratulate Kumar again on a wonderful career. I have spoken a lot about him, everyone has, in the last week, but I can't help saying it again that it has been an absolute pleasure playing with you.”

Virat Kohli (1988) Indian cricket player

Kohli on Kumar Sangakkara, "Virat Kohli Says it Has Been a Pleasure Playing With Kumar Sangakkara" http://sports.ndtv.com/sri-lanka-vs-india-2015/news/247470-virat-kohli-says-it-has-been-a-pleasure-playing-with-kumar-sangakkara, August 24, 2015.

Herman Cain photo
Helen Reddy photo
Bill Maher photo
James Dobson photo

“And a lot of these things are happening around us, and somebody is going to get mad at me for saying what I am about to say right now, but I am going to give you my honest opinion: I think we have turned our back on the Scripture and on God Almighty and I think he has allowed judgment to fall upon us. I think that's what's going on.”

James Dobson (1936) Evangelical Christian psychologist, author, and radio broadcaster.

regarding the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting
2012-12-17
Dr. James Dobson's Family Talk
Radio
http://www.drjamesdobson.org/Broadcasts/Broadcast?i=32d0ea7c-eeb2-41fb-9c05-f6e0c733d58a, quoted in * 2012-12-17
Dobson: Connecticut Shooting was God Allowing 'Judgment to Fall Upon Us' for Turning Our Back on Him
Kyle Mantyla
Right Wing Watch
http://www.rightwingwatch.org/content/dobson-connecticut-shooting-was-god-allowing-judgment-fall-upon-us-turning-our-back-him
2012

Rachel Maddow photo

“Sarah Palin is now the guy who hangs out in the high school parking lot showing off his car, five years after he graduated.”

Rachel Maddow (1973) American journalist

The Rachel Maddow Show, MSNBC (April 3, 2009)

Arlo Guthrie photo
Ernest Hemingway photo
Ann Coulter photo

“Oh, and just one more point that a lot of Americans don’t know. We’re so used to, ‘Oh colonialism,’ no, the Boers, the ones who are there, were there before the Zulus, they got there first. The Zulus came down like a hundred years later. I mean we are witnessing a straight out genocide.”

Ann Coulter (1961) author, political commentator

Coulter on South African ‘Genocide’: ‘No One Under Fifty Is Getting News from the Mainstream Media Anymore’
2018-04-05
Brietbart News
http://www.breitbart.com/tech/2018/04/05/ann-coulter-south-african-genocide-white-farmers-breitbart-news-town-hall/
2018

John Rogers Searle photo
Viswanathan Anand photo
Gene Simmons photo
Khaled Hosseini photo
Nastassja Kinski photo
Donald J. Trump photo

“I would like to thank Reince Priebus for his service and dedication to his country. We accomplished a lot together and I am proud of him!”

Donald J. Trump (1946) 45th President of the United States of America

Tweet by @realDonaldTrump https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/891040645581873152 after the resignation of the White House Chief of Staff (28 July 2017)
2010s, 2017, July

Donald J. Trump photo
Zinedine Zidane photo
Edward Witten photo
Andrew Marr photo

“A lot of bloggers seem to be socially inadequate, pimpled, single, slightly seedy, bald, cauliflower-nosed young men sitting in their mother's basements and ranting. They are very angry people.”

Andrew Marr (1959) British journalist

As quoted in "Andrew Marr says bloggers are 'inadequate, pimpled and single' " in The Guardian (11 October 2010) http://www.theguardian.com/media/2010/oct/11/andrew-marr-bloggers

Noam Chomsky photo
Jean Paul Sartre photo
Matt Dillon photo
Anatole France photo

“He had no knowledge and had no desire to acquire any; wherein he conformed to his genius whose engaging fragility he forbore to overload; his instinct fortunately telling him that it was better to understand little than to misunderstand a lot.”

Anatole France (1844–1924) French writer

Il ne savait rien, ne voulait rien savoir, en quoi il se conformait à son génie, dont il ne surchargeait point l’aimable petitesse, et son heureux instinct lui conseillait de comprendre peu plutôt que de comprendre mal.
La Révolte des Anges http://fr.wikisource.org/wiki/La_R%C3%A9volte_des_anges_-_1 [The Revolt of the Angels], (1914), ch. I

Jared Leto photo

“It's really two movies crammed into one, the first of which is a lot better than the second. Spider-Man 3 starts out strong but before it finishes, many viewers will desperately wish it had called it quits an hour earlier.”

James Berardinelli (1967) American film critic

Review http://www.reelviews.net/php_review_template.php?identifier=573 of Spider-Man 3 (2007).
Two star reviews

Roberto Clemente photo
Gillian Anderson photo

“We got a lot of letters all the time, and I was told quite frequently by girls who were going into the medical world or the science world or the FBI world or other worlds that I reigned, that they were pursuing those pursuits because of the character of Scully. And I said, 'Yay!”

Gillian Anderson (1968) American-British film, television and theatre actress, activist and writer

Anderson tells that she has long been aware of "The Scully Effect" and the influence her character had on young women — reported in Jennifer Vineyard Vulture.com "Nearly Everything The X-Files’ David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson Said This Weekend" http://www.vulture.com/2013/10/david-duchovny-gillian-anderson-nycc-paley-center-quotes.html (October 14, 2013)
2010s

Margaret Cho photo
John McLaughlin photo
Phil Brooks photo
Gloria Estefan photo
Anton Chekhov photo

“She read a lot, wrote letters without the letter ъ, …”

Она много читала, не писала въ письмахъ ъ, …
The Lady with the Dog

Rachel Trachtenburg photo
Meryl Streep photo

“Well, aren't we all grateful to be alive? I just know lots of people … at my age, I've lost a lot of people in my life and I'm very grateful to be here. That's what I mean.”

Meryl Streep (1949) American actress

Her comment when she was to turn 60
"Meryl Streep: Movies, marriage, and turning sixty," 2009

George W. Bush photo
Joseph Gordon-Levitt photo
Mike Oldfield photo
Donald J. Trump photo
Jaco Pastorius photo

“I took the frets out of my bass after I was getting into jazz a lot and I wanted to have that upright sound.”

Jaco Pastorius (1951–1987) Musician, producer, educator

On why he played a fretless bass
Modern Electric Bass, Jaco Pastorius (1985)

Paul Martin photo
Don DeLillo photo

“We drove 22 miles into the country around Farmington. There were meadows and apple orchards. White fences trailed through the rolling fields. Soon the sign started appearing. THE MOST PHOTOGRAPHED BARN IN AMERICA. We counted five signs before we reached the site. There were 40 cars and a tour bus in the makeshift lot. We walked along a cowpath to the slightly elevated spot set aside for viewing and photographing. All the people had cameras; some had tripods, telephoto lenses, filter kits. A man in a booth sold postcards and slides -- pictures of the barn taken from the elevated spot. We stood near a grove of trees and watched the photographers. Murray maintained a prolonged silence, occasionally scrawling some notes in a little book. "No one sees the barn," he said finally. A long silence followed. "Once you've seen the signs about the barn, it becomes impossible to see the barn." He fell silent once more. People with cameras left the elevated site, replaced by others. We're not here to capture an image, we're here to maintain one. Every photograph reinforces the aura. Can you feel it, Jack? An accumulation of nameless energies." There was an extended silence. The man in the booth sold postcards and slides. "Being here is a kind of spiritual surrender. We see only what the others see. The thousands who were here in the past, those who will come in the future. We've agreed to be part of a collective perception. It literally colors our vision. A religious experience in a way, like all tourism."”

Another silence ensued. "They are taking pictures of taking pictures," he said.”
White Noise (1984)

Lindsey Graham photo

“Everything I know about the Iranians I learned at the pool room," [Graham] said. "I met a lot of liars, and I know the Iranians are lying.”

Lindsey Graham (1955) United States Senator from South Carolina

As quoted in "Republican conference: Day two - Bush 'proud' of family" http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-32850481 (22 May 2015), by Anthony Zurcher, BBC News, United Kingdom: British Broadcasting Corporation
2010s

Frida Kahlo photo
Francesco Maria Molza photo

“Yet will the loved one’s gentle smile suffice
To ope the door of Paradise,
And turn to joy our dark and cruel lot.”

Francesco Maria Molza (1489–1544) Italian poet

Canzone IV. Translation reported in Harbottle's Dictionary of quotations French and Italian (1904), p. 256.
Original: (Ma) bene a forza il caro e dolce riso
Scoprir il Paradiso
E far lieta fortuna d’atra e dura.

B.K.S. Iyengar photo
Donald J. Trump photo
Bob Dylan photo
Helen Hayes photo
Shahrukh Khan photo
Noam Chomsky photo
Samantha Bee photo
Michael Moorcock photo
Nicole Lapin photo

“Intelligence is attractive, but so is life experience. You can’t amass it just by reading a ton of books. But you can live a lot of life in a short time. Travel. Talk to everyone. Collect adventures, and use them to understand the world. That’s how you learn to treat people well. And that’s sexy.”

Nicole Lapin (1984) American journalist

Interview with Men's Health Magazine. http://www.menshealth.com/cda/article.do?site=MensHealth&channel=style&category=style.files&conitem=2cfa694820a64110VgnVCM20000012281eac____ (September 2007)

P.G. Wodehouse photo
Lin Yutang photo
Vincent Gallo photo
Frederik Pohl photo

“Scientists are an agnostic lot, of course—well, most educated people are, aren’t they?”

Frederik Pohl (1919–2013) American science fiction writer and editor

Waiting for the Olympians (p. 269)
Platinum Pohl (2005)

Rachel Trachtenburg photo

“Christy Davis: Who do you look up to?
Rachel: You mean, like a hero?
Christy: Yeah, I guess. Someone you admire a lot.
Rachel: A drummer?
Christy: It can be anyone.
Rachel: My mom.”

Rachel Trachtenburg (1993) American musician

Interview for DrummerGirl.com http://www.drummergirl.com/interviews/trachtenburg/trachtenburg.htm

Richard Russo photo
Harlan Ellison photo
Ann Coulter photo

“Maybe we could fight the war a little harder and not keep responding to Amnesty International… I don't think we even need more troops. I think we need to be less worried about civilian casualties. I mean, are the terrorists—are Islamic terrorists a more frightening enemy than the Nazis war machine? I don't think so. Fanatics can be stopped. Japanese kamikaze bombers—you can stop them by bombing their society. We killed more people in two nights over Hamburg than we have in the entire course of the Iraq war. … You can destroy the fighting spirit of fanatics. We've done it before. We know how to do it. And it's not by fighting a clean little hygienic war. … That was not a clean, hygienic war, World War Two. We killed a lot of civilians, and we crushed the Nazi war machine. And the idea that Nazism, which was tied to a civilized culture, was less of a threat than the Koran, tied to a Stone Age culture, I think is preposterous! If we want to win this war, we absolutely could. And I think we've been too nice so far. … We have liberals in this country screaming bloody murder about how we treat terrorists captured who are at Guantanamo, whether Khalid Sheikh Mohammed is being water-boarded… If this is a country that is worried about that—and I don't think it is—then we may as well give up right now. … Democracies don't like to go to war, so we're going to have to wrap it up quickly and destroy the fighting spirit of the fanatics.”

Ann Coulter (1961) author, political commentator

Hardball with Chris Matthews (26 June 2007) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=60xDmowdTCA
2007

Eino Leino photo

“The others got heart, I got the harp.
They grieved, had fun, me not, me not.
O wretched me, can't live, nor part:
my heart throbs not, but tingles, and rings!

O dire fate, the hardest lot:
no peace grants the night, the day no less,
no mercy shows time, nor eternity:
just a jeering and tingling heart-less-ness.”

Eino Leino (1878–1926) Finnish poet and journalist

Eino Leino. "The Harp-Of-the-Wind," (1905), Leevi Lehto (transl.), in: Leevi Lehto. Leevi Lehto. Finnish poetry: then and now, January 2005. Published online at upenn.edu. Accessed 20-03-2013

Richard Bach photo
Sinclair Lewis photo

“He had unhappily noticed at the mission that when he had most hotly prayed, it had been a way of escaping a decision, of frivolously passing the lot to God.”

Sinclair Lewis (1885–1951) American novelist, short-story writer, and playwright

The God-Seeker (1949), Ch. 50

China Miéville photo
John Keats photo
Jordan Peterson photo
Marilyn Manson photo
George S. Patton IV photo
Paul Williams (songwriter) photo

“I love the fact that some of the songs continue to survive, but I think that there's a window of opportunity for a time when you really, really relate to your generation. And I think a lot of us pass through that as songwriters.”

Paul Williams (songwriter) (1940) American composer, singer, songwriter and actor

Songfacts interview (2007)
Context: Relating to the specifics of relationships, and writing love songs, I tapped into something that seemed to work for my generation. I love the fact that some of the songs continue to survive, but I think that there's a window of opportunity for a time when you really, really relate to your generation. And I think a lot of us pass through that as songwriters.

William Kingdon Clifford photo

“He who makes use of its results to stifle his own doubts, or to hamper the inquiry of others, is guilty of a sacrilege which centuries shall never be able to blot out. When the labours and questionings of honest and brave men shall have built up the fabric of known truth to a glory which we in this generation can neither hope for nor imagine, in that pure and holy temple he shall have no part nor lot, but his name and his works shall be cast out into the darkness of oblivion for ever.”

William Kingdon Clifford (1845–1879) English mathematician and philosopher

The Ethics of Belief (1877), The Weight Of Authority
Context: In regard, then, to the sacred tradition of humanity, we learn that it consists, not in propositions or statements which are to be accepted and believed on the authority of the tradition, but in questions rightly asked, in conceptions which enable us to ask further questions, and in methods of answering questions. The value of all these things depends on their being tested day by day. The very sacredness of the precious deposit imposes upon us the duty and the responsibility of testing it, of purifying and enlarging it to the utmost of our power. He who makes use of its results to stifle his own doubts, or to hamper the inquiry of others, is guilty of a sacrilege which centuries shall never be able to blot out. When the labours and questionings of honest and brave men shall have built up the fabric of known truth to a glory which we in this generation can neither hope for nor imagine, in that pure and holy temple he shall have no part nor lot, but his name and his works shall be cast out into the darkness of oblivion for ever.

Ogden Nash photo

“I dont' mind their having a lot of money, and I don't care how they employ it,
But I do think that they damn well ought to admit they enjoy it.”

Ogden Nash (1902–1971) American poet

"The Terrible People"
Many Long Years Ago (1945)
Context: People who have what they want are very fond of telling people who haven't what they want that they really don't want it,
And I wish I could afford to gather all such people into a gloomy castle on the Danube and hire half a dozen capable Draculas to haunt it.
I dont' mind their having a lot of money, and I don't care how they employ it,
But I do think that they damn well ought to admit they enjoy it.

Rod McKuen photo

“Adieu, Francoise, my trusted wife;
Without you I'd have had a lonely life.
You cheated lots of times but then,
I forgave you in the end
Though your lover was my friend. Adieu, Francoise, it's hard to die
When all the birds are singing in the sky.”

Rod McKuen (1933–2015) American poet, songwriter, composer, and singer

Seasons in the Sun" (1961), as translated from the Jacques Brel song "Le Moribond"·  McKuen performance http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MY__eaedtOA ·  Beach Boys performance http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fzjIra9pheU
Goodbye, Michelle, my little one;
You gave me love and helped me find the sun,
And every time that I was down
You would always come around
And get my feet back on the ground. <p> Goodbye, Michelle, it's hard to die
When all the birds are singing in the sky;
Now that the spring is in the air,
With the flowers everywhere,
I wish that we could both be there!
As adapted in the Terry Jacks version (1974)
Translations and adaptations
Context: Adieu, Francoise, my trusted wife;
Without you I'd have had a lonely life.
You cheated lots of times but then,
I forgave you in the end
Though your lover was my friend. Adieu, Francoise, it's hard to die
When all the birds are singing in the sky.
Now that spring is in the air
With your lovers ev'rywhere,
Just be careful; I'll be there.

Martin Luther King, Jr. photo

“Power properly understood is nothing but the ability to achieve purpose. It is the strength required to bring about social, political and economic change. … Now a lot of us are preachers, and all of us have our moral convictions and concerns, and so often have problems with power. There is nothing wrong with power if power is used correctly.”

Martin Luther King, Jr. (1929–1968) American clergyman, activist, and leader in the American Civil Rights Movement

1960s, Where Do We Go from Here: Chaos or Community? (1967)
Context: Power properly understood is nothing but the ability to achieve purpose. It is the strength required to bring about social, political and economic change. … Now a lot of us are preachers, and all of us have our moral convictions and concerns, and so often have problems with power. There is nothing wrong with power if power is used correctly. You see, what happened is that some of our philosophers got off base. And one of the great problems of history is that the concepts of love and power have usually been contrasted as opposites — polar opposites — so that love is identified with a resignation of power, and power with a denial of love.
It was this misinterpretation that caused Nietzsche, who was a philosopher of the will to power, to reject the Christian concept of love. It was this same misinterpretation which induced Christian theologians to reject the Nietzschean philosophy of the will to power in the name of the Christian idea of love. Now, we've got to get this thing right. What is needed is a realization that power without love is reckless and abusive, and love without power is sentimental and anemic. Power at its best is love implementing the demands of justice, and justice at its best is power correcting everything that stands against love. And this is what we must see as we move on. What has happened is that we have had it wrong and confused in our own country, and this has led Negro Americans in the past to seek their goals through power devoid of love and conscience.
This is leading a few extremists today to advocate for Negroes the same destructive and conscienceless power that they have justly abhorred in whites. It is precisely this collision of immoral power with powerless morality which constitutes the major crisis of our times.

Samuel Taylor Coleridge photo

“Unchanged within, to see all changed without,
Is a blank lot and hard to bear, no doubt.”

Samuel Taylor Coleridge (1772–1834) English poet, literary critic and philosopher

Duty Surviving Self-Love (1826)
Context: Unchanged within, to see all changed without,
Is a blank lot and hard to bear, no doubt.
Yet why at others' Wanings should'st thou fret?
Then only might'st thou feel a just regret,
Hadst thou withheld thy love or hid thy light
In selfish forethought of neglect and slight.

“A lot of my prophecies about the alienated society are going to come true”

J. G. Ballard (1930–2009) British writer

Interview in Heavy Metal (April 1982)
Context: A lot of my prophecies about the alienated society are going to come true … Everybody's going to be starring in their own porno films as extensions of the polaroid camera. Electronic aids, particularly domestic computers, will help the inner migration, the opting out of reality. Reality is no longer going to be the stuff out there, but the stuff inside your head. It's going to be commercial and nasty at the same time, like "Rite of Spring" in Disney's Fantasia … our internal devils may destroy and renew us through the technological overload we've invoked.

Jesse Ventura photo

“There are a lot of good causes out there, but they can't possibly all be served by government.”

Jesse Ventura (1951) American politician and former professional wrestler

I Ain't Got Time To Bleed (1999)
Context: There are a lot of good causes out there, but they can't possibly all be served by government. The Constitution guarantees us our rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. That's all. It doesn't guarantee our rights to charity.
The government is not a parent. We can't expect the government to always be there, ready to bail us out. When we make decisions in life, we have to be willing to live with the consequences. We can't expect the government to help us get back on our feet every time we make a bad decision.

Ernest Hemingway photo

“You know lots of criticism is written by characters who are very academic and think it is a sign you are worthless if you make jokes or kid or even clown.”

Ernest Hemingway (1899–1961) American author and journalist

Letter (21 June 1952); published in Ernest Hemingway: Selected Letters 1917–1961 (1981) edited by Carlos Baker
Context: You know lots of criticism is written by characters who are very academic and think it is a sign you are worthless if you make jokes or kid or even clown. I wouldn't kid Our Lord if he was on the cross. But I would attempt a joke with him if I ran into him chasing the money changers out of the temple.

Al Franken photo

“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.”

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.

Steve McManaman photo

“Brazil have to watch out; they've already been warned. They're going to go down by a lot more if they continue like this.”

Steve McManaman (1972) English footballer

Source: 2010s, 2014 FIFA World Cup, Brazil v. Germany (2014)
Context: Simple as you like. Look at this with the goal. Lovely ball in, Toni Kroos takes his time. Look at this for the pass. Have some of that. Intelligence of Muller. Julio Cesar does well, but Klose is there for the rebound. What a beautiful goal, simple. Running off the ball, incisive passes. Brazil have to watch out; they've already been warned. They're going to go down by a lot more if they continue like this. But, a wonderful achievement by Miroslav Klose.

Alicia Witt photo

“I like digging into these characters that are a lot more complex, and there's a lot that isn't apparent on the surface”

Alicia Witt (1975) American actress

As quoted in "Why Now Is a Divine Time for Alicia Witt", by Sarah Beauchamp at Huffington Post (30 May 2014) http://www.huffingtonpost.com/sarah-beauchamp/why-alicia-witt-should-be_b_5400673.html
Context: I like digging into these characters that are a lot more complex, and there's a lot that isn't apparent on the surface … In a weird way, you can access all that fear and pain. … Nothing makes me happier than when somebody figures out I was in something, and then they'd seen me in something else, and had no idea it was the same person… Then I feel like I've done my job. … I've always loved finding characters that are not always the most likable ones when you first meet them, and finding a way to make them people that viewers will identify with, even against their better judgment.

Martin Fowler photo
Julie Taymor photo

“I read a lot of books that are, for lack of a better word, cross-cultural.”

Julie Taymor (1952) American film and theatre director

Academy of Achievement interview (2006)
Context: I read a lot of books that are, for lack of a better word, cross-cultural. I find movies and books that take me — transport me to another culture are the things that I'm most interested in, and always have been.

Cory Doctorow photo

“It’s important that whoever I am then knows about this year, and it’s going to take a lot of tries for me to get it right.”

Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom (2003)
Context: The universe gets older. So do I. So does my backup, sitting in redundant distributed storage dirtside, ready for the day that space or age or stupidity kills me. It recedes with the years, and I write out my life longhand, a letter to the me that I’ll be when it’s restored into a clone somewhere, somewhen. It’s important that whoever I am then knows about this year, and it’s going to take a lot of tries for me to get it right.

Iggy Pop photo

“He was a person of affairs, in the worldly sense, with a lot of choices laid out on his smorgasbord. I had no choices whatsoever. I was a pariah. But a very fortunate one, in that he saw something worthwhile in me, and he made me two terrific records. He gave me the break I needed to continue living life. He is my benefactor.”

Iggy Pop (1947) American rock singer-songwriter, musician, and actor

On his relations with David Bowie
Rolling Stone interview (2003)
Context: I used to catch myself — maybe we'd be having dinner with the future king of Spain, and I'd be grumpy, like, "What are we doing here, hanging out with these swells?" And then, right away, I'd realize, "Dude, you're jealous." It got very hard on a certain level. He was a person of affairs, in the worldly sense, with a lot of choices laid out on his smorgasbord. I had no choices whatsoever. I was a pariah. But a very fortunate one, in that he saw something worthwhile in me, and he made me two terrific records. He gave me the break I needed to continue living life. He is my benefactor.

Jerome K. Jerome photo

“A shy man's lot is not a happy one. The men dislike him, the women despise him, and he dislikes and despises himself. Use brings him no relief, and there is no cure for him except time.”

Idle Thoughts of an Idle Fellow (1886)
Context: All great literary men are shy. I am myself, though I am told it is hardly noticeable. I am glad it is not. It used to be extremely prominent at one time, and was the cause of much misery to myself and discomfort to every one about me—my lady friends especially complained most bitterly about it. A shy man's lot is not a happy one. The men dislike him, the women despise him, and he dislikes and despises himself. Use brings him no relief, and there is no cure for him except time.

Albert Einstein photo

“How strange is the lot of us mortals! Each of us is here for a brief sojourn; for what purpose he knows not, though he sometimes thinks he senses it.”

Albert Einstein (1879–1955) German-born physicist and founder of the theory of relativity

1930s, Mein Weltbild (My World-view) (1931)
Context: How strange is the lot of us mortals! Each of us is here for a brief sojourn; for what purpose he knows not, though he sometimes thinks he senses it. But without deeper reflection one knows from daily life that one exists for other people — first of all for those upon whose smiles and well-being our own happiness is wholly dependent, and then for the many, unknown to us, to whose destinies we are bound by the ties of sympathy. A hundred times every day I remind myself that my inner and outer life are based on the labors of other men, living and dead, and that I must exert myself in order to give in the same measure as I have received and am still receiving....