Quotes about mind
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“A conflict begins and ends in the hearts and minds of people, not in the hilltops.”
“Aristotle compared the mind of man to a blank tablet on which nothing was written, but on which all things could be engraved. … There is, however, this difference, that on the tablet the writing is limited by space, while in the case of the mind, you may continually go on writing and engraving without finding any boundary, because, as has already been shown, the mind is without limit.”
Aristoteles hominis animum comparavit tabulae rasae, cui nihil inscriptum sit, inscribi tamen omnia possint. … Hoc interest, quod in tabula lineas ducere non licet, nisi quousque margo permittat: in mente usque et usque scribendo, et sculpendo, terminum nusquam invenies quia (ut ante monitum) interminabilis est.
The Great Didactic (Didactica Magna) (Amsterdam, 1657) [written 1627–38], as translated by M. W. Keatinge (1896).
Cf. Aristotle, De anima, III, 4, 430a: "δυνάμει δ' οὕτως ὥσπερ ἐν γραμματείῳ ᾧ μηθὲν ἐνυπάρχει ἐντελεχείᾳ γεγραμμένον· ὅπερ συμβαίνει ἐπὶ τοῦ νοῦ."
“I found it hard,
It was hard to find
Oh well, whatever, never mind.”
Smells Like Teen Spirit.
Song lyrics, Nevermind (1991)
"Neighborhood Sniper", 5150: Home 4 tha Sick (1992).
1990s
“A multitude of words is no proof of a prudent mind.”
As quoted in Diogenes Laërtius, The Lives and Opinions of Eminent Philosophers, I, 35; as translated in Dictionary of Quotations (Classical) edited by Thomas Benfield Harbottle, p. 455
Also translated as: "Many words do not declare an understanding heart."
1936 speeches to the Great Council of Chiefs
“Be of one mind and one faith, that you may conquer your enemies and lead long and happy lives.”
As quoted in The Mongol Empire : Its Rise and Legacy (1940) by Michael Prawdin, p. 224
“The true laboratory is the mind, where behind illusions we uncover the laws of truth.”
Quotations by 60 Greatest Indians, Dhirubhai Ambani Institute of Information and Communication Technology http://resourcecentre.daiict.ac.in/eresources/iresources/quotations.html,
"Sir Anthony Hopkins: I couldn't be an atheist". https://www.catholicherald.co.uk/news/2011/02/11/sir-anthony-hopkins-i-couldnt-be-an-atheist/ (February 11, 2011)
“Like your body your mind also gets tired so refresh it by wise sayings.”
Nahj al-Balagha
Interview for American Terrorist (2001) by Lou Michel and Dan Herbeck
2000s
Context: Grace Jones said this to me when I met her. I washed her feet, and I looked up at her and she said, "No matter what you do in your life, don’t you ever let anybody take your creative people away from you." And what my creative friends always remind me of is they say, "Only value the opinion of those that you respect. And anyone that you don’t respect, pay no mind to their opinion about you or anything else." And that’s how I live my life. If I worried about everything that everyone said, I would not be a good artist.
A Hero of Our Time (1840; rev. 1841)
“When mind and heart come together, mind serves consciousness instead of serving itself.”
Quoted from his first book https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Success_and_Failure_Based_on_Reason_and_Reality, "Success and Failure Based on Reason and Reality" https://www.amazon.co.uk/SUCCESS-FAILURE-BASED-REASON-REALITY/dp/9970983903/ on Amazon, P.104 (July 2018)
“For love is beautiful only when you have mastered your emotions and mind.”
Variant: Are you willing to die for what you believe in? The real courage is in living and suffering for what you believe.
Source: Eragon
“The energy of the mind is the essence of life.”
Source: The Philosophy of Aristotle
As quoted in "Hand Book : Caution and Counsels" in The Common School Journal Vol. 5, No. 24 (15 December 1843) by Horace Mann, p. 371
Context: This is that which I think great readers are apt to be mistaken in; those who have read of everything, are thought to understand everything too; but it is not always so. Reading furnishes the mind only with materials of knowledge; it is thinking that makes what we read ours. We are of the ruminating kind, and it is not enough to cram ourselves with a great load of collections; unless we chew them over again, they will not give us strength and nourishment.
Source: Dust & Decay
Source: Scouting for Boys: A Handbook for Instruction in Good Citizenship
“The reading of all good books is like a conversation with the finest minds of past centuries.”
“To enter into your own mind you need to be armed to the teeth.”
Source: Inspire Your Child Inspire the World: In the Presence of the Master
“Your only limitations are those you set up in your mind, or permit others to set up for you.”
“The four absolutes we all have in our minds: love, justice, evil, and forgiveness.”
“No great mind has ever existed without a touch of madness.”
“The mind once enlightened cannot again become dark.”
Source: A Letter Addressed to the Abbe Raynal on the Affairs of North America
Source: The Power of Positive Thinking
“But I've just noticed that my mind is asleep.”
Source: Une Saison en Enfer / Vers Nouveaux
“All paid jobs absorb and degrade the mind.”
“The man with the greatest soul will always face the greatest war with the low minded person.”
“Lose your dreams and you might lose your mind.”
Source: The Proud Highway: Saga of a Desperate Southern Gentleman, 1955-1967
“When you play, never mind who listens to you.”
Variant: It has been said, 'time heals all wounds.' I do not agree. The wounds remain. In time, the mind, protecting its sanity, covers them with scar tissue and the pain lessens. But it is never gone.
“In my mind's eye my thoughts light fires in your cities.”
Source: Eat, Pray, Love
“No man burdens his mind with small matters unless he has some very good reason for doing so.”
Source: A Study in Scarlet
“The Celtic mind was not burdened by dualism. It did not separate what belongs together”
Source: Anam Cara: A Book of Celtic Wisdom
Alex Jones: The "Justin Biebler" Rant https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VDMB0KyhPN8, 21 February 2011.
2011
“Poetry is a lyrical insinuation. Often, its melodic subtlety kisses the subconscious mind.”
LaGuardia, Gina (October 2004). "Masiela's Musings". College Bound Teen (USA): p. 2.
Zeno, 68.
The Lives and Opinions of Eminent Philosophers (c. 200 A.D.), Book 7: The Stoics
The Conferences V.2 ( online http://books.google.com/books?id=k3CrvJJZkqEC&pg=PA44)
“The mind is like an umbrella - it functions best when open.”
As quoted in The Art of Looking Sideways by w:Alan Fletcher, p. 129
Ecclesiastes, 1:13 http://bible.cc/ecclesiastes/1-13.htm, New American Standard Bible
Interviewed in 2004 http://www.wired.com/news/culture/0,1284,65688,00.html
“There is no greater sorrow
Than to be mindful of the happy time
In misery.”
Canto V, lines 121–123 (tr. Longfellow).
The Divine Comedy (c. 1308–1321), Inferno
Mother Courage
Mother Courage and Her Children (1939)
“Can't even find the perfect brush to paint what is going through my mind.”
"Brand New," So Far Gone (2009)
Source: Eugene Onegin (1823), Ch. 1, st. 25.
SHOWstudio Interview. In Camera with Lady Gaga 30 May 2010. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kmcxdZQCnT4&feature=PlayList&p=6DB0E6483F09B62E&playnext_from=PL&playnext=1.
Source: Industrial and General Administration, 1916, p. 68 ; as cited in: Albert Lepawsky (1949), Administration, p. 6-7
An Introduction to Metaphysics (1903), translated by T. E. Hulme. New York: G. P. Putnam's Sons, 1912, p. 44
“Each progressive spirit is opposed by a thousand mediocre minds appointed to guard the past.”
As quoted in Optimum Sports Nutrition (1993) by Michael Colgan, p. 144
Nahj al-Balagha
“Great men of action never mind on occasion being ridiculous; in a sense it is part of their job.”
My Life (1968), Ch.12.
Talking about the fans, on the red carpet of the premiere of Harry Potter and the Halfblood Prince "Interviewing Daniel Radcliffe" http://video.msn.com/video.aspx?mkt=nl-NL&vid=d4e31f2f-c0e1-486a-b69d-c25fa9bcc7f7
“When Life does not find a singer to sing her heart she produces a philosopher to speak her mind.”
Sand and Foam (1926)
“The eyes see only what the mind is prepared to comprehend.”
Robertson Davies as quoted in The White Bedouin (2007) by George Potter, p. 241
Misattributed
“Symbols are to the mind what tools are to the hand--an extended application of its powers.”
Dion Fortune, The Mystical Qabalah
I ended up walking for two hours, and at the end of it I was crying to myself because I felt so sad.
My Twisted World (2014), Thoughts at 19, Longing
Context: I am mindful of human weakness, and I reflect upon the might of Fortune and know that everything that we do is exposed to a thousand chances. But, just as I should admit that I were acting with arrogance and violence if, before I had crossed over to Africa, I were to reject you when you were voluntarily withdrawing from Italy and, while your army was already on shipboard, you were coming in person to sue for peace, so now, when I have dragged you to Africa, resisting and shifting ground as we almost came to blows, I am under no obligation to respect you. Therefore, if to the terms upon which peace was formerly about to be made, as it seemed, you are adding some kind of compensation for the ships loaded with supplies that were taken by force during the armistice, and for violence done to my envoys, I have reason to bring it before the council. But if that addition also seems too severe, prepare for war, since you have been unable to endure a peace [bellum parate, quoniam pacem pati non potuistis].
Reply to Hannibal's attempt to set terms for peace, prior to the Battle of Zama, as quoted in Livy. Books XXVIII-XXX With An English Translation (1949), Book 30, Ch. 31 http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.02.0159%3Abook%3D30%3Achapter%3D31
Variant translation:
I am aware of the frailty of man, I think about the power of fortune, and I know that all our actions are at the mercy of a thousand vicissitudes. Now I admit that it would have been arrogant and headstrong reaction on my part if you had come to sue for peace before I crossed to Africa, and I had rejected your petition when you were yourself voluntarily quitting Italy, and had your troops embarked on your ships. But, as it is, I have forced you back to Africa, and you are reluctant and resisting almost to the point of fighting, so that I feel no need to show you any consideration. Accordingly, if something is actually added to the terms on which it seems probable that a peace could be concluded — some sort of indemnity for the forceful appropriation of our ships, along with their cargoes, during truce and for the violation of our envoys — then I have something to take to my council. But if you consider even that to be excessive, prepare for war, for you have found peace intolerable.
Hannibal's War : Books Twenty-one to Thirty by Livy, as translated by John Yardley (2006), p. 600
Prepare to fight — for, evidently, you have found peace intolerable.
Let us make war, since evidently, you have found peace intolerable.
Romans 11:33 http://www.jw.org/en/publications/bible/nwt/books/romans/11/, NWT
Epistle to the Romans
Context: O the depth of God’s riches and wisdom and knowledge! How unsearchable his judgments [are] and past tracing out his ways [are]! For “who has come to know Jehovah’s mind, or who has become his counselor?”
Disputed
“Where the mind is without fear and the head is held high
Where knowledge is free”
Gitanjali http://www.spiritualbee.com/gitanjali-poems-of-tagore/ (1912)
Context: Where the mind is without fear and the head is held high
Where knowledge is free
Where the world has not been broken up into fragments
By narrow domestic walls
Where words come out from the depth of truth
Where tireless striving stretches its arms towards perfection
Where the clear stream of reason has not lost its way
Into the dreary desert sand of dead habit
Where the mind is led forward by thee
Into ever-widening thought and action
Into that heaven of freedom, my Father, let my country awake.
“Nobody makes up my mind for me. They used to at Columbia.”
As quoted in "Rita Remains Striking, Trim, Busy" in The Palm Beach Post (16 October 1969) http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1964&dat=19691016&id=MHwyAAAAIBAJ&sjid=j7UFAAAAIBAJ&pg=2776,5246577
Source: Dramatis Personae (1864), Rabbi Ben Ezra, Line 121.
Context: Be there, for once and all,
Severed great minds from small,
Announced to each his station in the Past!
Was I, the world arraigned,
Were they, my soul disdained,
Right? Let age speak the truth and give us peace at last!
Now, who shall arbitrate?
Ten men love what I hate,
Shun what I follow, slight what I receive;
Ten, who in ears and eyes
Match me: we all surmise,
They this thing, I that: whom shall my soul believe?