“There are years that ask questions and years that answer.”
Zora Neale Hurston book Their Eyes Were Watching God
Source: Their Eyes Were Watching God (1937), Ch. 3, p. 21.
“There are years that ask questions and years that answer.”
Zora Neale Hurston book Their Eyes Were Watching God
Source: Their Eyes Were Watching God (1937), Ch. 3, p. 21.
Mark Twain (1835–1910) American author and humorist
Not found in Twain's works, this was attributed to him in Reader's Digest (September 1939): no prior attribution known. Mark Twain’s father died when Twain was eleven years old.
Disputed
Variant: When I was a boy of fourteen, my father was so ignorant I could hardly stand to have the old man around. But when I got to be twenty-one, I was astonished at how much the old man had learned in seven years.
Emil M. Cioran book The Trouble With Being Born
The Trouble With Being Born (1973)
Source: The Trouble with Being Born
Stephen Hawking (1942–2018) British theoretical physicist, cosmologist, and author
"Colonies in space may be only hope, says Hawking" by Roger Highfield in Daily Telegraph (16 October 2001).
“For last year's words belong to last year's language
And next year's words await another voice.”
T.S. Eliot book Four Quartets
Variant: For last year's words belong to last year's language
And next year's words await another voice.
And to make an end is to make a beginning."
()
Source: Four Quartets
A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada (1896–1977) Indian guru
Source: Krsna, the Supreme Personality of Godhead
“As long as a woman can look ten years younger than her daughter, she is perfectly satisfied”
Oscar Wilde book The Picture of Dorian Gray
Source: The Picture of Dorian Gray
“It takes 20 years to build a reputation and five minutes to ruin it.”
Warren Buffett (1930) American business magnate, investor, and philanthropist
Context: It takes 20 years to build a reputation and five minutes to ruin it. If you think about that, you'll do things differently.
“Forget the years, forget distinctions. Leap into the boundless and make it your home!”
Zhuangzi (-369–-286 BC) classic Chinese philosopher
"Discussion on Making All Things Equal".
Lynn Margulis (1938–2011) American evolutionary biologist
Source: Symbiotic Planet: A New Look at Evolution
“My wife and I were happy for twenty years. Then we met.”
Rodney Dangerfield (1921–2004) American actor and comedian
Variant: My wife and I were happy for twenty years. Then we met.
Louise L. Hay book You Can Heal Your Life
Variant: You have been criticizing yourself for years and it hasn't worked. Try approving of yourself and see what happens.
Source: You Can Heal Your Life
Stephen Hawking (1942–2018) British theoretical physicist, cosmologist, and author
As quoted in "Stephen Hawking: 'There is no heaven; it's a fairy story'" by Ian Sample, in The Guardian (15 May 2011) http://www.theguardian.com/science/2011/may/15/stephen-hawking-interview-there-is-no-heaven <br class="br">Context: I have lived with the prospect of an early death for the last 49 years. I'm not afraid of death, but I'm in no hurry to die. I have so much I want to do first... I regard the brain as a computer which will stop working when its components fail. There is no heaven or afterlife for broken down computers; that is a fairy story for people afraid of the dark.
Anthony Capella (1962) British writer
Source: The Food of Love
“Over the years all these vampire movies have come out and nobody looks like a vampire anymore.”
Johnny Depp (1963) American actor, film producer, and musician
Nasreddin (1208–1284) philosopher, Sufi and wise man from Turkey, remembered for his funny stories and anecdotes
Osho, And The Flowers Showered (2003), , p. 204
Ben Shapiro (1984) American journalist and attorney
Is Truth Becoming Irrelevant to Conservatives? (December 5, 2016)
Joseph Louis Lagrange (1736–1813) Italian mathematician and mathematical physicist
Letter to d'Alembert (1781) cited in R. Laubenbacher, D. Pengelly: Mathematical Expeditions: Chronicles by the Explorers (1999) Springer, pp. 233–234.
Albert Schweitzer book The Quest of the Historical Jesus
Source: The Quest of the Historical Jesus (1906), p. 397
Bertolt Brecht (1898–1956) German poet, playwright, theatre director
"Finland 1940" [Finnland 1940] (1940), trans. Sammy McLean in Poems, 1913-1956, p. 350
Poems, 1913-1956 (1976)
Albert Einstein (1879–1955) German-born physicist and founder of the theory of relativity
From Cosmic Religion: with Other Opinions and Aphorisms (1931), Albert Einstein, pub. Covici-Friede. Quoted in The Expanded Quotable Einstein, Princeton University Press; 2nd edition (May 30, 2000); Page 208, ISBN 0691070210
1930s
Sita Ram Goel (1921–2003) Indian activist
Muslim Separatism – Causes and Consequences (1987)
Ian Smith (1919–2007) Prime Minister of Rhodesia
Nigel Rees, "Sayings of the Century", Unwin paperbacks, 1984, p. 247.
Radio broadcast, March 20, 1976.
Peter Godwin, Comment in the Guardian(UK) Newspaper http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2007/nov/25/comment.zimbabwe.
Jopie Huisman (1922–2000) Dutch painter
translation, Fons Heijnsbroek, 2018
version in original Dutch / citaat van Jopie Huisman, in het Nederlands: Door de jaren heen heb ik van alles en nog wat bewaard aan dingen en voorwerpen die ik in mijn leven in de handel tegenkwam, als ze gevoelswaarde voor me hadden. Altijd eenvoudig gebruiksgoed en gereedschap van de boer, de smid, de timmerman, de bakker enzovoorts. Dingen waarin ik de strijd om het bestaan het duidelijkst weerspiegeld zag vond ik het mooist.. ..afgetrapte oude schoenen, broeken, jassen, hoeden en kindervestjes, die ik in de vodden vond, vaak tot in den treure versteld en opgelapt.
Source: Jopie de Verteller' (2010) - postumous, p. 19
Konrad Adenauer (1876–1967) German statesman, Federal Chancellor of Germany, politician (CDU)
As quoted by General Sir Charles Fergusson in a memorandum (10 July 1945), recalling conversations with Adenauer in 1918-1919, at the end of World War I. As published in Adenauer : The Father of the New Germany (2000) by Charles Williams, p. 293 books.google https://books.google.de/books?id=7mhpKYpugJsC&pg=PA293
Frédéric Chopin (1810–1849) Polish composer
As quoted in his letter to his father, dated December 6th 1817[citation needed]
Takeda Shingen (1521–1573) Japanese daimyo of the Sengoku period
William Scott Wilson, Gregory Lee. Ideals of the Samurai: Writings of Japanese Warriors, 1982. p 95
Mark Twain (1835–1910) American author and humorist
This quote has been attributed to Mark Twain, but the attribution cannot be verified. The quote should not be regarded as authentic. — Twainquotes http://www.twainquotes.com/Discovery.html <br class="br">Actually from the 1990 book P. S. I Love You' https://books.google.com/books?id=5OORXU6rlGIC&q=bowlines#v=onepage&q=bowlines&f=false' by H. Jackson Brown. <br class="br">Misattributed
William Blum book Rogue State: A Guide to the World's Only Superpower
third edition (2006), p. 1
Rogue State: A Guide to the World's Only Superpower
Barack Obama (1961) 44th President of the United States of America
"Remarks to the United Nations General Assembly in New York City," September 23, 2010. Online by Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley, The American Presidency Project http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/index.php?pid=88483&st=&st1= <br class="br">2010
Carl Sagan (1934–1996) American astrophysicist, cosmologist, author and science educator
Carl Sagan on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson (full interview, May 20th, 1977)
Others
Maynard James Keenan (1964) musician
Aidin Vaziri (January 2, 2009) "Maynard James Keenan: Hard rocker, winemaker. 5 Questions.", San Francisco Chronicle, p. E3.
Benjamin Disraeli (1804–1881) British Conservative politician, writer, aristocrat and Prime Minister
Speech http://hansard.millbanksystems.com/commons/1845/mar/17/agricultural-interest in the House of Commons (17 March 1845). <br class="br">1840s
Michael Bloomberg (1942) American businessman and politician, former mayor of New York City
http://mikebloomberg.com/en/issues/education/mayor_michael_bloomberg_delivers_slate_60_dinner_keynote_address_at_william_j_clinton_presidential_library
Philanthropy
Babak Khorramdin (798–838) Persian revolutionary
Babak Khorramdin's letter to his son, rejecting the caliph’s amnesty message, quoted by Al-Tabari, edited by C. E. Bosworth, History of al-Tabari Vol. 33, The: Storm and Stress along the Northern Frontiers of the 'Abbasid Caliphate: The Caliphate of al-Mu'tasim A.D. 833-842/A.H. 218-227 https://books.google.com/books?id=Ky2rl0xN2SQC&pg=PA74&lpg=PA74&dq=%22Better+to+live+for+just+a+single+day+as+a+ruler+than+to+live+for+forty+years+as+an+abject+slave.%22&source=bl&ots=D6-WGySNBR&sig=9MJm8qw6MeNgY1kPHEjtcxA_okY&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0CCoQ6AEwAmoVChMI2YO62Pb0xwIVjOwUCh2l8APi#v=onepage&q=%22Better%20to%20live%20for%20just%20a%20single%20day%20as%20a%20ruler%20than%20to%20live%20for%20forty%20years%20as%20an%20abject%20slave.%22&f=false
Jerry Coyne book Faith vs. Fact: Why Science and Religion are Incompatible
Source: Faith vs. Fact (2015), pp. 83-84
Leonardo DiCaprio (1974) American actor and film producer
http://www.popmonk.com/actors/leonardo-dicaprio/quotes-leonardo-dicaprio.htm
George Orwell (1903–1950) English author and journalist
"The English People" (written Spring 1944, published 1947)<sup> http://alexpeak.com/twr/orwell/quotes/</sup>
Lee Kuan Yew (1923–2015) First Prime Minister of Singapore
Lee Kuan Yew, Interview with Nathan Gardels of Global Viewpoint, Sept 26 1995 http://www.nas.gov.sg/archivesonline/data/pdfdoc/017-1995-09-26.pdf <br class="br">1990s
Justin Bieber (1994) Canadian singer-songwriter, record producer, and actor
Interview with The Sun, as quoted by MTV http://www.mtv.co.uk/news/justin-bieber/201278-justin-bieber-my-world-20, March 2010
George Orwell (1903–1950) English author and journalist
As I Please column in The Tribune (18 August 1944), http://alexpeak.com/twr/dwall/ <br class="br">"As I Please" (1943–1947)
Justin Bieber (1994) Canadian singer-songwriter, record producer, and actor
You just have to laugh at yourself. It's funny.
Interview on The Ellen Show, "Ellen Chats With Justin Bieber", 3 November, 2010
Hans Bethe (1906–2005) German-American nuclear physicist
Bethe's testimony to the U. S. Senate's Foreign Relations Committee on 13 May 1982, as reported in the New York Review of Books: The Inferiority Complex, 10 June 1982 http://www.nybooks.com/articles/1982/06/10/the-inferiority-complex/
Charlie Parker (1920–1955) American jazz saxophonist and composer
As quoted in Hear Me Talkin' to Ya: The Story of Jazz As Told by the Men Who Made It (1955) edited by by Nat Shapiro and Nat Hentoff, p. 379
“Congratulations, you have won
It's a year's subscription of bad puns.”
Kurt Cobain (1967–1994) American musician and artist
Opinion.
Song lyrics, Posthumously released (post-1994)
Ronda Rousey (1987) American judoka, mixed martial artist, professional wrestler and actress
"6 Feminist Quotes From Ronda Rousey That Prove She's More Than Just A Trash Talker", in Bustle.com (3 August 2015) http://www.bustle.com/articles/101566-6-feminist-quotes-from-ronda-rousey-that-prove-shes-more-than-just-a-trash-talker
Hayao Miyazaki (1941) Japanese animator, film director, and mangaka
on the topic of hand-drawn animation (2005) The Guardian article http://www.theguardian.com/film/2005/sep/14/japan.awardsandprizes <br class="br">On Animation
Marion Woodman (1928–2018) Canadian writer
Source: Bone: Dying into Life (2000), p. 165
Babur (1483–1530) 1st Mughal Emperor
Baburnama https://archive.org/stream/baburnama017152mbp#page/n551/mode/2up, translated by Annette Beveridge
Erich Fromm (1900–1980) German social psychologist and psychoanalyst
Jewish Newsletter [New York] (19 May 1959); quoted in Prophets in Babylon (1980) by Marion Woolfson, p. 13
Ja'far al-Sadiq (702–765) Muslim religious person
Majlisi, Bihārul Anwār, vol.46, p. 108
Religous Wisdom
Peter Wessel Zapffe (1899–1990) Norwegian philosopher, mountaineer, and author
Source: The Last Messiah (1933), To Be a Human Being https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u4m6vvaY-Wo&t=1110s (1989–90)
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756–1791) Austrian Romantic composer
Letter to Leopold Mozart (4 April 1787), from The Mozart-Da Ponte Operas by Andrew Steptoe [Oxford University Press, 1988, ISBN 0-198-16221-9], p. 84.
Carl Panzram (1891–1930) American serial killer
sic
Lustmord: The Writings and Artifacts of Murderers, p. 174, (1997), Brian King, ed. ISBN 096503240X
Linda Smith (1958–2006) comedian
Sunday Times, 11 November 2007
Mikhail Bakunin (1814–1876) Russian revolutionary, philosopher, and theorist of collectivist anarchism
Letter http://dwardmac.pitzer.edu/anarchist_archives/bakunin/letters/toherzenandogareff.html to Aleksandr Ivanovich Herzen and Ogareff from San Francisco (3 October 1861); published in Correspondance de Michel Bakounine (1896) edited by Michel Dragmanov
Genghis Khan (1162–1227) founder and first emperor of the Mongol Empire
As quoted in The Tyrants : 2500 Years of Absolute Power and Corruption (2006) by Clive Foss, p. 55 ISBN 1905204965
William Pitt the Younger (1759–1806) British politician
"The War Speeches of William Pitt", Oxford University Press, 1915, p. 16
Speech in the House of Commons, 17 February 1792, introducing the Budget. His prediction was a vain hope.
Martin Luther King, Jr. (1929–1968) American clergyman, activist, and leader in the American Civil Rights Movement
Source: 1960s, Strength to Love (1963), Ch. 2 : Transformed nonconformist
Ilham Aliyev (1961) 4th President of Azerbaijan from 2003
CNN TV interview during World Economic Forum at Davos (23 January 2013) http://edition.cnn.com/2013/01/23/business/aliyev-rosneft-quest-davos/ <br class="br">Internal politics
“[T]here is something wrong with a regime that requires a pyramid of corpses every few years.”
George Orwell (1903–1950) English author and journalist
Letter to Humphry House, (11 April 1940). p. 532 http://books.google.com/books?id=0j2qODEJkdoC&pg=PA532#v=onepage&q&f=false, The Collected Essays, Journalism, & Letters, George Orwell: An age like this, 1920–1940, Editors: Sonia Orwell, Ian Angus
Cosimo de' Medici (1389–1464) First ruler of the Medici political dynasty
Attributed to Cosimo de' Medici by Salviati; as cited in Taylor, F.H. (1948). The taste of angels, a history of art collecting from Rameses to Napoleon. Boston: Little, Brown. pp. 65–66.