- WIST is my personal collection of quotations, curated for thought, amusement, turn of phrase, historical significance, or sometimes just (often-unintentional) irony.
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- 19,544 quotes and counting ...
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Author Cloud
Adams, John • Aristotle • Asimov, Isaac • Bacon, Francis • Bible • Bierce, Ambrose • Billings, Josh • Butcher, Jim • Chesterfield (Lord) • Chesterton, Gilbert Keith • Churchill, Winston • Cicero, Marcus Tullius • Einstein, Albert • Eisenhower, Dwight David • Emerson, Ralph Waldo • Franklin, Benjamin • Fuller, Thomas (1654) • Gaiman, Neil • Galbraith, John Kenneth • Gandhi, Mohandas • Hazlitt, William • Heinlein, Robert A. • Hoffer, Eric • Homer • Huxley, Aldous • Ingersoll, Robert Green • Jefferson, Thomas • Johnson, Samuel • Kennedy, John F. • King, Martin Luther • La Rochefoucauld, Francois • Lewis, C.S. • Lincoln, Abraham • Mencken, H.L. • Orwell, George • Pratchett, Terry • Roosevelt, Eleanor • Roosevelt, Theodore • Russell, Bertrand • Seneca the Younger • Shakespeare, William • Shaw, George Bernard • Sophocles • Twain, Mark • Wilde, Oscar- Only the 45 most quoted authors are shown above. Full author list.
Most Quoted Authors
Topic Cloud
action age America author beauty belief change character courage death democracy education ego error evil faith fear freedom future God government happiness history human nature humanity integrity liberty life love morality perspective politics power progress reality religion science society success truth virtue war wealth wisdom writing- I've been adding topics since 2014, so not all quotes have been given one. Full topic list.
Popular Quotables
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- Nobel prize acceptance speech (10 Dec 1962) (4,965)
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Quotations by Obama, Barack
Understand, democracy does not require uniformity. Our founders argued. They quarreled. Eventually they compromised. They expected us to do the same. But they knew that democracy does require a basic sense of solidarity — the idea that for all our outward differences
, we’re all in this together; that we rise or fall as one.
Barack Obama (b. 1961) American politician, US President (2009-2017)
“Farewell Address,” Chicago (10 Jan 2017)
(Source)
Added on 3-May-22 | Last updated 3-May-22
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Topics: democracy, disagreement, solidarity, unity
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Topics: democracy, disagreement, solidarity, unity
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Democracy can buckle when we give in to fear. So, just as we, as citizens, must remain vigilant against external aggression, we must guard against a weakening of the values that make us who we are.
Barack Obama (b. 1961) American politician, US President (2009-2017)
“Farewell Address,” Chicago (10 Jan 2017)
(Source)
Added on 17-May-22 | Last updated 17-May-22
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Topics: democracy, fear, society, values
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Topics: democracy, fear, society, values
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If you’re walking down the right path, and you’re willing to keep walking, eventually you’ll make progress.
Added on 26-May-16 | Last updated 26-May-16
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Topics: dedication, determination, meme, progress, stick to it
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Topics: dedication, determination, meme, progress, stick to it
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Focusing your life solely on making a buck shows a certain poverty of ambition.
Barack Obama (b. 1961) American politician, US President (2009-2017)
Commencement Address, Knox College, Galesburg, IL (4 Jun 2005)
(Source)
Added on 6-Sep-17 | Last updated 6-Sep-17
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Topics: ambition, aspiration, avarice, earning, goal, meme, riches, vision, wealth
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Topics: ambition, aspiration, avarice, earning, goal, meme, riches, vision, wealth
More quotes by Obama, Barack
When we send our young men and women into harm’s way, we have a solemn obligation not to fudge the numbers or shade the truth about why they’re going, to care for their families while they’re gone, to tend to the soldiers upon their return, and to never, ever go to war without enough troops to win the war, secure the peace, and earn the respect of the world.
Added on 5-Mar-08 | Last updated 5-Mar-08
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The pundits like to slice-and-dice our country into Red States and Blue States; Red States for Republicans, Blue States for Democrats. But I’ve got news for them too. We worship an awesome God in the Blue States, and we don’t like federal agents poking around in our libraries in the Red States. We coach Little League in the Blue States and yes, we got some gay friends in the Red States. There are patriots who opposed the war in Iraq and patriots who supported the war in Iraq. We are one people, all of us pledging allegiance to the stars and stripes, all of us defending the United States of America.
Added on 14-Mar-08 | Last updated 14-Mar-08
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There is not a liberal America and a conservative America — there is the United States of America. There is not a black America and a white America and Latino America and Asian America — there’s the United States of America.
Barack Obama (b. 1961) American politician, US President (2009-2017)
Keynote speech, Democratic National Convention (26 Jul 2004)
(Source)
Added on 4-Jul-14 | Last updated 4-Jul-14
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Topics: America, blue states, division, ethnicity, hyphenated, red states, unity
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Topics: America, blue states, division, ethnicity, hyphenated, red states, unity
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Tonight, we gather to affirm the greatness of our nation — not because of the height of our skyscrapers, or the power of our military, or the size of our economy. Our pride is based on a very simple premise, summed up in a declaration made over two hundred years ago: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.” That is the true genius of America — a faith in simple dreams, an insistence on small miracles.
Barack Obama (b. 1961) American politician, US President (2009-2017)
Keynote speech, Democratic National Convention (26 Jul 2004)
(Source)
Added on 3-Dec-14 | Last updated 3-Dec-14
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Topics: America, Declaration of Independence, equality, faith, rights
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Topics: America, Declaration of Independence, equality, faith, rights
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I don’t oppose all wars. And I know that in this crowd today, there is no shortage of patriots, or of patriotism. What I am opposed to is a dumb war. What I am opposed to is a rash war. […] A war based not on reason but on passion, not on principle but on politics.
Barack Obama (b. 1961) American politician, US President (2009-2017)
Speech at Anti-War Rally, Chicago (2 Oct 2002)
Full text.
Added on 11-Aug-08 | Last updated 11-Aug-08
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I was thinking I’d want my daughters to know how much I love them, but I’d also want them to know that being a strong man includes being kind. That there’s nothing weak about kindness and compassion. There’s nothing weak about looking out for others. There’s nothing weak about being honorable. You’re not a sucker to have integrity, and to treat others with respect.
Barack Obama (b. 1961) American politician, US President (2009-2017)
Speech, Funeral of Elijah Cummings, Washington, DC (25 Oct 2019)
(Source)
Added on 28-Oct-19 | Last updated 28-Oct-19
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Topics: compassion, integrity, kindness, love your neighbor, meme, respect, strength, weakness
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Topics: compassion, integrity, kindness, love your neighbor, meme, respect, strength, weakness
More quotes by Obama, Barack
When nations and peoples allow themselves to be defined by their differences, the gulf between them widens. When we fail to pursue peace, then it stays forever beyond our grasp. To denounce or shrug off a call for cooperation is an easy and cowardly thing. That is how wars begin. That is where human progress ends.
Barack Obama (b. 1961) American politician, US President (2009-2017)
Speech, Hradčany Square, Prague (5 Apr 2009)
Full text
Added on 4-May-09 | Last updated 4-May-09
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Democracy will win — because a government’s legitimacy can only come from citizens; because in this age of information and empowerment
, people want more control over their lives, not less; and because, more than any other form of government ever devised, only democracy, rooted in the sanctity of the individual, can deliver real progress.
Barack Obama (b. 1961) American politician, US President (2009-2017)
Speech, Nordea Concert Hall, Tallinn, Estonia (3 Sep 2014)
(Source)
Added on 19-Apr-22 | Last updated 19-Apr-22
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Topics: democracy, government, individuality, legitimacy, progress
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Topics: democracy, government, individuality, legitimacy, progress
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We’re stronger because we’re democracies. We’re not afraid of free and fair elections, because true legitimacy can only come from one source — and that is the people. We’re not afraid of an independent judiciary, because no one is above the law. We’re not afraid of a free press or vibrant debate or a strong civil society, because leaders must be held accountable. We’re not afraid to let our young people go online to learn and discover and organize
, because we know that countries are more successful when citizens are free to think for themselves.
Barack Obama (b. 1961) American politician, US President (2009-2017)
Speech, Nordea Concert Hall, Tallinn, Estonia (3 Sep 2014)
(Source)
Added on 26-Apr-22 | Last updated 26-Apr-22
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Topics: civil liberties, debate, democracy, elections, free press, freedom, freedom of the press, judiciary, learning, legitimacy, liberty, rule of law
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Topics: civil liberties, debate, democracy, elections, free press, freedom, freedom of the press, judiciary, learning, legitimacy, liberty, rule of law
More quotes by Obama, Barack
There has been a certain cynical genius to what some of these folks have done in Washington. What they’ve realized is, if we don’t get anything done, then people are going to get cynical about government and its possibilities of doing good for everybody. And since they don’t believe in government, that’s a pretty good thing. And the more cynical people get, the less they vote. And if turnout is low and people don’t vote, that pretty much benefits those who benefit from the status quo.
Barack Obama (b. 1961) American politician, US President (2009-2017)
Speech, Purchase, New York (29 Aug 2014)
(Source)
Added on 7-Jan-15 | Last updated 7-Jan-15
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Topics: cynicism, government, gridlock, sabotage, status quo, Washington
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Topics: cynicism, government, gridlock, sabotage, status quo, Washington
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As President of our country and Commander-in-Chief of our military, I accept that people are going to call me awful things every day, and I will always defend their right to do so.
Barack Obama (b. 1961) American politician, US President (2009-2017)
Speech, United Nations (25 Sep 2012)
(Source)
Added on 21-Apr-21 | Last updated 21-Apr-21
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Topics: calumny, civil rights, criticism, free speech, freedom of speech, insult, president
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Topics: calumny, civil rights, criticism, free speech, freedom of speech, insult, president
More quotes by Obama, Barack
But we must recognize that democracies don’t stop just with elections; they also depend on strong institutions and a vibrant civil society, and open political space, and tolerance of people who are different than you. We have to create an environment where the rights of every citizen, regardless of race or gender, or religion or sexual orientation are not only protected, but respected.
Barack Obama (b. 1961) American politician, US President (2009-2017)
Speech, Young Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative Town Hall, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia (27 Apr 2014)
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Added on 12-Apr-22 | Last updated 12-Apr-22
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Topics: civil rights, democracy, institutions, liberty, tolerance
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Topics: civil rights, democracy, institutions, liberty, tolerance
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What frustrates the American people is a Washington where every day is Election Day. We cannot wage a perpetual campaign where the only goal is to see who can get the most embarrassing headlines about their opponent — a belief that if you lose, I win.
Added on 28-Jan-10 | Last updated 28-Jan-10
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Unfortunately, too many of our citizens have lost faith that our biggest institutions –- our corporations, our media, and yes, our government –- still reflect these same values. Each of these institutions are full of honorable men and women doing important work that helps our country prosper. But each time a CEO rewards himself for failure, or a banker puts the rest of us at risk for his own selfish gain, people’s doubts grow. Each time lobbyists game the system or politicians tear each other down instead of lifting this country up, we lose faith. The more that TV pundits reduce serious debates into silly arguments, and big issues into sound bites, our citizens turn away. No wonder there’s so much cynicism out there. No wonder there’s so much disappointment.
Added on 1-Feb-10 | Last updated 1-Feb-10
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