WIST Quotations

Russell, Bertrand -- Education and the Social Order [Education and the Modern World], ch. 2 “The Negative Theory of Education” (1932)

Dave — Wed, 26 Aug 2026 16:44:27 +0000

Punctuality is a quality the need of which is bound up with social co-operation. It has nothing to do with the relation of the soul to God, or with mystic insight, or with any of the matters with which the more elevated and spiritual moralists are concerned. One would be surprised to find a saint getting drunk, but one would not be surprised to find him late for an engagement. And yet in the ordinary business of life punctuality is absolutely necessary.

Bertrand Russell (1872–1970) English mathematician and philosopher
Education and the Social Order [Education and the Modern World], ch. 2 “The Negative Theory of Education” (1932)
(Source)

Ivins, Molly -- Interview (2006-10-09), “Who’s It Screw, and Who’s Doing the Screwing?” by Rosalind Alexander, Seattle Weekly

Dave — Wed, 26 Aug 2026 16:34:18 +0000

I try to look at politics not as a spectrum that runs from right to left, but a scale that runs from top to bottom. Then the only political question is: Who’s it screw, and who’s doing the screwing?

Molly Ivins (1944–2007) American writer, political columnist [Mary Tyler Ivins]
Interview (2006-10-09), “Who’s It Screw, and Who’s Doing the Screwing?” by Rosalind Alexander, Seattle Weekly
(Source)

Howell, James -- Paroimiographia [Παροιμιογραφία]: Proverbs, or, Old Sayed Sawes & Adages, “Proverbs in Italian” (1659) [compiler]

Dave — Wed, 26 Aug 2026 16:26:22 +0000

When war begins Hell opens.

[Quando la guerra Comincia, s’apre l’inferno.]

James Howell (c. 1594–1666) Welsh historian, writer, aphorist
Paroimiographia [Παροιμιογραφία]: Proverbs, or, Old Sayed Sawes & Adages, “Proverbs in Italian” (1659) [compiler]
(Source)

Also recorded by Herbert (1651).

Watterson, Bill -- Calvin and Hobbes (1993-11-25)

Dave — Wed, 26 Aug 2026 06:58:15 +0000

CALVIN: My powerful brain has come up with a topic for my paper.

HOBBES: Great.

CALVIN: I’ll write about the debate over tyrannosaurs. Were they fearsome predators or disgusting scavengers?

HOBBES: Which side will you defend?

CALVIN: Oh, I believe they were fearsome predators, definitely.

HOBBES: How come?

CALVIN: They’re so much cooler that way.

Bill Watterson (b. 1958) American cartoonist
Calvin and Hobbes (1993-11-25)
(Source)

Bierce, Ambrose -- “Fault,” “Devil’s Dictionary” column, San Francisco Wasp (1884-08-02)

Dave — Tue, 25 Aug 2026 18:43:28 +0000

FAULT, n. One of my offenses, as distinguished from one of yours, the latter being crimes.

Ambrose Bierce (1842–1914?) American writer and journalist
“Fault,” “Devil’s Dictionary” column, San Francisco Wasp (1884-08-02)
(Source)

Not collected in later books.

Euripides -- Medea [Μήδεια], l. 1415ff (431 BC) [tr. Murray (1906)]

Dave — Tue, 25 Aug 2026 15:58:04 +0000

CHORUS: Great treasure halls hath Zeus in heaven,
From whence to man strange dooms be given,
Past hope or fear.
And the end men looked for cometh not,
And a path is there where no man thought:
So hath it fallen here.

[ΚΥΚΛΩΨ: πολλῶν ταμίας Ζεὺς ἐν Ὀλύμπῳ,
πολλὰ δ᾽ ἀέλπτως κραίνουσι θεοί:
καὶ τὰ δοκηθέντ᾽ οὐκ ἐτελέσθη,
τῶν δ᾽ ἀδοκήτων πόρον ηὗρε θεός.
τοιόνδ᾽ ἀπέβη τόδε πρᾶγμα.]

Euripides (485?-406? BC) Greek tragic dramatist
Medea [Μήδεια], l. 1415ff (431 BC) [tr. Murray (1906)]
(Source)

Euripides ended a number of his dramas with slight variations of this final chorus (some scholars believe that these endings were added in some cases after his death). See here for more discussion about this "standard" choral coda.

(Source (Greek)). Other translations:

Thron'd on Olympus, with his sovereign nod,
Jove unexpectedlyi performs the schemes
Divine foreknowledge plann'd; our firmest hopes
Oft fail us: but the God still finds the means
Of compassing what man could ne'er have look'd for;
And thus doth this important business end.
[tr. Wodhull (1782)]

Jove in the high heav'n dispenses various fates:
And now the gods show'r blessings, which our hopes
Dared not aspire to, now control the ills
We deem'd inevitable: thus the god
To these hat giv'n an end we never thought;
Such is the dreadful fortune of this day.
[tr. Potter (1814)]

Zeus in Olympus parts out many lots,
And the gods work to many undreamed of ends,
And that we looked for is never fulfilled,
And to things not looked for the gods make a way:
Even so hath this issue been.
[tr. Webster (1868)]

Many a fate doth Zeus dispense, high on his Olympian throne; oft do the gods bring things to pass beyond man's expectation; that, which we thought would be, is not fulfilled, while for the unlooked-for god finds out a way; and such hath been the issue of this matter.
[tr. Coleridge (1891)]

Jove is the dispenser of various fates in heaven, and the Gods perform many things contrary to our expectations, and those things which we looked for are not accomplished; but the God hath brought to pass things unthought of. In such manner hath this affair ended.
[tr. Buckley (1892)]

All dooms be of Zeus in Olympus; 'tis his to reveal them.
Manifold things unhoped-for the Gods to accomplishment bring.
And the things that we looked for, the Gods deign not to fulfil them;
And the paths undiscerned of our eyes, the Gods unseal them.
So fell this marvellous thing.
[tr. Way (Loeb) (1894)]

Zeus in Olympus is the overseer
Of many doings. Many things the gods
Achieve beyond our judgment. What we thought
Is not confirmed and what we thought not god
Contrives. And so it happens in this story.
[tr. Warner (1944)]

Many are the Fates which Zeus in Olympus dispenses;
Many matters the gods bring to surprising ends.
The things we thought would happen do not happen;
The unexpected God makes possible;
And such is the conclusion of this story.
[tr. Vellacott (1963)]

Zeus, Olympus’ steward, controls many things,
And many things, too, beyond expectation the gods accomplish.
The expected does not turn out;
For the unexpected God finds a way.
Such is the end of this business.
[tr. Podlecki (1989)]

Zeus on Olympus has many things in his treasure-house, and many are the things the gods accomplish against our expectation. What men expect is not brought to pass, but a god finds a way to achieve the unexpected. Such is the outcome of this story.
[tr. Kovacs (Perseus)]

Zeus on Olympus has many things in his treasure-house, and many are the things the gods accomplish against our expectation. What men look for is not brought to pass, but a god finds a way to achieve the unexpected. Such is the outcome of this story.
[tr. Kovacs (Loeb) (1994)]

Many are the things Zeus on Olympus has in his keeping and many things do the gods accomplish beyond men's hopes. What men expect does not happen; for the unexpected, heaven finds a way. And so it has turned out here today.
[tr. Davie (1996)]

Our Olympian Zeus is most wise!
The deeds of the gods appear in many forms ...
And gods often perform deeds even beyond our hopes.
Our wishes might not be granted but the gods will find ways of achieving what we never thought achievable.
Such was the path of our story.
[tr. Theodoridis (2004)]

Of many things Zeus in Olympus is keeper,
many are the things the gods bring about against all reason,
and what is looked for does not happen after all,
yet a god finds a way for the unexpected.
That is how this story has ended.
[tr. Luschnig (2007)]

Zeus on Olympus,
dispenses many things.
Gods often contradict
our fondest expectations.
What we anticipate
does not come to pass.
What we don’t expect
some god finds a way
to make it happen.
So with this story.
[tr. Johnston (2008)]

Zeus on Olympus ordains many things,
and gods achieve much that surprises us.
What we thought would happen didn't,
and the god found a way for unimaginable deeds;
That's how the story ends.
[tr. Ewans (2022)]

Many are the fates that Zeus dispenses in Olympus, and the gods bring many things to pass unexpectedly. What is expected does not come to telos, and a god finds a way for the unexpected. So too has this affair turned out.
[tr. Coleridge / Ceragioli / Nagy / Hour25]

Roosevelt, Eleanor -- (Misattributed)

Dave — Tue, 25 Aug 2026 14:55:03 +0000

He who learns but does not think is lost. He who thinks but does not learn is in great danger.

Eleanor Roosevelt (1884–1962) First Lady of the US (1933–1945), politician, diplomat, activist
(Misattributed)

This quote is often attributed to Eleanor Roosevelt, and, where a source is given, usually to her Autobiography (e.g.). I am unable to find it in that work, nor in the three earlier separate memoirs she wrote, nor in any other written source.

If she did use the phrase, she was quoting from the popular Waley (1938) translation of Confucius, Analects, 2.15.

Bible, Vol. 1. Old Testament -- Book 22b. Sirach (Ecclesiasticus) 31: 5ff (Sir 31:5–7) [tr. JB (1966)]

Dave — Tue, 25 Aug 2026 14:25:10 +0000

The man who loves gold will not be reckoned virtuous,
the man who chases after profit will be caught out by it.
Many have gone to their ruin for the sake of gold,
though their destruction stared them in the face;
it is a snare for those who sacrifice to it,
and every fool will be caught in it.

Ὁ ἀγαπῶν χρυσίον οὐ δικαιωθήσεται,
καὶ ὁ διώκων διάφορα ἐν αὐτοῖς πλανηθήσεται.
πολλοὶ ἐδόθησαν εἰς πτῶμα χάριν χρυσίου,
καὶ ἐγενήθη ἡ ἀπώλεια αὐτῶν κατὰ πρόσωπον αὐτῶν.
ξύλον προσκόμματός ἐστιν τοῖς ἐνθουσιάζουσιν αὐτῷ,
καὶ πᾶς ἄφρων ἁλώσεται ἐν αὐτῷ.

The Bible (The Old Testament) (14th - 2nd C BC) Judeo-Christian sacred scripture [Tanakh, Hebrew Bible], incl. the Apocrypha (Deuterocanonicals)
Book 22b. Sirach (Ecclesiasticus) 31: 5ff (Sir 31:5–7) [tr. JB (1966)]
(Source)

More on the history and acceptance of this Apocryphal book here and here.

(Source (Greek)). Other translations:

He that loveth gold shall not be justified, and he that followeth corruption shall have enough thereof.
Gold hath been the ruin of many, and their destruction was present.
It is a stumblingblock unto them that sacrifice unto it, and every fool shall be taken therewith.
[tr. KJV (1611)]

He that loveth gold, shall not be justified: and he that followeth after corruption, shall be filled with it.
Many have been brought to fall for gold, and the beauty thereof hath been their ruin.
Gold is a stumblingblock to them that sacrifice to it: woe to them that eagerly follow after it, and every fool shall perish by it.
[tr. DRA (1899)]

No one who loves money can easily avoid sinning,
whoever pursues profit will be corrupted by it.
Gold has been the ruin of many;
their coming destruction was self-evident,
since it is a snare for those who sacrifice to it
and stupid people all get caught in it.
[tr. NJB (1985)]

No one who loves money can be judged innocent; his efforts to get rich have led him into sin. Many people have been ruined because of money, brought face-to-face with disaster. Money is a trap for those who are fascinated by it, a trap that every fool falls into.
[tr. GNT (1992 ed.)]

Whoever loves gold won’t be declared just,
and whoever pursues profits
will be led astray by them.
Many have been ruined because of gold,
and their destruction has met them head-on.
It’s a stumbling block for those
who are possessed by it,
and it will take
every senseless person captive.
[tr. CEB (2011)]

Those who love gold will not be justified;
those who pursue money will be led astray by it.
Many have come to ruin because of gold,
and their destruction has met them face to face.
It is a stumbling block to those who are avid for it,
and every fool will be taken captive by it.
[tr. NRSV (2021 ed.)]

He that pursueth after gold shall not be innocent;
And he that loveth hire shall err thereby.
Many are there that have been given in pledge (?) to gold;
And that trusted (?) on rubies.
And they found not how to escape from evil;
Neither to save themselves in the day of wrath.
For it is a stumblingblock to the fool;
And whoso is simple is enticed thereby.
[tr. RJPS (2023 ed.)]

Lescroart, John -- A Plague of Secrets, Part 1 (2009)

Dave — Tue, 25 Aug 2026 04:06:17 +0000

The essence of fascism is to make laws forbidding everything and then enforce them selectively against your enemies.

John Lescroart (b. 1948) American novelist
A Plague of Secrets, Part 1 (2009)
(Source)

Recalled by Hardy as an aphorism of someone he'd once known. Possibly tied to Hitchens (2004).

Montesquieu -- Pensées Diverses [Assorted Thoughts], # 828 / 1086 (1720-1755) [tr. Clark (2012)]

Dave — Mon, 24 Aug 2026 22:25:51 +0000

What orators lack in depth, they give you in length.

[Ce qui manque aux orateurs en profondeur, ils vous le donnent en longueur.]

Charles-Lewis de Secondat, Baron de Montesquieu (1689–1755) French political philosopher
Pensées Diverses [Assorted Thoughts], # 828 / 1086 (1720-1755) [tr. Clark (2012)]
(Source)

(Source (French)). Other translations:

What orators want in depth, they give you in length.
[ed. Taylor (1856)]

What orators want in depth, they make up to you in length.
[ed. Wood (1899)]

What orators want in depth, they make up for in length.
[ed. Harbottle/Dalbiac (1904)]

What is wanting in orators in depth, they make up to you in length.
[ed. Benham (1907)]

What orators lack in profundity, they will give you in length.
[tr. Dargan (1907)]

What orators lack in depth, they make up in length.
[ed. Jones (1908)]

What orators lack in depth, they make up to you in length.
[ed. Stevenson (1947)]

Commager, Henry Steele -- Essay (1947-09), “Who Is Loyal to America?” sec. 2, Harper’s Magazine, Vol. 195, No. 1168

Dave — Mon, 24 Aug 2026 21:47:37 +0000

The effort to equate loyalty with conformity is misguided because it assumes that there is a fixed content to loyalty and that this can be determined and defined. But loyalty is a principle, and eludes definition except in its own terms. It is devotion to the best interests of the commonwealth, and may require hostility to the particular policies which the government pursues, the particular practices which the economy undertakes, the particular institutions which society maintains.

Henry Steele Commager (1902–1998) American historian, writer, activist
Essay (1947-09), “Who Is Loyal to America?” sec. 2, Harper’s Magazine, Vol. 195, No. 1168
(Source)

Collected in Freedom, Loyalty, Dissent (1954).

Sagan, Carl -- The Demon-Haunted World, ch. 10 “The Dragon in My Garage” (1995)

Dave — Mon, 24 Aug 2026 20:53:08 +0000

Claims that cannot be tested, assertions immune to disproof are veridically worthless, whatever value they may have in inspiring us or in exciting our sense of wonder.

Carl Sagan (1934–1996) American scientist and writer
The Demon-Haunted World, ch. 10 “The Dragon in My Garage” (1995)
(Source)

Hugo, Victor -- The Man Who Laughs [L’Homme qui rit; The Laughing Man; By Order of the King], Part 1, Book 3, ch. 1 (1.3.1) (1869) [tr. Unknown, Authorized (1871)]

Dave — Mon, 24 Aug 2026 20:28:22 +0000

He had slipped, climbed, rolled, searched, walked, persevered, that is all. Such is the secret of all triumphs.

[Il avait glissé, grimpé, roulé, cherché, marché, persévéré, voilà tout. Secret de tous les triomphes.]

Victor Hugo (1802–1885) French writer, journalist, human rights activist, politician
The Man Who Laughs [L’Homme qui rit; The Laughing Man; By Order of the King], Part 1, Book 3, ch. 1 (1.3.1) (1869) [tr. Unknown, Authorized (1871)]
(Source)

(Source (French)). Other translations:

He had slipped, climbed, rolled, searched, walked, persevered, -- that is all; that is the secret of all triumphs.
[tr. Unknown (1869)]

He had slipped, climbed, rolled, sought, walked, persevered, that was all. The secret of all triumphs.
[tr. Hapgood (1888)]

He had slipped, climbed, rolled, searched, walked, persevered, that was all. The secret of all triumphs.
[tr. Phillips (1894)]

He had slid, climbed, rolled, sought, walked, persevered, that's all. Secret of all triumphs.
[tr. Lavelle (2003)]

Kerr, Jean -- Mary, Mary, Act 1 (1961)

Dave — Mon, 24 Aug 2026 19:28:47 +0000

OSCAR: I hate a friendly divorce. A lawyer is never entirely comfortable with a friendly divorce, any more than a good mortician wants to finish his job and then have the patient sit up on the table.

Jean Kerr (1922–2003) American author and playwright [b. Bridget Jean Collins]
Mary, Mary, Act 1 (1961)
(Source)

Steele, Richard -- Essay (1710-06-06), “On the Death of Friends,” The Tatler, No. 181

Dave — Mon, 24 Aug 2026 17:53:46 +0000

Though it is by the benefit of nature that length of time thus blots out the violence of afflictions; yet with tempers too much given to pleasure, it is almost necessary to revive the old places of grief in our memory, and ponder step by step on past life, to lead the mind into that sobriety of thought which poises the heart, and makes it beat with due time, without being quickened with desire, or retarded with despair, from its proper and equal motion.

Richard Steele (1672–1729) Anglo-Irish writer, journalist, playwright, politician
Essay (1710-06-06), “On the Death of Friends,” The Tatler, No. 181
(Source)

Steele did not provide a title when this essay was published in The Tatler. It is also sometimes called "On Recollections of Childhood." It was published under Steele's pseudonym, Isaac Bickerstaff.