WIST Quotations

Heinlein, Robert A. -- Story (1949-12), “Gulf” [Baldwin], Astounding Science Fiction, Vol. 44, No. 4

Dave — Tue, 06 Oct 2026 19:41:34 +0000

Reason is poor propaganda when opposed by the yammering, unceasing lies of shrewd and evil and self-serving men. The little man has no way to judge and the shoddy lies are more attractively packaged.

Robert A. Heinlein (1907–1988) American writer
Story (1949-12), “Gulf” [Baldwin], Astounding Science Fiction, Vol. 44, No. 4

Collected in Assignment in Eternity (1953).

Euripides -- Alcestis [Ἄλκηστις ], l. 56ff (438 BC) [tr. Aldington (1930)]

Dave — Tue, 06 Oct 2026 19:21:43 +0000

APOLLO: If she dies old, the burial will be richer.
DEATH: Phoebus, that argument favours the rich.
APOLLO: What! Are you witty unawares?
DEATH: The rich would gladly pay to die old.

[ἈΠΌΛΛΩΝ: κἂν γραῦς ὄληται, πλουσίως ταφήσεται.
ΘΆΝΑΤΟΣ: πρὸς τῶν ἐχόντων, Φοῖβε, τὸν νόμον τίθης.
ἈΠΌΛΛΩΝ: πῶς εἶπας; ἀλλ᾽ ἦ καὶ σοφὸς λέληθας ὤν;
ΘΆΝΑΤΟΣ: ὠνοῖντ᾽ ἂν οἷς πάρεστι γηραιοὶ θανεῖν.]

Euripides (485?-406? BC) Greek tragic dramatist
Alcestis [Ἄλκηστις ], l. 56ff (438 BC) [tr. Aldington (1930)]

Apollo, trying to persuade Death to not yet take the young bride Alcestis, the only one willing to die in place of her husband Admetus.

(Source (Greek)). Other translations:

APOLLO: More sumptuous obsequies await her age.
ORCUS: This were a law in favour of the rich.
APOLLO: What secret meaning hath thy wisdom here?
ORCUS: They with their wealth would purchase to die old.
[tr. Potter (1781)]

APOLLO: But in mature old age if she expire,
She will be buried sumptuously.
DEATH:The law
Thou hast propos'd, O Phœbus, tends to serve
The rich, and them alone.
APOLLO:What mean these words?
Are you grown wise? I knew not this before.
DEATH: They who had any wealth might buy me off
Till the grow old.
[tr. Wodhull (1782)]

APOLLO: And if she die old, she will be sumptuously intombed.
DEATH: Thou layest down the law, Phœbus, in favor of the rich.
APOLLO: How sayest thou? what? hast thou been clever without my perceiving it?
DEATH: Those who have means would purchase to die old.
[tr. Buckley (1858)]

PHŒBOS: If old she died, the Fun'ral Pomp would richer be!
THANATOS: For wealthy Mortals, Phœbus, lay'st thou down the law!
PHŒBOS: What say'st? A Sophist art? Has't hid the fact from me?
THANATOS: (laughing) So, all rich folks may buy the right of dying old!
[tr. HBL (1884)]

APOLLO:But if age
Come on her ere she die, her funeral rites
Will be the richer.
DEATH:Phœbus, what thou say'st
Is a law for the rich.
APOLLO:How say'st thou? Art
Thou witty inadvertently?
DEATH:The rich
Would buy the privilege of dying old.
[tr. Cudworth (1888)]

APOLLO. Should she die old, a sumptuous funeral will she have.
DEATH. Phœbus, the law thou layest down is all in favour of the rich.
APOLLO. What mean'st thou? art so wise, and I never knew it?
DEATH. Those who have wealth would buy the chance of their dying old.
[tr. Coleridge (1891)]

APOLLO: Think — royal obsequies if old she die!
DEATH: Lo, Phœbus making laws to shield the rich!
APOLLO: How say'st thou? — thou a sophist unawares!
DEATH: Would wealth not buy the boon of dying old?
[tr. Way (1894)]

APOLLO: But aged wives receive more pomp at death.
DEATH: Thou suitest my Laws, O Phoebus, to the rich.
APOLLO: Old Death is shrewder than I thought he was!
DEATH: The rich would buy the chance of dying old.
[tr. Beloit College (1908)]

APOLLO: Old, with great riches they will bury her.
THANATOS: Fie on thee, fie! Thou rich-man’s lawgiver!
APOLLO: How? Is there wit in Death, who seemed so blind?
THANATOS: The rich would buy long life for all their kind.
[tr. Murray (1915)]

APOLLO: Let her die old, and her funeral will bring you riches.
DEATH: I leave you the riches, Apollo. You know what they are worth.
Your rich men
Can pay you well to buy them away from Death.
APOLLO: Who would ever have said Death had such wit!
[tr. Fitts/Fitzgerald (1936)]

APOLLO: If she dies old, she will be richly buried.
DEATH: Phoebus, your law may favour wealth; not mine.
You'ld sell long life to the rich.
APOLLO:Do you say so?
Your keen wit has gone long unrecognized.
[tr. Vellacott (1953)]

APOLLO: And yet if she dies old, she will receive a rich burial.
DEATH: The law you are trying to establish, Phoebus, is to the advantage of the rich.
APOLLO: What do you mean? Can I have failed to appreciate what a thinker you are?
DEATH: Those with means could buy death at an advanced age.
[tr. Kovacs (1994)]

APOLLO: Even if it is an old woman who dies, her funeral will be costly.
DEATH: Why, Phoebus, it's for the benefit of the rich, the law you advocate!
APOLLO: What do you mean? Have I underestimated your intelligence?
DEATH: Those with the means would pay for the privilege of dying old.
[tr. Davie (1996)]

APOLLO: If she dies as an old woman, she will be buried more lavishly.
DEATH: You set up a law weighted toward "the haves," Phoibos!
APOLLO: What did you say? I never noticed that you were so clever before.
DEATH: Those who could afford it would pay to die old.
[tr. Rabinowitz (1999)]

APOLLO: Still, the older she dies the more wealth she’ll take down there with her on her burial day.
THANATOS: Apollo, you’re trying to set an unfair precedent here! It’s a law that will favour the rich!
APOLLO: O, I can see you’re a deep thinker, Thanatos! A true philosopher.
THANATOS: Can’t you see? Anyone with money would try and buy long life! All the poor would die young.
[tr. Theodoridis (2008)]

APOLLO: And yet if she dies in old age, she will have a rich funeral.
THANATOS: Your law favors the haves over the have nots, Phoebus.
APOLLO: What do you mean? Have you become a sophist and not told anybody?
THANATOS: Those who could afford it would buy a ripe old age.
[tr. Luschnig / Luschnig (2019)]

Roosevelt, Eleanor -- Memoir (1949), This I Remember, ch. 20 “The Last Term: 1944–1945”

Dave — Tue, 06 Oct 2026 17:00:28 +0000

All human beings have failings, all human beings have needs and temptations and stresses. Men and women who live together through long years get to know one another’s failings; but they also come to know what is worthy of respect and admiration in those they live with and in themselves. If at the end one can say; “This man used to the limit the powers that God granted him; he was worthy of love and respect and of the sacrifices of many people, made in order that he might achieve what he deemed to be his task,” then that life has been lived well and there are no regrets.

Eleanor Roosevelt (1884–1962) American politician, diplomat, activist; First Lady of the US (1933–45)
Memoir (1949), This I Remember, ch. 20 “The Last Term: 1944–1945”

Reflecting on her life with her deceased husband, Franklin D. Roosevelt. The same passage is included in her compiled 1961 Autobiography, Part 2, ch. 27 "The Last Term: 1944–1945."

Bible, Vol. 1. Old Testament -- Book 22a. Wisdom (Wisdom of Solomon) 5: 8ff (Wis 5:8–9) [tr. CEB (2011)]

Dave — Tue, 06 Oct 2026 16:35:43 +0000

What good did our pride do us? What good were our wealth and pretension? These things have all passed away like a shadow. They’re gone like old news.

[τί ὠφέλησεν ἡμᾶς ἡ ὑπερηφανία;
καὶ τί πλοῦτος μετὰ ἀλαζονείας συμβέβληται ἡμῖν;
παρῆλθεν ἐκεῖνα πάντα ὡς σκιὰ
καὶ ὡς ἀγγελία παρατρέχουσα·]

The Bible (The Old Testament) (14th - 2nd C BC) Judeo-Christian sacred scripture [Tanakh, Hebrew Bible], incl. the Apocrypha (Deuterocanonicals)
Book 22a. Wisdom (Wisdom of Solomon) 5: 8ff (Wis 5:8–9) [tr. CEB (2011)]

Wisdom (also known as "Wisdom of Solomon) is one of the Apocrypha, not included in many Protestant Bibles or in the Tanakh (though in the Septuagint). See here for more information on the origin and acceptance of this book.

(Source (Greek)). Other translations:

What hath pride profited us? or what good hath riches with our vaunting brought us?
All those things are passed away like a shadow, and as a post that hasted by;
[tr. KJV (1611)]

What hath pride profited us? or what advantage hath the boasting of riches brought us?
All those things are passed away like a shadow, and like a post that runneth on.
[tr. DRA (1899)]

Arrogance, what advantage has this brought us?
Wealth and boasting, what have these conferred on us?
All those things have passed like a shadow,
passed like a fleeting rumour.
[tr. JB (1966)]

What good has arrogance been to us?
What has been the purpose of our riches and boastfulness?
All those things have passed like a shadow,
passed like a fleeting rumour.
[tr. NJB (1985)]

We were so proud of ourselves — we bragged about how rich we were — and now, what good has it done us? All those things are gone now; they have disappeared like a shadow, like something you hear and then forget.
[tr. GNT (1992 ed.)]

What has our arrogance profited us?
And what good has our boasted wealth brought us?
All those things have vanished like a shadow
and like a rumor that passes by.
[tr. NRSV (2021 ed.)]

Kerr, Jean -- Essay (1970 ca.), “I Saw Mommy Kicking Santa Claus,” Penny Candy

Dave — Mon, 05 Oct 2026 19:48:15 +0000

Oh, wouldn’t it be wonderful if some manufacturer would make a toy as tough, as staunch, as hard to crack open as the carton it comes in!

Jean Kerr (1922–2003) American author and playwright [b. Bridget Jean Collins]
Essay (1970 ca.), “I Saw Mommy Kicking Santa Claus,” Penny Candy

Originally published in McCall's Magazine, but I cannot pin down the issue; possibly Vol. 95, No. 3 (1967-12).

Steele, Richard -- Letter (1713) to William Pulteney, Dedication of Volume 2 of The Guardian

Dave — Mon, 05 Oct 2026 18:55:22 +0000

Zeal for the public good is the characteristic of a man of honour, and a gentleman, and must take place of pleasures, profits, and all other private gratifications. Whoever wants this motive is an open enemy, or an inglorious neuter to mankind, in proportion to the misapplied advantages with which nature and fortune have blessed him.

Richard Steele (1672–1729) Anglo-Irish writer, journalist, playwright, politician
Letter (1713) to William Pulteney, Dedication of Volume 2 of The Guardian

Because the dedication was signed as "The Guardian," Bohn attributed this to Joseph Addison, one of the major contributors to the paper.

Propertius -- Elegies, Book 3, Elegy 13, l. 47ff (3.13.47–50) [tr. Moore (1870), 4.13]

Dave — Mon, 05 Oct 2026 18:33:12 +0000

But now the gods are spurn’d, their altars cold,
All reverence forgot in thirst of gold:
Gold buys the judge, and honour yields to pelf,
Shame weeps o’er Justice dead, then dies herself.

[At nunc desertis cessant sacraria lucis:
aurum omnes victa iam pietate colunt.
Auro pulsa fides, auro venalia iura,
aurum lex sequitur, mox sine lege pudor.]

Propertius (50–16 BC) Roman elegiac poet [Sextus Propertius]
Elegies, Book 3, Elegy 13, l. 47ff (3.13.47–50) [tr. Moore (1870), 4.13]

Because of the corruption of the manuscripts of Propertius and speculating from internal references, some 19th Century scholars (e.g., Lachmann) argued for a different division of the elegies into books, thus the translations noted which instead label this as Book 4, Elegy 13.

(Source (Latin)). Other translations:

[...] All men now worship gold, all other reverence being done away. By gold all good faith has been banished; by gold our rights are abused: the law itself follows gold, and soon there will be an end of every modest restraint.
[tr. Macdonnel (1826 ed.); a, b]

Now groves and shrines are visited by none,
All worship gold since Piety is gone:
Honour, right, law, are bartered now for gold,
And soon will decency itself be sold.
[tr. Cranstoun (1875), 4.13]

But now the groves are deserted and sacrifices are abandoned: all follow gold, piety being now conquered. Honesty is driven out by gold: right can be bought by gold: law follows gold, and decency will soon follow it when law is gone.
[tr. Gantillon (1884), 4.13]

But nowadays the sanctuaries are cold and dull in forsaken groves; devotion is beaten from the field and they all worship gold. Gold has hounded out faith, gold makes a market of right and wrong; the law runs after gold, and, the law once gone, cleanness of heart soon goes the same way.
[tr. Phillimore (1906)]

But now the shrines lie neglected in deserted groves: piety is vanquished and all men worship gold. Gold has banished faith, gold has made judgment to be bought and sold, gold rules the law, and, law once gone, rules chastity as well.
[tr. Butler (Loeb) (1912)]

[...] By gold all good faith has been banished; by gold our rights are abused; the law itself is influenced by gold, and soon there will be an end of every modest restraint.
[ed. Hoyt (1922)]

But now these shrines lie empty and forgotten.
Piety’s lost, and gold’s the dream of man.
Gold's banished faith, and made of Roman justice
a mockery, a thing that's bought and sold.
Greed jeers at law, and, with the law corrupted,
chastity's gone as well, the pawn of gold.
[tr. Carrier (1963)]

But now the shrines are idle, the groves deserted;
True religion is vanquished; all worship gold.
For gold good faith is banished and justice sold;
To gold the law now truckles, and conscience
That owns no law.
[tr. Musker (1972)]

But now shrines suffer neglect in forsaken groves: gold commands the worship of all, with piety trampled underfoot. Gold has banished faith, for gold judgements can be bought, gold is courted by the law, and soon the conscience that requires no law goes the same way.
[tr. Goold (Loeb) (1990)]

But now the shrines are idle in forsaken groves;
Religion conquered, all men worship gold.
Gold drives out honesty, justice is sold for gold,
Law goes for gold, next lawless, honour too.
[tr. Lee (1992)]

But now the shrines decay in deserted groves: all worship money, now piety is vanquished. Money drives out loyalty, justice is bought for money, money rules the law, and, without the law, then shame.
[tr. Kline (2001)]

But now the shrines are empty, groves deserted: gold
is worshipped, piety dismissed.
Gold has banished faith and buys all judgements: gold’s
now law, and conscience follows
[tr. Holcombe (2009)]

White, T. H. -- The Once and Future King, Part 2, ch. 3 [Merlyn] (1939)

Dave — Mon, 05 Oct 2026 17:05:04 +0000

I never could stomach those nationalists. The destiny of Man is to unite, not to divide. If you keep on dividing you end up as a collection of monkeys throwing nuts at each other out of separate trees.

T. H. White (1906–1964) English writer [Terence Hanbury White]
The Once and Future King, Part 2, ch. 3 [Merlyn] (1939)

Shakespeare, William -- Julius Caesar, Act 1, sc. 2, l. 209ff (1.2.209–220) (1599)

Dave — Mon, 05 Oct 2026 16:51:25 +0000

CAESAR: Yet if my name were liable to fear,
I do not know the man I should avoid
So soon as that spare Cassius. He reads much,
He is a great observer, and he looks
Quite through the deeds of men. He loves no plays,
As thou dost, Antony; he hears no music;
Seldom he smiles, and smiles in such a sort
As if he mocked himself and scorned his spirit
That could be moved to smile at anything.
Such men as he be never at heart’s ease
Whiles they behold a greater than themselves,
And therefore are they very dangerous.

William Shakespeare (1564–1616) English dramatist and poet
Julius Caesar, Act 1, sc. 2, l. 209ff (1.2.209–220) (1599)

King, Martin Luther -- Sermon (1963 ed.), “The Three Dimensions of a Complete Life,” “2. Breadth”

Dave — Sat, 03 Oct 2026 19:15:20 +0000

Life’s most persistent and urgent question is, “What are you doing for others?”

Martin Luther King, Jr. (1929–1968) American clergyman, civil rights leader, social activist, preacher
Sermon (1963 ed.), “The Three Dimensions of a Complete Life,” “2. Breadth”

Sermon on Revelation 21:16.

As with many of King's sermons and writings, this one exists in many forms given over the years. While there are indications that the sermon was first developed in early 1952, and a version being preached at Ebenezer Baptist Church (1953-09-06), the earliest documented version is was given as his audition as pastor at Dexter Avenue Baptist Church, Montgomery, Alabama (1954-01-24), under the title "The Dimensions of a Complete Life." That version, however, does not include this phrase or the surrounding text.

King collected a version of the text in his book The Measure of a Man, "The Dimensions of a Complete Life" (1959), as he continued to evolve and repeat the sermon (e.g., 1960, 1960), almost on a yearly basis.

The text of the sermon was fleshed out when collected in Strength to Love, ch. 9 (1963); and that is where this particular phrase can be found; that is what is cited above.

While this text is missing in most versions of this sermon, in some later ones (e.g., New Covenant Baptist Church, Chicago, 1967-04-09), King invokes the Parable of the Sheep and the Goats (Matthew 25:31–46), framing it as contemporary individuals facing Christ after death, ending with Christ asking, "What did you do for others?" and then adding the comment, "Somewhere along the way, we must learn that there is nothing greater than to do something for others."

For more discussion about this quotation, see Quote Origin: Life’s Most Persistent and Urgent Question Is, “What Are You Doing for Others?” – Quote Investigator®.

Goethe, Johann von -- Poem (1814), “Old Age [Das Alter]” [tr. Bowring (1853)]

Dave — Sat, 03 Oct 2026 00:46:49 +0000

Old age is courteous — no one more:
For time after time he knocks at the door,
But nobody says, “Walk in, sir, pray!”
Yet turns he not from the door away,
But lifts the latch, and enters with speed,
And then they cry, “A cool one, indeed.”

[Das Alter ist ein höflich’ Mann:
Einmal übers andre klopft er an;
Aber nun sagt niemand: „Herein!‟
Und vor der Türe will er nicht sein.
Da klinkt er auf, tritt ein so schnell,
Und nun heißt’s, er sei ein grober Gesell.]

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749–1832) German poet, statesman, scientist
Poem (1814), “Old Age [Das Alter]” [tr. Bowring (1853)]

(Source (German)). Other translations:

Old Age is a courteous gentleman:
again and again he knocks.
But nowadays no one says: come in!
And he doesn't want to be in front of the door.
So he rings and enters quickly,
and then people claim he is a coarse fellow.
[tr. Bachlund (1989)]

Old Age, that most polite of men,
Knocks the door, and knocks, then knocks again;
‘Enter’? No-one gives him a shout.
But he’s not one for hanging about,
He lifts the latch and in a trice
There he is. They call him rude and not nice.
[tr. Lawley (2024)]

Old age is a courteous man;
More than once he knocks away;
But now no one speaks, "Come in!"
And at the door he will not stay;
So he opens the latch, walks in so fast,
And now for a churl he is deemed at last.
[tr. Google AI (2026), though it tried to attribute it to two other translators before admitting it had just made it up itself.]

Age is a polite gentleman:
He knocks here and there and then again;
But no one then says, "Come in!"
And he's not much pleased to wait outside.
So the doors he himself unlatches and quickly steps inside,
And now so is it that he's such a rude fellow.
[Source]

Twain, Mark -- Novel (1889), A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court, Part 3 “The Tale of the Lost Land,” ch. 13 “Freemen!”

Dave — Fri, 02 Oct 2026 22:36:00 +0000

[T]he citizen who thinks he sees that the commonwealth’s political clothes are worn out, and yet holds his peace and does not agitate for a new suit, is disloyal; he is a traitor. That he may be the only one who thinks he sees this decay, does not excuse him; it is his duty to agitate anyway, and it is the duty of the others to vote him down if they do not see the matter as he does.

Mark Twain (1835–1910) American writer [pseud. of Samuel Clemens]
Novel (1889), A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court, Part 3 “The Tale of the Lost Land,” ch. 13 “Freemen!”

Stevenson, Robert Louis -- Novel (1886), Kidnapped, ch. 16 “The Lad with the Silver Button: Across Morven”

Dave — Fri, 02 Oct 2026 21:02:25 +0000

There are two things that men should never weary of, goodness and humility; we get none too much of them in this rough world among cold, proud people.

Robert Louis Stevenson (1850–1894) Scottish essayist, novelist, poet
Novel (1886), Kidnapped, ch. 16 “The Lad with the Silver Button: Across Morven”

This chapter was originally published in Young Folks Paper, Vol. 28, No. 811 (1886-06-12).

La Rochefoucauld, Francois -- Réflexions ou sentences et maximes morales [Reflections; or Sentences and Moral Maxims], ¶316 (1665-1678) [tr. Tancock (1959)]

Dave — Fri, 02 Oct 2026 20:49:05 +0000

The weak cannot be sincere.

[Les personnes foibles ne peuvent être sincères.]

François VI, duc de La Rochefoucauld (1613–1680) French epigrammatist, memoirist, noble
Réflexions ou sentences et maximes morales [Reflections; or Sentences and Moral Maxims], ¶316 (1665-1678) [tr. Tancock (1959)]

First included in the 3rd (1671) edition. In manuscript it read, "Les gens foibles ne sauroient avoir de sincérité."

(Source (French)). Other translations:

Half-witted People can never be sincere.
[tr. Stanhope (1694), ¶316]

Weak people are incapable of sincerity.
[pub. Donaldson (1783), ¶475; ed. Carvill (1835), ¶403; tr. FitzGibbon (1957), ¶316]

Weak persons cannot be sincere.
[ed. Gowens (1851), ¶326; tr. Bund/Friswell (1871), ¶316]

A weakling is incapable of sincerity.
[tr. Heard (1917), ¶323]

Sincerity is incompatible with weakness of character.
[tr. Stevens (1939), ¶316]

Weak people cannot be sincere.
[tr. Kronenberger (1959); Whichello (2016), Chandler; all ¶316]

Pratchett, Terry -- Discworld No. 13, Small Gods [Om] (1992)

Dave — Fri, 02 Oct 2026 15:08:36 +0000

Whenever you see a bunch of buggers puttering around talking about truth and beauty and the best way of attacking Ethics, you can bet your sandals it’s because dozens of other poor buggers are doing all the real work around the place.

Terry Pratchett (1948–2015) English author
Discworld No. 13, Small Gods [Om] (1992)