One man cannot hold another man down in the ditch without remaining down in the ditch with him.
Booker T. Washington (1856-1915) American educator, writer
Speech, Republican Club, New York City (12 Feb 1909)
(Source)
Sometimes paraphrased, "You can't hold a man down without staying down with him."
I have learned that success is to be measured not so much by the position that one has reached in life as by the obstacles which he has overcome while trying to succeed.
There are two ways of exerting one’s strength; one is pushing down, the other is pulling up.
Booker T. Washington (1856-1915) American educator, writer
(Attributed)
The first measure of a free society is NOT that its government performs the will of the majority. That’s what we had in 1930s Germany, 1950s Georgia, and 1980s Iran. The FIRST measure of a free society is that its government protects the just freedoms of its minorities AGAINST the preferences, will and caprice of the majority.
Jim Warren (b. 1936) American mathematician, computer scientist, journalist, activist
(Attributed)
A citizen’s constitutional rights can hardly be infringed simply because a majority of the people choose that it be.
Earl Warren (1891-1974) American jurist and politician; Chief Justice of the Supreme Court (1953-69)
Lucas v. Colorado General Assembly, 377 U.S. 713, majority opinion (1964)
He who serves God with what costs him nothing, will do very little service, you may depend on it.
Susan Warner (1819-1885) American novelist
What She Could, Ch. 11 (1870)
What’s great about this country is that America started the tradition where the richest consumers buy essentially the same things as the poorest. You can be watching TV and see Coca-Cola, and you know that the President drinks Coke, Liz Taylor drinks Coke, and just think, you can drink Coke, too. A Coke is a Coke and no amount of money can get you a better Coke than the one the bum on the corner is drinking. All the Cokes are the same and all the Cokes are good. Liz Taylor knows it, the President knows it, the bum knows it, and you know it.
Andy Warhol (1928-1987) American artist, author
The Philosophy of Andy Warhol: From A to B and Back Again
The moment you label something, you take a step — I mean, you can never go back again to seeing it unlabelled.
Andy Warhol (1928-1987) American artist, author
The Philosophy of Andy Warhol: From A to B and Back Again
Sometimes the little times you don’t think are anything while they’re happening turn out to be what marks a whole period of your life.
Andy Warhol (1928-1987) American artist, author
The Philosophy of Andy Warhol: From A to B and Back Again
One man’s perfectly rational and objective decision making may be another man’s utter insanity.
(Other Authors and Sources)
Ron Ward
Trouble will come soon enough, and when he does come, receive him as pleasantly as possible. Like the tax collector, he is a disagreeable chap to have in one’s house, but the more amiably you greet him the sooner he will go away.
Artemus Ward (1834-1867) American humorist, editor, lecturer [pseud. of Charles Farrar Browne]
(Attributed)
“Thrice is he armed that hath his quarrel just” —
And four times he who gets his fist in fust.Artemus Ward (1834-1867) American humorist, editor, lecturer [pseud. of Charles Farrar Browne]
Shakespeare Up-to-Date
See Shakespeare. Also attributed to Josh Billings in Josh Billings: His Sayings (1865), and sometimes oddly credited to Romans 13:7.
SIR TE: Sometimes the greatest heroes are also the greatest idiots.
Hui-ling Wang (contemp.) Taiwanese screenwriter [Wáng Huìlíng, 王蕙玲]
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000)
(with James Schamus, Kuo Jung Tsai; book by Du Lu Wang)
To carry a grudge is like being stung to death by one bee.
(Other Authors and Sources)
William H. Walton
A vortex of disturbed emotions is often dissipated by a sense of humour, and a heartfelt laugh.
J. Donald Walters (1926-2013) American yoga teacher, writer, musician [a.k.a. Swami Kriyananda]
(Attributed)
Concentrate more on the longer rhythms in your life. Dwell less on the ups and downs of the moment; more on permanent realities.
J. Donald Walters (1926-2013) American yoga teacher, writer, musician [a.k.a. Swami Kriyananda]
(Attributed)
The secret of happiness is understanding that friendship is more precious than mere things, more precious than getting one’s own way, more precious than being right in situations where true principles are not at stake.
J. Donald Walters (1926-2013) American yoga teacher, writer, musician [a.k.a. Swami Kriyananda]
(Attributed)
To feel valued, to know, even if only once in a while, that you can do a job well is an absolutely marvelous feeling.
Barbara Walters (b. 1929) American broadcast journalist
(Attributed)
This world is a comedy to those that think; a tragedy to those that feel.
Horace Walpole (1717-1797) English novelist, letter writer
Letter to Anne, Countess of Upper Ossory (16 Aug 1776)
(Source)
Walpole frequently used used this phrase or variants in letters (and in fact prefaces this quote with "I have often said ..."). Another example is an earlier letter to Horace Mann (31 Dec 1769):
I have often said, and oftener think, that this world is a comedy to those that think, a tragedy to those that feel -- a solution of why Democritus laughed and Heraclitus wept.
It may be derived from an (unsourced) similar quote attributed Jean de La Bruyère: "Life is a tragedy for those who feel, and a comedy for those who think".
History is a romance that is believed; romance, a history that is not believed.
Horace Walpole (1717-1797) English novelist, letter writer
(Attributed)
Being on the tightrope is living; everything else is waiting.
Karl Wallenda (1905-1978) German-American tightrope walker
(Attributed)
Never let the urgent crowd out the important.
Kelly Catlin Walker (contemp.) American motivational speaker, business consultant
(Attributed)
No person is you friend who demands your silence, or denies your right to grow.
Alice Walker (b. 1944) American writer, activist
(Attributed)
I think it pisses God off if you walk by the color purple in a field somewhere and don’t notice it.
Alice Walker (b. 1944) American writer, activist
The Color Purple (1982)
The most common way people give up their power is by thinking they don’t have any.
Alice Walker (b. 1944) American writer, activist
(Attributed)
The ability to delude yourself may be an important survival tool.
Jane Wagner (b. 1935) American humorist, writer, director
(Attributed)
By the time a man realizes that maybe his father was right, he usually has a son who thinks he’s wrong.
Charles Wadsworth (contemp.) American musician, promoter
(Attributed)
Kilgore Trout once wrote a short story which was a dialogue between two pieces of yeast. They were discussing the possible purposes of life as they ate sugar and suffocated in their own excrement. Because of their limited intelligence, they never came close to guessing that they were making champagne.
Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. (1922-2007) American novelist, journalist
(Attributed)
Don’t be reckless with other people’s hearts, and don’t put up with people who are reckless with yours.
Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. (1922-2007) American novelist, journalist
(Attributed)
First ponder, then dare.
Helmuth von Moltke (1800-1891) Prussian soldier
(Attributed)
The manner in which a man views his fate is more important than what his fate is.
Baron Wilhelm von Humboldt (1767-1835) German philologist, diplomat
Letter to Charlotte von Stein (6 Sep 1825) [tr. Stebbing (1849)]
Full text.
Alt. trans.:
- "It is far more important how we accept our fortune than what that fortune really may be." [tr. Couper (1824)]
- "How a person masters his fate is more important than what his fate is."
See also this earlier letter.
If we cannot live so as to be happy, let us at least live so as to deserve it.
Immanuel Hermann Fichte (1796-1879) German philosopher
(Attributed)
I have learned to use the word impossible with the greatest caution.
Wernher von Braun (1877-1912) German-American engineer
(Attributed)
Love truth, but pardon error.
[Aime la vérité, mais pardonne à l’erreur.]Voltaire (1694-1778) French writer [pseud. of Francois-Marie Arouet]
Sept Discours en Vers sur l’Homme, “Deuxième discours: de la liberté” (1738)
It is dangerous to be right in matters where established men are wrong.
[Il est dangereux d’avoir raison dans des choses où des hommes accrédités ont tort.]Voltaire (1694-1778) French writer [pseud. of Francois-Marie Arouet]
“Catalogue pour la plupart des écrivains français qui ont paru dans Le Siècle de Louis XIV, pour servir à l’histoire littéraire de ce temps” (1752)
Alt trans:
"It is dangerous to be right when the government is wrong."
"It is dangerous to be right in matters on which the established authorities are wrong."
The best government is a benevolent tyranny tempered by an occasional assassination.
Voltaire (1694-1778) French writer [pseud. of Francois-Marie Arouet]
(Attributed)
Anything that is too stupid to be spoken is sung.
Voltaire (1694-1778) French writer [pseud. of Francois-Marie Arouet]
(Misattributed)
Actually, Pierre de Beaumarchais, Le Barbier de Séville (1775), I.ii, "Aujourd'hui ce qui ne vaut pas la peine d'être dit, on le chante" ["Nowadays what isn't worth saying is sung"]. Also, Joseph Addison, The Spectator (21 Mar 1711), who spoke of "an establish'd Rule, which is receiv'd as such to this Day, That nothing is capable of being well set to Musick, that is not Nonsense."
God is a comic playing to an audience that’s afraid to laugh.
Voltaire (1694-1778) French writer [pseud. of Francois-Marie Arouet]
(Misattributed)
Unverified. See Mencken.
If God has made us in his image, we have returned him the favor.
[Si Dieu nous a fait à son image, nous le lui avons bien rendu.]Voltaire (1694-1778) French writer [pseud. of Francois-Marie Arouet]
Notebooks (c.1735-c.1750)
Alt. trans. "If God created us in his own image we have more than reciprocated."
Doubt is not a pleasant condition, but certainty is an absurd one.
[Le doute n’est pas une condition agréable, mais la certitude est absurde.]
Voltaire (1694-1778) French writer [pseud. of Francois-Marie Arouet]
Letter to Frederick William, Prince of Prussia (28 Nov 1770) [tr. Tallentyre (1919)]
(Source)
Alt trans.
- "Doubt is not a pleasant condition, but certainty is absurd."
- "Doubt is not an agreeable condition, but certainty is an absurd one."
- "Doubt is not a very agreeable state, but certainty is a ridiculous one."
It is difficult to free fools from the chains they revere.
[Il est bien malaisé (puisqu’il faut enfin m’expliquer) d’ôter à des insensés des chaînes qu’ils révèrent.]
Voltaire (1694-1778) French writer [pseud. of Francois-Marie Arouet]
Le dîner du comte de Boulainvilliers, “Troisième Entretien” (1767)
Think for yourselves and let others enjoy the privilege to do so, too.
Voltaire (1694-1778) French writer [pseud. of Francois-Marie Arouet]
Dictionnaire philosophique portatif, “Tolerance” (1764)
A witty saying proves nothing.
[Un bon mot ne prouve rien.]Voltaire (1694-1778) French writer [pseud. of Francois-Marie Arouet]
Le dîner du comte de Boulainvilliers, “Deuxième Entretien” (1767)
Full text.
Judge a man by his questions rather than his answers.
Voltaire (1694-1778) French writer [pseud. of Francois-Marie Arouet]
(Misttributed)
Actually Pierre-Marc-Gaston, duc de Lévis (1764-1830): "Il est encore plus facile de juger de l'esprit d'un homme par ses questions que par ses réponses." [It is easier to judge the mind of a man by his questions rather than his answers] in Maximes et réflexions sur différents sujets de morale et de politique, Maxim 17 (1808)
Many risks fail because they were not taken in time. Too many risks are postponed until unnecessarily elaborate preparations are made. This does not mean that one should say, “Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead!” That is foolish and self-destructive. … But don’t sit back waiting for the perfect moment. It almost never comes.
David Viscott (1938-1996) American psychologist, writer, radio personality
(Attributed)
Those blush to lose a conquering game,
And fain would peril life for fame:
These bring success their zeal to fan;
They can because they think they can.[Hi proprium decus et partum indignantur honorem
ni teneant, vitamque volunt pro laude pacisci;
hos successus alit: possunt, quia posse videntur.]Virgil (70-19 BC) Roman poet [b. Publius Vergilius Maro; also Vergil]
The Aeneid [Ænē̆is], Book 5, l. 229ff (5.229-231) (29-19 BC) [tr. Conington (1866)]
(Source)
Of the crews of the two remaining ships racing at the funeral games of Anchises: Cloanthus' Scylla which is closing on the finish line; Mnestheus' Pristis which has come up from last place and may yet take the lead. (Cloanthus wins the race by offering a sacrifice to the sea gods.)
(Source (Latin)). Alternate translations:
These their new glory, honours got despise,
Unless they keep it, and to gaine the prize
Would sell their lives; success feeds them; they may
Because they think they can obtain the day.
[tr. Ogilby (1649)]
Resolv'd to hold their own, they mend their pace,
All obstinate to die, or gain the race.
Rais'd with success, the Dolphin swiftly ran;
For they can conquer, who believe they can.
[tr. Dryden (1697)]
These are fired with indignation, lest they should lose their possession of glory and honor they have won; and they are willing to barter life for renown. Those success cherishes; they are able because they seem to be able.
[tr. Davidson/Buckley (1854)]
These scorn to lose the honour that is their own, the glory in their grasp, and would sell life for renown; to these success lends life; power comes with belief in it.
[tr. Mackail (1885)]
These, thinking shame of letting fall their hardly-gotten gain
Of glory's meed, to buy the praise with very life are fain;
Those, fed on good-hap, all things may, because they deem they may
[tr. Morris (1900), l. 228ff]
These scorn to lose their vantage, stung with shame,
And life is wagered willingly for fame.
Success inspires the hindmost; as they dare,
They do; the thought of winning wins the game.
[tr. Taylor (1907), st. 31, l. 274ff]
The leaders now with eager souls would scorn
to lose their glory, and faint-hearted fail
to grasp a prize half-won, but fain would buy
honor with life itself; the followers too
are flushed with proud success, and feel them strong
because their strength is proven.
[tr. Williams (1910)]
These think it shame not to keep the honour that is theirs, the glory they have won, and would barter life for fame: those success heartens; strong are they, for strong they deem themselves.
[tr. Fairclough (1916)]
On the Scylla
They would give their lives to hold their place, they have won it,
The glory and honor are theirs already, almost;
And Mnestheus’ men take courage from their nearness;
They can because they think they can.
[tr. Humphries (1951)]
One crew was compelled by the shame of losing a prize they had all but
Gained for their own, and would give their lives for its glory; the other
Was fired by success -- they could do it because they believed they could do it.
[tr. Day-Lewis (1952)]
Cloanthus' crewmen
now think it a disgrace to fail to keep
the fame and honor they themselves have won,
and they would give their very lives for glory;
but Menestheus' men are strengthened by success,
they have the power because they feel they have it.
[tr. Mandelbaum (1971), l. 301ff]
One crew fought off the shame of losing honor
Theirs already, glory won; they'd give
Their lives for fame; but luck empowered the others
Who felt that they could do it, and so could.
[tr. Fitzgerald (1981), l. 294ff]
Cloanthus and his men on the Scylla saw the honour as theirs by right. They had already won the victory and had no intention of giving it up. They would rather have lost their lives than lose the glory. Mnestheus and his men on the Pristis were feeding on success. They could win because they thought they could.
[tr. West (1990)]
The former crew are unhappy lest they fail to keep
the honour that is theirs and the glory already
in their possession, and would sell their lives for fame.
the latter feed on success: they can because they think they can.
[tr. Kline (2002)]
One crew, stung by the shame of losing victory now
with glory won, would trade their lives for fame.
But Mnestheus and his crew, fired by their success,
can just about win the day because they think they can.
[tr. Fagles (2006), l. 256ff]
One crew would hate to lose the glory of an honor all but one. They'd trade their lives for victory. The others were encouraged by success. Belief in victory spurred them on.
[tr. Bartsch (2021)]
Death twitches my ear. “Live,” he says; “I am coming.”
[Pereat qui crastina curat.
Mors aurem vellens Vivite, ait, venio.]Virgil (70-19 BC) Roman poet [b. Publius Vergilius Maro; also Vergil]
“Copa [The Dancing Girl / The Barmaid / The Female Tavern Keeper],” ll. 37-38, Appendix Vergiliana [Minor Poems]
(Source)
The Appendix Vergiliana were long considered authentic, if younger, poems by Virgil, but scholars today consider them to be by other, unknown authors from around the 1st Century AD, collected in Late Antiquity.
Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr., quoted the line in a radio address on his ninetieth birthday (1931-03-08), as noted below.
(Source (Latin)). Alternate translations:
Away with him who heeds the morrow! Death, plucking the ear, cries: "Live; I come!"
[tr. Fairclough (1908)]
Let him perish who
Doth care about to-morrow. Death your ear
Demands and says, "I come, so live to-day."
[tr. Mooney (1916)]
Death plucks my ear and says, Live -- I am coming.
[tr. Holmes (1931)]
Never mind tomorrow. In my ear
Death whispers: "Live! I'm coming. I am here!"
[tr. Slavitt (2011)]
Now people confuse morals with manners.
Vincent Virga (b. 1942) American photo editor, writer
Gaywyck
One advantage of marriage, it seems to me, is that when you fall out of love with him, or he falls out of love with you, it keeps you together until maybe you fall in again.
Judith Viorst (b. 1931) American writer, journalist, psychoanalysis researcher
Love and Shrimp (1999) [with Shelly Markam]
(Source)
Superstition is foolish, childish, primitive and irrational — but how much does it cost you to knock on wood?
Judith Viorst (b. 1931) American writer, journalist, psychoanalysis researcher
Love & Guilt & the Meaning of Life, Etc. (1979)
World events are the work of individuals whose motives are often frivolous, even casual.
Gore Vidal (1925-2012) American novelist, dramatist, critic
“The Twelve Caesars,” United States (1993)
Perfectionist: One who takes infinite pains and gives them to others.
Gore Vidal (1925-2012) American novelist, dramatist, critic
(Attributed)
Great events make me quiet and calm; it is only trifles that irritate my nerves.
Victoria (1819-1901) British monarch, queen, empress (1837-1901) [Alexandrina Victoria Wettin, née Hanover]
Letter to King Leopold of Belgium (1848)
The greatest achievement of the human spirit is to live up to one’s opportunities, and to make the most of one’s resources.
[Le plus grand effort de l’esprit est de se tenier à la hauteur de la fortune, ou au niveau des richesses.]
Luc de Clapiers, Marquis de Vauvenargues (1715-1747) French moralist, essayist, soldier
Reflections and Maxims [Réflexions et maximes], #583 (1746)
Alt. trans.: "The supreme achievement of the human spirit is to be equal to one's fortune, or to live at the level of one's means."
