At least one way of measuring the freedom of any society is the amount of comedy that is permitted, and clearly a healthy society permits more satirical comment than a repressive, so that if comedy is to function in some way as a safety release then it must obviously deal with these taboo areas. This is part of the responsibility we accord our licensed jesters, that nothing be excused the searching light of comedy. If anything can survive the probe of humour it is clearly of value, and conversely all groups who claim immunity from laughter are claiming special privileges which should not be granted.
Eric Idle (b. 1943) British actor, musician, writer, comedian
(Attributed)
Life doesn’t make any sense, and we all pretend it does. Comedy’s job is to point out that it doesn’t make sense, and that it doesn’t make much difference anyway.
Eric Idle (b. 1943) British actor, musician, writer, comedian
(Attributed)
A community is like a ship; everyone ought to be prepared to take the helm.
Henrik Ibsen (1828-1906) Norwegian poet and playwright
An Enemy of the People, “Billing,” Act 1 (1882)
A thousand words will not leave so deep an impression as one deed.
Ikke tusend ord
sig prenter, som én gernings spor.Henrik Ibsen (1828-1906) Norwegian poet and playwright
Brand, “Manden,” Act 2 (1866)
Alt. trans.: "A thousand words can't make the mark a single deed will leave."
They’ll tell you that the darkness is a blessing in disguise
For you’ll never have to notice if you’re sighted or you’re blind
And they’ll do their best to keep you from the light.Janice Ian (b. 1951) American singer/songwriter [b. Janis Eddy Fink]
(Attributed)
My father always used to say that when you die, if you’ve got five real friends, then you’ve had a great life.
Lee Iacocca (1924-2019) American businessman [Lido Anthony Iacocca]
(Attributed)
We are continuously faced by great opportunities brilliantly disguised as insoluble problems.
Lee Iacocca (1924-2019) American businessman [Lido Anthony Iacocca]
(Attributed)
I am too much of a sceptic to deny the possibility of anything — especially as I am now so much occupied with theology — but I don’t see my way to your conclusion.
T. H. Huxley (1825-1895) English biologist [Thomas Henry Huxley]
Letter to Herbert Spencer (22 Mar 1886)
Often quoted with the American spelling "skeptic," and leaving off all after "anything."
The saying that a little knowledge is a dangerous thing is, to my mind, a very dangerous adage. If knowledge is real and genuine, I do not believe that it is other than a very valuable possession, however infinitesimal its quantity may be. Indeed, if a little knowledge is dangerous, where is the man who has so much as to be out of danger?
The results of political changes are hardly ever those which their friends hope or their foes fear.
T. H. Huxley (1825-1895) English biologist [Thomas Henry Huxley]
“Government: Anarchy or Regimentation?” (1890)
Full text.
This may not be the best of all possible worlds, but to say that it is the worst is mere petulant nonsense.
T. H. Huxley (1825-1895) English biologist [Thomas Henry Huxley]
The Struggle for Existence in Human Society
God give me the strength to face a fact though it slay me.
T. H. Huxley (1825-1895) English biologist [Thomas Henry Huxley]
(Attributed)
History warns us, however, that it is the customary fate of new truths to begin as heresies and to end as superstitions; and, as matters now stand, it is hardly rash to anticipate that, in another twenty years, the new generation, educated under the influences of the present day, will be in danger of accepting the main doctrines of the ‘Origin of Species’ with as little reflection, and it may be with as little justification, as so many of our contemporaries, twenty years ago, rejected them. Against any such a consummation let us all devoutly pray; for the scientific spirit is of more value than its products, and irrationally held truths may be more harmful than reasoned errors.
T. H. Huxley (1825-1895) English biologist [Thomas Henry Huxley]
“The Coming of Age of The Origin of Species,” lecture, Royal Institution (19 Mar 1880)
(Source)
First printed in Nature: A Weekly Illustrated Journal of Science (6 May 1880).
The great tragedy of Science — the slaying of a beautiful hypothesis by an ugly fact.
T. H. Huxley (1825-1895) English biologist [Thomas Henry Huxley]
“Biogenesis and Abiogenesis,” Presidential Address at the British Association (1870)
(Source)
Make up your mind to act decidedly and take the consequences.
T. H. Huxley (1825-1895) English biologist [Thomas Henry Huxley]
Letter to Dr. Dohrn (17 Oct 1873)
I wanted to change the world. But I have found that the only thing one can be sure of changing is oneself.
Aldous Huxley (1894-1963) English novelist, essayist and critic
Quoted in “Sayings of the Week,” The Observer (2 Jul 1961)
Not actually found in any of Huxley's published works, and this reference does not provide a source or situation where it was said.
For more discussion: I Wanted To Change the World. But I Have Found That the Only Thing One Can Be Sure of Changing Is Oneself – Quote Investigator®
There is only one corner of the universe you can be certain of improving, and that’s your own self.
Aldous Huxley (1894-1963) English novelist, essayist and critic
Time Must Have a Stop (1944)
The rung of a ladder was never meant to rest upon, but only to hold a man’s foot long enough to enable him to put the other somewhat higher.
Aldous Huxley (1894-1963) English novelist, essayist and critic
(Attributed)
The horror no less than the charm of real life consists precisely in the recurrent actualization of the inconceivable.
Aldous Huxley (1894-1963) English novelist, essayist and critic
Themes and Variations (1950)
Most human beings have an almost infinite capacity for taking things for granted.
Aldous Huxley (1894-1963) English novelist, essayist and critic
“Variations on a Philosopher,” Themes and Variations (1950)
(Source)
At any given moment, life is completely senseless. But viewed over a period, it seems to reveal itself as an organism existing in time, having a purpose, trending in a certain direction.
Aldous Huxley (1894-1963) English novelist, essayist and critic
(Attributed)
Too much consistency is as bad for the mind as it is for the body. Consistency is contrary to nature, contrary to life. The only completely consistent people are the dead.
Aldous Huxley (1894-1963) English novelist, essayist and critic
“Wordsworth in the Tropics,” Do What You Will (1929)
Facts do not cease to exist because they are ignored.
Aldous Huxley (1894-1963) English novelist, essayist and critic
Proper Studies (1927)
It is because we don’t know who we are, because we are unaware that the kingdom of heaven is within us, that we behave in the generally silly, the often insane, the sometimes criminal ways that are so characteristically human.
Aldous Huxley (1894-1963) English novelist, essayist and critic
The Perennial Philosophy, ch. 1 (1944)
The naked lust for money, once considered as unseemly as public sex, [has] now [been] accepted as a virtue.
Michael Hutchinson (contemp.) American neurologist, researcher
The Anatomy of Sex and Power, ch. 18 (1990)
Q: If you can’t take a little bloody nose, maybe you had better go back home and crawl under your bed. It’s not safe out here. It’s wondrous, with treasures to satiate desires both subtle and gross. But it’s not for the timid.
Maurice Hurley (1939-2015) American screenwriter, producer [a.k.a. C.J. Holland]
Star Trek: The Next Generation, “Q Who?” (6 May 1989)
Compassion is not weakness, and concern for the unfortunate is not socialism.
Hubert Horatio Humphrey (1911-1978) American politician
Speech, Democratic State Convention, Little Rock, Arkansas (18 Sep 1964)
The right to be heard does not automatically include the right to be taken seriously.
Hubert Horatio Humphrey (1911-1978) American politician
Speech, National Student Association, University of Wisconsin, Madison (23 Aug 1965)
Oh, my friend, it’s not what they take away from you that counts. It’s what you do with what you have left.
Hubert Horatio Humphrey (1911-1978) American politician
(Attributed, 1976)
Comment after cancer surgery to remove his bladder.
OSTROW: But the Krell forgot one thing. Monsters, John! Monsters from the Id!
Cyril Hume (1900-1966) American screenwriter, author
Forbidden Planet [with Fred McLeod Wilcox] (1956)
Always keep your composure. You can’t score from the penalty box; and to win, you have to score.
Bobby Hull (b. 1939) Canadian hockey pro [Robert Marrin Hull, Jr.]
(Attributed)
The supreme happiness of life is the conviction that we are loved; loved for ourselves — say rather, loved in spite of ourselves.
[Le suprême bonheur de la vie, c’est la conviction qu’on est aimé; aimé pour soi-même, disons mieux, aimé malgré soi-même.]
Victor Hugo (1802-1885) French writer
Les Misérables, Part 1 “Fantine,” Book 5 “The Descent,” ch. 4 (1.5.4) (1862) [tr. Wilbour (1862)]
(Source)
(Source (French)). Alternate translations:
The supreme happiness of life is the conviction of being loved for yourself, or, more correctly speaking, loved in spite of yourself.
[tr. Wraxall (1862)]
The greatest happiness of life is the conviction that we are loved -- loved for ourselves, or rather, loved in spite of ourselves.
[E.g. (1873)]
The supreme happiness of life consists in the conviction that one is loved; loved for one's own sake -- let us say rather, loved in spite of one's self.
[tr. Hapgood (1887)]
The supreme happiness in life is the assurance of being loved; of being loved for oneself, even in spite of oneself.
[tr. Denny (1976)]
The supreme happiness of life is the conviction that we are loved; loved for ourselves -- say rather, loved in spite of ourselves.
[tr. Wilbour/Fahnestock/MacAfee (1987)]
The supreme happiness of life is the conviction that you are loved, loved for yourself, better still, loved despite yourself.
[tr. Donougher (2013)]
Laughter is sunshine; it chases winter from the human face.
[Le rire, c’est le soleil; il chasse l’hiver du visage humain.]
Victor Hugo (1802-1885) French writer
Les Misérables, Vol. 2 “Cosette,” Book 8 “Cemeteries Take What is Given Them,” ch. 9 “The Close” (1862) [tr. Wilbour]
Alt trans. [Denny (1980)]: "Laughter is a sun that drives out winter from the human face." Full text. Cited as Part II, ch. 8 "Cemeteries Take What They Are Given."
The best religion is tolerance.
Victor Hugo (1802-1885) French writer
(Attributed)
It is nothing to die; it is horrible not to live.
[Ce n’est rien de mourir; c’est affreux de ne pas vivre.]
Victor Hugo (1802-1885) French writer
Les Misérables, Vol. 5 “Jean Valjean,” Book 9 “Supreme Shadow, Supreme Dawn,” ch. 5 “Night Behind Which Is Dawn” (1862) [tr. Wilbour]
Alt trans.: "It is nothing to die; it is frightful not to live."
Thought is the labor of the intellect, reverie is its pleasure.
[La pensée est le labeur de l’intelligence, la rêverie en est la volupté.]
Victor Hugo (1802-1885) French writer
Les Misérables, Vol. 4 “St. Denis,” Book 2 “Eponine,” ch. 1 “The Field of the Lark” (1862) [tr. Wilbour]
Alt trans. [Denny (1980)]: "Thought is the work of the intellect, reveries its self-indulgence." Cited as Part IV, ch. 2 "Eponine."
Adversity makes men; prosperity makes monsters.
Victor Hugo (1802-1885) French writer
(Attributed)
Great blunders are often made, like large ropes, of a multitude of fibers.
[Les fortes sottises sont souvent faites, comme les grosses cordes, d’une multitude de brins.]
Victor Hugo (1802-1885) French writer
Les Misérables, Vol. 2 “Cosette,” Book 5 “A Dark Chase Requires a Silent Hound,” ch. 10 “In Which it is explained how Javert lost the Game” (1862) [tr. Wilbour]
Alt. trans. [N. Denny (1980)]: "The greatest blunders, like the thickest ropes, are often compounded of a multitude of strands. Take the rope apart, separate it into the small threads that compose it, and you can break them one by one. You think, 'That is all there was!' But twist them all together, and you have something tremendous." Full text. Cited as Part 2, ch. 5 "Hunt in the Darkness."
One can dream of something more terrible than a hell where one suffers; it’s a hell where one would get bored.
Victor Hugo (1802-1885) French writer
(Attributed)
There are thoughts which are prayers. There are moments when, whatever the posture of the body, the soul is on its knees.
[De certaines pensées sont des prières. Il y a des moments où, quelle que soit l’attitude du corps, l’âme est à genoux.]
Victor Hugo (1802-1885) French writer
Les Misérables, Part 4 “Saint Denis,” Book 5 “The End of Which Does Not Resemble the Beginning,” ch. 4 (4.5.4) (1862) [tr. Denny (1976)]
(Source)
(Source (French)). Alternate translations:
Certain thoughts are prayers. There are moments when, whatever be the attitude of the body, the soul is on its knees.
[tr. Wilbour (1862)]
Certain thoughts are prayers. There are moments when the soul is kneeling, no matter what the attitude of the body may be.
[tr. Wraxall (1862)]
Certain thoughts are prayers. There are moments when, whatever the attitude of the body may be, the soul is on its knees.
[tr. Hapgood (1887)]
Certain thoughts are prayers. There are moments when, whatever the attitude of the body, the soul is on its knees.
[tr. Wilbour/Fahnestock/MacAfee (1987)]
If you play it safe in life, you’ve decided that you don’t want to grow anymore.
Shirley Hufstedler (1925-2016) American jurist, US Secty of Education (1979-81)
(Attributed)
I never, ever say, “I can’t,” about anything. I might say, “I don’t have the authority to make that decision,” or, “Building A is too heavy for me to lift,” or, “I will need training before I pilot that space shuttle.”
(Other Authors and Sources)
Mike Huber, Techwr-L
Don’t knock the weather; nine-tenths of the people couldn’t start a conversation if it didn’t change once in a while.
Frank McKinney "Kin" Hubbard (1868-1930) American caricaturist and humorist
(Attributed)
Variant: "'Don't knock the weather. If it didn't change once in a while, nine out of ten people couldn't start a conversation."
When a feller says, “It hain’t th’ money, but th’ principle o’ th’ thing,” it’s th’ money.
[When a fellow says, “It ain’t the money, but the principle of the thing,” it’s the money.]
Frank McKinney "Kin" Hubbard (1868-1930) American caricaturist and humorist
Hoss Sense and Nonsense (1926)
Honesty pays, but it don’t seem to pay enough to suit some people.
Frank McKinney "Kin" Hubbard (1868-1930) American caricaturist and humorist
(Attributed)
Quoted in Time (2 Jul 1973) Also given as "It pays t'be honest, but it don't pay enough t'suit some fellers."
Live so that you can at least get the benefit of the doubt.
Frank McKinney "Kin" Hubbard (1868-1930) American caricaturist and humorist
(Attributed)
The greatest mistake you can make in life is to be continually fearing you will make one.
Elbert Hubbard (1856-1915) American writer, businessman, philosopher
The Philistine, Vol. 13, #5 (Nov 1901)
Genius may have its limitations, but stupidity is not thus handicapped.
Elbert Hubbard (1856-1915) American writer, businessman, philosopher
The Philistine, Vol. 23, #4 (Sep 1906)
If you would escape moral and physical assassination, do nothing, say nothing, be nothing — court obscurity, for only in oblivion does safety lie.
Elbert Hubbard (1856-1915) American writer, businessman, philosopher
Little Journeys to the Homes of American Statemen, “William H. Seward” (1916)
(Source)
Variants show up elsewhere in Hubbard's writings and and his quote epigrams.Often misattributed to Aristotle.
- To escape criticism -- do nothing, say nothing, be nothing.
- To avoid unkind criticism: do nothing, say nothing, be nothing.
- There is only one way to avoid criticism: do nothing, say nothing and be nothing.
Life is just one damned thing after another.
Elbert Hubbard (1856-1915) American writer, businessman, philosopher
A Thousand and One Epigrams (1911)
Variant: "Life is just one damn thing after another."
Every man is a dam fool at least ten minutes a day. Wisdom consists in not exceeding the limit.
Elbert Hubbard (1856-1915) American writer, businessman, philosopher
The Philistine, Vol. 29, #6 (Nov 1909)
Full text.
Sometimes given: "Every man is a damn fool at least five minutes every day; wisdom consists in not exceeding the limit."
I would rather be able to appreciate things I can not have than to have things I am not able to appreciate.
Elbert Hubbard (1856-1915) American writer, businessman, philosopher
The Notebook of Elbert Hubbard [ed. E. Hubbard II] (1927)
Although gold dust is precious, when it gets in your eyes it obstructs your vision.
Hsi-Tang Chih Tsang (735-814) Chinese Zen master
(Attributed)
Lean too much on the approval of people, and it becomes a bed of thorns.
Tehyi Hsieh (1884-1972) Chinese philosopher, educator, diplomat
Chinese epigrams inside out, and proverbs (1948)
There is a coherent plan in the universe, though I don’t know what it’s a plan for.
Fred Hoyle (1915-2001) English astronomer, author
(Attributed)
