WIST Quotations

Greenwood, Kerry -- Phryne Fisher No. 13, The Castlemaine Murders, ch. 4 [Phryne to Jane] (2003)

Dave — Thu, 16 Apr 2026 21:39:31 +0000

“The best advice I would give you is, ‘If under attack, cause a diversion.'”
“A diversion?”
“Yes, trip over the dog, spill a glass of wine on your attacker, burst into song, challenge your attacker to a duel.”

Kerry Greenwood (b. 1954) Australian author and lawyer
Phryne Fisher No. 13, The Castlemaine Murders, ch. 4 [Phryne to Jane] (2003)
(Source)

Addison, Joseph -- Essay (1711-06-26), The Spectator, No. 101

Dave — Mon, 07 Jul 2025 17:28:01 +0000

If men of eminence are exposed to censure on one hand, they are as much liable to flattery on the other. If they receive reproaches which are not due to them, they likewise receive praises which they do not deserve. In a word, the man in a high post is never regarded with an indifferent eye, but always considered as a friend or an enemy.

Joseph Addison (1672-1719) English essayist, poet, statesman
Essay (1711-06-26), The Spectator, No. 101
(Source)

Addison, Joseph -- Essay (1711-06-26), The Spectator, No. 101

Dave — Mon, 30 Jun 2025 17:24:31 +0000

“Censure,” says a late ingenious author, “is the tax a man pays for being eminent.” It is a folly for an eminent man to think of escaping it, and a weakness to be affected with it. All the illustrious persons of antiquity, and indeed of every age in the world, have passed through this fiery persecution. There is no defense against reproach but obscurity; it is a kind of concomitant to greatness, as satires and invectives were an essential part of a Roman triumph.

Joseph Addison (1672-1719) English essayist, poet, statesman
Essay (1711-06-26), The Spectator, No. 101
(Source)

The quotation is from Jonathan Swift.

Shakespeare, William -- Henry V, Act 4, sc. 5, l. 19ff (4.5.19-25) (1599)

Dave — Mon, 31 Mar 2025 16:43:28 +0000

CONSTABLE: Disorder, that hath spoiled us, friend us now.
Let us on heaps go offer up our lives.

ORLÉANS: We are enough yet living in the field
To smother up the English in our throngs,
If any order might be thought upon.

BOURBON: The devil take order now! I’ll to the throng.
Let life be short, else shame will be too long.

William Shakespeare (1564-1616) English dramatist and poet
Henry V, Act 4, sc. 5, l. 19ff (4.5.19-25) (1599)
(Source)

The French dealing with the disastrous rout of their initial attack at Agincourt.

Addison, Joseph -- Essay (1716-06-29), The Freeholder, No. 55

Dave — Thu, 10 Oct 2024 22:41:07 +0000

A good Cause doth not want any Bitterness to support it, as a bad one cannot subsist without it. It is indeed observable, that an Author is scurrilous in proportion as he is dull; and seems rather to be in a Passion, because he cannot find out what to say for his own Opinion, than because he has discovered any pernicious Absurdities in that of his Antagonists.

Joseph Addison (1672-1719) English essayist, poet, statesman
Essay (1716-06-29), The Freeholder, No. 55
(Source)

Johnson, Lyndon -- Comment (1968-04-08) to George Christian

Dave — Fri, 30 Aug 2024 17:21:03 +0000

What did you expect? I don’t know why we’re so surprised. When you put your foot on a man’s neck and hold him down for three hundred years, and then you let him up, what’s he going to do? He’s going to knock your block off.

Lyndon B. Johnson (1908-1973) American politician, educator, US President (1963-69)
Comment (1968-04-08) to George Christian
(Source)

Regarding the continuing rioting after the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr., four days earlier.

Quoted in Nick Kotz, Judgment Days: Lyndon Baines Johnson, Martin Luther King, Jr., and the Laws that Changed America, ch. 14 (2005), from the author's interview with Christian.

Heinlein, Robert A. -- Starship Troopers, ch. 13 [Hughes] (1959)

Dave — Wed, 29 May 2024 16:04:02 +0000

Bugs, Mr. Rico! Zillions of ’em!

Robert A. Heinlein (1907-1988) American writer
Starship Troopers, ch. 13 [Hughes] (1959)
(Source)

Reporting to Lieutenant Juan Rico an Arachnid assault while on Planet P. The line is not in the 1997 movie.

Mencken, H. L. -- A Little Book in C Major, ch. 4, § 26 (1916)

Dave — Wed, 20 Dec 2023 18:49:08 +0000

The Puritan is one who uses the Cross as a hammer to knock in the heads of sinners.

H. L. Mencken (1880-1956) American writer and journalist [Henry Lewis Mencken]
A Little Book in C Major, ch. 4, § 26 (1916)
(Source)

Fry, Stephen -- Moab Is My Washpot, “Joining In,” ch. 4 (1997)

Dave — Wed, 25 Oct 2023 16:15:04 +0000

Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will always hurt me. Bones mend and become actually stronger in the very place they were broken and where they have knitted up; mental wounds can grind and ooze for decades and be re-opened by the quietest whisper.

Stephen Fry (b. 1957) British actor, writer, comedian
Moab Is My Washpot, “Joining In,” ch. 4 (1997)
(Source)

See Howell (1659).

Rogers, Will -- Column (1924-11-16), “Weekly Article: A Political Autopsy” [No. 101]

Dave — Thu, 15 Jun 2023 15:10:26 +0000

You can’t beat an Administration by attacking it. You have to show some plan of improving on it.

Will Rogers (1879-1935) American humorist
Column (1924-11-16), “Weekly Article: A Political Autopsy” [No. 101]
(Source)

Jefferson, Thomas -- Letter (1903-04-19) to Edward Dowse

Dave — Mon, 11 Apr 2022 14:38:34 +0000

I now return the Sermon you were so kind as to enclose me, having perused it with attention. The reprinting it by me, as you have proposed, would very readily be ascribed to hypocritical affectation, by those who, when they cannot blame our acts, have recourse to the expedient of imputing them to bad motives. This is a resource which can never fail them, because there is no act, however virtuous, for which ingenuity may not find some bad motive.

Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826) American political philosopher, polymath, statesman, US President (1801-09)
Letter (1903-04-19) to Edward Dowse
(Source)

Virgil -- The Aeneid [Ænē̆is], Book 2, l. 353ff (2.353-354) [Aeneas] (29-19 BC) [tr. Fagles (2006), l. 443ff]

Dave — Wed, 23 Mar 2022 16:33:14 +0000

But let us die, go plunging into the thick of battle.
One hope saves the defeated: they know they can’t be saved!

[Moriamur et in media arma ruamus.
Una salus victis, nullam sperare salutem.]

Virgil (70-19 BC) Roman poet [b. Publius Vergilius Maro; also Vergil]
The Aeneid [Ænē̆is], Book 2, l. 353ff (2.353-354) [Aeneas] (29-19 BC) [tr. Fagles (2006), l. 443ff]
(Source)

(Source (Latin)). Alternate translations:

Then let's incounter death, fall bravely on,
Vanquish'd men's safety is to hope for none.
[tr. Ogilby (1649)]

Then let us fall, but fall amidst our foes:
Despair of life the means of living shows.
[tr. Dryden (1697)]

Let us meet death, and rush into the thickest of our armed foes. The only safety for the vanquished is to throw away all hopes of safety.
[tr. Davidson/Buckley (1854)]

Come -- rush we on our fate.
No safety may the vanquished find
Till hope of safety be resigned.
[tr. Conington (1866)]

Let us die,
And plunge into the middle of the fight.
The only safety of the vanquished is
To hope for none.
[tr. Cranch (1872)]

Let us die, and rush on their encircling weapons. The conquered have one safety, to hope for none.
[tr. Mackail (1885)]

Fall on a very midst the fire and die in press of war!
One hope there is for vanquished men, to cherish hope no more.
[tr. Morris (1900)]

Forward, then,
To die and mingle in the tumult's blare.
Sole hope to vanquished men of safety is despair.
[tr. Taylor (1907), st. 47, l. 421ff]

Let us fight
unto the death! To arms, my men, to arms!
The single hope and stay of desperate men
is their despair.
[tr. Williams (1910)]

Let us die, and rush into the midst of arms. One safety the vanquished have, to hope for none!
[tr. Fairclough (1916)]

So let us die,
Rush into arms. One safety for the vanquished
Is to have hope of none.
[tr. Humphries (1951)]

Let us die, let us charge into the battle's heart!
Losers have one salvation -- to give up all hope of salvation.
[tr. Day Lewis (1952)]

Then let
us rush to arms and die. The lost have only
this one deliverance: to hope for none.
[tr. Mandelbaum (1971), l. 477ff]

Come, let us die,
We'll make a rush into the thick of it.
The conquered have one safety: hope for none.
[tr. Fitzgerald (1981), l. 470ff]

Let us die. Let us rush into the thick of the fighting. The one safety for the defeated is to have no hope of safety.
[tr. West (1990)]

Let us die and rush into battle.
The beaten have one refuge, to have no hope of refuge.
[tr. Kline (2002)]

All that is left for us
Is to rush onto swords and die. The only chance
For the conquered is to hope for none.
[tr. Lombardo (2005)]

Let us die even as we rush into the thick of the fight. The only safe course for the defeated is to expect no safety.
[Routledge (2005)]

Let's die by plunging into war. Our only refuge is to have no hope of refuge.
[tr. Bartsch (2021)]

Homer -- The Odyssey [Ὀδύσσεια], Book 16, l. 294 (16.294) [Odysseus] (c. 700 BC) [tr. Rieu (1946)]

Dave — Wed, 08 Sep 2021 18:51:59 +0000

The very presence of a weapon provokes a man to use it.

[αὐτὸς γὰρ ἐφέλκεται ἄνδρα σίδηρος.]

Homer (fl. 7th-8th C. BC) Greek author
The Odyssey [Ὀδύσσεια], Book 16, l. 294 (16.294) [Odysseus] (c. 700 BC) [tr. Rieu (1946)]
(Source)

(Greek (Source)), repeated in 19.13.

In Book 16, Odysseus offers this as part of the argument Telemachus can use to the suitors to explain why he has stripped the hall of weapons -- that, should the weapons remain, they might tempt drunken people to violence. Book 19, back at the hall, Odysseus repeats almost the same instructions to Telemachus. The same Greek is used for this phrase in both passages; some translators use the same language, others make changes to it.

Epigram (and title inspiration) in Joe Abercrombie's The Blade Itself (2006) -- "The blade itself incites to deeds of violence." Abercrombie was a fan of the Rome: Total War game, which included in its load pages the translation, "The blade itself incites to violence.

BOOK 16, l. 294

"Steel itself, ready, draws a man to blows." [tr. Chapman (1616)]
"One drawn sword draws another." [tr. Hobbes (1675), l. 276]
"Oft ready swords in luckless hour incite / The hand of wrath, and arm it for the fight." [tr. Pope (1725)]
"For the view / Itself of arms incites to their abuse." [tr. Cowper (1792), l. 348]
"Steel itself oft lures a man to fight." [tr. Worsley (1861), st. 37]
"Steel itself wooes men to battle!" [tr. Bigge-Wither (1869)]
"For the steel blade itself lures men to blood." [tr. Musgrave (1869), l. 462]
"For iron of itself draws a man thereto." [tr. Butcher/Lang (1879)]
"For this is said aright, / That e'en of himself the iron draws on a man to smite." [tr. Morris (1887)]
"Steel itself draws men on." [tr. Palmer (1891)]
"For the sight of arms sometimes tempts people to use them." [tr. Butler (1898)]
"For of itself does the iron draw a man to it." [tr. Murray (1919)]
"Iron of itself tempts man's frailty." [tr. Lawrence (1932)]
"Tempered iron can magnetize a man." [tr. Fitzgerald (1961)]
"Iron all of itself works on a man and attracts him." [tr. Lattimore (1965)]
"For iron of itself can tempt a man." [tr. Mandelbaum (1990)]
"Iron has powers to draw a man to ruin." [tr. Fagles (1996)]
"There's a force in iron that lures men on." [tr. D. C. H. Rieu (2002)]
"For iron itself draws a man to employ it." [tr. Merrill (2002)]
"Iron of itself draws a man on." [tr. Verity (2016)]
"Weapons themselves can tempt a man to fight." [tr. Wilson (2017)]
"For iron of itself attracts a man." [tr. Green (2018)]
"Iron attracts a man all on its own." [tr. Johnston (2019)]
"And beckoning, the iron itself drags the man." [Source]

BOOK 19, l. 13 -- items in italics are the same as their Book 16 counterparts.

"As loadstones draw the steel, so steel draws man." [tr. Chapman (1616)]
"One drawn sword draws another." [tr. Hobbes (1675)]
"By sight of swords to fury fired." [tr. Pope (1725)]
"For the view / Itself of arms incites to their abuse." [tr. Cowper (1792)]
"Steel itself oft lures a man to fight." [tr. Worsley (1861), st. 2]
"The sight of iron tempts to use it!" [tr. Bigge-Wither (1869)]
"For the steel blade itself / Lures men to blood." [tr. Musgrave (1869)]
"For iron of itself draws a man thereto." [tr. Butcher/Lang (1879)]
"For e'en of himself the Iron to battle draweth men." [tr. Morris (1887)]
"Steel itself draws men on." [tr. Palmer (1891)]
"For the sight of arms sometimes tempts people to use them." [tr. Butler (1898)]
"For of itself does the iron draw a man towards it." [tr. Murray (1919)]
"Iron has that attraction for men." [tr. Lawrence (1932)]
"The very presence of a weapon provokes a man to use it." [tr. Rieu (1946)]
"Iron itself can draw men's hands." [tr. Fitzgerald (1961)]
"Iron all of itself works on a man and attracts him." [tr. Lattimore (1965)]
"For iron of itself can tempt a man." [tr. Mandelbaum (1990)]
"Iron has powers to draw a man to ruin." [tr. Fagles (1996)]
"Steel has a way of drawing a man to it." [tr. Lombardo (2000)]
"There's a force in iron that lures men on." [tr. D. C. H. Rieu (2002)]
"For iron itself draws a man to employ it." [tr. Merrill (2002)]
"For iron of itself draws a man on." [tr. Verity (2016)]
"For iron of itself attracts a man." [tr. Green (2018)]
"For iron by itself / can draw a man to use it." [tr. Johnston (2019)]

Frye, Northrop -- “Introduction to Canadian Literature,” #14 (1988)

Dave — Thu, 02 Sep 2021 15:28:24 +0000

However rationalized it may be, censorship is always an attack on human intelligence and imagination and is always a sign of weakness, not strength, in those who enforce it.

Northrop Frye (1912-1991) Canadian literary critic and literary theorist
“Introduction to Canadian Literature,” #14 (1988)
(Source)

Flaubert, Gustave -- Letter to Louise Colet (14 Jun 1853) [tr. Hannigan (1896)]

Dave — Thu, 10 Jun 2021 17:45:25 +0000

You are astonished to find yourself the butt of so much calumny, opposition, indifference and ill-will. You will be more so and have more of it; it is the reward of the good and the beautiful: one may calculate the value of a man from the number of his critics and the importance of a work by the evil said of it.

Gustave Flaubert (1821-1880) French writer, novelist
Letter to Louise Colet (14 Jun 1853) [tr. Hannigan (1896)]
(Source)

Alternate translation: "You can calculate the worth of a man by the number of his enemies, and the importance of a work of art by the harm that is spoken of it." [Source]

Inge, William Ralph -- End of an Age, ch. 4 (1948)

Dave — Mon, 10 Aug 2020 17:11:57 +0000

The enemies of Freedom do not argue; they shout and they shoot.

William Ralph Inge (1860-1954) English prelate [Dean Inge]
End of an Age, ch. 4 (1948)

Macaulay, Thomas Babington -- “Horatius,” st. 50, Lays of Ancient Rome (1842)

Dave — Thu, 12 Mar 2020 15:36:29 +0000

Was none who would be foremost
To lead such dire attack;
But those behind cried “Forward!”
And those before cried “Back!”

Thomas Babington Macaulay (1800-1859) English writer and politician
“Horatius,” st. 50, Lays of Ancient Rome (1842)
(Source)

Bird, Brad -- Ratatouille (2007)

Dave — Wed, 12 Feb 2020 16:11:52 +0000

ANTON EGO: In many ways, the work of a critic is easy. We risk very little, yet enjoy a position over those who offer up their work and their selves to our judgment. We thrive on negative criticism, which is fun to write and to read. But the bitter truth we critics must face, is that in the grand scheme of things, the average piece of junk is probably more meaningful than our criticism designating it so.

Brad Bird (b. 1957) American director, animator and screenwriter [Phillip Bradley Bird]
Ratatouille (2007)

Nelson, Horatio -- Memorandum before the Battle of Trafalgar (9 Oct 1805)

Dave — Sat, 02 Feb 2019 23:33:06 +0000

In case signals can neither be seen nor perfectly understood, no captain can do very wrong if he places his ship alongside that of an enemy.

Horatio Nelson (1758-1805) British admiral
Memorandum before the Battle of Trafalgar (9 Oct 1805)
(Source)

Emerson, Ralph Waldo -- Journal (1843-09)

Dave — Wed, 01 Aug 2018 00:29:44 +0000

Never strike a king unless you are sure you shall kill him.

Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882) American essayist, lecturer, poet
Journal (1843-09)
(Source)

In addition to the noted source, see also here. However, according to the reliable Ralph Keyes, the quotation is spurious. Keyes also suggests an inspiration from the 17th Century English proverb, "Whosoever draws his sword against the prince must throw the scabbard away."

A variant, "When you strike at a king you must kill him," is attributed to Emerson by Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr., in Max Lerner, The Mind and Faith of Justice Holmes (1943).

Shakespeare, William -- Henry V, Act 3, sc. 1, l. 34ff (3.1.34-37) (1599)

Dave — Mon, 26 Feb 2018 20:17:30 +0000

HENRY: I see you stand like greyhounds in the slips,
Straining upon the start. The game’s afoot;
Follow your spirit: and upon this charge,
Cry “God for Harry, England, and Saint George!”

William Shakespeare (1564-1616) English dramatist and poet
Henry V, Act 3, sc. 1, l. 34ff (3.1.34-37) (1599)
(Source)

Shakespeare, William -- Henry V, Act 3, sc. 1, l. 1ff (3.1.1-8) (1599)

Dave — Mon, 12 Feb 2018 17:49:44 +0000

HENRY: Once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more;
Or close the wall up with our English dead!
In peace, there’s nothing so becomes a man,
As modest stillness and humility:
But when the blast of war blows in our ears,
Then imitate the action of the tiger;
Stiffen the sinews, summon up the blood,
Disguise fair nature with hard-favored rage ….

William Shakespeare (1564-1616) English dramatist and poet
Henry V, Act 3, sc. 1, l. 1ff (3.1.1-8) (1599)
(Source)

Davies, Robertson -- Samuel Marchbanks’ Almanack (1967)

Dave — Wed, 25 Oct 2017 01:04:01 +0000

Every man is wise when attacked by a mad dog; fewer when pursued by a mad woman; only the wisest survive when attacked by a mad notion.

Robertson Davies (1913-1995) Canadian author, editor, publisher
Samuel Marchbanks’ Almanack (1967)
(Source)

Lowell, Amy -- “Sword Blades and Poppy Seed,” l. 291 (1914)

Dave — Thu, 06 Jul 2017 17:38:40 +0000

All books are either dreams or swords,
You can cut, or you can drug, with words.

Amy Lowell (1874-1925) American poet
“Sword Blades and Poppy Seed,” l. 291 (1914)
(Source)

See Howell (1659).

Johnson, Lyndon -- Speech (1965-07-28), News Conference, White House, Washington, D. C.

Dave — Thu, 15 Jun 2017 23:47:14 +0000

Nor would surrender in Viet-Nam bring peace, because we learned from Hitler at Munich that success only feeds the appetite of aggression. The battle would be renewed in one country and then another country, bringing with it perhaps even larger and crueler conflict, as we have learned from the lessons of history.

Lyndon B. Johnson (1908-1973) American politician, educator, US President (1963-69)
Speech (1965-07-28), News Conference, White House, Washington, D. C.
(Source)

The pre-conference prepared remarks were the first definitive set of national policy statements as to America's growing military presence in Viet Nam. The idea that a Communist victory in Viet Nam would lead to similar wars in other nations was called the "Domino Theory."

Fielding, Henry -- The Temple Beau, Act 1, sc. 1 (1729)

Dave — Tue, 24 Jan 2017 15:03:30 +0000

The slander of some people is as great a recommendation as the praise of others. For one is as much hated by the dissolute world, on the score of virtue, as by the good, on that of vice.

Henry Fielding (1707-1754) English novelist, dramatist, satirist
The Temple Beau, Act 1, sc. 1 (1729)
(Source)

Franklin, Benjamin -- Poor Richard (1744 ed.)

Dave — Wed, 18 Jan 2017 21:13:39 +0000

A soft Tongue may strike hard.

Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790) American statesman, scientist, philosopher, aphorist
Poor Richard (1744 ed.)
(Source)

See Howell (1659).

Buchwald, Art -- Speech, Horatio Alger Award Dinner, Washington, DC (May 1989)

Dave — Mon, 18 Jul 2016 15:37:27 +0000

If you attack the establishment long enough and hard enough, they will make you a member of it.

Art Buchwald (1925-2007) American humorist, columnist
Speech, Horatio Alger Award Dinner, Washington, DC (May 1989)

Buchwald used a number of variations of this phrase; this particular one was reported a week later in the International Herald Tribune (24 May 1989), but other versions go back to the 1960s (e.g., "Woe to the person in this country who attacks the establishment. It isn’t jail, nor even physical harm, that he must fear. His main problem is that by attacking the Establishment, he automatically becomes a member of it, and there is no greater punishment in the world," from his column of 7 May 1968). See here for more info.

Disraeli, Benjamin -- (Attributed)

Dave — Mon, 28 Mar 2016 13:58:07 +0000

Never complain and never explain.

Benjamin Disraeli (1804-1881) English politician and author
(Attributed)
(Source)

Most often cited to John Morley, Life of William Ewart Gladstone, Vol. 1, Book 2, ch. 2, sec. 1 (1903). This was Disraeli's distillation of advice that Lord High Chancellor John Copley, Lord Lyndhurst, gave at a January 1835 dinner attended both a young Gladstone and Disraeli:

Never defend yourself before a popular assemblage, except with and by retorting the attack; the hearers, in the pleasure which the assault gives them, will forget the previous charge.

The phrase is also attributed to Benjamin Jowett, Henry Ford II, and Charles Stewart Parnell.

Verne, Jules -- From the Earth to the Moon, ch. 10 (1865) [tr. Scribner’s (1890)]

Dave — Fri, 18 Mar 2016 15:02:09 +0000

They did to others that which they would not they should do to them — that grand principle of immorality upon which rests the whole art of war.

[Ils faisaient à autrui ce qu’ils ne voulaient pas qu’on leur fît, principe immoral sur lequel repose tout l’art de la guerre.]

Jules Verne (1828-1905) French novelist, poet, playwright
From the Earth to the Moon, ch. 10 (1865) [tr. Scribner’s (1890)]
(Source)

Alt. trans.: "They did unto others what they would not have others do unto them, an immoral principle that is the basic premise of the art of war." [tr. Miller (1978)]

Swift, Jonathan -- “Verses on the Death of Dr. Swift,” l. 459 (1731)

Dave — Thu, 10 Sep 2015 15:09:15 +0000

Yet malice never was his aim;
He lashed the vice but spared the name.
No individual could resent,
Where thousands equally were meant.

Jonathan Swift (1667-1745) English writer and churchman
“Verses on the Death of Dr. Swift,” l. 459 (1731)

Jefferson, Thomas -- Essay (1775-07-06), “Declaration of the Causes and Necessity for Taking Up Arms” [with John Dickinson]

Dave — Tue, 31 Mar 2015 12:55:05 +0000

We should be wanting to ourselves, we should be perfidious to posterity, we should be unworthy that free ancestry from which we derive our descent, should we submit with folded arms to military butchery & depredation ….

Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826) American political philosopher, polymath, statesman, US President (1801-09)
Essay (1775-07-06), “Declaration of the Causes and Necessity for Taking Up Arms” [with John Dickinson]
(Source)

Final draft as approved by the Continental Congress.

Hazlitt, William -- “Common Places” (22), Literary Examiner (Sep-Dec 1823)

Dave — Wed, 03 Sep 2014 15:09:11 +0000

Abuse is an indirect species of homage.

William Hazlitt (1778-1830) English writer
“Common Places” (22), Literary Examiner (Sep-Dec 1823)

Handey, Jack -- Deep Thoughts (1992)

Dave — Thu, 28 Aug 2014 12:31:34 +0000

I can picture in my mind a world without war, a world without hate. And I can picture us attacking that world because they’d never expect it.

Jack Handey (b. 1949) American humorist
Deep Thoughts (1992)

Fuller, Thomas (1654) -- Introductio ad Prudentiam, Vol. 1, # 766 (1725)

Dave — Fri, 09 May 2014 14:46:26 +0000

In a Debate, rather pull to Pieces the Argument of thy Antagonist than offer him any of thy own; for thus thou wilt fight him in his own Country.

Thomas Fuller (1654-1734) English physician, preacher, aphorist, writer
Introductio ad Prudentiam, Vol. 1, # 766 (1725)
(Source)

Emerson, Ralph Waldo -- “The Assault upon Mr. Sumner,” speech, Concord (1856-05-26)

Dave — Fri, 02 May 2014 13:22:45 +0000

It is only when they cannot answer your reasons, that they wish to knock you down.

Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882) American essayist, lecturer, poet
“The Assault upon Mr. Sumner,” speech, Concord (1856-05-26)
(Source)

Colton, Charles Caleb -- Lacon: Or, Many Things in Few Words, Vol. 1, § 218 (1820)

Dave — Mon, 18 Feb 2013 17:04:08 +0000

There are two modes of establishing our reputation; to be praised by honest men, and to be abused by rogues. It is best, however, to secure the former, because it will be invariably accompanied by the latter.

Charles Caleb "C. C." Colton (1780-1832) English cleric, writer, aphorist
Lacon: Or, Many Things in Few Words, Vol. 1, § 218 (1820)
(Source)

Hoyle, Edmond -- “Mr. Hoyle’s Game at Whist: Twenty-Four Short Rules for Learners,” No. 12, Hoyle’s Games Improved (1790 ed.) [ed. Charles Jones]

Dave — Fri, 13 Jul 2012 15:47:17 +0000

When in Doubt, win the Trick.

Edmond Hoyle (1672-1769) Writer, esp. of card game rules and play.
“Mr. Hoyle’s Game at Whist: Twenty-Four Short Rules for Learners,” No. 12, Hoyle’s Games Improved (1790 ed.) [ed. Charles Jones]
(Source)

While Hoyle (and even the Hoyle Improved) date back decades earlier, this was the first edition that included this Beginner’s Tip for Whist.

Roosevelt, Theodore -- “What We Can Expect of the American Boy,” St. Nicholas Magazine (1900-05)

Dave — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 11:04:51 +0000

In short, in life, as in a foot-ball game, the principle to follow is:
Hit the line hard; don’t foul and don’t shirk, but hit the line hard!

Theodore Roosevelt (1858–1919) American politician, statesman, conservationist, writer, US President (1901–1909)
“What We Can Expect of the American Boy,” St. Nicholas Magazine (1900-05)
(Source)

Reprinted as "The American Boy" in Roosevelt, The Strenuous Life (1900).

Roosevelt used this general phrasing on multiple occasions, so various forms can be found attributed or associated to him, such as:

"In life, as in a football game, the principle to follow is: Never flinch. Never foul. Hit the line hard."
[Source]
"Don't flinch. Don't foul. Hit the line hard."
[Puck]
"Don't fowl, don't shirk, and hit the line hard!"
[Autograph]
"Don't flinch, don't fowl, and hit the line hard."
[Speech (1913-07-03)]

~Proverbs and Sayings -- Chinese proverb

Dave — Sun, 01 Feb 2004 19:00:00 +0000

The man who strikes first admits that his ideas have given out.

Proverbs, Sayings, and Adages
Chinese proverb

Marcus Aurelius -- Meditations [To Himself; Τὰ εἰς ἑαυτόν], Book 11, ch. 15 (11.15) (AD 161-180) [tr. Staniforth (1964)]

Dave — Sun, 01 Feb 2004 16:00:00 +0000

A candor affected is a dagger concealed.

[ἐπιτήδευσις δὲ ἁπλότητος σκάλμη ἐστίν.]

Marcus Aurelius (AD 121-180) Roman emperor (161-180), Stoic philosopher
Meditations [To Himself; Τὰ εἰς ἑαυτόν], Book 11, ch. 15 (11.15) (AD 161-180) [tr. Staniforth (1964)]
(Source)

Depending on the source material, the weapon reference is either from a native Thracian (foreign) weapon (σκάλμη) -- thus translators who use "stiletto," etc. -- or a proverbial "crooked stick" (σκαμβή), referring to a Greek proverb "You can't make a crooked stick straight." See 1, 2, 3, 4 for more details.

(Source (Greek)). Alternate translations:

But the affectation of simplicity is nowise laudable.
[tr. Casaubon (1634), 11.14]

But on the other side, an Affectation of being Real, is an untoward pretence.
[tr. Collier (1701)]

The ostentation of simplicity is like a dagger for insidious designs.
[tr. Hutcheson/Moor (1742)]

In short, the affectation of simplicity is often a concealed dagger.
[tr. Graves (1792)]

But the affectation of simplicity is like a crooked stick.
[tr. Long (1862)]

An affectation of sincerity is a very dagger.
[tr. Collier/Zimmern (1887)]

But the affectation of simpleness is a dagger in the sleeve.
[tr. Rendall (1898)]

The ostentation of straightforwardness is the knife under the cloak.
[tr. Hutcheson/Chrystal (1902)]

A calculated simplicity is a stiletto.
[tr. Haines (Loeb) (1916)]

But the affectation of simplicity is like a razor.
[tr. Farquharson (1944)]

But the mere pretence of simplicity is like an open blade.
[tr. Hard (1997 ed.), (2011 ed.)]

But false straightforwardness is like a knife in the back.
[tr. Hays (2003)]

Calculated honesty is a stiletto.
[tr. Hammond (2006)]

A contrived simplicity is like a dagger.
[tr. Needleman/Piazza (2008)]

Montaigne, Michel de -- Essays, Book 1, ch. 47 (1.47), “Of the Uncertainty of Our Judgment [De l’incertitude de nostre jugement]” (1572) [tr. Cohen (1958)]

Dave — Sun, 01 Feb 2004 16:00:00 +0000

It is dangerous to attack a man whom you have deprived of every means of escape except by fighting, for necessity is a violent schoolmistress.

[Il fait dangereux assaillir un homme, à qui vous avez osté tout autre moyen d’eschapper que par les armes : car c’est une violente maistresse d’escole que la necessité.]

Michel de Montaigne (1533-1592) French essayist
Essays, Book 1, ch. 47 (1.47), “Of the Uncertainty of Our Judgment [De l’incertitude de nostre jugement]” (1572) [tr. Cohen (1958)]
(Source)

This essay was present in the 1st (1580) edition, and was expanded for each succeeding edition. This particular passage remained unchanged.

(Source (French)). Alternate translations:

It is dangerous to assaile a man, whom you have bereaved of all other meanes to escape or shift for himselfe, but by his weapons: for, necessitie is a violent schoole-mistris, and which teacheth strange lessons.
[tr. Florio (1603)]

It is dangerous to attack a man you have deprived of all means to escape, but by his arms; for necessity dictates violent measures.
[tr. Cotton (1686)]

’Tis dangerous to attack a man you have deprived of all means to escape but by his arms, for necessity teaches violent resolutions.
[tr. Cotton/Hazlitt (1877)]

It is dangerous to attack a man whom you have deprived of any other means of escape than fighting; for an impetuous schoolmistress is necessity.
[tr. Ives (1925)]

It is dangerous to attack a man whom you have deprived of every other means of escape but that of weapons; for necessity is a violent schoolmistress.
[tr. Frame (1943)]

It is hazardous to go and attack a man when you have deprived him of all means of escape save his weapons, for Necessity is a ferocious teacher.
[tr. Screech (1987)]

Adler, Alfred -- The Problems of Neurosis, ch. 2 (1929)

Dave — Sun, 01 Feb 2004 16:00:00 +0000

The truth is often a terrible weapon of aggression. It is possible to lie, and even to murder with the truth.

Alfred Adler (1870-1937) Austrian psychologist
The Problems of Neurosis, ch. 2 (1929)
(Source)