WIST Quotations

Franklin, Benjamin -- Poor Richard (1740 ed.)

Dave — Thu, 24 Jul 2025 15:38:03 +0000

Thou hadst better eat salt with the Philosophers of Greece, than sugar with the Courtiers of Italy.

Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790) American statesman, scientist, philosopher, aphorist
Poor Richard (1740 ed.)
(Source)

Fuller, Thomas (1654) -- Introductio ad Prudentiam, Vol. 1, # 81 (1725)

Dave — Wed, 05 Mar 2025 16:12:19 +0000

Better be alone, than in bad Company.

Thomas Fuller (1654-1734) English physician, preacher, aphorist, writer
Introductio ad Prudentiam, Vol. 1, # 81 (1725)
(Source)

See also Clarke (1639), Herbert (1640), Washington (1747).

Herbert, George -- Jacula Prudentum, or Outlandish Proverbs, Sentences, &c. (compiler), # 314 (1640 ed.)

Dave — Fri, 26 Jul 2024 17:22:04 +0000

Keep not ill men company, lest you increase the number.

George Herbert (1593-1633) Welsh priest, orator, poet.
Jacula Prudentum, or Outlandish Proverbs, Sentences, &c. (compiler), # 314 (1640 ed.)
(Source)

Herbert, George -- Jacula Prudentum, or Outlandish Proverbs, Sentences, &c. (compiler), # 343 (1640 ed.)

Dave — Mon, 15 Oct 2012 11:32:01 +0000

Hee that lies with the dogs, riseth with fleas.

George Herbert (1593-1633) Welsh priest, orator, poet.
Jacula Prudentum, or Outlandish Proverbs, Sentences, &c. (compiler), # 343 (1640 ed.)
(Source)

Pratchett, Terry -- Good Omens, 2. “Eleven Years Ago” (1990) [with Neil Gaiman]

Dave — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 14:04:31 +0000

He’d been an angel once. He hadn’t meant to Fall. He’d just hung around with the wrong people.

Terry Pratchett (1948-2015) English author
Good Omens, 2. “Eleven Years Ago” (1990) [with Neil Gaiman]
(Source)

Sartre, Jean-Paul -- (Attributed)

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

If you are lonely when you’re alone, you are in bad company.

[Si vous êtes seul quand vous êtes seul, vous êtes en mauvaise compagnie.]

Jean-Paul Sartre (1905-1980) French philosopher and writer
(Attributed)

Widely attributed, in both languages, to Satre (especially by self-help books), but I am unable to find any actual citation of its source. Given that Sartre wrote a lot about loneliness, it is possibly a paraphrase of of something else he said.