WIST Quotations

Pratchett, Terry -- Discworld No. 21, Jingo (1988)

Dave — Sat, 20 Dec 2025 00:11:20 +0000

And Sergeant Colon once again knew a secret about bravery. It was arguably a kind of enhanced cowardice — the knowledge that while death may await you if you advance it will be a picnic compared to the certain living hell that awaits should you retreat.

Terry Pratchett (1948-2015) English author
Discworld No. 21, Jingo (1988)
(Source)

Peters, Ellis -- Cadfael Chronicles No. 21, Brother Cadfael’s Penance, ch. 16 (1994)

Dave — Thu, 20 Mar 2025 19:07:48 +0000

You do what you must do, and pay for it. So in the end all things are simple.

Ellis Peters (1913-1995) English writer, translator [pseud. of Edith Mary Pargeter, who also wrote under the names John Redfern, Jolyon Carr, Peter Benedict]
Cadfael Chronicles No. 21, Brother Cadfael’s Penance, ch. 16 (1994)
(Source)

Taleb, Nassim Nicholas -- Fooled by Randomness, Prologue (2001)

Dave — Mon, 17 Feb 2025 21:59:46 +0000

It does not matter how frequently something succeeds if failure is too costly to bear.

Nassim Nicholas Taleb (b. 1960) Lebanese-American essayist, statistician, risk analyst, aphorist
Fooled by Randomness, Prologue (2001)
(Source)

Herbert, George -- Jacula Prudentum, or Outlandish Proverbs, Sentences, &c. (compiler), # 776 (1640 ed.)

Dave — Fri, 06 Sep 2024 13:04:15 +0000

Law sutes consume time, and mony, and rest, and friends.

[Lawsuits consume time, and money, and rest, and friends.]

George Herbert (1593-1633) Welsh priest, orator, poet.
Jacula Prudentum, or Outlandish Proverbs, Sentences, &c. (compiler), # 776 (1640 ed.)
(Source)

Austen, Jane -- Pride and Prejudice, ch. 26 [Elizabeth] (1813)

Dave — Tue, 12 Dec 2023 17:13:23 +0000

Importance may be sometimes purchased too dearly.

Jane Austen (1775-1817) English author
Pride and Prejudice, ch. 26 [Elizabeth] (1813)
(Source)

Gracián, Baltasar -- The Art of Worldly Wisdom [Oráculo Manual y Arte de Prudencia], § 226 (1647) [tr. Jacobs (1892)]

Dave — Mon, 24 Oct 2022 16:29:01 +0000

To oblige persons often costs little and helps much.

[Cuesta a veces muy poco el obligar, y vale mucho.]

Baltasar Gracián y Morales (1601-1658) Spanish Jesuit priest, writer, philosopher
The Art of Worldly Wisdom [Oráculo Manual y Arte de Prudencia], § 226 (1647) [tr. Jacobs (1892)]
(Source)

(Source (Spanish)). Alternate translations:

Sometime the care of engaging costs but very little, and is worth a great deal.
[Flesher ed. (1685)]

To be obliging usually costs but little; yet it is worth much.
[tr. Fischer (1937)]

Pleasing others costs little and is worth much.
[tr. Maurer (1992)]

Gilligan, James -- Preventing Violence, ch. 5 (2001)

Dave — Tue, 23 Aug 2022 16:18:03 +0000

Unequal societies are not only the most violent; they are also the least productive.

James Gilligan (b. c. 1936) American psychiatrist and author
Preventing Violence, ch. 5 (2001)
(Source)

Shain, Merle -- Some Men Are More Perfect than Others (1973)

Dave — Fri, 21 Jan 2022 15:55:37 +0000

Divorce is very expensive, both economically and psychologically as well, but it probably isn’t any more so than living with someone who isn’t really on your side.

Merle Shain (1935-1989) Canadian journalist and author
Some Men Are More Perfect than Others (1973)
(Source)

Asimov, Isaac -- “The Never-ending Fight,” The Humanist (Mar/Apr 1989)

Dave — Thu, 12 Aug 2021 16:42:18 +0000

It is no defense of superstition and pseudoscience to say that it brings solace and comfort to people, and that therefore we “elitists” should not claim to know better and to take it away from the less sophisticated. If solace and comfort are how we judge the worth of something, then consider that tobacco brings solace and comfort to smokers; alcohol brings it to drinkers; drugs of all kinds bring it to addicts; the fall of cards and the run of horses bring it to gamblers; cruelty and violence bring it to sociopaths. Judge by solace and comfort only and there is no behavior we ought to interfere with.

Isaac Asimov (1920-1992) Russian-American author, polymath, biochemist
“The Never-ending Fight,” The Humanist (Mar/Apr 1989)
(Source)

Watterson, Bill -- Calvin and Hobbes (1987-12-23)

Dave — Tue, 17 Dec 2019 01:39:04 +0000

CALVIN: Well. I’ve decided I do believe in Santa Claus, no matter how preposterous he sounds.

HOBBES: What convinced you?

CALVIN: A simple risk analysis. I want presents. Lots of presents. Why risk not getting them over a matter of belief? Heck, I’ll believe anything they want.

HOBBES: How cynically enterprising of you.

CALVIN: It’s the spirit of Christmas.

Bill Watterson (b. 1958) American cartoonist
Calvin and Hobbes (1987-12-23)
(Source)

Lincoln, Abraham -- Letter (1863-10-26) to J. M. Cutts

Dave — Wed, 24 Jul 2013 17:26:39 +0000

The advice of a father to his son “Beware of entrance to a quarrel, but being in, bear it that the opposed may beware of thee,” is good, and yet not the best. Quarrel not at all. No man resolved to make the most of himself can spare time for personal contention. Still less can he afford to take all the consequences, including the vitiating of his temper and loss of self control. Yield larger things to which you can show no more than equal right; and yield lesser ones, though clearly your own. Better give your path to a dog than be bitten by him in contesting for the right. Even killing the dog would not cure the bite.

Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865) American lawyer, politician, US President (1861-65)
Letter (1863-10-26) to J. M. Cutts
(Source)

Never actually sent as a letter; likely conveyed in a personal reprimand interview with Cutts. The interesting story of Cutts' court-martial can be found here.

Kaunda, Kenneth -- Quoted in the Observer (London) (1982-09-05)

Dave — Tue, 26 Mar 2013 00:39:29 +0000

When you go in search of honey you must expect to be stung by bees.

Kenneth Kaunda (1924-2021) Zambian teacher, revolutionary, politician
Quoted in the Observer (London) (1982-09-05)
(Source)

Sometimes attributed to Joseph Joubert, but not found in his works.

Johnson, Samuel -- The History of Rasselas, Prince of Abissinia, ch. 26 (1759)

Dave — Tue, 19 Mar 2013 12:21:33 +0000

Marriage has many pains, but celibacy has no pleasures.

Samuel Johnson (1709-1784) English writer, lexicographer, critic
The History of Rasselas, Prince of Abissinia, ch. 26 (1759)
(Source)

Tolkien, J.R.R. -- The Lord of the Rings, Vol. 2: The Two Towers, Book 4, ch. 5, “The Window on the West” [Faramir] (1954)

Dave — Tue, 04 Oct 2011 12:37:35 +0000

I would not take this thing, if it lay by the highway. Not were Minas Tirith falling in ruin and I alone could save her, so, using the weapon of the Dark Lord for her good and my glory. No, I do not wish for such triumphs, Frodo son of Drogo.

J.R.R. Tolkien (1892-1973) English writer, fabulist, philologist, academic [John Ronald Reuel Tolkien]
The Lord of the Rings, Vol. 2: The Two Towers, Book 4, ch. 5, “The Window on the West” [Faramir] (1954)
(Source)

See follow-up.

Schopenhauer, Arthur -- Die Welt als Wille und Vorstellung [The World as Will and Representation], Vol. 2, ch. 19 “Vom Primat des Willens im Selbstbewußtseyn [On the primacy of the Will in Self-Consciousness],” § 11 (1844 ed.) [tr. Payne (1958)]

Dave — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 10:03:51 +0000

Life […] is really a constant suffering, or, at any rate, […] a business that does not cover the costs.

[Da das Leben […] eigentlich ein stetes Leiden, oder wenigstens, […] ein Geschäft ist, welches die Kosten nicht deckt.]

Arthur Schopenhauer (1788-1860) German philosopher
Die Welt als Wille und Vorstellung [The World as Will and Representation], Vol. 2, ch. 19 “Vom Primat des Willens im Selbstbewußtseyn [On the primacy of the Will in Self-Consciousness],” § 11 (1844 ed.) [tr. Payne (1958)]
(Source)

(Source (German)). Usually paraphrased: "Life is a business that does not cover the costs."

Knuth, Donald E. -- Essay (1974-12), “Structured Programming with go to Statements,” ACM Computing Surveys, Vol. 6

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

There is no doubt that the “grail” of efficiency leads to abuse. Programmers waste enormous amounts of time thinking about, or worrying about, the speed of noncritical parts of their programs, and these attempts at efficiency actually have a strong negative impact when debugging and maintenance are considered. We should forget about small efficiencies, say about 97% of the time: premature optimization is the root of all evil.

Donald E. Knuth (b. 1938) American computer scientist, mathematician, academic
Essay (1974-12), “Structured Programming with go to Statements,” ACM Computing Surveys, Vol. 6
(Source)

Johnson, Lyndon -- (Attributed)

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

You do not examine legislation in the light of the benefits it will convey if properly administered, but in the light of the wrongs it would do and the harms it would cause if improperly administered.

Lyndon B. Johnson (1908-1973) American politician, educator, US President (1963-69)
(Attributed)

Widely attributed to Johnson, and in keeping with his reputation as a wily legislator, but no actual source found.