WIST Quotations

Billings, Josh -- Josh Billings’ Farmer’s Allminax, 1874-12 (1874 ed.)

Dave — Thu, 07 May 2026 19:06:29 +0000

Whare thare iz one man obstinate bekauze he iz wize, thare iz 4,695,853 obstinate bekauze they are ignorant.

[Where there is one man obstinate because he is wise, there are 4,685,853 obstinate because they are ignorant.]

Josh Billings (1818-1885) American humorist, aphorist [pseud. of Henry Wheeler Shaw]
Josh Billings’ Farmer’s Allminax, 1874-12 (1874 ed.)
(Source)

Franklin, Benjamin -- Poor Richard (1743 ed.)

Dave — Thu, 18 Dec 2025 15:57:36 +0000

’Tis easy to frame a good bold resolution;
But hard is the Task that concerns execution.

Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790) American statesman, scientist, philosopher, aphorist
Poor Richard (1743 ed.)
(Source)

Roosevelt, Franklin Delano -- Speech (1937-01-20), Inaugural Address, Washington, D.C.

Dave — Wed, 29 Oct 2025 13:39:29 +0000

Many voices are heard as we face a great decision. Comfort says, “Tarry a while.” Opportunism says, “This is a good spot.” Timidity asks, “How difficult is the road ahead?” […] If I know aught of the spirit and purpose of our Nation, we will not listen to Comfort, Opportunism, and Timidity. We will carry on.

Franklin Delano Roosevelt (1882–1945) American lawyer, politician, statesman, US President (1933–1945)
Speech (1937-01-20), Inaugural Address, Washington, D.C.
(Source)

(Source (Audio))

Wilcox, Ella Wheeler -- Poem (1882), “Will,” Maurine and Other Poems (1882 ed.)

Dave — Wed, 22 Jan 2025 18:31:06 +0000

There is no chance, no destiny, no fate,
Can circumvent or hinder or control
The firm resolve of a determined soul.
Gifts count for nothing; will alone is great;
All things give way before it soon or late.
What obstacle can stay the mighty force
Of the sea seeking river in its course,
Or cause the ascending orb of day to wait?

Ella Wheeler Wilcox (1850-1919) American author, poet, temperance advocate, spiritualist
Poem (1882), “Will,” Maurine and Other Poems (1882 ed.)
(Source)

Shakespeare, William -- Macbeth, Act 1, sc. 7, l. 68ff (1.7.68-71) (1606)

Dave — Mon, 02 Sep 2024 17:32:14 +0000

MACBETH: If we should fail —

LADY MACBETH: We fail!
But screw your courage to the sticking-place,
And we’ll not fail.

William Shakespeare (1564-1616) English dramatist and poet
Macbeth, Act 1, sc. 7, l. 68ff (1.7.68-71) (1606)
(Source)

The sticking-place on a crossbow was where the bowstring was screwed or wound to prior to its bolt being shot.

The line was most famously revived by Howard Ashman in the lyrics to "The Mob Song [Kill the Beast]" in Beauty and the Beast (1991). Lin-Manuel Miranda also included the line (amidst many other Macbeth references) in Hamilton (2015), in the song "Take a Break."

Horace -- Odes [Carmina], Book 3, # 3, l. 1ff (3.3.1-4) (23 BC) [tr. Conington (1872)]

Dave — Fri, 30 Aug 2024 21:35:55 +0000

The man of firm and righteous will,
No rabble, clamorous for the wrong,
No tyrant’s brow, whose frown may kill,
Can shake the strength that makes him strong.

[Iustum et tenacem propositi virum
non civium ardor prava iubentium,
non voltus instantis tyranni
mente quatit solida]

Horace (65–8 BC) Roman poet, satirist, soldier, politician [Quintus Horatius Flaccus]
Odes [Carmina], Book 3, # 3, l. 1ff (3.3.1-4) (23 BC) [tr. Conington (1872)]
(Source)

(Source (Latin)). Alternate translations:

An honest and resolved man,
Neither a peoples tumults can,
Neither a Tyrants indignation,
Un-center from his fast foundation.
[tr. Fanshaw; ed. Brome (1666)]

Not the rage of the people pressing to hurtful measures, not the aspect of a threatening tyrant can shake from his settled purpose the man who is just and determined in his resolution.
[tr. Smart/Buckley (1853)]

He that is just, and firm of will
Doth not before the fury quake
Of mobs that instigate to ill,
Nor hath the tyrant's menace skill
His fixed resolve to shake.
[tr. Martin (1864)]

Not the rage of the million commanding things evil,
Not the doom frowning near in the brows of the tyrant,
Shakes the upright and resolute man
In his solid completeness of soul.
[tr. Bulwer-Lytton (1870)]

Neither the fury of the populace, commanding him to do what is wrong, nor the face of the despot which confronts him, [...] shakes from his solid resolve a just and determined man.
[tr. Elgood (1893)]

The just man, in his purpose strong,
No madding crowd can bend to wrong.
The forceful tyrant's brow and word,
[...] His firm-set spirit cannot move.
[tr. Gladstone (1894)]

Him who is just, and stands to his purpose true.
Not the unruly ardour of citizens
Shall shake from his firm resolution,
Nor visage of the oppressing tyrant.
[tr. Phelps (1897)]

The upright man holding his purpose fast,
No heat of citizens enjoining wrongful acts,
No overbearing despot's countenance,
Shakes from his firm-set mind.
[tr. Garnsey (1907)]

The man that's just and resolute of mood
No craze of people's perverse vote can shake,
Nor frown of threat'ning monarch make
To quit a purposed good.
[tr. Marshall (1908)]

The man tenacious of his purpose in a righteous cause is not shaken from his firm resolve by the frenzy of his fellow citizens bidding what is wrong, not by the face of threatening tyrant.
[tr. Bennett (Loeb) (1912)]

Who loves the Right, whose will is resolute,
His purpose naught can shake — nor rage of brute
Mob bidding him work evil; nor the eye
Of threatening despot
[tr. Mills (1924)]

A mob of citizens clamouring for injustice,
An autocrat's grimace of rage [...] cannot stagger
The just and steady-purposed man.
[tr. Michie (1963)]

The man who knows what's right and is tenacious
In the knowledge of what he knows cannot be shaken.
Not by people righteously impassioned
In a wrong cause, and not by menacings
Of tyrants' frowns.
[tr. Ferry (1997)]

The just man, tenacious in his resolve,
will not be shaken from his settled purpose
by the frenzy of his fellow citizens
imposing that evil be done,
or by the frown of a threatening tyrant.
[tr. Alexander (1999)]

The passion of the public, demanding what
is wrong, never shakes the man of just and firm
intention, from his settled purpose,
nor the tyrant’s threatening face.
[tr. Kline (2015)]

Neither the passion of citizens demanding crooked things,
Not the face of a threatening tyrant
Shakes the man who is righteous and set in purpose
From his strong mind.
[tr. Wikisource (2021)]

Shakespeare, William -- Macbeth, Act 1, sc. 5, l. 47ff (1.5.47-61) (1606)

Dave — Mon, 26 Aug 2024 14:44:21 +0000

LADY MACBETH:Come, you spirits
That tend on mortal thoughts, unsex me here,
And fill me from the crown to the toe top-full
Of direst cruelty. Make thick my blood.
Stop up th’ access and passage to remorse,
That no compunctious visitings of nature
Shake my fell purpose, nor keep peace between
Th’ effect and it. Come to my woman’s breasts
And take my milk for gall, you murd’ring ministers,
Wherever in your sightless substances
You wait on nature’s mischief. Come, thick night,
And pall thee in the dunnest smoke of hell,
That my keen knife see not the wound it makes,
Nor heaven peep through the blanket of the dark
To cry “Hold, hold!”

William Shakespeare (1564-1616) English dramatist and poet
Macbeth, Act 1, sc. 5, l. 47ff (1.5.47-61) (1606)
(Source)

Tennyson, Alfred, Lord -- “Ulysses,” ll. 49-53 (1842)

Dave — Mon, 04 Mar 2024 16:01:52 +0000

You and I are old;
Old age hath yet his honour and his toil;
Death closes all: but something ere the end,
Some work of noble note, may yet be done,
Not unbecoming men that strove with Gods.

Alfred, Lord Tennyson (1809-1892) English poet
“Ulysses,” ll. 49-53 (1842)
(Source)

Bolton, Sarah Knowles -- “The Inevitable” (1895)

Dave — Wed, 25 Jan 2023 15:33:49 +0000

I like the man who faces what he must,
With steps triumphant and a heart of cheer;
Who fights the daily battle without fear.

Sarah Knowles Bolton (1841-1916) American writer, poet, journalist, activist
“The Inevitable” (1895)
(Source)

Von Clausewitz, Karl -- On War [Vom Kriege], Book 1, ch. 3 “On Military Genius [Der Kriegerische Genius],” (1.3) (1832) [tr. Howard & Paret (1976)]

Dave — Tue, 01 Nov 2022 15:39:57 +0000

Determination in a single instance is an expression of courage; if it becomes characteristic, a mental habit. But here we are referring not to physical courage but to courage to accept responsibility, courage in the face of a moral danger. This has often been called courage d’esprit, because it is created by the intellect. That, however, does not make it an act of the intellect: it is an act of temperament. Intelligence alone is not courage; we often see that the most intelligent people are irresolute. Since in the rush of events a man is governed by feelings rather than by thought, the intellect needs to arouse the quality of courage, which then supports and sustains it in action.

Looked at in this way, the role of determination is to limit the agonies of doubt and the perils of hesitation when the motives for action are inadequate.

[Die Entschlossenheit ist ein Akt des Muthes in dem einzelnen Fall, und wenn sie zum Charakterzug wird, eine Gewohnheit der Seele. Aber hier ist nicht der Muth gegen körperliche Gefahr, sondern der gegen die Verantwortung, also gewissermassen gegen Seelengefahr gemeint. Man hat diesen oft courage d’esprit genannt, weil er aus dem Verstande entspringt, aber er ist darum kein Akt des Verstandes, sondern des Gemüths. Blosser Verstand ist noch kein Muth, denn wir sehen oft die gescheitesten Leute ohne Entschluss. Der Verstand muss also erst das Gefühl des Muthes erwecken, um von ihm gehalten und getragen zu werden, weil im Drange des Augenblicks Gefühle den Menschen stärker beherrschen als Gedanken.

Wir haben Uer der Entschlossenheit diejenige Stelle angewiesen, wo sie bei nicht hinrechenden Motiven die Qualen der Zweifel, die Gefahren des Zauderns heben soll.]

Karl von Clausewitz (1780-1831) Prussian soldier, historian, military theorist
On War [Vom Kriege], Book 1, ch. 3 “On Military Genius [Der Kriegerische Genius],” (1.3) (1832) [tr. Howard & Paret (1976)]
(Source)

(Source (German)). Alternate translations:

Resolution is an act of courage in single instances, and if it becomes a characteristic trait, it is a habit of the mind. But here we do not mean courage in face of bodily danger, but in face of responsibility, therefore to a certain extent against moral danger. This has been often called courage d'esprit, on the ground that it springs from the understanding; nevertheless, it is no act of the understanding on that account it is an act of feeling. Mere intelligence is still not courage, for we often see the cleverest people devoid of resolution. The mind must, therefore, first awaken the feeling of courage, and then be guided and supported by it, because in momentary emergencies the man is swayed more by his feelings than his thoughts.

We have assigned to resolution the office of removing the torments of doubt, and the dangers of delay, when there are no sufficient motives for guidance
[tr. Graham (1873)]

Resolution is an act of courage in a single instance, and, if it becomes a characteristic trait, a habit of the mind. But here we do not mean courage in facing physical danger, butr courage in facing responsiblity, therefore to a certain extent in facing moral danger. This has often been called courage d'esprit, on the ground that it springs from the intellect, but it is not on that account for an act of the intellect but one of feeling. Mere intellect is not quite courage, for we often see the cleverest people devoid of resolution. The intellect must first, therefore, awaken the feeling of courage to be maintained and supported by it, because in emergencies of the moment man is governed more by his feelings than by his thoughts.

We have assigned to resolution the office of removing the torments of doubt and the dangers of hesitation when there are no sufficient motives for guidance.
[tr. Jolles (1943)]

Addison, Joseph -- Essay (1711-10-02), The Spectator, No. 185

Dave — Wed, 11 May 2022 13:57:20 +0000

There is nothing in which Men more deceive themselves than in what the World calls Zeal. There are so many Passions which hide themselves under it, and so many Mischiefs arising from it, that some have gone so far as to say it would have been for the Benefit of Mankind if it had never been reckoned in the Catalogue of Virtues. It is certain, where it is once Laudable and Prudential, it is an hundred times Criminal and Erroneous; nor can it be otherwise, if we consider that it operates with equal Violence in all Religions, however opposite they may be to one another, and in all the Subdivisions of each Religion in particular.

Joseph Addison (1672-1719) English essayist, poet, statesman
Essay (1711-10-02), The Spectator, No. 185
(Source)

Gordon, Peter E. -- “Why Historical Analogy Matters,” New York Review of Books (7 Jan 2020)

Dave — Thu, 16 Sep 2021 21:47:21 +0000

[Fascism] imagines the masses not as a pluralistic citizenry but as a primal horde whose power can be awakened by playing upon atavistic feelings of hatred and belonging. Its chosen leader must exhibit strength: his refusal to compromise and readiness to attack are seen as signs of tough-mindedness, while any concern for constitutionality or the rule of law are disdained as signs of weakness. The most powerful myth, however, is that of the embattled collective. Critics are branded as traitors, while those who do not fit the criteria for inclusion are vilified as outsiders, terrorists, and criminals.

Peter E, Gordon (b. 1966) American intellectual historian
“Why Historical Analogy Matters,” New York Review of Books (7 Jan 2020)
(Source)

McLaughlin, Mignon -- The Second Neurotics Handbook, ch. 10 (1966)

Dave — Thu, 03 Jun 2021 14:58:27 +0000

Our strength is often composed of the weakness that we’re damned if we’re going to show.

Mignon McLaughlin (1913-1983) American journalist and author
The Second Neurotics Handbook, ch. 10 (1966)
(Source)

Solzhenitsen, Alexander -- The Gulag Archipelago, Vol. 1, Part 1, ch. 4 (1973) [tr. Whitney]

Dave — Wed, 07 Apr 2021 15:20:13 +0000

Macbeth’s self-justifications were feeble — and his conscience devoured him. Yes, even Iago was a little lamb, too. The imagination and spiritual strength of Shakespeare’s evildoers stopped short at a dozen corpses. Because they had no ideology.

Ideology — that is what gives evildoing its long-sought justification and gives the evildoer the necessary steadfastness and determination. That is the social theory which helps to make his acts seem good instead of bad in his own and others’ eyes, so that he won’t hear reproaches and curses but will receive praise and honors. That was how the agents of the Inquisition fortified their wills: by invoking Christianity; the conquerors of foreign lands, by extolling the grandeur of their Motherland; the colonizers, by civilization; the Nazis, by race; and the Jacobins (early and late), by equality, brotherhood, and the happiness of future generations.

Alexander Solzhenitsen (1918-2008) Russian novelist, emigre [Aleksandr Isayevich Solzhenitsyn]
The Gulag Archipelago, Vol. 1, Part 1, ch. 4 (1973) [tr. Whitney]
(Source)

Hyujeong -- Mirror of Zen [Samga Gwigam; Samga Kwigom; Seonga Gwigam], ch. 14 [tr. Jorgensen (2012)]

Dave — Mon, 22 Mar 2021 17:29:35 +0000

You must have three essentials for the investigation of Chan [Zen]. The first is that you must have the foundation of great faith. The second is that you must have a zealous determination. The third is that you must have the feeling of great doubt. If you omit one of these it is like breaking off the leg of a tripod, which ends up becoming a useless vessel.

高峰云、叅禪須具三要一有大信根
二有大憤志三有大疑情苟闕其一
如折足之鼎終成廢器。

Hyujeong (1520-1604) Korean Seon (Sŏn, Zen) Master [Sosan Taesa, Seosan Daesa, Dae Seonsa]
Mirror of Zen [Samga Gwigam; Samga Kwigom; Seonga Gwigam], ch. 14 [tr. Jorgensen (2012)]
(Source)

Alternate translations:

For the study of Seon, there are three requirements: (1) having the great root of faith; (2) having great determination, and (3) having great doubt. If you lack one of these, it is like a broken like on a tripod sacrificial vessel. In the end you will discard it.
[tr. Miller (2017)]

There are three essentials to Sŏn meditation. First of all, you must be rooted in Great Faith and Great Confidence. Secondly, one must have Great Anger -- a strong, inwardly-directed, ardent determination to practice. Thirdly, one must have Great Doubt. If one of these is missing, it is like a tripod vessel with one leg cut off -- in the end, it will be of no use.
[Source]

It is well known that Ganhwaseon practitioners must have three things of essential importance: The first is a Foundation of Great Faith (大信根) for the practice which is possible; the second is Great Zealous Determination (大憤志) of practice to attain enlightenment; the third is a Great Feeling of Doubt (大疑情) on the Hwadu. If one of these is lacking, then it is like a tripod pot with a broken foot and is useless.
[Source]

Pratchett, Terry -- Discworld No. 35, Wintersmith, ch. 1 [Tiffany] (2006)

Dave — Tue, 02 Mar 2021 15:24:45 +0000

“This I choose to do,” she croaked, her breath leaving little clouds in the air. She cleared her throat and started again. “This I choose to do. If there is a price, this I choose to pay. If it is my death, then I choose to die. Where this takes me, there I choose to go. I choose. This I choose to do.”
It wasn’t a spell, except in her own head, but if you couldn’t make spells work in your own head, you couldn’t make them work at all.

Terry Pratchett (1948-2015) English author
Discworld No. 35, Wintersmith, ch. 1 [Tiffany] (2006)
(Source)

MacArthur, Douglas -- Speech, Republican National Convention, Chicago (7 Jul 1952)

Dave — Thu, 23 Jul 2020 15:50:14 +0000

It is fatal to enter any war without the will to win it.

Douglas MacArthur (1880-1964) American general
Speech, Republican National Convention, Chicago (7 Jul 1952)
(Source)

Beecher, Henry Ward -- Norwood; or, Village Life in New England, Vol. 1, ch. 6 (1867)

Dave — Mon, 16 Mar 2020 19:54:04 +0000

To array a man’s will against his sickness is the supreme art of medicine.

Henry Ward Beecher (1813-1887) American clergyman and orator
Norwood; or, Village Life in New England, Vol. 1, ch. 6 (1867)
(Source)

Ennius -- Annals, Book 6, frag. 11 [tr. Falconer (1923)]

Dave — Thu, 30 Jan 2020 17:38:24 +0000

Your minds that once did stand erect and strong,
What madness swerves them from their wonted course?

[Quo vobis mentes, rectae quae stare solebant
antehac, dementis sese flexere viai?]

Ennius (239-169 BC) Roman poet, writer [Quintus Ennius]
Annals, Book 6, frag. 11 [tr. Falconer (1923)]
(Source)

Setting the words of Appius Claudius to verse, when Appius in his old age berated the Senate for considering peace and alliance with King Pyrrhus of Epirus, who had defeated them (in a "Pyrhhic victory") at Heraclea (280 BC). Fragment recorded in Cicero, De Senectute, ch. 6 / sec. 16 (4.16) (44 BC).

(Source (Latin)). Alternate translations:

Why seid Appius haue ye inclyned and revaled youre couragious hertys whiche til nowe were accustumyd to be ferme and stidfast. Be ye madd or for lak of discressyon agree ye for to condescend and desyre ye to make alliance and peas with kyng Pirrus bycause that he putteth in strength for to putt you downe and in subjection and wolde destroye yowe?
[tr. Worcester/Worcester/Scrope (1481)]

Why do your wits
And senses so rave?
What foolish conceit
Doth encumber your brain?
Where be the ripe judgments,
Which wont you were to have,
To agree to your country's
Ruin most plain?
[tr. Newton (1569)]

Whether now bend your minds, a headlong fall to bring,
Which heretofore had wont to stand, as straight as any thing.
[tr. Austin (1648)]

Whither now do you bend your Thoughts
Which, heretofore, were firm and resolute,
What! madly on your Ruin. ? --
[tr. J. D. (1744)]

What Frenzy now has your wild Minds possest?
You, who were first with sagest Counsels blest,
Your selves on sure Destruction thus to throw!
[tr. Logan (1744)]

Shall folly now that honoured Council sway,
Where sacred wisdom wont to point the way!
[tr. Melmoth (1773)]

Ah! wither have your minds demented turned themselves, wich heretofore were wont to stand erect?
[Cornish Bros. ed. (1847)]

Whither have your minds, which used to stand upright before, in folly turned away?
[tr. Edmonds (1874)]

Wont to stand firm, upon what devious way
Demented rush ye now?
[tr. Peabody (1884)]

Whither have swerved the souls so firm of yore?
Is sense grown senseless? Can feet stand no more?
[tr. Shuckburgh (1895)]

Where are the minds that used to stand serene,
where is the bravery that once has been?
[tr. Allison (1916)]

What is this madness that has turned your minds, until now firm and strong, from their course?
[tr. Grant (1960, 1971 ed.)]

Where are your minds? They always stood up straight till now! Are you mad? Where did you miss the road?
[tr. Copley (1967)]

Up until now your minds were straight and firm.
What bends them now onto this foolish path?
[tr. Cobbold (2012)]

How on earth could your mind
Once upright and dignified
Take a downturn and backslide?
[tr. Bozzi (2015)]

What madness has turned your minds, once firm and strong, from their course?
[tr. Freeman (2016)]

Davies, Robertson -- The Enthusiasms of Robertson Davies (1990)

Dave — Wed, 30 Oct 2019 15:33:52 +0000

An author is like a horse pulling a coal-cart down an icy hill; he ought to stop, but when he reflects that it would probably kill him to try, he goes right on, neighing and rolling his eyes.

Robertson Davies (1913-1995) Canadian author, editor, publisher
The Enthusiasms of Robertson Davies (1990)

Forster, E. M. -- “What I Believe,” The Nation (16 Jul 1938)

Dave — Fri, 20 Sep 2019 21:46:30 +0000

The people I respect most behave as if they were immortal and as if society was eternal. Both assumptions are false: both of them must be accepted as true if we are to go on eating and working and loving, and are to keep open a few breathing-holes for the human spirit. No millennium seems likely to descend upon humanity; no better and stronger League of Nations will be instituted; no form of Christianity and no alternative to Christianity will bring peace to the world or integrity to the individual; no “change of heart” will occur. And yet we need not despair, indeed, we cannot despair; the evidence of history shows us that men have always insisted on behaving creatively under the shadow of the sword; that they have done their artistic and scientific and domestic stuff for the sake of doing it, and that we had better follow their example under the shadow of the aeroplanes.

E. M. Forster (1879-1970) English novelist, essayist, critic, librettist [Edward Morgan Forster]
“What I Believe,” The Nation (16 Jul 1938)
(Source)

Maugham, W. Somerset -- Of Human Bondage, ch. 39 (1915)

Dave — Thu, 15 Jun 2017 23:48:26 +0000

The Vicar of Blackstable would have nothing to do with the scheme which Philip laid before him. He had a great idea that one should stick to whatever one had begun. Like all weak men he laid an exaggerated stress on not changing one’s mind.

W. Somerset Maugham (1874-1965) English novelist and playwright [William Somerset Maugham]
Of Human Bondage, ch. 39 (1915)
(Source)

Serling, Rod -- “Rod Serling: The Facts of Life,” Interview with Linda Brevelle (4 Mar 1975)

Dave — Mon, 22 May 2017 16:08:23 +0000

There are millions of ways to not be writing.

Rod Serling (1924-1975) American screenwriter, playwright, television producer, narrator
“Rod Serling: The Facts of Life,” Interview with Linda Brevelle (4 Mar 1975)
(Source)

Artaud, Antonin -- Letter to André Breton (28 Feb 1947)

Dave — Wed, 03 Aug 2016 01:00:25 +0000

There are circumstances which have to do with simple human honor. No matter the risk. To resist and not surrender.

Antonin Artaud (1896-1948) French playwright, actor, director
Letter to André Breton (28 Feb 1947)

Obama, Barack -- (Attributed)

Dave — Thu, 26 May 2016 14:02:44 +0000

If you’re walking down the right path, and you’re willing to keep walking, eventually you’ll make progress.

Barack Obama (b. 1961) American politician, US President (2009-2017)
(Attributed)

Browne, Thomas -- Religio Medici, Part 1, sec. 25 (1643)

Dave — Wed, 18 May 2016 14:15:54 +0000

This is a vice in them, that were a vertue in us; for obstinacy in a bad cause, is but constancy in a good.

Thomas Browne (1605-1682) English physician and author
Religio Medici, Part 1, sec. 25 (1643)
(Source)

Roux, Joseph -- Meditations of a Parish Priest: Thoughts, Part 4, #88 (1886)

Dave — Mon, 04 Apr 2016 12:56:42 +0000

It is a very rare thing for a man of talent to succeed by his talent.

Joseph Roux (1834-1886) French Catholic priest
Meditations of a Parish Priest: Thoughts, Part 4, #88 (1886)
(Source)

Bell, Alexander Graham -- (Attributed)

Dave — Mon, 15 Feb 2016 15:38:53 +0000

Another discovery which came out of my investigation was the fact that when a man gives his order to produce a definite result and stands by that order it seems to have the effect of giving him what might be termed a second sight which enables him to see right through ordinary problems. What this power is I cannot say; all I know is that it exists and it becomes available only when a man is in that state of mind in which he knows exactly what he wants and is fully determined not to quit until he finds it.

Alexander Graham Bell (1847-1922) Scottish-American scientist, inventor, engineer
(Attributed)

Carlyle, Thomas -- Letter (1822-03-15) to John Carlyle

Dave — Wed, 15 Jul 2015 19:02:26 +0000

The last quality, perseverance, I particularly respect: it is the very hinge of all virtues. — On looking over the world, the cause of nine parts in ten of the lamentable failures which occur in men’s undertakings & darken and degrade so much of their history, lies not in the want of talents or the will to use them, but in the vacillating and desultory mode of using them — in flying from object to object, in starting away at each little disgust, and thus applying the force which might conquer any one difficulty to a series of difficulties so large that no human force can conquer them.
The smallest brook on earth, by continual running, has hollowed out for itself a considerable valley to flow in: the wildest tempest, by its occasional raging, over-turns a few cottages, uproots a few trees, and leaves after a short space no mark behind it. Commend me therefore to the Dutch virtue of perseverance! Without it all the rest are little better than fairy gold, which glitters in your purse, but when taken to the market proves to be — slate or cinders.

Thomas Carlyle (1795-1881) Scottish essayist and historian
Letter (1822-03-15) to John Carlyle
(Source)

Writing to his brother.

Von Clausewitz, Karl -- On War [Vom Kriege], Book 4, ch. 9 “The Battle: Its Decision [Die Hauptschlacht. Ihre Entscheidung],” (4.9) (1832) [tr. Jolles (1943)]

Dave — Wed, 08 Jul 2015 13:35:47 +0000

However highly we must value courage and steadfastness in war, and however little prospect of victory there is for him who cannot resolve to seek it by the exertion of all his strength, still there is a point beyond which perseverance can only be called desperate folly, and therefore cannot be approved by any critic.

[Wie hoch auch der Wert des Mutes und der Standhaftigkeit im Kriege angeschlagen werden muß, und wie wenig Aussicht der zum Siege hat, der sich nicht entschließen kann, ihn mit der ganzen Kraftanstrengung zu suchen, so gibt es doch einen Punkt, über den hinaus das Verharren nur eine verzweiflungsvolle Torheit genannt und also von keiner Kritik gebilligt werden kann.]

Karl von Clausewitz (1780-1831) Prussian soldier, historian, military theorist
On War [Vom Kriege], Book 4, ch. 9 “The Battle: Its Decision [Die Hauptschlacht. Ihre Entscheidung],” (4.9) (1832) [tr. Jolles (1943)]
(Source)

(Source (German)). Alternate translations:

However highly we must esteem courage and firmness in war, and however little prospect there is of victory to him who cannot resolve to seek it by the exertion of all his power, still there is a point beyond which perseverance can only be termed desperate folly, and therefore can meet with no approbation from any critic.
[tr. Graham (1873)]

No matter how highly rated the qualities of courage and steadfastness may be in war, no matter how small the chance of victory may be for the leader who hesitates to go for it with all the power at his disposal, there is a point beyond which persistence becomes desperate folly, and can therefore never be condoned.
[tr. Howard & Paret (1976)]

Gilpin, Bernard -- (Attributed)

Dave — Mon, 08 Jun 2015 13:35:49 +0000

I hate to see a thing done by halves; if it be right, do it boldly; if it be wrong, leave it undone.

Bernard Gilpin (1517-1583) English theologian and clergyman
(Attributed)

Socrates -- In Plato, Apology, sec. 29 [tr. Jowett (1894)]

Dave — Thu, 21 Aug 2014 12:48:40 +0000

Men of Athens, I honor and love you; but I shall obey God rather than you, and while I have life and strength I shall never cease from the practice and teaching of philosophy, exhorting anyone whom I meet and saying to him after my manner: You, my friend — a citizen of the great and mighty and wise city of Athens — are you not ashamed of heaping up the greatest amount of money and honor and reputation, and caring so little about wisdom and truth and the greatest improvements of the soul, which you never regard or heed at all?

Socrates (c.470-399 BC) Greek philosopher
In Plato, Apology, sec. 29 [tr. Jowett (1894)]

~Other -- Jon Sinclair

Dave — Fri, 20 Jun 2014 14:24:46 +0000

Failure is a bruise, not a tattoo.

(Other Authors and Sources)
Jon Sinclair

Stout, Rex -- A Family Affair, ch. 2 [Goodwin] (1975)

Dave — Thu, 08 May 2014 14:40:52 +0000

It’s possible to tell your mind what to do only when your mind agrees with you.

Rex Stout (1886-1975) American writer
A Family Affair, ch. 2 [Goodwin] (1975)

Lincoln, Abraham -- Letter (1862-07-26) to Revardy Johnson

Dave — Mon, 06 May 2013 12:58:30 +0000

I must save this government if possible. What I cannot do, of course I will not do; but it may as well be understood, once for all, that I shall not surrender this game leaving any available card unplayed.

Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865) American lawyer, politician, US President (1861-65)
Letter (1862-07-26) to Revardy Johnson
(Source)

Lincoln, Abraham -- Speech (1865-04-11), Washington, D.C.

Dave — Tue, 05 Jun 2012 12:17:47 +0000

Important principles may, and must, be inflexible.

Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865) American lawyer, politician, US President (1861-65)
Speech (1865-04-11), Washington, D.C.
(Source)

Discussing how plans for the Reconstruction needed to be flexible, but the principles behind it not. Lincoln's last public address before his assassination on 14 April.

Luther, Martin -- Speech before the Diet of Worms (18 Apr 1521)

Dave — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 10:41:20 +0000

I cannot and will not recant anything, for to go against conscience neither right nor safe. Here I stand. I can do no other, so help me God. Amen.

Martin Luther (1483-1546) German priest, theologian, writer, religious reformer
Speech before the Diet of Worms (18 Apr 1521)

Tennyson, Alfred, Lord -- “Ulysses,” ll. 65-70 (1842)

Dave — Mon, 10 Sep 2007 14:36:46 +0000

Tho’ much is taken, much abides; and tho’
We are not now that strength which in old days
Moved earth and heaven; that which we are, we are;
One equal temper of heroic hearts,
Made weak by time and fate, but strong in will
To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield.

Alfred, Lord Tennyson (1809-1892) English poet
“Ulysses,” ll. 65-70 (1842)
(Source)

Lincoln, Abraham -- Letter (1855-11-05) to Isham Reavis

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

Always bear in mind that your own resolution to succeed is more important than any one thing.

Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865) American lawyer, politician, US President (1861-65)
Letter (1855-11-05) to Isham Reavis
(Source)

Lincoln, Abraham -- (Spurious)

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

Most of us are just about as happy as we make up our minds to be.

Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865) American lawyer, politician, US President (1861-65)
(Spurious)

Not found any earlier than in casual attribution in 1914. Also sometimes attributed to Mark Twain.

For more discussion of the source of this quotation, see: Quote Origin: Folks Are Usually About as Happy as They Make Up Their Minds To Be – Quote Investigator®.

Emerson, Ralph Waldo -- (Spurious)

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

A hero is no braver than an ordinary man, but he is braver five minutes longer.

Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882) American essayist, lecturer, poet
(Spurious)

Frequently ascribed to him, especially in recent decades, but not found in his works.

More discussion about this quotation:

Lorimer, George Horace -- Old Gorgon Graham: More Letters from a Self-Made Merchant to His Son, ch. 3 (1903)

Dave — Sun, 01 Feb 2004 18:00:00 +0000

The man who can make up his mind quick, makes up other people’s minds for them. Decision is a sharp knife that cuts clear and straight and lays bare the fat and the lean; indecision is a dull one that hacks and tears and leaves ragged edges behind it.

George Horace Lorimer (1867-1937) American journalist, author, magazine editor
Old Gorgon Graham: More Letters from a Self-Made Merchant to His Son, ch. 3 (1903)
(Source)

Epictetus -- The Discourses, ch. 23, “Concerning Such as Read and Dispute Ostentatiously” (c. AD 101-108)

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

First say to yourself what you would be; and then do what you have to do.

Epictetus (c. 55-c. 135 AD) Greek (Phrygian) Stoic philosopher [Ἐπίκτητος, Epíktētos]
The Discourses, ch. 23, “Concerning Such as Read and Dispute Ostentatiously” (c. AD 101-108)