WIST Quotations

Carlyle, Thomas -- Essay (1828-05), “Goethe’s Helena,” Foreign Review, Vol. 1, No. 2, Article 5

Dave — Thu, 11 Jun 2026 20:09:16 +0000

Everywhere in life, the true question is not what we gain, but what we do.

Thomas Carlyle (1795-1881) Scottish essayist and historian
Essay (1828-05), “Goethe’s Helena,” Foreign Review, Vol. 1, No. 2, Article 5
(Source)

Review of Goethe's Sämmtliche Werke, Vol. 1 (1827); not labeled as Carlyle but believed to be his. Collected in Carlyle, Critical and Miscellaneous Essays (1827-1855).

Munroe, Randall -- XKCD, # 896 “Marie Curie” (9 May 2011)

Dave — Wed, 20 Jan 2016 14:52:01 +0000

You don’t become great by trying to be great. You become great by wanting to do something, then doing it so hard that you become great in the process.

Randall Munroe (b. 1984) American webcomic writer, roboticist, programmer
XKCD, # 896 “Marie Curie” (9 May 2011)
(Source)

Spengler, Oswald -- The Decline of the West, “Cities and Peoples” (1918-22) [tr. Atkinson (1962)]

Dave — Tue, 28 Sep 2010 14:35:53 +0000

Every act alters the soul of the doer.

Oswald Spengler (1880–1936), German author
The Decline of the West, “Cities and Peoples” (1918-22) [tr. Atkinson (1962)]