WIST Quotations

Nelson, Horatio -- Letter to Andrew Hamond (1797)

Dave — Mon, 05 Oct 2020 17:47:18 +0000

Success covers a multitude of blunders, and the want of it hides the greatest gallantry and good conduct.

Horatio Nelson (1758–1805) British admiral
Letter to Andrew Hamond (1797)

Often misattributed to George Bernard Shaw.

Oliver, Mary -- “The Poet With His Face in His Hands,” New Yorker (4 Apr 2005)

Dave — Tue, 14 Apr 2020 19:37:47 +0000

You want to cry aloud for your
mistakes. But to tell the truth the world
doesn’t need any more of that sound.

Mary Oliver (1935–2019) American poet
“The Poet With His Face in His Hands,” New Yorker (4 Apr 2005)

Collected in New and Selected Poems, Vol. 2 (2005), and The Best American Poetry, 2006.

Adams, Scott -- The Dilbert Principle (1996)

Dave — Mon, 24 Feb 2014 13:22:25 +0000

Creativity is allowing yourself to make mistakes. Art is knowing which ones to keep.

Scott Adams (b. 1957) American cartoonist
The Dilbert Principle (1996)

Sometimes misquoted as "Design is knowing which ones to keep." Sometimes misattributed to Douglas Adams or Ricky Gervais. More information here.

Dryden, John -- All for Love, “Prologue to Anthony and Cleopatra” (1677)

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

Errours like Straws upon the surface flow;
He who would search for Pearls must dive below.

John Dryden (1631–1700) English poet, dramatist, critic
All for Love, “Prologue to Anthony and Cleopatra” (1677)

La Rochefoucauld, Francois -- Réflexions ou sentences et maximes morales [Reflections; or Sentences and Moral Maxims], ¶327 (1665-1678) [tr. Kronenberger (1959)]

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

We confess to small faults to create the impression that we have no great ones.

[Nous n’avouons de petits défauts que pour persuader que nous n’en avons pas de grands.]

François VI, duc de La Rochefoucauld (1613–1680) French epigrammatist, memoirist, noble
Réflexions ou sentences et maximes morales [Reflections; or Sentences and Moral Maxims], ¶327 (1665-1678) [tr. Kronenberger (1959)]

First appeared in the 3rd (1671) edition. See also ¶126.

(Source (French)). Other translations:

When we own small Faults, it is with a design to make People believe, we have no great ones.
[tr. Stanhope (1694), ¶327]

We confess small faults in order to insinuate that we have no great ones.
[pub. Donaldson (1783), ¶127]

We confess small faults, by way of insinuating that we have no great ones.
[ed. Carvill (1835), ¶111]

We confess our little faults only to persuade others that we have no great ones.
[ed. Gowens (1851), ¶337]

We own to small faults to persuade others that we have not great ones.
[tr. Bund/Friswell (1871), ¶327]

We admit our petty foibles only to disclaim greater faults.
[tr. Heard (1917), ¶334]

We will admit our minor defects, but only to persuade others that we have no major ones.
[tr. FitzGibbon (1957), ¶327]

We own up to minor failings, but only so as to convince others that we have no major ones.
[tr. Tancock (1959), ¶327]

We confess to small faults only for the purpose of persuading others that we do not possess great ones.
[tr. Whichello (2016), ¶327]

We admit to lesser faults in order persuade people that we have no greater ones.
[tr. Chandler, ¶327]