WIST Quotations

Ingersoll, Robert Green -- Lecture (1872-01-29), “The Gods,” Fairbury Hall, Fairbury, Illinois

Dave — Fri, 14 Nov 2025 17:03:20 +0000

The instant we admit that a book is too sacred to be doubted, or even reasoned about, we are mental serfs. It is infinitely absurd to suppose that a god would address a communication to intelligent beings, and yet make it a crime, to be punished in eternal flames, for them to use their intelligence for the purpose of understanding his communication. If we have the right to use our reason, we certainly have the right to act in accordance with it, and no god can have the right to punish us for such action.

Robert Green Ingersoll (1833-1899) American lawyer, freethinker, orator
Lecture (1872-01-29), “The Gods,” Fairbury Hall, Fairbury, Illinois
(Source)

First given on the 135th birthday of Thomas Paine. Collected in The Gods and Other Lectures (1876).

Omar Khayyam -- Rubáiyát [رباعیات], Bod. # 6 [tr. Talbot (1908)]

Dave — Thu, 10 Jul 2025 23:45:34 +0000

We dabble in the Qur’án now and then,
Read, and repent, yet fall from Grace again;
But in the goblet is engraved a text
That greets eternally the eyes of men.

قرآن که بهین کلام خوانند اورا
گه گاه نه بر دوام خوانند اورا
در خطِ پیاله آیتی روشن هست
کاندر همه جا مدام خوانند اورا

Omar Khayyám (1048-1123) Persian poet, mathematician, philosopher, astronomer [عمر خیام]
Rubáiyát [رباعیات], Bod. # 6 [tr. Talbot (1908)]
(Source)

(Source (Persian)). Alternate translations:

The Koran, which men call the Holy Word, is none the less read only from time to time, and not with steadfast study, while on the lip of the cup there runs a luminous verse which we love to read always and ever.
[tr. McCarthy (1879), # 24]

Men say the Koran holds all heavenly lore,
But on its pages seldom care to pore;
The lucid lines engraven on the bowl, --
That is the text they dwell on evermore.
[tr. Whinfield (1883), # 7; elsewhere # 10]

The Koran's word, oft called "the word sublime,"
Is seldom read, and not in every clime;
But on the goblet's rim there is a verse
Men read in every place and through all time.
[tr. Garner (1898), # 23]

The Koran, though The Word Sublime folk style it.
But here and there they read and once-a-while it:
Upon the cup-marge there's a bright verse written,
All-where-and-when folk read, though some revile it.
[tr. Payne (1898), # 20]

The Qurán which men call the best word
They read at intervals but not continually
On the lines upon the goblet there is a luminous text
Which they read at all times and in all places.
[tr. Heron-Allen (1897), Calcutta #6]

The Qur'an, which men call the Supreme Word,
they read at intervals but not continually,
but on the lines upon the goblet a text is engraved
which they read at all times and in all places.
[tr. Heron-Allen (1898), # 6]

Men call the Koran, God's Almighty word,
Yet read it rarely, or forget it quite;
Yet doth a graven verse the cup engird
That all men con, and all their tongues recite.
[tr. Cadell (1899), # 3]

Men call the Koran "Fount of Sacred Lore,"
"The Word Supreme," and, hasty, glance it o'er;
But on the goblet's rim a text is writ
That all shall read and ponder evermore.
[tr. Roe (1906), # 47]

The Koran though as "Word sublime" read o'er.
Men sometimes on its page, but not long, pore;
There is a bright verse in the cup's lines, for
Within men everywhere read, evermore.
[tr. Thompson (1906), # 6]

The Qur'án, which people call the Best Word, they
read it from time to time, not constantly
On the lines of the cup a sacred verse is engraved
which they read everywhere and always.
[tr. Christensen (1927), # 41]

The Koran they call the best of texts,
Yet oft-times they do not read it with application.
Around the goblet is engraved a verse
Which everywhere is read incessantly.
[tr. Rosen (1928), # 4]

"The scriptures are divine" thus we declare,
We read them seldom, kiss them oft and swear;
But in this cup of life, lo! shines the Word! --
The Truth unchained by bounds of when and where.
[tr. Tirtha (1941), # 9.12]

They call the Koran the Ultimate Word,
They read it occasionally but not all the time;
A text stands round the inside of the cup,
This they con at all times and in all places.
[tr. Avery/Heath-Stubbs (1979), # 145]

Herbert, George -- Jacula Prudentum, or Outlandish Proverbs, Sentences, &c. (compiler), # 1008 (1640 ed.)

Dave — Fri, 22 Nov 2024 17:37:57 +0000

Saint Luke was a Saint and a Physitian, yet is dead.

George Herbert (1593-1633) Welsh priest, orator, poet.
Jacula Prudentum, or Outlandish Proverbs, Sentences, &c. (compiler), # 1008 (1640 ed.)
(Source)

O'Malley, Austin -- Keystones of Thought (1914)

Dave — Thu, 06 Jul 2023 16:46:41 +0000

To laugh sturdily and often, and to wear a long belt, are not incongruous with sanctity. God’s image is in every man, high or low — a road puddle holds the moon as well as the sea.

Austin O'Malley (1858-1932) American ophthalmologist, professor of literature, aphorist
Keystones of Thought (1914)
(Source)

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

Dave — Fri, 09 Jun 2023 19:38:30 +0000

People couldn’t become truly holy, he said, unless they also had the opportunity to be definitively wicked.

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

Lamott, Anne -- Plan B, ch. 5 “Holy of Holies 101” (2004)

Dave — Thu, 12 May 2022 14:47:43 +0000

Laughter is carbonated holiness.

Anne Lamott (b. 1954) American novelist and non-fiction writer
Plan B, ch. 5 “Holy of Holies 101” (2004)
(Source)

West, Rebecca -- “Pleasure Be Your Guide,” The Nation, “Living Philosophies” series #10 (25 Feb 1939)

Dave — Mon, 19 Apr 2021 15:21:29 +0000

Out of instinct for self-preservation, and logically enough, [the mind] asks, “If it is a good and holy thing to be punished, must it not also be a good and holy thing to punish?” It answers that it is; and our earth becomes the hell it is. Thus we human beings plant in ourselves the perennial blossom of cruelty — the conviction that if we hurt other people we are doing good to ourselves and to life in general.

Rebecca West (1892-1983) British author, journalist, literary critic, travel writer [pseud. for Cicily Isabel Fairfield]
“Pleasure Be Your Guide,” The Nation, “Living Philosophies” series #10 (25 Feb 1939)
(Source)

Adapted into Clifton Fadiman, I Believe: The Personal Philosophies of Certain Eminent Men and Women of Our Time (1952).

Inge, William Ralph -- Christian Mysticism, Lecture 1 (1899)

Dave — Mon, 27 Jul 2020 17:45:15 +0000

He who tries to be holy in order to be happy will assuredly be neither.

William Ralph Inge (1860-1954) English prelate [Dean Inge]
Christian Mysticism, Lecture 1 (1899)
(Source)

Oliver, Mary -- “Poppies,” Blue Iris (2004)

Dave — Tue, 31 Mar 2020 19:53:33 +0000

But also I say this: that light
is an invitation
to happiness,
and that happiness,
when it’s done right,
is a kind of holiness,
palpable and redemptive.

Mary Oliver (1935-2019) American poet
“Poppies,” Blue Iris (2004)
(Source)

Faulkner, William -- “Mistral,” These 13 (1931)

Dave — Tue, 10 Mar 2020 15:50:33 +0000

For the holy are susceptible too to evil, even as you and I, signori; they too are helpless before sin without God’s aid. … And the holy can be fooled by sin as quickly as you or I, signori. Quicker, because they are holy.

William Faulkner (1897-1962) American novelist
“Mistral,” These 13 (1931)
(Source)

Nouwen, Henri -- Bread for the Journey (1996)

Dave — Fri, 18 Mar 2016 15:03:43 +0000

Although we tend to think about saints as holy and pious, and picture them with halos above their heads and ecstatic gazes, true saints are much more accessible. They are men and women like us, who live ordinary lives and struggle with ordinary problems. What makes them saints is their clear and unwavering focus on God and God’s people.

Henri Nouwen (1932-1996) Dutch Catholic priest and writer
Bread for the Journey (1996)

Moody, D. L. -- (Attributed)

Dave — Wed, 27 Jan 2016 16:52:54 +0000

It is a great deal better to live a holy life than to talk about it. We are told to let our light shine, and if it does, we won’t need to tell anybody it does. Light-houses don’t ring bells and fire cannon to call attention to their shining — they just shine.

Dwight Lyman "D. L." Moody (1837-1899) American evangelist and publisher
(Attributed)

Sometimes quoted, "they just shine on."

Heschel, Abraham -- “No Religion Is an Island,” Union Theological Seminary Quarterly Review (Jan 1966)

Dave — Fri, 08 Jan 2016 17:33:48 +0000

Just to be is a blessing. Just to live is holy.

Abraham Joshua Heschel (1907-1972) Polish-American rabbi, theologian, philosopher
“No Religion Is an Island,” Union Theological Seminary Quarterly Review (Jan 1966)

Bible, Vol. 2. New Testament -- 2 Peter 3: 10-12 [JB (1966)]

Dave — Thu, 18 Dec 2014 14:54:53 +0000

The Day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then with a roar the sky will vanish, the elements will catch fire and fall apart, the earth and all that it contains will be burnt up.
Since everything is coming to an end like this, you should be living holy and saintly lives while you wait and long for the Day of God to come, when the sky will dissolve in flames and the elements melt in the heat.

[Ἥξει δὲ ἡμέρα Κυρίου ὡς κλέπτης ἐν ᾗ οἱ οὐρανοὶ ῥοιζηδὸν παρελεύσονται στοιχεῖα δὲ καυσούμενα λυθήσεται καὶ γῆ καὶ τὰ ἐν αὐτῇ ἔργα [οὐχ] εὑρεθήσεται. Τούτων οὕτως πάντων λυομένων ποταποὺς δεῖ ὑπάρχειν ὑμᾶς ἐν ἁγίαις ἀναστροφαῖς καὶ εὐσεβείαις προσδοκῶντας καὶ σπεύδοντας τὴν παρουσίαν τῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ ἡμέρας δι’ ἣν οὐρανοὶ πυρούμενοι λυθήσονται καὶ στοιχεῖα καυσούμενα τήκεται.]

The Bible (The New Testament) (AD 1st - 2nd C) Christian sacred scripture
2 Peter 3: 10-12 [JB (1966)]
(Source)

(Source (Greek)). Alternate translations:

But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.
Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness, looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat?
[KJV (1611)]

But the Day of the Lord will come like a thief. On that Day the heavens will disappear with a shrill noise, the heavenly bodies will burn up and be destroyed, and the earth with everything in it will vanish.
Since all these things will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people should you be? Your lives should be holy and dedicated to God, as you wait for the Day of God and do your best to make it come soon -- the Day when the heavens will burn up and be destroyed, and the heavenly bodies will be melted by the heat.
[GNT (1976)]

The Day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then with a roar the sky will vanish, the elements will catch fire and melt away, the earth and all that it contains will be burned up.
Since everything is coming to an end like this, what holy and saintly lives you should be living while you wait for the Day of God to come, and try to hasten its coming: on that Day the sky will dissolve in flames and the elements melt in the heat.
[NJB (1985)]

But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. On that day the heavens will pass away with a dreadful noise, the elements will be consumed by fire, and the earth and all the works done on it will be exposed.
Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what sort of people ought you to be? You must live holy and godly lives, waiting for and hastening the coming day of God. Because of that day, the heavens will be destroyed by fire and the elements will melt away in the flames.
[CEB (2011)]

But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything done in it will be laid bare.
Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming. That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat.
[NIV (2011 ed.)]

But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a loud noise, and the elements will be destroyed with fire, and the earth and everything that is done on it will be disclosed.
Since all these things are to be destroyed in this way, what sort of persons ought you to be in leading lives of holiness and godliness, waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be set ablaze and destroyed and the elements will melt with fire?
[NRSV (2011 ed.)]

Bovee, Christian Nestell -- Intuitions and Summaries of Thought, Vol. 1 (1862)

Dave — Fri, 27 Dec 2013 23:38:37 +0000

It is the passion that is in a kiss that gives to it its sweetness; it is the affection in a kiss that sanctifies it.

Christian Nestell Bovee (1820-1904) American epigrammatist, writer, publisher
Intuitions and Summaries of Thought, Vol. 1 (1862)

Santayana, George -- The Life of Reason or The Phases of Human Progress, Vol. 3 “Reason in Religion,” ch. 11 “Spirituality and Its Corruptions” (1905-06)

Dave — Fri, 13 Sep 2013 13:24:47 +0000

It is easier to make a saint out of a libertine than out of a prig.

George Santayana (1863-1952) Spanish-American poet and philosopher [Jorge Agustín Nicolás Ruíz de Santayana y Borrás]
The Life of Reason or The Phases of Human Progress, Vol. 3 “Reason in Religion,” ch. 11 “Spirituality and Its Corruptions” (1905-06)
(Source)

Hammarskjold, Dag -- Markings (1955) [tr. Sjoberg, Auden (1964)]

Dave — Wed, 21 May 2008 10:16:26 +0000

In our era, the road to holiness necessarily passes through the world of action.

Dag Hammarskjöld (1905-1961) Swedish diplomat, author, UN Secretary-General (1953-61)
Markings (1955) [tr. Sjoberg, Auden (1964)]
(Source)

Bierce, Ambrose -- “Scriptures,” The Devil’s Dictionary (1911)

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

SCRIPTURES, n. The sacred books of our holy religion, as distinguished from the false and profane writings on which all other faiths are based.

Ambrose Bierce (1842-1914?) American writer and journalist
“Scriptures,” The Devil’s Dictionary (1911)
(Source)

Originally published in The Devil's Dictionary [A-Z] as Vol. 7 of his Collected Works.

Twain, Mark -- Following the Equator (1897)

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

We despise all reverences and all objects of reverence which are outside the pale of our list of sacred things. And yet, with strange inconsistency, we are shocked when other people despise and defile the things which are holy to us.

Mark Twain (1835-1910) American writer [pseud. of Samuel Clemens]
Following the Equator (1897)