WIST Quotations

Twain, Mark -- Novel (1889), A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court, Part 3 “The Tale of the Lost Land,” ch. 8 “The Boss”

Dave — Fri, 17 Jul 2026 20:10:17 +0000

Inherited ideas are a curious thing, and interesting to observe and examine. I had mine, the king and his people had theirs. In both cases they flowed in ruts worn deep by time and habit, and the man who should have proposed to divert them by reason and argument would have had a long contract on his hands.

Mark Twain (1835–1910) American writer [pseud. of Samuel Clemens]
Novel (1889), A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court, Part 3 “The Tale of the Lost Land,” ch. 8 “The Boss”
(Source)

Watterson, Bill -- Calvin and Hobbes (1992-07-14)

Dave — Thu, 11 Jun 2026 00:46:51 +0000

CALVIN: Bugs fly in such crazy loops and zigzags. I wonder why they don’t get dizzy and barf.

HOBBES: Maybe they do!

CALVIN: Eww, gross! Ha ha ha! But then why would they keep flying that way?

HOBBES: Maybe bugs like to barf!

CALVIN: Ewwww! They would!! Ha ha ha ha! Blaugh!

CALVIN: I tell you, Hobbes, it’s great to have a friend who appreciates an earnest discussion of ideas.

Bill Watterson (b. 1958) American cartoonist
Calvin and Hobbes (1992-07-14)
(Source)

Stevenson, Adlai -- Speech (1952-08-27), “The Nature of Patriotism,” American Legion Convention, Madison Square Garden, New York City

Dave — Sat, 14 Feb 2026 19:18:35 +0000

And the freedom of the mind, my friends, has served America well. The vigor of our political life, our capacity for change, our cultural, scientific, and industrial achievements, all derive from free inquiry, from the free mind — from the imagination, resourcefulness, and daring of men who are not afraid of new ideas. Most all of us favor free enterprise for business. Let us also favor free enterprise for the mind. For, in the last analysis, we would fight to the death to protect it.

Adlai Stevenson II (1900–1965) American politician, diplomat, statesman
Speech (1952-08-27), “The Nature of Patriotism,” American Legion Convention, Madison Square Garden, New York City
(Source)

Stevenson, Adlai -- Speech (1952-08-27), “The Nature of Patriotism,” American Legion Convention, Madison Square Garden, New York City

Dave — Sat, 07 Feb 2026 00:31:33 +0000

The anatomy of patriotism is complex. But surely intolerance and public irresponsibility cannot be cloaked in the shining armor of rectitude and righteousness. Nor can the denial of the right to hold ideas that are different — the freedom of man to think as he pleases. To strike freedom of the mind with the fist of patriotism is an old and ugly subtlety.

Ivins, Molly -- Essay (1973-01), “Pitfalls of Reporting in the Lone Star State,” Houston Journalism Review

Dave — Wed, 23 Apr 2025 15:09:47 +0000

It’s a damn sight simpler to criticize other people’s ideas than it is to set forth your own. One is never in so much danger of making an ass of one’s self as when one is engaged in saying, “This I believe …”

Molly Ivins (1944–2007) American writer, political columnist [Mary Tyler Ivins]
Essay (1973-01), “Pitfalls of Reporting in the Lone Star State,” Houston Journalism Review
(Source)

Collected in Molly Ivins Can't Say That, Can She? (1991).

Chamfort, Nicolas -- Products of Perfected Civilization [Produits de la Civilisation Perfectionée], Part 1 “Maxims and Thoughts [Maximes et Pensées],” ch. 2, ¶ 145 (1795) [tr. Parmée (2003), ¶ 115]

Dave — Mon, 27 Jan 2025 17:04:34 +0000

Men’s ideas are like card-playing or any other game. Ideas which in the past I’ve seen considered reckless have since become commonplace, almost trivial, and adopted by men unworthy of sharing them. Ideas which now seem extraordinary will be regarded feeble and perfectly ordinary by our descendants.

[Les idées des hommes sont comme les cartes et autres jeux. Des idées que j’ai vu autrefois regarder comme dangereuses et trop hardies, sont depuis devenues communes, et presque triviales, et ont descendu jusqu’à des hommes peu dignes d’elles. Quelques-unes de celles à qui nous donnons le nom d’audacieuses seront vues comme faibles et communes par nos descendans.]

Nicolas Chamfort (1741–1794) French writer, epigrammist (b. Nicolas-Sébastien Roch)
Products of Perfected Civilization [Produits de la Civilisation Perfectionée], Part 1 “Maxims and Thoughts [Maximes et Pensées],” ch. 2, ¶ 145 (1795) [tr. Parmée (2003), ¶ 115]
(Source)

(Source (French)). Alternate translations:

Men’s ideas are like cards and other games. Ideas which I remember to have seen regarded as dangerous and over-bold have since become commonplace and almost trite, and have descended to men little worthy of them. So it is that some of the ideas which to-day we call audacious will be considered feeble and conventional by our descendants.
[tr. Hutchinson (1902), "The Cynic's Breviary"]

Man's ideas are like card & other games. Ideas which I once heard stigmatised as dangerous and over-daring have since become common and even trivial, and have sunk to be the tenets of quite unworthy persons. Some ideas which we call audacious nowadays will seem feeble and ordinary to our descendants.
[tr. Mathers (1926)]

The ideas of men are like cards and other games. ideas that at one time, to my own knowledge, were considered dangerous and rash, have since become general, almost commonplace, and have descended to men who are little worthy of them. Some of those that we call daring will seem feeble and ordinary to our descendants.
[tr. Merwin (1969)]

The ideas of men are like cards and other games. Some ideas, which formerly I observed to be considered dangerous and intemperate, have since become universal, even trivial, and have been adopted by men scarcely worthy of them. Some notions which we call bold will be regarded as feeble and commonplace by our descendants.
[tr. Pearson (1973)]

Roosevelt, Franklin Delano -- Speech (1938-11-04), “The Election of Liberals” (radio broadcast)

Dave — Tue, 14 Jan 2025 16:51:40 +0000

New ideas cannot be administered successfully by men with old ideas, for the first essential of doing a job well is the wish to see the job done at all.

Franklin Delano Roosevelt (1882–1945) American lawyer, politician, statesman, US President (1933–1945)
Speech (1938-11-04), “The Election of Liberals” (radio broadcast)
(Source)

Bierce, Ambrose -- “Innate,” The Cynic’s Word Book (1906)

Dave — Tue, 08 Oct 2024 21:51:30 +0000

INNATE, adj. Natural; inherent — as, innate ideas, that is to say, ideas that we are born with, having had them previously imparted to us. The doctrine of innate ideas is one of the most admirable faiths of philosophy, being itself an innate idea and therefore inaccessible to disproof, though Locke foolishly supposed himself to have given it “a black eye.” Among innate ideas may be mentioned the belief in one’s ability to conduct a newspaper, in the greatness of one’s country, in the superiority of one’s civilization, in the importance of one’s personal affairs, and in the interesting nature of one’s diseases.

Ambrose Bierce (1842–1914?) American writer and journalist
“Innate,” The Cynic’s Word Book (1906)
(Source)

Referencing English philosopher John Locke (1632-1704) who argued against the notion of innate ideas in An Esssay Concerning Human Understanding, Book 1 (1690).

Included in The Devil's Dictionary (1911). Originally published in the "Devil's Dictionary" column in the San Francisco Wasp (1885-10-17).

Jacobs, Jane -- The Death and Life of Great American Cities, Part 2, ch. 10 “The Need for Aged Buildings” (1961)

Dave — Mon, 30 Sep 2024 23:01:02 +0000

As for really new ideas of any kind — no matter how ultimately profitable or otherwise successful some of them might prove to be — there is no leeway for such chancy trial, error and experimentation in the high-overhead economy of new construction. Old ideas can sometimes use new buildings. New ideas must use old buildings.

Jane Jacobs (1916–2006) American-Canadian journalist, author, urban theorist, activist
The Death and Life of Great American Cities, Part 2, ch. 10 “The Need for Aged Buildings” (1961)
(Source)

Morgan, Edward -- Essay (1955-08-15), “The Literary Bug Doesn’t Bite,” ABC Radio

Dave — Mon, 23 Sep 2024 21:09:10 +0000

A book is the only place I know in which you can examine a fragile thought without breaking it, or explore an explosive idea without fear that it will go off in your face. It is one of the few sources of information left that is served up without the silent black noise of a headline, the doomy hullabaloo of a commercial. It is one of the few havens remaining where a man’s mind can get both provocation and privacy.

Edward P. Morgan (1910–1993) American journalist
Essay (1955-08-15), “The Literary Bug Doesn’t Bite,” ABC Radio
(Source)

Collected in Clearing the Air, Part 1 (1963).

Often attributed to Madeleine L'Engle, who quoted it in her lecture (1983-11-16), "Dare To Be Creative," Library of Congress, Washington, DC; she indicated someone had given the quote to her, but she did not know who had said it.

Lowell, James Russell -- “Nationality in Literature,” North American Review, Article 10 (1849-07)

Dave — Mon, 29 Apr 2024 21:28:17 +0000

Books are the bees which carry the quickening pollen from one to another mind.

James Russell Lowell (1819–1891) American diplomat, essayist, poet
“Nationality in Literature,” North American Review, Article 10 (1849-07)
(Source)

Reviewing Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Kavanagh (1849).

Becker, Carl -- The Declaration of Independence, ch. 2 “Natural Rights Philosophy” (1922)

Dave — Mon, 22 Jan 2024 15:29:51 +0000

Generally speaking, men are influenced by books which clarify their own thought, which express their own notions well, or which suggest to them ideas which their minds are already predisposed to accept.

Carl L. Becker (1873–1945) American historian
The Declaration of Independence, ch. 2 “Natural Rights Philosophy” (1922)
(Source)

Chamfort, Nicolas -- Products of Perfected Civilization [Produits de la Civilisation Perfectionée], Part 1 “Maxims and Thoughts [Maximes et Pensées],” ch. 7, ¶ 446 (1795) [tr. Mathers (1926)]

Dave — Mon, 23 Oct 2023 20:59:49 +0000

A man is not necessarily intelligent because he has plenty of ideas, any more than he is a good general because he has plenty of soldiers.

[On n’est point un homme d’esprit pour avoir beaucoup d’idées, comme on n’est pas un bon général pour avoir beaucoup de soldats.]

Nicolas Chamfort (1741–1794) French writer, epigrammist (b. Nicolas-Sébastien Roch)
Products of Perfected Civilization [Produits de la Civilisation Perfectionée], Part 1 “Maxims and Thoughts [Maximes et Pensées],” ch. 7, ¶ 446 (1795) [tr. Mathers (1926)]
(Source)

(Source (French)). Other translations:

A man is not clever simply because he has many ideas, just as he is not necessarily a good general because he has many soldiers.
[tr. Hutchinson (1902)]

One is not a man of wit simply because one has a great many ideas, any more than one is a good general simply because one has a great many soldiers.
[tr. Merwin (1969)]

Having a great many ideas doesn't betoken a fine mind, just as having a great many soldiers doesn't betoken a fine general.
[tr. Dusinberre (1992), ¶ 445]

Having a lot of ideas does not give a person esprit, in the same way that having a lot of soldiers doesn't make a person a good general.
[tr. Siniscalchi (1994), ¶ 445]

Pratchett, Terry -- (Attributed)

Dave — Fri, 30 Jun 2023 22:03:03 +0000

In all seriousness, people think that it’s the ideas that are important. Well, everyone has ideas, all the time. I tend to write mine down and remember them, but at some point you have to apply the bum to the seat and knock out about sixty five thousand words — that’s how long a novel is.

Terry Pratchett (1948–2015) English author
(Attributed)

Source unknown.

Rogers, Will -- Column (1930-11-30), “Weekly Article”

Dave — Wed, 01 Mar 2023 17:28:35 +0000

You know no Nation has a monopoly on good things, each one has something that the others could well afford to adopt.

Will Rogers (1879–1935) American humorist
Column (1930-11-30), “Weekly Article”
(Source)

Von Clausewitz, Karl -- On War [Vom Kriege], Book 2, ch. 2 “On the Theory of War [Über die Theorie des Krieges],” § 40 (2.2.40) (1832) [tr. Howard & Paret (1976)]

Dave — Tue, 08 Nov 2022 18:38:12 +0000

The mind is formed by the knowledge and the direction of ideas it receives and the guidance it is given. Great things alone can make a great mind, and petty things will make a petty mind unless a man rejects them as completely alien.

[Weil der menschliche Geist durch die ihm mitgetheilten Kenntnisse und Ideenrichtungen erzogen wild. Nor das Grosse kann ihn grostartig, das Kleine nur kleinlich machen, wenn er et nicht wie elwas ganz Fremdes ganz von sich stösst.]

Karl von Clausewitz (1780–1831) Prussian soldier, historian, military theorist
On War [Vom Kriege], Book 2, ch. 2 “On the Theory of War [Über die Theorie des Krieges],” § 40 (2.2.40) (1832) [tr. Howard & Paret (1976)]
(Source)

(Source (German)). Other translations:

The human mind is trained by the knowledge imparted to it, and the direction given to its ideas. Only what is great can make it great; the little can only make it little, if the mind itself does not reject it as something repugnant.
[tr. Graham (1873)]

The human mind is formed by the kinds of knowledge imparted to it and the direction given to its ideas. Only what is great can make it great; the little can only make it little, if the mind itself does not reject it as something repugnant to it.
[tr. Jolles (1943)]

Commager, Henry Steele -- Speech (1971-04-10), “The University and the Community of Learning,” Kent State University, Ohio

Dave — Wed, 29 Jun 2022 20:05:16 +0000

What threatens our security is not change but the inability to change; what threatens progress is not revolution but stagnation; what threatens our survival is not novel or dangerous ideas but the absence of ideas.

Henry Steele Commager (1902–1998) American historian, writer, activist
Speech (1971-04-10), “The University and the Community of Learning,” Kent State University, Ohio
(Source)

Schulman, Tom -- Dead Poets Society (1989)

Dave — Fri, 10 Jun 2022 22:02:24 +0000

KEATING: No matter what anybody tells you, words and ideas can change the world.

Tom Schulman (b. 1951) American screenwriter, director
Dead Poets Society (1989)

Kipling, Rudyard -- “Surgeons and the Soul,” speech, Royal College of Surgeons (14 Feb 1923)

Dave — Wed, 01 Dec 2021 01:09:20 +0000

I am, by calling, a dealer in words; and words are, of course, the most powerful drug used by mankind.

Rudyard Kipling (1865–1936) English writer
“Surgeons and the Soul,” speech, Royal College of Surgeons (14 Feb 1923)
(Source)

Longfellow, Henry Wadsworth -- “Table-Talk”

Dave — Fri, 16 Apr 2021 16:18:31 +0000

Truths that startled the generation in which they were first announced become in the next age the commonplaces of conversation; as the famous airs of operas which thrilled the first audiences come to be played on hand-organs in the streets.

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807–1882) American poet
“Table-Talk”
(Source)

Lane, Anthony -- “A Writer’s Life,” interview by Will Cohu, The Telegraph (14 Dec 2003)

Dave — Fri, 02 Apr 2021 16:52:42 +0000

People think that you have these things called ideas and that writing is a matter of imposing them on the subject material, whereas it’s only in the writing that I discover what it is that I think.

Anthony Lane (b. 1962) British journalist, film critic
“A Writer’s Life,” interview by Will Cohu, The Telegraph (14 Dec 2003)
(Source)

Garfield, James A. -- Speech to the “Boys in Blue,” Madison Square Park, New York City (6 Aug 1880)

Dave — Fri, 04 Dec 2020 16:53:32 +0000

Gentlemen, ideas outlive men; ideas outlive all earthly things. You who fought in the war for the Union fought for immortal ideas, and by their might you crowned the war with victory. But victory was worth nothing except for the truths that were under it, in it, and above it.

James A. Garfield (1831–1881) US President (1881), lawyer, lay preacher, educator
Speech to the “Boys in Blue,” Madison Square Park, New York City (6 Aug 1880)
(Source)

Lippmann, Walter -- Men of Destiny, ch. 8 “The Nature of the Battle Over Censorship,” sec. 2 (1927)

Dave — Fri, 03 Jul 2020 23:16:51 +0000

It is not the idea as such which the censor attacks, whether it be heresy or radicalism or obscenity. He attacks the circulation of the idea among the classes which in his judgment are not to be trusted with the idea.

Walter Lippmann (1889–1974) American journalist and author
Men of Destiny, ch. 8 “The Nature of the Battle Over Censorship,” sec. 2 (1927)
(Source)

Hill, Napoleon -- Think and Grow Rich (1937)

Dave — Fri, 03 Jul 2020 23:06:18 +0000

More gold has been mined from the brains of men than has ever been taken from the earth.

Napoleon Hill (1883–1970) American author, motivational writer
Think and Grow Rich (1937)
(Source)

In some editions this is given as: "More gold has been mined from the thoughts of men than has ever been taken from the earth."

Inge, William Ralph -- “Institutionalism and Mysticism” (1914), Outspoken Essays: First Series (1914)

Dave — Mon, 29 Jun 2020 22:20:32 +0000

It happens sometimes that two opposite tendencies flourish together, deriving strength from a sense of the danger with which each is threatened by the popularity of the other. Where the antagonism is not absolute, each may gain by being compelled to recognise the strong points in the rival position. In a serious controversy the right is seldom or never all on one side; and in the normal course of events both theories undergo some modification through the influence of their opponents, until a compromise, not always logically defensible, brings to an end the acute stage of the controversy.

William Ralph Inge (1860–1954) English prelate [Dean Inge]
“Institutionalism and Mysticism” (1914), Outspoken Essays: First Series (1914)
(Source)

Emerson, Ralph Waldo -- Lecture (1862-01-31), “American Civilization,” Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D. C.

Dave — Tue, 12 May 2020 19:55:15 +0000

Ideas must work through the brains and the arms of good and brave men, or they are no better than dreams.

Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882) American essayist, lecturer, poet
Lecture (1862-01-31), “American Civilization,” Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D. C.
(Source)

Napoleon Bonaparte -- (Attributed)

Dave — Fri, 10 Apr 2020 17:10:26 +0000

Lead the ideas of your time and they will accompany and support you; fall behind them and they drag you along with them; oppose them and they will overwhelm you.

Napoleon Bonaparte (1769–1821) French emperor, military leader
(Attributed)
(Source)

Quoted, unsourced, in Jules Bertaut, Napoleon: In His Own Words [Virilités, maximes et pensées de Napoléon Bonaparte], ch. 4 (1916) [tr. Law and Rhodes].

Bird, Brad -- Interview with Drew Tailor, IndieWire (20 Dec 2011)

Dave — Wed, 05 Feb 2020 17:26:18 +0000

If you explain the basics of any one of these ideas, they probably will sound as nutty as a cooking French rat or a silent film starring robots in a post-apocalyptic world. Each one of those films, when we were in preparation on them, the financial community said each one of them stunk and none of them had the ability to be a financial success. And then the film would come out and they’d go, “Well, they did it that time but the next one sounds like a piece of crap.”

Brad Bird (b. 1957) American director, animator and screenwriter [Phillip Bradley Bird]
Interview with Drew Tailor, IndieWire (20 Dec 2011)
(Source)

Jobs, Steve -- “Steve Jobs: ‘Computer Science Is A Liberal Art’,” interview with Terry Gross, Fresh Air, NPR (1996)

Dave — Wed, 23 Aug 2017 18:32:32 +0000

A lot of companies — I know it sounds crazy — but a lot of companies … hire people to tell them what to do. We hire people to tell us what to do. We figure we’re paying them all this money; their job is to figure out what to do and tell us.

Steve Jobs (1955–2011) American computer inventor, entrepreneur
“Steve Jobs: ‘Computer Science Is A Liberal Art’,” interview with Terry Gross, Fresh Air, NPR (1996)
(Source)

There are a number of variants on this quotation. A common one: "It doesn't make sense to hire smart people and then tell them what to do; we hire smart people so they can tell us what to do."

Chamfort, Nicolas -- Products of Perfected Civilization [Produits de la Civilisation Perfectionée], Part 1 “Maxims and Thoughts [Maximes et Pensées],” ch. 2, ¶ 130 (1795) [tr. Mathers (1926)]

Dave — Tue, 22 Aug 2017 00:46:11 +0000

It is safe to wager that every public idea and every accepted convention is sheer foolishness, because it has suited the majority.

[Il y a à parier que toute idée publique, toute convention reçue, est une sottise, car elle a convenu au plus grand nombre.]

Nicolas Chamfort (1741–1794) French writer, epigrammist (b. Nicolas-Sébastien Roch)
Products of Perfected Civilization [Produits de la Civilisation Perfectionée], Part 1 “Maxims and Thoughts [Maximes et Pensées],” ch. 2, ¶ 130 (1795) [tr. Mathers (1926)]
(Source)

(Source (French)). Other translations:

It may be argued that every public idea, every accepted convention, is a piece of stupidity, for has it not commended itself to the greatest number?
[tr. Hutchinson (1902), "The Cynic's Breviary"]

One can be certain that every generally held idea, every received notion, will be an idiocy, because it has been able to appeal to a majority.
[In Botton, Status Anxiety (2004)]

It is likely that every public idea, every received convention, is folly, because the majority of men consented to it.
[Siniscalchi (1994)]

Bacon, Francis -- Essex’s Device (1595)

Dave — Thu, 03 Mar 2016 15:38:05 +0000

The monuments of wit and learning are more durable than the monuments of power, or of the hands. For have not the verses of Homer continued twenty-five hundred years or more, without the loss of a syllable or letter; during which time infinite palaces, temples, castles, cities have been decayed and demolished?

Francis Bacon (1561–1626) English philosopher, scientist, author, statesman
Essex’s Device (1595)

White, E. B. -- “Freedom” (Jul 1940)

Dave — Thu, 25 Feb 2016 14:38:03 +0000

I am inordinately proud these days of the quill, for it has shown itself, historically, to be the hypodermic which inoculates men and keeps the germ of freedom always in circulation, so that there are individuals in every time in every land who are the carriers, the Typhoid Mary’s, capable of infecting others by mere contact and example. These persons are feared by every tyrant — who shows his fear by burning the books and destroying the individuals.

E. B. White (1899–1985) American author, critic, humorist [Elwyn Brooks White]
“Freedom” (Jul 1940)

Roosevelt, Franklin Delano -- Letter (1942-04-23), “Message to American Booksellers Association,” Annual Banquet (1942-05-06), Astor Hotel, New York City

Dave — Thu, 18 Feb 2016 15:03:09 +0000

We all know that books burn — yet we have the greater knowledge that books cannot be killed by fire. People die, but books never die. No man and no force can abolish memory. No man and no force can put thought in a concentration camp forever. No man and no force can take from the world the ideas that embody man’s eternal fight against tyranny of every kind. In this war, we know, books are weapons.

Franklin Delano Roosevelt (1882–1945) American lawyer, politician, statesman, US President (1933–1945)
Letter (1942-04-23), “Message to American Booksellers Association,” Annual Banquet (1942-05-06), Astor Hotel, New York City
(Source)

The letter was delivered with a speech by Archibald MacLeish (appointed by Roosevelt as Librarian of Congress, 1939-1944) titled "A Free Man's Books." This was shortly after FDR named April 17 as "Victory Book Day".

This quotation was turned into a poster by S. Broder, published by the US Office of War Information in 1942.

Newman, John -- An Essay on the Development of Christian Doctrine, ch. 1, sec. 7 (1845)

Dave — Thu, 03 Sep 2015 13:53:32 +0000

In a higher world it is otherwise, but here below to live is to change, and to be perfect is to have changed often.

John Henry Newman (1801–1890) English prelate, Catholic Cardinal, theologian
An Essay on the Development of Christian Doctrine, ch. 1, sec. 7 (1845)
(Source)

Roosevelt, Eleanor -- Tomorrow Is Now (1963)

Dave — Wed, 17 Jun 2015 12:26:36 +0000

I am stressing that it is the force of ideas rather than the impact of material things that made us a great nation. It is my conviction, too, that only the power of ideas, of enduring values, can keep us a great nation. For, where there is no vision the people perish.

Eleanor Roosevelt (1884–1962) First Lady of the US (1933–1945), politician, diplomat, activist
Tomorrow Is Now (1963)

Eisenhower, Dwight David -- News conference (31 Aug 1956)

Dave — Thu, 11 Jun 2015 13:02:33 +0000

The world moves, and ideas that were good once are not always good.

Dwight David Eisenhower (1890–1969) American general, US President (1953–61)
News conference (31 Aug 1956)

Camus, Albert -- Review of Jean-Paul Sartre, Nausea, in Alger Républicain (20 Oct 1938)

Dave — Mon, 06 Oct 2014 15:33:57 +0000

A novel is never anything but a philosophy put into images. And in a good novel, the whole of the philosophy has passed into the images. But if once the philosophy overflows the characters and action, and therefore looks like a label stuck on the work, the plot loses its authenticity and the novel its life. Nevertheless, a work that is to last cannot dispense with profound ideas. And this secret fusion between experiences and ideas, between life and reflection on the meaning of life, is what makes the great novelist.

Albert Camus (1913–1960) Algerian-French novelist, essayist, playwright
Review of Jean-Paul Sartre, Nausea, in Alger Républicain (20 Oct 1938)

Coolidge, Calvin -- “Speech on the Occasion of the 150th Anniversary of the Declaration of Independence” (5 Jul 1926)

Dave — Wed, 01 Oct 2014 12:49:30 +0000

Great ideas do not burst upon the world unannounced. They are reached by a gradual development over a length of time usually proportionate to their importance. This is especially true of the principles laid down in the Declaration of Independence. Three very definite propositions were set out in its preamble regarding the nature of mankind and therefore of government. These were the doctrine that all men are created equal, that they are endowed with certain inalienable rights, and that therefore the source of the just powers of government must be derived from the consent of the governed. If no one is to be accounted as born into a superior station, if there is to be no ruling class, and if all possess rights which can neither be bartered away nor taken from them by any earthly power, it follows as a matter of course that the practical authority of the Government has to rest on the consent of the governed. While these principles were not altogether new in political action, and were very far from new in political speculation, they had never been assembled before and declared in such a combination.

Calvin Coolidge (1872–1933) American lawyer, politician, US President (1925–29)
“Speech on the Occasion of the 150th Anniversary of the Declaration of Independence” (5 Jul 1926)
(Source)

Eagleton, Terry -- “Why ideas no longer matter,” The Guardian (22 Mar 2004)

Dave — Tue, 23 Sep 2014 12:49:00 +0000

As with bad breath, ideology is always what the other person has.

Terry Eagleton (b. 1943) British literary theorist, critic, intellectual [Terence Francis Eagleton]
“Why ideas no longer matter,” The Guardian (22 Mar 2004)
(Source)

Einstein, Albert -- (Attributed)

Dave — Fri, 09 May 2014 14:40:57 +0000

If most of us are ashamed of shabby clothes and shoddy furniture, let us be more ashamed of shabby ideas and shoddy philosophies.

Albert Einstein (1879–1955) German-American physicist
(Attributed)

Attributed to Einstein, but no definitive citation found. See here for more discussion.

Galbraith, John Kenneth -- The Affluent Society, ch. 2, sec. 6 (1958)

Dave — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 11:43:26 +0000

The rule of ideas is only powerful in a world that does not change. Ideas are inherently conservative. They yield not to the attack of other ideas but to the massive onslaught of circumstance with which they cannot contend.

John Kenneth Galbraith (1908–2006) Canadian-American economist, diplomat, author
The Affluent Society, ch. 2, sec. 6 (1958)
(Source)

Herbert, George -- Jacula Prudentum, or Outlandish Proverbs, Sentences, &c. (compiler), # 1146 (1651 ed.)

Dave — Thu, 19 Aug 2010 14:14:57 +0000

Wo be to him that reads but one book.

George Herbert (1593–1633) Welsh priest, orator, poet.
Jacula Prudentum, or Outlandish Proverbs, Sentences, &c. (compiler), # 1146 (1651 ed.)
(Source)

See this Latin proverb.

Hoffer, Eric -- True Believer: Thoughts on the Nature of Mass Movements, Part 3, ch. 14, § 83 (3.14.83) (1951)

Dave — Fri, 25 Jun 2010 13:27:55 +0000

The truth seems to be that propaganda on its own cannot force its way into unwilling minds; neither can it inculcate something wholly new; nor can it keep people persuaded once they have ceased to believe. It penetrates only into minds already open, and rather than instill opinion it articulates and justifies opinions already present in the minds of its recipients. The gifted propagandist brings to a boil ideas and passions already simmering in the minds of his hearers. he echoes their innermost feelings. Where opinion is not coerced, people can be made to believe only in what they already “know.”

Eric Hoffer (1902–1983) American writer, philosopher, longshoreman
True Believer: Thoughts on the Nature of Mass Movements, Part 3, ch. 14, § 83 (3.14.83) (1951)
(Source)

Lincoln, Abraham -- Remark (1863) to James F. Wilson (Attributed)

Dave — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 11:59:35 +0000

Often an idea about it would occur to me which seemed to have force and make perfect answer to some of the things that were said and written about my actions. I never let one of those ideas escape me, but wrote it on a scrap of paper and put it in that drawer. In that way I saved my best thoughts on the subject, and, you know, such things often come in a kind of intuitive way more clearly than if one were to sit down and deliberately reason them out.
To save the results of such mental action is true intellectual economy. It not only saves time and labor, but also the very best material the mind can supply for unexpected emergencies.

Abraham Lincoln (1809–1865) American lawyer, politician, US President (1861–65)
Remark (1863) to James F. Wilson (Attributed)
(Source)

Recounted in an essay (1896-12), "Some Memories of Lincoln," North American Review, Vol. 163, No. 481. Wilson references the remarks as having been made in late 1863, 33 years earlier.

Wilson was at the time a US Representative from Iowa (1861–1869); he went on to be US Senator (1883-1895). He had offered praise to a letter Lincoln had written (1862-06-13) to organizers of a public meeting which had criticized his suspension of the writ of habeas corpus and subsequent arrests. Lincoln described how the letter had come from a collection of ideas he had put aside in a drawer as he considered the question.

A variant of this was given in Henry Llewellyn Williams (ed.), Lincolnics: Familiar Sayings of Abraham Lincoln (1906), noted as "Lincoln to Senator Wilson, 1862."

I never let any idea escape me, but write it on a scrap of paper, and put it in a drawer. In that way I save my best thoughts on a subject, and such things often come in a kind of intuitive way more clearly than if one were to sit down and deliberately reason them out. To save the results of such mental action is true intellectual economy. It not only saves time and labor, but also the very best material the mind can supply for unexpected emergencies.

Ingersoll, Robert Green -- “The Limits of Toleration,” debate at the Nineteenth Century Club, New York (8 May 1888)

Dave — Thu, 03 Jul 2008 10:05:08 +0000

So then, I am simply in favor of intellectual hospitality — that is all. You come to me with a new idea. I invite you into the house. Let us see what you have. Let us talk it over. If I do not like your thought, I will bid it a polite “good day.” If I do like it, I will say: “Sit down; stay with me, and become a part of the intellectual wealth of my world.” That is all.

Robert Green Ingersoll (1833–1899) American lawyer, freethinker, orator
“The Limits of Toleration,” debate at the Nineteenth Century Club, New York (8 May 1888)
(Source)

Hand, Learned -- “A Plea for the Open Mind and Free Discussion,” speech, University of the State of New York, Albany (1952-10-24)

Dave — Wed, 20 Feb 2008 13:23:24 +0000

Risk for risk, for myself I had rather take my chance that some traitors will escape detection than spread abroad a spirit of general suspicion and distrust, which accepts rumor and gossip in place of undismayed and unintimidated inquiry.

Learned Hand (1872–1961) American jurist
“A Plea for the Open Mind and Free Discussion,” speech, University of the State of New York, Albany (1952-10-24)
(Source)

Griswold, Whitney -- “A Little Learning,” speech, Phillips Academy, Andover (1952, Spring)

Dave — Fri, 08 Feb 2008 10:09:31 +0000

Books won’t stay banned. They won’t burn. Ideas won’t go to jail. In the long run of history, the censor and the inquisitor have always lost. The only sure weapon against bad ideas is better ideas.

Whitney Griswold (1906–1963) American historian, educator [Alfred Whitney Griswold]
“A Little Learning,” speech, Phillips Academy, Andover (1952, Spring)
(Source)

Reprinted in The Atlantic Monthly (1952-11) and Griswold's Essays in Education (1954).

Keynes, John Maynard -- The General Theory of Employment, Interest and Money, Book 6, ch. 24, sec. 5 (1936)

Dave — Mon, 17 Oct 2005 18:18:09 +0000

The ideas of economists and political philosophers, both when they are right and when they are wrong, are more powerful than is commonly understood. Indeed the world is ruled by little else. Practical men, who believe themselves to be quite exempt from any intellectual influence, are usually the slaves of some defunct economist. Madmen in authority, who hear voices in the air, are distilling their frenzy from some academic scribbler of a few years back.

John Maynard Keynes (1883–1946) English economist
The General Theory of Employment, Interest and Money, Book 6, ch. 24, sec. 5 (1936)
(Source)

Holmes, Oliver Wendell, Jr. -- Abrams v. United States, 250 U.S. 616, 630 (1919) [Dissent]

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

When men have realized that time has upset many fighting faiths, they may come to believe even more than they believe the very foundations of their own conduct that the ultimate good desired is better reached by free trade in ideas — that the best test of truth is the power of the thought to get itself accepted in the competition of the market.

Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr. (1841–1935) American jurist, Supreme Court Justice
Abrams v. United States, 250 U.S. 616, 630 (1919) [Dissent]

Doctor Who (1963) -- 15×01 “Horror of Fang Rock,” Part 2 (1977-09-10) [w. Terrance Dicks]

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

LORD PALMERDALE: Are you in charge here?
THE DOCTOR: No, but I’m full of ideas.

Doctor Who (1963–1989) British science fiction television series, original run (BBC)
15×01 “Horror of Fang Rock,” Part 2 (1977-09-10) [w. Terrance Dicks]
(Source)

(Source (Video); dialog confirmed)

Lec, Stanislaw -- Unkempt Thoughts [Myśli nieuczesane] (1957) [tr. Gałązka (1962)]

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

Thoughts, like fleas, jump from man to man. But they don’t bite everybody.

Stanislaw Lec (1909–1966) Polish aphorist, poet, satirist
Unkempt Thoughts [Myśli nieuczesane] (1957) [tr. Gałązka (1962)]
(Source)

Watterson, Bill -- Calvin and Hobbes (1992-05-21)

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

HOBBES: Have you an idea for your story yet?

CALVIN: No, I’m waiting for inspiration. You can’t just turn on creativity like a faucet. You have to be in the right mood.

HOBBES: What mood is that?

CALVIN: Last-minute panic.

Bill Watterson (b. 1958) American cartoonist
Calvin and Hobbes (1992-05-21)
(Source)

Eisenhower, Dwight David -- Commencement Speech, Dartmouth College (14 Jun 1953)

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

Don’t join the book burners. Don’t think you are going to conceal thoughts by concealing evidence that they ever existed. Don’t be afraid to go in your library and read every book, as long as that document does not offend your own ideas of decency. That should be the only censorship.

Dwight David Eisenhower (1890–1969) American general, US President (1953–61)
Commencement Speech, Dartmouth College (14 Jun 1953)