WIST Quotations

Colton, Charles Caleb -- Lacon: Or, Many Things in Few Words, Vol. 1, § 20 (1820)

Dave — Fri, 30 Jan 2026 22:17:34 +0000

Power, like the diamond, dazzles the beholder, and also the wearer; it dignifies meanness; it magnifies littleness; to what is contemptible, it gives authority; to what is low, exaltation.

Charles Caleb "C. C." Colton (1780-1832) English cleric, writer, aphorist
Lacon: Or, Many Things in Few Words, Vol. 1, § 20 (1820)
(Source)

Russell, Bertrand -- Conquest of Happiness, Part 2, ch. 10 “Is Happiness Still Possible?” (1930)

Dave — Wed, 15 Oct 2025 16:01:53 +0000

All the conditions of happiness are realized in the life of the man of science. He has an activity which utilizes his abilities to the full, and he achieves results which appear important not only to himself but to the general public, even when it cannot in the smallest degree understand them. In this he is more fortunate than the artists. When the public cannot understand a picture or a poem, they conclude that it is a bad picture or a bad poem. When they cannot understand the theory of relativity they conclude (rightly) that their education has been insufficient. Consequently Einstein is honored while the best painters are (or at least were) left to starve in garrets, and Einstein is happy while the painters are unhappy. Very few men can be genuinely happy in a life involving continual self-assertion against the skepticism of the mass of mankind, unless they can shut themselves up in a coterie and forget the cold outer world. The man of science has no need of a coterie, since he is thought well of by everybody except his colleagues. The artist, on the contrary, is in the painful situation of having to choose between being despised and being despicable. If his powers are of the first order, he must incur one or the other of these misfortunes — the former if he uses his powers, the latter if he does not.

Bertrand Russell (1872-1970) English mathematician and philosopher
Conquest of Happiness, Part 2, ch. 10 “Is Happiness Still Possible?” (1930)
(Source)

Russell, Bertrand -- Conquest of Happiness, Part 1, ch. 5 “Fatigue” (1930)

Dave — Wed, 02 Jul 2025 15:17:48 +0000

A great many worries can be diminished by realizing the unimportance of the matter which is causing the anxiety.

Bertrand Russell (1872-1970) English mathematician and philosopher
Conquest of Happiness, Part 1, ch. 5 “Fatigue” (1930)
(Source)

Horace -- Satires [Saturae, Sermones], Book 2, # 3 “Si raro scribes,” l. 94ff (2.3.94-96) (30 BC) [tr. Fuchs (1977)]

Dave — Fri, 13 Jun 2025 18:18:06 +0000

But don’t all things,
virtue, a good name, honor, all that’s human and divine,
obey money, lovely money?

[Omnis enim res,
Virtus, fama, decus, divina, humanaque pulchris
Divitiis parent.]

Horace (65–8 BC) Roman poet, satirist, soldier, politician [Quintus Horatius Flaccus]
Satires [Saturae, Sermones], Book 2, # 3 “Si raro scribes,” l. 94ff (2.3.94-96) (30 BC) [tr. Fuchs (1977)]
(Source)

Damasippus (quoting the Stoic philosopher Stertinius?) on the mindset of a miser.

(Source (Latin)). Alternate translations:

For all and every thinge (quod he) vertue, renoumne, and fame,
The corpes, the goste, dothe crouch to coyne and serue vnto the same.
[tr. Drant (1567)]

For every thing divine and humane to
Virtue, wit, comeliness and honour do
Submit their Necks to riches splendid sway,
[tr. A. B.; ed. Brome (1666)]

For Honor, Vertue, Fame, and all Divine
And Humane Things must follow lovely Coin.
[tr. Creech (1684)]

For virtue, glory, beauty, all divine
And human powers, immortal gold! are thine.
[tr. Francis (1747)]

All things in his esteem -- fame, virtue, health,
Human and heavenly -- bow to blessed wealth.
[tr. Howes (1845)]

For every thing, virtue, fame, glory, divine and human affairs, are subservient to the attraction of riches.
[tr. Smart/Buckley (1853)]

For merit, fame,
and glory, all things human and divine bow
low before fair Money's power.
[tr. Millington (1870)]

For all things human and divine, renown,
Honour, and worth at money's shrine bow down.
[tr. Conington (1874)]

Riches, you know, are the beautiful things: everything else, worth, repute, honour, things divine and things human, bow down to them.
[tr. Wickham (1903)]

For all things — worth, repute, honour, things divine and human — are slaves to the beauty of wealth.
[tr. Fairclough (Loeb) (1926)]

Everything else is the slave of gorgeous wealth:
Virtue, renown, moral dignity, all thing divine
And human.
[tr. Palmer Bovie (1959)]

Virtue, fame, honor -- everything human,
Everything divine, is illuminated by money, shines only (to his mind)
In the beauty and glow of wealth.
[tr. Raffel (1983)]

In fact,
everything -- virtue, a good name,
honor, human and divine values --
all bowed down to the beauty of riches.
[tr. Alexander (1999)]

The fact is that goodness,
honour, reputation -- everything human and divine -- gives way
to the charm of money.
[tr. Rudd (2005 ed.)]

He thought all things,
Virtue, reputation, honour, things human or divine
Bowed to the glory of riches.
[tr. Kline (2015)]

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

Dave — Wed, 30 Apr 2025 15:44:22 +0000

That’s why it’s called Establishment journalism. You concentrate on the people at the top, the people with power; you watch, you study how they make their moves, you get fascinated by it, and pretty soon you can’t see anything else — just the top, just the power. And the others, the people, the readers, matter so little that you don’t even bother to let them know what’s going on. You start to think like the people you cover. It can happen on any beat — business, police, politics, education. The stuff you want is from the top — you want to quote the chief, the superintendent, the chairman of the board. There are no reliable sources who earn less than $10,000 a year.

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).

Billings, Josh -- Everybody’s Friend, Or; Josh Billing’s Encyclopedia and Proverbial Philosophy of Wit and Humor, ch. 156 “Affurisms: Embers on the Harth” (1874)

Dave — Thu, 10 Apr 2025 17:00:32 +0000

How menny people thare iz whoze importance depends entirely upon the size ov their hotel bills.

[How many people there are whose importance depends entirely upon the size of their hotel bills.]

Josh Billings (1818-1885) American humorist, aphorist [pseud. of Henry Wheeler Shaw]
Everybody’s Friend, Or; Josh Billing’s Encyclopedia and Proverbial Philosophy of Wit and Humor, ch. 156 “Affurisms: Embers on the Harth” (1874)
(Source)

Steele, Richard -- Essay (1710-07-27), The Tatler, No. 203

Dave — Wed, 12 Feb 2025 18:28:16 +0000

It was very prettily said, that we may learn the little value of fortune by the persons on whom Heaven is pleased to bestow it.

Richard Steele (1672-1729) Anglo-Irish writer, journalist, playwright, politician
Essay (1710-07-27), The Tatler, No. 203
(Source)

Chamfort, Nicolas -- Products of Perfected Civilization [Produits de la Civilisation Perfectionée], Part 1 “Maxims and Thoughts [Maximes et Pensées],” ch. 1, ¶ 60 (1795) [tr. Merwin (1969)]

Dave — Mon, 09 Dec 2024 18:18:50 +0000

Rank without merit earns deference without respect.

[L’importance sans mérite obtient des égards sans estime.]

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. 1, ¶ 60 (1795) [tr. Merwin (1969)]
(Source)

(Source (French)). Alternate translations:

Eminence without merit earns deference without esteem.
[tr. Mathers (1926)]

Being important without merit attracts consideration without esteem.
[tr. Siniscalchi (1994)]

Chamfort, Nicolas -- Products of Perfected Civilization [Produits de la Civilisation Perfectionée], Part 1 “Maxims and Thoughts [Maximes et Pensées],” ch. 1, ¶ 52 (1795) [tr. Hutchinson (1902), “The Cynic’s Breviary”]

Dave — Mon, 03 Jun 2024 15:29:41 +0000

In great actions men show themselves as they ought to be, in small actions as they are.

[Dans les grandes choses, les hommes se montrent comme il leur convient de se montrer; dans les petites, ils se montrent comme ils sont.]

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. 1, ¶ 52 (1795) [tr. Hutchinson (1902), “The Cynic’s Breviary”]
(Source)

(Source (French)). Alternate translations:

In great matters men show themselves as they ought; in little, as they are.
[tr. Mathers (1926)]

In affairs of importance, men show themselves at their best advantage; in small matters they are seen as they are.
[tr. Merwin (1969)]

In great things, men show themselves as they want to be seen; and in little ones they show themselves as they are.
[tr. Siniscalchi (1994)]

In important matters, men display themselves as they want to be seen; in minor matters as they really are.
[tr. Parmée (2003), ¶45]

Milne, A. A. -- House at Pooh Corner, ch. 5 “Rabbit Has a Busy Day” (1928)

Dave — Wed, 28 Feb 2024 15:21:56 +0000

And he respects Owl, because you can’t help respecting anyone who can spell TUESDAY, even if he doesn’t spell it right; but spelling isn’t everything. There are days when spelling Tuesday simply doesn’t count.

A. A. Milne (1882-1956) English poet and playwright [Alan Alexander Milne]
House at Pooh Corner, ch. 5 “Rabbit Has a Busy Day” (1928)

Rabbit, speaking to himself about Christopher Robin.

Austen, Jane -- Pride and Prejudice, ch. 26 [Elizabeth] (1813)

Dave — Tue, 12 Dec 2023 17:13:23 +0000

Importance may be sometimes purchased too dearly.

Jane Austen (1775-1817) English author
Pride and Prejudice, ch. 26 [Elizabeth] (1813)
(Source)

Adler, Felix -- Life and Destiny, Lecture 8 “Suffering and Consolation” (1903)

Dave — Mon, 27 Mar 2023 19:17:58 +0000

The bitter, yet merciful, lesson which death teaches us is to distinguish the gold from the tinsel, the true values from the worthless chaff.

Felix Adler (1851-1933) German-American educator
Life and Destiny, Lecture 8 “Suffering and Consolation” (1903)
(Source)

Gracián, Baltasar -- The Art of Worldly Wisdom [Oráculo Manual y Arte de Prudencia], § 136 (1647) [tr. Maurer (1992)]

Dave — Mon, 14 Mar 2022 16:12:21 +0000

Many see the trees but not the forest, or bark up the wrong tree, speaking endlessly, reasoning uselessly, without getting to the heart of the matter. They go round and round, tiring themselves and us, and never get to what is important. This happens to people with confused minds who do not know how to clear away the brambles. They waste time and patience on what it would be better to leave alone, and later there is no time for what they left.

[Vanse muchos o por las ramas de un inútil discurrir, o por las hojas de una cansada verbosidad, sin topar con la sustancia del caso. Dan cien vueltas rodeando un punto, cansándose y cansando, y nunca llegan al centro de la importancia. Procede de entendimientos confusos, que no se saben desembarazar. Gastan el tiempo y la paciencia en lo que habían de dejar, y después no la hay para lo que dejaron.]

Baltasar Gracián y Morales (1601-1658) Spanish Jesuit priest, writer, philosopher
The Art of Worldly Wisdom [Oráculo Manual y Arte de Prudencia], § 136 (1647) [tr. Maurer (1992)]
(Source)

(Source (Spanish)). Alternate translations:

Many fetch a tedious compass of words, without ever coming to the knot of the business: they make a thousand turnings and windings, that tire themselves and others, without ever arriving at the point of importance. And that proceeds from the confusion of their understanding, which cannot clear it self. They lose time and patience in what ought to be let alone, and then they have no more to bestow upon what they have omitted.
[Flesher ed. (1685)]

Many lose their way either in the ramifications of useless discussion or in the brushwood of wearisome verbosity without ever realising the real matter at issue. They go over a single point a hundred times wearying themselves and others and yet never touch the all important centre of affairs. This comes from a confusion of mind from which they cannot extricate themselves. They waste time and patience on matters they should leave alone and cannot spare them afterwards for what they have left alone.
[tr. Jacobs (1892)]

Most roam around, in useless millings either about the edge, or in the scrub of a tiresome verbosity, without striking upon the substance of the matter, they make a hundred turns about a point, wearying themselves, and wearying others, yet never arriving at the centre of what is important,- it is the product of a scattered brain that does not know how to get itself together,- they spend time, and exhaust patience, over that which they should leave alone, and afterwards are short of both for what they did leave alone.
[tr. Fischer (1937)]

McLaughlin, Mignon -- The Neurotic’s Notebook, ch. 10 (1963)

Dave — Thu, 17 Feb 2022 21:27:54 +0000

Don’t fool yourself that important things can be put off till tomorrow; they can be put off forever, or not at all.

Mignon McLaughlin (1913-1983) American journalist and author
The Neurotic’s Notebook, ch. 10 (1963)
(Source)

Bukowski, Charles -- Notes of a Dirty Old Man (1969)

Dave — Wed, 24 Nov 2021 20:15:30 +0000

Sex is interesting, but it’s not totally important. I mean, it’s not even as important (physically) as excretion. A man can go seventy years without a piece of ass, but he can die in a week without a bowel movement.

Charles Bukowski (1920-1994) German-American author, poet
Notes of a Dirty Old Man (1969)
(Source)

Aristotle -- Nicomachean Ethics [Ἠθικὰ Νικομάχεια], Book 1, ch. 5 (1.5, 1096a.5) (c. 325 BC) [tr. Crisp (2000)]

Dave — Tue, 05 Oct 2021 19:09:48 +0000

The life of making money is a life people are, as it were, forced into, and wealth is clearly not the good we are seeking, since it is merely useful, for getting something else.

[ὁ δὲ χρηματιστὴς βίαιός τις ἐστίν, καὶ ὁ πλοῦτος δῆλον ὅτι οὐ τὸ ζητούμενον ἀγαθόν.]

Aristotle (384-322 BC) Greek philosopher
Nicomachean Ethics [Ἠθικὰ Νικομάχεια], Book 1, ch. 5 (1.5, 1096a.5) (c. 325 BC) [tr. Crisp (2000)]
(Source)

Rackham notes the term βίαιος (translated under compulsion/constraint) is "literally ‘violent’; the adjective is applied to the strict diet and and laborious exercises of athletes, and to physical phenomena such as motion, in the sense of ‘constrained,’ ‘not natural.’"

(Source (Greek)). Alternate translations:

As for the life of money-making, it is one of constraint, and wealth manifestly is not the good we are seeking, because it is for use, that is, for the sake of something further.
[tr. Chase (1847), ch. 3]

As for the money-getting life, it violates the natural fitness of things. Wealth is clearly not the absolute good of which we are in search, for it is a utility, and nonly desirable as a means.
[tr. Williams (1869)]

The life of money-making is in a sense a life of constraint, and it is clear that wealth is not the good of which we are in quest; for it is useful in part as a means to something else.
[tr. Welldon (1892), ch. 3]

As for the money-making life, it is something quite contrary to nature; and wealth evidently is not the good of which we are in search, for it is merely useful as a means to something else.
[tr. Peters (1893)]

The life of money-making is one undertaken under compulsion, and wealth is evidently not the good we are seeking; for it is merely useful and for the sake of something else.
[tr. Ross (1908)]

The Life of Money-making is a constrained kind of life, and clearly wealth is not the Good we are in search of, for it is only good as being useful, a means to something else.
[tr. Rackham (1934), 1.5.8]

The life of a moneymaker is in a way forced, and wealth is clearly not the good we are looking for, since it was useful and for the sake of something else.
[tr. Reeve (1948), ch. 5]

As for the life of a money-maker, it is one of tension; and clearly the good sought is not wealth, for wealth is instrumental and is sought for the sake of something else.
[tr. Apostle (1975), ch. 3]

As for the life of the businessman, it does not give him much freedom of action. Besides, wealth is obviously not the good that we are seeking, because it serves only as a means; i.e., for getting something else.
[tr. Thomson/Tredennick (1976)]

The moneymaking life is characterized by a certain constraint, and it is clear that wealth is not the good being sought, for it is a useful thing and for the sake of something else.
[tr. Bartlett/Collins (2011)]

Hesse, Herman -- Steppenwolf (1927) [tr. Creighton, rev. Milleck (1963)]

Dave — Fri, 01 Oct 2021 18:17:47 +0000

Learn what is to be taken seriously and laugh at the rest.

Herman Hesse (1877-1962) German-born Swiss poet, novelist, painter
Steppenwolf (1927) [tr. Creighton, rev. Milleck (1963)]
(Source)

Aesop -- Fables [Aesopica], “The Lion and the Mouse” (6th C BC) [tr. Jacobs (1894)]

Dave — Thu, 23 Sep 2021 14:57:05 +0000

Little friends may prove great friends.

Aesop (620?-560? BC) Legendary Greek storyteller
Fables [Aesopica], “The Lion and the Mouse” (6th C BC) [tr. Jacobs (1894)]
(Source)

Alternate translations:

"There is no creature so much below another but that he may have it in his power to return a good office." [tr. James (1848)]
"It is possible for even a Mouse to confer benefits on a Lion" [tr. Townsend (1887)]

Trillin, Calvin -- Travels with Alice, ch. 10 (1989)

Dave — Tue, 17 Aug 2021 00:29:52 +0000

On Venice Beach, Alice and the girls and I once saw a man blowing truly spectacular soap bubbles the size of watermelons — still the symbol for me of the tendency of people in Southern California to become awfully good at something that isn’t terribly important.

Calvin Trillin (b. 1935) American journalist, humorist, novelist
Travels with Alice, ch. 10 (1989)
(Source)

McLaughlin, Mignon -- The Neurotic’s Notebook, ch. 1 (1963)

Dave — Thu, 17 Jun 2021 21:31:44 +0000

When first we fall in love, we feel that we know all there is to know about life, and perhaps we are right.

Mignon McLaughlin (1913-1983) American journalist and author
The Neurotic’s Notebook, ch. 1 (1963)
(Source)

Bukowski, Charles -- The Captain is Out to Lunch and the Sailors Have Taken Over the Ship (1998)

Dave — Thu, 25 Feb 2021 21:52:52 +0000

The human race exaggerates everything: its heroes, its enemies, its importance.

Charles Bukowski (1920-1994) German-American author, poet
The Captain is Out to Lunch and the Sailors Have Taken Over the Ship (1998)

Brault, Robert -- (Attributed)

Dave — Tue, 22 Dec 2020 21:11:44 +0000

Enjoy the little things, for one day you may look back and realize they were the big things.

Robert Brault (b. c. 1945) American aphorist, programmer
(Attributed)

Brault, Robert -- (Attributed)

Dave — Tue, 01 Sep 2020 14:29:51 +0000

To find someone who will love you through success and failure is to discover how little life has to do with either.

Robert Brault (b. c. 1945) American aphorist, programmer
(Attributed)

Orwell, George -- Coming up for Air, ch. 5 (1939)

Dave — Tue, 26 May 2020 22:32:01 +0000

There’s some devil in us that drives us to and fro on everlasting idiocies. There’s time for everything except the things worth doing. Think of something you really care about. Then add hour to hour and calculate the fraction of your life that you’ve actually spent in doing it. And then calculate the time you’ve spent on things like shaving, riding to and fro on buses, waiting in railway, junctions, swapping dirty stories, and reading the newspapers.

George Orwell (1903-1950) English journalist, essayist, writer [pseud. of Eric Arthur Blair]
Coming up for Air, ch. 5 (1939)
(Source)

Forster, E. M. -- Maurice (w. 1914, pub. 1971)

Dave — Mon, 08 Jan 2018 23:04:13 +0000

You confuse what’s important with what’s impressive.

E. M. Forster (1879-1970) English novelist, essayist, critic, librettist [Edward Morgan Forster]
Maurice (w. 1914, pub. 1971)
(Source)

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

Dave — Mon, 08 May 2017 21:32:52 +0000

I suppose we think euphemistically that all writers write because they have something to say that is truthful and honest and pointed and important. And I suppose I subscribe to that, too. But God knows when I look back over thirty years of professional writing, I’m hard-pressed to come up with anything that’s important. Some things are literate, some things are interesting, some things are classy, but very damn little is important.

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

Sunstein, Cass R. -- “Reinforce the Walls of Privacy,” New York Times (6 Sep 1997)

Dave — Wed, 14 Dec 2016 05:05:25 +0000

A democracy is badly served when newspapers and television focus so intensely on the personal joys and tragedies of famous people. This kind of “news” crowds out more serious issues, and there is an important difference — as the Constitution’s framers well knew, and as many people today appear to have forgotten — between the public interest and what interests the public.

Cass R. Sunstein (b. 1954) American legal scholar
“Reinforce the Walls of Privacy,” New York Times (6 Sep 1997)

Brust, Steven -- Dragon (1998)

Dave — Fri, 15 Jul 2016 13:42:05 +0000

All the pieces wish to be, if not a player, at least the piece the players are most concerned with.

Steven Brust (b. 1955) American writer, systems programmer
Dragon (1998)

Teresa of Avila -- “Maxims for Her Nuns”

Dave — Wed, 28 Oct 2015 13:54:54 +0000

Remember that you have only one soul; that you have only one death to die; that you have only one life, which is short and has to be lived by you alone; and there is only one Glory, which is eternal. If you do this, there will be many things about which you care nothing.

Teresa of Ávila (1515-1582) Spanish mystic, poet, philosopher, saint
“Maxims for Her Nuns”

In Complete Works St. Teresa of Avila, Vol. 3 (1963) [ed. Peers]

Talmud -- Mishnah Sanhedrin 4:9; Yerushalmi Talmud, Tractate Sanhedrin 37a

Dave — Tue, 01 Sep 2015 12:39:15 +0000

Whoever destroys a soul, it is considered as if he destroyed an entire world. And whoever saves a life, it is considered as if he saved an entire world.

The Talmud (AD 200-500) Collection of Jewish rabbinical writings
Mishnah Sanhedrin 4:9; Yerushalmi Talmud, Tractate Sanhedrin 37a
(Source)

Alt. trans.: "Whoever destroys a single life is as guilty as though he had destroyed the entire world; and whoever rescues a single life earns as much merit as though he had rescued the entire world."

Wilde, Oscar -- Vera; or, The Nihilists, Act 2 [Prince Paul] (1881)

Dave — Thu, 30 Jul 2015 13:05:27 +0000

Life is much too important a thing ever to talk seriously about it.

Oscar Wilde (1854-1900) Irish poet, wit, dramatist
Vera; or, The Nihilists, Act 2 [Prince Paul] (1881)
(Source)

Almost always paraphrased, "Life is too important to be taken seriously."

In Lady Windermere's Fan, Act 2 (1892), he recycled the line as "Life is far too important a thing ever to talk seriously about it."

Also (mis)attributed to G.K. Chesterton. More discussion of this quotation: Life Is Too Important To Be Taken Seriously – Quote Investigator.

Lessing, Gotthold -- Hamburgische Dramaturgie [Hamburg Dramaturgy], Essay 34, 1767-08-25 (1767-1769) [tr. Zimmern (1890)]

Dave — Wed, 04 Mar 2015 14:29:00 +0000

For to a great man both things are needful; to treat trifles as trifles and important matters as important matters.

[Denn zu einem großen Manne gehört beides: Kleinigkeiten als Kleinigkeiten, und wichtige Dinge als wichtige Dinge zu behandeln.]

Gotthold Lessing (1729-1781) German playwright, philosopher, dramaturg, writer
Hamburgische Dramaturgie [Hamburg Dramaturgy], Essay 34, 1767-08-25 (1767-1769) [tr. Zimmern (1890)]
(Source)

(Source (German)). Alternate translations:

For the great man does both, that is, he treats trivialities as trivialities and important things as important things.
[tr. Arons/Figal]

It is the mark of great people to treat trifles as trifles and important matters as important.
[Source]

La Rochefoucauld, Francois -- Réflexions ou sentences et maximes morales [Reflections; or Sentences and Moral Maxims], ¶201 (1665-1678) [ed. Carvill (1835), ¶81]

Dave — Mon, 25 Nov 2013 22:34:37 +0000

He who imagines he can do without the world, deceives himself much: but he who fancies the world cannot do without him, is under a far greater deception.

[Celui qui croit pouvoir trouver en soi-même de quoi se passer de tout le monde se trompe fort; mais celui qui croit qu’on ne peut se passer de lui se trompe encore davantage.]

François VI, duc de La Rochefoucauld (1613-1680) French epigrammatist, memoirist, noble
Réflexions ou sentences et maximes morales [Reflections; or Sentences and Moral Maxims], ¶201 (1665-1678) [ed. Carvill (1835), ¶81]
(Source)

Appeared in the 1st ed. (1665). In manuscript, the first part "Celui qui croit pouvoir trouver en soi-même de quoi se passer de tout le monde" reads "Celui qui croit pouvoir se passer de tout le monde" ("He who believes that he can find in himself enough to do without everyone" reads "He who believes he can do without everyone.").

(Source (French)). Alternate translations:

He that fansies such a sufficiency in himself, that he can live without all the World, is mightily mistaken; but he that imagines himself so necessary, that other people cannot live without him, is a great deal more mistaken.
[tr. Stanhope (1694), ¶202]

He who imagines he can do without the world deceives himself much; but he who fancies the world cannot do without him is still more mistaken.
[pub. Donaldson (1783), ¶93; ed. Lepoittevin-Lacroix (1797), ¶192]

He who thinks he can find in himself the means of doing without others is much mistaken; but he who thinks that others cannot do without him is still more mistaken.
[ed. Gowens (1851), ¶210]

He who thinks he has the power to content the world greatly deceives himself, but he who thinks that the world cannot be content with him deceives himself yet more.
[tr. Bund/Friswell (1871), ¶201]

The man who thinks he can do without the world errs; but the man who thinks the world can [sic] do without him is in still greater error.
[tr. Heard (1917), ¶206]

It is a great mistake for a man to suppose that he can dispense with the world; but it is a much greater one to suppose that the world cannot dispense with him.
[tr. Stevens (1939), ¶201]

A man who believes that his inner resources are such that he can dispense with his fellow-men is committing a serious mistake: it is not, however, so serious as that of the man who believes himself indispensable to others.
[tr. FitzGibbon (1957), ¶201]

The man who thinks he can do without the world is indeed mistaken; but the man who thinks the world cannot do without him is mistaken even worse.
[tr. Kronenberger (1959), ¶201]

The man who thinks he can find enough in himself to be able to dispense with everybody else makes a great mistake, but the man who thinks he is indispensable to others makes an even greater.
[tr. Tancock (1959), ¶201]

He who believes that he can make do without any one else in the world, is very mistaken; but he who believes that nobody in the world could make do without him, deceives himself still more greatly.
[tr. Whichello (2016) ¶201]

Ericsson, Graham -- Journal (2013-10-21)

Dave — Mon, 21 Oct 2013 20:44:50 +0000

Too many moral busy-bodies have confused impertinent with important.

Graham Ericsson (b. 1961) American technologist, writer, aphorist
Journal (2013-10-21)

Dalai Lama, The -- (Attributed)

Dave — Fri, 09 Sep 2011 12:23:44 +0000

Love and compassion are necessities, not luxuries. Without them, humanity cannot survive. With them, we can make a joint effort to solve the problems of the whole humankind.

The Dalai Lama (b. 1935) Tibetan Buddhist spiritual leader [The 14th Dalai Lama; a/k/a Lhama Thondup / Lhama Dhondrub; b. Tenzin Gyatso]
(Attributed)

King, Martin Luther -- Sermon, Ebenezer Baptist Church (4 Feb 1968)

Dave — Sat, 03 Sep 2011 19:36:14 +0000

Yes, if you want to say that I was a drum major, say that I was a drum major for justice. Say that I was a drum major for peace. I was a drum major for righteousness. And all of the other shallow things will not matter. I won’t have any money to leave behind. I won’t have the fine and luxurious things of life to leave behind. But I just want to leave a committed life behind.

Martin Luther King, Jr. (1929-1968) American clergyman, civil rights leader, social activist, preacher
Sermon, Ebenezer Baptist Church (4 Feb 1968)

Full text. Adaptation by King of the 1952 homily "Drum-Major Instincts" by J. Wallace Hamilton. Paraphrased on the MLK memorial in Washington, DC, as, "I was a drum major for justice, peace and righteousness"; the inscription was later removed.

Bible, Vol. 2. New Testament -- Book 3. Gospel of Luke 14: 7ff (Luke 14:7–11) (Jesus) [NRSV (2021 ed.)]

Dave — Thu, 23 Dec 2010 19:01:38 +0000

When he noticed how the guests chose the places of honor, he told them a parable. “When you are invited by someone to a wedding banquet, do not sit down at the place of honor, in case someone more distinguished than you has been invited by your host, and the host who invited both of you may come and say to you, ‘Give this person your place,’ and then in disgrace you would start to take the lowest place.
“But when you are invited, go and sit down at the lowest place, so that when your host comes, he may say to you, ‘Friend, move up higher’; then you will be honored in the presence of all who sit at the table with you.
“For all who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”

[Ἔλεγεν δὲ πρὸς τοὺς κεκλημένους παραβολήν, ἐπέχων πῶς τὰς πρωτοκλισίας ἐξελέγοντο, λέγων πρὸς αὐτούς, Ὅταν κληθῇς ὑπό τινος εἰς γάμους, μὴ κατακλιθῇς εἰς τὴν πρωτοκλισίαν, μήποτε ἐντιμότερός σου ᾖ κεκλημένος ὑπ᾽ αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἐλθὼν ὁ σὲ καὶ αὐτὸν καλέσας ἐρεῖ σοι, Δὸς τούτῳ τόπον, καὶ τότε ἄρξῃ μετὰ αἰσχύνης τὸν ἔσχατον τόπον κατέχειν.
ἀλλ᾽ ὅταν κληθῇς, πορευθεὶς ἀνάπεσε εἰς τὸν ἔσχατον τόπον, ἵνα ὅταν ἔλθῃ ὁ κεκληκώς σε ἐρεῖ σοι, Φίλε, προσανάβηθι ἀνώτερον· τότε ἔσται σοι δόξα ἐνώπιον πάντων τῶν συνανακειμένων σοι.
ὅτι πᾶς ὁ ὑψῶν ἑαυτὸν ταπεινωθήσεται, καὶ ὁ ταπεινῶν ἑαυτὸν ὑψωθήσεται.]

The Bible (The New Testament) (AD 1st - 2nd C) Christian sacred scripture
Book 3. Gospel of Luke 14: 7ff (Luke 14:7–11) (Jesus) [NRSV (2021 ed.)]
(Source)

No Synoptic parallels.

(Source (Greek)). Alternate translations:

And he put forth a parable to those which were bidden, when he marked how they chose out the chief rooms; saying unto them, 8 When thou art bidden of any man to a wedding, sit not down in the highest room; lest a more honourable man than thou be bidden of him; and he that bade thee and him come and say to thee, Give this man place; and thou begin with shame to take the lowest room.
But when thou art bidden, go and sit down in the lowest room; that when he that bade thee cometh, he may say unto thee, Friend, go up higher: then shalt thou have worship in the presence of them that sit at meat with thee.
For whosoever exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.
[KJV (1611)]

He then told the guests a parable, because he had noticed how they picked the places of honour. He said this, "When someone invites you to a wedding feast, do not take your seat in the place of honour. A more distinguished person than you may have been invited, and the person who invited you both may come and say, 'Give up your place to this man.' And then, to your embarrassment, you would have to go and take the lowest place.
"No; when you are a guest, make your way to the lowest place and sit there, so that, when your host comes, he may say, 'My friend, move up higher.' In that way, everyone with you at the table will see you honoured.
"For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and the man who humbles himself will be exalted."
[JB (1966)]

He then told the guests a parable, because he had noticed how they picked the places of honour. He said this, "When someone invites you to a wedding feast, do not take your seat in the place of honour. A more distinguished person than you may have been invited, and the person who invited you both may come and say, 'Give up your place to this man.' And then, to your embarrassment, you will have to go and take the lowest place.
"No; when you are a guest, make your way to the lowest place and sit there, so that, when your host comes, he may say, 'My friend, move up higher.' Then, everyone with you at the table will see you honoured.
"For everyone who raises himself up will be humbled, and the one who humbles himself will be raised up."
[NJB (1985)]

Jesus noticed how some of the guests were choosing the best places, so he told this parable to all of them: “When someone invites you to a wedding feast, do not sit down in the best place. It could happen that someone more important than you has been invited, and your host, who invited both of you, would have to come and say to you, ‘Let him have this place.’ Then you would be embarrassed and have to sit in the lowest place.
"Instead, when you are invited, go and sit in the lowest place, so that your host will come to you and say, ‘Come on up, my friend, to a better place.’ This will bring you honor in the presence of all the other guests.
"For those who make themselves great will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be made great.”
[GNT (1992 ed.)]

When Jesus noticed how the guests sought out the best seats at the table, he told them a parable. “When someone invites you to a wedding celebration, don’t take your seat in the place of honor. Someone more highly regarded than you could have been invited by your host. The host who invited both of you will come and say to you, ‘Give your seat to this other person.’ Embarrassed, you will take your seat in the least important place.
"Instead, when you receive an invitation, go and sit in the least important place. When your host approaches you, he will say, ‘Friend, move up here to a better seat.’ Then you will be honored in the presence of all your fellow guests.
"All who lift themselves up will be brought low, and those who make themselves low will be lifted up."
[CEB (2011)]

Butler, Samuel -- The Note-Books of Samuel Butler, “Sparks” (1912)

Dave — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 12:56:22 +0000

Everything matters more than we think it does, and, at the same time, nothing matters so much as we think it does. The merest spark may set all Europe in a blaze, but though all Europe be set in a blaze twenty times over, the world will wag itself right again.

Samuel Butler (1835-1902) English novelist, satirist, scholar
The Note-Books of Samuel Butler, “Sparks” (1912)
(Source)

Rickover, Hyman -- Speech (1981-11-05), “Doing a Job,” Egleston Medal Award Dinner, Columbia School of Engineering and Applied Science, New York

Dave — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 10:14:01 +0000

To do a job effectively, one must set priorities. Too many people let their “in” basket set the priorities. On any given day, unimportant but interesting trivia pass through an office; one must not permit these to monopolize his time. The human tendency is to while away time with unimportant matters that do not require mental effort or energy. Since they can be easily resolved, they give a false sense of accomplishment. The manager must exert self-discipline to ensure that his energy is focused where it is truly needed.

Hyman Rickover (1900-1986) Polish-American naval engineer, admiral [b. Chaim Gdala Rykower]
Speech (1981-11-05), “Doing a Job,” Egleston Medal Award Dinner, Columbia School of Engineering and Applied Science, New York
(Source)

Butler, Samuel -- Further Extracts from Note-books of Samuel Butler (1934)

Dave — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 09:47:56 +0000

The three most important things a man has are, briefly, his private parts, his money, and his religious opinions.

Samuel Butler (1835-1902) English novelist, satirist, scholar
Further Extracts from Note-books of Samuel Butler (1934)

Gaiman, Neil -- Blog entry (2008-02-21), “Coraline Trailer”

Dave — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 21:00:05 +0000

I think any argument that states that comics (or radio or film or a musical or the novel or insert your favourite medium here…) by its nature trivialises its subject matter is foolish, shortsighted, dim, lazy and wrong. You can say, “This is a bad comic.” You can’t say, “This is bad because it’s a comic.”

Neil Gaiman (b. 1960) British author, screenwriter, fabulist
Blog entry (2008-02-21), “Coraline Trailer”
(Source)

Twain, Mark -- The Autobiography of Mark Twain, Vol. 1 (2010)

Dave — Mon, 16 Feb 2004 17:20:19 +0000

We recognize that there are no trivial occurrences in life if we get the right focus on them.

Mark Twain (1835-1910) American writer [pseud. of Samuel Clemens]
The Autobiography of Mark Twain, Vol. 1 (2010)
(Source)

Sayre, Wallace -- Sayre’s Third Law