WIST Quotations

Douglass, Frederick -- Speech (1852-07-05), “What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?” Corinthian Hall, Rochester, New York

Dave — Thu, 23 Jul 2026 22:42:54 +0000

What, to the American slave, is your 4th of July? I answer: a day that reveals to him, more than all other days in the year, the gross injustice and cruelty to which he is the constant victim. To him, your celebration is a sham; your boasted liberty, an unholy license; your national greatness, swelling vanity; your sounds of rejoicing are empty and heartless; your denunciations of tyrants, brass fronted impudence; your shouts of liberty and equality, hollow mockery; your prayers and hymns, your sermons and thanksgivings, with all your religious parade, and solemnity, are, to him, mere bombast, fraud, deception, impiety, and hypocrisy — a thin veil to cover up crimes which would disgrace a nation of savages.

Frederick Douglass (1817–1895) American abolitionist, orator, writer
Speech (1852-07-05), “What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?” Corinthian Hall, Rochester, New York
(Source)

Thoreau, Henry David -- Walden; or, Life in the Woods, ch. 1 “Economy” (1854)

Dave — Wed, 01 Jul 2026 22:37:18 +0000

The man who goes alone can start to-day; but he who travels with another must wait till that other is ready, and it may be a long time before they get off.

Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862) American philosopher and writer
Walden; or, Life in the Woods, ch. 1 “Economy” (1854)
(Source)

See also the Anglo-American proverb (in Kipling's wording) "He travels the fastest who travels alone" and the (possibly) African proverb, "If you want to go fast, go alone; if you want to go far, go together."

Carlyle, Thomas -- Poem (1825?), “My Own Four Walls,” st. 4-5

Dave — Thu, 28 May 2026 18:43:47 +0000

King George has palaces of pride,
And armed grooms must ward those halls;
With one stout bolt I safe abide
Within my own four walls.

Not all his men may sever this,
It yields to friends’, not monarchs’, calls;
My whinstone house my castle is —
I have my own four walls.

Thomas Carlyle (1795–1881) Scottish essayist and historian
Poem (1825?), “My Own Four Walls,” st. 4-5
(Source)

Heywood, John -- Proverbs, Part 2, ch. 5 (1546)

Dave — Wed, 31 Dec 2025 19:14:04 +0000

A cat may looke on a King.

John Heywood (1497?-1580?) English playwright and epigrammist
Proverbs, Part 2, ch. 5 (1546)
(Source)

Revised spelling from the 1874 edition. Original editions had it, "A cat maie looke on a kyng." This is the earliest text found with this recorded as an English proverb.

Thomas Fuller included the phrase ("A Cat may look upon a King") in his Gnomologia, # 35 (1732).

For more information on this phrase and its history, see: meaning and origin of the phrase ‘a cat may look at a king’ – word histories.

Stevenson, Robert Louis -- Essay (1881), “Virginibus Puerisque, Part 2”

Dave — Fri, 12 Dec 2025 18:44:13 +0000

Times are changed with him who marries; there are no more by-path meadows, where you may innocently linger, but the road lies long and straight and dusty to the grave. Idleness, which is often becoming and even wise in the bachelor, begins to wear a different aspect when you have a wife to support.

Robert Louis Stevenson (1850–1894) Scottish essayist, novelist, poet
Essay (1881), “Virginibus Puerisque, Part 2”
(Source)

First published in Virginibus Puerisque and Other Papers, ch. 1, part 2 (1881).

Montaigne, Michel de -- Essays, Book 1, ch. 38 (1.38), “Of Solitude [De la solitude]” (1572) [tr. Frame (1943), 1.39]

Dave — Wed, 22 Oct 2025 20:04:31 +0000

The greatest thing in the world is to know how to belong to oneself.

[La plus grande chose du monde c’est de sçavoir estre à soy.]

Michel de Montaigne (1533–1592) French essayist
Essays, Book 1, ch. 38 (1.38), “Of Solitude [De la solitude]” (1572) [tr. Frame (1943), 1.39]
(Source)

Present in the 1st (1580) edition.

Some translators use the 1588 sequence of chapters, not the 1595, and so identify this as ch. 39.

(Source (French)). Alternate translations:

The greatest thing of the world, is for a man to know how to be his owne.
[tr. Florio (1603)]

The greatest thing in the world is for a person to know that he is his own master.
[tr. Cotton (1686)]

The greatest thing in the world is for a man to know that he is his own.
[tr. Cotton/Hazlitt (1877)]

The greatest thing in the world is to know how to belong to oneself.
[tr. Ives (1925), 1.39]

The greatest thing in the world is to know how to be oneself.
[ed. Rat (1958), 1.39]

The greatest thing in the world is to know how to live to yourself
[tr. Screech (1987)]

The greatest thing in the world is to know how to belong to oneself.
[tr. Atkinson/Sices (2012)]

La Rochefoucauld, Francois -- Réflexions ou sentences et maximes morales [Reflections; or Sentences and Moral Maxims], ¶201 (1665-1678) [pub. Donaldson (1783), ¶93]

Dave — Sat, 27 Sep 2025 05:49:22 +0000

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.

[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) [pub. Donaldson (1783), ¶93]
(Source)

Present in the 1st (1665) edition. In manuscript, the beginning read "Celui qui croit pouvoir se passer de tout le monde ..."

(Source (French)). Other 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.
[ed. Lepoittevin-Lacroix (1797), ¶192]

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.
[ed. Carvill (1835), ¶81]

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 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]

Russell, Bertrand -- Conquest of Happiness, Part 1, ch. 9 “Fear of Public Opinion” (1930)

Dave — Wed, 24 Sep 2025 16:11:18 +0000

Where the environment is stupid or prejudiced or cruel, it is a sign of merit to be out of harmony with it.

Bertrand Russell (1872–1970) English mathematician and philosopher
Conquest of Happiness, Part 1, ch. 9 “Fear of Public Opinion” (1930)
(Source)

Lincoln, Abraham -- Speech (1858-09-11), Edwardsville, Illinois

Dave — Thu, 28 Aug 2025 22:23:59 +0000

Familiarize yourselves with the chains of bondage, and you are preparing your own limbs to wear them. Accustomed to trample on the rights of those around you, you have lost the genius of your own independence, and become the fit subjects of the first cunning tyrant who rises.

Abraham Lincoln (1809–1865) American lawyer, politician, US President (1861–65)
Speech (1858-09-11), Edwardsville, Illinois
(Source)

As reported in the Alton Weekly Courier (1858-09-16).

Borges, Jorge Luis -- Poem (1940s), “You Learn [Aprendiendo]” (Attributed)

Dave — Wed, 11 Jun 2025 16:16:13 +0000

So you plant your own gardens and decorate your own soul, instead of waiting for someone to bring you flowers.

[Así que uno planta su propio jardín y decora su propia alma, en lugar de esperar a que alguien le traiga flores.]

Jorge Luis Borges (1899–1986) Argentine writer
Poem (1940s), “You Learn [Aprendiendo]” (Attributed)
(Source)

(Source (Spanish)).

Also titled as "Comes the Dawn" and "After a While". This line, when given on its own, is often elided as "Plant your own ..." or "So plant your own ..."

These lines appear to be from a poem "Aprendiendo" (or "Uno Aprende" or "Con El Tiempo"), said to be written by Borges in Spanish in the 1940s, and possibly translated to English in the late 60s/early 70s while Borges was lecturing in the US.

The English version first came to light in 1992 with an inquiry to the Ann Landers syndicated advice column about an anonymous poem found at a craft store.

Since the association of that English version to Borges, many have (sometimes vehemently) questioned Borges' authorship (due to stylistic differences from his other work). Others have claimed credit, most prominently Veronica A. Shoftstall (who said she had written the English version at age 19 in 1971, and who has since copyrighted it). The Spanish version has also been attributed to Columbian poet Yamira Hernandez. The English has even been attributed to Shakespeare, because why not?

For more information and discussion see:

Wilcox, Ella Wheeler -- Heart of the New Thought, “The Object of Life” (1903)

Dave — Wed, 07 May 2025 23:03:36 +0000

To possess character is to be useful, and to be useful is to be independent, and to be useful and independent, is to be happy, even in the midst of sorrow; for sorrow is not necessarily unhappiness.

Ella Wheeler Wilcox (1850–1919) American author, poet, temperance advocate, spiritualist
Heart of the New Thought, “The Object of Life” (1903)
(Source)

Barrie, James -- Peter Pan, Act 5 (1904, pub. 1928)

Dave — Tue, 29 Apr 2025 17:43:39 +0000

MRS. DARLING: (from the window) Peter, where are you? Let me adopt you too. (She is the loveliest age for a woman, but too old to see PETER clearly.)

PETER: Would you send me to school?

MRS. DARLING: (obligingly) Yes.

PETER: And then to an office?

MRS. DARLING: I suppose so.

PETER: Soon I should be a man?

MRS. DARLING: Very soon.

PETER: (passionately) I don’t want to go to school and learn solemn things. No one is going to catch me, lady, and make me a man. I want always to be a little boy and to have fun.

J. M. Barrie (1860–1937) Scottish novelist and dramatist [James Matthew Barrie]
Peter Pan, Act 5 (1904, pub. 1928)
(Source)

In Barrie's novelization, Peter and Wendy, ch. 17 "When Wendy Grew Up" (1911), this is rendered:

Mrs. Darling came to the window, for at present she was keeping a sharp eye on Wendy. She told Peter that she had adopted all the other boys, and would like to adopt him also.
“Would you send me to school?” he inquired craftily.
“Yes.”
“And then to an office?”
“I suppose so.”
“Soon I should be a man?”
“Very soon.”
“I don’t want to go to school and learn solemn things,” he told her passionately. “I don’t want to be a man. O Wendy’s mother, if I was to wake up and feel there was a beard!”
“Peter,” said Wendy the comforter, “I should love you in a beard;” and Mrs. Darling stretched out her arms to him, but he repulsed her.
“Keep back, lady, no one is going to catch me and make me a man.”

Byron, George Gordon, Lord -- Childe Harold’s Pilgrimage, Canto 3, st. 113 (1816)

Dave — Mon, 21 Apr 2025 18:28:41 +0000

I have not loved the World, nor the World me;
I have not flattered its rank breath, nor bowed
To its idolatries a patient knee,
Nor coined my cheek to smiles, — nor cried aloud
In worship of an echo: in the crowd
They could not deem me one of such — I stood
Among them, but not of them — in a shroud
Of thoughts which were not their thoughts, and still could,
Had I not filed my mind, which thus itself subdued.

George Gordon, Lord Byron (1788–1824) English poet
Childe Harold’s Pilgrimage, Canto 3, st. 113 (1816)
(Source)

Twain, Mark -- The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, ch. 18 (1884)

Dave — Fri, 21 Mar 2025 16:02:25 +0000

We said there warn’t no home like a raft, after all. Other places do seem so cramped up and smothery, but a raft don’t. You feel mighty free and easy and comfortable on a raft.

Mark Twain (1835–1910) American writer [pseud. of Samuel Clemens]
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, ch. 18 (1884)
(Source)

Roosevelt, Theodore -- Speech (1910-04-23), “Citizenship in a Republic [The Man in the Arena],” Sorbonne, Paris

Dave — Thu, 06 Mar 2025 21:26:29 +0000

Self-restraint, self-mastery, common sense, the power of accepting individual responsibility and yet of acting in conjunction with others, courage and resolution — these are the qualities which mark a masterful people. Without them no people can control itself, or save itself from being controlled from the outside.

Theodore Roosevelt (1858–1919) American politician, statesman, conservationist, writer, US President (1901–1909)
Speech (1910-04-23), “Citizenship in a Republic [The Man in the Arena],” Sorbonne, Paris
(Source)

Ingersoll, Robert Green -- Speech (1876-07-04), “Centennial Oration [The Declaration of Independence],” Peoria, Illinois

Dave — Fri, 07 Feb 2025 20:04:59 +0000

What we want to-day is what our fathers wrote down. They did not attain to their ideal; we approach it nearer, but have not reached it yet. We want, not only the independence of a State, not only the independence of a nation, but something far more glorious — the absolute independence of the individual. That is what we want. I want it so that I, one of the children of Nature, can stand on an equality with the rest; that I can say this is my air, my sunshine, my earth, and I have a right to live, and hope, and aspire, and labor, and enjoy the fruit of that labor, as much as any individual or any nation on the face of the globe.

Robert Green Ingersoll (1833–1899) American lawyer, freethinker, orator
Speech (1876-07-04), “Centennial Oration [The Declaration of Independence],” Peoria, Illinois
(Source)

Horace -- Odes [Carmina], Book 3, # 2, l. 17ff (3.2.17-20) (23 BC) [tr. Gladstone (1894)]

Dave — Fri, 23 Aug 2024 17:36:43 +0000

To Virtue shame is all unknown;
She shines with honours of her own;
Nor, as the public smile or frown,
Takes office up, or lays it down.

[Virtus, repulsae nescia sordidae,
intaminatis fulget honoribus
nec sumit aut ponit securis
arbitrio popularis aurae.]

Horace (65–8 BC) Roman poet, satirist, soldier, politician [Quintus Horatius Flaccus]
Odes [Carmina], Book 3, # 2, l. 17ff (3.2.17-20) (23 BC) [tr. Gladstone (1894)]
(Source)

The bundle of rods, sometimes encircling an axe, is known as the fasces, and was the symbol of government power in Rome. The reference to the axe (securis) is from this symbol.

(Source (Latin)). Other translations:

Vertue, that ne're repulse admits,
In taintless honours, glorious sits,
Nor takes, or leaveth Dignities,
Rais'd with the noise of vulgar cries.
[tr. Sir T. H.; ed. Brome (1666)]

Vertue, unlearn'd to bear the base
And shameful baffle of disgrace,
Nor takes, nor quits the tottering Throne,
As fickle Crowds shall smile or frown;
Nor from their wavering Breath receives the place.
[tr. Creech (1684)]

True Virtue never knows defeat:
Her robes she keeps unsullied still,
Nor takes, nor quits, her curule seat
To please a people's veering will.
[tr. Conington (1872)]

Virtue, unknowing of base repulse, shines with immaculate honors; nor does she assume nor lay aside the ensigns of her dignity, at the veering of the popular air.
[tr. Smart/Buckley (1853)]

Worth, all-indifferent to the spurns
Of vulgar souls profane,
The honours wears, it proudly earns,
Unclouded by a stain:
Nor grasps, nor lays the fasces down,
As fickle mobs may smile or frown.
[tr. Martin (1864)]

Virtue ne'er knows of a defeat which brings with it disgrace;
The blazon of her honors ne’er the breath of men can stain;
Her fasces she nor takes nor quits
As veers the popular gale.
[tr. Bulwer-Lytton (1870)]

Virtue knows not base rejection, is radiant with the purest honour, and neither takes, nor resigns, the axes at the breath of the popular will.
[tr. Elgood (1893)]

Virtue, that knows not how to be overthrown,
Shines with unsullied honours impregnable.
Nor at the lawless people's bidding
Does she take up or lay down her honours.
[tr. Phelps (1897)]

Virtue that knows not base defeat
Shines with untarnished honours,
Nor takes nor lays aside the Consul's axe
Upon decision by the popular whim.
[tr. Garnsey (1907)]

True Worth knows not defeat, and still preserves
His robe unsullied by base Envy's stain;
He takes not nor quits power again,
As mob-mood sways and swerves.
[tr. Marshall (1908)]

True worth, that never knows ignoble defeat, shines with undimmed glory, nor takes up nor lays aside the axes at the fickle mob’s behest.
[tr. Bennett (Loeb) (1912)]

Virtue, secure from shameful rout,
With honours all-unstained shines out;
Nor takes, nor drops, authority
To suit the crowd's oft-changing cry.
[tr. Mills (1924)]

Unconscious of mere loss of votes and shining
With honours that the mob's breath cannot dim,
True worth is not found raising or resigning
The fasces at the wind of popular whim.
[tr. Michie (1963)]

Virtue has no concern with reputation,
Shines for its own sake, neither takes up
Arms nor lays them down
Because the mob tells it so.
[tr. Raffel (1983)]

Virtue, rejecting everything that's sordid,
Shines with unblemished honor, nor takes up office
Nor puts it down persuaded by any shift
Of the popular wind.
[tr. Ferry (1997)]

Virtue, unconscious of disgraceful defeat,
shines with unsullied honors
nor does she raise up or lay down the Fasces
at the mere murmuring of the mob.
[tr. Willett (1998)]

Virtue, that’s ignorant of sordid defeat,
shines out with its honour unstained, and never
takes up the axes or puts them down
at the request of a changeable mob.
[tr. Kline (2015)]

Courage, unaware of putrid defeat,
gleams with unblemished honours,
and neither takes nor places the axes
on the judgement of the common ear.
[tr. Wikisource (2021)]

Hosseini, Khaled -- The Kite Runner, ch. 3 [Rahim Khan] (2003)

Dave — Wed, 21 Feb 2024 15:33:50 +0000

Children aren’t coloring books. You don’t get to fill them with your favorite colors.

Khaled Hosseini (b. 1965) Afghan-American novelist, physician [ خالد حسینی]
The Kite Runner, ch. 3 [Rahim Khan] (2003)
(Source)

Chamfort, Nicolas -- Products of Perfected Civilization [Produits de la Civilisation Perfectionée], Part 1 “Maxims and Thoughts [Maximes et Pensées],” ch. 4, ¶ 281 (1795) [tr. Mathers (1926)]

Dave — Mon, 18 Sep 2023 22:58:59 +0000

Nature never said to me: Do not be poor; still less did she say: Be rich; her cry to me was always: Be independent.

[La Nature ne m’a point dit: ne sois point pauvre; encore moins: sois riche; mais elle me crie: sois indépendant.]

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. 4, ¶ 281 (1795) [tr. Mathers (1926)]
(Source)

(Source (French)). Other translations:

Nature has not said to me: Be not poor; still less: Be rich. But she cries out to me: Be independent.
[tr. Hutchinson (1902)]

Nature did not say to me, “Do not be poor”; still less, “Be rich”; but she cried out to me, “Be independent.”
[tr. Merwin (1969)]

Nature did not tell me, "Do not be poor"; still less did it say "Be rich"; but it does cry to me: "Be independent."
[tr. Pearson (1973)]

Nature never urged me, "Be not poor," much less, "Be rich." Instead, she shouts: "Be independent."
[tr. Dusinberre (1992)]

Nature didn't tell me, "Don't be poor!"; and certainly didn't say: "Get rich!"; but she did shout: "Always be independent!"
[tr. Parmée (2003), ¶174]

Nature didn't say to me "Never be poor."; still less "Be rich."; but it cried "Be independant."
[tr. Siniscalchi (1994)]

Rogers, Will -- Column (1934-07-05), “Daily Telegram”

Dave — Fri, 21 Apr 2023 02:14:30 +0000

A statesman is a man that can do what the politician would like to do but can’t, because he is afraid of not being elected.

Will Rogers (1879–1935) American humorist
Column (1934-07-05), “Daily Telegram”
(Source)

Cox, Marcelene -- “Ask Any Woman” column, Ladies’ Home Journal (1956-09)

Dave — Mon, 13 Feb 2023 18:53:38 +0000

Children in a family are like flowers in a bouquet: there’s always one determined to face in an opposite direction from the way the arranger desires.

Marcelene Cox (1900–1998) American writer, columnist, aphorist
“Ask Any Woman” column, Ladies’ Home Journal (1956-09)
(Source)

Jackson, Robert H. -- American Communications Assn. v. Douds, 339 U.S. 382, 442 (1950) [concurrence and dissent]

Dave — Mon, 30 Jan 2023 23:18:19 +0000

Our Constitution relies on our electorate’s complete ideological freedom to nourish independent and responsible intelligence and preserve our democracy from that submissiveness, timidity and herd-mindedness of the masses which would foster a tyranny of mediocrity.

Robert H. Jackson (1892–1954) US Supreme Court Justice (1941–54), lawyer, jurist, politician
American Communications Assn. v. Douds, 339 U.S. 382, 442 (1950) [concurrence and dissent]
(Source)

Shakespeare, William -- Coriolanus, Act 5, sc. 3, l. 38ff (5.3.38-41) (c. 1608)

Dave — Tue, 03 Jan 2023 19:56:53 +0000

CORIOLANUS:I’ll never
Be such a gosling to obey instinct; but stand,
As if a man were author of himself,
And knew no other kin.

William Shakespeare (1564–1616) English dramatist and poet
Coriolanus, Act 5, sc. 3, l. 38ff (5.3.38-41) (c. 1608)
(Source)

Gracián, Baltasar -- The Art of Worldly Wisdom [Oráculo Manual y Arte de Prudencia], § 286 (1647) [tr. Jacobs (1892)]

Dave — Mon, 14 Nov 2022 16:16:56 +0000

Freedom is more precious than any gifts for which you may be tempted to give it up.

[Más preciosa es la libertad que la dádiva, porque se pierde.]

Baltasar Gracián y Morales (1601–1658) Spanish Jesuit priest, writer, philosopher
The Art of Worldly Wisdom [Oráculo Manual y Arte de Prudencia], § 286 (1647) [tr. Jacobs (1892)]
(Source)

(Source (Spanish)). Other translations:

Liberty is more precious than all gifts: and to receive, is to lose it.
[Flesher ed. (1685)]

>br?

Independence is more precious, than any gift for which you might forfeit it.
[tr. Fischer (1937)]

Freedom is more precious then the gift that makes us lose it.
[tr. Maurer (1992)]

Holland, Barbara -- The Name of the Cat, ch. 3 (1988)

Dave — Mon, 17 Oct 2022 20:26:43 +0000

If we have a decent sort of cat to begin with, and have always treated it courteously, and aren’t cursed with meddling, bullying natures, it’s a pleasure to let it do as it pleases. With children, this would be wicked and irresponsible, so raising children involves a lot of effort and friction. They need to be taught how to tie their shoes and multiply fractions, they need to be punished for pocketing candy in the grocery store, they need to be washed and combed and forced to clean up their rooms and say please and thank you.

A cat is our relief and our reward.

Barbara Holland (1933–2010) American author
The Name of the Cat, ch. 3 (1988)
(Source)

Rand, Ayn -- The Fountainhead, ch. 18 [Roark] (1943)

Dave — Wed, 05 Oct 2022 19:32:20 +0000

Civilization is the progress toward a society of privacy. The savage’s whole existence is public, ruled by the laws of his tribe. Civilization is the process of setting man free from men.

Ayn Rand (1905–1982) Russian-American writer, philosopher
The Fountainhead, ch. 18 [Roark] (1943)
(Source)

Confucius -- The Analects [論語, 论语, Lúnyǔ], Book 15, verse 36 (15.36) (6th C. BC – 3rd C. AD) [tr. Leys (1997)]

Dave — Tue, 02 Aug 2022 05:49:45 +0000

In pursuit of virtue, do not be afraid to overtake your teacher.

[當仁、不讓於師。]
[当仁不让于师]

Confucius (c. 551- c. 479 BC) Chinese philosopher, sage, politician [孔夫子 (Kǒng Fūzǐ, K'ung Fu-tzu, K'ung Fu Tse), 孔子 (Kǒngzǐ, Chungni), 孔丘 (Kǒng Qiū, K'ung Ch'iu)]
The Analects [論語, 论语, Lúnyǔ], Book 15, verse 36 (15.36) (6th C. BC – 3rd C. AD) [tr. Leys (1997)]
(Source)

(Source (Chinese) 1, 2). Modern numbering is 15.36; exceptions (mostly after Legge) noted below. Other translations:

Let every man consider virtue as what devolves on himself. He may not yield the performance of it even to his teacher.
[tr. Legge (1861), 15.35]

Rely upon good-nature. 'Twill not allow precedence (even) to a teacher.
[tr. Jennings (1895), 15.35]

When the question is one of morality, a man need not defer to his teacher.
[tr. Ku Hung-Ming (1898), 15.35]

He upon whom a Moral duty devolves should not give way even to his Master.
[tr. Soothill (1910), 15.35]

He who has undertaken the way of Virtue does not yield place to his Teacher.
[tr. Soothill (1910), 15.35, alternate]

Manhood’s one's own, not leavable to teacher.
[tr. Pound (1933), 15.35]

When it comes to Goodness one need not avoid competing with one's teacher.
[tr. Waley (1938), 15.35]

He who is manhood at its best does not make way for the teacher.
[tr. Ware (1950)]

When faced with the opportunity to practice benevolence do not give precedence even to your teacher.
[tr. Lau (1979)]

When one is confronted by humaneness, one does not yield precedence to one's teacher.
[tr. Dawson (1993)]

Confronting an act of humanity, do not yield the precedence even to your teacher.
[tr. Huang (1997)]

One should not decline modestly to one's teacher when one faces the benevolent thing.
[tr. Cai/Yu (1998), # 420]

In striving to be authoritative in your conduct (ren), do not yield even to your teacher.
[tr. Ames/Rosemont (1998)]

With (ren), one need not defer to one's teacher.
[tr. Brooks/Brooks (1998)]

Abide in Humanity, and you need not defer to any teacher.
[tr. Hinton (1998)]

When it comes to being Good, defer to no one, not even your teacher.
[tr. Slingerland (2003)]

In matters of humaneness, do not defer even to your teacher.
[tr. Watson (2007)]

When encountering matters that involve the question of humaneness, do not yield even to your teacher.
[tr. Annping Chin (2014)]

When confronted with a challenge of upholding Ren virtue or not, one should not yield -- not even to his own teacher.
[tr. Li (2020), 15.37]

Taylor, Barbara Brown -- Leaving Church: A Memoir of Faith, Part 2 (2006)

Dave — Tue, 26 Jul 2022 21:36:43 +0000

Although I never found a church where I felt completely at home again, I made a new home in the world. I renewed my membership in the priesthood of all believers, who may not have as much power as we would like, but whose consolation prize is the freedom to meet God after work, well away from all centers of religious command, wherever God shows up.

Barbara Brown Taylor (b. 1951) American minister, academic, author
Leaving Church: A Memoir of Faith, Part 2 (2006)
(Source)

Commager, Henry Steele -- Essay (1949-11-05), “What Ideas Are Safe?” Saturday Review

Dave — Wed, 23 Mar 2022 14:55:19 +0000

We cannot have a society half slave and half free; nor can we have thought half slave and half free. If we create an atmosphere in which men fear to think independently, inquire fearlessly, express themselves freely, we will in the end create the kind of society in which men no longer care to think independently or to inquire fearlessly.

Henry Steele Commager (1902–1998) American historian, writer, activist
Essay (1949-11-05), “What Ideas Are Safe?” Saturday Review
(Source)

Collected in Freedom and Order (1966).

Holland, Barbara -- The Name of the Cat (1988)

Dave — Mon, 21 Mar 2022 14:37:17 +0000

It’s curious that throughout our history together, with no apparent effort, people have been able to think of the cat simultaneously as the guardian spirit of the hearth and home, and as the emblem of freedom, independence, and rootlessness.

Barbara Holland (1933–2010) American author
The Name of the Cat (1988)
(Source)

Shain, Merle -- When Lovers Are Friends, ch. 1 (1978)

Dave — Fri, 11 Mar 2022 16:23:08 +0000

It is easy when you’ve been hurt by love to give it up as a bad job and make independence your new god, taking the love you had to give and turning it in upon yourself. And most of us have had to protect ourselves so much at times that we’ve given up the high road and taken the low. But independence carried to the furthest extreme is just loneliness and death, nothing more than another defense, and there is no growth in it, only a safe harbor for a while. The answer doesn’t lie in learning how to protect ourselves from life — it lies in learning how to become strong enough to let a bit more of it in.

Merle Shain (1935–1989) Canadian journalist and author
When Lovers Are Friends, ch. 1 (1978)
(Source)

Lippmann, Walter -- A Preface to Morals, ch. 1, sec. 3 (1929)

Dave — Mon, 18 Oct 2021 16:46:26 +0000

It is all very well to talk about being the captain of your soul. It is hard, and only a few heroes, saints, and geniuses have been the captains of their souls for any extended period of their lives. Most men, after a little freedom, have preferred authority with the consoling assurances and the economy of effort it brings.

Walter Lippmann (1889–1974) American journalist and author
A Preface to Morals, ch. 1, sec. 3 (1929)
(Source)

Quindlen, Anna -- Article (1991-04-07), “Mr. Smith Goes to Heaven,” New York Times

Dave — Tue, 07 Sep 2021 18:49:42 +0000

People who wish to salute the free and independent side of their evolutionary character acquire cats. People who wish to pay homage to their servile and salivating roots own dogs.

Anna Quindlen (b. 1953) American journalist, novelist
Article (1991-04-07), “Mr. Smith Goes to Heaven,” New York Times
(Source)

Part of an obituary for her dog, Jason Oliver C. Smith. Reprinted in Thinking Out Loud (1993).

Morris, Desmond -- Catwatching, Introduction (1986)

Dave — Tue, 19 Jan 2021 16:32:28 +0000

The domestic cat is a contradiction. No animal has developed such an intimate relationship with mankind, while at the same time demanding and getting such independence of movement and action.

Desmond Morris (b. 1928) English zoologist, ethologist, author
Catwatching, Introduction (1986)
(Source)

Chateaubriand, Francois-Rene -- In Comte de Marcellus, Chateaubriand et son Temps (1859)

Dave — Tue, 17 Nov 2020 19:02:47 +0000

I love in the cat that independent and almost ungrateful temper which prevents him from attaching himself to anyone; the indifference with which he passes from the salon to the housetop. When you caress it, it stretches itself out and arches its back, indeed; but that is caused by physical pleasure, not, as in the case of the dog, by a silly satisfaction in loving and being faithful to a master who returns thanks in kicks. The cat lives alone, has no need of society, does not obey except when it likes, and pretends to sleep that it may see the more clearly, and scratches everything that it can scratch.

[J’aime dans le chat, ce caractère indépendant et presque ingrat qui le fait ne s’attacher à personne, cette indifférence avec laquelle il passe des salons à ses gouttières natales; on le caresse, il fait gros dos; mai c’est un plaisir physique qu’il éprouve, et non, comme le chien, une niaise satisfaction d’aimer et d’être fidèle à un maître qui l’en remercie à coups de pied. Le chat vit seul, il n’a nul besoin de société, il n’obéit que quand il veut, fait l’endormi pour mieux voir, et griffe tout ce qu’il peut griffer.]

François-René de Chateaubriand (1768–1848) French writer, politican, diplomat
In Comte de Marcellus, Chateaubriand et son Temps (1859)
(Source)

Menen, Aubrey -- The Duke of Gallodoro (1952)

Dave — Wed, 05 Aug 2020 14:07:32 +0000

That is the whole trouble with being a heretic. One must usually think out everything for oneself.

Aubrey Menen (1912–1989) British writer, novelist, satirist, theatre critic
The Duke of Gallodoro (1952)
(Source)

Simms, William G. -- Egeria, Or Voices of Thought and Counsel, for the Woods and Wayside, “Ambition” (1853)

Dave — Wed, 15 Apr 2020 22:11:31 +0000

He who would acquire fame must not show himself afraid of censure. The dread of censure is the death of genius.

William G. Simms (1806–1870) American writer and politician
Egeria, Or Voices of Thought and Counsel, for the Woods and Wayside, “Ambition” (1853)
(Source)

Chesterfield (Lord) -- Letter to his son, #119 (27 Mar 1747)

Dave — Thu, 06 Feb 2020 20:20:47 +0000

Choose your pleasures for yourself, and do not let them be imposed upon you. Follow nature, and not fashion; weigh the present enjoyment of your pleasures against the necessary consequences of them, and then let your own common-sense determine your choice.

Lord Chesterfield (1694–1773) English statesman, wit [Philip Dormer Stanhope]
Letter to his son, #119 (27 Mar 1747)
(Source)

~Other -- Carl Walter, Grand Prize winner, “Dr. Mardy’s Quotes of the Week” Marriage Metaphor Competition (2015)

Dave — Thu, 11 Apr 2019 00:50:30 +0000

A great marriage is like two trees standing tall, side by side. Their branches intertwine so beautifully, so gracefully, they almost become one, yet they remain two. Standing together, they are strong, beautiful and better able to withstand the high winds of storms that come now and then. They are separate living things, yet so interdependent, growing more beautifully entwined year after year. Providing shade, comfort, and safety for each other and all who walk their way.

(Other Authors and Sources)
Carl Walter, Grand Prize winner, “Dr. Mardy’s Quotes of the Week” Marriage Metaphor Competition (2015)
(Source)

Cobbett, William -- Advice to Young Men and (Incidentally) to Young Women, Letter 2, #54 (1829)

Dave — Thu, 06 Jul 2017 17:37:07 +0000

To be poor and independent, is very nearly an impossibility.

William Cobbett (1763–1835) English politician, agriculturist, journalist, pamphleteer
Advice to Young Men and (Incidentally) to Young Women, Letter 2, #54 (1829)
(Source)

Boetcker, William J. H. -- “The Industrial Decalogue” (1916)

Dave — Tue, 14 Mar 2017 22:25:50 +0000

You cannot bring about prosperity by discouraging thrift.
You cannot help small men by tearing down big men.
You cannot strengthen the weak by weakening the strong.
You cannot lift the wage earner by pulling down the wage payer.
You cannot help the poor man by destroying the rich.
You cannot keep out of trouble by spending more than your income.
You cannot further the brotherhood of man by inciting class hatred.
You cannot establish security on borrowed money.
You cannot build character and courage by taking away men’s initiative and independence.
You cannot help men permanently by doing for them what they could and should do for themselves.

William J. H. Boetcker (1873–1962) German-American religious leader, author, public speaker [William John Henry Boetcker]
“The Industrial Decalogue” (1916)

Often referred to as "The Ten Cannots," and also often misattributed to Abraham Lincoln.

Thoreau, Henry David -- Walden; or, Life in the Woods, ch. 18 “Conclusion” (1854)

Dave — Tue, 08 Nov 2016 05:14:17 +0000

If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer. Let him step to the music which he hears, however measured or far away.

Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862) American philosopher and writer
Walden; or, Life in the Woods, ch. 18 “Conclusion” (1854)
(Source)

Gibran, Kahlil -- “On Children,” The Prophet (1923)

Dave — Wed, 12 Oct 2016 02:46:52 +0000

Your children are not your children.
They are the sons and daughters of Life’s longing for itself.
They come through you but not from you,
And though they are with you yet they belong not to you.
You may give them your love but not your thoughts,
For they have their own thoughts.
You may house their bodies but not their souls,
For their souls dwell in the house of tomorrow, which you cannot visit, not even in your dreams.
You may strive to be like them, but seek not to make them like you.
For life goes not backward nor tarries with yesterday.

Kahlil Gibran (1883–1931) Lebanese-American poet, writer, painter [Gibran Khalil Gibran]
“On Children,” The Prophet (1923)
(Source)

Hammarskjold, Dag -- Markings (1964)

Dave — Thu, 14 Apr 2016 14:00:41 +0000

The only kind of dignity which is genuine is that which is not diminished by the indifference of others.

Dag Hammarskjöld (1905–1961) Swedish diplomat, author, UN Secretary-General (1953–61)
Markings (1964)

Brecht, Bertholt -- “General, Your Tank Is a Powerful Vehicle,” in “From a German War Primer,” The Svendborg Poems (1939) [tr. Baxandall]

Dave — Thu, 07 Jan 2016 15:55:51 +0000

General, man is very useful.
He can fly and he can kill.
But he has one defect:
He can think.

Bertolt Brecht (1898–1956) German poet, playwright, director, dramaturgist
“General, Your Tank Is a Powerful Vehicle,” in “From a German War Primer,” The Svendborg Poems (1939) [tr. Baxandall]

Emerson, Ralph Waldo -- Essay (1841), “Self-Reliance,” Essays: First Series, No. 2

Dave — Wed, 14 Oct 2015 14:36:30 +0000

It is easy in the world to live after the world’s opinion; it is easy in solitude to live after our own; but the great man is he who, in the midst of the crowd, keeps with perfect sweetness the independence of solitude.

Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882) American essayist, lecturer, poet
Essay (1841), “Self-Reliance,” Essays: First Series, No. 2
(Source)

This essay was inspired by his reading of Walter Savage Landor in 1833, with passages pulled from his lecture "Individualism," last in his course on "The Philosophy of History" (1836–1837), with other passages from the lectures "School," "Genius," and "Duty" in his course on "Human Life" (1838–1839).

Harding, D.W. -- Social Psychology and Individual Values (1953)

Dave — Tue, 13 Oct 2015 17:23:53 +0000

A necessary quality for the attainment of individuality is the ability to tolerate some degree of loneliness in the sense of independent adherence to values that those around you will not support.

D. W. Harding (1906–1993) British psychologist and literary critic [Denys Clement Wyatt Harding]
Social Psychology and Individual Values (1953)

Milne, A. A. -- (Misattributed)

Dave — Fri, 14 Aug 2015 13:46:37 +0000

If ever there’s a tomorrow where we’re not together, there is something you must remember. You’re braver than you believe, and stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think.

A. A. Milne (1882–1956) English poet and playwright [Alan Alexander Milne]
(Misattributed)
(Source)

Christopher Robin to Pooh Bear. The quotation is broadly attributed to Milne and Winnie the Pooh, but is actually from the 1997 Disney video Pooh's Grand Adventure: The Search for Christopher Robin, written by Carter Crocker and Karl Geurs, based on the characters created by Milne.

HIcks, Bill -- In American: The Bill Hicks Story (2009)

Dave — Fri, 06 Feb 2015 12:59:49 +0000

It’s all about money, not freedom, y’all, okay? Nothing to do with fuckin’ freedom. If you think you’re free, try going somewhere without fucking money, okay?

Bill Hicks (1961–1994) American stand-up comedian, social critic, satirist, musician [William Melvin "Bill" Hicks]
In American: The Bill Hicks Story (2009)

Eisenhower, Dwight David -- “The Chance for Peace,” speech to American Society of Newspaper Editors, Washington (16 Apr 1953)

Dave — Thu, 05 Feb 2015 17:52:00 +0000

The way chosen by the United States was plainly marked by a few clear precepts, which govern its conduct in world affairs.

First: No people on earth can be held, as a people, to be enemy, for all humanity shares the common hunger for peace and fellowship and justice.

Second: No nation’s security and well-being can be lastingly achieved in isolation but only in effective cooperation with fellow-nations.

Third: Any nation’s right to form of government and an economic system of its own choosing is inalienable.

Fourth: Any nation’s attempt to dictate to other nations their form of government is indefensible.

And fifth: A nation’s hope of lasting peace cannot be firmly based upon any race in armaments but rather upon just relations and honest understanding with all other nations.

Dwight David Eisenhower (1890–1969) American general, US President (1953–61)
“The Chance for Peace,” speech to American Society of Newspaper Editors, Washington (16 Apr 1953)

Also known as the "Cross of Iron" speech.

Mencken, H. L. -- “Essay in American,” Baltimore Evening Sun (1921-11-07)

Dave — Wed, 04 Feb 2015 14:40:44 +0000

When things get so balled up that the people of a country got to cut loose from some other country, and go it on their own hook, without asking no permission from nobody, excepting maybe God Almighty, then they ought to let everybody know why they done it, so that everybody can see they are not trying to put nothing over on nobody. All we got to say on this proposition is this: first, me and you is as good as anybody else, and maybe a damn sight better; second, nobody ain’t got no right to take away none of our rights; third, everyman has got a right to live, to come and go as he pleases, and to have a good time whichever way he likes, so long as he don’t interfere with nobody else. That any government that don’t give a man them rights ain’t worth a damn; also, people ought to choose the kind of government they want themselves, and nobody else ought to have no say in the matter. That whenever any government don’t do this, then the people have got a right to give it the bum’s rush and put in one that will take care of their interests.

H. L. Mencken (1880–1956) American writer and journalist [Henry Lewis Mencken]
“Essay in American,” Baltimore Evening Sun (1921-11-07)
(Source)

Rewriting the beginning of the Declaration of Independence in the time's parlance.

Anthony, Susan B. -- Letter to the editor of “Sidepath” magazine (1898)

Dave — Fri, 30 Jan 2015 13:37:49 +0000

I stand and rejoice every time I see a woman ride by on a wheel. It gives her a feeling of freedom, self-reliance and independence. The moment she takes her seat she knows she can’t get into harm while she is on her bicycle, and away she goes, the picture of free, untrammeled womanhood.

Susan B. Anthony (1820–1906) American reformer, aboltionist, sufferagist
Letter to the editor of “Sidepath” magazine (1898)

Ali, Muhammad -- Quoted in New York Times (21 Nov 1965)

Dave — Tue, 28 Oct 2014 12:19:19 +0000

I am America. I am the part you won’t recognize. But get used to me. Black, confident, cocky; my name, not yours; my religion, not yours; my goals, my own; get used to me.

Muhammad Ali (1942–2016) American boxer, activist [b. Cassius Clay]
Quoted in New York Times (21 Nov 1965)

De Sade (Marquis) -- Letter to his wife (1783)

Dave — Fri, 24 Oct 2014 13:27:49 +0000

My manner of thinking, so you say, cannot be approved. Do you suppose I care? A poor fool indeed is he who adopts a manner of thinking for others! My manner of thinking stems straight from my considered reflections; it holds with my existence, with the way I am made. It is not in my power to alter it; and were it, I’d not do so.

Donatien Alphonse François de Sade (1740–1814) French aristocrat, philosopher, writer, libertine [The Marquis de Sade]
Letter to his wife (1783)

Nietzsche, Friedrich -- Thus Spoke Zarathustra [Also sprach Zarathustra], Part 4, ch. 73 (1883-85)

Dave — Fri, 03 Oct 2014 11:49:50 +0000

If ye would go up high, then use your own legs! Do not get yourselves carried aloft; do not seat yourselves on other people’s backs and heads!

Friedrich Nietzsche (1844–1900) German philosopher and poet
Thus Spoke Zarathustra [Also sprach Zarathustra], Part 4, ch. 73 (1883-85)

Kennedy, John F. -- Speech, UN General Assembly (25 Sep 1961)

Dave — Mon, 08 Sep 2014 12:22:47 +0000

Political sovereignty is but a mockery without the means of meeting poverty and illiteracy and disease. Self-determination is but a slogan if the future holds no hope.

John F. Kennedy (1917–1963) American politician, author, journalist, US President (1961–63)
Speech, UN General Assembly (25 Sep 1961)
(Source)

Jefferson, Thomas -- Document (1776-06), “Declaration of Independence,” original draft

Dave — Tue, 26 Aug 2014 12:16:04 +0000

He has waged cruel war against human nature itself, violating it’s most sacred rights of life & liberty in the persons of a distant people who never offended him, captivating & carrying them into slavery in another hemisphere, or to incur miserable death in their transportation thither. this piratical warfare, the opprobrium of infidel powers, is the warfare of the christian king of Great Britain. determined to keep open a market where MEN should be bought & sold, he has prostituted his negative for suppressing every legislative attempt to prohibit or to restrain this execrable commerce and that this assemblage of horrors might want no fact of distinguished die, he is now exciting those very people to rise in arms among us, and to purchase that liberty of which he has deprived them, by murdering the people upon whom he also obtruded them; thus paying off former crimes committed against the liberties of one people, with crimes which he urges them to commit against the lives of another.

Thomas Jefferson (1743–1826) American political philosopher, polymath, statesman, US President (1801–09)
Document (1776-06), “Declaration of Independence,” original draft
(Source)

This anti-slavery clause was included in the submission to the Continental Congress. It was removed from the Declaration at the behest of the delegation from South Carolina, as a requirement for their vote.

Woolf, Virginia -- A Room of One’s Own, ch. 1 (1929)

Dave — Mon, 23 Jun 2014 12:44:31 +0000

A woman must have money and a room of her own if she is to write fiction.

Virginia Woolf (1882–1941) English modernist writer [b. Adeline Virginia Stephen]
A Room of One’s Own, ch. 1 (1929)

~Proverbs and Sayings -- African proverb

Dave — Tue, 17 Sep 2013 13:48:10 +0000

If you want to go fast, go alone.
If you want to go far, go together.

Proverbs, Sayings, and Adages
African proverb

The provenance of this proverb is disputed. See here for more discussion.

Alda, Alan -- Things I Overheard While Talking to Myself, ch. 2 “Lingering at the Door” (2007)

Dave — Thu, 13 Dec 2012 16:59:05 +0000

Your assumptions are your windows on the world. Scrub them off every once in a while, or the light won’t come in. If you challenge your own, you won’t be so quick to accept the unchallenged assumptions of others. You’ll be a lot less likely to be caught up in bias or prejudice or be influenced by people who ask you to hand over your brains, your soul, or your money because they have everything all figured out for you.

Alan Alda (b. 1936) American actor [b. Alphonso Joseph D'Abruzzo]
Things I Overheard While Talking to Myself, ch. 2 “Lingering at the Door” (2007)
(Source)

Originally given at the commencement speech at Connecticut College in May, 1980, where his daughter Eve was graduating.

Chesterfield (Lord) -- Letter to his son, #67, “Thursday” (1740-41)

Dave — Thu, 29 Nov 2012 13:59:09 +0000

All you learn and all you can read will be of little use to you if you do not think and reason upon it yourself. One reads to know other people’s thoughts, but if we take them upon trust, without examining and comparing them with our own, it is really living upon other people’s scraps or retailing other people’s goods. To know the thoughts of others, is of use, because it suggests thoughts to one’s self, and helps one to form a judgment; but to repeat other people’s thoughts, without considering whether they are right or wrong, is the talent only of a parrot, or at most a player.

Lord Chesterfield (1694–1773) English statesman, wit [Philip Dormer Stanhope]
Letter to his son, #67, “Thursday” (1740-41)
(Source)

Emerson, Ralph Waldo -- Journal (1838-06-19)

Dave — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 15:18:54 +0000

Be not the slave of your own past.

Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882) American essayist, lecturer, poet
Journal (1838-06-19)

Lynn, Jonathan -- Yes, Prime Minister, 01×07 “The Bishop’s Gambit” (BBC2 Television) (1986-02-20) [with Antony Jay]

Dave — Mon, 24 May 2010 12:53:19 +0000

BERNARD: It’s one of those irregular verbs, isn’t it: I have an independent mind, you are eccentric, he is round the twist.

Jonathan Lynn (b. 1943) English actor, comedy writer, director
Yes, Prime Minister, 01×07 “The Bishop’s Gambit” (BBC2 Television) (1986-02-20) [with Antony Jay]

Gaiman, Neil -- Sandman, Book 3. Dream Country, # 18 “A Dream of a Thousand Cats” (1990-08)

Dave — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 16:22:48 +0000

CYNICAL CAT: Little one, I would like to see anyone — prophet, king or God — persuade a thousand cats to do anything at the same time.

Neil Gaiman (b. 1960) British author, screenwriter, fabulist
Sandman, Book 3. Dream Country, # 18 “A Dream of a Thousand Cats” (1990-08)
(Source)

Twain, Mark -- Mark Twain’s Notebook [ed. Paine (1935)]

Dave — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 13:41:55 +0000

The first thing I want to teach is disloyalty. … This will beget independence — which is loyalty to one’s best self and principles, and this is often disloyalty to the general idols and fetishes.

Mark Twain (1835–1910) American writer [pseud. of Samuel Clemens]
Mark Twain’s Notebook [ed. Paine (1935)]

Pratchett, Terry -- Discworld No. 13, Small Gods [Simony] (1992)

Dave — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 12:51:48 +0000

“You’re not one of us.”
“I don’t think I’m one of them, either,” said Brutha. “I’m one of mine.”

Terry Pratchett (1948–2015) English author
Discworld No. 13, Small Gods [Simony] (1992)
(Source)

Adams, John -- Letter (1776-07-03, p.m.) to Abigail Adams

Dave — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 17:36:48 +0000

The Second Day of July 1776, will be the most memorable Epocha, in the History of America. — I am apt to believe that it will be celebrated, by succeeding Generations, as the great anniversary Festival. It ought to be commemorated, as the Day of Deliverance by solemn Acts of Devotion to God Almighty. It ought to be solemnized with Pomp and Parade, with Shews, Games, Sports, Guns, Bells, Bonfires and Illuminations from one End of this Continent to the other from this Time forward forever more.

John Adams (1735–1826) American lawyer, Founding Father, statesman, US President (1797–1801)
Letter (1776-07-03, p.m.) to Abigail Adams
(Source)

The rough draft read "... solemnized with Pomp, Shews, Games ..." It also did not have the final word "more."

Early printings of this letter (and that of the morning) changed the recipient to an unnamed male friend. They were used by some (given the date on them and references elsewhere in them) to argue that Independence Day should be celebrated on July 2nd; others published versions with the dates modified to align with a July 4th date for the holiday. What Adams actually wrote was not clarified until Charles Francis Adams (grandson of John and Abigail) published a record of his grandparents' correspondence in 1876.

For the record, Independence was voted on and approved by the Continental Congress on 1776-07-02, and the final text of the Declaration of Independence approved and signed on 1776-07-04. Adams was writing on the day in-between.

Ingersoll, Robert Green -- “The Liberty of Man, Woman, and Child” (1877)

Dave — Tue, 12 Feb 2008 09:24:20 +0000

The man who does not do his own thinking is a slave, and is a traitor to himself and to his fellow-men.

Robert Green Ingersoll (1833–1899) American lawyer, freethinker, orator
“The Liberty of Man, Woman, and Child” (1877)
(Source)

Morley, Christopher -- Where the Blue Begins, ch. 8 (1922)

Dave — Tue, 05 Feb 2008 13:50:47 +0000

There is only one success … to be able to spend your life in your own way, and not to give others absurd maddening claims upon it.

Christopher Morley (1890–1957) American journalist, novelist, essayist, poet
Where the Blue Begins, ch. 8 (1922)

Kennedy, John F. -- Speech, Greater Houston Ministerial Association (12 Sep 1960)

Dave — Mon, 14 Jan 2008 10:49:02 +0000

Whatever issue may come before me as President — on birth control, divorce, censorship, gambling or any other subject — I will make my decision in accordance with these views, in accordance with what my conscience tells me to be the national interest, and without regard to outside religious pressures or dictates. And no power or threat of punishment could cause me to decide otherwise. But if the time should ever come — and I do not concede any conflict to be even remotely possible — when my office would require me to either violate my conscience or violate the national interest, then I would resign the office; and I hope any conscientious public servant would do the same.

John F. Kennedy (1917–1963) American politician, author, journalist, US President (1961–63)
Speech, Greater Houston Ministerial Association (12 Sep 1960)
(Source)

Kennedy, John F. -- Speech, Greater Houston Ministerial Association (12 Sep 1960)

Dave — Thu, 13 Dec 2007 14:22:28 +0000

I do not speak for my church on public matters — and the church does not speak for me.

John F. Kennedy (1917–1963) American politician, author, journalist, US President (1961–63)
Speech, Greater Houston Ministerial Association (12 Sep 1960)
(Source)

Lincoln, Abraham -- Speech (1858-09-11), Edwardsville, Illinois

Dave — Fri, 07 Dec 2007 10:45:36 +0000

What constitutes the bulwark of our own liberty and independence? It is not our frowning battlements, our bristling sea coasts, the guns of our war steamers, or the strength of our gallant and disciplined army. These are not our reliance against a resumption of tyranny in our fair land. All of them may be turned against our liberties, without making us stronger or weaker for the struggle. Our reliance is in the love of liberty which God has planted in our bosoms. Our defense is in the preservation of the spirit which prizes liberty as the heritage of all men, in all lands, every where. Destroy this spirit, and you have planted the seeds of despotism around your own doors.

Abraham Lincoln (1809–1865) American lawyer, politician, US President (1861–65)
Speech (1858-09-11), Edwardsville, Illinois
(Source)

As reported in the Alton Weekly Courier (1858-09-16).

Mill, John Stuart -- On Liberty, ch. 1 “Introductory” (1859)

Dave — Mon, 24 Sep 2007 22:55:27 +0000

The only part of the conduct of any one, for which he is amenable to society, is that which concerns others. In the part which merely concerns himself, his independence, is, of right, absolute. Over himself, over his own body and mind, the individual is sovereign.

John Stuart Mill (1806–1873) English philosopher and economist
On Liberty, ch. 1 “Introductory” (1859)
(Source)

Jefferson, Thomas -- Document (1776-06), “Declaration of Independence” (original rough draft)

Dave — Wed, 15 Aug 2007 02:19:18 +0000

We hold these truths to be sacred & undeniable; that all men are created equal & independant, that from that equal creation they derive rights inherent & inalienable, among which are the preservation of life, & liberty, & the pursuit of happiness; that to secure these ends, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed; that whenever any form of government shall become destructive of these ends, it is the right of the people to alter or to abolish it, & to institute new government, laying it’s foundation on such principles & organising it’s powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their safety & happiness.

Thomas Jefferson (1743–1826) American political philosopher, polymath, statesman, US President (1801–09)
Document (1776-06), “Declaration of Independence” (original rough draft)
(Source)

Compare to the final version, as modified and adopted by the Continental Congress.

Twain, Mark -- Mark Twain’s Notebook (13 Oct 1904) [ed. Paine (1935)]

Dave — Sun, 01 Feb 2004 19:00:00 +0000

The majority is always in the wrong. Whenever you find that you are on the side of the majority, it’s time to reform — (or pause and reflect).

Mark Twain (1835–1910) American writer [pseud. of Samuel Clemens]
Mark Twain’s Notebook (13 Oct 1904) [ed. Paine (1935)]

Cicero, Marcus Tullius -- De Natura Deorum, Book 3, ch. 1 [tr. Rackham (1933)]

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

Each man must use his own judgement.

[Suo cuique iudicio est utendum.]

Marcus Tullius Cicero (106–43 BC) Roman orator, statesman, philosopher
De Natura Deorum, Book 3, ch. 1 [tr. Rackham (1933)]
(Source)

Dante Alighieri -- The Divine Comedy [Divina Commedia], Book 2 “Purgatorio,” Canto 5, l. 13ff (5.13-15) [Virgil] (1314) [tr. Kirkpatrick (2007)]

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

Keep close behind me. Let them say their say.
Stand straight, a mighty tower unwavering,
its height unshaken by such breaths of wind.

[Vien dietro a me, e lascia dir le genti:
sta come torre ferma, che non crolla
già mai la cima per soffiar di venti.]

Dante Alighieri (1265–1321) Italian poet
The Divine Comedy [Divina Commedia], Book 2 “Purgatorio,” Canto 5, l. 13ff (5.13-15) [Virgil] (1314) [tr. Kirkpatrick (2007)]
(Source)

Virgil scolding Dante for slowing down when other spirits are pointing and murmuring about him having a shadow, unlike them.

(Source (Italian)). Other translations:

Can murmurs move you? Let them whisper on,
And bid your Reason firmly keep its throne,
and o'er the fortress of the mind preside.
[tr. Boyd (1802), st. 2]

Come after me, and to their babblings leave
The crowd. Be as a tower, that, firmly set,
Shakes not its top for any blast that blows!
[tr. Cary (1814)]

Come thou behind me, let the people talk;
Stand like a steadfast tower, whose lofty crest
Ne'er quaked obedient to the rocking blast.
[tr. Bannerman (1850)]

Come after me, and let the people talk;
Stand like a steadfast tower, that never wags
Its top for all the blowing of the winds;
[tr. Longfellow (1867)]

Come behind me, and let the folk talk; stand like a firm tower which never shakes its top for blast of winds.
[tr. Butler (1885)]

Follow thou me, and let the people talk:
Stand like a solid tower, that doth not bow
Its crest at any time, though wild winds stalk.
[tr. Minchin (1885)]

Come after me, and let the people talk. Stand as a tower firm, that never wags its top for blowing of the winds.
[tr. Norton (1892)]

Follow me and let the people talk; stand thou as a firm tower which never shakes its summit for blast of winds.
[tr. Okey (1901)]

Come after me and let the people talk. Stand like a firm tower that never shakes its top for blast of wind.
[tr. Sinclair (1939)]

Follow behind me and let them talk their fill:
Stand like a tower whose summit never shakes
For the wind's blowing, and stays immovable.
[tr. Binyon (1943)]

Follow thou me, and let the people chatter;
Stand as a tower stands firm in time of trouble,
Nor bends its head, though winds may bawl and batter.
[tr. Sayers (1955)]

Follow my steps, though all such whisper of you:
be as a tower of stone, its lofty crown
unswayed by anything the winds may do.
[tr. Ciardi (1961)]

Follow me and let the people talk.
Stand as a firm tower which never
shakes its summit for blast of winds.
[tr. Singleton (1973)]

Keep up with me and let the people talk!
Be like a solid tower whose brave height
remains unmoved by all the winds that blow.
[tr. Musa (1981)]

Come on behind me, let those people talk:
Stand like a solid tower which does not shake
Its top whatever winds are blowing on it.
[tr. Sisson (1981)]

Come, follow me, and let these people talk:
stand like a sturdy tower that does not shake
its summit though the winds may blast.
[tr. Mandelbaum (1982)]

Come after me, and let the people talk:
be like a strong tower whose top never falls,
however hard the winds may blow.
[tr. Durling (2003)]

Follow me close behind, and let the people talk: stand like a steady tower, that never shakes at the top, in the blasts of wind.
[tr. Kline (2002)]

Just follow me and let the people talk.
Why can't you be like a sturdy tower
that does not tremble in the fiercest wind.
[tr. Hollander/Hollander (2007)]

Just follow me and let the people talk:
Stand steady as a tower, which doesn't shake
Its top whenever the winds decide to blow.
[tr. Raffel (2010)]

Karl Marx paraphrased the first line of this tercet in the conclusion of his Author's Preface to the First Edition of Das Kapital (1867), crediting Dante:

Every opinion based on scientific criticism I welcome. As to the prejudices of so-called public opinion, to which I have never made concessions, now as aforetime the maxim of the great Florentine is mine: "Segui il tuo corso, e lascia dir le genti."

Which reads something like "Follow your own course, and let the people talk." The phrase is given in Italian even in the original German edition.

WIST Quotations

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Thoreau, Henry David -- Walden; or, Life in the Woods, ch. 1 “Economy” (1854)

Carlyle, Thomas -- Poem (1825?), “My Own Four Walls,” st. 4-5

Heywood, John -- Proverbs, Part 2, ch. 5 (1546)

Stevenson, Robert Louis -- Essay (1881), “Virginibus Puerisque, Part 2”

Montaigne, Michel de -- Essays, Book 1, ch. 38 (1.38), “Of Solitude [De la solitude]” (1572) [tr. Frame (1943), 1.39]

La Rochefoucauld, Francois -- Réflexions ou sentences et maximes morales [Reflections; or Sentences and Moral Maxims], ¶201 (1665-1678) [pub. Donaldson (1783), ¶93]

Russell, Bertrand -- Conquest of Happiness, Part 1, ch. 9 “Fear of Public Opinion” (1930)

Lincoln, Abraham -- Speech (1858-09-11), Edwardsville, Illinois

Borges, Jorge Luis -- Poem (1940s), “You Learn [Aprendiendo]” (Attributed)

Wilcox, Ella Wheeler -- Heart of the New Thought, “The Object of Life” (1903)

Barrie, James -- Peter Pan, Act 5 (1904, pub. 1928)

Byron, George Gordon, Lord -- Childe Harold’s Pilgrimage, Canto 3, st. 113 (1816)

Twain, Mark -- The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, ch. 18 (1884)

Roosevelt, Theodore -- Speech (1910-04-23), “Citizenship in a Republic [The Man in the Arena],” Sorbonne, Paris

Ingersoll, Robert Green -- Speech (1876-07-04), “Centennial Oration [The Declaration of Independence],” Peoria, Illinois

Horace -- Odes [Carmina], Book 3, # 2, l. 17ff (3.2.17-20) (23 BC) [tr. Gladstone (1894)]

Hosseini, Khaled -- The Kite Runner, ch. 3 [Rahim Khan] (2003)

Chamfort, Nicolas -- Products of Perfected Civilization [Produits de la Civilisation Perfectionée], Part 1 “Maxims and Thoughts [Maximes et Pensées],” ch. 4, ¶ 281 (1795) [tr. Mathers (1926)]

Rogers, Will -- Column (1934-07-05), “Daily Telegram”

Cox, Marcelene -- “Ask Any Woman” column, Ladies’ Home Journal (1956-09)

Jackson, Robert H. -- American Communications Assn. v. Douds, 339 U.S. 382, 442 (1950) [concurrence and dissent]

Shakespeare, William -- Coriolanus, Act 5, sc. 3, l. 38ff (5.3.38-41) (c. 1608)

Gracián, Baltasar -- The Art of Worldly Wisdom [Oráculo Manual y Arte de Prudencia], § 286 (1647) [tr. Jacobs (1892)]

Holland, Barbara -- The Name of the Cat, ch. 3 (1988)

Rand, Ayn -- The Fountainhead, ch. 18 [Roark] (1943)

Confucius -- The Analects [論語, 论语, Lúnyǔ], Book 15, verse 36 (15.36) (6th C. BC – 3rd C. AD) [tr. Leys (1997)]

Taylor, Barbara Brown -- Leaving Church: A Memoir of Faith, Part 2 (2006)

Commager, Henry Steele -- Essay (1949-11-05), “What Ideas Are Safe?” Saturday Review

Holland, Barbara -- The Name of the Cat (1988)

Shain, Merle -- When Lovers Are Friends, ch. 1 (1978)

Lippmann, Walter -- A Preface to Morals, ch. 1, sec. 3 (1929)

Quindlen, Anna -- Article (1991-04-07), “Mr. Smith Goes to Heaven,” New York Times

Morris, Desmond -- Catwatching, Introduction (1986)

Chateaubriand, Francois-Rene -- In Comte de Marcellus, Chateaubriand et son Temps (1859)

Menen, Aubrey -- The Duke of Gallodoro (1952)

Simms, William G. -- Egeria, Or Voices of Thought and Counsel, for the Woods and Wayside, “Ambition” (1853)

Chesterfield (Lord) -- Letter to his son, #119 (27 Mar 1747)

~Other -- Carl Walter, Grand Prize winner, “Dr. Mardy’s Quotes of the Week” Marriage Metaphor Competition (2015)

Cobbett, William -- Advice to Young Men and (Incidentally) to Young Women, Letter 2, #54 (1829)

Boetcker, William J. H. -- “The Industrial Decalogue” (1916)

Thoreau, Henry David -- Walden; or, Life in the Woods, ch. 18 “Conclusion” (1854)

Gibran, Kahlil -- “On Children,” The Prophet (1923)

Hammarskjold, Dag -- Markings (1964)

Brecht, Bertholt -- “General, Your Tank Is a Powerful Vehicle,” in “From a German War Primer,” The Svendborg Poems (1939) [tr. Baxandall]

Emerson, Ralph Waldo -- Essay (1841), “Self-Reliance,” Essays: First Series, No. 2

Harding, D.W. -- Social Psychology and Individual Values (1953)

Milne, A. A. -- (Misattributed)

HIcks, Bill -- In American: The Bill Hicks Story (2009)

Eisenhower, Dwight David -- “The Chance for Peace,” speech to American Society of Newspaper Editors, Washington (16 Apr 1953)

Mencken, H. L. -- “Essay in American,” Baltimore Evening Sun (1921-11-07)

Anthony, Susan B. -- Letter to the editor of “Sidepath” magazine (1898)

Ali, Muhammad -- Quoted in New York Times (21 Nov 1965)

De Sade (Marquis) -- Letter to his wife (1783)

Nietzsche, Friedrich -- Thus Spoke Zarathustra [Also sprach Zarathustra], Part 4, ch. 73 (1883-85)

Kennedy, John F. -- Speech, UN General Assembly (25 Sep 1961)

Jefferson, Thomas -- Document (1776-06), “Declaration of Independence,” original draft

Woolf, Virginia -- A Room of One’s Own, ch. 1 (1929)

~Proverbs and Sayings -- African proverb

Alda, Alan -- Things I Overheard While Talking to Myself, ch. 2 “Lingering at the Door” (2007)

Chesterfield (Lord) -- Letter to his son, #67, “Thursday” (1740-41)

Emerson, Ralph Waldo -- Journal (1838-06-19)

Lynn, Jonathan -- Yes, Prime Minister, 01×07 “The Bishop’s Gambit” (BBC2 Television) (1986-02-20) [with Antony Jay]

Gaiman, Neil -- Sandman, Book 3. Dream Country, # 18 “A Dream of a Thousand Cats” (1990-08)

Twain, Mark -- Mark Twain’s Notebook [ed. Paine (1935)]

Pratchett, Terry -- Discworld No. 13, Small Gods [Simony] (1992)

Adams, John -- Letter (1776-07-03, p.m.) to Abigail Adams

Ingersoll, Robert Green -- “The Liberty of Man, Woman, and Child” (1877)

Morley, Christopher -- Where the Blue Begins, ch. 8 (1922)

Kennedy, John F. -- Speech, Greater Houston Ministerial Association (12 Sep 1960)

Kennedy, John F. -- Speech, Greater Houston Ministerial Association (12 Sep 1960)

Lincoln, Abraham -- Speech (1858-09-11), Edwardsville, Illinois

Mill, John Stuart -- On Liberty, ch. 1 “Introductory” (1859)

Jefferson, Thomas -- Document (1776-06), “Declaration of Independence” (original rough draft)

Twain, Mark -- Mark Twain’s Notebook (13 Oct 1904) [ed. Paine (1935)]

Cicero, Marcus Tullius -- De Natura Deorum, Book 3, ch. 1 [tr. Rackham (1933)]

Dante Alighieri -- The Divine Comedy [Divina Commedia], Book 2 “Purgatorio,” Canto 5, l. 13ff (5.13-15) [Virgil] (1314) [tr. Kirkpatrick (2007)]

Harding, D.W. -- Social Psychology and Individual Values (1953)