Young men, in the conduct and manage of actions, embrace more than they can hold; stir more than they can quiet; fly to the end, without consideration of the means and degrees; pursue some few principles which they have chanced upon absurdly; care not to innovate, which draws unknown inconveniences; use extreme remedies at first; and that, which doubleth all errors, will not acknowledge or retract them, like an unruly horse, that will neither stop nor turn.
Francis Bacon (1561–1626) English philosopher, scientist, author, statesman
Essay (1612), “Of Youth and Age,” Essays, No. 42 (1625)
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Quotations about:
insistence
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Vehemence is the expression of a blind effort to support and uphold something that can never stand on its own — something rootless, incoherent, and incomplete. Whether it is our own meaningless self we are upholding or some doctrine devoid of evidence, we can do it only in a frenzy of faith.
Eric Hoffer (1902–1983) American writer, philosopher, longshoreman
Passionate State of Mind, Aphorism 60 (1955)
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Tact is the art of putting your foot down without stepping on anyone’s toes.
Lawrence J. Peter (1919–1990) American educator, management theorist
Peter’s Almanac, “July 26” (1982)
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POSITIVE, adj. Mistaken at the top of one’s voice.
Ambrose Bierce (1842–1914?) American writer and journalist
“Positive,” The Devil’s Dictionary (1911)
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Originally published in the "Cynic's Word Book" column in the New York American (1906-03-16) and the "Cynic's Dictionary" column in the San Francisco Examiner (1906-03-21).
