WIST Quotations

Montaigne, Michel de -- Essays, Book 1, ch. 38 (1.38)), “Of Solitude [De la solitude]” (1572) [tr. Cotton/Hazlitt (1877)]

Dave — Wed, 26 Aug 2026 23:51:15 +0000

And certainly a wise man never loses anything if he has himself.

[Certes l’homme d’entendement n’a rien perdu, s’il a soy-mesme.]

Michel de Montaigne (1533–1592) French essayist
Essays, Book 1, ch. 38 (1.38)), “Of Solitude [De la solitude]” (1572) [tr. Cotton/Hazlitt (1877)]

This essay and passage were 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)). Other translations:

Verily, a man of understanding hath lost nothing, if he yet have himselfe.
[tr. Florio (1603)]

And certainly a wise man loses nothing, if he save but himself.
[tr. Cotton (1686)]

Surely the wise man has lost nothing if he has himself.
[tr. Ives (1925), 1.39]

Certainly a man of understanding has lost nothing, if he has himself.
[tr. Frame (1943), 1.39]

Certainly, if he still has himself, a man of understanding has lost nothing.
[tr. Screech (1987), 1.39]

Certainly a man of discernment has lost nothing if he has himself.
[tr. Atkinson/Sices (2012)]

Euripides -- Medea [Μήδεια], l. 1395ff (431 BC) [tr. Vellacott (1963)]

Dave — Tue, 11 Aug 2026 17:33:52 +0000

JASON: I go — a father once; now childless.
MEDEA: You grieve too soon. Old age is coming.

[ἸΆΣΩΝ: στείχω, δισσῶν γ᾽ ἄμορος τέκνων.
ΜΉΔΕΙΑ: οὔπω θρηνεῖς: μένε καὶ γῆρας.]

Euripides (485?-406? BC) Greek tragic dramatist
Medea [Μήδεια], l. 1395ff (431 BC) [tr. Vellacott (1963)]

(Source (Greek)). Other translations:

JASON: Bereft of both my Sons, I thither go.
MEDEA: Not yet enough lament'st thou: to encrease
Thy sorrows, may'st thou live till thou art old!
[tr. Wodhull (1782)]

JASON: I go deprived, alas, of both my sons.
MEDEA: This grief be thine, e'en to thy latest age.
[tr. Potter (1814)]

JASON: I go. Yea, of both my children bereft.
MEDEA: Thy wail is yet nothing. Wait and grow old.
[tr. Webster (1868)]

JASON: I go, bereft of both my sons.
MEDEA: Thy grief is yet to come; wait till old age is with thee too.
[tr. Coleridge (1891)]

JASON: I go, even deprived of both my children.
MEDEA: Thou dost not yet mourn enough: stay and grow old.
[tr. Buckley (1892)]

JASON: I go, a father forlorn of the two sons reft from his home!
MEDEA: Not yet dost thou truly mourn: abide till thine old age come.
[tr. Way (Loeb) (1894)]

JASON: Childless, I go, to weep and weep.
MEDEA: Not yet! Age cometh and long years.
[tr. Murray (1906)]

JASON: I go, with two children to mourn for.
MEDEA: Not yet do you feel it. Wait for the future.
[tr. Warner (1944)]

JASON: I am going, deprived of my two children.
MEDEA: Save your dirges. Wait for old age.
[tr. Podlecki (1989)]

JASON: Yes — bereft of my two sons — I go.
MEDEA: Your mourning has yet to begin. Wait until old age.
[tr. Kovacs (Perseus)]

JASON: Yes — bereft of my two sons — I go.
MEDEA: Your mourning has yet to begin. Wait until you are old!
[tr. Kovacs (Loeb) (1994)]

JASON: I go, bereft of my two children.
MEDEA: You do not know lamentation yet; wait until you are old.
[tr. Davie (1996)]

JASON: I am going!
I’m going without my children.
MEDEA: You’re still not grieving as you should. Wait till old age comes to you.
[tr. Theodoridis (2004)]

JASON: I am going, denied rights to my two children.
MEDEA: Do not mourn yet. Wait for old age.
[tr. Luschnig (2007)]

JASON:I’ll go.
I’ve lost both my sons.
MEDEA:Your grief’s not yet begun.
Wait until you’re old.
[tr. Johnston (2008)]

JASON: I go, deprived of my children.
MEDEA: You are not really mourning yet; wait for old age.
[tr. Ewans (2022)]

JASON: I go, bereft of both my sons.
MEDEA: Your grief is yet to come; wait till old age comes upon you.
[tr. Coleridge / Ceragioli / Nagy / Hour25]

Franklin, Benjamin -- Poor Richard Improved (1748 ed.)

Dave — Thu, 06 Aug 2026 16:29:34 +0000

Lost Time is never found again.

Benjamin Franklin (1706–1790) American statesman, scientist, philosopher, aphorist
Poor Richard Improved (1748 ed.)

Howell, James -- Paroimiographia [Παροιμιογραφία]: Proverbs, or, Old Sayed Sawes & Adages, “English Proverbs” (1659) [compiler]

Dave — Wed, 18 Mar 2026 15:27:26 +0000

He that wrestleth with a turd shall be beshitt fall he over or under.

James Howell (c. 1594–1666) Welsh historian, writer, aphorist
Paroimiographia [Παροιμιογραφία]: Proverbs, or, Old Sayed Sawes & Adages, “English Proverbs” (1659) [compiler]

Horace -- Epistles [Epistularum, Letters], Book 1, ep. 2 “To Lollius,” l. 51ff (1.2.51-54) (14 BC) [tr. Martin (1881)]

Dave — Fri, 20 Feb 2026 17:27:39 +0000

Fortune nor home not more the man can cheer,
Who lives a prey to covetise or fear,
Than may a picture’s richest hues delight
Eyes that with dropping rheum are thick of sight,
Or warm soft lotions soothe a gout-racked foot,
Or aching ears be charmed by twangling lute.
On minds unquiet joy has lost its power;
In a foul vessel everything turns sour.

[Qui cupit aut metuit, iuvat ilium sic domus et res,
Ut lippum pictae tabulae, fomenta podagrum,
Auriculas citbarae collecta sorde dolentes.
Sincerumst nisi vas, quodcumque infundis acescit.]

Horace (65–8 BC) Roman poet, satirist, soldier, politician [Quintus Horatius Flaccus]
Epistles [Epistularum, Letters], Book 1, ep. 2 “To Lollius,” l. 51ff (1.2.51-54) (14 BC) [tr. Martin (1881)]

(Source (Latin)). Other translations:

The wisshinge, and the tremblinge chuffe his house and good doth please,
As portraytures the poreblind eyes, as bathes, the gowtie ease.
As musicke dothe delite the eares with matter stuffde, and sore.
The vessels sowers what so it takes if it be fowle before.
[tr. Drant (1567)]

Who fears, or covets: House to him and Ground,
Are Pictures to blind men, Incentives bound
About a gouty Limb, Musick t'an ear
Dam'd up with filth. A vessel not sincere
Sowres whatsoe're you put into't.
[tr. Fanshawe; ed. Brome (1666)]

He that desires or fears, diseas'd in mind,
Wealth profits him as Pictures do the blind;
Plaisters the Gouty Feet; and charming Airs
And sweetest sounds the stuft and troubled Ears:
The musty Vessels sour what they contain.
[tr. Creech (1684)]

Houses and riches gratify the breast
For lucre lusting, or with fear deprest,
As pictures, glowing with a vivid light,
With painful pleasure charm a blemisht sight;
As chafing soothes the gout, or music cheers
The tingling organs of imposthum'd ears.
Your wine grows acid when the cask is foul.
[tr. Francis (1747)]

Who frets or covets, wealth can please no more
Than pictures him whose eyes with rheum run o'er --
Than furst an flannels can the cripple cheer,
Or warbling music charm an aching ear.
Life's every relish lies beyond his power,
As in the tainted vessel all turns sour.
[tr. Howes (1845)]

To him that is a slave to desire or to fear, house and estate do just as much good as paintings to a sore-eyed person, fomentations to the gout, music to ears afflicted with collected matter. Unless the vessel be sweet, whatever you pour into it turns sour.
[tr. Smart/Buckley (1853)]

Who fears or hankers, land and country-seat
Soothe just as much as tickling gouty feet,
As pictures charm an eye inflamed and blear,
As music gratifies an ulcered ear.
Unless the vessel whence we drink is pure,
Whate'er is poured therein turns foul, be sure.
[tr. Conington (1874)]

A house and wealth afford like pleasure to him who is covetous or fearful, as paintings do to a person with defective sight, fomentations to a gouty man, or music to those whose ears suffer from accumulated dirt. Except a jar be clean, whatever you may pour in turns sour.
[tr. Elgood (1893)]

If a mind is bound by greed or harassed by fears, his house, his home and all his possessions will give him no more pleasure than paintings do to the blind, warm blankets the feverish or music the deaf. In an unclean pitcher sweet milk soon turns sour.
[tr. Dana/Dana (1911)]

To one with fears or cravings, house and fortune give as much pleasure as painted panels to sore eyes, warm wraps to the gout, or citherns to ears that suffer from secreted matter. Unless the vessel is clean, whatever you pour in turns sour.
[tr. Fairclough (Loeb) (1926)]

Houses and riches gratify the breast
For lucre lusting, or with fear depressed,
As pictures, glowing with a vivid light,
With painful pleasure charm a blemished sight;
As chafing soothes the gout, or music cheers
The tingling organs of impostumed ears.
Your wine grows acid when the cask is foul.
[tr. Francis, ed. Kraemer (1936)]

His house and estate are as much of a pleasure to him
Who wants something more (or is deathly afraid he won't get it)
As dazzling canvases are to a man with sore eyes,
Or nice wram robes to a man who suffers from gout,
Or the music of mournful guitars to infected ears.
If the vase isn't clean, whatever you put in turns sour.
[tr. Palmer Bovie (1959)]

A man who desires or fears enjoys his good as much
as a sore-eyed man likes art, a man with gout
fine shoes, someone with wax-plugged hears a cithara.
Anything you pour into a dirty pot gets spoiled.
[tr. Fuchs (1977)]

A miser, or a man endlessly
Greedy, enjoys his mansion, his rolling meadows, as much
As a sore-eyed man takes pleasure in paintings, a gouty man relishes
Hot cloths, a man with pus-filled ears loves music.
If the cup isn't clean, everything you drink is dirty.
[tr. Raffel (1983)]

If your life is governed
By cravings for what you lack, or else by fear
Of losing what you have, then what you have,
Your house and your possessions, give you as much
Pleasure as a picture gives a blind man,
Or an elegant pair of shoes gives a man with gout,
Or music gives to an ear stuffed up with wax.
A glass that isn't clean will guarantee
That whatever you pour into it will sour.
[tr. Ferry (2001)]

A man with fear or desire has as much pleasure from his house
and possessions as sore eyes from a picture, gouty feet
from muffs, or ears from a lyre when aching with lumps of dirt.
When a jar is unclean, whatever you fill it with soon goes sour.
[tr. Rudd (2005 ed.)]

House and fortune grant
As much pleasure to one who’s full of fear and craving
As painting to sore eyes, poultice to gouty joint,
Or lute to ears that ache from accumulated wax.
Unless the jar is clean whatever you pour in sours.
[tr. Kline (2015)]

Billings, Josh -- Josh Billings’ Farmer’s Allminax, 1875-05 (1875 ed.)

Dave — Fri, 24 Oct 2025 15:04:57 +0000

Helth is like munny, we never hav a true idea ov its value untill we lose it.

[Health is like money; we never have a true idea of its value until we lose it.]

Josh Billings (1818–1885) American humorist, aphorist [pseud. of Henry Wheeler Shaw]
Josh Billings’ Farmer’s Allminax, 1875-05 (1875 ed.)

Millay, Edna St. Vincent -- Poem (1928-07), “Dirge without Music,” st. 1, Harper’s Magazine, Vol. 157

Dave — Thu, 04 Sep 2025 19:55:09 +0000

I am not resigned to the shutting away of loving hearts in the hard ground.
So it is, and so it will be, for so it has been, time out of mind.
Into the darkness they go, the wise and the lovely. Crowned
With lilies and with laurel they go; but I am not resigned.

Edna St. Vincent Millay (1892–1950) American poet
Poem (1928-07), “Dirge without Music,” st. 1, Harper’s Magazine, Vol. 157

Collected in The Buck In The Snow And Other Poems (1928).

Ingersoll, Robert Green -- Lecture (1877-06-23), “The Ghosts,” Carson Theater, Carson City, Nevada

Dave — Fri, 27 Jun 2025 19:48:23 +0000

The idea of immortality, that like a sea has ebbed and flowed in the human heart, with its countless waves of hope and fear, beating against the shores and rocks of time and fate, was not born of any book, nor of any creed, nor of any religion. It was born of human affection, and it will continue to ebb and flow beneath the mists and clouds of doubt and darkness as long as love kisses the lips of death. It is the rainbow — Hope shining upon the tears of grief.

Robert Green Ingersoll (1833–1899) American lawyer, freethinker, orator
Lecture (1877-06-23), “The Ghosts,” Carson Theater, Carson City, Nevada

Collected in The Ghosts, and Other Lectures (1878)

Martin, Judith -- “Miss Manners,” syndicated column (1981-03-29)

Dave — Mon, 17 Mar 2025 16:58:50 +0000

Grief often inspires other odd emotions, and pettiness — the jealous assertion of one’s own claims as a mourner — is one of the commonest.

Judith Martin (b. 1938) American author, journalist, etiquette expert [a.k.a. Miss Manners]
“Miss Manners,” syndicated column (1981-03-29)

Collected in Miss Manners’ Guide to Excruciatingly Correct Behavior, Part 10 "Death," "Funerals" (1983).

Peoples, David -- Blade Runner (1982) [screenplay with Hampton Fancher]

Dave — Mon, 10 Mar 2025 16:06:40 +0000

BATTY: I’ve seen things you people wouldn’t believe. Attack ships on fire off the shoulder of Orion. I watched C-beams glitter in the dark near the Tannhauser Gate. All those moments will be lost in time, like tears in rain. Time to die.

David Peoples (b. 1940) American screenwriter
Blade Runner (1982) [screenplay with Hampton Fancher]

(Source (Video); dialog confirmed)

Roy Batty was played by Rutger Hauer. These lines are not in Philip K. Dick's source story, Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? (1968).

Miller, Walter M. -- “The Soul-Empty Ones,” Astounding Science Fiction (1951-08)

Dave — Mon, 03 Feb 2025 17:36:00 +0000

To mourn is to pity oneself. The dead feel nothing. The mourner does not pity the dead. He pities himself for having lost the living.

Walter M. Miller Jr. (1923–1996) American writer
“The Soul-Empty Ones,” Astounding Science Fiction (1951-08)

Herbert, George -- Jacula Prudentum, or Outlandish Proverbs, Sentences, &c. (compiler), # 975 (1640 ed.)

Dave — Fri, 15 Nov 2024 20:55:55 +0000

Paines to get, care to keep, feare to lose.

George Herbert (1593–1633) Welsh priest, orator, poet.
Jacula Prudentum, or Outlandish Proverbs, Sentences, &c. (compiler), # 975 (1640 ed.)

Byron, George Gordon, Lord -- Childe Harold’s Pilgrimage, Canto 2, st. 98 (1812)

Dave — Wed, 23 Oct 2024 23:08:18 +0000

What is the worst of woes that wait on Age?
What stamps the wrinkle deeper on the brow?
To view each loved one blotted from Life’s page,
And be alone on earth, as I am now.

George Gordon, Lord Byron (1788–1824) English poet
Childe Harold’s Pilgrimage, Canto 2, st. 98 (1812)

Viorst, Judith -- Necessary Losses, Introduction (1986)

Dave — Mon, 09 Sep 2024 14:58:40 +0000

When we think of loss we think of the loss, through death, of people we love. But loss is a far more encompassing theme in our life. For we lose not only through death, but also by leaving and being left, by changing and letting go and moving on. And our losses include not only our separations and departures from those we love, but our conscious and unconscious losses of romantic dreams, impossible expectations, illusions of freedom and power, illusions of safety — and the loss of our own younger self, the self that thought it would always be unwrinkled and invulnerable and immortal.

Judith Viorst (b. 1931) American writer, journalist, psychoanalysis researcher
Necessary Losses, Introduction (1986)

Eliot, George -- Scenes of Clerical Life, “Janet’s Repentance,” ch. 6 (1857)

Dave — Wed, 04 Sep 2024 21:25:10 +0000

Any coward can fight a battle when he’s sure of winning; but give me the man who has pluck to fight when he’s sure of losing. That’s my way, sir; and there are many victories worse than a defeat.

George Eliot (1819–1880) English novelist [pseud. of Mary Ann Evans]
Scenes of Clerical Life, “Janet’s Repentance,” ch. 6 (1857)

Herbert, George -- Jacula Prudentum, or Outlandish Proverbs, Sentences, &c. (compiler), # 527 (1640 ed.)

Dave — Fri, 16 Aug 2024 18:49:20 +0000

A foole may throw a stone into a well, which a hundred wise men cannot pull out.

George Herbert (1593–1633) Welsh priest, orator, poet.
Jacula Prudentum, or Outlandish Proverbs, Sentences, &c. (compiler), # 527 (1640 ed.)

Paton, Alan -- “The Challenge of Fear,” The Saturday Review (1967-09-09)

Dave — Mon, 05 Aug 2024 13:57:56 +0000

Fear of change is, no doubt, in all of us, but it most afflicts the man who fears that any change must lead to loss of his wealth and status. When this fear becomes inordinate, he will, if he has political power, abrogate such things as civil rights and the rule of law, using the argument that he abrogates them only to preserve them. In my own country, the government, in order to preserve Christian civilization, uses methods incompatible with Christianity and abrogates values which are essential to any civilization which calls itself Christian. If only a man would say, “I do this because I’m afraid,” one could bear it; but when he says, “I do this because I’m good,” that is a bit too much.

Alan Paton (1903–1988) South African author, activist
“The Challenge of Fear,” The Saturday Review (1967-09-09)

Collected in Sheridan Baker, The Essayist (1981).

Shakespeare, William -- Much Ado About Nothing, Act 4, sc. 1, l. 228ff (4.1.228-233) (1598)

Dave — Mon, 29 Apr 2024 22:02:09 +0000

FRIAR: For it so falls out
That what we have we prize not to the worth,
Whiles we enjoy it, but being lacked and lost,
Why then we rack the value, then we find
The virtue that possession would not show us
Whiles it was ours.

William Shakespeare (1564–1616) English dramatist and poet
Much Ado About Nothing, Act 4, sc. 1, l. 228ff (4.1.228-233) (1598)

Doctor Who (2005) -- 03×06 “The Lazarus Experiment” (2007-05-05) [w. Stephen Greenhorn]

Dave — Fri, 26 Apr 2024 20:39:07 +0000

LAZARUS: You’re so sentimental, Doctor. Maybe you are older than you look.

THE DOCTOR: I’m old enough to know that a longer life isn’t always a better one. In the end, you just get tired; tired of the struggle, tired of losing everyone that matters to you, tired of watching everything you love turn to dust. If you live long enough, Lazarus, the only certainty left is that you’ll end up alone.

LAZARUS: That’s a price worth paying.

THE DOCTOR: Is it?

Doctor Who (2005-Present) British science fiction television series, revival (BBC)
03×06 “The Lazarus Experiment” (2007-05-05) [w. Stephen Greenhorn]

(Source (Video); dialog verified)

La Bruyere, Jean de -- The Characters [Les Caractères], ch. 6 “Of Gifts of Fortune [Des Biens de Fortune],” § 13 (6.13) (1688) [tr. Van Laun (1885)]

Dave — Tue, 12 Mar 2024 21:51:28 +0000

Let us not envy a certain class of men for their enormous riches; they have paid such an equivalent for them that it would not suit us; they have given for them their peace of mind, their health, their honour, and their conscience; this is rather too dear, and there is nothing to be made out of such a bargain.

[N’envions point à une sorte de gens leurs grandes richesses; ils les ont à titre onéreux, et qui ne nous accommoderait point: ils ont mis leur repos, leur santé, leur honneur et leur conscience pour les avoir; cela est trop cher, et il n’y a rien à gagner à un tel marché.]

Jean de La Bruyère (1645–1696) French essayist, moralist
The Characters [Les Caractères], ch. 6 “Of Gifts of Fortune [Des Biens de Fortune],” § 13 (6.13) (1688) [tr. Van Laun (1885)]

One translator suggestions the "certain class of men" refers to the partisans, or tax-farmers: private tax collectors, often of humble origin, who purchased the right to their job, and were notorious for turning tax collection into a profitable profession.

(Source (French)). Other translations:

Let us not envy some Men their great Riches; their Burthens would be too heavy for us; we cou'd not Sacrifice, as they do, Health, Quiet, Honour and Conscience, to obtain 'em: 'Tis to pay so dear for them that there is nothing to be got by the Bargain.
[Bullord ed. (1696)]

Let us not envy some Men their great Riches, their burden would be too heavy for us; we cou'd not sacrifice, as they do, Health, Quiet, Honour and Conscience, to obtain 'em: 'Tis to pay so dear for 'em, that there is nothing to be got by the Bargain.
[Curll ed. (1713)]

Let us not envy some Men their accountable Riches; their Burthen would be too heavy for us; we could not sacrifice, as they do, Health, Quiet, Honour and Conscience, to obtain them. It is to pay so dear for them, that the Bargain is a Loss.
[Browne ed. (1752)]

We need not envy certain people their great wealth; they acquired it at a heavy cost, which would not suit us; they staked their rest, their health, their honour and their conscience to acquire it; the price is too high, and there is nothing to be gained by such a bargain.
[tr. Stewart (1970)]

Kapuscinski, Ryszard -- “A Warsaw Diary,” Granta Magazine, No. 15 (1985 Spring)

Dave — Fri, 09 Feb 2024 16:08:30 +0000

Life is truly known only to those who suffer, lose, endure adversity, and stumble from defeat to defeat.

Ryszard Kapuściński (1932–2007) Polish journalist, photographer, poet, author
“A Warsaw Diary,” Granta Magazine, No. 15 (1985 Spring)

McLaughlin, Mignon -- The Second Neurotic’s Notebook, ch. 10 (1966)

Dave — Thu, 02 Nov 2023 15:48:26 +0000

I know which side my bread is buttered on: the side which falls on the carpet.

Mignon McLaughlin (1913–1983) American journalist and author
The Second Neurotic’s Notebook, ch. 10 (1966)

Byron, George Gordon, Lord -- The Corsair, Canto 1, st. 15, l. 86ff (1814)

Dave — Thu, 17 Aug 2023 16:06:31 +0000

Farewell!
For in that word — that fatal word — howe’er
We promise — hope — believe, — here breathes despair.

George Gordon, Lord Byron (1788–1824) English poet
The Corsair, Canto 1, st. 15, l. 86ff (1814)

Byron, George Gordon, Lord -- “Stanzas for Music,” st. 1 (1815-03)

Dave — Thu, 30 Mar 2023 14:26:20 +0000

There’s not a joy the world can give like that it takes away.

George Gordon, Lord Byron (1788–1824) English poet
“Stanzas for Music,” st. 1 (1815-03)

La Bruyere, Jean de -- The Characters [Les Caractères], ch. 4 “Of the Heart [Du Coeur],” § 61 (4.61) (1688) [tr. Van Laun (1885)]

Dave — Tue, 06 Dec 2022 17:43:42 +0000

There are certain people who so ardently and so passionately desire a thing, that from dread of losing it they leave nothing undone to make them lose it.

[Il y a de certaines gens qui veulent si ardemment et si déterminément une certaine chose, que de peur de la manquer, ils n’oublient rien de ce qu’il faut faire pour la manquer.]

Jean de La Bruyère (1645–1696) French essayist, moralist
The Characters [Les Caractères], ch. 4 “Of the Heart [Du Coeur],” § 61 (4.61) (1688) [tr. Van Laun (1885)]

(Source (French)). Other translations:

There are those People, who so ardently and passionately desire a thing, that for fear they shall lose it, they leave nothing undone that may surely make 'em lose it.
[Bullord ed. (1696)]

There are certain People, who so ardently and passionately desire a thing, that out of fear of losing it, they leave nothing undone to make 'em lose it.
[Curll ed. (1713)]

Some so ardently and passionately desire a thing, that out of fear of losing it, they run into Measures which infallibly makes them lose it.
[Browne ed. (1752)]

There are some people who are so ardently and resolutely bent on gaining a certain thing that, for fear of losing it, they do everything that is likely to lose it for them.
[tr. Stewart (1970)]

Gracián, Baltasar -- The Art of Worldly Wisdom [Oráculo Manual y Arte de Prudencia], § 264 (1647) [tr. Maurer (1992)]

Dave — Mon, 07 Nov 2022 17:30:36 +0000

Many pleasant things are better when they belong to someone else. You can enjoy them more that way. The first day, pleasure belongs to the owner; after that, to others. When things belong to others, we enjoy them twice as much, without the risk of losing them, and with the pleasure of novelty. Everything tastes better when we are deprived of it.

[Muchas cosas de gusto no se han de poseer en propiedad. Más se goza de ellas ajenas que propias. El primer día es lo bueno para su dueño, los demás para los extraños. Gózanse las cosas ajenas con doblada fruición, esto es, sin el riesgo del daño y con el gusto de la novedad. Sabe todo mejor a privación.]

Baltasar Gracián y Morales (1601–1658) Spanish Jesuit priest, writer, philosopher
The Art of Worldly Wisdom [Oráculo Manual y Arte de Prudencia], § 264 (1647) [tr. Maurer (1992)]

(Source (Spanish)). Other translations:

Many things that serve for pleasure, ought not to be peculiar. One enjoys more of what is another's, than of what belongs to himself. The first day is for the Master, and all the rest for Strangers. One doubly enjoys what belongs to others, that's to say, not only without fear of loss, but also with the pleasure of Novelty. Privation makes every thing better.
[Flesher ed. (1685), §263]

Many things of Taste one should not possess oneself. One enjoys them better if another's than if one's own. The owner has the good of them the first day, for all the rest of the time they are for others. You take a double enjoyment in other men's property, being without fear of spoiling it and with the pleasure of novelty. Everything tastes better for having been without it.
[tr. Jacobs (1892)]

Many of the things that bring delight should not be owned. They are more enjoyed if another's, than if yours; the first day they give pleasure to the owner, but in all the rest to the others: what belongs to another rejoices doubly, because without the risk of going stale, and with the satisfaction of freshness; everything tastes better after fasting.
[tr. Fischer (1937)]

Yevtushenko, Yevgeny -- “People” (1961), l. 12ff, Selected Poems (1962)

Dave — Mon, 15 Aug 2022 20:07:08 +0000

In any man who dies there dies with him,
his first snow and kiss and fight.

[И если умирает человек,
с ним умирает первый его снег,
и первый поцелуй, и первый бой…]

Yevgeny Yevtushenko (1933–2017) Russian poet, writer, film director, academic [Евге́ний Евтуше́нко, Evgenij Evtušenko]
“People” (1961), l. 12ff, Selected Poems (1962)

Barr, Amelia E. -- All the Days of My Life, ch. 6 (1913)

Dave — Fri, 29 Jul 2022 14:00:22 +0000

All changes are more or less tinged with melancholy, for what we are leaving behind is part of ourselves.

Amelia E. Barr (1831–1919) British novelist and teacher.
All the Days of My Life, ch. 6 (1913)

See Anatole France.

Shakespeare, William -- Two Gentlemen of Verona, Act 1, sc. 3, l. 85ff (1.3.85-88) (c. 1590)

Dave — Wed, 06 Jul 2022 14:50:57 +0000

PROTEUS: Oh, how this spring of love resembleth
The uncertain glory of an April day;
Which now shows all the beauty of the sun,
And by and by a cloud takes all away!

William Shakespeare (1564–1616) English dramatist and poet
Two Gentlemen of Verona, Act 1, sc. 3, l. 85ff (1.3.85-88) (c. 1590)

Stanley, Jason -- How Fascism Works: The Politics of Us and Them, ch. 5 (2018)

Dave — Thu, 23 Jun 2022 17:14:30 +0000

Fascist politics feeds off the sense of aggrieved victimization caused by loss of hierarchal status. Empires in decline are particularly susceptible to fascist politics because of this sense of loss. It is in the very nature of empire to create hierarchy; empires legitimize their colonial enterprises by the myth of their own exceptionalism. In the course of decline, the population is easily led to a sense of national humiliation that can be mobilized in fascist politics to serve various purposes.

Jason Stanley (b. 1969) American philosopher, epistemologist, academic
How Fascism Works: The Politics of Us and Them, ch. 5 (2018)

Cicero, Marcus Tullius -- De Officiis [On Duties; On Moral Duty; The Offices], Book 3, ch. 5 (3.5) / sec. 30 (44 BC) [tr. Cockman (1699)]

Dave — Tue, 22 Mar 2022 14:48:07 +0000

Every man is bound to bear his own misfortunes rather than to get quit of them by wronging his neighbour.

[Suum cuique incommodum ferendum est potius quam de alterius commodis detrahendum.]

Marcus Tullius Cicero (106–43 BC) Roman orator, statesman, philosopher
De Officiis [On Duties; On Moral Duty; The Offices], Book 3, ch. 5 (3.5) / sec. 30 (44 BC) [tr. Cockman (1699)]

(Source (Latin)). Another translation:

Every man ought to bear his own evils, rather than wrong another, by stripping him of his comforts.
[tr. McCartney (1798)]

It is rather the duty of each to bear his own misfortune, than wrongfully to take from the comforts of others.
[tr. Edmonds (1865)]

Each man must bear his own privations rather than take what belongs to another.
[tr. Peabody (1883)]

A man should bear his own misfortune rather than trench upon the good fortune of another.
[tr. Gardiner (1899)]

It is the duty of each man to bear his own discomforts, rather than diminish the comforts of his neighbor.
[ed. Harbottle (1906)]

Each one must bear his own burden of distress rather than rob a neighbour of his rights.
[tr. Miller (1913)]

Each man should endure his own suffering rather than reduce the benefits of another person.
[tr. Edinger (1974)]

McLaughlin, Mignon -- The Neurotic’s Notebook, ch. 4 (1963)

Dave — Thu, 24 Feb 2022 17:34:55 +0000

Nostalgia for what we have lost is more bearable than nostalgia for what we have never had, for the first involves knowledge and pleasure, the second only ignorance and pain.

Mignon McLaughlin (1913–1983) American journalist and author
The Neurotic’s Notebook, ch. 4 (1963)

Bukowski, Charles -- “A Dollar and Twenty Cents” (1967)

Dave — Wed, 03 Nov 2021 14:10:48 +0000

if you don’t have much soul left and you know it, you still got soul.

Charles Bukowski (1920–1994) German-American author, poet
“A Dollar and Twenty Cents” (1967)

Often misquoted as "If you're losing your soul and you know it, then you've still got a soul left to lose."

Taylor, Barbara Brown -- Leaving Church: A Memoir of Faith, Part 3, ch. 17 (2006)

Dave — Fri, 15 Oct 2021 18:36:09 +0000

If I had to name my disability, I would call it an unwillingness to fall. On the one hand, this is perfectly normal. I do not know anyone who likes to fall. But, on the other hand, this reluctance signals mistrust of the central truth of the Christian gospel: life springs from death, not only at the last but also in the many little deaths along the way. When everything you count on for protection has failed, the Divine Presence does not fail. The hands are still there — not promising to rescue, not promising to intervene — promising only to hold you no matter how far you fall. Ironically, those who try hardest not to fall learn this later than those who topple more easily. The ones who find their lives are the losers, while the winners come in last.

Barbara Brown Taylor (b. 1951) American minister, academic, author
Leaving Church: A Memoir of Faith, Part 3, ch. 17 (2006)

Sarton, May -- At Seventy: A Journal, “Wednesday, June 23rd” (1973)

Dave — Tue, 05 Oct 2021 17:48:18 +0000

A garden is always a series of losses set against a few triumphs, like life itself.

May Sarton (1912–1995) Belgian-American poet, novelist, memoirist [pen name of Eleanore Marie Sarton]
At Seventy: A Journal, “Wednesday, June 23rd” (1973)

Martial -- Epigrams [Epigrammata], Book 5, epigram 42 (5.42) (AD 90) [tr. Wills (2007)]

Dave — Fri, 06 Aug 2021 22:31:28 +0000

A thief can rifle any till,
A fire with ash your home can fill,
A creditor calls in your debt.
Bad harvest does your farm upset,
An impish mistress robs your dwelling,
Storm shatters ships with water swelling.
But gifts to friends your friendships save.
You keep thus always what you gave.

[Callidus effracta nummos fur auferet arca,
Prosternet patrios impia flamma lares:
Debitor usuram pariter sortemque negabit,
Non reddet sterilis semina iacta seges:
Dispensatorem fallax spoliabit amica,
Mercibus extructas obruet unda rates.
Extra fortunam est, quidquid donatur amicis:
Quas dederis, solas semper habebis opes.]

Martial (AD c.39-c.103) Spanish Roman poet, satirist, epigrammatist [Marcus Valerius Martialis]
Epigrams [Epigrammata], Book 5, epigram 42 (5.42) (AD 90) [tr. Wills (2007)]

(Source(Latin)). Other translations:

The crafty thefe from battered chest,
doth filch thy coine awaie:
The debter nor the interest,
nor principall will pay.
The fearefull flame destroies the goods,
and letteth nought remaine:
The barren ground for seede recevd,
restoreth naught again.
The subtle harlot naked strips
her lover to the skin:
If thou commit thy self to seas,
great danger art thou in.
Not that thou gevest to thy frend,
can fortune take away:
That onely that thou givst thy friend,
thou shalt posses for ay.
[tr. Kendall (1577)]

Thieves may thy Coffers breake, steale coyne or plate;
Thy house a sudden fire may ruinate.
Debtors may Use, and Principall deny,
And dead thy seedes in barren Grounds may lye:
Thy Steward may be cheated by a Whore;
Thy Merchandise the Ocean may devour.
But what thou giv'st thy friends, from chance is free.
Thy gifts alone shall thine for ever be.
[tr. May (1629)]

Some felon-hand may steal thy gold away;
Or flames destructive on thy mansion prey.
The fraudful debtor may thy loan deny;
Or blasted fields no more their fruits supply.
The am'rous steward to adorn his dear,
With spoils may deck her from thy plunder'd year.
Thy freighted vessels, ere the port they gain,
O'erwhelm'd by storms may sink beneath the main:
But what thou giv'st a friend for friendship's sake,
Is the sole wealth which fortune n'er can take.
[tr. Melmoth (c. 1750)]

Thieves may break locks, and with your cash retire;
Your ancient seat may be consumed by fire;
Debtors refuse to pay you what they owe;
Or your ungrateful field the seed you sow;
You may be plundered by a jilting whore;
Your ships may sink at sea with all their store:
Who gives to friends, so much from Fate secures;
That is the only wealth for ever yours.
[tr. Hay (1755), ep. 43]

The thief shall burst thy box, and slyly go:
The impious flame shall lay thy Lares low.
Thy dettor shall deny both use and sum:
Thy seed deposited may never come.
A faithless female shall they steward spoil:
They ships are swallow'd, while thy billow boil.
Whate'er is bountied, quit vain fortune's road:
Thine is alone the wealth thou has bestow'd.
[tr. Elphinston (1782), Book 5, ep. 82]

A crafty thief may purloin money from a chest;
an impious flame may destroy paternal Lares;
a debtor may deny both principal and interest;
land may not yield crops in return for the seed scattered upon it;
frauds may be practices on a steward entrusted with your household purse;
the sea may overwhelm ships laden with merchandise.
Whatever is given to friends is beyond the reach of Fortune;
the wealth you have bestowed is the only wealth you can keep.
[tr. Amos (1858), ch. 3, ep. 77]

A cunning thief may burst open your coffers, and steal your coin;
an impious fire may lay waste your ancestral home;
your debtor may refuse you both principal and interest;
your corn-field may prove barren, and not repay the seed you have scattered upon it;
a crafty mistress may rob your steward;
the waves may engulf your ships laden with merchandise.
But what is bestowed on your friends is beyond the reach of fortune;
the riches you give away are the only riches you will possess for ever.
[tr. Bohn's Classical (1859)]

A present to a friend's beyond the reach of fortune:
That wealth alone you always will possess
Which you have given away.
[ed. Harbottle (1897)]

A cunning thief will break your money-box and carry off your coin,
cruel fire will lay low your ancestral home;
your debtor will repudiate interest alike and principal,
your sterile crop will not return you the seed you have sown;
a false mistress will despoil your treasurer,
the wave will overwhelm your ships stored with merchandise.
Beyond Fortune's power is any gift made to your friends;
only wealth bestowed will you possess always.
[tr. Ker (1919)]

Some thief may steal your wealth away,
Although by massive walls surrounded;
Or ruthless fire in ashes lay
The ancient home your fathers founded;
A debtor may withhold your dues,
Deny perhaps a debt is owing,
Or sullen ploughlands may refuse
To yield a harvest to your sowing.
A cunning trollop of the town
May make your agent rob his master,
Or waters of the ocean drown
Your goods and ship in one disaster.
But give to friends whate'er you may,
'Tis safe from fortune's worst endeavor:
The riches that you give away,
These only shall be yours for ever.
[tr. Pott & Wright (1921)]

Some cunning burglar will abstract your plate,
A godless fire your roof will devastate,
A debtor steal both interest and loan,
A barren field will turn your seed to stone.
A wily wench will strip your steward bare,
The greedy sea engulf your galleon's ware.
Give to a friend and fortune is checkmated;
Such wealth will ever as your own be rated.
[tr. Francis & Tatum (1924), #247]

A cunning thief may rob your money-chest,
And cruel fire lay low an ancient home;
Debtors may keep both loan and interest;
Good seed may fruitless rot in barren loam.
A guileful mistress may your agent cheat,
And waves engulf your laden argosies;
But boons to friends can fortune's slings defeat:
The wealth you give away will never cease.
[tr. Duff (1929)]

A cunning thief will break open your coffer and carry off your money, ruthless fire will lay low your family horne, your debtor will repudiate interest and principal alike, your barren fields will not return the scattered seed, a tricky mistress will rob your steward, the wave ,will overwhelm your ships piled high with merchandise: hut whatever is given to friends is beyond the grasp of Fortune. Only the wealth you give away will always be yours.
[tr. Shackleton Bailey (1993)]

Deft thieves can break your locks and carry off your savings,
fire consume your home,
debtors default on principal and interest,
failed crops return not even the seed you'd sown,
cheating women run up your charge accounts,
storm overwhelm ships freighted with all your goods.
Fortune can't take away what you give your friends:
that wealth stays yours forever.
[tr. Powell (c. 2000)]

The only wealth that's yours forever
is the wealth you give away.
[tr. Kennelly (2008), "Forever"]

Sly thieves will smash your coffer and steal your cash;
impious flames will wreck your family home;
your debtor won't repay your loan or interest;
your barren fields will yield less than you've sown;
a crafty mistress will despoil your steward;
a wave will swamp your ships piled high with stores.
But what you give to friends is safe from Fortune:
only the wealth you give away is yours.
[tr. McLean (2014)]

Savings -- the cunning thief will crack your safe and steal them;
ancestral home -- the fires don't care, they'll trash it;
the guy who owes you money -- won't pay the interest, won't pay at all.
Your field -- it's barren, sow seed and you'll get no return;
your girlfriend -- she'll con your accountant and leave you penniless;
your shipping line -- the waves will swamp your stacks of cargo.
But what you give to friends is out of fortune's reach.
The wealth you give away is the only wealth you'll never lose.
[tr. Nisbet (2015)]

Lents, Nathan -- Human Errors, ch. 6 (2018)

Dave — Mon, 21 Jun 2021 18:45:07 +0000

Why do casinos lavish such gaudy gifts on someone who has just taken piles of their money? To ensure he doesn’t leave. The more gifts they give, the longer the gambler will stay. The longer he stays, the more likely he is to cough up his winnings. In fact, because of the false sense of his own skill he acquired while racking up his temporary purse, he’ll probably end up losing far more than he would have tolerated had he not found himself up in the first place. However cautious and determined people are when they begin, their good judgment goes out the window once they start to win.

Nathan H. Lents (b. 1978) American biologist, author, academic
Human Errors, ch. 6 (2018)

McFee, William -- Casuals of the Sea, Book 2, ch. 2 (1916)

Dave — Fri, 28 May 2021 14:34:45 +0000

If fate means you to lose, give him a good fight anyhow.

William McFee (1881–1966) English writer
Casuals of the Sea, Book 2, ch. 2 (1916)

Aaronovitch, Ben -- False Value, ch. 14 (2020)

Dave — Fri, 26 Mar 2021 13:56:18 +0000

“What have we got to lose?” I said.

Nightingale looked up and gave me a strange, sad smile. “Oh, everything, Peter,” he said. “But then, such is life.”

Ben Aaronovitch (b. 1964) British author
False Value, ch. 14 (2020)

Homer -- The Iliad [Ἰλιάς], Book 24, l. 46ff (24.46) [Apollo] (c. 750 BC) [tr. Pope (1715-20)]

Dave — Wed, 10 Mar 2021 18:12:48 +0000

To lose a friend, a brother, or a son,
Heaven dooms each mortal, and its will is done:
Awhile they sorrow, then dismiss their care;
Fate gives the wound, and man is born to bear.

[μέλλει μέν πού τις καὶ φίλτερον ἄλλον ὀλέσσαι
ἠὲ κασίγνητον ὁμογάστριον ἠὲ καὶ υἱόν:
ἀλλ᾽ ἤτοι κλαύσας καὶ ὀδυράμενος μεθέηκε:
τλητὸν γὰρ Μοῖραι θυμὸν θέσαν ἀνθρώποισιν.]

Homer (fl. 7th-8th C. BC) Greek author
The Iliad [Ἰλιάς], Book 24, l. 46ff (24.46) [Apollo] (c. 750 BC) [tr. Pope (1715-20)]

Complaining of Achilles excessive grief over Patroclus. Original Greek. Other translations:

Other men a greater loss than he
Have undergone, a son, suppose, or brother of one womb;
Yet, after dues of woes and tears, they bury in his tomb
All their deplorings. Fates have giv’n to all that are true men
True manly patience.
[tr. Chapman (1611), l. 50ff]

For whosoever hath a loss sustain’d
Still dearer, whether of his brother born
From the same womb, or even of his son,
When he hath once bewail’d him, weeps no more,
For fate itself gives man a patient mind.
[tr. Cowper (1791), l. 59ff]

For perhaps some one will lose another more dear, either a brother, or a son; yet does he cease weeping and lamenting, for the Destinies have placed in men an enduring mind.
[tr. Buckley (1860)]

A man may lose his best-lov’d friend, a son,
Or his own mother’s son, a brother dear:
He mourns and weeps, but time his grief allays,
For fate to man a patient mind hath giv’n.
[tr. Derby (1864)]

It must be that many a man lose even some dearer one than was this, a brother of the same womb born or perchance a son; yet bringeth he his wailing and lamentation to an end, for an enduring soul have the Fates given unto men.
[tr. Leaf/Lang/Myers (1891)]

A man may lose one far dearer than Achilles has lost -- a son, it may be, or a brother born from his own mother's womb; yet when he has mourned him and wept over him he will let him bide, for it takes much sorrow to kill a man.
[tr. Butler (1898)]

Lo, it may be that a man hath lost one dearer even than was this -- a brother, that the selfsame mother bare, or haply a son; yet verily when he hath wept and wailed for him he maketh an end; for an enduring soul have the Fates given unto men.
[tr. Murray (1924)]

For a man must some day lose one who was even closer than this; a brother from the same womb, or a son. And yet he weeps for him, and sorrows for him, and then it is over, for the Destinies put in mortal men the heart of endurance.
[tr. Lattimore (1951)]

A sane one may endure an even dearer loss: a blood-brother, a son; and yet, by heaven, having grieved and passed through mourning, he will let it go. The Fates have given patient hearts to men.
[tr. Fitzgerald (1974)]

No doubt some mortal has suffered a dearer loss than this,
a brother born in the same womb, or even a son ...
he grieves, he weeps, but then his tears are through.
The Fates have given mortals hearts that can endure.
[tr. Fagles (1990), l. 54ff]

There is no doubt that a man may have lost someone even dearer,
either a brother by one same mother or even his own son,
yet once he has lamented and wept, he ceases to mourn him,
since mankind is endowed by the Fates with a heart of endurance.
[tr. Merrill (2007), l. 46ff]

Will, George F. -- “The Cubs and Conservatism” (21 Mar 1974), Bunts (1998)

Dave — Wed, 10 Feb 2021 22:02:50 +0000

Conservatives know the world is a dark and forbidding place where most new knowledge is false, most improvements for the worse, the battle is not to the strong, nor riches to men of understanding, and an unscrupulous Providence consigns innocents to suffering.

George Will (b. 1941) American political commentator
“The Cubs and Conservatism” (21 Mar 1974), Bunts (1998)

Will is, somewhat tongue-in-cheek, describing the origin of his conservatism in his being a fan of the Chicago Cubs baseball team.

Snicket, Lemony -- The Miserable Mill, Dedication (2000)

Dave — Wed, 18 Nov 2020 15:49:17 +0000

To Beatrice–
My love flew like a butterfly,
Until death swooped down like a bat,
As the poet Emma Montana McElroy said:
“That’s the end of that.”

Lemony Snicket (b. 1970) American author, screenwriter, musician (pseud. for Daniel Handler)
The Miserable Mill, Dedication (2000)

More on the referenced poet.

Disraeli, Benjamin -- Vivian Grey, Book 6, ch. 7 (1826)

Dave — Mon, 17 Aug 2020 20:54:28 +0000

Grief is the agony of an instant; the indulgence of Grief the blunder of a life.

Benjamin Disraeli (1804–1881) English politician and author
Vivian Grey, Book 6, ch. 7 (1826)

Percy, Walker -- Lancelot, ch. 5 (1977)

Dave — Mon, 04 May 2020 17:53:24 +0000

There is no joy on this earth like falling in love with a woman and managing at the same time the trick of keeping just enough perspective to see her fall in love too, to see her begin to see you in a different way, to see her color change, eyes soften, her hand of itself reach for you. … And there is no pain on this earth like seeing the same woman look at another man the way she once looked at you.

Walker Percy (1916–1990) American author, philosopher
Lancelot, ch. 5 (1977)

Ennius -- Annales, Fragment 485

Dave — Thu, 12 Mar 2020 16:26:12 +0000

He who has conquered is not conqueror
Unless the conquered one confesses it.

[Qui vincit non est victor nisi victus fatetur.]

Ennius (239–169 BC) Roman poet, writer [Quintus Ennius]
Annales, Fragment 485

Quoted by Marcus Servius Honoratus, Commentaries on the Poems of Virgil [In Vergilii Carmina Comentarii], Book 11. Other translations:

"He who conquers is not the conqueror unless the conquered admits it." [Source, 493 (Vahlen)]
"He who conquers is no conqueror unless the conquered admits it." [Source, 513]
"The victor is not victorious if the vanquished does not consider himself so." [Source]

Angelou, Maya -- “The Art of Fiction,” Paris Review, #116, Interview with George Plimpton (1990)

Dave — Thu, 30 Jan 2020 21:18:50 +0000

There is, I hope, a thesis in my work: we may encounter many defeats, but we must not be defeated.

Maya Angelou (1928–2014) American poet, memoirist, activist [b. Marguerite Ann Johnson]
“The Art of Fiction,” Paris Review, #116, Interview with George Plimpton (1990)

Kierkegaard, Soren -- The Sickness unto Death, “The Forms of This Sickness, i.e., of Despair,” 1.a.1 (1849)

Dave — Thu, 09 Jan 2020 22:51:19 +0000

A person can go on living fairly well, seem to be a human being, be occupied with temporal matters, marry, have children, be honored and esteemed — and it may not be detected that in a deeper sense this person lacks a self. Such things do not create much of a stir in the world, for a self is the last thing the world cares about and the most dangerous thing of all for a person to show signs of having. The greatest hazard of all, losing one’s self, can occur very quietly in the world, as if it were nothing at all. No other loss can occur so quietly; any other loss — an arm, a leg, five dollars, a wife, etc. — is sure to be noticed.

Søren Kierkegaard (1813–1855) Danish philosopher, theologian
The Sickness unto Death, “The Forms of This Sickness, i.e., of Despair,” 1.a.1 (1849)

"A man may nevertheless be perfectly well able to live on, to be a mn, a it seems, to occupy himself with temporal things, get married, beget children, win honor and esteem -- and perhaps no one notices that in a deeper sense he lacks a self. About such a thing as that not much fuss made in the world for a self is the thing the world is least apt to inquire about, and the thing of all things the most dangerous for a man to let people notice that he has it. The greatest danger, that of losing one's own self, may pass off as quietly as if it were nothing; every other loss, that of an arm, a leg, five dollars, a wife, etc., is sure to be noticed." (Source)
"But to become fantastic in this way, and therefore be in despair, although usually obvious, does not mean that a person may not continue living a fairly good life, to all appearances be someone, employed with temporal matters, get married, beget children, be honored and esteemed -- and one may fail to notice that in a deeper sense he lacks a self. Such things cause little stir in the world; for in the world a self is what one least asks after, and the thing it is the most dangerous of all to show signs of having. The biggest danger, that of losing oneself, can pass off in the world as quietly as if it were nothing; every other loss, an arm, a leg, five dollars, a wife, etc. is bound to be noticed." (Source)

Robinson, Spider -- Callahan’s Lady (1989)

Dave — Mon, 07 May 2018 16:12:19 +0000

If you’ve lived a bad life, they send you to Hell. But if you’ve been truly wicked, they give you a tour of Heaven first.

Spider Robinson (b. 1948) American-Canadian author
Callahan’s Lady (1989)

Chesterton, Gilbert Keith -- Tremendous Trifles, “The Advantages of Having One Leg” (1909)

Dave — Wed, 13 Dec 2017 00:40:00 +0000

The way to love anything is to realize that it might be lost.

Gilbert Keith Chesterton (1874–1936) English journalist and writer
Tremendous Trifles, “The Advantages of Having One Leg” (1909)

Hurston, Zora Neale -- Moses, Man of the Mountain, ch. 2 (1939)

Dave — Thu, 19 Oct 2017 05:47:51 +0000

It’s a funny thing, the less people have to live for, the less nerve they have to risk losing — nothing.

Zora Neale Hurston (1891–1960) American writer, folklorist, anthropologist
Moses, Man of the Mountain, ch. 2 (1939)

Millay, Edna St. Vincent -- Letter to Whitter “Hal” Bynner and Arthur Davidson Ficke (1920)

Dave — Wed, 11 Oct 2017 01:09:36 +0000

Where you used to be, there is a hole in the world, which I find myself constantly walking around in the day-time, and falling into at night.

Edna St. Vincent Millay (1892–1950) American poet
Letter to Whitter “Hal” Bynner and Arthur Davidson Ficke (1920)

Patterson, Floyd -- (Attributed)

Dave — Tue, 05 Sep 2017 19:24:16 +0000

It’s easy to do anything in victory. It’s in defeat that a man reveals himself.

Floyd Patterson (1935–2006) American professional boxer
(Attributed)

Quoted in Gay Talese, Fame and Obscurity: Portraits (1970).

Taylor, Henry -- The Statesman: An Ironical Treatise on the Art of Succeeding, ch. 17 (1836)

Dave — Wed, 23 Aug 2017 01:50:02 +0000

Considering the temptations under which politicians are placed, of changing their opinions, or rather their professions of opinion, from motives of self interest, the world will not give them credit for motives of honest conviction, unless when the change shall be to their manifest loss and disadvantage.

Henry Taylor (1800–1886) English dramatist, poet, bureaucrat, man of letters
The Statesman: An Ironical Treatise on the Art of Succeeding, ch. 17 (1836)

Lamartine, Alphonse de -- “Solitude [L’isolement],”Poetic Meditations [Méditations Poétiques] (1820) [tr. J. Churchill]

Dave — Wed, 23 Aug 2017 01:49:13 +0000

The cots, the palaces and valleys here,
Are nought to me, their charm, alas! is fled;
Floods, rocks, and forests, solitudes so dear
One soul is wanting, and all else seems dead

[Que me font ces vallons, ces palais, ces chaumières,
Vains objets dont pour moi le charme est envolé?
Fleuves, rochers, forêts solitudes si chères,
Un seul être vous manque et tout est dépeuplé!]

Alphonse de Lamartine (1790–1869) French poet and statesman
“Solitude [L’isolement],”Poetic Meditations [Méditations Poétiques] (1820) [tr. J. Churchill]

Alt. trans. ["Isolation"]:
"What for me do these valleys, these palaces, these cottages,
Vain objects of which for me the charm has fled?
Streams, rocks, forests, solitudes so dear,
One single being from you is missing, and everything is depopulated."

Alt. trans.:
"Sometimes, when one person is missing, the whole world seems depopulated."

Paine, Thomas -- The American Crisis, #13 (19 Apr 1783)

Dave — Wed, 09 Aug 2017 00:22:07 +0000

Character is much easier kept than recovered.

Thomas Paine (1737–1809) American political philosopher and writer
The American Crisis, #13 (19 Apr 1783)

Broun, Heywood -- “Sport for Art’s Sake,” Vanity Fair (Sep 1921)

Dave — Wed, 31 May 2017 17:50:17 +0000

The tragedy of life is not that man loses, but that he almost wins.

Heywood Broun (1888–1939) American journalist, author
“Sport for Art’s Sake,” Vanity Fair (Sep 1921)

Reprinted in Pieces of Hate, and Other Enthusiasms (1922).

Longfellow, Henry Wadsworth -- “The Poets,” Atlantic Monthly (Jul 1878)

Dave — Wed, 24 May 2017 00:04:27 +0000

Not in the clamor of the crowded street,
Not in the shouts and plaudits of the throng,
But in ourselves, are triumph and defeat.

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807–1882) American poet
“The Poets,” Atlantic Monthly (Jul 1878)

Kissinger, Henry -- “The Viet Nam Negotiations,” Foreign Affairs (Jan 1969)

Dave — Wed, 03 May 2017 03:16:18 +0000

We fought a military war; our opponents fought a political one. We sought physical attrition; our opponents aimed for our psychological exhaustion. In the process we lost sight of one of the cardinal maxims of guerrilla war: the guerrilla wins if he does not lose. The conventional army loses if it does not win.

Henry Kissinger (1923–2024) German-American diplomat
“The Viet Nam Negotiations,” Foreign Affairs (Jan 1969)

Sometimes paraphrased as "A conventional army loses if it does not win. The guerrilla army wins if he does not lose."

Lewis, C.S. -- A Grief Observed, ch. 1 (1961)

Dave — Fri, 16 Dec 2016 02:17:32 +0000

No one ever told me that grief felt so like fear. I am not afraid, but the sensation is like being afraid. The same fluttering in the stomach, the same restlessness, the yawning. I keep on swallowing.
At other times it feels like being mildly drunk, or concussed. There is a sort of invisible blanket between the world and me. I find it hard to take in what anyone says. Or perhaps, hard to want to take it in. It is so uninteresting. Yet I want the others to be about me. I dread the moments when the house is empty. If only they would talk to one another and not to me.

C. S. Lewis (1898–1963) English writer, literary scholar, lay theologian [Clive Staples Lewis]
A Grief Observed, ch. 1 (1961)

After the death of his wife, Joy Davidman. Opening words.

L'Engle, Madeleine -- A Ring of Endless Light, ch. 4 [Adam] (1980)

Dave — Sat, 11 Jun 2016 21:53:56 +0000

It’s hard to let go of anything we love. We live in a world that teaches us to clutch. But when we clutch we’re left with a fist full of ashes.

Madeleine L'Engle (1918–2007) American writer
A Ring of Endless Light, ch. 4 [Adam] (1980)

Roux, Joseph -- Meditations of a Parish Priest: Thoughts, Part 9, #54 (1886)

Dave — Mon, 18 Apr 2016 15:51:13 +0000

We call that person who has lost his father, an orphan; and a widower that man who has lost his wife. But that man who has known the immense unhappiness of losing a friend, by what name do we call him? Here every language is silent and holds its peace in impotence.

Joseph Roux (1834–1886) French Catholic priest
Meditations of a Parish Priest: Thoughts, Part 9, #54 (1886)

Green, John -- The Fault in Our Stars, ch. 21 (2012)

Dave — Thu, 03 Mar 2016 15:47:03 +0000

The pleasure of remembering had been taken from me, because there was no longer anyone to remember with. It felt like losing your co-rememberer meant losing the memory itself, as if the things we’d done were less real and important than they had been hours before.

John Green (b. 1977) American author
The Fault in Our Stars, ch. 21 (2012)

Cowper, William -- “Charity,” l. 159 (1782)

Dave — Mon, 19 Oct 2015 14:43:30 +0000

Grief is itself a med’cine.

William Cowper (1731–1800) English poet
“Charity,” l. 159 (1782)

Aaronovitch, Ben -- Rivers of London [Midnight Riot] (2011)

Dave — Wed, 14 Oct 2015 13:55:15 +0000

If you ask any police officer what the worst part of the job is, they will always say breaking bad news to relatives, but this is not the truth. The worst part is staying in the room after you’ve broken the news, so that you’re forced to be there when someone’s life disintegrates around them. Some people say it doesn’t bother them — such people are not to be trusted.

Ben Aaronovitch (b. 1964) British author
Rivers of London [Midnight Riot] (2011)

Faulkner, William -- The Wild Palms (1939)

Dave — Mon, 05 Oct 2015 15:59:27 +0000

Between grief and nothing I will take grief.

William Faulkner (1897–1962) American novelist
The Wild Palms (1939)

Lewis, C.S. -- A Grief Observed (1961)

Dave — Wed, 29 Jul 2015 15:14:54 +0000

Talk to me about the truth of religion and I’ll listen gladly. Talk to me about the duty of religion and I’ll listen submissively. But don’t come talking to me about the consolations of religion or I shall suspect that you don’t understand.

Unless, of course, you can literally believe all that stuff about family reunions “on the further shore,” pictured in entirely earthly terms. But that is all unscriptural, all out of bad hymns and lithographs. There’s not a word of it in the Bible. And it rings false. We know it couldn’t be like that. Reality never repeats. The exact same thing is never taken away and given back. How well the Spiritualists bait their hook! “Things on this side are not so different after all.” There are cigars in Heaven. For that is what we should all like. The happy past restored.

And that, just that, is what I cry out for, with mad, midnight endearments and entreaties spoken into the empty air.

C. S. Lewis (1898–1963) English writer, literary scholar, lay theologian [Clive Staples Lewis]
A Grief Observed (1961)

Millay, Edna St. Vincent -- Sonnet 2: “Time does not bring relief,” Renascence: and Other Poems (1917)

Dave — Thu, 26 Feb 2015 16:39:08 +0000

Time does not bring relief; you all have lied
Who told me time would ease me of my pain!
I miss him in the weeping of the rain;
I want him at the shrinking of the tide;
The old snows melt from every mountain-side,
And last year’s leaves are smoke in every lane;
But last year’s bitter loving must remain
Heaped on my heart, and my old thoughts abide!
There are a hundred places where I fear
To go, — so with his memory they brim!
And entering with relief some quiet place
Where never fell his foot or shone his face
I say, “There is no memory of him here!”
And so stand stricken, so remembering him!

Edna St. Vincent Millay (1892–1950) American poet
Sonnet 2: “Time does not bring relief,” Renascence: and Other Poems (1917)

The sonnets were not originally numbered, nor did they include titles. Later collections with this poem reduced the number of exclamation points (e.g.).

Hugo, Victor -- Les Misérables, Part 4 “Saint Denis,” Book 15 “The Rue de L’Homme Armé,” ch. 1 (4.15.1) (1862) [tr. Donougher (2013)]

Dave — Tue, 16 Dec 2014 13:07:40 +0000

There is such a thing as internal collapse. Despairing certitude does not infiltrate a human being without displacing and disrupting certain profound elements that sometimes constitute the man himself. Grief, when it reaches this pitch, routs all strength of conscience. These are deadly crises. Few of us emerge from them true to ourselves and steadfast in our duty. When the limit of endurance is exceeded, the most unshakeable virtue is undermined.

[Il y a des effondrements intérieurs. La pénétration d’une certitude désespérante dans l’homme ne se fait point sans écarter et rompre de certains éléments profonds qui sont quelquefois l’homme lui-même. La douleur, quand elle arrive à ce degré, est un sauve-qui-peut de toutes les forces de la conscience. Ce sont là des crises fatales. Peu d’entre nous en sortent semblables à eux-mêmes et fermes dans le devoir. Quand la limite de la souffrance est débordée, la vertu la plus imperturbable se déconcerte.]

Victor Hugo (1802–1885) French writer, journalist, human rights activist, politician
Les Misérables, Part 4 “Saint Denis,” Book 15 “The Rue de L’Homme Armé,” ch. 1 (4.15.1) (1862) [tr. Donougher (2013)]

Valjean "internally collapsing" at the realization that Cosette plans to leave him for Marius, and deciding to track Marius down to confront or even kill him.

(Source (French)). Other translations:

There are interior subsoilings. The penetration of a torturing certainty into man does not occur without breaking up and pulverising certain deep elements which are sometimes the man himself. Grief, when it reaches this stage, is a panic of all the forces of the soul. These are fatal crises. Few among us come through them without change, and firm in duty. When the limit of suffering is overpassed, the most imperturbable virtue is disconcerted.
[tr. Wilbour (1862)]

There are such things as internal landslides; the penetration of a desperate certainty into a man is not effected without removing and breaking certain profound elements which are at times the man himself. Grief, when it attains that pitch, is a frantic flight of all the forces of the conscience, and such crises are fatal Few among us emerge from them equal to ourselves and firm in our duty, for when the limit of suffering is exceeded the most imperturbable virtue is disconcerted.
[tr. Wraxall (1862)]

There is such a thing as the sudden giving way of the inward subsoil. A despairing certainty does not make its way into a man without thrusting aside and breaking certain profound elements which, in some cases, are the very man himself. Grief, when it attains this shape, is a headlong flight of all the forces of the conscience. These are fatal crises. Few among us emerge from them still like ourselves and firm in duty. When the limit of endurance is overstepped, the most imperturbable virtue is disconcerted.
[tr. Hapgood (1887)]

There is such a thing as spiritual collapse. The thrust of a desperate certainty into a man cannot occur without the disruption of certain profound elements which are sometimes the man himself. Anguish, when it has reached this stage, becomes a panic-flight of all the powers of conscience. There are mortal crises from which few of us emerge in our right mind, with our sense of duty still intact. When the limit of suffering is overpassed the most impregnable virtue is plunged in disarray.
[tr. Denny (1976)]

There are interior collapses. The penetration of a torturing certainty within man does not occur without breaking up and pulverizing certain deep elements that are sometimes the man himself. Grief, when it reaches this level, is a panic of all the forces of consciousness. These are fatal crises. Few among us come through them unchanged and firm in duty. When the limit of suffering is topped, the most imperturbable virtue is disconcerted.
[tr. Wilbour/Fahnestock/MacAfee (1987)]

Handey, Jack -- Deeper Thoughts (1993)

Dave — Thu, 11 Sep 2014 13:28:15 +0000

If you ever drop your keys into a river of molten lava, let ’em go, because man, they’re gone.

Jack Handey (b. 1949) American humorist
Deeper Thoughts (1993)

Hurst, Fannie -- Humoresque [film] (1946) [screenplay Clifford Odets, Zachary Gold]

Dave — Mon, 25 Aug 2014 12:51:32 +0000

SID: It is not what you are; it’s what you don’t become that hurts.

Fannie Hurst (1889–1968) American novelist
Humoresque [film] (1946) [screenplay Clifford Odets, Zachary Gold]

Spoken by Oscar Levant.

Seuss, Dr. -- (Attributed)

Dave — Fri, 30 May 2014 14:41:56 +0000

Don’t cry because it’s over. Smile because it happened.

Dr. Seuss (1904–1991) American author, illustrator [pseud. of Theodor Geisel]
(Attributed)

Often attributed to Dr. Seuss without a citation of source. Also sometimes attributed, without citation to Gabriel García Márquez: "No llores porque ya se terminó ... sonríe, porque sucedió."

~Proverbs and Sayings -- American proverb (Wall Street)

Dave — Thu, 17 Apr 2014 20:34:06 +0000

No one was ever ruined by taking a profit.

Proverbs, Sayings, and Adages
American proverb (Wall Street)

Housman, A. E. -- More Poems, #36 (1936)

Dave — Wed, 12 Mar 2014 13:00:04 +0000

Here dead lie we because we did not choose
To live and shame the land from which we sprung.
Life, to be sure, is nothing much to lose;
But young men think it is, and we were young.

A. E. Housman (1859–1936) English scholar and poet [Alfred Edward Housman]
More Poems, #36 (1936)

Jobs, Steve -- Commencement Address, Stanford University (2005)

Dave — Mon, 29 Aug 2011 12:52:05 +0000

Remembering that I’ll be dead soon is the most important tool I’ve ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life. Because almost everything — all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure — these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important. Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose.

Steve Jobs (1955–2011) American computer inventor, entrepreneur
Commencement Address, Stanford University (2005)

Peter, Lawrence J. -- Peter’s People, ch. 8 (1979)

Dave — Thu, 28 Jul 2011 16:37:47 +0000

There are two kinds of losers: (1) the good loser and (2) those who can’t act.

Lawrence J. Peter (1919–1990) American educator, management theorist
Peter’s People, ch. 8 (1979)

Publilius Syrus -- Sententiae [Moral Sayings], # 191 [tr. Lyman (1862)]

Dave — Mon, 25 Jul 2011 12:57:25 +0000

Whatever you can lose, reckon of no account.

Publilius Syrus (d. 42 BC) Assyrian slave, writer, philosopher [less correctly Publius Syrus]
Sententiae [Moral Sayings], # 191 [tr. Lyman (1862)]

Hoffer, Eric -- “Thoughts of Eric Hoffer,” New York Times Magazine (1971-04-25)

Dave — Tue, 03 May 2011 13:34:43 +0000

How frighteningly few are the persons whose death would spoil our appetite and make the world seem empty.

Eric Hoffer (1902–1983) American writer, philosopher, longshoreman
“Thoughts of Eric Hoffer,” New York Times Magazine (1971-04-25)

Howell, James -- Paroimiographia [Παροιμιογραφία]: Proverbs, or, Old Sayed Sawes & Adages, “Proverbs in Italian” (1659) [compiler]

Dave — Fri, 10 Sep 2010 12:29:40 +0000

To have gold brings fear, to have none brings grief.

[L’haver oro è un timore, il non haver un dolore.]

James Howell (c. 1594–1666) Welsh historian, writer, aphorist
Paroimiographia [Παροιμιογραφία]: Proverbs, or, Old Sayed Sawes & Adages, “Proverbs in Italian” (1659) [compiler]

Bacon, Francis -- Apophthegms, #149 (1625)

Dave — Fri, 10 Sep 2010 12:27:52 +0000

Croesus said to Cambyses: That peace was better than war; because in peace the sons did bury their fathers, but in wars the fathers did bury their sons.

Francis Bacon (1561–1626) English philosopher, scientist, author, statesman
Apophthegms, #149 (1625)

See Herodotus.

Stevenson, Adlai -- (Attributed)

Dave — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 14:54:36 +0000

There are worse things than losing an election; the worst thing is to lose one’s convictions and not tell the people the truth.

Adlai Stevenson II (1900–1965) American politician, diplomat, statesman
(Attributed)

In Edward Doyle, As We Knew Adlai: The Stevenson Story by Twenty-two Friends (1966). In response to the suggestion his support for a nuclear test ban would cost him votes.

Hazlitt, William -- “On The Conduct of Life” (1822)

Dave — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 15:19:03 +0000

Do not keep on with a mockery of friendship after the substance is gone — but part, while you can part friends. Bury the carcass of friendship: it is not worth embalming.

William Hazlitt (1778–1830) English writer
“On The Conduct of Life” (1822)

Auden, W. H. -- “Stop All the Clocks [Funeral Blues],” st. 3 (1936)

Dave — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 13:51:26 +0000

He was my North, my South, my East and West,
My working week and my Sunday rest,
My noon, my midnight, my talk, my song;
I thought that love would last forever: I was wrong.

W. H. Auden (1907–1973) Anglo-American poet [Wystan Hugh Auden]
“Stop All the Clocks [Funeral Blues],” st. 3 (1936)

This stanza is not in the original version of the poem, for the verse play The Ascent of F6 (1936) (with Christopher Isherwood).

Instead, it appears in the revised cabaret song that Auden wrote in 1937-1938. It is this latter version, less tied to the play, that is commonly collected, and that gained popularity when recited in the film Four Weddings and a Funeral (1994).

Paine, Thomas -- Common Sense, “Of the Present Ability of America” (14 Feb 1776)

Dave — Tue, 12 May 2009 12:38:39 +0000

The more men have to lose, the less willing they are to venture.

Thomas Paine (1737–1809) American political philosopher and writer
Common Sense, “Of the Present Ability of America” (14 Feb 1776)

Schopenhauer, Arthur -- Die Welt als Wille und Vorstellung [The World as Will and Representation], Vol. 2, ch. 19 “Vom Primat des Willens im Selbstbewußtseyn [On the primacy of the Will in Self-Consciousness],” § 11 (1844 ed.) [tr. Payne (1958)]

Dave — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 10:03:51 +0000

Life […] is really a constant suffering, or, at any rate, […] a business that does not cover the costs.

[Da das Leben […] eigentlich ein stetes Leiden, oder wenigstens, […] ein Geschäft ist, welches die Kosten nicht deckt.]

Arthur Schopenhauer (1788–1860) German philosopher
Die Welt als Wille und Vorstellung [The World as Will and Representation], Vol. 2, ch. 19 “Vom Primat des Willens im Selbstbewußtseyn [On the primacy of the Will in Self-Consciousness],” § 11 (1844 ed.) [tr. Payne (1958)]

(Source (German)). Usually paraphrased: "Life is a business that does not cover the costs."

Eisenhower, Dwight David -- Speech (1953-04-16), “The Chance for Peace,” American Society of Newspaper Editors, Hotel Statler, New York City

Dave — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 11:07:45 +0000

Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired signifies, in the final sense, a theft from those who hunger and are not fed, those who are cold and are not clothed. This world in arms is not spending money alone. It is spending the sweat of its laborers, the genius of its scientists, the hopes of its children.
The cost of one modern heavy bomber is this: a modern brick school in more than 30 cities. It is two electric power plants, each serving a town of 60,000 population. It is two fine, fully equipped hospitals. It is some 50 miles of concrete highway. We pay for a single fighter with a half million bushels of wheat. We pay for a single destroyer with new homes that could have housed more than 8,000 people.
This, I repeat, is the best way of life to be found on the road the world has been taking. This is not a way of life at all, in any true sense. Under the cloud of threatening war, it is humanity hanging from a cross of iron.

Dwight David Eisenhower (1890–1969) American general, US President (1953–61)
Speech (1953-04-16), “The Chance for Peace,” American Society of Newspaper Editors, Hotel Statler, New York City

Describing the cost of the Cold War. Also known as the "Cross of Iron" speech, it was delivered shortly into his presidency and just after Stalin's death.

Tennyson, Alfred, Lord -- “In Memoriam A. H. H.” , Part 27, st. 4 (1849)

Dave — Tue, 18 Dec 2007 11:11:26 +0000

I hold it true, whate’er befall;
I feel it, when I sorrow most;
‘Tis better to have loved and lost
Than never to have loved at all.

Alfred, Lord Tennyson (1809–1892) English poet
“In Memoriam A. H. H.” , Part 27, st. 4 (1849)

Arthur Henry Hallam was the fiancé of Tennyson's sister Emily. Hallam died suddenly in September 1833.

~Proverbs and Sayings -- Chinese proverb

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

The man who strikes first admits that his ideas have given out.

Proverbs, Sayings, and Adages
Chinese proverb

Heywood, John -- Proverbes, Part 1, ch. 3 (1546)

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

And while I at length debate and beate the bush,
There shall steppe in other men and catch the burdes.

John Heywood (1497?-1580?) English playwright and epigrammist
Proverbes, Part 1, ch. 3 (1546)

Shakespeare, William -- Measure for Measure, Act 1, sc. 4, l. 85ff (1.4.85-87) (1604)

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

LUCIO: Our doubts are traitors
And make us lose the good we oft might win,
By fearing to attempt.

William Shakespeare (1564–1616) English dramatist and poet
Measure for Measure, Act 1, sc. 4, l. 85ff (1.4.85-87) (1604)

Shakespeare, William -- Othello, Act 3, sc. 3, l. 202ff (3.3.202-204) (1603)

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

IAGO: Poor and content is rich, and rich enough;
But riches fineless is as poor as winter
To him that ever fears he shall be poor.

William Shakespeare (1564–1616) English dramatist and poet
Othello, Act 3, sc. 3, l. 202ff (3.3.202-204) (1603)

Adams, John Quincy -- (Attributed)

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

Always vote for principle, though you may vote alone, and you may cherish the sweetest reflection that your vote is never lost.

John Quincy Adams (1767–1848) US President (1825–29)
(Attributed)

Carlyle, Thomas -- (Attributed)

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

The tragedy of life is not so much what men suffer, but rather what they miss.

Thomas Carlyle (1795–1881) Scottish essayist and historian
(Attributed)

This phrase is widely attributed to Carlyle, but without any actual citation to his works I could find. The earliest ascription to Carlyle of this phrase seems to be in Fulton Sheen, Peace of Soul, ch. 13 (1949); given the popularity of Sheen's book, if he misquoted and/or misattributed the quotation to Carlyle, the error may have stuck.

It's (also, additionally) possible that this phrase was slightly changed and re-attributed from the words of Engish writer John Ruskin (1819-1900), who considered Carlyle a mentor: "I wonder not so much at what people suffer as what they lose." While, again, I cannot find a primary source for that, it is attributed to Ruskin in Arthur Winnington, A Mission of the Spirit (1906) and in the literary journal The Dial, Vol. 59, No. 706 (1915-11-25).

Bacon, Francis -- Apothegms, # 3 (1624)

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

Good fame is like fire. When you have kindled it, you may easily preserve it; but if once you extinguish it, you will not easily kindle it again; at least, not make it burn as bright as it did.

Francis Bacon (1561–1626) English philosopher, scientist, author, statesman
Apothegms, # 3 (1624)

Quoting Plutarch.

Lewis, C.S. -- The Four Loves

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

Love anything and your heart will be wrung and possibly broken. If you want to make sure of keeping it intact you must give it to no one, not even an animal. Wrap it carefully round with hobbies and little luxuries; avoid all entanglements. Lock it up save in the casket or coffin of your selfishness. But in that casket — safe, dark, motionless, airless — it will change. It will not be broken; it will become unbreakable, impenetrable, irredeemable. To love is to be vulnerable.

C. S. Lewis (1898–1963) English writer, literary scholar, lay theologian [Clive Staples Lewis]
The Four Loves

Colton, Charles Caleb -- Lacon: Or, Many Things in Few Words, Vol. 1, § 265 (1820)

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

To know a man, observe how he wins his object, rather than how he loses it; for when we fail, our pride supports us; when we succeed, it betrays us.

Charles Caleb "C. C." Colton (1780–1832) English cleric, writer, aphorist
Lacon: Or, Many Things in Few Words, Vol. 1, § 265 (1820)

Marcus Aurelius -- Meditations [To Himself; Τὰ εἰς ἑαυτόν], Book 2, ch. 14 (2.14) [tr. Hays (2003)]

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

The longest-lived and those who will die soonest lose the same thing. The present is all that they give up, since that is all you have, and what you do not have, you cannot lose.

[ἑτέρου δέ, ὅτι καὶ ὁ πολυχρονιώτατος καὶ ὁ τάχιστα τεθνηξόμενος τὸ ἴσον ἀποβάλλει. τὸ γὰρ παρόν ἐστι μόνον, οὗ στερίσκεσθαι μέλλει, εἴπερ γε ἔχει καὶ τοῦτο μόνον καὶ ὃ μὴ ἔχει τις οὐκ ἀποβάλλει.]

Marcus Aurelius (AD 121–180) Roman emperor (161–180), Stoic philosopher
Meditations [To Himself; Τὰ εἰς ἑαυτόν], Book 2, ch. 14 (2.14) [tr. Hays (2003)]

(Source (Greek)). Other translations:

That life which any the longest liver, or the shortest liver parts with, is for length and duration the very same, for that only which is present, is that, which either of them can lose, as being that only which they have; for that which he hath not, no man can truly be said to lose.
[tr. Casaubon (1634), 2.12]

When the longest, and shortest Lived Persons come to die, their Loss is equal: For as I observe the Present is their All, and they can Suffer no Farther.
[tr. Collier (1701)]

Again that the longest and the shortest lives have an equal loss at Death. The present moment is all which either is deprived of, since that is all he has. A man cannot part with what he has not.
[tr. Hutcheson/Moor (1742)]

He who lives the longest, and he who dies the earliest, when they do die, their loss is equal. For they are only deprived of the present moment, which is all they have to lose.
[tr. Graves (1792)]

The longest liver and he who will die soonest lose just the same. For the present is the only thing of which a man can be deprived, if it is true that this is the only thing which he has, and that a man cannot lose a thing if he has it not.
[tr. Long (1862)]

When the longest and shortest-lived persons come to die, their loss is equal; they can but lose the present as being the only thing they have; for that which he has not, no man can be truly said to lose.
[tr. Collier/Zimmern (1887)]

The longest-lived and the shortest-lived man, when they come to die, lose one and the same thing.
[tr. Morgan (1894)]

The loss of the longest-lived and the shortest is one and the same. It is the present only of which a man can be deprived, that and that only being his, and what is not his he cannot lose.
[tr. Rendall (1898)]

He who lives longest and he who dies soonest have an equal loss in death. The present moment is all of which either is deprived, since that is all he has. No man can be robbed of that which he has not.
[tr. Hutcheson/Chrystal (1902)]

The longest liver and he whose time to die comes soonest part with no more the one than the other. For it is but the present that a man can be deprived of, if, as is the fact, it is this alone that he has, and what he has not a man cannot part with.
[tr. Haines (Loeb) (1916)]

The longest-lived and the soonest to die have an equal loss; for it is the present alone of which either will be deprived, since (as we saw) this is all he has and a man does not lose what he has not got.
[tr. Farquharson (1944)]

When the longest- and shortest-lived of us come to die, their loss is precisely equal. For the sole thing of which any man can be deprived is the present; since this is all he owns, and nobody can lose what is not his.
[tr. Staniforth (1964)]

The longest-lived and the earliest to die suffer an equal loss; for it is solely of the present moment that each will be deprived, if it is indeed the case that this is all that he has and a person cannot lose what he does not have.
[tr. Hard (1997 ed.)]

Both the longest-lived and the earliest to die suffer the same loss. It is only the present moment of which either stands to be deprived: and if indeed this is all he has, he cannot lose what he does not have.
[tr. Hammond (2006)]

The longest to live and the soonest to die lose exactly the same thing, for it is only the present moment which one can be deprived of, if it is true that we possess this alone, and that you cannot lose what you do not have.
[tr. Needleman/Piazza (2008), 2.16]

The longest-lived and the earliest to die suffer an equal loss; for it is solely of the present moment that each will be deprived, if it is really the case that this is all he has and a person cannot lose what he does not have.
[tr. Hard (2011 ed.)]

Both the one who lives longest and the one who is earliest to die lose an equal amount. The present moment is the only thing of which anyone can be deprived, at least if this is the only thing he has and he cannot lose what he has not got.
[tr. Gill (2013)]

The longest and shortest life is therefore the same. We all live in the same present, which is but a moment of time. This moment can be lost in a moment, but that is all that can be lost. The past and future cannot be lost: no one can take from a man what he never had. Time is an infinite eternity and so everything will come around again eventually, it makes no difference how long this might take to happen. The present moment is the only thing any man has.
[tr. McNeill (2019)]