WIST Quotations

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)

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."

Johnson, Samuel -- Lives of the Most Eminent English Poets, “Pope” (1781)

Dave — Fri, 29 Aug 2025 18:47:23 +0000

The distance is commonly very great between actual performances and speculative possibility. It is natural to suppose, that as much as has been done to-day may be done to-morrow; but on the morrow some difficulty emerges, or some external impediment obstructs. Indolence, interruption, business, and pleasure, all take their turns of retardation; and every long work is lengthened by a thousand causes that can, and ten thousand that cannot, be recounted. Perhaps no extensive and multifarious performance was ever effected within the term originally fixed in the undertaker’s mind. He that runs against Time, has an antagonist not subject to casualties.

Samuel Johnson (1709–1784) English writer, lexicographer, critic
Lives of the Most Eminent English Poets, “Pope” (1781)

Also known as Lives of English Poets and Lives of the Poets.

Rogers, Will -- Column (1924-08-24), “Weekly Article: About Peggy, the Prince, Candidates, and Coolidge” [No. 89]

Dave — Fri, 25 Apr 2025 22:10:54 +0000

There are two things that I don’t care how smart you are, you will never understand. One is an alienist’s [psychiatrist’s] testimony, and the other is a railroad time table.

Will Rogers (1879–1935) American humorist
Column (1924-08-24), “Weekly Article: About Peggy, the Prince, Candidates, and Coolidge” [No. 89]

Brown, Rita Mae -- Bingo (1988)

Dave — Tue, 18 Feb 2020 21:13:46 +0000

If it weren’t for the last minute, nothing would get done.

Rita Mae Brown (b. 1944) American author, playwright
Bingo (1988)

The phrase can actually be found prior to Brown's formulation (1, 2), but Brown appears to have been the first to popularize it, and it entered into much wider use after her.

Frequent variant: "If not for the last minute ...."

Chesterfield (Lord) -- Letter to his son, #238 (8 Jan 1751)

Dave — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 12:25:59 +0000

What with your exercises, some reading, and a great deal of company, your day is, I confess, extremely taken up; but the day, if well employed, is long enough for everything; and I am sure you will not slattern away one moment of it in inaction.

Lord Chesterfield (1694–1773) English statesman, wit [Philip Dormer Stanhope]
Letter to his son, #238 (8 Jan 1751)

Buxton, Charles -- Notes of Thought, #488 (1873)

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

You will never find time for anything. If you want time you must make it.

Charles Buxton (1823–1871) English brewer, philanthropist, writer, politician
Notes of Thought, #488 (1873)

Adams, Douglas -- Attributed in Richard Dawkins, “A Lament for Douglas Adams,” The Guardian (2001-05-13)

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

I love deadlines. I love the whooshing noise they make as they go by.

Douglas Adams (1952–2001) English author, humorist, screenwriter
Attributed in Richard Dawkins, “A Lament for Douglas Adams,” The Guardian (2001-05-13)

Memorial to his friend, Adams; later collected in The Salmon of Doubt, Part 4 "Epilogue" (2002) [ed. Peter Guzzardi]. Many variants exist, e.g., "What I love the most about deadlines is the whooshing sound they make as they go by."