WIST Quotations

Ingersoll, Robert Green -- Lecture (1872-01-29), “The Gods,” Fairbury Hall, Fairbury, Illinois

Dave — Fri, 19 Dec 2025 22:45:18 +0000

Man must learn to rely upon himself. Reading bibles will not protect him from the blasts of winter, but houses, fires, and clothing will. To prevent famine, one plow is worth a million sermons, and even patent medicines will cure more diseases than all the prayers uttered since the beginning of the world.

Robert Green Ingersoll (1833-1899) American lawyer, freethinker, orator
Lecture (1872-01-29), “The Gods,” Fairbury Hall, Fairbury, Illinois
(Source)

First given on the 135th birthday of Thomas Paine. Collected in The Gods and Other Lectures (1876).

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)]

Marcus Aurelius -- Meditations [To Himself; Τὰ εἰς ἑαυτόν], Book 7, ch. 59 (7.59) (AD 161-180) [tr. Staniforth (1964)]

Dave — Wed, 01 Oct 2025 17:02:55 +0000

Dig within. There lies the well-spring of good: ever dig, and it will ever flow.

[Ἔνδον σκάπτε, ἔνδον ἡ πηγὴ τοῦ ἀγαθοῦ καὶ ἀεὶ ἀναβλύειν δυναμένη, ἐὰν ἀεὶ σκάπτῃς.]

Marcus Aurelius (AD 121-180) Roman emperor (161-180), Stoic philosopher
Meditations [To Himself; Τὰ εἰς ἑαυτόν], Book 7, ch. 59 (7.59) (AD 161-180) [tr. Staniforth (1964)]
(Source)

On how to turn accidents and misfortune into learning experiences and behavior he will approve of in himself.

(Source (Greek)). Alternate translations:

Look within; within is the fountain of all good. Such a fountain, where springing waters can never fail, so thou dig still deeper and deeper.
[tr. Casaubon (1634), 7.31]

Look Inwards, and turn over your self; For you have a lasting Mine of Happiness at home, if you will but Dig for't.
[tr. Collier (1701), 7.60]

Look inwards; within is the fountain of good; which is ever springing up, if you be always digging in it.
[tr. Hutcheson/Moor (1742)]

Look into your own bosom; for you have there a fountain of happiness, if you will searcyh for it, and suffer it to flow without interruption.
[tr. Graves (1792), 7.52]

Look within. Within is the fountain of good, and it will ever bubble up, if thou wilt ever dig.
[tr. Long (1862)]

Look inwards, for you have a lasting fountain of happiness at home that will always bubble up if you will but dig for it.
[tr. Collier/Zimmern (1887)]

Dig within. Within is the fountain of good; ever dig, and it will ever well forth water.
[tr. Rendall (1898)]

Look inward. Within is the fountain of Good. Dig constantly and it will ever well forth.
[tr. Hutcheson/Chrystal (1902)]

Look within. Within is the fountain of Good, ready always to well forth if thou wilt always delve.
[tr. Haines (Loeb) (1916)]

Delve within; within is the fountain of good, and it is always ready to bubble up, if you always delve.
[tr. Farquharson (1944)]

Dig within; for within you lies the fountain of good, and it can always be gushing forth if only you always dig.
[tr. Hard (1997 ed.)]

Dig deep; the water -- goodness -- is down there. And as long as you keep digging, it will keep bubbling up.
[tr. Hays (2003)]

Dig inside yourself. Inside there is a spring of goodness ready to gush at any moment, if you keep digging.
[tr. Hammond (2006)]

Turn your attention within, for the fountain of all that is good lies within, and it is always ready to pour forth, if you continually delve in.
[tr. Needleman/Piazza (2008)]

Dig within; for within you lies the fountain of good, and it can always be gushing forth if only you always dig.
[tr. Hard (2011 ed.)]

Search inside yourself; inside you is the fountain of goodness, and it continues to surge as long as you search.
[ed. Taplin (2016)]

Child, Julia -- Julia Child’s Kitchen, Introduction (1975)

Dave — Thu, 11 May 2023 17:50:01 +0000

Learn how to cook! That’s my invariable answer when I am asked to give forth with money-saving recipes, economy tips, budget gourmet dinner menus for six people under ten dollars, and the like. Learn how to cook! That’s the way to save money. You don’t save it buying hamburger helpers, and prepared foods; you save it buying fresh foods in season or in large supply, when they are cheapest and usually best, and you prepare them from scratch at home. Why pay for someone else’s work, when if you know how to do it, you can save all that money for yourself? Knowing how to do it also means doing it fast, and preparing parts of a dish or a meal whenever you have a spare moment in the kitchen. That way, cooking well doesn’t take a great deal of time, and when you cook well, you’ll be eating far better meals than you could buy from the freezer, or at a restaurant.

Julia Child (1912-2004) American chef and writer
Julia Child’s Kitchen, Introduction (1975)
(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)

Von Clausewitz, Karl -- On War [Vom Kriege], Book 1, ch. 1 “What Is War? [Was ist der Krieg?],” § 22 (1.1.22) (1832) [tr. Howard & Paret (1976)]

Dave — Thu, 29 Sep 2022 17:02:45 +0000

The art of war deals with living and with moral forces. Consequently, it cannot attain the absolute, or certainty; it must always leave a margin for uncertainty, in the greatest things as well as in the smallest. With uncertainty in one scale, courage and self-confidence should be thrown into the other to correct the balance. The greater they are, the greater the margin that can be left for accidents.

[Die Kriegskunst hat es mit lebendigen und mit moralischen Kräften zu thun; daraus folgt, dass sie nirgends das Absolute und Gewisse erreichen kann; es bleibt also überall dem Ungefähr ein Spielraum, und zwar eben so gross bei dem Grössten, wie bei dem Keinsten. Wie dieses Ungefähr auf dereinen Seite steht, muss Muth und Selbstvertrauen auf die andere treten und die Lücke ausfüllen. So gross, wie diese sind, so gross darf der Spielraum für jenes werden.]

Karl von Clausewitz (1780-1831) Prussian soldier, historian, military theorist
On War [Vom Kriege], Book 1, ch. 1 “What Is War? [Was ist der Krieg?],” § 22 (1.1.22) (1832) [tr. Howard & Paret (1976)]
(Source)

(Source (German)). Alternate translations:

The art of war has to deal with living and with moral forces; the consequence of which is that it can never attain the absolute and positive. There is therefore everywhere a margin for the accidental; and just as much inthe greatest things as in the smallest. As there is room for this accidental on the one hand, so on the other there must be courage and self-reliance in proportion to the room left. If these qualities are forthcoming in a high degree, the margin left may likewise be great.
[tr. Graham (1873)]

The art of war has to do with living and with moral forces; from this it follows that it can nowhere attain the absolute and certain; there remains always a margin for the accidental just as much with the greatest things as with the smallest. As on the one side stands this accidental element, so on the other courage and self-confidence must step forward and fill up the gap. The greater the courage and self-confidence, the larger the margin that may be left for the accidental.
[tr. Jolles (1943)]

Shakespeare, William -- All’s Well That Ends Well, Act 1, sc. 1, l. 222ff (1.1.222-223) (1602?)

Dave — Wed, 20 Jul 2022 13:38:28 +0000

HELENA: Our remedies oft in ourselves do lie,
Which we ascribe to Heaven.

William Shakespeare (1564-1616) English dramatist and poet
All’s Well That Ends Well, Act 1, sc. 1, l. 222ff (1.1.222-223) (1602?)
(Source)

Mill, John Stuart -- On Liberty, ch. 2 “Of the Liberty of Thought and Discussion” (1859)

Dave — Mon, 28 Mar 2022 19:44:21 +0000

Truth gains more even by the errors of one who, with due study and preparation, thinks for himself, than by the true opinions of those who only hold them because they do not suffer themselves to think.

John Stuart Mill (1806-1873) English philosopher and economist
On Liberty, ch. 2 “Of the Liberty of Thought and Discussion” (1859)
(Source)

Cicero, Marcus Tullius -- Tusculan Disputations [Tusculanae Disputationes], Book 5, ch. 40 (5.40) / sec. 117 (45 BC) [tr. Peabody (1886)]

Dave — Thu, 11 Nov 2021 19:06:28 +0000

It must be remembered also that he who can talk with himself has no need of another’s conversation.

[Etinim, qui secum loqui poterit, sermonem alterius non requiret.]

Marcus Tullius Cicero (106-43 BC) Roman orator, statesman, philosopher
Tusculan Disputations [Tusculanae Disputationes], Book 5, ch. 40 (5.40) / sec. 117 (45 BC) [tr. Peabody (1886)]
(Source)

(Source (Latin)). Alternate translations:

For he that can speak with himself; will not much need the Discourse of another.
[tr. Wase (1643)]

Whoever can converse with himself doth not need the conversation of another.
[tr. Main (1824)]

For the man who can speak with himself, does not require the discourse of another.
[tr. Otis (1839)]

Whoever can converse with himself doth not need the conversation of another.
[tr. Yonge (1853)]

One who can converse with himself will not miss the conversation of someone else.
[tr. Douglas (1990)]

He who can talk to himself, will have no need of another’s conversation.
[tr. @sentantiq (2012)]

A man who is able to hold conversation with himself will not need another with whom to converse.
[tr. Davie (2017)]

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.

Beatty, Pakenham -- “Self Reliance”

Dave — Fri, 15 Aug 2014 12:52:40 +0000

By your own soul, learn to live
And if men thwart you take no heed.
If men hate you have no care.
Sing your song, dream your dream,
Hope your hope and pray your prayer.

Pakenham Beatty (1855-1930) English poet
“Self Reliance”

Burdette, Robert J. -- “Advice to Young Men,” lecture (1833)

Dave — Mon, 16 Jun 2014 13:15:58 +0000

Don’t believe the world owes you a living. The world owes you nothing. It was here first.

Robert Jones Burdette (1844-1914) American humorist, lecturer, clergyman
“Advice to Young Men,” lecture (1833)

Quoted in the Duluth Evening Observer (1 Feb 1883). Frequently misattributed to Mark Twain. See here for more information.

King, Martin Luther -- Sermon, Passion Sunday, National Cathedral (31 Mar 1968)

Dave — Wed, 04 Jun 2014 14:10:56 +0000

It is all right to tell a man to lift himself up by his own bootstraps, but it is a cruel jest to say to a bootless man that he ought to lift himself up by his own bootstraps.

Martin Luther King, Jr. (1929-1968) American clergyman, civil rights leader, social activist, preacher
Sermon, Passion Sunday, National Cathedral (31 Mar 1968)

Jefferson, Thomas -- Letter (1825-02-21) to Thomas Jefferson Smith, “A Decalogue of Canons for Observation in Practical Life,” No. 2

Dave — Wed, 28 May 2014 12:05:05 +0000

Never trouble another for what you can do yourself.

Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826) American political philosopher, polymath, statesman, US President (1801-09)
Letter (1825-02-21) to Thomas Jefferson Smith, “A Decalogue of Canons for Observation in Practical Life,” No. 2
(Source)

Hoffer, Eric -- Passionate State of Mind, Aphorism 115 (1955)

Dave — Wed, 02 Apr 2014 12:36:11 +0000

The real “haves” are they who can acquire freedom, self-confidence, and even riches without depriving others of them. They acquire all of these by developing and applying their potentialities.
On the other hand, the real “have nots” are those who cannot have aught except by depriving others of it. They can feel free only by diminishing the freedom of others, self-confident by spreading fear and dependence among others, and rich by making others poor.

Eric Hoffer (1902-1983) American writer, philosopher, longshoreman
Passionate State of Mind, Aphorism 115 (1955)
(Source)

Johnson, Samuel -- The History of Rasselas, Prince of Abissinia, ch. 6 (1759)

Dave — Fri, 21 Feb 2014 17:06:20 +0000

All skill ought to be exerted for universal good; every man has owed much to others, and ought to repay the kindness that he has received.

Samuel Johnson (1709-1784) English writer, lexicographer, critic
The History of Rasselas, Prince of Abissinia, ch. 6 (1759)

Fuller, Thomas (1654) -- Introductio ad Prudentiam, Vol. 1, # 99 (1725)

Dave — Mon, 17 Feb 2014 14:46:18 +0000

Endeavor to make thy own Company pleasant to thee.

Thomas Fuller (1654-1734) English physician, preacher, aphorist, writer
Introductio ad Prudentiam, Vol. 1, # 99 (1725)
(Source)

Fitzgerald, F. Scott -- “The Rich Boy,” Part 1, Red Book (1926-01/02)

Dave — Thu, 03 Oct 2013 13:07:23 +0000

Let me tell you about the very rich. They are different from you and me. They possess and enjoy early, and it does something to them, makes them soft where we are hard, and cynical where we are trustful, in a way that, unless you were born rich, it is very difficult to understand. They think, deep in their hearts, that they are better than we are because we had to discover the compensations and refuges of life for ourselves.

F. Scott Fitzgerald (1896-1940) American writer [Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald]
“The Rich Boy,” Part 1, Red Book (1926-01/02)
(Source)

Reprinted in All the Sad Young Men (1926). Sometimes incorrectly cited to The Great Gatsby (1925).

Emerson, Ralph Waldo -- Journal (1846, undated)

Dave — Mon, 17 Jun 2013 20:53:46 +0000

It will not do to diminish personal responsibility: do not give money and teach the man to expect it. Do not give him a Bible, or a genius, to think for him.

Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882) American essayist, lecturer, poet
Journal (1846, undated)

Pratchett, Terry -- Discworld No. 21, Jingo [Jackson] (1997)

Dave — Thu, 26 Jul 2007 14:57:24 +0000

Give a man a fire and he’s warm for a day, but set fire to him and he’s warm the rest of his life.

Terry Pratchett (1948-2015) English author
Discworld No. 21, Jingo [Jackson] (1997)
(Source)

Variant: "Build a man a fire, and he'll be warm for a day. Set a man on fire, and he'll be warm for the rest of his life."

Byron, George Gordon, Lord -- Childe Harold’s Pilgrimage, Canto 2, st. 76 (1812)

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

Hereditary bondsmen! know ye not
Who would be free themselves must strike the blow?

George Gordon, Lord Byron (1788-1824) English poet
Childe Harold’s Pilgrimage, Canto 2, st. 76 (1812)
(Source)

Speaking of the Greeks, whose nation was still controlled by the Ottoman Empire. The lines were used by W. E. B. DuBois, along with a line from st. 74, as the epigraph of ch. 3 of The Souls of Black Folks (1903).