WIST Quotations

Schiller, Friedrich -- Wilhelm Tell (1804)

Dave — Tue, 05 Jul 2016 21:46:26 +0000

He that is overcautious will accomplish nothing.

[Wer gar zu viel bedenkt, wird wenig leisten.]

Friedrich Schiller (1759–1805) German poet, playwright, critic [Johann Christoph Friedrich von Schiller]
Wilhelm Tell (1804)

Rilke, Rainer Maria -- Letter (1907-01-01) to Clara Rilke

Dave — Thu, 31 Dec 2015 17:08:17 +0000

And now let us believe in a long year that is given to us, new, untouched, full of things that have never been, full of work that has never been done, full of tasks, claims, and demands; and let us see that we learn to take it without letting fall too much of what it has to bestow upon those who demand of it necessary, serious, and great things.

Rainer Maria Rilke (1875–1963) German poet
Letter (1907-01-01) to Clara Rilke

Usually paraphrased: "And now we welcome the new year. Full of things that have never been."

Byron, George Gordon, Lord -- Marino Faliero, Doge of Venice, Act 1, sc. 1 [Doge] (1821)

Dave — Wed, 18 Mar 2015 15:44:06 +0000

You have deeply ventured;
But all must do so who would greatly win.

George Gordon, Lord Byron (1788–1824) English poet
Marino Faliero, Doge of Venice, Act 1, sc. 1 [Doge] (1821)

Virgil -- Georgics [Georgica], Book 1, l. 40ff (1.40) (29 BC) [tr. Rhoades (1881)]

Dave — Mon, 05 Nov 2012 14:39:52 +0000

Smile on this
My bold endeavour.

[Audacibus annue coeptis]

Virgil (70–19 BC) Roman poet [b. Publius Vergilius Maro; also Vergil]
Georgics [Georgica], Book 1, l. 40ff (1.40) (29 BC) [tr. Rhoades (1881)]

Calling on (now declared divine) Augustus Caesar to bless his poetry. This line, and a similar one in Virgil's Aeneid (9.625), inspired the phrase "Annuit cœptis" ("He [God] has favored our undertakings") on the reverse of the Great Seal of the United States.

(Source (Latin)). Other translations:

Aid my bold design.
[tr. Ogilby (1649)]

To my bold Endeavours add thy Force.
[tr. Dryden (1709), l. 60]

Aid my bold design.
[tr. Nevile (1767), l. 50]

Favour my adventurous enterprise.
[tr. Davidson (1854)]

Bid my gallant enterprise succeed.
[tr. Blackmore (1871)]

Favor my bold emprise.
[tr. Wilkins (1873)]

Our bold endeavor bless.
[tr. King (1882)]

Favor my adventurous enterprise.
[tr. Bryce (1897)]

Favour my bold endeavour.
[tr. Mackail (1899)]

Smile on this
My bold endeavour.
[tr. Greenough (1900)]

O smile upon this my bold emprise!
[tr. Way (1912)]

Give assent to my bold emprise.
[tr. Fairclough (Loeb) (1916)]

Be gracious to this my bold design.
[tr. Day-Lewis (1940)]

Condone this enterprise
Of bold experiment.
[tr. Bovie (1956)]

I hope for an easy passage in this bold venture.
[tr. Slavitt (1971)]

Assent to bold undertakings.
[tr. Miles (1980)]

Smile on my enterprise.
[tr. Wilkinson (1982)]

Agree to my bold beginning.
[tr. Kline (2001)]

Assent to this work boldly begun.
[tr. Lembke (2004)]

Bless the boldness of this undertaking.
[tr. Fallon (2006)]

Approve my bold endeavour.
[tr. Johnson (2009)]

Grant me the right to enter upon this bold
Adventure of mine.
[tr. Ferry (2015)]

Look with favor upon a bold beginning.
[Bartlett's]

Shakespeare, William -- Julius Caesar, Act 4, sc. 3, l. 249ff (4.3.249-255) (1599)

Dave — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 13:43:51 +0000

BRUTUS: There is a tide in the affairs of men
Which, taken at the flood, leads on to fortune;
Omitted, all the voyage of their life
Is bound in shallows and in miseries.
On such a full sea are we now afloat,
And we must take the current when it serves
Or lose our ventures.

William Shakespeare (1564–1616) English dramatist and poet
Julius Caesar, Act 4, sc. 3, l. 249ff (4.3.249-255) (1599)

Heywood, John -- Proverbes, Part 1, ch. 11 (1564)

Dave — Mon, 27 Apr 2009 18:04:58 +0000

Nought venter nought have.

John Heywood (1497?-1580?) English playwright and epigrammist
Proverbes, Part 1, ch. 11 (1564)

More commonly rendered, "Nothing ventured, nothing gained."

Quillen, Robert -- “Editorial Epigrams,” The Evening Repository (Canton, OH) (27 Mar 1924)

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

Progress always involves risk. You can’t steal second base and keep one foot on first base.

Robert Quillen (1887–1948) American journalist and humorist
“Editorial Epigrams,” The Evening Repository (Canton, OH) (27 Mar 1924)

Also noted by him in the column "Corks and Curls," Herald-Journal (Spartanburg, SC) (11 Aug 1927): "Every big venture involves some risks. You can’t steal second and keep one foot on first."

This quotation is frequently attributed to Frederick B. Wilcox, who was the editor of A Little Book of Aphorisms (1947) where this was included, uncited.

More discussion about this quotation: The Big Apple: “You can’t steal second base while your foot is on first base”.

Keller, Helen -- “Optimism” (1903)

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

No pessimist ever discovered the secrets of stars, or sailed to an uncharted land, or opened a new Heaven to the human spirit.

Helen Keller (1880–1968) American author and lecturer
“Optimism” (1903)

Shedd, John A. -- Salt from My Attic (1928)

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

A ship in harbor is safe, but that is not what ships are built for.

John Augustus Shedd (1859–1928) American writer, educator
Salt from My Attic (1928)

"Ships in harbor are safe, but that is not what ships are built for."
"A ship in port is safe. But that’s not what ships were built for." (used by Grace Hopper)
"A ship is always safe at shore, but that is not what it is built for." (frequently misattributed to Albert Einstein)

More information on this quotation here. Sometimes (mis)attributed to William Greenough Thayer Shedd.

Drexler, Rosalyn -- See How She Runs (1978)

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

If you are never scared or embarrassed or hurt, it means you never take chances.

Rosalyn Drexler (b. 1926) American visual artist, novelist, playwright, screenwriter [pseud. Julia Sorel]
See How She Runs (1978)

Based on the screenplay by Marvin Gluck. As Julia Sorrel (sometimes attrib. "Julia Soul").