Famous Quotes
Here are just some of the quotes made by famous people throughout
history.
The truth that makes men free is for the most part the truth which
men prefer not to hear - Herbert Sebastian Agar.
Truth sits upon the lips of dying men - Matthew Arnold.
'Tis strange ~ but true; for truth is always strange;/ Stranger
than fiction: if it could be told,/ How much would novels gain by
the exchange! - Lord Byron.
It is an old maxim of mine that when you have excluded the impossible,
whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth - Arthur
Conan Doyle.
Ethical axioms are found and tested not very differently from the
axioms of science. Truth is what stands the test of experience -
Albert Einstein.
`Beauty is truth, truth beauty,' ~ that is all/ Ye know on earth,
and all ye need to know - John Keats.
It is one thing to show a man that he is in an error, and another
to put him in possession of truth - John Locke.
It is hard to believe that a man is telling the truth when you
know that you would lie if you were in his place - Henry Louis Mencken.
It takes two to speak the truth ~ one to speak, and another to
hear - Henry David Thoreau.
I believe that in the end the truth will conquer - John Wycliffe.
Quotes about Marriage
I married beneath me ~ all women do - Nancy Astor.
Happiness in marriage is entirely a matter of chance - Jane Austen.
Wives are young men's mistresses, companions for middle age, and
old men's nurses - Francis Bacon.
He was reputed one of the wise men, that made answer to the question,
when a man should marry? A young man not yet, an elder man not at
all - Francis Bacon.
The majority of husbands remind me of an orangutang trying to play
the violin - Honore de Balzac.
To have and to hold from this day forward, for better for worse,
for richer for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to
cherish, till death us do part - The Book of Common Prayer.
Marriage is distinctly and repeatedly excluded from heaven. Is
this because it is thought likely to mar the general felicity? -
Samuel Butler.
The most happy marriage I can picture or imagine to myself would
be the union of a deaf man to a blind woman. Samuel Taylor Coleridge.
Some by experience find those words mis-plac'd:/ At leisure marry'd,
they repent in haste - William Congreve.
Every woman should marry ~ and no man - Benjamin Disraeli.
His designs were strictly honourable, as the phrase is; that is,
to rob a lady of her fortune by way of marriage - Henry Fielding.
One fool at least in every married couple - Henry Fielding.
Then be not coy, but use your time;/ And while ye may, go marry:/
For having lost but once your prime,/ You may for ever tarry - Robert
Herrick.
Marriage has many pains, but celibacy has no pleasures - Samuel
Johnson.
Strange to say what delight we married people have to see these
poor fools decoyed into our condition - Samuel Pepys.
It doesn't much signify whom one marries, for one is sure to find
next morning that it was someone else - Samuel Rogers.
For a light wife doth make a heavy husband - William Shakespeare.
Many a good hanging prevents a bad marriage - William Shakespeare.
My definition of marriage:~.it resembles a pair of shears, so joined
that they cannot be separated; often moving in opposite directions,
yet always punishing anyone who comes between them - Sydney Smith.
Marriage is like life in this ~ that it is a field of battle, and
not a bed of roses - Robert Louis Stevenson.
This I set down as a positive truth. A woman with fair opportunities
and without a positive hump, may marry whom she likes - William
Makepeace Thackeray.
Marriage is the only adventure open to the cowardly - Voltaire.
Marriage is a great institition, but I'm not ready for an institution,
yet - Mae West.
Quotes about Music
Nothing is capable of being well set to music that is not nonsense
- Joseph Addison.
The English may not like music but they absolutely love the noise
it makes - Thomas Beecham.
Music has charms to soothe a savage breast. William Congreve.
Strange how potent cheap music is. Noel Coward.
Music is the arithmetic of sounds as optics is the geometry of
light. Claude Debussy.
There's sure no passion in the human soul,/ But finds its food
in music. George Lillo.
If music be the food of love, play on,/ Give me excess of it, that,
surfeiting,/ The appetite may sicken and so die. William Shakespeare.
Music that gentlier on the spirit lies,/ Than tir'd eyelids upon
tir'd eyes. Alfred, Lord Tennyson.
Quotes about International Politics
Never, never and never again shall it be that this beautiful land
will again experience the oppression of one by another and suffer
the indignity of being the skunk of the world. Nelson Mandela inaugural
speech as president of South Africa, May 1994.
It is a regime of infamy and it should be isolated. This is going
to be the worst and most brutal regime that Nigeria ever had. This
regime is prepared to kill, torture, and make opponents disappear.
Wole Soyinka Nigerian writer, on Nigeria's new military dictatorship,
Nov 1993
We spy on each other, we did nasty things to each other, and what
is the final result? We are going to be partners together; that
is the ultimate march of history. Oleg Kalugin former KGB chief,
when asked if spying was a waste of time, Nov 1993.
The espionage business, as carried out by the CIA, was and is a
self-serving sham, carried out by careerist bureaucrats who have
managed to deceive several generations of American policymakers
and the public about both the necessity and the value of their work.
Aldrich Ames US double agent, testimony in court, April 1994.
The PLO recognizes the right of the State of Israel to exist in
peace and security. Yassir Arafat leader of PLO, signing peace agreement
with Israel, Sept 1993.
The government of Israel has decided to recognize the PLO as the
representative of the Palestinian people. Yitzhak Rabin Israeli
prime minister, signing peace agreement with PLO, Sept 1993.
I don't really fill my mind much with what one set of foreigners
is doing to another. Alan Clark former UK defence minister, when
asked about Indonesia's continued occupation of East Timor, Feb
1994.
The Lega [Nord] must be like an army at war: desertions are not
permitted; whoever manoeuvres in the underworld of other parties
will be unmasked and hunted down without mercy. Umberto Bossi Italian
politician, on the policy of his party, The Northern League, Nov
1993.
Mussolini's regime offers valid pointers not only for today but
for tomorrow. Giuseppe Rauti Italian neofascist politician, speech
as candidate for the European Parliament, June 1994.
Let everyone think we are a bunch of disorganized lunatics. It
works in our favour. Nikola Koljevic Bosnian Serb official, on discord
in the Serb camp, Aug 1993.
Mayer, Louis B(urt) (1885-1957) Russian-born US film producer.
With Samuel Goldwyn he founded Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, which perpetuated
the star system in Hollywood.
The number one book of the ages was written by a committee, and
it was called The Bible. Comment to writers who had objected to
changes in their work The Filmgoer's Book of Quotes (Leslie Halliwell)
Quotes about Media and Communications
You cannot make a pair of croak-voiced Daleks appear benevolent
even if you dress one of them in an Armani suit and call the other
Marmaduke. Dennis Potter , English dramatist, on the BBC management,
Aug 1993.
If it falls to me to start a fight to cut out the cancer of bent
and twisted journalism with the simple sword of truth and the trusty
shield of British fair play, so be it. Jonathan Aitken chief secretary
to the Treasury, April 1995.
It's a loving criticism based on a deep commitment that freedom
of the press is at the core of our liberties. Newt Gingrich speaker
of US Congress, denouncing `most' US editors and editorial writers
as `socialist purveyors of poisonous cynicism', May 1995.
This company will not tolerate its papers bringing into disrepute
the best practices of popular journalism. Rupert Murdoch media proprietor,
rebuking one of his editors, May 1995.
No one in their right mind would want any more organs of opinion
owned by News International. David Mellor former Conservative minister,
Aug 1994.
They want to show the world that they are open societies, but whenever
they have a spare minute they go out and kill a newspaper. Kresimir
Fijacko editor of Croatian newspaper Vjesnik , on Croat and Serb
clampdown on the independent press, Jan 1995.
If Index on Censorship seeks to influence governments in favour
of freedom of expression, then they can't advertise on British radio
or television. Radio Authority spokesperson Aug 1994.
We will have to find out what the difference is between Mr Blair
and Mr Major before we make that decision. Rupert Murdoch media
proprietor, asked which party his newspapers would support before
the next general election, May 1995.
A senior politician is only ever a sound bite away from destruction.
David Mellor former Conservative minister, Oct 1994.
Hannah Arendt talked about the banality of evil. But what about
the evil of banality? America preaches values, but it is value-free.
You can't tell these days what's trivial and what's serious. Studs
Terkel US writer, May 1995.
For the first time in our history, the weird and the stupid and
the coarse are becoming the cultural norm, even our cultural ideal.
Carl Bernstein US reporter, on US media, June 1995.
You want an example of a communication system that doesn't charge
for transport? The English language. Bruce Sterling US cyberpunk
writer, Aug 1994.
`Female empowerment' is such vague terminology that I doubt it
exists in any language but English. Our translation of it doesn't
mean much either, so I guess it's accurate. Mika Kusmenko United
Nations linguist, on translating into Russian the report of the
international conference on population, Sept 1994.
Europeans must be the designers, suppliers, creators of content,
repairers, and financiers of the information society - and not the
hitch-hikers lost on the information highway. Jacques Santer president
of the European Commission, Feb 1995.
Tired as I am with all the hype about the Internet and the info
highway, I suspect that from a future perspective it will be on
a par with the invention of the city as a force in human culture.
William Gibson US novelist, May 1995.
Quotes about Arts and Entertainment
It is always good to remember that people find it easier to name
ten artists from any century than ten politicians. John Heath-Stubbs
British poet, July 1993.
If Shakespeare came back to life, what would he do? I'm certain
he'd withdraw the play [ The Merchant of Venice ]. David Thacker
British theatre director, April 1994.
Writing is turning one's worst moments into money. J P Donleavy
US-born Irish writer, Dec 1993.
I would rather be cut off at the knees than be perceived as selling
myself. Morrissey English rock singer and songwriter, April 1994.
Suicide is just a ceremony. Sometimes art forms, just like religion,
require sacrifice. Chen Kaige Chinese film director, on his film
Farewell, My Concubine , Jan 1994.
If drama shows people dealing nobly with their misery, it disenfranchises
those watching who cannot cope like that. Juliet Stevenson British
actress, May 1994.
Sometimes I write because it is lucrative to do so, other times
I write for an intelligent readership. Edwina Currie English Conservative
politician and novelist, Jan 1994.
If art reflects life, then we were serious. And then, when we weren't
going to be as serious, we didn't realize how serious everyone else
was. It's very serious out there. And we're laughing at it. There's
something wrong. Adam Clayton of Irish rock group U2, Aug 1993.
I could not remain in a country that so scorns its people that
it would deny them music. Peter Maxwell Davies English composer,
Nov 1993.
I don't think I'm particularly awkward. It just seems to me that
everybody else is awkward. Elvis Costello English rock singer and
songwriter, March 1994.
I won't be photographed. They only push a button. Henri Cartier-Bresson
French photographer, July 1993.
If God is a subject of art, then the Reichstag can be. I cannot
believe any politician can think the Reichstag more important than
God. Christo US artist, on receiving permission to wrap the parliament
building in Berlin as a temporary work of art, Feb 1994.
Writers often do not know what they are writing. A lot of the depth
of the book comes from what is going on underground without his
[the author's] knowledge. V S Naipaul Trinidadian novelist, Aug
1993.
I've got no right to say to anyone you should read Aeschylus and
not Joan Collins ... No right but a despotic, unarguable, Neronian
conviction. George Steiner US academic, Feb 1994
Madonna has mentioned that I was important to her, and that's very
satisfying. However, a cheque would have been better. Deborah Harry
US pop singer, Sept 1993.
In England, they have made pop music legendary, but they hold it
in contempt. Bono Vox of Irish rock group U2, Aug 1993.
All these scripts, certainly in Hollywood, are essentially exactly
the same, only now you're a doctor or a surgeon or a psychiatrist,
but you turn out to be a) stupid; b) in love with whoever the actual
hero is; and c) for some reason or another you have to get into
a tight dress. Emma Thompson English actress, on commercial film
roles for women, Aug 1993.
In Hollywood they don't feel guilt. Agnieszka Holland Polish film
director, Oct 1993.
Everybody knows I didn't shoot a man in Reno just to watch him
die, but a lot of people like to hear that. It's a fun thing with
me. Johnny Cash US country singer, June 1994.
We want to make you feel what it was like to be a slave. Walt Disney
Company vice president addressing press conference about new theme
park, Disney's America, Jan 1994.
This is not like releasing a movie. It is like conducting a military
campaign. Robert Mitchell UK marketing director for Walt Disney,
on the release of the animated cartoon film Aladdin and related
merchandise, Dec 1993.
He [Woody Allen] responds to me the way he always responded to
me, which is like I'm a complete idiot. Diane Keaton US actress,
on working again with her former partner Woody Allen in Manhattan
Murder Mystery , 1993.
People wanted to make us heroes, so that then, if we agreed to
that job, they could throw stones at us, telling us we were preaching
at them. But if we don't preach at them, they throw stones at us
anyway. So it's all a waste of time. Bono Vox Aug 1993.
If you can't make a record that means more to a kid than a computer
game, then that record deserves to die. Brett Anderson front person
of British pop group Suede, Dec 1993.
Sometimes I feel as if I should have to punch a time clock before
I walk out on stage. ... It's not fun for me any more. I can't live
this life. Kurt Cobain singer and songwriter of US rock group Nirvana,
suicide note, April 1994.
My father thought that Dickens would uncover the mysteries of English
life. Instead I grew up thinking everyone had funny names. Anita
Brookner English writer, June 1994.
In terms of conceptual art, the sheep had already made its statement.
Damien Hirst British artist, on the vandalization of his preserved-sheep
work, Aug 1994.
My greatest fear for a vision of the theatre in the year 2000 would
be an elongated panto season followed by two or three shows featuring
sitcom stars in classics of their choice. Richard Eyre director
of Britain's National Theatre, March 1995.
It is highly appropriate that he is remembered with a window. He
is neither in nor out. Merlin Holland grandson of Irish writer Oscar
Wilde, on Wilde's new memorial in Westminster Abbey, London, Feb
1995.
I am convinced that in a short time, Realism as a basic movement
in painting will return and dominate the world. These little squares
and little circles, they get boring. Yuri Luzhkov mayor of Russia,
opening a Moscow art institute, Dec 1994.
It's absolutely necessary for a director to be patient. But I'm
not a patient person and I don't want to pretend any more. Krysztof
Kieslowski Polish director on giving up the cinema, Oct 1994.
On her third viewing she was quite taken by it. Oliver Stone on
his mother's reaction to his controversial film Natural Born Killers
, Feb 1995.
I want to be the Margaret Rutherford of my generation. Sigourney
Weaver US film actress, April 1995.
They're revolting people as a rule. They are dreadfully dressed,
unpleasant people who don't pay for their drinks, and then all the
girls fall for them. Auberon Waugh English editor, on poets, presenting
the Whitbread prize for poetry to James Fenton, Nov 1994.
Writing is easy and comes easily. I take no notice of whether it's
going well or going badly. I carry on regardless because there's
nothing I'd rather do. I love it. And if there's a load of housework
to be done, well, I just write all the more. Jane Smiley US novelist,
May 1995.
Punk was perhaps the last bohemian movement of all time. I am afraid
that bohemians will eventually come to be seen as a by-product of
the industrial civilization. Bohemians are the subconscious of industrial
society. William Gibson US novelist, June 1995.
Elvis landing a UFO on top of the Loch Ness monster. Ladbroke bookmakers
on the likelihood of winning the National Lottery, May 1995.
Naomi [Campbell]'s very much the author but Caroline [Upcher] is
the writer. That's fair. You can't expect Naomi to produce a novel
straight off on her own. Chris Owen British literary agent, on supermodel's
debut novel, Sept 1994.
Is anybody really going to be better off going on about this damn
comedy show than reading War and Peace again? John Cleese English
actor, on the 25th anniversary of Monty Python's Flying Circus,
Oct 1994.
We were trying to pitch studios and producers by saying we could
make this movie cheap, a million or a million point five. They didn't
want to know. Then someone tipped us off to Hollywood rules, and
we went back in and said we wanted $20 million, maybe more, and
they perked up and got interested. William Gibson US novelist, on
getting the backing for his film Johnny Mnemonic , May 1995.
Transport - Quotes 1992-95
We do not think this is the longest delay in BR history. British
Rail spokesperson on the arrival seven hours late of a train from
Wolverhampton to Euston, March 1995.
You have your own company, your own temperature control, your own
music, and don't have to put up with dreadful human beings sitting
alongside you. Steven Norris minister for public transport, explaining
to House of Commons select committee on environment why people use
private cars in city centres, Feb 1995.
If a mistake is made, then so be it. Railtrack manager on inexperienced
supervisors staffing signal boxes during the rail strike, Aug 1994.
I have never been a great investor in transport. I'm an oil man.
I would put money into an oil rig or a butcher's shop. Bob Reid
chair of British Rail, asked whether he would invest in the rail-privatization
programme, March 1995.
Welles, Orson (1915-85) US film actor, director, and writer. He
established his film reputation with Citizen Kane (1941), which
he followed with The Magnificent Ambersons (1942). He featured,
as an actor, in the title role of The Third Man (1949).
1 In Italy for thirty years under the Borgias they had warfare,
terror, murder, bloodshed - they produced Michelangelo, Leonardo
da Vinci and the Renaissance. In Switzerland they had brotherly
love, five hundred years of democracy and peace, and what did they
produce...? The cuckoo clock. The Third Man
2 I started at the top and worked my way down. The Filmgoer's Book
of Quotes (Leslie Halliwell)
3 There are only two emotions in a plane: boredom and terror. The
Observer , `Sayings of the Week', 12 May 1985
4 I would just like to mention Robert Houdin who in the eighteenth
century invented the vanishing bird-cage trick and the theater matinee
- may he rot and perish. Good afternoon. Addressing the audience
at the end of a matinee performance Great Theatrical Disasters (G.
Brandreth)
West, Mae (1892-1980) US actress, sex symbol, and comedienne. She
made her reputation in the theatre with Diamond Lil (1928). Her
films included She Done Him Wrong (1933) and I'm No Angel (1933).
Quotations about West
1 In a non-permissive age, she made remarkable inroads against
the taboos of her day, and did so without even lowering her neckline.
Leslie Halliwell (1929- ) British journalist and author. The Filmgoer's
Book of Quotes
2 She stole everything but the cameras. George Raft (1895-1980)
US actor. Attrib. Quotations by West
3 A man in the house is worth two in the street. Belle of the Nineties
, film 1934
4 My goodness those diamonds are lovely! Goodness had nothing whatever
to do with it. Used in 1959 as the title of the first volume of
her autobiography Diamond Lil , film 1932
5 I have a lot of respect for that dame. There's one lady barber
that made good. Referring to Delilah Going to Town , film 1934
6 Beulah, peel me a grape. I'm No Angel , film 1933
7 A gold rush is what happens when a line of chorus girls spot
a man with a bank roll. Klondike Annie , film 1936
8 I always did like a man in uniform. And that one fits you grand.
Why don't you come up sometime and see me?
Einstein's objection to the quantum theory, in which physical events
can only be known in terms of probabilities. It is sometimes quoted
as `God does not play dice with the Universe'. Albert Einstein,
Creator and Rebel (B. Hoffman), Ch. 10
8 When you are courting a nice girl an hour seems like a second.
When you sit on a red-hot cinder a second seems like an hour. That's
relativity. News Chronicle, 14 Mar 1949
9 If only I had known, I should have become a watchmaker. Reflecting
on his role in the development of the atom bomb New Statesman ,
16 Apr 1965
10 Common sense is the collection of prejudices acquired by age
eighteen. Scientific American , Feb 1976
11 A theory can be proved by experiment; but no path leads from
experiment to the birth of a theory. The Sunday Times , 18 July
1976
12 As far as the laws of mathematics refer to reality, they are
not certain, and as far as they are certain, they do not refer to
reality. The Tao of Physics (F. Capra), Ch. 2
13 I never think of the future. It comes soon enough. Interview,
1930
Quotations by Franklin
3 Remember that time is money. Advice to a Young Tradesman
4 No nation was ever ruined by trade. Essays , `Thoughts on Commercial
Subjects'
5 A little neglect may breed mischief,...for want of a nail, the
shoe was lost; for want of a shoe the horse was lost; and for want
of a horse the rider was lost. Poor Richard's Almanac . Preface
6 Some are weather-wise, some are otherwise. Poor Richard's Almanac
7 Three may keep a secret, if two of them are dead. Poor Richard's
Almanac
8 At twenty years of age, the will reigns; at thirty, the wit;
and at forty, the judgement. Poor Richard's Almanac
9 Dost thou love life? Then do not squander time, for that's the
stuff life is made of. Poor Richard's Almanac
10 Many a long dispute among divines may be thus abridged: It is
so. It is not so. It is so. It is not so. Poor Richard's Almanac
11 What is the use of a new-born child? Response when asked the
same question of a new invention Life and Times of Benjamin Franklin
(J. Parton), Pt. IV
12 Man is a tool-making animal. Life of Johnson (J. Boswell), 7
Apr 1778
13 A lonesome man on a rainy day who does not know how to read.
On being asked what condition of man he considered the most pitiable
Wit, Wisdom, and Foibles of the Great (C. Shriner)
14 Here Skugg Lies snug As a bug In a rug. An epitaph for a squirrel,
`skug' being a dialect name for the animal Letter to Georgiana Shipley,
26 Sept 1772
15 We must indeed all hang together, or most assuredly, we shall
all hang separately. Remark on signing the Declaration of Independence,
4 July 1776
16 There never was a good war or a bad peace. Letter to Josiah
Quincy, 11 Sept 1783
17 In this world nothing can be said to be certain but death and
taxes. Letter to Jean-Baptiste Leroy, 13 Nov 1789
18 The body of Benjamin Franklin, printer, (Like the cover of an
old book, Its contents worn out, And stript of its lettering and
gilding) Lies here, food for worms! Yet the work itself shall not
be lost, For it will, as he believed, appear once more In a new
And more beautiful edition, Corrected and amended By its Author!
Suggestion for his own epitaph Quotations by Leonardo da Vinci 5
A man with wings large enough and duly attached might learn to overcome
the resistance of the air, and conquering it succeed in subjugating
it and raise himself upon it. Flight of Birds 6 While I thought
that I was learning how to live, I have been learning how to die.
Quotations by Nixon 3 There can be no whitewash at the White House.
Referring to the Watergate scandal The Observer , `Sayings of the
Week', 30 Apr 1973 4 I let down my friends, I let down my country.
I let down our system of government. The Observer , `Sayings of
the Week', 8 May 1977
5 You won't have Nixon to kick around any more, gentlemen. This
is my last Press Conference. Press conference for governorship of
California, 2 Nov 1962
6 Let us begin by committing ourselves to the truth, to see it
like it is and to tell it like it is, to find the truth, to speak
the truth and live with the truth. That's what we'll do. Nomination
acceptance speech, Miami, 8 Aug 1968
7 It is time for the great silent majority of Americans to stand
up and be counted. Election speech, Oct 1970
8 This is the greatest week in the history of the world since the
creation. Said when men first landed on the moon Attrib., 24 July
1969
10 I am not a crook. Attrib., 17 Nov 1973
Quotations by Reagan
5 Please assure me that you are all Republicans! Addressing the
surgeons on being wheeled into the operating theatre for an emergency
operation after an assassination attempt Presidential Anecdotes
(P. Boller)
6 No one can kill Americans and brag about it. No one. The Observer
, `Sayings of the Week', 27 Apr 1986
7 You know, by the time you reach my age, you've made plenty of
mistakes if you've lived your life properly. The Observer , `Sayings
of the Week', 8 Mar 1987
8 I used to say that politics was the second lowest profession
and I have come to know that it bears a great similarity to the
first. The Observer , 13 May 1979
9 Honey, I forgot to duck. Said to his wife, Nancy, after an assassination
attempt by John Hinckley III, 30 Mar 1981 The Sunday Times , 3 Dec
1989
10 They say hard work never hurt anybody, but I figure why take
the chance. Attrib.
Quotations by Twain
3 There was things which he stretched, but mainly he told the truth.
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn , Ch. 1
4 There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics.
Autobiography
5 Soap and education are not as sudden as a massacre, but they
are more deadly in the long run. A Curious Dream `The Facts concerning
the Recent Resignation'
6 It takes your enemy and your friend, working together, to hurt
you to the heart; the one to slander you and the other to get the
news to you. Following the Equator, Ch. 45
7 It is by the goodness of God that in our country we have those
three unspeakably precious things: freedom of speech, freedom of
conscience, and the prudence never to practise either of them. Following
the Equator , heading of Ch. 20
8 Man is the only animal that blushes. Or needs to. Following the
Equator , heading of Ch. 27
9 I must have a prodigious quantity of mind; it takes me as much
as a week, sometimes, to make it up. The Innocents Abroad , Ch.
7
10 They spell it Vinci and pronounce it Vinchy; foreigners always
spell better than they pronounce. The Innocents Abroad , Ch. 19
11 The radical invents the views. When he has worn them out, the
conservative adopts them. Notebooks
12 Familiarity breeds contempt - and children. Notebooks
13 When people do not respect us we are sharply offended; yet deep
down in his heart no man much respects himself. Notebooks
14 Good breeding consists in concealing how much we think of ourselves
and how little we think of other persons. Notebooks
15 Adam was but human - this explains it all. He did not want the
apple for the apple's sake, he wanted it only because it was forbidden.
Pudd'nhead Wilson's , Ch. 2
16 There ain't no way to find out why a snorer can't hear himself
snore. Tom Sawyer Abroad , Ch. 10
17 Something that everybody wants to have read and nobody wants
to read. Definition of a classic of literature Speech at Nineteenth
Century Club, New York, 20 Nov 1900
18 Reports of my death are greatly exaggerated. On learning that
his obituary had been published in the New Journal . Cable to the
Associated Press
20 Scarce, sir. Mighty scarce. Responding to the question `In
a world without women what would men become?' Attrib.
21 To cease smoking is the easiest thing I ever did. I ought to
know because I've done it a thousand times. Referring to giving
up smoking. Attrib.
