“There may now exist great men for things that do not exist.” — Samuel Burckhardt
Quotations
More Morals
Maxims of François VI, Duc de La Rochefoucauld (1613–1680):
- “We commonly slander more thro’ Vanity than Malice.”
- “We have more Laziness in our Minds than in our Bodies.”
- “There are few People but what are ashamed of their Amours when the Fit is over.”
- “We should not judge of a Man’s Merit by his great Qualities, but by the Use he makes of them.”
- “He who is pleased with Nobody, is much more unhappy than he with whom Nobody is pleased.”
- “There are some disguised Falsehoods so like Truths, that ‘twould be to judge ill not to be deceived by them.”
- “Men sometimes think they hate Flattery, but they hate only the Manner of Flattering.”
- “Acquired Honor is Surety for more.”
- “Innocence don’t find near so much Protection as Guilt.”
- “‘Tis our own Vanity that makes the Vanity of others intolerable.”
- “‘Tis a common Fault to be never satisfied with ones Fortune, nor dissatisfied with ones Understanding.”
- “Envy is more irreconcilable than Hatred.”
- “‘Tis better to employ our Understanding, in bearing the Misfortunes that do befall us, than in foreseeing those that may.”
- “A good Head finds less Trouble in submitting to a wrong Head than in conducting it.”
- “Folly attends us close thro’ our whole Lives; and if anyone seems wise, ’tis merely because his Follies are proportionate to his Age, and Fortune.”
And “As ’tis the Characteristic of a great Genius to say much in a few Words, small Geniuses have on the contrary the Gift of speaking much and saying nothing.”
One Way
“‘Tis further from London to Highgate than from Highgate to London.” — James Howell, Proverbs, 1659
In his 1991 Dictionary of Scientific Quotations, Alan L. Mackay calls this “an example of a non-commutative metric.” Highgate is at the top of a hill.
Unquote
“Every honest researcher I know admits he’s just a professional amateur. He’s doing whatever he’s doing for the first time. That makes him an amateur. He has enough sense to know that he’s going to have a lot of trouble, so that makes him a professional.” — Charles F. Kettering
Unquote
“Everybody wants to be somebody; nobody wants to grow.” — Goethe
Misc
- ZZ Top’s first album is called ZZ Top’s First Album.
- Supreme Court justice Byron White was the NFL’s top rusher in 1940.
- LOVE ME TENDER is an anagram of DENVER OMELET.
- Every palindromic number with an even number of digits is divisible by 11.
- “In great attempts it is glorious even to fail.” — Cassius
From English antiquary John Aubrey’s 1696 Miscellanies: “Anno 1670, not far from Cyrencester, was an Apparition; Being demanded, whether a good Spirit or a bad? Returned no answer, but departed with a curious Perfume and a most melodious Twang.”
Unquote
“In questions of science, the authority of a thousand is not worth the humble reasoning of a single individual.” — Galileo
Misc
- Consecutive U.S. presidents Grant, Hayes, and Garfield were all born in Ohio and served as Civil War generals.
- Travel due south from Buffalo and you’ll reach the Pacific Ocean.
- Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr. shook hands with both John Quincy Adams and John F. Kennedy.
- This false statement is not self-referential.
- “When you have no basis for an argument, abuse the plaintiff.” — Cicero
In the 2004 film Shark Tale, the shark Lenny coughs up several items onto a table. Among them is a Louisiana license plate, number 007 0 981. The same plate is retrieved from sharks in both Jaws and Deep Blue Sea.
Unquote
“Mercy to the guilty is cruelty to the innocent.” — Adam Smith
Unquote
“I love criticism just so long as it’s unqualified praise.” — Noël Coward