A

 

As a confirmed melancholic, I can testify that the best and maybe only antidote for melancholia is action. However, like most melancholics, I suffer also from sloth.

Edward Abbey (1927-1989) American anarchist, writer, environmentalist

 

Anarchism is founded on the observation that since few men are wise enough to rule themselves, even fewer are wise enough to rule others.

Edward Abbey (1927-1989) American anarchist, writer, environmentalist

 

If I have not seen as far as others, it is because giants were standing on my shoulders.

Hal Abelson

 

In life as in dance: Grace glides on blistered feet.

Alice Abrams

 

They’ve got us surrounded again, the poor bastards.
Lieutenant Colonel Creighton Abrams, Bastogne, 1944

 

Our struggle today is not to have a female Einstein get appointed as an assistant professor. It is for a woman schlemiel to get as quickly promoted as a male schlemiel.

Bella Abzug (1920-1998) American politician

 

I don't want to get to the end of my life and find that I lived just the length of it. I want to have lived the width of it as well.

Diane Ackerman (b. 1948) American poet, non-fiction writer Newsweek (22 Sep. 1986)

 

It began in mystery, and it will end in mystery, but what a savage and beautiful country lies in between.

Diane Ackerman (b. 1948) American poet, non-fiction writer

 

When you blame others, you give up your power to change.

Douglas Adams (1952-2001) English writer

 

The major difference between a thing that might go wrong and a thing that cannot possibly go wrong is that when a thing that cannot possibly go wrong goes wrong it usually turns out to be impossible to get at and repair.

Douglas Adams (1952-2001) English writer Mostly Harmless (1992)

 

ZAPHOD BEEBLEBROX: Listen, three eyes... don’t you try to outweird me, I get stranger things than you free with my breakfast cereal.

Douglas Adams (1952-2001) English writer The Restaurant at the End of the Universe

 

    "You'd better be prepared for the jump into hyperspace. It's unpleasantly like being drunk."
    "What's so unpleasant about being drunk?"
    "Ask a glass of water."

Douglas Adams (1952-2001) English writer The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

 

It's no coincidence that in no known language does the phrase "As pretty as an airport" appear.

Douglas Adams (1952-2001) English writer The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul

 

For a moment, nothing happened. Then, after a second or so, nothing continued to happen.

Douglas Adams (1952-2001) English writer The Restaurant at the End of the Universe

 

Arthur hoped and prayed that there wasn't an afterlife. Then he realised there was a contradiction there and merely hoped that there wasn't an afterlife.
Douglas Adams (1952-2001) English writer Life, The Universe, And Everything

The world's a lot less scary when you're carrying a rocket launcher around with you.

Ernest Adams, "The Designer's Notebook", Gamasutra

 

I find that a great part of the information I have was acquired by looking up something and finding something else on the way.

Franklin Pierce Adams (1881-1960) American journalist and humorist "Nods and Becks"

 

A good deal of so-called atheism is itself, from my point of view, theologically significant. It is the working of God in history, and judgement upon the pious. An authentic prophet can and should be a radical critic of spurious piety, of sham spirituality.

James Luther Adams (1901-1994) American theologian Speech (Jan 1977)

 

To believe all men honest would be folly. To believe none so is something worse.

John Quincy Adams (1767-1848) US President (1825-29)

 

My toast would be, may our country be always successful, but whether successful or otherwise, always right.

John Quincy Adams (1767-1848) US President (1825-29) Letter to John Adams (1 Aug 1816)

 

When people say to me: "How do you do so many things?", I often answer them, without meaning to be cruel: "How do you do so little?" It seems to me that people have vast potential. Most people can do extraordinary things if they have the confidence or take risks. Yet most people don't. They sit in front of the telly and treat life as if it goes on forever.

Phillip Adams

 

   WALLY: Stupidity is like nuclear power; it can be used for good or evil.
   DILBERT: And you don't want to get any on you.

Scott Adams (b. 1957) American cartoonist Dilbert (11 Dec. 1995)

 

A man must be both stupid and uncharitable who believes there is no virtue or truth but on his own side.

Joseph Addison (1672-1719) English essayist, poet, statesman

 

Sir Roger told them, with an air of a man who would not give his judgement rashly, that much might be said on both sides.

Joseph Addison (1672-1719) English essayist, poet, statesman The Spectator, #122 (20 Jul. 1711)

 

It is always easier to fight for one's principles than to live up to them.

Alfred Adler (1870-1937) Austrian psychologist

Remark to friend (in Phyllis Bottome, _Alfred Adler: A Biography_, ch. 5, 1939) (1927)

 

The truth is often a terrible weapon of aggression. It is possible to lie, and even to murder with the truth.

Alfred Adler (1870-1937) Austrian psychologist The Problems of Neurosis, ch. 2 (1929)

 

It is not the oath that makes us believe the man, but the man the oath.

Aeschylus (525-456 BC) Greek dramatist Fragment 385

 

Don't worry about people stealing your ideas. If your ideas are any good, you'll have to ram them down people's throats.

Howard Aiken (1900-1973) American mathematician

 

Say not unto thyself, Behold, truth breedeth hatred, and I will avoid it; dissimulation raiseth friends, and I will follow it. Are not the enemies made by truth, better than the friends obtained by flattery?

Akhenaton (d. 1362 BC) King of Egypt (1379-62 BC), religious reformer [Amenhotep IV, Ikhn-aton]

 

Here's my Golden Rule for a tarnished age: be fair with others, but then keep after them until they're fair with you.

Alan Alda (b. 1936) American actor

 

It isn't necessary to be rich and famous to be happy. It's only necessary to be rich.

Alan Alda (b. 1936) American actor

 

There is not enough darkness in all the world to put out the light of even one small candle.

Robert Alden

 

   PERCHIK: Money is the world's curse.
   TEVYE: May the Lord smite me with it! And may I never recover!

Sholom Aleichem (1859-1916) Russian-Jewish humorist [pseud. for Sholem Rabinowitz]
Fiddler on the Roof (with Joseph Stein) (1971)

 

Fantasy is hardly an escape from reality. It’s a way of understanding it.

Lloyd Alexander, The Prydain Chronicles

 

The man who views the world at 50 the same as he did at 20 has wasted thirty years of his life.

Muhammed Ali (b. Cassius Clay, 1942) American boxer Playboy, Interview (Nov. 1975)

 

Only a man who knows what it is like to be defeated can reach down to the bottom of his soul and come up with the extra ounce of power it takes to win when the match is even.

Muhammed Ali (b. Cassius Clay, 1942) American boxer

 

Friendship is the hardest thing in the world to explain. It’s not something you learn in school. But if you haven’t learned the meaning of friendship, you really haven’t learned anything.

Muhammed Ali (b. Cassius Clay, 1942) American boxer

 

I think you should defend to the death their right to march, and then go down and meet them with baseball bats.

Woody Allen (b. 1935) American comedian, writer, director On the KKK Skokie march

 

I'm astounded by people who want to 'know' the universe when it's hard enough to find your way around Chinatown.

Woody Allen (b. 1935) American comedian, writer, director Getting Even (1978)

 

There are two types of people in this world, good and bad. The good sleep better, but the bad seem to enjoy the waking hours much more.

Woody Allen (b. 1935) American comedian, writer, director Side Effects (1989)

 

To YOU I'm an atheist; to God, I'm the Loyal Opposition.

Woody Allen (b. 1935) American comedian, writer, director Stardust Memories (1980)

 

If only God would give me some clear sign! Like making a large deposit in my name at the Swiss bank.

Woody Allen (b. 1935) American comedian, writer, director

Love is the answer, but while you’re waiting for the answer, sex raises some pretty good questions.

Woody Allen (b. 1935) American comedian, writer, director

 

Sex without love is an empty experience, but, as empty experiences go, it’s one of the best.

Woody Allen (b. 1935) American comedian, writer, director

 

I'd call him a sadistic, hippophilic necrophile, but that would be beating a dead horse.

Woody Allen (b. 1935) American comedian, writer, director What's up, Tiger Lily? (1966)

 

When the habitually even-tempered suddenly fly into a passion, that explosion is apt to be more impressive than the outburst of the most violent amongst us.

Margery Allingham Death of a Ghost, 1934

 

People who are aware of, and ashamed of, their prejudices are well on the road to eliminating them.

Gordon Allport (1897-1967) American psychology professor

 

I have this theory about sport, which was developed at the cost of much thought and drinking. The theory (which is mine) is this: All true sports can be seen an elaboration or combination of three primitive activities: fighting, racing, or accurately throwing something.

Rob St. Amant

 

Look around the table. If you don't see a sucker, get up, because you're the sucker.

Amarillo Slim (b. 1930) American professional gambler [Thomas Austin Preston]

 

They do greatly err who acknowledge that the flesh of man was taken on Himself by Christ, but deny that the affections of man were taken; and they contravene the purpose of the Lord Jesus Himself, since thus they take away from man what constitutes man, for man cannot be man without human affections.

St. Ambrose (339-397) Roman prelate, Bishop of Milan [Aurelius Ambrosius]

 

Women wish to be loved without a why or a wherefore; not because they are pretty, or good, or well-bred, or graceful, or intelligent, but because they are themselves.

Henri Frederic Amiel

 

To do easily what is difficult for others is the mark of talent. To do what is impossible for talent is the mark of genius.

Henri Frederic Amiel

 

I think NASCAR would be much more exciting if, like in a skating rink, every 15 minutes someone announced it was time to reverse direction.

Jeffrey T. Anbinder (b. 1969) American freelance writer

 

It was a joke, okay? If we thought it would actually be used, we wouldn't have written it!

Mark L. Andreessen (b. 1971) American Internet founder (on the creation of the BLINK tag in HTML)

 

The key to leadership is having people willing to follow you if only out of curiosity to see what's going to happen.

Mark L. Andreessen (b. 1971) American Internet founder

Fast Company, "Marc Andreessen, Act II," interview by George Anders (Feb. 2001)

 

If everything seems under control, you’re just not going fast enough.

Mario Andretti

 

Someone was hurt before you; wronged before you; beaten before you; humiliated before you; raped before you; yet, someone survived.

Maya Angelou

 

A diamond is the result of intense pressure. Less pressure is crystal, less than that is coal, less than thatis fossilized leaves or plain dirt. Pressure can change you into something quite precious, quite wonderful, quite beautiful, and extremely hard.
Maya Angelou

 

You have to decide at the end of the day if you can live with yourself.

Princess Anne (b. 1950) Princess Royal of England

 

The opposite of bravery is not cowardice, but conformity.

Robert Anthony (contemp.) American psychologist, author

 

Courage is simply the willingness to be afraid and act anyway.

Robert Anthony (contemp.) American psychologist, author Think, Think On and Think Again

 

Most people would rather be certain they're miserable, than risk being happy.

Robert Anthony (contemp.) American psychologist, author Think, Think On and Think Again

 

Sooner or later we all discover that the important moments in life are not the advertised ones, not the birthdays, the graduations, the weddings, not the great goals achieved. The real milestones are less prepossessing. They come to the door of memory unannounced, stray dogs that amble in, sniff around a bit and simply never leave. Our lives are measured by these.

Susan B. Anthony (1820-1906) American reformer

 

The religious persecution of the ages has been done under what was claimed to be the command of God. I distrust those people who know so well what God wants them to do, because I notice that it always coincides with their own desires.

Susan B. Anthony (1820-1906) American reformer Speech to National American Woman Suffrage Association (1896)

 

Guilt is a tempting trap for the unwary. It lets you feign responsibility while wallowing in ego.
Anthropos

I was a queen, and you took away my crown; a wife, and you killed my husband; a mother, and you deprived me of my children. My blood alone remains: take it, but do not make me suffer long.

Marie Antoinette (1755-1795) Austrian ruler

 

Come to the edge he said; We are afraid they said. Come to the edge he said; They came. He pushed them; and they flew.

Guillaume Appolinaire

 

The sad truth is that most evil is done by people who never make up their minds to be good or evil.

Hannah Arendt (1906-1975) American political scientist

 

The most radical revolutionary will become a conservative the day after the revolution.

Hannah Arendt (1906-1975) American political scientist New Yorker (12 Sep. 1970)

 

The trouble with Eichmann was precisely that so many were like him, and that the many were neither perverted nor sadistic, that they were, and still are, terribly and terrifyingly normal. From the viewpoint of our legal institutions and of our moral standards of judgment, this normality was much more terrifying than all the atrocities put together.

Hannah Arendt (1906-1975) American political scientist

 

Men of sense often learn from their enemies. It is from their foes, not their friends, that cities learn the lesson of building high walls and ships of war; and this lesson saves their children, their homes, and their properties.

Aristophanes (c.450-c.388 BC) Athenian comedic playwright

 

Wise people, even though all laws were abolished, would still live the same life.

Aristophanes (c.450-c.388 BC) Athenian comedic playwright

 

Dignity does not consist in possessing honors, but in deserving them.

Aristotle (384-322 BC) Greek philosopher

 

What is a friend? A single soul dwelling in two bodies.

Aristotle (384-322 BC) Greek philosopher

 

Humor is the only test of gravity, and gravity of humor; for a subject which will not bear raillery is suspicious, and a jest which will not bear serious examination is false wit.

Aristotle (384-322 BC) Greek philosopher

 

It is easy to fly into a passion--anybody can do that--but to be angry with the right person and at the right time and with the right object and in the right way--that is not easy, and it is not everyone who can do it.

Aristotle (384-322 BC) Greek philosopher

 

There is a foolish corner in the brain of the wisest man.

Aristotle (384-322 BC) Greek philosopher

 

The least initial deviation from the truth is multiplied later a thousandfold.

Aristotle (384-322 BC) Greek philosopher On the Heavens, Book I, ch. v

 

No excellent soul is exempt from a mixture of madness.
Aristotle (384-322 BC) Greek philosopher

 

Wit is educated insolence.
Aristotle (384-322 BC) Greek philosopher

 

There is no great genius without a touch of madness.

Aristotle (384-322 BC) Greek philosopher Problemata (quoted by Seneca the Younger)

 

The world isn't interested in the storms you encountered, but whether or not you brought in the ship.

Raul Armesto

 

If I were in the President's place I would not get a chance to resign. I would be lying in a pool of my own blood hearing Mrs. Armey standing over me saying, "How do I reload this damn thing?"

Dick Armey (b. 1940) US Representative (R-TX) Press Conference (15 Sep. 1998, re Bill Clinton)

 

People refer to 'the good ol' days', but I don't know what they're talking about. As someone who's battled cancer, if I lived more than 20 years ago, I'd be a dead man.

Lance Armstrong

 

I believe every human has a finite number of heartbeats. I don't intend to waste any of mine running around doing exercises.

Neil Armstrong (b. 1930) American astronaut

 

It suddenly struck me that that tiny pea, pretty and blue, was the Earth. I put up my thumb and shut one eye, and my thumb blotted out the planet Earth. I didn’t feel like a giant. I felt very, very small.

Neil Armstrong (b. 1930) American astronaut

 

In a world where we are forced to conform to society, it is necessary to have personal chaos.

Thomas Armstong

 

True heroism is remarkably sober, very undramatic. It is not the urge to surpass all others at whatever cost, but the urge to serve others at whatever cost.

Arthur Ashe (1943-1993) American athlete Speech

 

From my close observation of writers … they fall into two groups: 1) those who bleed copiously and visibly at any bad review, and 2) those who bleed copiously and secretly at any bad review.

Isaac Asimov (1920-1992) Russian-American writer

 

   The young specialist in English Lit, ... lectured me severely on the fact that in every century people have thought they understood the Universe at last, and in every century they were proved to be wrong. It follows that the one thing we can say about our modern "knowledge" is that it is wrong.
   ... My answer to him was, "... when people thought the Earth was flat, they were wrong. When people thought the Earth was spherical they were wrong. But if you think that thinking the Earth is spherical is just as wrong as thinking the Earth is flat, then your view is wronger than both of them put together."

Isaac Asimov (1920-1992) Russian-American writer "The Relativity of Wrong" (1996)

 

*Any* technological advance can be dangerous. Fire was dangerous from the start, and so (even more so) was speech -- and both are still dangerous to this day -- but human beings would not be human without them.

Isaac Asimov (1920-1992) Russian-American writer The Caves of Steel, Introduction (novel 1954, intro 1983)

 

Even as a youngster, though, I could not bring myself to believe that if knowledge presented danger, the solution was ignorance. To me, it always seemed that the solution had to be wisdom. You did not refuse to look at danger, rather you learned how to handle it safely.

Isaac Asimov (1920-1992) Russian-American writer The Caves of Steel, Introduction (novel 1954, intro 1983)

 

[John] Dalton’s records, carefully preserved for a century, were destroyed during the World War II bombing of Manchester. It is not only the living who are killed in war.

Isaac Asimov (1920-1992) Russian-American writer

 

Never let your sense of morals get in the way of doing what’s right.

Isaac Asimov (1920-1992) Russian-American writer The Caves of Steel, Introduction (novel 1954, intro 1983)

 

It is forbidden to descry other sects; the true believer gives honor to whatever in them is worthy of honor.

Asoka (c. 269-232 BC) Indian Buddhist emperor Edict

 

One reason I don't drink is that I want to know when I'm having a good time.
Nancy Astor

 

I have no objections to churches so long as they do not interfere with God's work.

Brooks Atkinson (1894-1984) American drama critic and journalist

 

She even had a kind of special position among men: she was an exception, she fitted none of the categories they commonly used when talking about girls; she wasn’t a cock-teaser, a cold fish, an easy lay or a sneaky bitch; she was an honorary person. She had grown to share their contempt for most women.

Margaret Atwood

 

We are all here on earth to help others; what on earth the others are here for I don't know.

W. H. Auden (1907-1973) American poet The Dyer's Hand, and Other Essays (1968)

 

Christ did not enchant men; He demanded that they believe in Him: except on one occasion, the Transfiguration. For a brief while, Peter, James, and John were permitted to see Him in His glory. For that brief while they had no need of faith. The vision vanished, and the memory of it did not prevent them from all forsaking Him when He was arrested, or Peter from denying that he had ever known Him.

W. H. Auden (1907-1973) American poet A Certain World [1971]

 

Evil is unspectacular and always human, and shares our bed and eats at our own table.

W. H. Auden (1907-1973) American poet

 

She wanted to advise them, to give him the benefit of experience and the wisdom of her years, but she held her tongue. They must work out their own destinies, she thought.

Jean M. Auel

 

Music washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life.

Berthold Auerbach (1812-1882) German author (also attrib. Red Auerbach)

 

The world is a book, and those who do not travel, read only a page.

St. Augustine of Hippo (354-430) Christian church father and philosopher

 

You can force a man to enter a church , to approach the altar, to receive the sacrament, but you cannot force him believe.

St. Augustine of Hippo (354-430) Christian church father and philosopher

 

God has promised forgiveness to your repentance, but He has not promised tomorrow to your procrastination.

St. Augustine of Hippo (354-430) Christian church father and philosopher

 

People travel to wonder at the height of mountains, at the huge waves of the sea, at the long course of rivers, and they pass by themselves, without wondering
St. Augustine of Hippo (354-430) Christian church father and philosopher

 

Suppress prostitution, and capricious lusts will overthrow society.

St. Augustine of Hippo (354-430) Christian church father and philosopher

 

What, then, is time? I know well enough what it is, provided that nobody asks me; but if I am asked what it is and try to explain, I am baffled.

St. Augustine of Hippo (354-430) Christian church father and philosopher Confessions (AD 398)

 

The danger from computers is not that they will eventually get as smart as men, but we will meanwhile agree to meet them halfway.

Bernard Avishai (b. 1911) American writer, business consultant

 

Cats names are more for human benefit. They give one a certain degree more confidence that the animal belongs to you.
Alan Ayckbourn "Table Manners"


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