I have always observed that to succeed in the world one should appear like a fool but be wise. ~Charles de Secondat
#quotes #charles-de-secondat #wisdom #success

He knew he should have counted. It was the rule to count to ten in his head before he opened his mouth. It was the rule to count to ten if he wanted to smash a man in the face for saying something he didn't like. It was the rule to count to ten if instinct wasn't needed, but common sense was. ~Melina Marchetta
#quotes #melina-marchetta #men #common-sense #speaking

On receiving from the people the sacred trust twice confided on my illustrious predecessor, and which he has discharged so faithfully and so well, I know that I can not expect to perform the arduous task with equal ability and success. ~Martin Van Buren
#quotes #martin-van-buren #trust

It is quite impossible these days to assume anything about people's educational level from the way they talk or dress or from their taste in music. Safest to treat everyone you meet as a distinguished intellectual. ~Ian Mcewan
#quotes #ian-mcewan #education #intelligence

If you neglect your art for one day it will neglect you for two. ~Chinese Proverb
#proverbs #chinese-proverbs #art

We live in a society in which spurious realities are manufactured by the media, by governments, by big corporations, by religious groups, political groups. I ask, in my writing, "What is real?" Because unceasingly we are bombarded with pseudo realities manufactured by very sophisticated people using very sophisticated electronic mechanisms. I do not distrust their motives; I distrust their power. They have a lot of it. And it is an astonishing power, that of creating whole universes, universes of the mind. I ought to know. I do the same thing. ~Philip K. Dick
#quotes #philip-k-dick #society #government #media #religion

The eye never forgets what the heart has seen. ~African Proverb
#proverbs #african-proverbs

My filmmaking education consisted of finding out what filmmakers I liked were watching, then seeing those films. I learned the technical stuff from books and magazines, and with the new technology you can watch entire movies accompanied by audio commentary from the director. You can learn more from John Sturges' audio track on the "Bad Day at Black Rock" laserdisc than you can in 20 years of film school. Film school is a complete con, because the information is there if you want it. ~Paul Thomas Anderson
#quotes #paul-thomas-anderson #film

Tantric Zen is for the individual who is in love with both the finite and the infinite, who gets a kick out of this weird transitory world and at the same time, wants to step beyond it. ~Frederick Lenz
#quotes #frederick-lenz #buddhism

Even if a minefield or the abyss should lie before me, I will march straight ahead without looking back. ~Zhu Rongji
#quotes #zhu-rongji #motivation

It is hard to fail, but it is worse never to have tried to succeed. ~Theodore Roosevelt
#quotes #theodore-roosevelt #success #failure #trying

If you were to open up a baby's head, and I am not for a moment suggesting that you should; you would find nothing but an enormous drool gland. ~Dave Barry
#quotes #dave-barry #humor

If you watch the first [Star Wars] movie, you don't actually know exactly what the Empire is trying to do. They're going to rule by fear; but you don't know what their endgame is. You don't know what Leia is princess of. You don't yet understand who Jabba the Hutt is, even though there is a reference to him. You don't know that Vader is Luke's father, Leia is his sister; but the possibility is all there. The beauty of that movie was that it was an unfamiliar world, and yet you wanted to see it expand and to see where it went. ~J. J. Abrams
#quotes #j-j-abrams #star-wars

Let's be very clear, if you check the F.E.C. records you will see I am supporting George W. Bush. ~Roger Stone
#quotes #roger-stone #george-w-bush #elections

I shall never get used to not being the most beautiful woman in the room. It was an intoxication to sweep in and know every man had turned his head. It kept me in form. ~Lady Randolph Churchill
#quotes #lady-randolph-churchill #women #beauty

Since one Satan is one too many for me, I would not multiply him. ~Mahatma Gandhi
#quotes #mahatma-gandhi #evil

He is not likely to learn who is not willing to be taught; for the learner has something to do, as well as the teacher. ~Benjamin Whichcote
#quotes #benjamin-whichcote #education #teaching

All the seven deadly sins are self destroying, morbid appetites, but in their early stages at least, lust and gluttony, averice and sloth know some gratification, while anger and pride have power, even though that power eventually destroys itself. Envy is impotent, numbed with fear, never ceasing in its appetite, and it knows no gratification, but endless self torment. It has the ugliness of a trapped rat, which gnaws its own foot in an effort to escape. ~Angus Wilson
#quotes #angus-wilson #pride #sin

The fear among economists across the political spectrum was that we were rapidly plummeting toward a second Great Depression. So in the weeks and months that followed, we undertook a series of difficult steps to prevent that outcome. And we were forced to take those steps, largely without the help of an opposition party, which, unfortunately, after having presided over the decision-making that had led to the crisis, decided to hand it over to others to solve. ~Barack Obama
#quotes #barack-obama #government #economy

Brilliant. A very funny and concise explanation of why we men are as we are. If you are male, you should read it and then make your partner read it, so they will no longer hate you but pity you instead. ~Harry Enfield
#quotes #harry-enfield #men

All that is necessary, as it seems to me, to convince any reasonable person that the Bible is simply and purely of human invention; of barbarian invention; is to read it. Read it as you would any other book; think of it as you would of any other; get the bandage of reverence from your eyes; drive from your heart the phantom of fear; push from the throne of your brain the cowled form of superstition; then read the Holy Bible, and you will be amazed that you ever, for one moment, supposed a being of infinite wisdom, goodness and purity, to be the author of such ignorance and of such atrocity. ~Robert Green Ingersoll
#quotes #robert-green-ingersoll #books #religion

It's hard to say that my twenties were the most miserable time in my life or that my first wife drove me crazy or that I hated the job that I had. You can say all of those things. But for the most part, people manage to have a good time when they're that age. ~Frank Stella
#quotes #frank-stella #adults #age #life

The invitation to Miss Myra St. Claire's bobbing party spent the morning in his coat pocket, where it had an intense physical affair with a dusty piece of peanut brittle. ~F. Scott Fitzgerald
#quotes #f-scott-fitzgerald #party

People ask me to smile for the camera, but somehow it always comes out gloomy. ~Stephen Rea
#quotes #stephen-rea #people

Never underestimate the hypocrisy of politicians. ~James Herbert
#quotes #james-herbert #hypocrisy #politics