Famous quotes
Quotes by famous people, credited to who said them. Your own quotes must not match any of these. More are added all the time. 1,158,269 quotes Who coined it · How we decide
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“Watching him, Sara knew that what he said was ninety percent bravado. Still there was nothing wrong with that. Bravery was in knowing the odds and still going against them.”
Charles de Lint (born 1951) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“In the age of the concentration camp, when from 1935 to 1947 or so, she wrote her very best novels, no writer did more to illumine the springs of human cruelty, suffering and bravery.”
Ivy Compton-Burnett (1884–1969) said by 1969 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Angus Wilson, quoted in Malcolm Bradbury The Modern British Novel (Harmondsworth: Penguin, 2001) p. 250.
“Bravery is to defend yourself from another, and the humanity is to defend the other from yourself.”
Marko Miljanov (1833–1901) said by 1901 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“You know, we've a rather warped sense of what constitutes bravery these days. I mean, even David Beckham is called a hero for scoring a penalty. But when you look at VC winners and hear their stories... well, enough said.”
Jeremy Clarkson (born 1960) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“On what must an elite be founded? a) Purity of soul. b) Capacity of work and creativity. c) Bravery. d) Tough living and permanent warring against difficulties facing the nation. e) Poverty, namely voluntary renunciation of amassing a fortune. f) Faith in God. g) Love.”
Corneliu Zelea Codreanu (1899–1938) said by 1938 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“[Schools should teach the history] of this remarkable country...the real history of heroes and bravery, of good versus evil, of freedom against tyranny. Of Nelson, Wellington and Churchill.”
Michael Portillo (born 1953) first seen 1995 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Speech to the Conservative Party conference (10 October 1995), quoted in Philip Webster, 'Tories make Europe their battleground', The Times (11 October 1995), p. 1
“I have a strong admiration for the Russian people—for their bravery, their many gifts, and their kindly nature. It is the Communist dictatorship and the declared ambition of the Communist Party and their proselytising activities that we are bound to resist, and that is what makes this great world cleavage.”
Winston Churchill (1874–1965) first seen 1955 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Speech in the House of Commons (1 March 1955)
“What are the conditions that make for the superiority of an army? Its internal organization, military habits in officers and men, the confidence of each in themselves; that is to say, bravery, patience, and all that is contained in the idea of moral means.”
Napoleon (1769–1821) said by 1821 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Our landings in the Cherbourg-Havre area have failed to gain a satisfactory foothold and I have withdrawn the troops. My decision to attack at this time and place was based on the best information available. The troops, the air and the Navy did all that bravery and devotion to duty could do. If any blame or fault attaches to the attempt, it is mine alone.”
Dwight D. Eisenhower (1890–1969) first seen 1944 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Notes for an announcement, written in advance of the Normandy invasion, in case of its failure, but never delivered (June 1944); reported in John Gunther, Eisenhower: The Man and the Symbol (1952), p. 41
“[T]hey who complain, in peace, of the insolence of the populace, must remember, that their insolence in peace is bravery in war.”
Samuel Johnson (1709–1784) first seen 1760 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: The Bravery of the English Common Soldiers (1760)
“Publishers, with their usual bravery, dumbed down their books in order to make money at the expense of leaving American children undereducated or, worse, miseducated.”
Isaac Asimov (1920–1992) said by 1992 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“I came in contact with every known Indian anarchist in London. Their bravery impressed me, but I felt that their zeal was misguided. I felt that violence was no remedy for India's ills, and that her civilisation required the use of a different and higher weapon for self-protection.”
Mahatma Gandhi (1869–1948) first seen 1908 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: A Word of Explanation" on his work Hind Swaraj (1908) in Young India (January 1921)
“The bitterest creature under heaven is the wife who discovers that her husband’s bravery is only bravado, that his strength is only a uniform, that his power is but a gun in the hands of a fool.”
Pearl S. Buck (1892–1973) said by 1973 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“We need brains, is the bottom line,” Ivy said. “We’re not hunter-gatherers anymore. We’re all living like patients in the intensive care unit of a hospital. What keeps us alive isn’t bravery, or athleticism, or any of those other skills that were valuable in a caveman society. It’s our ability to master complex technological skills. It is our ability to be nerds. We need to breed nerds.”
Neal Stephenson (born 1959) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“But man is a Noble Animal, splendid in ashes, and pompous in the grave, solemnizing Nativities and Deaths with equal lustre, nor omitting Ceremonies of Bravery, in the infamy of his nature. Life is a pure flame, and we live by an invisible Sun within us.”
Thomas Browne (1605–1682) said by 1682 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“This man in his own country prayed we know not to what powers. We pray them to reward him for his bravery in ours.”
Rudyard Kipling (1865–1936) said by 1936 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“We heard moving accounts from two working miners about just what they have to face as they try to make their way to work. The sheer bravery of those men and thousands like them who kept the mining industry alive is beyond praise. “Scabs” their former workmates call them. Scabs? They are lions!”
Margaret Thatcher (1925–2013) first seen 1984 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Speech to Conservative Party Conference (12 October 1984)
“Only a man who doubts his own bravery bristles when called a coward.”
Robert Silverberg (born 1935) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“One of my favorites is Angela Merkel because I think she's been an extraordinary, strong leader during difficult times in Europe, which has obvious implications for the rest of the world and, most particularly, our country... her bravery in the face of the refugee crisis is something that I am impressed by.”
Hillary Clinton (born 1947) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Russia has always respected the bravery and heroism of the Polish people, soldiers and officers, who stood up first against Nazism in 1939.”
Vladimir Putin (born 1952) first seen 2009 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: On the 70th anniversary of the start of World War II, 1 September 2009
“Mark: Yeah, I mean, I concur. The change in the hair, you really light up the screen Hayley, you just, it's beautiful what you're doing. Um, the choice of song. I would never in a million of years have thought of that song for you and you almost got away with it but the bravery and the choice. Congratulations Hayley. Good on you.”
Hayley Jensen (born 1983) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“The young people at these climate summits have always amazed me with their eloquence and bravery.”
Amy Goodman (born 1957) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“the words have come and gone, I sit ill. the phone rings, the cats sleep. Linda vacuums. I am waiting to live, waiting to die. I wish I could ring in some bravery. it's a lousy fix”
Charles Bukowski (1920–1994) first seen 1994 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Lines from "So now?" - p.402 (circa 1994. He died in March 1994, aged 73.)
“There is no lack of bravery in the ranks of our armed forces, but bureaucratic cowardice rules in our intelligence establishment (as well as at the higher levels of military command).”
Ralph Peters (born 1952) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“This was to no doubt reaffirm Indo-Fijian bravery, they suffered greatly under indenture and were often unfairly and needlessly provoked. They bore it with fortitude and grace.”
Joni Madraiwiwi (1957–2016) first seen 2005 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Poppy Drive speech, 21 October 2005.
“In this way, the bravery of the warrior underwrites collective civic cowardice, while fostering a slack, insipid patriotism.”
Andrew Bacevich (born 1947) first seen 2013 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Breach of Trust: How Americans Failed Their Soldiers and Their Country (2013).
“Whatever shall we do in future? The nation that does not arm continuously is lost – as France has been lost, as Britain will be lost but for the Grace of God. In this mechanistic age where bravery and improvised organization at the last moment will not help. The only alternative is a League of the Nations or of some nations strong enough to withstand aggression ...”
Jan Smuts (1870–1950) first seen 1919 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: As quoted by W. K. Hancock in SMUTS 2: The Fields of Force 1919-1950, p. 360
“One cannot think that blind bravery gives victory over the enemy.”
Alexander Suvorov (1730–1800) said by 1800 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Of Captain Elliot, already so well known to the government, it would be almost superfluous to speak; in this action, he evinced his characteristic bravery and judgment; and, since the close of the action, has given me the most able and essential assistance.”
Oliver Hazard Perry (1785–1819) first seen 1813 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Report on the Battle of Lake Erie (13 September 1813); Years later Perry would declare he had sought to minimize what he perceived to be a lack of valor on the part of Elliot, and requested a court-martial against him, …
“Bravery never goes out of fashion.”
William Makepeace Thackeray (1811–1863) said by 1863 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“There is a certain enthusiasm in liberty, that makes human nature rise above itself in acts of bravery and heroism.”
Alexander Hamilton (1757–1804) said by 1804 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“self-control contains honour as a chief constituent, and honour bravery.”
Thucydides (461–395 BC) said by 395 BC at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Contempt for an assailant is best shown by bravery in action.”
Thucydides (461–395 BC) said by 395 BC at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“[Q:] What moves you most in a literary work? [A:] Ingenuity, honesty, perversity, bravery and — I must admit — natural talent. I feel the same wonder at a brilliant debut as I do watching Simone Biles doing her back flips.”
Zadie Smith (born 1975) first seen 2016 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: From an interview, as cited in "Zadie Smith: By the Book", The New York Times (17 November 2016)
“The battle is approaching its end. Since the enemy’s landing, even the gods would weep at the bravery of the officers and men under my command. … [My] men died one by one, and I regret very much that I have allowed the enemy to occupy a piece of Japanese territory.”
Tadamichi Kuribayashi (1891–1945) said by 1945 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Nothing so charms the American people as personal bravery.”
John Brown (abolitionist) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“I have tried to explain to her that the concept of bravery is entirely spurious. We are what we are, we do what we do.”
John Banville (born 1945) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“At the bottom of a good deal of the bravery that appears in the world there lurks a miserable cowardice. Men will face powder and steel because they cannot face public opinion.”
Edwin Hubbell Chapin (1814–1880) said by 1880 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“I commend our soldiers for their gallantry and bravery and for fighting for our freedom. I want to know if our soldiers were killed in a legitimate encounter or were they again butchered like pigs like what happened with our five marines.”
Francis Escudero (born 1969) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“By the twentieth of April, the story was widely accepted and was viewed as one of the most heartening acts of bravery in the whole tragedy.”
Steve Turner (born 1949) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“There’s a fine line between bravery and stupidity, which should never be crossed.”
Lewis Pugh (born 1969) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Nietzsche’s arrival in modern philosophy signaled an unprecedented necessity: “probity”, “intellectual conscience”, Enlightenment radicalized by a new bravery that scorns any comforts like God.”
Laurence Lampert (1941–2024) said by 2024 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“What is bravery, and what is bravado? Journalists covering combat shoulder great responsibilities and face difficult choices. Sometimes they pay the ultimate price.”
Marie Colvin (1956–2012) first seen 2012 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Quoted in The Economist, 25 Feb 2012, p. 63
“To go against the grain is the secret of bravery.”
Dejan Stojanovic (born 1959) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Hindsight can give you insights about what went wrong. But only faith, reason and bravery can propel you forward.”
Julia Gillard (born 1961) first seen 2013 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: In an op-ed to The Guardian Australia, following the Second Rudd Government's defeat at the 2013 federal election.
“You have been given an unprecedented chance to put the past behind you," the Chancellor was saying. "The mission on which you're about to embark is dangerous, but your bravery will be rewarded. If you succeed, your infractions will be forgiven, and you'll be able to start new lives on Earth.”
Kass Morgan (born 1984) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Salutations to the martyrs who sacrificed their lives during the 2001 Parliament attack. Their bravery will never be forgotten.”
Narendra Modi (born 1950) first seen 2001 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: PM Narendra Modi in a tweet, Dec 2016 PM Modi pays homage to the 2001 Parliament attack martyrs: Key points about the heinous attack
“Despereaux marveled at his own bravery. He admired his own defiance. And then, reader, he fainted. :(”
Kate DiCamillo (born 1964) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“All of us fight a battle every day, but we just don’t know it. Love tries to defeat hatred. Bravery destroys fear.”
John Twelve Hawks (born 2000) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“The basic honor code of the savage -bravery for men, chastity for women- is still recognizable beneath the surfaces of the popular culture that has done so much to efface it. If you doubt it, try calling a man a wimp or a woman a slut.”
Jack Donovan (born 1974) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source