Famous quotes
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“There's an old saying in Tennessee - I know it's in Texas, probably in Tennessee - that says, fool me once, shame on - shame on you. Fool me - you can't get fooled again.”
George W. Bush (born 1946) first seen 2002 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Speech in Nashville, Tennessee, (September 17, 2002), in which the president confused a centuries-old proverb ("Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me.")
“It is better to be a human being dissatisfied than a pig satisfied; better to be Socrates dissatisfied than a fool satisfied. And if the fool, or the pig, are of a different opinion, it is because they only know their own side of the question. The other party to the comparison knows both sides.”
John Stuart Mill (1806–1873) said by 1873 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Since Don Quixote de la Mancha is a crazy fool and a madman, and since Sancho Panza, his squire, knows it, yet, for all that, serves and follows him, and hangs on these empty promises of his, there can be no doubt that he is more of a madman and a fool than his master.”
Miguel de Cervantes (1547–1616) said by 1616 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Ch. 33 (tr. J. M. Cohen, 1950).
“The great pleasure of a dog is that you may make a fool of yourself with him and not only will he not scold you, but he will make a fool of himself too.”
Samuel Butler (novelist) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“A fool with a heart and no sense is just as unhappy as a fool with sense and no heart.”
Fyodor Dostoyevsky (1821–1881) said by 1881 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Part 1, Chapter 7 (tr. Constance Garnett, 1913)
“The first principle is that you must not fool yourself — and you are the easiest person to fool.”
Richard Feynman (1918–1988) first seen 1964 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: from lecture "What is and What Should be the Role of Scientific Culture in Modern Society", given at the Galileo Symposium in Italy (1964)
“A fool there was and he made his prayer (Even as you and I!) To a rag and a bone and a hank of hair We called her the woman who did not care), But the fool he called her his lady fair (Even as you and I!)”
Rudyard Kipling (1865–1936) said by 1936 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“If you are Jewish, regardless of Israel, if you’re Jewish, if you vote for a Democrat, you’re a fool, an absolute fool.”
Donald Trump (born 1946) first seen 2024 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: 30 July 2024 "Trump Agrees With Radio Host Who Calls Emhoff a ‘Crappy Jew’", The Daily Beast
“The first thing you learn in life is you’re a fool. The last thing you learn in life is you’re the same fool.”
Ray Bradbury (1920–2012) said by 2012 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“I’m not trying to frighten you, but only a fool makes predictions based on ignorance; I am not that sort of fool.”
Robert A. Heinlein (1907–1988) said by 1988 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Whether you function as welders or inspectors, the laws of physics are implacable lie-detectors. You may fool men. You will never fool the metal. That’s all.”
Lois McMaster Bujold (born 1949) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“A fool is twice a fool who tries to conceal it.”
Lois McMaster Bujold (born 1949) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“One minute I'm robbing a dope house. Next minute I'm the youngest heavyweight champion of the world. I'm only 20, 19, with a lot of money. Who am I? What am I? I don't even know who I am. I'm just a dumb child who's being abused and robbed by lawyers. I'm just a dumb pugnacious fool. I'm just a fool who thinks he's someone. Then you tell me I should be responsible.”
Mike Tyson (born 1966) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“When Demaratus was asked whether he held his tongue because he was a fool or for want of words, he replied, "A fool cannot hold his tongue.”
Plutarch (40–120) said by 120 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Only a fool has no regrets and I'm not a fool.”
George Galloway (born 1954) first seen 2006 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Interview in Metro (2 May 2006).
“He was a fool,” said Willow calmly to Klein. “There are many who refuse their responsibilities. Fooling themselves they search for a ‘higher ideal’. He was a fool.” “What are responsibilities?” said Klein laconically. “He knows. Responsibility, my dear, is another word for self-interest. For survival.” She looked at Klein uncomprehendingly.”
Michael Moorcock (born 1939) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“I may be a fool, but I intend to be a live fool.”
Robert Jordan (1948–2007) said by 2007 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Would you not think him an utter fool who wept because he was not alive a thousand years ago? And is he not just as much of a fool who weeps because he will not be alive a thousand years from now? It is all the same; you will not be, and you were not. Neither of these periods of time belongs to you.”
Seneca the Younger (5 BC–65) said by 65 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“When thou callest another a fool, as thou must, sometimes, yet do not forget that thou thyself hast been the supreme fool in humanity.”
Sri Aurobindo (1872–1950) said by 1950 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Now a life of leisure and a pirate's treasure Don't make much for tragedy. But it's a sad man my friend who's livin' in his own skin And can't stand the company. Every fool's got a reason to feelin' sorry for himself And turn his heart to stone. Tonight this fool's halfway to heaven and just a mile outta hell, And I feel like I'm comin' home.”
Bruce Springsteen (born 1949) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“It's a fairytale so tragic, There's no prince to break the spell. I don't believe in magic, But for you I will, for you I will. If I'm a fool, I'll be a fool. Darlin' for you.”
Bruce Springsteen (born 1949) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Now it stands to reason, mister, any damn fool stares into the sun long enough, he'll end up seeing exactly what some other damn fool tells him he's going to see.”
John D. MacDonald (1916–1986) said by 1986 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“She's the one that stumbles when she talks about The seven foreign films that she's checked out Such a fortunate fool She's just too good to be true She's such a fortunate fool”
Jack Johnson (musician) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“No Man is so much a Fool as not to have Wit enough sometimes to be a Knave ; nor any so cunning a Knave, as not to have the Weakness sometimes to play the Fool.”
George Savile, 1st Marquess of Halifax (1633–1695) said by 1695 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“I do not support peace in the Middle East. And I do not support Arafat. He is a stupid, incompetent fool!... The stupid fool is a zealot, a warrior, and a clever one. But he doesn't accomplish anything.”
Muammar Gaddafi (1942–2011) first seen 1987 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Remarks quoted in Red Horizons: Chronicles of a Communist Spy Chief (1987) by Ion Mihai Pacepa, p. 110
“But once a fool always a fool, and the greater the power in his hands the more disastrous is likely to be the use he makes of it. The heaviest calamity in English history, the breach with America, might never have occurred if George the Third had not been an honest dullard.”
James Frazer (1854–1941) said by 1941 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“When war reached out its hand, what did wealth and power matter? A fool with a gun could take them away. A fool with a gun had just taken them away.”
Harry Turtledove (born 1949) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“How am I?” “Except for being a damn fool for wanting to do this in the first place, you’re healthy as a horse,” Freedman answered. “But if they disqualified every damn fool in the Navy, they’d have twenty-seven men left, and how would they win the war then?”
Harry Turtledove (born 1949) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“All the big sportswriters seemed to enjoy writing about me as an ignorant cotton-mill boy with nothing but lint where my brains ought to be. That was all right with me. I was able to fool a lot of pitchers and managers and club owners I wouldn't have been able to fool if they'd thought I was smarter.”
Shoeless Joe Jackson (1887–1951) said by 1951 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“3570. No Fool like the old Fool.”
Thomas Fuller (writer) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Only a fool would refuse to enter a fool's paradise — when that's the only paradise he'll ever have a chance to enter.”
Jessamyn West (writer) first seen 1956 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: To See the Dream, part 1 (1956)
“All my life I have been kicked and cuffed by such as that, and yet always have I gone out when they commanded, singing, to give up my life if need be to keep them in power. Only lately have I come to know what a fool I have been. But now I am no longer a fool, and besides, I am avenged.”
Edgar Rice Burroughs (1875–1950) said by 1950 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“To let a fool kiss you is stupid, To let a kiss fool you is worse.”
Yip Harburg (1896–1981) first seen 1941 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Inscription On A Lipstick" in The Garment Worker Vol. 41 (1941), p. 10
“He died and He went down to hell! You know not what you mean. Our rafters were of green fir. Also our beds were green. But out of the mouth of a fool, a fool, before the darkness fall, We tell you He is risen again, The Lord of Life is risen again, The boughs put forth their tender buds, and Love is Lord of all!”
Alfred Noyes (1880–1958) said by 1958 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Technological consciousness takes itself dead seriously; it has no sense of humor. The fool can play no role in it, for there is no other realm that is can see beyond itself to which the fool can point. Consciousness in the throes of desire cannot tolerate laughter any more than criticism of laughter can be tolerated in a moment of sexual lust.”
Donald Phillip Verene (born 1937) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Thank you for your news, Princess. It is none of it happy, but only a fool desires cheerful ignorance and I try not to be a fool. That is my heaviest burden.”
Tad Williams (born 1957) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Why didn’t you tell Doug about it, Mr. Nordstrum?” “Because he’s a fool. Has it all figured out what he’s going to believe for the rest of his life; it takes a fool to do that.”
Jack Finney (1911–1995) said by 1995 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“At a given moment there comes a time that you kick off everything, the whole mess and relieved you are walking further the path. Then the temptations come: Shouldn't I do this in another way, shall I go back and start to accept that I am a fool. Then bite your teeth firmly and say to yourself: no, stupid fool, don't go back, because what you will lose is profit.”
Hendrik Werkman (1882–1945) first seen 1940 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Quote of Werkman, 1940's; as cited in 'Kwartierstaat', ed. Hartog, Van der Ley and Poortinga, Archief 3, Gebroeders & Cie, Amsterdam, (transl: Fons Heijnsbroek) unpaged
“It was once said, as a commercial joke, that it’s not nice to fool Mother Nature. The same is true in this case, but not as a joke: It’s not nice to fool with history.”
Allen C. Guelzo (born 1953) first seen 1619 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: 1619 and the Narrative of Despair" (11 May 2020), National Review
“The fool that saith in his heart there is no God is the city fool to whom nothing is wonderful any more: and those who do not know wonder do not know God.”
Maurice Samuel (1895–1972) said by 1972 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“I don't think Donald Trump should be allowed within 1,000 miles of our shores....Donald Trump is free to be a fool but he is not free to be a dangerous fool in Britain.”
Jack Dromey (1948–2022) first seen 2016 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Said before Trump's visit to the UK in 2016. Quoted by the BBC. Donald Trump debate: Ban risks making tycoon a 'martyr'
“I saw you there Too much to bear You were my life But life is far away from fair. Was I stupid to love you? Was I reckless to help? Was it obvious to everybody else That I'd fallen for a lie? You were never on my side Fool me once, fool me twice Are you death or paradise? Now you'll never see me cry There's just no time to die.”
Billie Eilish (born 2001) first seen 2020 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: No Time to Die" (13 February 2020), co-written with Finneas O'Connell · Official video (1 October 2020) · Live performance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon (5 October 2020)
“I should probably say only correct things, but I have a sneaking suspicion if everybody does that, the world’s going to die of boredom. The world needs a fool — not that I think I’m a fool. Though some may disagree.”
Laurence Fox (born 1978) first seen 2019 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Laurence Fox interview: Let the hipsters hate me — I won't dance to their politically correct tune" The Sunday Times (17 November 2019).
“He does it because he wants to.” “Then I was right the first time,” she said decisively. “He’s a fool.” “For doing something that makes him happy?” “For giving it away for free.” “Maybe he’s got enough money,” suggested the Swagman. She turned and stared at him. “Do you know anyone who’s got enough money?” The Swagman smiled. “Maybe he’s a fool,” he said at last.”
Mike Resnick (1942–2020) said by 2020 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“That’s all I remember, really. We fly around. I shoot the guns. The explosions are pretty. People die. What the hell are they fighting for? Freedom? What the hell is that? You’re born out of nothing. You live for a while. You die. You go back to nothing. What kind of fool dies for a word? A better class of fool than the one who dies for a paycheck? Don’t know.”
William Barton (writer) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Always be honest to yourself about what you're going through and feeling. Yes, we can fool others but let's not fool ourselves. Seek help if need be. We are told so many times to be strong, but what does that really mean? It's important to feel, be numb, cry, scream if you have to”
Makgotso M (born 1991) first seen 2020 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Makgotso M: A man I once loved tried to destroy me with stupid mind games,17 June 2020,by Masego Seemela
“The Fool is setting out on an adventure, looking up as he steps off of a literal cliff into the figurative unknown. With almost no belongings, no protection, no idea where the journey will take him. Seeing the unknowns not as something to be avoided or controlled but as itself the source of the magic to be found. The essence of The Fool is potential. Just like each of you in this moment.”
Astro Teller (born 1970) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“I remember one time I tried to pity this fool. He told me his name was Jeff. He was married. He pulled out his wallet and showed me three pictures of his kids; Kelly, Robert, Brittany. Real cute kids. Don't get too close man. It's hard to pity a fool if you get too close.”
Mr. T (attributed) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“You can fool some of the people all of the time, and all of the people some of the time, but you can not fool all of the people all of the time.”
Abraham Lincoln (attributed) first seen 1856 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: This is probably the most famous of apparently apocryphal remarks attributed to Lincoln. Despite it being cited variously as from an 1856 speech, or a September 1858 speech in Clinton, Illinois, there are no known conte…
“I met a fool i' the forest, A motley fool.”
William Shakespeare (1564–1616) said by 1616 at the latest bartlett, Public domain source