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. 1,158,808 quotes Who coined it · How we decide
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“Being summoned by the Athenians out of Sicily to plead for his life, Alcibiades absconded, saying that that criminal was a fool who studied a defence when he might fly for it.”
Plutarch (40–120) said by 120 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Society, in the aggregate, is no fool. It is astonishing what an amount of "eccentricity" it will stand from anybody who takes the bull by the horns, too fearless or too indifferent to think of consequences.”
Dinah Craik (1826–1887) said by 1887 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Anyone who works is a fool. I don't work; I merely inflict myself upon the public.”
Robert Morley (1908–1992) first seen 1961 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Films and Filming vol. 8 (1961)
“Then one can't make a living out of poetry?" "Certainly not. What fool expects to? Out of rhyming, yes.”
Jack London (1876–1916) said by 1916 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“How to be a good fellow without being a fool.”
Frank Crane (1861–1928) said by 1928 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Those all must have all been important to me once. What I am now grew from that. A former self is a fool, an insufferable ass, but he's still human, you'd no more turn him out than you'd turn out any kind of cripple, would you?”
Thomas Pynchon (born 1937) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Come purge my soul, Thou Master of my days, Of vain and empty words, of idle ways, Of base ambition and the urge to rule; That hidden serpent that corrupts a fool; and grant me, Lord, to see my sins alone. That I not call my brother to atone; Make chaste my heart and lend me from above Thy fortitude, humility, and love.”
Aleksandr Pushkin (1799–1837) said by 1837 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: A Prayer as quoted in Pushkin, Alexander (2009). Selected Lyric Poetry. Northwestern University Press, p. 199.
“What is the use of education if we do not become creative, conscious and truly intelligent? Real education does not mean knowing how to read and write. Any stupid person, any fool can know how to read and write. We need to have intelligence and it only awakens within us when the consciousness awakens.”
Samael Aun Weor (1917–1977) said by 1977 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Every court must have its fool, every great ideal must attract some who are motivated only by self-interest.”
Michael Moorcock (born 1939) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Destiny’s Champion, Fate’s fool. Eternity’s Soldier, Time’s Tool.”
Michael Moorcock (born 1939) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“There can be help. There's always God," said Amy. "I'm ashamed. I'd forgotten about Him.” She was quiet for a time. When she lifted her head she looked older and resolute. “Don’t blame yourself too much, Cousin Caroline,” she said. “That’s as bad as taking no blame at all. I’m not going to blame everything on Ames; I was a little fool myself. I was old enough to know that things aren’t simple.”
Taylor Caldwell (1900–1985) first seen 1961 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: A Prologue to Love (1961)
“Everyone calls himself a friend, but only a fool relies on it; nothing is commoner than the name, nothing rarer than the thing.”
Jean de La Fontaine (1621–1695) said by 1695 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Parole de Socrate", as quoted in The Wordsworth Book of Humorous Quotations (1998), edited by C. Robertson
“Any fool knows men and women think differently at times, but the biggest difference is this. Men forget, but never forgive; women forgive, but never forget.”
Robert Jordan (1948–2007) said by 2007 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“A fool puts her hand into a hollow tree without finding out what’s inside first.”
Robert Jordan (1948–2007) said by 2007 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“A fool puts a burr under the saddle before she rides.”
Robert Jordan (1948–2007) said by 2007 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“It was easier to trip a fool than to knock him down.”
Robert Jordan (1948–2007) said by 2007 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“The lions sing and the hills take flight. The moon by day, and the sun by night. Blind woman, deaf man, jackdaw fool. Let the Lord of Chaos rule.”
Robert Jordan (1948–2007) said by 2007 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Only a fool thinks his enemies stand still when he isn't looking, my Lord Dragon.”
Robert Jordan (1948–2007) said by 2007 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“When a woman plays the fool, look for the man. That was one of Lini's favorites. Another was, Kittens tangle your yarn, men tangle your wits, and it's simple as breathing for both.”
Robert Jordan (1948–2007) said by 2007 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“We don't have education, we have inspiration; if I was educated I would be a damn fool.”
Bob Marley (1945–1981) said by 1981 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: As recorded in Time Will Tell (1992), a documentary by Declan Lowney
“In the abundance of water a fool is thirsty.”
Bob Marley (1945–1981) said by 1981 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“A fool is someone whose pencil wears out before its eraser does.”
Marilyn vos Savant (born 1946) first seen 2002 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: As quoted in The Truth in Words: Inspiring Quotes for the Reflective Mind (2002) by Paras, p. 92
“A person is a fool to become a writer. His only compensation is absolute freedom. He has no master except his own soul and that, I am sure, is why he does it.”
Roald Dahl (1916–1990) first seen 1984 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Goodbye school" in Boy: Tales of Childhood (1984)
“By constantly repeating, "I am free, I am free", a man verily becomes free. On the other hand, by constantly repeating, "I am bound, I am bound", he certainly becomes bound to worldliness. The fool who says only, "I am a sinner, I am a sinner", verily drowns himself in worldliness. One should rather say: "I have chanted the name of God. How can I be a sinner? How can I be bound?”
Ramakrishna (1836–1886) said by 1886 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Truscott: I'm no fool. Fay: Your secret is safe with me.”
Joe Orton (1933–1967) said by 1967 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Prentice: My nerves are on edge. Rance: You should consult a qualified psychiatrist. Prentice: I am a qualified psychiatrist. Rance: You're a fool. That isn't quite the same thing. Though, in your case, the two may have much in common.”
Joe Orton (1933–1967) said by 1967 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“The bullet is a fool, the bayonet is a fine chap.”
Alexander Suvorov (1730–1800) said by 1800 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“You were fool enough to think that one hundred and fifty million years either way made an ounce of difference to the muddle of thoughts in a man’s cerebral vortex.”
Brian Aldiss (1925–2017) said by 2017 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“A fellow who is always declaring he's no fool usually has his suspicions.”
Wilson Mizner (1876–1933) said by 1933 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Maxims Old and New", All of a Piece: New Essays (1937), edited by Edward Verrall Lucas, p. 52.
“Anyone who rushes toward an unknown peril simply to satisfy a desire for excitement is a fool.”
Roger Zelazny (1937–1995) said by 1995 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“We look for romance in the well-cultivated garden-plots, and when it springs out of virgin soil we are surprised, though any fool might know it was the natural place for it.”
John Buchan (1875–1940) said by 1940 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“The scene shall never fit the deed. Grotesquely wonders come to pass. The fool shall mount an Arab steed And Jesus ride upon an ass.”
Joyce Kilmer (1886–1918) said by 1918 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“He comes, and his face is sad and mild, With thorns his head is crowned; There are great bleeding wounds in his feet, And in each hand a wound. How can I tell, who am a fool, If this be Christ or no? Those bleeding hands outstretched to me! Those eyes that love me so!”
Joyce Kilmer (1886–1918) said by 1918 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“You’re a damn fool, boy. I want you to know that now, in case I don’t get a chance to tell you later.”
Stephen Baxter (born 1957) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“I’ve made myself a rich man. You shouldn’t assume that makes me a fool.”
Stephen Baxter (born 1957) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“A cut glass English accent can fool unsuspecting Americans into detecting a brilliance that isn't there.”
Stephen Fry (born 1957) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Magicians are the most honest people in the world; they tell you they're gonna fool you, and then they do it.”
James Randi (1928–2020) said by 2020 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Then sing as Martin Luther sang, As Doctor Martin Luther sang: “Who loves not wine, woman and song, He is a fool his whole life long!”
William Makepeace Thackeray (1811–1863) said by 1863 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Cheap romance, it's all just a crutch. You don't want nothin' that anybody can touch. You're so afraid of being somebody's fool, Not walkin' tough baby, not walkin' cool. You walk cool, but darlin', can you walk the line? And face the ties that bind. The ties that bind, Now you can't break the ties that bind.”
Bruce Springsteen (born 1949) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“She went away, she cut me like a knife. Hello beautiful thing, maybe you could save my life. In just a glance, down here on magic street, Loves a fool's dance And I ain't got much sense, but I still got my feet.”
Bruce Springsteen (born 1949) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Sometimes you're the windshield Sometimes you're the bug Sometimes it all come together baby Sometimes you're a fool in love Sometimes you're the Louisville Slugger baby Sometimes you're the ball Sometimes it all come together Sometimes you're gonna lose it all”
Mark Knopfler (born 1949) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Look down at me and you see a fool; look up at me and you see a god; look straight at me and you see yourself.”
Charles Manson (1934–2017) first seen 2007 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: As quoted in 101 People You Won't Meet in Heaven: The Twisted Achievements of the Most Brutal and Sadistic Individuals the World Has Ever Known (2007) by Michael Powell, p. 148
“There's no system foolproof enough to defeat a sufficiently great fool.”
Edward Teller (1908–2003) first seen 1988 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: As quoted in "Nuclear Reactions", by Joel Davis in Omni (May 1988)
“Some people stay far away from the door If there's a chance of it opening up They hear a voice in the hall outside And hope that it just passes by. Some people live with the fear of a touch And the anger of having been a fool. They will not listen to anyone So nobody tells them a lie.”
Billy Joel (born 1949) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“I don't care what consequence it brings I have been a fool for lesser things. I want you so bad. I think you ought to know that I intend to hold you for The longest time.”
Billy Joel (born 1949) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“The haste of a fool is the slowest thing in the world.”
Thomas Shadwell (1642–1692) said by 1692 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“We have electrocuted your God. Don't be a fool.”
Eugene O'Neill (1888–1953) said by 1953 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“It would be pleasant to be drunk: faithless to my tongue and hands, giving up the boundaries for the heroic gin. Dead drunk is the term I think of, insensible, neither cool nor warm, without a head or foot. To be drunk is to be intimate with a fool. I will try it shortly.”
Anne Sexton (1928–1974) said by 1974 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“My mouth blooms like a cut. I've been wronged all year, tedious nights, nothing but rough elbows in them and delicate boxes of Kleenex calling crybaby crybaby, you fool!”
Anne Sexton (1928–1974) said by 1974 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“And as you go I will spread my wings. Yes, I will call this home. I have no time to justify to you, Fool, you're blind, move aside for me. All I can say to you my new neighbor, You must move on or I will bury you.”
Dave Matthews (born 1967) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source