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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“As soon as he did not work, the poor man, whose poverty had sufficed to create his title in the world of pious legend, who had been regarded as bearing a sacred character because he symbolized the great affliction of mankind, was no longer the good friend of Jesus Christ. There was thus a type of poor whom Jesus Christ did not recognize, any more than the police did.”
Bernard Groethuysen (1880–1946) said by 1946 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Wherever we look to the east or the west, Britain will always be our friend.”
Tunku Abdul Rahman (1903–1990) said by 1990 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“India has been a friend of Sri Lanka for a long time. That is why I selected India for the first state visit after my election as the President”
Maithripala Sirisena (born 1951) first seen 2016 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Quoted on Eursasia Review (February 7, 2016), "India To Give Fullest Support To Sri Lanka’s Policies, Says Indian Foreign Minister
“The Waterboy, with Adam Sandler, makes me cry. When they're mean to Bobby Boucher, I cry. I don't like it. I love Bobby Boucher. He says, “Would you please still be my friend?” and I lose it. But I cry at everything.”
Ariana Grande (born 1993) first seen 2025 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Ariana Grande Has Been Changed for Good Wmagazine (January 3, 2025).
“What becomes of a man who acquires a beautiful woman, with her 'beauty' his sole target? He sabotages himself. He has gained no friend, no ally, no mutual trust: She knows quite well why she has been chosen. He has succeeded in buying a mutually suspicious set of insecurities. He does gain something: the esteem of other men who find such an acquisition impressive.”
Naomi Wolf (born 1962) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“It is unethical to hurt someone because we have been told to do so. We are required by decency to ask both the complainant and the accused how they understand the situation. And this, I truly believe, requires an in-person discussion. Asking hard questions and creating an environment in which complexities can be faced is, after all, what a real friend does.”
Sarah Schulman (born 1958) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“This is a bit personal, Mister President (of Indonesia Joko Widodo). When I was in a difficult situation, living in uncertainty and suffering, Indonesia welcomed me as a true friend.”
Anwar Ibrahim (born 1947) first seen 2023 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Anwar Ibrahim (2023) cited in: "Anwar in Indonesia on first foreign trip" in The Sun Daily, 9 January 2023.
“I was always a friend of Southern rights, but an enemy of Southern wrongs.”
Benjamin Butler (1818–1893) said by 1893 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Attributed to Butler in Murphy Sr, A. L. (2023). American Civil War Era In A Nutshell And African Americans Diaspora. United States: Newman Springs Publishing, Incorporated.
“Who will not be proud to concur with my honored friend in promoting the greatest act of national benefit, and securing to the Africans the greatest blessing which God has ever put in the power of man to confer on his fellow creatures?”
Samuel Romilly (1757–1818) said by 1818 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Quoted in Memoir of William Wilberforce, Thomas Price (Boston: Light & Stearns, 1836), pages 59–60.
“If I have a good thing to hand out in private life, I give it to a friend. Why shouldn’t I do the same in public life? p.6”
George Washington Plunkitt (1842–1924) said by 1924 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Success is the accomplishment of any number of possible aims, dreams, aspirations or goals. It’s very personal and unique to you. Your greatest desire could be someone else’s idea of hell; you might want to be an award-winning chef while your best friend hates cooking.”
Nigel Cumberland (born 1967) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Seekers of meaning may not find meaning, but they do find each other. (From 'Eulogy for a Friend')”
Anand Gandhi (born 1980) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“I’ve finally been persuaded out of retirement. But my skills are a bit rusty, so the best role I could land was an unpaid internship with a friend. Pray for me!”
Milo Yiannopoulos (born 1984) first seen 2022 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: 6 June 2022 post on Telegram, verified by Allie Griffin of New York Post
“Had President Kennedy not pledged the nation to bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, and oppose any foe to assure the survival and the success of liberty?”
William Westmoreland (1914–2005) said by 2005 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“John Ashcroft is not a friend of liberty and justice. George Bush, the appointed president, is not someone who ---prior to a month ago--- ever demonstrated any insight or acuity about the world around him. Have these men been born again, again?”
Jeffrey Montgomery (1953–2016) said by 2016 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“One friend, one person who is truly understanding, who takes the trouble to listen to us as we consider our problem, can change our whole outlook on the world.”
Elton Mayo (1880–1949) first seen 1947 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Elton Mayo, cited in: Edward William Bok (1947), Ladies' Home Journal.Vol. 64, p. 246
“Change should be a friend. It should happen by plan, not by accident.”
Philip B. Crosby (1926–2001) first seen 1995 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Philip B. Crosby (1995), Reflections on Quality.
“Bombacci had once been a friend and disciple of Lenin and revived the story that, according to Lenin, Mussolini had been the one serious socialist in Italy. No doubt the Duce was influenced by Bombacci when he called fascism of Salò [Italian Social Republic] the only truly socialist government in existence—with the possible exception of Soviet Russia.”
Denis Mack Smith (1920–2017) said by 2017 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“When told by a constituent that he would rather vote for the devil, Wilkes responded: "Naturally." He then added: "And if your friend decides against standing, can I count on your vote?”
John Wilkes (1725–1797) said by 1797 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Arthur H. Cash, John Wilkes: the scandalous Father of Civil Liberty (Yale University Press, 2006), p. 211
“O thou who art the sparrow's friend," he said, "have mercy on this world that knows not even when it sins. O holy dove, descend and roost on Godric here so that a heart may hatch in him at last. Amen.”
Frederick Buechner (1926–2022) said by 2022 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“The primary bone of contention between the U.S. and Turkey is Fethullah Gülen, a shady Islamic residing in Pennsylvania whom former President Clinton once called his “friend” in a well circulated video.”
Michael T. Flynn (born 1958) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Frankenstein, he makes a friend, he wants a wife... That’s the one that I think cemented the creature as an icon, because all of the sudden you got to know the creature as a full-fledged person, and you felt sympathy for it, and not just, “Oh, it’s a monster.”
Michael Dougherty (born 1974) first seen 2013 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: TRICK 'R TREAT DIRECTOR MICHAEL DOUGHERTY ON THE FILM’S RISE TO CULT CLASSIC STATUS (October 17, 2013)
“The heart in which love and compassion for all living beings resides, can have no room for seeking after personal pleasures. O friend, take care to do no harm to any living creature; to hurt his creation is to forget the Creator.”
Khwaja Abdullah Ansari (1006–1089) said by 1089 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Quoted in Tales of the Mystic East: An Anthology of Mystic and Moral Tales Taken from the Teachings of the Saints (, 1997), p. 208
“I meet men all the time who can bench 400 pounds but can't climb up through a window to pull someone from a burning building. I know guys who can run marathons but can't sprint to anyone's rescue unless they put their shoes on first. Lots of swimmers do laps every day but can't dive deep enough to save a friend, or know how to carry him over rocks and out of the surf.”
Erwan Le Corre (born 1971) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“In Christ you will find, a very dear Friend; Who is of this mind, to love to the end; Yet satan is seeking, His sheep to devour; And God He is making some whole this bright hour.”
Dorothy Ripley (1767–1832) first seen 1819 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: A Hymn From My Nativity (22 August 1819), p. 17
“Only one thing remains my friend: death. (767, 1995)”
Padre Pio (1887–1968) said by 1968 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Thank you,Teobaldo You are my greatest friend This has been the key to everything”
Robin Sloan (born 1979) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“The Monster was the best friend I ever had. I'd been in Hollywood for ten years and no one had heard of me except my creditors. Then in 1931 I played the monster and a career was born. I'm truly indebted to the old Ghoul.”
Boris Karloff (1887–1969) first seen 1957 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: As quoted in "Boris Karloff Comes Into His Own for Halloween" by Vernon Scott (U.P. Hollywood correspondent), Contra Costa Gazette (October 31, 1957), p. 6
“Faust wallowed heavily over on his side, presenting a pitiable face to Wagner. “Never fall in love,” he said. “She will take lovers, and some of them will be more experienced and capable than you. I tell you this as a friend—there are dishes once tasted, a woman is loath to do without.”
Michael Swanwick (born 1950) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“They consider me a friend, it shows in their faces, and I’m a sucker for that.”
Virginia Christine (1920–1996) said by 1996 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Here's how you can tell someone is your friend: A) You can tell them bad news, and they'll listen. B) You can tell them good news, and they'll help you celebrate.”
Jordan Peterson (born 1962) first seen 2017 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: 2017 Personality 21: Performance Prediction
“I helped Stephen with the story and then I auditioned for SpongeBob, I used my Plankton voice, which sounds like a mix of Tony the Tiger and Gregory Peck. It’s actually an imitation of a friend from high school that had a really deep voice.”
Mr. Lawrence (born 1969) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Adieu, adieu, I am going to see up there [after death] whether friend Corot has found me any new subjects for landscape painting.”
Charles-François Daubigny (1817–1878) said by 1878 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Quote, as recorded by Albert Wolff, 1880's, in Notes upon certain masters of the XIX century, - printed not published MDCCCLXXXVI (1886), The Art Age Press, 400 N.Y. (written after the exhibition 'Cent Chefs-d'Oeuvres: …
“At the end of the day or at the end of the party, when everyone goes home, you’re stuck with yourself. There was a time when I couldn’t deal with that, and I couldn’t go places by myself. I needed to call up a friend to go to a 7-Eleven. I just couldn’t approach people when I was alone. Getting a place on my own was a step toward learning how to do that.”
Layne Staley (1967–2002) said by 2002 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Look, friend, I'm really not interested in all of that, really. See I consider myself damned lucky to have been able to land my airplane at this emergency strip in one piece.”
Daniel James Jr. (1920–1978) said by 1978 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: As quoted in The Right to Fight: A History of African Americans in The Military (1998), by Gerald Astor, De Capo Press, pp. 440–443
“Ah, my friend, if you and I could only Get out of the war alive and then immortal and ageless all of our days, I would never again fight among the foremost Or send you into battle where men win glory. But as it is, death is everywhere In more shapes that we can count, And since no mortal is immune or can escape, Let's go forward, either to give glory To another man, or get glory from him.”
Stanley Lombardo (born 1943) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“To find accidently a handwritten letter of some old friend in a trunk. Ah, is this not happiness?”
Jin Shengtan (1608–1661) said by 1661 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“In the lonelier and perhaps even more disheartening moments which come to any national leader, I hope there will be a corner of your mind and heart which takes cheer from the fact that you have an admiring friend, a staunch ally that will be all the way with LBJ.”
Harold Holt (1908–1967) said by 1967 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“I come to you today with great sadness, acknowledging the loss of the greatest entertainer in the history of mankind. For me he was more than that, he was my idol, he was a role model, he was someone to cry to when my childhood was unbearable, he was a brother, he was a dear friend.”
Corey Feldman (born 1971) first seen 2009 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Justin Timberlake praises Jackson's musical genius", People (June 26, 2009).
“Tonight a pair of cooing doves under red bridal curtains, Tomorrow a heap of bleached bones like those of yesteryear. [...] One moment we grieve over a short-lived friend, The next we are ourselves overtaken by death.”
Wang Chi-chen (1899–2001) said by 2001 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“On April 12, 1919, Ernst Schmidt decided it was time to leave the army. His friend Hitler, by contrast, chose to stay. This was an active decision on the part of the future right-wing dictator of Germany to serve a regime that at the time pledged allegiance to Moscow.”
Thomas Weber (historian) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Yet Hitler managed not to get caught up in the violence directed against real and imagined supporters of the Munich Soviet Republic. According to his friend Ernst Schmidt, he was released again from captivity through the intervention of an officer, who encountered him in the wake of his arrest and who knew him from the front.”
Thomas Weber (historian) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“By our rules we cannot receive a letter from a friend.”
Sir John Bayley, 1st Baronet (1763–1841) said by 1841 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Another friend, a child psychologist from the college, once commented that Rachel at age five showed the most reliable indicators of true giftedness in a young person: structured curiosity, empathy for others, compassion, and a fierce sense of fair play.”
Dan Simmons (1948–2026) said by 2026 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Entropy is a bitch,” I said. “Now, now,” said Aenea from where she was leaning on the terrace wall. “Entropy can be our friend.” “When?” I said. She turned around so that she was leaning back on her elbows. The building behind her was a dark rectangle, serving to highlight the glow of her sunburned skin. “It wears down empires,” she said. “And does in despotisms.”
Dan Simmons (1948–2026) said by 2026 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Almost everything interesting in the human experience is the result of an individual experiencing, experimenting, explaining, and sharing,” said my young friend. “A hive mind would be the ancient television broadcasts, or life at the height of the datasphere...consensual idiocy.”
Dan Simmons (1948–2026) said by 2026 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Would you take better care of yourself Would you be kinder to yourself Would you be more forgiving of your human imperfections If you realized your best friend was yourself”
Helen Reddy (1941–2020) said by 2020 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“For the first time in a while, a pro-America Brazilian president arrives in DC. It’s the beginning of a partnership focused on liberty and prosperity, something that all of us Brazilians have long wished for. You have a president who is a friend of the United States who admires this beautiful country.”
Jair Bolsonaro (born 1955) first seen 2019 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: On Twitter, on 17 March 2019. Bolsonaro chega a Washington e comemora proximidade com os EUA. Reuters, 17 March 2019.
“Bull Morgan was just the right man for the job, a man who found the law useful in how far it could occasionally be bent to save a friend.”
Robert Asprin (1946–2008) said by 2008 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Imagine being left out in the freezing cold, without shelter and bedding for warmth or a friend to ease your loneliness. … Be your dog's biggest defender and keep them indoors with you, and give them the love and companionship they deserve.”
Glenn Dorsey (born 1985) first seen 2011 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Glenn Dorsey: Be Your Dog's Biggest Defender", video for PETA (15 December 2011).