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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“It seems to him that he extends backwards (or is it forwards?) without beginning (or is it end?) and he can't just now remember whether the great tales and plots which he supposes he knows and forever broods on lie in the to-come or lie dead in the has-been. But then suppose that's how secrets are kept, and age-long tales remembered, and unbreakable curses made too.”
John Crowley (1942–2026) said by 2026 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Then I guess the story is a lie” “I didn’t say that.” “No, I said it. Fortunately, it’s the best kind of lie.” “And what kind is that?” “Why, the kind I tell, of course.”
Brandon Sanderson (born 1975) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“A good lie, the delicious kind, hinted at hidden grandeur or further secrets. This was instead the lie of a drunken has-been at the bar, trying to drum up enough pity to get a free drink. It was more pathetic than interesting.”
Brandon Sanderson (born 1975) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“It’s not unlikely that God would lie—that would be a matter of probability. It is impossible for God to lie.”
James MacDonald (born 1960) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“It was, of course, a lie what you read about my religious convictions, a lie which is being systematically repeated. I do not believe in a personal God and I have never denied this but have expressed it clearly. If something is in me which can be called religious then it is the unbounded admiration for the structure of the world so far as our science can reveal it.”
Albert Einstein (1879–1955) first seen 1954 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Letter to an atheist (24 March 1954), p. 43
“You lie—under a mistake, For this is the most civil sort of lie That can be given to a man's face. I now Say what I think.”
Percy Bysshe Shelley (1792–1822) said by 1822 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Translation of Calderon's Magico Prodigioso, Scene i; reported in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 10th ed. (1919)
“One man prays thus: How shall I be able to lie with that woman? Do thou pray thus: How shall I not desire to lie with her? Another prays: How shall I be released from this? Another prays: How shall I not desire to be released? Another thus: How shall I not lose my little son? Thou thus: How shall I not be afraid to lose him? In fine, turn thy prayers this way, and see what comes.”
Marcus Aurelius (121–180) said by 180 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Living a lie the whole time — the lie that we're here to uplift our poor black brothers instead of to rob them ... it corrupts us, it corrupts us in ways you can't imagine.”
George Orwell (1903–1950) said by 1950 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“To Live signifies to believe and hope — to lie and to lie to oneself.”
Emil Cioran (1911–1995) said by 1995 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Don't let me die in an automobile I wanna lie in an open field Want the snakes to suck my skin Want the worms to be my friends Want the birds to eat my eyes As here I lie The clouds fly by”
Jim Morrison (1943–1971) first seen 1968 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: The End; Live in New York" (1970), "The End; Live at The Hollywood Bowl" (1968)
“We lie loudest when we lie to ourselves.”
Eric Hoffer (1902–1983) said by 1983 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“They lie about marijuana. Tell you pot-smoking makes you unmotivated. Lie! When you're high, you can do everything you normally do just as well—you just realize that it's not worth the fucking effort. There is a difference.”
Bill Hicks (1961–1994) said by 1994 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“We lie best when we lie to ourselves.”
Stephen King (born 1947) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Well I'm accustomed to a smooth ride, Or maybe I'm a dog that's lost its bite, I don't expect to be treated like a fool, no, no, I don't expect to sleep long nights, Some people say a lie is just a lie but I say, Why deny the obvious child?”
Paul Simon (born 1941) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“I never lie, even to this day. Not even a little. Unless you count playing pranks on people, which I don't. That's comedy. Entertainment doesn't count. A joke is different from a lie, even if the difference is kind of subtle.”
Steve Wozniak (born 1950) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“To think what we do not feel is to lie to ourselves, in the same way that we lie to others when we say to others what we do not think. Everything we think must be thought with our entire being, body, and soul.”
Joseph Joubert (1754–1824) said by 1824 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“He is a narrow-minded man, that affects a triumph in any glorious study; but to triumph in a lie, and a lie themselves have forged, is frontless. Folly often goes beyond her bounds; but Impudence knows none.”
Ben Jonson (1572–1637) said by 1637 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Hollywood is a place where some people lie on the beach and look up at the stars, whereas other people lie on the stars and look down at the beach.”
Noël Coward (1899–1973) first seen 1960 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Interview with Walter Harris in 1960 reported in The Times (26 May 2009)
“THE ONLY WAY YOU CAN CONTROL PEOPLE IS TO LIE TO THEM. You can write that down in your book in great big letters. The only way you can control anybody is to lie to them.”
L. Ron Hubbard (1911–1986) first seen 1952 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Lecture: "Off the Time Track" (June 1952) as quoted in Journal of Scientology issue 18-G, reprinted in Technical Volumes of Dianetics & Scientology Vol. 1, p. 418.
“I believe that we must always be mindful of this one thing, whatever the trials and the tests ahead. The ultimate strength of our country and our cause will lie not in powerful weapons or infinite resources or boundless wealth, but will lie in the unity of our people.”
Lyndon B. Johnson (1908–1973) said by 1973 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“There's equal stuff in Venezuela. There's equal stuff in Cuba. It's a lie. It's a lie. Only God can equalize. Only God, and I got news for you, gang, he's about to. And we are gonna be first on the receiving end.”
Glenn Beck (born 1964) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“People lie. Auras never lie.”
Harbhajan Singh Yogi (1929–2004) said by 2004 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“The best lie is often one too ridiculous to be taken for a lie.”
Robert Jordan (1948–2007) said by 2007 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Males learn to lie as a way of obtaining power, and females not only do the same but they also lie to pretend powerlessness.”
Bell hooks (1952–2021) said by 2021 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“So the Glass Master story is real?” “Oh, yes, my dear. The story is real. When you must lie, my dear, lie as little as possible. That way you’ll have the least to remember.”
Sheri S. Tepper (1929–2016) said by 2016 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Critics say that America is a lie because its reality falls so short of its ideals. They are wrong. America is not a lie; it is a disappointment. But it can be a disappointment only because it is also a hope.”
Samuel P. Huntington (1927–2008) first seen 1981 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: American Politics: The Promise of Disharmony (1981), p. 262
“We are in a degenerate state of self-government. In fact, even to use the words self-government, is not only an exaggeration, it's a lie. It's a big lie!”
Jerry Brown (born 1938) first seen 1995 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Speaking to the International Transpersonal Association Conference in Santa Clara, California, 10 June 1995.
“I saw the sunlit vale, and the pastoral fairy-tale; The sweet and bitter scent of the may drifted by; And never have I seen such a bright bewildering green. But it looked like a lie, Like a kindly meant lie.”
Edmund Charles Blunden (1896–1974) first seen 1929 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: The Failure", st. 1; in The London Mercury (October 1929) p. 555
“The alternative to democracy is a nightmare, a prison, of the mind. That alternative is tyranny. All tyranny is based on a lie. The greater the tyranny, the bigger the lie.”
Sting (musician) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“A child - so wasted and so white, He told a lie to get his way, To march, a man with men, and fight While other boys are still at play. A gallant lie your heart will say.”
Eva Dobell (1876–1963) said by 1963 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“A tongue like yours should be burned and branded So I can see you lie to me I wish the air would color red when you breathed it Oh, so I could've seen it coming Look in my eyes when you say you love me So I can see you lie to me”
Sara Bareilles (born 1979) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“It’s a no-brainer that we should have the right to marry, but I also think equally that it’s a no-brainer that the institution of marriage should not exist. Fighting for gay marriage generally involves lying about what we are going to do with marriage when we get there — because we lie that the institution of marriage is not going to change, and that is a lie.”
Masha Gessen (born 1967) first seen 2012 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Life Matters — Why get married when you could be happy?" ABC, Australia (11 June 2012)
“If you're a Republican, you can't even lie to Congress or lie to an FBI agent or they're coming after you.”
Louie Gohmert (born 1953) first seen 2022 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Gohmert: ‘If you’re a Republican, you can’t even lie to Congress or lie to an FBI agent or they’re coming after you’, June 3, 2022
“Mike Lindell: "'The Big Lie' is the big lie." Steve: [Laughter] Is that like a Zen koan? Like "the sound of one hand clapping in the forest"?!”
Steve Bannon (born 1953) first seen 2021 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: War Room Pandemic, ep. 747 Feb. 22 2021 at 18min. Regarding news of Dominion's lawsuit vs. Lindell which accused him of pushing "the Big Lie" starting on its fourth line and a total of 31 times.
“Lie and Lie until you succeed CAUSE IM A NICE GUY.”
Akshay Agrawal (born 1998) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“You tell the big lie by carefully selecting only the small, isolated truths, linking them in such a way that that advance the bigger lie by painting a picture inside the viewer's head. The Ascended High Master of this Dark Art is Noam Chomsky.”
Bill Whittle (born 1959) first seen 2003 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: MAGIC (18 May 2003)
“That was the second major lie I told that week. It gets easier, in some ways; now I lie without expending any effort. But I think each one has its own weight. One alone may barely register, like a grain of sand in the palm of one’s hand. But soon enough there’s more than can be held and they start to slip through our grasp if we’re not careful. I’m always careful.”
Emma Newman (born 1976) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Please don't grow up to be one of those men who lie for the sport of it, and most men do. That's a fact... That's why the world is so messed-up, Noah. That's why history books are full of so much heartache and tragedy. Politicians, dictators, kings, phony-baloney preachers--most of 'em are men, and most of 'em lie like rugs. Don't you dare grow up to be like that."(Chapter 3)”
Carl Hiaasen (born 1953) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Even from afar, I see the blackened corpses that lie in the streets. Corpses that lie there because of me.”
Tomi Adeyemi (born 1993) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“(Chapter Seventy-Six)*Even from afar, I see the blackened corpses that lie in the streets. Corpses that lie there because of me.”
Tomi Adeyemi (born 1993) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“I think people are realizing it was all a lie. It was a big lie for the people. What MAGA is really serving in this administration, who they’re serving, is their big donors.”
Marjorie Taylor Greene (born 1974) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“All men lie to you. When they tell you that they love you, it’s a lie… All men hate you, ladies, they hate you. Because you prevent men from thriving… This is why all the crimes committed in the world are women’s fault.”
Vladimir Zhirinovsky (1946–2022) said by 2022 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“This is why propaganda networks are so effective in rewriting history: the distribution spread of a lie is so much greater than the fact-check that follows, and by the time the lie is debunked, those who believe it often refuse to change their views”
Maria Ressa (born 1963) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“A lie is no less a lie because it is a thousand years old.”
Hilary Mantel (1952–2022) first seen 1534 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Part 6, Section 1, “Supremacy. 1534” (p. 525)
“I’m pretty good at that. There were a lot of things I did when I was just a boy that I didn’t tell her about. I didn’t come right out and lie to her, of course. A boy should never lie to his mother, but now and then things sort of slipped my mind. You know how that can happen.” “Oh, yes.” Althalus laughed. “Things have been slipping my mind for as long as I can remember.”
David Eddings (1931–2009) said by 2009 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“There is a proverb [in Persian] that goes innocently to the gallows, but doesn't go to the top. But it's a lie. We are seeing that everything was a lie.”
Navid Afkari (1993–2020) said by 2020 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Out on the wastes of the Never Never — That's where the dead men lie! There where the heat-waves dance forever — That's where the dead men lie!”
Barcroft Boake (poet) first seen 1891 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Where the Dead Men Lie", st. 1, in The Bulletin (19 December 1891)
“„Life begins > I lie down > I can't walk > I can't control excretion > can’t control excretion > can't walk > I lie down > life ends”
Stanislav Stodulka (born 1982) first seen 2024 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: ERROR (groWsoul, 2024), p. 241
“My appointment as a Justice of the High Court of Australia is exciting but I am very well aware that large challenges lie ahead. The work of the Court is relentless and, inevitably, comprises the truly hard cases. That combination presents both the challenges and the rewards of the tasks that lie ahead.”
Michelle Gordon (born 1964) first seen 2015 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Tarang Chawla, "Be Yourself": The Hon Michelle Gordon's Rise to the High Court, 13 June 2015.
“I won't lie, when you are into theatre ... first, people like to assume that a professional actor is only the one that's on TV, but that's a lie, because there are professional actors making a living in theatre. For me, personally, when I graduated with my diploma, I didn't want to do TV (jobs).”
Thobani Nzuza (born 1993) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source