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. 1,159,190 quotes Who coined it · How we decide

English Italiano Polski עברית Français Português فارسی Español 中文 Русский Deutsch العربية हिन्दी 日本語 Ελληνικά Latina

Books and reading

Love Friendship Happiness Hope Fear Courage Death Life Time War Peace Freedom Truth Wisdom Knowledge Science Art Music Nature Money Work Power God Beauty Laughter Family Success and failure Change Dreams Books and reading

“Nothing Like the Sun and the Enderby books prove that Burgess is as clever as he seems. His utopian satires, of which 1985 is yet another, mainly just seem clever. At a generous estimate there are half a dozen ideas in each of them.”
Clive James (1939–2019) first seen 1978 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: 'Anthony Burgess in 1978'
“We in chronic need of a second look of the law books, And the whole race dichotomy”
Nas (born 1973) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Even [Marx], whose information about people came mainly from books, must have known that the Manifesto’s depiction of the relations between men and women was grossly distorted. His rage was therefore—as is so much modern rage—entirely synthetic, perhaps an attempt to assume a generosity of spirit, or love of mankind, that he knew he did not have but felt he ought to have”
Anthony Daniels (psychiatrist) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“It is commonly said that no man was ever converted by argument, but there is a single one which will make any Laodicean in England, let him be once love-sick, wear prayer-books and become a zealous Episcopalian – the argument that his sweetheart can be seen from his pew.”
Thomas Hardy (1840–1928) said by 1928 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“No mathematician can give any meaning to language about matter, force, inertia, used in text-books of mechanics.”
William Kingdon Clifford (1845–1879) said by 1879 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Aside from an unwholesome taste for string quartets, and a certain gullibility about predigested sociology, she passed the McGee test with about a B+. Hell, an A-. Maybe somebody had given her the Vance Packard books.”
John D. MacDonald (1916–1986) said by 1986 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“What we tried to do, out of mutual loneliness, was make more out of the relationship than it could support. Then it becomes pretend, and you are both saying things cribbed from half-forgotten books and plays. So the structure slowly topples over, like vanilla ice cream piled too high. And the end of it there was an obscure impulse to shake hands.”
John D. MacDonald (1916–1986) said by 1986 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Books are waste paper unless we spend in action the wisdom we get from thought.”
Edward Bulwer-Lytton (1803–1873) said by 1873 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“The term “Spirituality” as it is expressed in books of Kabbalah, means that it is devoid of any corporeal contingency, meaning time, space, imagination, and so on. Sometimes, this term indicates only the Ohr Elyon (lit. Upper Light) in the Kli (lit. Vessel), although a Kli is also completely spiritual in every way.”
Yehuda Ashlag (1880–1954) said by 1954 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“The Jewish people have been in exile for 2,000 years; they have lived in hundreds of countries, spoken hundreds of languages and still they kept their old language, Hebrew. They kept their Aramaic, later their Yiddish; they kept their books; they kept their faith.”
Isaac Bashevis Singer (1904–1991) first seen 1978 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: The New York Times (26 November 1978)
“No wonder a few people in Cross Plains don’t like him. They don’t understand him. His preoccupation with history and with writing instead of the price of corn and cotton is something they could not understand Could I? I liked to talk about books. . . History. . . Writing. Well, this was an opportunity to listen to a very interesting storyteller!”
Robert E. Howard (1906–1936) said by 1936 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Novalyne Price Ellis, One Who Walked Alone (1986), p. 64,
“Anyone following my work has probably seen that I love shoe-horning in fantasy and pulp elements into my superhero books. Catman was inspired by Tarzan, the Secret Six went to Skartaris, Wonder Woman met Beowulf and Claw. To be blunt, I love that stuff. I love the earthy primal quality of it, I love the pulp mythos from people like Lovecraft and Burroughs, and of course, Robert E. Howard.”
Robert E. Howard (1906–1936) said by 1936 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Gail Simone, Interview: Gail Simone on Writing "Red Sonja" For Dynamite, Todd Allen. The Beat magazine, 3rd January 2013.
“They can't ban or burn Larkin's books. What they can embark on is the more genteel process of literary demotion.”
Martin Amis (1949–2023) said by 2023 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“In my books I have lifted bits from various religions in trying to come to a better understanding; I've made use of religious themes and symbols. Now, as the world becomes more pagan, one has to lead people in the same direction in a different way.”
Patrick White (1912–1990) said by 1990 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“They lard their lean books with the fat of others' works.”
Robert Burton (1577–1640) said by 1640 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Though they [philosophers] write contemptu gloriæ, yet as Hieron observes, they will put their names to their books.”
Robert Burton (1577–1640) said by 1640 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Roper: This was not practical; this was moral! More: Oh, now I understand you, Will. Morality's not practical. Morality's a gesture. A complicated gesture learned from books.”
Robert Bolt (1924–1995) said by 1995 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“It has been complained, with some justice, that I dump my note-books on the public.”
Ezra Pound (1885–1972) first seen 1918 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: A Retrospect (1918)
“Buying books is probably my biggest vice when I travel. I bought a great one in America called An Incomplete Education, which covers everything from fashion to philosophy in quite a humorous way. It’s a bluffer’s guide, but pretty extensive. Because I never went to university, it’s my attempt to bone up on subjects I don’t know much about.”
Katie Melua (born 1984) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“He who learns, and makes no use of his learning, is a beast of burden with a load of books. — Does the ass comprehend whether he carries on his back a library or a bundle of faggots?”
Saadi (1210–1292) said by 1292 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“We are now in the 21st century: all books, including the Koran, should be fair game for flushing down the toilet without fear of violent reprisal.”
Sam Harris (born 1967) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“As a source of objective morality, the Bible is one of the worst books we have. It might be the very worst, in fact—if we didn't also happen to have the Qur'an.”
Sam Harris (born 1967) first seen 2006 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Sam Harris, "The Myth of Secular Moral Chaos" (29 March 2006) — in Free Inquiry, Vol. 26, issue 3
“The penalty for apostasy is death. We would do well to linger over this fact for a moment, because it is the black pearl of intolerance that no liberal exegesis will ever fully digest.....As a source of objective morality, the Bible is one of the worst books we have. It might be the very worst, in fact—if we didn’t also happen to have the Qur’an.”
Sam Harris (born 1967) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“I have spent 20 years writing these books. Had I wanted to say men are beasts and scream, that takes 30 seconds.”
Andrea Dworkin (1946–2005) first seen 1992 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Modern Times Interview of Andrea Dworkin With Larry Josephson, on "Modern Times" (American Public Radio, 1992) (radio program) (transcript of tape (end of tape missing)), as accessed Sep. 5, 2010.
“Apollodorus says, "If any one were to take away from the books of Chrysippus all the passages which he quotes from other authors, his paper would be left empty.”
Diogenes Laërtius wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Also quoted by: Tertullian
“I can't believe you've listed everything I stole since we met But I stole no kisses Just some books And the odd cigarette”
Pete Doherty (born 1979) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“The soul has no assignments, neither cooks Nor referees: it wastes its time. It wastes its time. Here in this enclave there are centuries For you to waste: the short and narrow stream Of life meanders into a thousand valleys Of all that was, or might have been, or is to be. The books, just leafed through, whisper endlessly.”
Randall Jarrell (1914–1965) said by 1965 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Perceptrons have been widely publicized as “pattern recognition” or “learning” machines and as such have been discussed in a large number of books, journal articles, and voluminous “reports.” Most of this writing...is without scientific value.”
Marvin Minsky (1927–2016) said by 2016 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“I hate looking at photography books or illustrated magazines. This is not because of contempt. I’d rather look at contact sheets: that is where you can sense the individual.”
Henri Cartier-Bresson (1908–2004) said by 2004 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Books have led some to learning and others to madness, when they swallow more than they can digest.”
Petrarch (1304–1374) said by 1374 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: As quoted in "Lifetime Speaker's Encyclopedia" (1962) by Jacob Morton Braude, p. 75
“Fifty years from now, if an understanding of man's origins, his evolution, his history, his progress is not in the common place of the school books, we shall not exist.”
Jacob Bronowski (1908–1974) said by 1974 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“I profess both to learn and to teach anatomy, not from books but from dissections; not from positions of philosophers but from the fabric of nature.”
William Harvey (1578–1657) said by 1657 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“That place that does contain My books, the best companions, is to me A glorious court, where hourly I converse With the old sages and philosophers; And sometimes, for variety, I confer With kings and emperors, and weigh their counsels.”
John Fletcher (1579–1625) said by 1625 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“No compass comes with this life, just eyes, so to map it out you must look inside, sure books could guide you but your heart defines you, chica”
Jay-Z (born 1969) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“How pleasant it is to respect people! When I see books, I am not concerned with how the authors loved or played cards; I see only their marvelous works.”
Anton Chekhov (1860–1904) said by 1904 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Professor Edgeworth, of All Souls', avoided conversational English, persistently using words and phrases that one expects to meet only in books. One evening, Lawrence returned from a visit to London, and Edgeworth met him at the gate. "Was it very caliginous in the metropolis?""Somewhat caliginous, but not altogether inspissated," Lawrence replied gravely.”
Robert Graves (1895–1985) said by 1985 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“All the proliferating falsifications of what I and everyone I know experienced once in what it is now so convenient to call the "fifties" or "sixties," as if life was really measured or lived in arbitrary decades, when the history books are sold like comix.”
Lester Bangs (1948–1982) first seen 1980 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Notes on PiL's Metal Box" (1980), p. 314
“An elegant sufficiency, content, Retirement, rural quiet, friendship, books, Ease and alternate labour, useful life, Progressive virtue, and approving Heaven!”
James Thomson (poet, born 1700) first seen 1158 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: l. 1158
Also quoted by: James Thomson
“I am positive I have a soul; nor can all the books with which materialists have pester’d the world ever convince me to the contrary.”
Laurence Sterne (1713–1768) said by 1768 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“I clearly remember my introduction to the African American heritage. I was in the school sanatorium with a bad attack of the flu when the headmistress came to see me, bringing copies of Wright's Native Son, Black Boy and Trevor Huddleston's Naught For Your Comfort, I could not put any of the books down.”
Richard Wright (1908–1960) said by 1960 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“The Big L was cold crazy, A top-notch crook snatchin' pocket books from old ladies”
Big L (1974–1999) said by 1999 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Let none turn over books, or roam the stars in quest of God, who sees him not in man.”
Johann Kaspar Lavater (1741–1801) said by 1801 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“In the world of comic books, "troublemaker" means someone who has some sense of dignity.”
Frank Miller (born 1957) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“My only books Were woman's looks, And folly's all they've taught me.”
Thomas Moore (1779–1852) said by 1852 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Your young white, who gathers his learning from books and can measure what he knows by the page, may conceit that his knowledge, like his legs, outruns that of his fathers', but, where experience is the master, the scholar is made to know the value of years, and respects them accordingly.”
James Fenimore Cooper (1789–1851) said by 1851 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Ideas oozed out of books like magma out of volcanoes.”
Sheri S. Tepper (1929–2016) said by 2016 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Basic truth about the colonies, Heaslop. Any time there's trouble, you can put it down to books. Too many of the wrong ideas getting into the heads of the wrong sorts of people. If ever the Empire comes to ruin, Heaslop, mark my words, the British publisher will be to blame.”
Shashi Tharoor (born 1956) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“The books that help you the most are those which make you think the most.”
Theodore Parker (1810–1860) said by 1860 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: As quoted in The Gigantic Book of Teachers' Wisdom (2007) by Erin Gruwell and Frank McCourt, p. 496.
“His [Champlain's] books mark the man,—all for his theme and his purpose, nothing for himself. Crude in style, full of the superficial errors of carelessness and haste, rarely diffuse, often brief to a fault, they bear on every page the palpable impress of truth.”
Francis Parkman (1823–1893) said by 1893 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“The mortality of all inanimate things is terrible to me, but that of books most of all.”
William Dean Howells (1837–1920) first seen 1903 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Letter to Charles Eliot Norton (6 April 1903)