Famous quotes

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“I can dispel the clouds, drain the sea, or cure someone hopelessly ill. But to change the mind of a fool is beyond me.”
Lalleshwari (1320–1392) said by 1392 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“When I was older I was a sailor On an open sea But now I'm underwater And my skin is paler Than it should ever be”
Billie Eilish (born 2001) first seen 2019 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: When I Was Older, Music Inspired by the Film Roma (9 January 2019)
“You could be so intimate, so familiar with someone’s skin and flesh and spirit, only to wake up one day and find that it had receded from you, suddenly, like a tide rushing back out into the sea, leaving you with dissolving foam and a damp heart.”
Akwaeke Emezi (born 1987) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“The Nazarenes were an ancient Jewish sect whose most famous member before Jesus was Samson, 21 known from the Old Testament story. They gave special importance to uncut hair, which they believed to contain divine power, and were later associated with the Essenes, the nationalistic religious community on the Dead Sea to which Jesus and Thomas belonged.”
Ishwar Sharan wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“The Portuguese historian Gaspar Correa, probably the most credulous annalist in history, describes extensive ruins in Mylapore and its environs including Big Mount. He attributes this devastation to the wind and rain and angry sea rather than his bigoted and iconoclastic countrymen. But at the same time he gives backhanded testimony for a Shiva temple on the Mylapore beach.”
Ishwar Sharan wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Years later, when they are old, sitting on a porch somewhere overlooking the sea, someone would ask them how it all started, and he'd say, as soon as he saw her on the other side of the drinking fountain at the immigrant camp, he knew. (first lines of book)”
Ayelet Tsabari (born 1973) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“There are so many facets to almost any subject... that to tell the whole in its proper time sequence would be to lose the reader in a sea of facts and details, some related, others not at all.”
Eric Laithwaite (1921–1997) said by 1997 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“These principles make it possible to pinpoint the locus in space more or less accurately even for a language family as old as IE. Here it will be shown that the locus accounting for the distribution of loanwords, internal innovations, and genetic diversity within IE could only have lain well to the east of the Caspian Sea.”
Johanna Nichols (born 1945) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“To be able to see God and hear God requires faith. And faith requires humility, and commitment. You cannot know what the sea feels and tastes like if you will never leave the beach.”
Rod Dreher (born 1967) first seen 2020 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: The Great Christian Sorting" (28 June 2020), The American Conservative
“Some claim I "profit" personally from volunteering for sea rescue. Here's how I profit: By knowing that stepping up for the human rights of others I am ultimately defending everybody's rights - incl my own. No one is free until we are all free. #BlackLifesMatter”
Carola Rackete (born 1988) first seen 2020 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Twitter (2 June 2020)
“There are people who seriously think sea rescue activists like me rescue Black lives because we hate white people. Some white people feel personally threatened by the fact that human rights apply to everyone equally. White priviledge needs to end if we want justice, ever.”
Carola Rackete (born 1988) first seen 2020 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Twitter (27 June 2020)
“The sea is the obsession of the poet, because the first poetic rhythm, or the first sense of poetic rhythm, was born of the motion of the waves.”
Mahmoud Darwish (1941–2008) said by 2008 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: In this quotation Darwish "reveals that he learned to write by imitating the rhythm of the sea’s waves." -Mahmoud Darwish: Writing as an Artistic Sanctuary, Sazzad, R. (2015), Interdisciplinary Literary Studies 17(1), 1…
“[A]fter around 30 feet... the water stops buoying you... and starts dragging you down to the sea floor. ...[T]he deeper ...the more your body changes. ...Your organs allow for the free flow of fluids so they don't collapse. Your brain waves slow down. Your heart rate will slow to about 1/3 its resting rate.”
James Nestor (writer) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“In the next 10 years the U.S. ...is going to spend $100 million looking for signs of intelligent non-human life in the skies. But there's already intelligent non-human life... on our planet deep beneath the sea. It's been trying to reach out to us for thousands of years... [W]e should start talking back.”
James Nestor (writer) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“In the face of all kinds of derisions of all the many people, I still firmly believe in my mind that that unique village on the Japan Sea of which oral legend has handed down, the town where only cats' spirits live, must surely exist somewhere, in some part of the universe.”
Sakutarō Hagiwara (1886–1942) said by 1942 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“But we are told that English interests demand it; that our dominion in India will be imperilled, that the civilized world will crumble into atoms, if a Russian ship should be seen in the Mediterranean Sea. If it be so, then I say, perish the interests of England, perish our dominion in India, rather than that we should strike a blow or speak a word on behalf of the wrong against the right.”
Edward Augustus Freeman (1823–1892) first seen 1876 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Speech to the National Conference on the Eastern Question in St. James's Hall, London, protesting against a war for Turkey against Russia after the Bulgarian atrocities (8 December 1876), quoted in The Times (16 Decembe…
“Oceans of time passing through space, beings and things – come and slip away. Like tears in a stream drift into the sea, no shape, no soul – faint memories of dreams.”
Ike Moriz (born 1972) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Like you, I believe our most urgent task is a modus vivendi with England. In the last analysis even Morocco was intended to facilitate this. ... We should do everything our finances allow for our defenses on land and sea, but we must work as quietly as possible, not threaten boisterously. Only then can we improve our relations with London and prevent a new naval law from leading to war.”
Theobald von Bethmann-Hollweg (1856–1921) first seen 1911 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Letter to Eisendecher (26 December 1911), quoted in Konrad H. Jarauschl, ‘The Illusion of Limited War: Chancellor Bethmann Hollweg's Calculated Risk, July 1914’, Central European History, Vol. 2, No. 1 (Mar., 1969), p. …
“I was at first much discouraged, when I reflected on my Rashness, in venturing on an Undertaking, which had baffled the repeated Attempts of the best Philosophers and Chymists, both Ancient and Modern: In so much that they looked upon it as almost impracticable to find out any way to procure a wholesome Drink from Sea-Water.”
Stephen Hales (1677–1761) said by 1761 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“I shall... give an Account of what has been formerly attempted for making Sea-Water drinkable, especially what was done by Mr. Walcot and Mr. Fitz-gerald in King Charles the Second's Time.”
Stephen Hales (1677–1761) said by 1761 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“How blue were Ariadne's eyes When, from the sea's horizon line, At eve, she raised them on the skies! My Psyche, bluer far are thine.”
Sir Aubrey de Vere, 2nd Baronet (1788–1846) said by 1846 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Psyche; reported in Hoyt's New Cyclopedia Of Practical Quotations (1922), p. 246.
“The heart has a resiliency. Strained to breaking, it can contract again. Even the waiting women, Iseult and Penelope, learned, as they sat sorrowing and watching, to sing to the swing of the sea.”
Fannie Hurst (1889–1968) said by 1968 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Beneath, where even in August noonday, the sun cannot find its way by a chink, and babies lie stark naked in the cavernous shade, Allen Street presents a sort of submarine and greenish gloom, as if its humanity were actually moving through a sea of aqueous shadows, faces rather bleached and shrunk from sunlessness as water can bleach and shrink.”
Fannie Hurst (1889–1968) said by 1968 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Well I wish I could be like a bird in the sky/How sweet it would be/If I found I could fly/I'd soar to the sun/And look down at the sea/And I sing 'cause I know/How it feels to be free”
Nina Simone (1933–2003) first seen 1967 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel To Be Free 1967
“The surrender of the Belgian Army compelled the British at the shortest notice to cover a flank to the sea more than 30 miles in length. Otherwise all would have been cut off, and all would have shared the fate to which King Leopold had condemned the finest Army his country had ever formed.”
Leopold III of Belgium (1901–1983) first seen 1940 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Winston Churchill, We Shall Fight on the Beeches, 4 June 1940
“Take it from me, underwater deep sea diver extraordinaire, driving with my Mom on the freeway is far more dangerous.”
Tania Raymonde (born 1988) first seen 2020 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Interview: Tania Raymonde, Star Of Deep Blue Sea 3 (July 27, 2020)
“I know a ‘swimming pool’ where these ‘young people who disturb’ can go and swim separately following their ‘own schedule’: the Mediterranean Sea.”
Sam Van Rooy (born 1985) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Let no drop of water make it to the sea without serving man.”
Parakramabahu I (1123–1186) said by 1186 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“If I'm not working, I'll go on my boat and have a few drinks. Most of my friends are outside the movie business. It's too much to mix with other celebrities. When I go out I prefer no one talk about movies. I'd rather talk about waterskiing, the sea, beaches, seafood...”
Tony Leung (born 1962) first seen 2000 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: I Told Kar-wai I Couldn't Move, Couldn't Breathe" in TIME Asia (11 October 2000)
“We have achieved a high level of interaction between our armed forces on land, in the air and at sea. This increase is an important trend towards further activity.”
Sergei Shoigu (born 1955) first seen 2021 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Russian defence minister praises cooperation with China at joint wargames" (August 13, 2021)
“The activity of the NATO’s "police" aviation mission on patrolling the Baltic states’ airspace has actually become a part of the so-called limited access zone, covering the Kaliningrad region and the eastern part of the Baltic Sea. We consider such activities of the NATO as a violation of the power balance in the region, endangering the Russian Federation security.”
Sergei Shoigu (born 1955) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“In this difficult moment and at a historical turning point, I call on you, brothers and sisters, to fulfill your sacred duty in defending the homeland. Let us be united in the fight for the freedom of our Croatian country, our sea and sky over our only and eternal Croatia.”
Franjo Tuđman (1922–1999) first seen 1991 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Address to the Croatian people following the Serbian aggression against the Republic of Croatia" (5 October 1991)
“The slave trade has another character; it is the very denial of every law, of all social order. Man-hunting constitutes a crime of high treason against humanity. It ought to be repressed wherever it can be reached, on land as well as by sea.”
Auguste, Baron Lambermont (1819–1905) said by 1905 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Whither has gone the superiority of the Muslims, In wealth, wisdom and learning? Whither has gone that fixity of purpose, That knew no barrier of land or sea? Whither has gone that vigour and where are those sturdy arms?”
Altaf Hussain Hali (1837–1914) first seen 1707 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: quoted from Jain, M. (2010). Parallel pathways: Essays on Hindu-Muslim relations, 1707-1857. p.7
“Do you know that Eugene O'Neill loved [(1940), based on a cycle of O'Neill's one-act sea plays]? Every month he had a print screened for him. It's a little thing that made me very proud of this picture.”
John Ford (1894–1973) said by 1973 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“The sea is selective, slow at recognition of effort and aptitude but fast in sinking the unfit.”
Felix Riesenberg (1879–1939) said by 1939 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“In the military perspective, fighting is the last resort while before it there must be production on a large scale and with high enthusiasm and large-scale production on the sea.”
Zhang Zhaozhong (born 1952) first seen 2013 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: China boasts of strategy to “recover” islands occupied by Philippines" in China News (28 May 2013)
“If there is a clash in the South China Sea, the possibility that foreign countries would intervene is low, and any conflict would not last long.”
Zhang Zhaozhong (born 1952) first seen 2013 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Special Report: China's military hawks take the offensive" in Reuters (16 January 2013)
“You know, Odessa is a genuine paradise for talents. Dozens of famous, popular and simply wondeful people were able to develop their talents in the city by the blue-blue sea. I would want to say a few words about them right now - for example, Anna Akhmetova, a poet... Yanukovych meant Anna Akhmatova; Rinat Akhmetov is an oligarch who was then a member of Yanukovych's party”
Viktor Yanukovych (born 1950) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Be as happy as the sea of Monaco, as the spoil tips of Donbas!”
Viktor Yanukovych (born 1950) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“PT boats are very, very, in many ways, very fine to keep at sea at long times and do varied jobs. Well, since D-day, my boats have been out here in the line from 10 to 14 days at a time. We often run out of food, we have trouble with the weather, but the boys are taking it fine. I think we've done the hardest thing of all, kept on our toes for whatever might have happened.”
John D. Bulkeley (1911–1996) first seen 1944 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Activities of PT boats in Normandy Invasion" (1944)
“God has blessed these two countries to be neighbours. We have land and sea borders. And even our ecology is one. Even our animals are family and neighbours.”
Samia Suluhu Hassan (born 1960) first seen 2021 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Tanzanian Samia Suluhu Hassan's five quotes which charmed Kenya BBC NEWS (6 May 2021)
“This step reflects a vision and strategic transformation in the control and management of deep-sea resources.”
Samia Suluhu Hassan (born 1960) first seen 2026 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Samia launches Tanzania’s first deep-sea fishing vessel, vows to revive fisheries corporation the citizen (Sunday, April 26, 2026 )
“I'm thirty-three for a moment, I'm still the man, but you see I'm a "they" A kid on the way, babe, A family on my mind. I'm forty-five for a moment, The sea is high And I'm heading into a crisis, Chasing the years of my life.”
Five for Fighting (born 1965) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“May Our Lady of Mount Carmel, whose image is carried about on the Cantabrian Sea, through our cities, fields and valleys, accompanied by the fervor of her children, be the star that guides us to Christ, the safe port of salvation.”
Vicente Jiménez Zamora (born 1944) first seen 2012 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Spanish bishop voices support for fishermen amid economic crisis (18 July 2012)
“Sovereignty is a bottom line for China. Big as China is, we cannot afford to give away a single inch of territory that our ancestors have left to us. China's territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests in the South China Sea have been formed over the course of over two thousand years. They are fully backed by historical and legal evidence.”
Yang Jiechi (born 1950) first seen 2016 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Yang Jiechi Gives Interview to State Media on the So-called Award by the Arbitral Tribunal for the South China Sea Arbitration" (26 July 2016)
“If there is no attack on police, if there is no use of violence, of course there is no need for police to resort to the use of force. You can see petrol bombs being thrown, you can see fire being set, you can see people being dragged out of the car because of opposite views. So, this is sowing the sea of terror which I think police must deal with.”
John Lee Ka-chiu (born 1957) first seen 2022 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Hong Kong chief executive election 2022: John Lee attracted backers and critics during long climb from police inspector to No 2 official" in South China Morning Post (7 April 2022)
“We are experiencing a sea change in our culture that is long overdue, and we must continue working to empower all women and do everything we can to prevent sexual harassment, misconduct, and assault.”
Maggie Hassan (born 1958) first seen 2017 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Warren, Markey Call For Franken To Resign After New Accusation CBS news (December 6, 2017).
“Kanadas, watching from the rail, said: “I wish I go with them.” A tear ran down his dark face. “It is against my religion to travel over sea.” “Everything’s against your religion, laddie,” I said. “Of course. That shows it is very pure, moral religion.”
L. Sprague de Camp (1907–2000) said by 2000 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Unless our field force could arrive on the scene during this opening phase—and it is difficult to see how it could, since it has to cross the sea—our assistance might be more profitably given in the form of a proportionately larger contribution in air strength.”
B. H. Liddell Hart (1895–1970) first seen 1936 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: 'Air, Land, and Sea', The Times (10 February 1936), p. 13, quoted in B. H. Liddell Hart, Memoirs, Vol. I (1965), p. 298