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“The sea is calm tonight. The tide is full, the moon lies fair Upon the straits;—on the French coast the light Gleams and is gone; the cliffs of England stand, Glimmering and vast, out in the tranquil bay. Come to the window, sweet is the night-air!”
Matthew Arnold (1822–1888) said by 1888 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Was it a friend or foe that spread these lies? Nay, who but infants question in such wise, 'T was one of my most intimate enemies.”
Dante Gabriel Rossetti (1828–1882) said by 1882 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Fragment, reported in Bartlett's Familiar Quotations, 10th ed. (1919).
“As things stand now the feudal lords are content to look on while the shogunate carries on in a highhanded manner. Neither the lords nor the shogun can be depended upon, and so our only hope lies in grass-roots heroes.”
Yoshida Shoin (1830–1859) said by 1859 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“It seems hopeless, hopeless. Those who eat meat [at public expense] are a mean, selfish lot, and so the country is doomed. Our only hope lies in the grass-roots folk who eat our traditional food.”
Yoshida Shoin (1830–1859) said by 1859 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“The daimonic refers to the power of nature rather than the superego, and is beyond good and evil. Nor is it man's 'recall to himself' as Heidegger and later Fromm have argued, for its source lies in those realms where the self is rooted in natural forces which go beyond the self and are felt as the grasp of fate upon us. The daimonic arises from the ground of being rather than the self as such.”
Rollo May (1909–1994) said by 1994 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Along with the rest of the establishment, the BBC—which, to be fair, can make superb documentaries—has swallowed wholesale the lies and distortions about domestic violence promoted by extreme, man-hating feminism through the vehicle of deeply dodgy ‘research’.”
Melanie Phillips (born 1951) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“In practice we always base our preparations against an enemy on the assumption that his plans are good; indeed, it is right to rest our hopes not on a belief in his blunders, but on the soundness of our provisions. Nor ought we to believe that there is much difference between man and man, but to think that the superiority lies with him who is reared in the severest school.”
Thucydides (461–395 BC) said by 395 BC at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Poetry's magic lies in the imagery which satifies even without interpretation..it is accepted as easily as it was created.”
Robert Bridges (1844–1930) first seen 1917 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: The Necessity of Poetry Tredegar 1917 (from Collected Essays).
“Looking Backward was written in the belief that the Golden Age lies before us and not behind us.”
Edward Bellamy (1850–1898) said by 1898 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“To strive for the common prosperity and happiness of all nations as well as the security and well-being of Our subjects is the solemn obligation which has been handed down by Our Imperial Ancestors and which lies close to Our heart.”
Hirohito (1901–1989) said by 1989 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Ask no questions, and you'll be told no lies.”
Charles Dickens (1812–1870) said by 1870 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“All political parties die at last of swallowing their own lies.”
John Arbuthnot (1667–1735) said by 1735 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Quoted in Richard Garnett, Life of Emerson (1888) ch. 7
“In the rash lustihead of my young powers, I shook the pillaring hours And pulled my life upon me; grimed with smears, I stand amid the dust o’ the mounded years— My mangled youth lies dead beneath the heap. My days have crackled and gone up in smoke, Have puffed and burst as sun-starts on a stream.”
Francis Thompson (1859–1907) said by 1907 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“They say the Lion and the Lizard keep The Courts where Jamshýd gloried and drank deep: And Bahrám, that great Hunter—the Wild Ass Stamps o'er his Head, and he lies fast asleep.”
Omar Khayyám (1048–1131) said by 1131 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: XVII (1859)
“Oh, come with old Khayyam, and leave the Wise To talk; one thing is certain, that Life flies; One thing is certain, and the Rest is Lies; The Flower that once has blown for ever dies.”
Omar Khayyám (1048–1131) said by 1131 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: XXVI (1859)
“Oh, threats of Hell and Hopes of Paradise! One thing at least is certain — This Life flies; One thing is certain and the rest is Lies; The Flower that once has blown for ever dies.”
Omar Khayyám (1048–1131) said by 1131 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: LXIII (5th ed. 1889)
“Well, if you told me you were drowning, I would not lend a hand. I've seen your face before my friend But I don't know if you know who I am. Well, I was there and I saw what you did I saw it with my own two eyes. So you can wipe off that grin, I know where you've been. It's all been a pack of lies”
Phil Collins (born 1951) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“It is a fact worth pondering that four centuries ago the evil of "an abundance or surplus" arose from its being kept off the market, while today the evil of surplus lies in its being thrown upon the market.”
Benjamin Graham (1894–1976) said by 1976 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“The investor's primary interest lies in acquiring and holding suitable securities at suitable prices.”
Benjamin Graham (1894–1976) said by 1976 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Who will save your souls? After all those lies that you told, boy Now, who will save your souls? If you won't save your own?”
Jewel (singer) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“I would say that happiness lies in serving the Land. And I would say that there is no happiness in times of war.”
Stephen R. Donaldson (born 1947) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“The essence of perestroika lies in the fact that it unites socialism with democracy and revives the Leninist concept of socialist construction both in theory and in practice.”
Mikhail Gorbachev (1931–2022) said by 2022 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Let us never forget this; since the day of the air, the old frontiers are gone. When you think of the defence of England you no longer think of the chalk cliffs of Dover; you think of the Rhine. That is where our frontier lies.”
Stanley Baldwin (1867–1947) first seen 1934 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Speech in the House of Commons (30 July 1934)
“Gold, silver, jewels: dust, heaps of manure. Gratification, sensual pleasures, satisfaction of the appetites: like a beast, like a mule, like a cock, like a pig, like a bull. Honours, distinctions, titles: things of air, puffs of pride, lies, nothingness.”
Josemaría Escrivá (1902–1975) said by 1975 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“A month passes by and brings another month. Easy to guess what lies ahead: all of yesterday’s boredom. And tomorrow ends up no longer like tomorrow.”
Constantine P. Cavafy (1863–1933) said by 1933 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“We stand for the State and for the unity which, whether in the form of kingdom or empire or class solidarity, the State alone can bring. Above all stands the State and in that phrase lies the essence of Toryism. Our ancestors left it to us, and not the least potent method of preserving it is to link the conception of State Toryism with the practice of Social Reform.”
F. E. Smith, 1st Earl of Birkenhead (1872–1930) said by 1930 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“I like ironies unless they're real. I was arrested for painting a picture about corruption over a billboard. As a result I spent 40 hours in a cell with the cops taking the piss and telling me lies, followed by a spell of community service and a hefty fine for which I never got a receipt and no record appeared to be kept.”
“No life is without its lies.”
José Saramago (1922–2010) said by 2010 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“He felt very tired, not from the mental effort, but because he had suddenly seen what the world was like, how there are many lies and truths,”
José Saramago (1922–2010) first seen 2003 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: p. 73 (Vintage 2003)
“Time is a master of ceremonies who always ends up putting us in our rightful place, we advance, stop and retreat according to his orders, our mistake lies in imagination that we can catch him out.”
José Saramago (1922–2010) first seen 2003 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: p. 115 (Vintage 2003)
“The past is an immense area of stony ground that many people would like to drive across as if it were a motorway, while others move patiently from stone to stone, lifting each one because they need to know what lies beneath. Sometimes scorpions crawl out or centipedes, fat white caterpillars or ripe chrysalises, but it's not impossible that, at least once, an elephant might appear...”
José Saramago (1922–2010) said by 2010 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“So many voices, Too many noises. Invisible lies keeping us apart. So many choices, but they're all disappointment And they only steal me away from you. Climb into our own private bubble, Let's get into all kinds of trouble.”
James Blunt (born 1974) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“What nature does blindly, slowly, and ruthlessly, man may do providently, quickly, and kindly. As it lies within his power, so it becomes his duty to work in that direction.”
Francis Galton (1822–1911) first seen 1904 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: Eugenics: Its Definition, Scope, and Aims"; The American Journal of Sociology, Volume X (July 1904)
“So many lies. Are taking hold. It’s not your fault. There’s many scars. ~ "On Your Side”
“Get your children out of the public schools, if possible. The problem with the lies in the books is not fixable in the short term and there is a great chance your student will be negatively impacted if you leave them in a public school setting.”
Kent Hovind (born 1953) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“(referring to a broken sign displayed at a fireworks stand)"It says FIRE ORKS. And the arrow on this particular sign points down a twisting dirt road that is quickly engulfed in a darkened forest. I really need to get around to vandalizing that sign. Maybe adding something like "This way lies doom" to the bottom.”
Brian Clevinger (born 1978) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“For the cold of the pistol-butt and the bullet's heat, For the ropes that choke, the manacles that bind, The huge voice, metal, that lies from a thousand tubes And the stuttering machine-gun that answers all.”
Stephen Vincent Benét (1898–1943) said by 1943 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“I have just come down from my father. Higher and higher he lies Above me in a blue light Shed by a tinted window.”
James Dickey (1923–1997) said by 1997 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“It's in the fight, in the striving, in the mountains unclimbed that fulfillment lies, so if you have nothing to strive for, you have nothing to make you happy. When it comes to "for better" or "for worse," "for better" is often harder on a marriage.”
Merle Shain (1935–1989) said by 1989 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“After tumbling down the mountain, a stone lies in a valley. How did it fall away? Right now, no-one knows. Did it tear from the heights on its own? Or was it cast down by the will of another? Aeons have flowed by, yet no-one knows the reason why.”
Fyodor Tyutchev (1803–1873) said by 1873 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Empathy lies at the heart of Gatsby, like so many other great novels — the biggest sin is to be blind to others' problems and pains. Not seeing them means denying their existence.”
Azar Nafisi (born 1948) wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Yet more and more of the youth of America are instinctively horrified at the way President Johnson avoided all constitutional procedures and slyly maneuvered us into an Asian war. There was no national debate over a declaration of war. The lies and half-truths that were told, and the phony excuses gradually advanced, made most Americans dubious of the integrity of our leadership.”
William O. Douglas (1898–1980) said by 1980 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“It seems to me that the real clue to your sex orientation lies in your romantic feelings rather than in your sexual feelings. If you are really gay, you are able to fall in love with a man, not just enjoy having sex with him.”
Christopher Isherwood (1904–1986) first seen 1973 wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: As quoted in "Christopher Isherwood Interview" with Winston Leyland (1973), from Conversations with Christopher Isherwood, ed. James J. Berg and Chris Freeman (2001) , p. 106
“Why there are so many great actresses, so few great woman writers? The erotic urge that lies at the bottom of all art has a feminine and a masculine character. Feminine is the urge to be; masculine the urge to do. Interpretative art always has more of the feminine about it”
Max Frisch (1911–1991) said by 1991 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Theatrical effectiveness, I believe, lies in it's rarity its uniqueness”
Max Frisch (1911–1991) said by 1991 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“The only lies for which we are truly punished are those we tell ourselves.”
V. S. Naipaul (1932–2018) said by 2018 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“[Standing and leaning on a bridge] Where are the advertisements? Where the shopping arcade, the coal merchant and the parked cars? This is a part of the Metropolitan Railway that's been entirely forgotten. Beyond Aylesbury it lies in flat fields with huge elms and distant blue hills.”
John Betjeman (1906–1984) said by 1984 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“The most effective propaganda is a mixture of truths, half truths, and lies.”
Newton Lee wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“Is it possible to strike a balance between individual privacy and national security? The answer lies in social media where individuals and groups are willing to share information publicly, enabling government officials to collect and analyze data without warrant and constitutional violation.”
Newton Lee wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
“My object to venture the suggestion that an important application of phonetics to metrical problems lies in the study of phonetic word-structure.”
Adelaide Crapsey (1878–1914) said by 1914 at the latest wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0 source
Recorded in: A Study in English Metrics Alfred Knopf New York 1918.