Wikiquote:Quote of the day/October

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Today is Friday, December 5, 2008; it is now 13:21 (UTC)


September << October 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 >> November

This page lists quote of the day proposals specifically for dates in the month of October, and quotes proposed should ideally have some relation to the day, or persons born on it, though sometimes exceptions can be made, usually for notable quotes that relate to recent events, such as the death of prominent individuals. Developing ideas of people or works to quote on specific days can be explored through the Wikipedia page: List of historical anniversaries. The numeric section heading of each date is also a direct link to the Wikipedia list of births, deaths, and other events which occured on that date.

See also: October 2008

Ranking system:

4 : Excellent - should definitely be used.
3 : Very Good - strong desire to see it used.
2 : Good - some desire to see it used.
1 : Acceptable - but with no particular desire to see it used.
0 : Not acceptable - not appropriate for use as a quote of the day.
2004
When you get to a fork in the road, take it. ~ Yogi Berra
2005
War may sometimes be a necessary evil. But no matter how necessary, it is always an evil, never a good. We will not learn how to live together in peace by killing each other's children. ~ Jimmy Carter (born 1 October 1924)
2006
Love and music and happiness and family, that's what it's all about. I believe in these things. It would be awful not to, wouldn't it? ~ Julie Andrews
2007
Creators, makers of the new, can never become obsolete, for in the arts there is no correct answer. The story of discoverers could be told in simple chronological order, since the latest science replaces what went before. But the arts are another story — a story of infinite addition. We must find order in the random flexings of the imagination. ~ Daniel J. Boorstin
2008
Any customer can have a car painted any colour that he wants so long as it is black. ~ Henry Ford (100th anniversary of Ford putting the Model T on the market at a price of US$825)
2009

[edit] Suggestions

We suffer primarily not from our vices or our weaknesses, but from our illusions. ~ Daniel J. Boorstin (born October 1, 1914)

  • 3 InvisibleSun 00:41, 30 September 2007 (UTC)
  • 3 Kalki 23:55, 30 September 2007 (UTC)
  • 1 Zarbon 03:44, 25 April 2008 (UTC)
  • 2 Waheedone 19:14, 18 October 2008 (UTC)

While the easiest way in metaphysics is to condemn all metaphysics as nonsense, the easiest way in morals is to elevate the common practice of the community into a moral absolute. ~ Daniel J. Boorstin

  • 3 InvisibleSun 00:41, 30 September 2007 (UTC)
  • 3 Kalki 23:55, 30 September 2007 (UTC)
  • 1 Zarbon 03:44, 25 April 2008 (UTC)
  • 1 Waheedone 19:14, 18 October 2008 (UTC)

Since the Creator had made the facts of the after-life inaccessible to man, He must not have required that man understand death in order to live fruitfully. ~ Daniel J. Boorstin

  • 3 InvisibleSun 00:41, 30 September 2007 (UTC)
  • 3 Kalki 23:55, 30 September 2007 (UTC)
  • 1 Zarbon 03:44, 25 April 2008 (UTC)
  • 1 Waheedone 19:14, 18 October 2008 (UTC)

The final end of government is not to exert restraint but to do good. ~ Rufus Choate

  • 2 Zarbon 03:39, 13 June 2008 (UTC)
  • 3 Kalki 22:16, 28 September 2008 (UTC)
  • 3 InvisibleSun 20:17, 30 September 2008 (UTC)
  • 3 Waheedone 19:14, 18 October 2008 (UTC)

A book is the only immortality. ~ Rufus Choate

  • 2 Zarbon 03:54, 13 June 2008 (UTC)
  • 2 Kalki 22:16, 28 September 2008 (UTC)
  • 2 InvisibleSun 20:17, 30 September 2008 (UTC)
  • 2 Waheedone 19:14, 18 October 2008 (UTC)

They were afraid of dying but even more afraid to show it. ~ Tim O'Brien

  • 2 Zarbon 03:54, 13 June 2008 (UTC)
  • 3 Kalki 22:16, 28 September 2008 (UTC)
  • 3 InvisibleSun 20:17, 30 September 2008 (UTC)
  • 3 Waheedone 19:14, 18 October 2008 (UTC)

They carried the soldier's greatest fear, which was the fear of blushing. Men killed, and died, because they were embarrassed not to. ~ Tim O'Brien

  • 2 Zarbon 03:54, 13 June 2008 (UTC)
  • 3 Kalki 22:16, 28 September 2008 (UTC)
  • 3 InvisibleSun 20:17, 30 September 2008 (UTC)
  • 3 Waheedone 19:14, 18 October 2008 (UTC)

We should live our lives as though Christ were coming this afternoon. ~ Jimmy Carter

  • 2 Zarbon 03:54, 13 June 2008 (UTC)
  • 2 Kalki 22:16, 28 September 2008 (UTC)
  • 2 InvisibleSun 20:17, 30 September 2008 (UTC)
  • 2 Waheedone 19:14, 18 October 2008 (UTC)

Aggression unopposed becomes a contagious disease. ~ Jimmy Carter

  • 3 Zarbon 03:54, 13 June 2008 (UTC)
  • 3 Kalki 22:16, 28 September 2008 (UTC)
  • 3 InvisibleSun 20:17, 30 September 2008 (UTC)
  • 4 Waheedone 19:14, 18 October 2008 (UTC)


2004
Between two evils, I always pick the one I never tried before. ~ Mae West
2005
There is a fifth dimension beyond that which is known to man. It is a dimension as vast as space and as timeless as infinity. It is the middle ground between light and shadow, between science and superstition, and it lies between the pit of man's fears and the summit of his knowledge. This is the dimension of imagination. It is an area which we call the Twilight Zone. ~ Rod Serling in The Twilight Zone
  • proposed by Kalki The first episode of The Twilight Zone, "Where is Everybody?" aired on 2 October 1959.
2006
Before you do anything, think. If you do something to try and impress someone, to be loved, accepted or even to get someone's attention, stop and think. So many people are busy trying to create an image, they die in the process. ~ Salma Hayek
2007
If there must be a god in the house, must be,
Saying things in the room and on the stair,

Let him move as the sunlight moves on the floor,
Or moonlight, silently, as Plato's ghost

Or Aristotle's skeleton. Let him hang out
His stars on the wall. He must dwell quietly.

~ Wallace Stevens ~

2008
I am one of you and being one of you
Is being and knowing what I am and know.
Yet I am the necessary angel of earth,
Since, in my sight, you see the earth again,
Cleared of its stiff and stubborn, man-locked set
And, in my hearing, you hear its tragic drone
Rise liquidly in liquid lingerings,
Like watery words awash; like meanings said
By repetitions of half-meanings.

~ Wallace Stevens ~

2009

[edit] Suggestions

Victory attained by violence is tantamount to a defeat, for it is momentary. ~ Mohandas Gandhi (born 2 October 1869)

We do not choose our concerns. ~ Graham Greene (born 2 October 1904)

Everything is complicated; if that were not so, life and poetry and everything else would be a bore. ~ Wallace Stevens

  • 3 Kalki 00:07, 2 October 2007 (UTC)
  • 3 because this is true. Without difficulty and hardships, life would not be interesting. Zarbon 03:45, 25 April 2008 (UTC)
  • 3 InvisibleSun 23:43, 1 October 2008 (UTC)
  • 2 Waheedone 19:20, 18 October 2008 (UTC)

Style is not something applied. It is something that permeates. It is of the nature of that in which it is found, whether the poem, the manner of a god, the bearing of a man. It is not a dress. ~ Wallace Stevens

There is but one means to extenuate the effects of enemy fire: it is to develop a more violent fire oneself. ~ Ferdinand Foch

  • 4 because one must fight fire with fire. Powerful, to say the least. Zarbon 03:24, 20 May 2008 (UTC)
  • 2 Kalki 00:35, 1 October 2008 (UTC)
  • 2 InvisibleSun 23:43, 1 October 2008 (UTC)
  • 4 Waheedone 19:20, 18 October 2008 (UTC)

The most powerful weapon on earth is the human soul on fire. ~ Ferdinand Foch (born October 2)

  • 3 because this is a very nice piece of imagery. An angered soul burns very well and does not cease to burn its surroundings. And an angered warrior will do heavy damage. Beautifully charming. Zarbon 17:39, 22 April 2008 (UTC)
  • 3 Kalki 00:35, 1 October 2008 (UTC)
  • 3 InvisibleSun 23:43, 1 October 2008 (UTC)
  • 3 Waheedone 19:20, 18 October 2008 (UTC)

None but a coward dares to boast that he has never known fear. ~ Ferdinand Foch (born October 2)

  • 3 because only those who are inexperienced in the art of war would boast about it. Zarbon 17:39, 22 April 2008 (UTC)
  • 3 Kalki 00:35, 1 October 2008 (UTC)
  • 3 InvisibleSun 23:43, 1 October 2008 (UTC)
  • 3 Waheedone 19:20, 18 October 2008 (UTC)

The will to conquer is the first condition of victory. ~ Ferdinand Foch (born October 2)

  • 3 because the man who has the will will find the way. Zarbon 17:39, 22 April 2008 (UTC)
  • 2 Kalki 00:35, 1 October 2008 (UTC)
  • 2 InvisibleSun 23:43, 1 October 2008 (UTC)
  • 3 Waheedone 19:20, 18 October 2008 (UTC)

You can’t conceive, nor can I, the appalling strangeness of the mercy of God. ~ Graham Greene

Our worst enemies here are not the ignorant and the simple, however cruel; our worst enemies are the intelligent and corrupt. ~ Graham Greene

It is impossible to go through life without trust: that is to be imprisoned in the worst cell of all, oneself. ~ Graham Greene

People don't like reality, they don't like common sense, until age forces it on them. ~ Graham Greene

There is always one moment in childhood when the door opens and lets the future in. ~ Graham Greene


2003
We shall not cease from exploration
And the end of all our exploring
Will be to arrive where we started
And know the place for the first time.
~ The Four Quartets by T. S. Eliot ~
2004
Given the choice between two theories, take the one which is funnier. ~ "Blore's Razor" (Author unknown)
2005
Everyone seems to be playing well within the boundaries of his usual rule set. I have yet to hear anyone say something that seemed likely to mitigate the idiocy of this age. ~ John Perry Barlow (born 3 October 1947)
2006
The average "educated" American has been made to believe that, somehow, the United States must lead the world even though hardly anyone has any information at all about those countries we are meant to lead. Worse, we have very little information about our own country and its past. ~ Gore Vidal (born 3 October 1925)
2007
I'm an optimist. In order to be libertarian, you have to be an optimist. You have to have a benign view of human nature, to believe that human beings left to their own devices are basically good. But I'm not so sure about human institutions, and I think the real point of argument here is whether or not large corporations are human institutions or some other entity we need to be thinking about curtailing. Most libertarians are worried about government but not worried about business. I think we need to be worrying about business in exactly the same way we are worrying about government. ~ John Perry Barlow (born 3 October 1947)
2008
As societies grow decadent, the language grows decadent, too. Words are used to disguise, not to illuminate, action: you liberate a city by destroying it. Words are to confuse, so that at election time people will solemnly vote against their own interests. ~ Gore Vidal
2009

[edit] Suggestions

TV in America created the most coherent reality distortion field that I’ve ever seen. Therein is the problem: People who vote watch TV, and they are hallucinating like a sonofabitch. Basically, what we have in this country is government by hallucinating mob. ~ John Perry Barlow (date of birth)

  • 3 Kalki 23:09, 30 September 2005 (UTC)
  • 3 InvisibleSun 07:30, 1 October 2006 (UTC)
  • 2 UDScott 20:51, 2 October 2007 (UTC)
  • 1 Zarbon 03:48, 25 April 2008 (UTC)
  • 0 Waheedone 19:28, 18 October 2008 (UTC)

Think of the earth as a living organism that is being attacked by billions of bacteria whose numbers double every forty years. Either the host dies, or the virus dies, or both die. ~ Gore Vidal (born 3 October 1925)

  • 3 InvisibleSun 07:30, 1 October 2006 (UTC)
  • 2 Kalki 23:49, 2 October 2006 (UTC)
  • 2 UDScott 20:51, 2 October 2007 (UTC)
  • 2 Zarbon 03:48, 25 April 2008 (UTC)
  • 2 Waheedone 19:28, 18 October 2008 (UTC)

Happily for the busy lunatics who rule over us, we are permanently the United States of Amnesia. We learn nothing because we remember nothing. ~ Gore Vidal

  • 4 InvisibleSun 07:30, 1 October 2006 (UTC)
  • 2 Kalki 23:49, 2 October 2006 (UTC) I can't agree with quite this level of pessimism, though it is very true that people in general have often forgotten much that is important, to the disadvantage of everyone.
  • 2 UDScott 20:51, 2 October 2007 (UTC)
  • 2 Zarbon 03:48, 25 April 2008 (UTC)
  • 2 Waheedone 19:28, 18 October 2008 (UTC)

I used to be able to summon up scenes at will, but now aging memory is so busy weeding its own garden that, promiscuously, it pulls up roses as well as crabgrass. ~ Gore Vidal

  • 3 InvisibleSun 07:30, 1 October 2006 (UTC)
  • 2 Kalki 23:49, 2 October 2006 (UTC)
  • 2 UDScott 20:51, 2 October 2007 (UTC)
  • 1 Zarbon 03:48, 25 April 2008 (UTC)
  • 1 Waheedone 19:28, 18 October 2008 (UTC)

When I look back on it now, I am so glad that the one thing that I had in my life was my belief that everything in life is a learning experience, whether it be positive or negative. If you can see it as a learning experience, you can turn any negative into a positive. ~ Neve Campbell

You have reached the pinnacle of success as soon as you become uninterested in money, compliments, or publicity. ~ Thomas Wolfe

If a man has talent and can't use it, he's failed. If he uses only half of it, he has partly failed. If he uses the whole of it, he has succeeded, and won a satisfaction and triumph few men ever know. ~ Thomas Wolfe

I don't know yet what I am capable of doing, but, by God, I have genius — I know it too well to blush behind it. ~ Thomas Wolfe

The notion that the public accepts or rejects anything in modern art is merely romantic fiction. The game is completed and the trophies distributed long before the public knows what has happened. ~ Thomas Wolfe

And out of mind as soon as out of sight. ~ Fulke Greville

Hard-hearted minds relent and rigor's tears abound,
And envy strangely rues his end, in whom no fault was found.
Knowledge her light hath lost, valor hath slain her knight,
Sidney is dead, dead is my friend, dead is the world's delight. ~ Fulke Greville

We that are bound by vows and by promotion,
With pomp of holy sacrifice and rites,
To teach belief in good and still devotion,
To preach of heaven's wonders and delights—
Yet, when each of us in his own heart looks,
He finds the God there far unlike his books. ~ Fulke Greville

It is only requisite for me to add that the doctrines which I commenced to preach some seven years since are as firmly believed by me as ever; and through persecutions have attended, and the rage and malice of men been heaped upon me, I feel equally as firm in the great and glorious cause as when first I received my mission from the holy messenger. ~ Oliver Cowdery

2004
As for myself, I always willingly acknowledge my own self as the principal cause of every good and of every evil which may befall me; therefore I have always found myself capable of being my own pupil, and ready to love my teacher. ~ Giacomo Casanova
2005
If we do discover a complete theory, it should in time be understandable in broad principle by everyone, not just a few scientists. Then we shall all, philosophers, scientists, and just ordinary people, be able to take part in the discussion of the question of why it is that we and the universe exist. If we find the answer to that, it would be the ultimate triumph of human reason — for then we would know the mind of God. ~ Stephen Hawking
2006
A comedian does funny things. A good comedian does things funny. ~ Buster Keaton (born 4 October 1895)
2007
Personally I do not resort to force — not even the force of law — to advance moral reforms. I prefer education, argument, persuasion, and above all the influence of example — of fashion. ~ Rutherford B. Hayes (born 4 October 1822)
2008
The quicker humanity advances, the more important it is to be the one who deals the first blow. ~ Ernst Kaltenbrunner (born 4 October 1903)
2009

[edit] Suggestions

There is no human law or law of God or national law that states that any healthy being has to permit the snake to eat the mouse - but on the other hand, it is perfectly justified to defend the mouse. ~ Ernst Kaltenbrunner (born October 4)

  • 4 because the underdog will always be protected by law and this is a great description of that defense, beautifully and morally personified by the snake and the mouse. Zarbon 05:50, 18 April 2008 (UTC)
    • SOURCE: The Nuremberg Interviews By Leon Goldensohn, Robert Gellately - Page 151
  • 2 Kalki 19:14, 2 October 2008 (UTC)
  • 2 InvisibleSun 23:14, 3 October 2008 (UTC)
  • 4 Waheedone 19:31, 18 October 2008 (UTC)

The President of the United States of necessity owes his election to office to the suffrage and zealous labors of a political party, the members of which cherish with ardor and regard as of essential importance the principles of their party organization; but he should strive to be always mindful of the fact that he serves his party best who serves the country best. ~ Rutherford B. Hayes (born October 4, 1822)

Unjust attacks on public men do them more good than unmerited praise. ~ Rutherford B. Hayes

One of the tests of the civilization of people is the treatment of its criminals. ~ Rutherford B. Hayes

The real difficulty is with the vast wealth and power in the hands of the few and the unscrupulous who represent or control capital. Hundreds of laws of Congress and the state legislatures are in the interest of these men and against the interests of workingmen. These need to be exposed and repealed. All laws on corporations, on taxation, on trusts, wills, descent, and the like, need examination and extensive change. This is a government of the people, by the people, and for the people no longer. It is a government of corporations, by corporations, and for corporations. — How is this? ~ Rutherford B. Hayes

  • 3 InvisibleSun 08:49, 3 October 2007 (UTC)
  • 3 Kalki 00:14, 4 October 2007 (UTC) but would probably prefer to trim the final "How is this?" as unnecessary.
  • 1 Zarbon 17:42, 22 April 2008 (UTC)
  • 1 Waheedone 19:31, 18 October 2008 (UTC)


2004
You cannot hope to build a better world without improving the individuals. To that end each of us must work for his own improvement, and at the same time share a general responsibility for all humanity, our particular duty being to aid those to whom we think we can be most useful. ~ Marie Curie
2005
Politicians at international forums may reiterate a thousand times that the basis of the new world order must be universal respect for human rights, but it will mean nothing as long as this imperative does not derive from the respect of the miracle of Being, the miracle of the universe, the miracle of nature, the miracle of our own existence. ~ Václav Havel (born 5 October 1936)
2006
Almost all men, and those that seem to be very miserable, love life, because they cannot bear to lose sight of such a beautiful and lovely world. The ideas, that every moment whilst we live have a beauty that we take not distinct notice of, brings a pleasure that, when we come to the trial, we had rather live in much pain and misery than lose. ~ Jonathan Edwards
2007
The philosopher forms his principles on an infinity of particular observations. ... He does not confuse truth with plausibility; he takes for truth what is true, for false what is false, for doubtful what is doubtful, and probable what is probable. ... The philosophical spirit is thus a spirit of observation and accuracy. ~ Denis Diderot
2008
Anyone who takes himself too seriously always runs the risk of looking ridiculous; anyone who can consistently laugh at himself does not. ~ Václav Havel
2009

[edit] Suggestions

There are things I can't force. I must adjust. There are times when the greatest change needed is a change of my viewpoint. ~ Denis Diderot (date of birth)

  • 3 Kalki 22:33, 4 October 2005 (UTC)
  • 3 InvisibleSun 07:52, 1 October 2006 (UTC)
  • 3 because it takes a princely quality to admit one's own fault. Zarbon 04:01, 25 April 2008 (UTC)
  • 3 Waheedone 19:42, 18 October 2008 (UTC)

The salvation of this human world lies nowhere else than in the human heart, in the human power to reflect, in human meekness and human responsibility. ~ Václav Havel (date of birth)

  • 3 Kalki 22:53, 3 October 2005 (UTC) Fits in well with Hawking quote used for the 4th.
  • 3 InvisibleSun 07:52, 1 October 2006 (UTC)
  • 1 Zarbon 04:01, 25 April 2008 (UTC)
  • 1 Waheedone 19:42, 18 October 2008 (UTC)

When I am giving the relation of a thing, remember to abstain from altering either in the matter or manner of speaking, so much, as that, if every one, afterwards, should alter as much, it would at last come to be properly false. ~ Jonathan Edwards (born 5 October 1703)

Resolved, never to do anything out of revenge. ~ Jonathan Edwards

  • 3 InvisibleSun 07:52, 1 October 2006 (UTC)
  • 3 Kalki 00:22, 4 October 2007 (UTC)
  • 1 Zarbon 04:01, 25 April 2008 (UTC)

The beauty of the world consists wholly of sweet mutual consents, either within itself or with the supreme being. ~ Jonathan Edwards

A thing is not proved just because no one has ever questioned it. What has never been gone into impartially has never been properly gone into. Hence skepticism is the first step toward truth. It must be applied generally, because it is the touchstone. ~ Denis Diderot

A good heavy book holds you down. It’s an anchor that keeps you from getting up and having another gin and tonic. ~ Roy Blount, Jr.

It's easy to have principles when you're rich. The important thing is to have principles when you're poor. ~ Ray Kroc

  • 2 because principles are the foundation. Zarbon 03:53, 2 July 2008 (UTC)
  • 2 Kalki 19:17, 2 October 2008 (UTC)
  • 2 InvisibleSun 23:44, 4 October 2008 (UTC)
  • 3 Waheedone 19:42, 18 October 2008 (UTC)

Luck is a dividend of sweat. The more you sweat, the luckier you get. ~ Ray Kroc

  • 2 because luck comes to those who try. Zarbon 03:53, 2 July 2008 (UTC)
  • 3 Kalki 19:17, 2 October 2008 (UTC)
  • 3 InvisibleSun 23:44, 4 October 2008 (UTC)
  • 2 Waheedone 19:42, 18 October 2008 (UTC)

None of us is as good as all of us. ~ Ray Kroc

  • 3 for the emphasis on "divided we fall, united we stand" message. Zarbon 03:53, 2 July 2008 (UTC)
  • 3 Kalki 19:17, 2 October 2008 (UTC)
  • 3 InvisibleSun 23:44, 4 October 2008 (UTC)
  • 2 Waheedone 19:42, 18 October 2008 (UTC)

No seed shall perish which the soul hath sown. ~ John Addington Symonds

She smiled, and the shadows departed;
She shone, and the snows were rain;
And he who was frozen-hearted
Bloomed up into love again. ~ John Addington Symonds

Gods fade; but God abides and in man's heart
Speaks with the clear unconquerable cry
Of energies and hopes that can not die. ~ John Addington Symonds

Men may die, but the fabric of our free institutions remains unshaken. ~ Chester A. Arthur


2003
That man is an Euclidian point: position without substance. ~ Ernest Rutherford
2004
I don't get no respect! ~ Rodney Dangerfield (recent death)
2005
Old age hath yet his honor and his toil.
Death closes all; but something ere the end,
Some work of noble note, may yet be done,
Not unbecoming men that strove with gods.
~ Alfred, Lord Tennyson ~ (died 6 October 1892)
2006
Behold, we know not anything;
I can but trust that good shall fall
At last — far off — at last, to all,
And every winter change to spring.

So runs my dream; but what am I?
An infant crying in the night;
An infant crying for the light,
And with no language but a cry.
~ Alfred, Lord Tennyson ~

2007
Are God and Nature then at strife,
That Nature lends such evil dreams?
So careful of the type she seems,
So careless of the single life.
~ Alfred, Lord Tennyson ~ (died 6 October 1892)
2008
It is said that power corrupts, but actually it's more true that power attracts the corruptible. The sane are usually attracted by other things than power. ~ David Brin
2009

[edit] Suggestions

Space and light and order. Those are the things that men need just as much as they need bread or a place to sleep. ~ Le Corbusier (born 6 October 1887)

Tears, idle tears, I know not what they mean,
Tears from the depth of some divine despair
Rise in the heart, and gather to the eyes,
In looking on the happy Autumn-fields,
And thinking of the days that are no more.
~ Alfred, Lord Tennyson ~ (died 6 October 1892)

For though from out our bourne of Time and Place
The flood may bear me far,
I hope to see my Pilot face to face
When I have crossed the bar.
~ Alfred, Lord Tennyson ~ (died 6 October 1892)

The worst mistake of first contact, made throughout history by individuals on both sides of every new encounter, has been the unfortunate habit of making assumptions. It often proved fatal. ~ David Brin

One should never make an offer without knowing full well what will happen if it is accepted. ~ David Brin

  • 3 Zarbon 04:44, 2 July 2008 (UTC)
  • 2 Kalki 19:20, 2 October 2008 (UTC)
  • 4 Waheedone 19:44, 18 October 2008 (UTC)



2003
One of the basic tenets of Zen Buddhism is that there is no way to characterize what Zen is. No matter what verbal space you try to enclose Zen in, it resists, and spills over... ~ Douglas Hofstadter in Gödel, Escher, Bach: an Eternal Golden Braid
2004
Every human being, of whatever origin, of whatever station, deserves respect. We must each respect others even as we respect ourselves. ~ U Thant
2005
The opposite of a correct statement is a false statement. But the opposite of a profound truth may well be another profound truth. ~ Niels Bohr (born 7 October 1885)
2006
It is wrong to think that the task of physics is to find out how nature is. Physics concerns what we can say about nature. ~ Niels Bohr
2007
We depend on our words ... Our task is to communicate experience and ideas to others. We must strive continually to extend the scope of our description, but in such a way that our messages do not thereby lose their objective or unambiguous character ... We are suspended in language in such a way that we cannot say what is up and what is down. The word "reality" is also a word, a word which we must learn to use correctly. ~ Niels Bohr
2008
Chaos needs no allies, for it dwells like a poison in every one of us. ~ Steven Erikson
2009

[edit] Suggestions

Quoth the Raven, "Nevermore." ~ Edgar Allan Poe (death date)

  • 3 Kalki 23:31, 6 October 2005 (UTC) This was suggested without a ranking by Inhuman14. When good quotes by someone have been found, I generally prefer to to use them on birth dates rather than death dates, though Poe's death date seems one good case for an exception. Though I have some desire to see this used, as it does refer to the act of quotation, there are many other passages of Poe I would prefer, including "Is all that we see or seem but a dream within a dream?" - even though this is very similar to another line from the same poem that has already been used.
  • 1 Zarbon 04:05, 25 April 2008 (UTC)
  • 2 InvisibleSun 23:20, 6 October 2008 (UTC)
  • 0 Waheedone 19:55, 18 October 2008 (UTC)

I'll be back. ~ Arnold Schwarzenegger (became governor that day)

  • 4 ~ MosheZadka (Talk) 23:09, 5 October 2005 (UTC)
  • 1 Kalki 11:49, 6 October 2007 (UTC) 2 Kalki 23:31, 6 October 2005 (UTC) I think this could be used in some context in the future, but don't feel an urgency to use it at this time... I'm sure it will be back...
  • 1 Zarbon 04:05, 25 April 2008 (UTC)
  • 1 InvisibleSun 23:20, 6 October 2008 (UTC)
  • 0 Waheedone 19:55, 18 October 2008 (UTC)

When I was on my way to the podium a gentleman stopped me and said I was as good a politician as I was an actor. What a cheap shot. ~ Arnold Schwarzenegger (became governor that day)

This is a page of glory in our history, which has never been written and is never to be written.... ~ Heinrich Himmler (born October 7)

The best political weapon is the weapon of terror. Cruelty commands respect. Men may hate us. But, we don't ask for their love; only for their fear. ~ Heinrich Himmler (born October 7)

  • 4 because fear has always been a powerful weapon. The spreading of fear allows for the highest amount of respect to be given, a respect dominated strongly by the will to survive. A very similar quotation is said by Darth Maul in Star Wars and is one of my favorites. Both in fiction and history, this ideology is powerful and enigmatic. Zarbon 04:39, 18 April 2008 (UTC)
    • SOURCE: Visions of Reality - A Study of Abnormal Perception and Behavior By Alberto Rivas -Psychology - 2007 - Page 162
  • 1 Kalki 19:27, 2 October 2008 (UTC)
  • 1 InvisibleSun 23:20, 6 October 2008 (UTC)
  • 4 Waheedone 19:55, 18 October 2008 (UTC)

An army that waits is soon an army at war with itself. ~ Steven Erikson

Death cannot be struggled against, brother. It ever arrives, defiant of every hiding place, of every frantic attempt to escape. Death is every mortal's shadow, his true shadow, and time is its servant, spinning that shadow slowly round, until what stretched before one now stretched before him. ~ Steven Erikson

They call war peace, they call tyranny liberty. On which side of the shadow you stand decides a word's meaning. Words are the weapons used by those who see others with contempt. ~ Steven Erikson

People are always teaching us democracy but the people who teach us democracy don't want to learn it themselves. ~ Vladimir Putin

Whoever does not miss the Soviet Union has no heart. Whoever wants it back has no brain. ~ Vladimir Putin

...we also need to build our home and make it strong and well protected. We see, after all, what is going on in the world. The Comrade Wolf knows who to eat, as the saying goes. It knows who to eat and is not about to listen to anyone. ~ Vladimir Putin

Insanity - a perfectly rational adjustment to an insane world. ~ Ronald David Laing

We are effectively destroying ourselves by violence masquerading as love. ~ Ronald David Laing

Creative people who can't help but explore other mental territories are at greater risk, just as someone who climbs a mountain is more at risk than someone who just walks along a village lane. ~ Ronald David Laing

A person is a person because he recognizes others as persons. ~ Desmond Tutu

You don't choose your family. They are God’s gift to you, as you are to them. ~ Desmond Tutu

God has such a deep reverence for our freedom that he'd rather let us freely go to Hell than be compelled to go to Heaven. ~ Desmond Tutu

If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor. If an elephant has its foot on the tail of a mouse and you say that you are neutral, the mouse will not appreciate your neutrality. ~ Desmond Tutu

We may be surprised at the people we find in heaven. God has a soft spot for sinners. His standards are quite low. ~ Desmond Tutu

We who advocate peace are becoming an irrelevance when we speak peace. The government speaks rubber bullets, live bullets, tear gas, police dogs, detention, and death. ~ Desmond Tutu


2003
We've moved away from being a culture of people who think about movies to one made up of people who believe that spouting a list of preferences is the same as registering an opinion. ~ Stephanie Zacharek
2004
No one is useless in this world who lightens the burden of it for anyone else. ~ Charles Dickens in Our Mutual Friend
2005
Much that was called religion has carried an unconscious attitude of hostility toward life. True religion must teach that life is filled with joys pleasing to the eye of God, that knowledge without action is empty. All men must see that the teaching of religion by rules and rote is largely a hoax. The proper teaching is recognized with ease. You can know it without fail because it awakens within you that sensation which tells you this is something you've always known. ~ Frank Herbert in Dune (born 8 October 1920)
2006
Does the prophet see the future or does he see a line of weakness, a fault or cleavage that he may shatter with words or decisions as a diamond-cutter shatters his gem with a blow of a knife? ~ Frank Herbert in Dune
2007
The sequential nature of actual events is not illuminated with lengthy precision by the powers of prescience except under the most extraordinary circumstances. The oracle grasps incidents cut out of the historic chain. Eternity moves. It inflicts itself upon the oracle and the supplicant alike. Let Muad'dib's subjects doubt his majesty and his oracular visions. Let them deny his powers. Let them never doubt Eternity. ~ Frank Herbert in Dune Messiah
2008
The year of jubilee has come;
Gather the gifts of Earth with equal hand;
Henceforth ye too may share the birthright soil,
The corn, drink the wine and all the harvest-home.

~ Edmund Clarence Stedman ~

2009

[edit] Suggestions

Muad'Dib could indeed, see the Future, but you must understand the limits of this power. Think of sight. You have eyes, yet cannot see without light. If you are on the floor of a valley, you cannot see beyond your valley. Just so, Muad'Dib could not always choose to look across the mysterious terrain. He tells us that a single obscure decision of prophecy, perhaps the choice of one word over another, could change the entire aspect of the future. ~ Frank Herbert in Dune (date of Herbert's birth)

Let us abolish weapons of mass destruction at home. Joblessness is a weapon of mass destruction. Poverty is a weapon of mass destruction. Hunger is a weapon of mass destruction. Homelessness is a weapon of mass destruction. Poor health care is a weapon of mass destruction. Poor health care is a weapon of mass destruction. Discrimination is a weapon of mass destruction. ~ Dennis Kucinich (born 8 October 1946)

America stands strongest in challenging terrorism when we do not give up an inch of our civil liberties. ~ Dennis Kucinich

  • 3 InvisibleSun 19:46, 7 October 2006 (UTC)
  • 3 Kalki 16:16, 7 October 2007 (UTC)
  • 2 Zarbon 04:07, 25 April 2008 (UTC)
  • 3 Denji 21:32, 7 October 2008 (UTC)
  • 2 Waheedone 01:08, 21 October 2008 (UTC)

Give me to die unwitting of the day,
And stricken in Life's brave heat, with senses clear! ~ Edmund Clarence Stedman

A deception that elevates us is dearer than a host of low truths. ~ Marina Tsvetaeva

If my mind can conceive it and my heart can believe it, I know I can achieve it. ~ Jesse Jackson

We've removed the ceiling above our dreams. There are no more impossible dreams. ~ Jesse Jackson

Never look down on anybody unless you're helping him up. ~ Jesse Jackson

The society which scorns excellence in plumbing as a humble activity and tolerates shoddiness in philosophy because it is an exalted activity will have neither good plumbing nor good philosophy: neither its pipes nor its theories will hold water. ~ John W. Gardner

Life is the art of drawing without an eraser. ~ John W. Gardner

History never looks like history when you are living through it. ~ John W. Gardner

O, our feeble tests of greatness! Look for one so calm of soul
As to take the even chalice of his life and drink the whole.
Noble deeds are held in honor, but the wide world sorely needs
Hearts of patience to unravel this, — the worth of common deeds.

~ Edmund Clarence Stedman ~

  • 3 Kalki 00:32, 8 October 2008 (UTC)
  • 2 Zarbon 02:05, 9 October 2008 (UTC)
  • 2 Waheedone 01:08, 21 October 2008 (UTC)


2004
Politics is the art of looking for trouble, finding it everywhere, diagnosing it incorrectly and applying the wrong remedies. ~ Groucho Marx
2005
I think the ultimate sense of security will be when we come to recognize that we are all part of one human race. Our primary allegiance is to the human race and not to one particular color or border. ~ Mohamed ElBaradei, 2005 Nobel Peace Prize winner
2006
Imagine all the people
Sharing all the world...

You may say I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one
I hope someday you'll join us
And the world will live as one.
~ John Lennon ~ (born 9 October 1940)

2007
Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans. ~ John Lennon
2008
Builders and warriors, strengthen the steps.
Reader, if you have not grasped — read again,
after a while.
The predestined is not accidental,
The leaves fall in their time.
And winter is but the harbinger of spring.
All is revealed; all is attainable.
~ Nicholas Roerich ~ (born 9 October 1874)
2009

[edit] Suggestions

We're more popular than Jesus now. ~ John Lennon (date of birth)

  • 3 ~ MosheZadka (Talk) 23:14, 5 October 2005 (UTC)
  • 2 ~ Kalki 21:36, 8 October 2005 (UTC) A famous quote, but one that Lennon himself stated was readily taken the wrong way by many people.
  • 2 InvisibleSun 16:57, 8 October 2006 (UTC)
  • 1 Zarbon 04:08, 25 April 2008 (UTC)
  • 0 Waheedone 01:15, 21 October 2008 (UTC)

But to everything in this world there comes an end; there even comes an end to the torments suffered in those intermediate states of transition when the last secret tear of one's soul is bitterly swallowed, and the crisis passes, resolving itself into some new sort of phase, which even as it comes into existence is fated in turn to pass away, to disappear in the eternal changing of the times and seasons. ~ Nikolai Bukharin

  • 2 Zarbon 14:42, 2 July 2008 (UTC)
  • 3 Kalki 19:39, 2 October 2008 (UTC)
  • 2 Waheedone 01:15, 21 October 2008 (UTC)

History moves in contradictions. The skeleton of historic existence, the economic structure of society, also develops in contradictions. Forms eternally follow forms. Everything has only a passing being. The dynamic force of life creates the new over and over again — such is the law inherent in reality. ~ Nikolai Bukharin

  • 2 Zarbon 14:42, 2 July 2008 (UTC)
  • 3 Kalki 19:39, 2 October 2008 (UTC)
  • 2 Waheedone 01:15, 21 October 2008 (UTC)

One shouldn't be afraid of the humans. Well, I am not afraid of the humans, but of what is inhuman in them. ~ Ivo Andric

  • 2 Zarbon 14:42, 2 July 2008 (UTC)
  • 3 Kalki 19:39, 2 October 2008 (UTC)
  • 3 Waheedone 01:15, 21 October 2008 (UTC)

What can and doesn't have to be always, at the end, surrenders to something that has to be. ~ Ivo Andric

  • 2 Zarbon 14:42, 2 July 2008 (UTC)
  • 3 Kalki 19:39, 2 October 2008 (UTC)
  • 3 Waheedone 01:15, 21 October 2008 (UTC)

What doesn't hurt - is not life; what doesn't pass - is not happiness. ~ Ivo Andric

  • 3 Zarbon 14:42, 2 July 2008 (UTC)
  • 3 Kalki 19:39, 2 October 2008 (UTC)
  • 4 Waheedone 01:15, 21 October 2008 (UTC)

When I am not desperate, I am worthless. ~ Ivo Andric

  • 2 Zarbon 14:42, 2 July 2008 (UTC)
  • 2 Kalki 19:39, 2 October 2008 (UTC)
  • 3 Waheedone 01:15, 21 October 2008 (UTC)

If people would know how little brain is ruling the world, they would die of fear. ~ Ivo Andric

  • 2 Zarbon 14:42, 2 July 2008 (UTC)
  • 3 Kalki 19:39, 2 October 2008 (UTC)
  • 2 Waheedone 01:15, 21 October 2008 (UTC)

The evolution of the New Era rests on the cornerstone of Knowledge and Beauty. ~ Nicholas Roerich

  • 2 Zarbon 14:42, 2 July 2008 (UTC)
  • 3 Kalki 19:39, 2 October 2008 (UTC)
  • 2 Waheedone 01:15, 21 October 2008 (UTC)

One must manifest discipline of spirit; without it one cannot become free. To the slave discipline of spirit will be a prison; to the liberated one it will be a wondrous healing garden. So long as the discipline of spirit is as fetters the doors are closed, for in fetters one cannot ascend the steps. One may understand the discipline of spirit as wings. ~ Nicholas Roerich

  • 2 Zarbon 14:42, 2 July 2008 (UTC)
  • 3 Kalki 19:39, 2 October 2008 (UTC)
  • 2 Waheedone 01:15, 21 October 2008 (UTC)

We are dissipating superstition, ignorance and fear. We are forging courage, will and knowledge. Every striving toward enlightenment is welcome. Every prejudice, caused by ignorance, is exposed. ~ Nicholas Roerich

  • 2 Zarbon 14:42, 2 July 2008 (UTC)
  • 3 Kalki 19:41, 2 October 2008 (UTC)
  • 2 Waheedone 01:15, 21 October 2008 (UTC)

Cease speaking of enemies when an achievement can kindle a great light. Solitude will transmit the message better than the murmurs of crowds. ~ Nicholas Roerich

  • 2 Zarbon 14:42, 2 July 2008 (UTC)
  • 3 Kalki 19:39, 2 October 2008 (UTC)
  • 2 Waheedone 01:15, 21 October 2008 (UTC)


2003
The reason that clichés become clichés is that they are the hammers and screwdrivers in the toolbox of communication. ~ Terry Pratchett
2004
You are educated when you have the ability to listen to almost anything without losing your temper or self-confidence. ~ Robert Frost
2005
The truth is that there is only one terminal dignity — love. And the story of a love is not important — what is important is that one is capable of love. It is perhaps the only glimpse we are permitted of eternity. ~ Helen Hayes (born 10 October 1900)
2006
I would like to make the point that we cannot undo the past but we can learn from it, and we cannot predict the future but we can shape and build it. ~ Epeli Ganilau (born 10 October 1951)
2007
The search for the truth is the most important work in the whole world — and the most dangerous. ~ James Clavell (born 10 October 1924)
2008
When there are too many policemen, there can be no liberty. When there are too many soldiers, there can be no peace. When there are too many lawyers, there can be no justice. ~ Lin Yutang
2009

[edit] Suggestions

One is always considered mad when one perfects something that others cannot grasp. ~ Ed Wood (date of birth)

  • 2 Kalki 01:02, 9 October 2007 (UTC) 3 Kalki 21:36, 8 October 2005 (UTC) memorable line attributed to the director of Plan 9 from Outer Space, but I can't find any reliable source for this.
  • 3 because many people label something mad when they don't understand it. Zarbon 04:11, 25 April 2008 (UTC)
  • 1 pending source for quote. InvisibleSun 22:29, 9 October 2008 (UTC)
  • 3 Waheedone 01:23, 21 October 2008 (UTC)

Holding on to anger is like grasping a hot coal with the intent of throwing it at someone else; you are the one who gets burned. ~ Gautama Buddha

  • Capitalistpiglet 14:50, 6 October 2006 (UTC)
  • 2 Kalki 19:53, 18 October 2007 (UTC) No clear relation to the date, and no definitely reliable source for this attribution, as yet.
  • 2 Zarbon 04:11, 25 April 2008 (UTC)
  • 1 because of being unrelated to date and pending source for quote. InvisibleSun 22:29, 9 October 2008 (UTC)
  • 2 Waheedone 01:23, 21 October 2008 (UTC)

To think bad thoughts is really the easiest thing in the world. If you leave your mind to itself it will spiral down into ever-increasing unhappiness. To think good thoughts, however, requires effort. This is one of the things that discipline — training — is about. ~ James Clavell

Now dig my grave
Beneath the bay willows' boughs
And with blackness cover it over again,
There for evermore
Go from my domain:
I wish to slumber in peace. ~ Aleksis Kivi

Besides the noble art of getting things done, there is the noble art of leaving things undone. The wisdom of life consists in the elimination of non-essentials. ~ Lin Yutang

When small men begin to cast big shadows, it means that the sun is about to set. ~ Lin Yutang

I like spring, but it is too young. I like summer, but it is too proud. So I like best of all autumn, because its leaves are a little yellow, its tone mellower, its colours richer, and it is tinged a little with sorrow and a premonition of death. Its golden richness speaks not of the innocence of spring, nor of the power of summer, but of the mellowness and kindly wisdom of approaching age. It knows the limitations of life and is content. From a knowledge of those limitations and its richness of experience emerges a symphony of colours, richer than all, its green speaking of life and strength, its orange speaking of golden content and its purple of resignation and death. ~ Lin Yutang

In the West, the insane are so many that they are put in an asylum, in China the insane are so unusual that we worship them. ~ Lin Yutang

It is not when he is working in his office but when he is lying idly on the sand that his soul utters, "Life is beautiful." ~ Lin Yutang

When the mirror meets with an ugly woman, when a rare ink-stone finds a vulgar owner, and when a good sword is in the hands of a common general, there is utterly nothing to be done about it. ~ Lin Yutang

I disagree that I'm on the wrong side. I'm just not on your side. ~ Francis Escudero

In a democracy, you must follow the will of the majority, which may be right or wrong, moral or immoral, just or unjust. If that's the ruling of the majority that is what you should follow, respect, and obey — although you may continue to disagree with it. ~ Francis Escudero

Winning doesn't necessarily mean you're right. History will be a better judge of that. But that's the beauty of democracy - you believe what you believe, I believe what I believe. ~ Francis Escudero

If you rest, you rust. ~ Helen Hayes

The good die young — but not always. The wicked prevail — but not consistently. I am confused by life, and I feel safe within the confines of the theatre. ~ Helen Hayes

Curiosity may have killed the cat, but it did alright by me. ~ Helen Hayes

Age is not important unless you're a cheese. ~ Helen Hayes

From your parents you learn love and laughter and how to put one foot before the other. But when books are opened you discover that you have wings. ~ Helen Hayes

For too long, we have allowed fear to dictate our politics and suspicions, to shape how we perceive other communities. ~ Epeli Ganilau

Race is a fact of life and is not a problem unless people make it out to be so. ~ Epeli Ganilau

In bed we laugh, in bed we cry;
And, born in bed, in bed we die.
The near approach a bed may show
Of human bliss to human woe. ~ Isaac de Benserade (date of death)


2003
We must all hang together, or assuredly we shall all hang separately. - Benjamin Franklin
2004
 : I don't really know why I care so much. I just have something inside me that tells me that there is a problem, and I have got to do something about it. I think that is what I would call the God in me. All of us have a God in us, and that God is the spirit that unites all life, everything that is on this planet. ~ Wangari Maathai (Nobel Peace Prize of 2004)
2005
You always fall when you're training, that's sort of part of the process. If you're not falling, you're not training hard enough. ~ Michelle Trachtenberg (born 11 October 1985)
2006
It takes courage to love, but pain through love is the purifying fire which those who love generously know. We all know people who are so much afraid of pain that they shut themselves up like clams in a shell and, giving out nothing, receive nothing and therefore shrink until life is a mere living death ~ Eleanor Roosevelt (born 11 October 1884)
2007
At all times, day by day, we have to continue fighting for freedom of religion, freedom of speech, and freedom from want — for these are things that must be gained in peace as well as in war. ~ Eleanor Roosevelt (born 11 October 1884)
2008
Your true home is in the here and the now. It is not limited by time, space, nationality, or race. Your true home is not an abstract idea. It is something you can touch and live in every moment. With mindfulness and concentration, the energies of the Buddha, you can find your true home in the full relaxation of your mind and body in the present moment. No one can take it away from you. Other people can occupy your country, they can even put you in prison, but they cannot take away your true home and your freedom. ~ Nhat Hanh
2009

[edit] Suggestions

No one can make you feel inferior without your consent. ~ Eleanor Roosevelt (date of birth)

  • 2 (the safe choice) ~ MosheZadka (Talk) 23:27, 5 October 2005 (UTC)
  • 2 ~ Kalki 21:36, 8 October 2005 (UTC) a bit overused by many people... and often arguably untrue, or irrelevant.
  • 2 Zarbon 04:22, 25 April 2008 (UTC)
  • 3 Waheedone 01:28, 21 October 2008 (UTC)
  • Eleven Rules of Life:

RULE 1 Life is not fair - get used to it.

RULE 2 The world won't care about your self-esteem. The world will expect you to accomplish something BEFORE you feel good about yourself.

RULE 3 You will NOT make 40 thousand dollars a year right out of high school. You won't be a vice president with car phone, until you earn both.

RULE 4 If you think your teacher is tough, wait till you get a boss. He doesn't have tenure.

RULE 5 Flipping burgers is not beneath your dignity. Your grandparents had a different word for burger flipping they called it Opportunity.

RULE 6 If you mess up,it's not your parents' fault, so don't whine about your mistakes, learn from them.

RULE 7 Before you were born, your parents weren't as boring as they are now. They got that way from paying your bills, cleaning your clothes and listening to you talk about how cool you are. So before you save the rain forest from the parasites of your parent's generation, try delousing the closet in your own room.

RULE 8 Your school may have done away with winners and losers, but life has not. In some schools they have abolished failing grades and they'll give you as many times as you want to get the right answer. This doesn't bear the slightest resemblance to ANYTHING in real life.

RULE 9 Life is not divided into semesters. You don't get summers off and very few employers are interested in helping you find yourself. Do that on your own time.

RULE 10 Television is NOT real life. In real life people actually have to leave the coffee shop and go to jobs.

RULE 11 Be nice to nerds. Chances are you'll end up wor