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April 23

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Quotes of the day from previous years:

2004
The greater part of our happiness or misery depends on our dispositions, and not on our circumstances. We carry the seeds of the one or the other about with us in our minds wherever we go. ~ Martha Washington
2005
We are such stuff as dreams are made on; and our little life is rounded with a sleep. ~ "Prospero" in The Tempest by William Shakespeare (birth traditionally celebrated 23 April 1564, died 23 April 1616 O.S.)
2006
The fool doth think he is wise, but the wise man knows himself to be a fool. ~ William Shakespeare in As You Like It (birth traditionally celebrated 23 April 1564, died 23 April 1616 O.S.)
2007
We defy augury; there's a special providence in the fall of a sparrow. If it be now, 'tis not to come; if it be not to come, it will be now; if it be not now, yet it will come: the readiness is all. ~ "Hamlet" in Hamlet by William Shakespeare
2008
We all were sea-swallow'd, though some cast again:
And by that destiny, to perform an act
Whereof what's past is prologue, what to come
In yours and my discharge.
~ William Shakespeare in The Tempest ~
2009
I would not so dishonour God as to lend my voice to perpetuate all the mad and foolish things which men have dared to say of Him. I believe that we may find in the Bible the highest and purest religion most of all in the history of Him in whose name we all are called. His religion — not the Christian religion, but the religion of Christ — the poor man's gospel; the message of forgiveness, of reconciliation, of love; and, oh, how gladly would I spend my life, in season and out of season, in preaching this! But I must have no hell terrors, none of these fear doctrines; they were not in the early creeds, God knows whether they were ever in the early gospels, or ever passed His lips. He went down to hell, but it was to break the chains, not to bind them. ~ James Anthony Froude
2010
A new scientific truth does not triumph by convincing its opponents and making them see the light, but rather because its opponents eventually die, and a new generation grows up that is familiar with it. ~ Max Planck
2011
The poet’s eye, in a fine frenzy rolling,
Doth glance from heaven to earth, from earth to heaven;
And, as imagination bodies forth
The forms of things unknown, the poet’s pen
Turns them to shapes, and gives to airy nothing
A local habitation and a name.
~ William Shakespeare ~ in A Midsummer Night's Dream
2012
Anybody who has been seriously engaged in scientific work of any kind realizes that over the entrance to the gates of the temple of science are written the words: Ye must have faith. It is a quality which the scientist cannot dispense with. ~ Max Planck
2013
Now I will believe
That there are unicorns; that in Arabia
There is one tree, the phoenix' throne, one phoenix
At this hour reigning there.
~ William Shakespeare ~
in
~ The Tempest ~
2014
Know thus far forth:
By accident most strange, bountiful Fortune —
Now my dear lady — hath mine enemies
Brought to this shore; and by my prescience
I find my zenith doth depend upon
A most auspicious star, whose influence
If now I court not, but omit, my fortunes
Will ever after droop.
~ William Shakespeare ~
in
~ The Tempest ~
2015
Science cannot solve the ultimate mystery of nature. And that is because, in the last analysis, we ourselves are a part of the mystery that we are trying to solve.
~ Max Planck ~
2016
The quality of mercy is not strain'd,
It droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven
Upon the place beneath: it is twice bless’d;
It blesseth him that gives and him that takes.
’Tis mightiest in the mightiest; it becomes
The throned monarch better than his crown;
His sceptre shows the force of temporal power,
The attribute to awe and majesty,
Wherein doth sit the dread and fear of kings;
But mercy is above this sceptred sway,
It is enthroned in the hearts of kings,
It is an attribute to God himself;
And earthly power doth then show likest God’s,
When mercy seasons justice.
~ William Shakespeare ~
in
~ The Merchant of Venice ~
2017
If by your art, my dearest father, you have
Put the wild waters in this roar, allay them.
The sky, it seems, would pour down stinking pitch,
But that the sea, mounting to the welkin's cheek,
Dashes the fire out. O, I have suffered
With those that I saw suffer! A brave vessel,
Who had, no doubt, some noble creatures in her,
Dash'd all to pieces! O, the cry did knock
Against my very heart! Poor souls, they perish'd!
Had I been any god of power, I would
Have sunk the sea within the earth, or e'er
It should the good ship so have swallow'd, and
The fraughting souls within her.
~ William Shakespeare ~
in
~ The Tempest ~
2018
Be not afeard. The isle is full of noises,
Sounds, and sweet airs, that give delight, and hurt not.
Sometimes a thousand twangling instruments
Will hum about mine ears; and sometimes voices,
That, if I then had wak'd after long sleep,
Will make me sleep again; and then, in dreaming,
The clouds methought would open and show riches
Ready to drop upon me, that, when I wak'd,
I cried to dream again.
~ William Shakespeare ~
in
~ The Tempest ~
2019
I regard consciousness as fundamental. I regard matter as derivative from consciousness. We cannot get behind consciousness. Everything that we talk about, everything that we regard as existing, postulates consciousness.
~ Max Planck ~
2020
A great while ago the world begun,
With hey, ho, the wind and the rain:
But that's all one, our play is done,
And we'll strive to please you every day.
~ William Shakespeare ~
in
~ Twelfth Night ~
2021
Be collected;
No more amazement; tell your piteous heart
There's no harm done.
~ William Shakespeare ~
in
~ The Tempest ~
2022
Our work to date has detailed a horror story of violations perpetrated against civilians. First and foremost, this senseless war must stop. But as the fighting shows no sign of abating, it is vital that all parties to the conflict give clear instructions to their combatants to strictly respect international humanitarian law and international human rights law. … This means distinguishing between civilian and military objects. It means not targeting or deliberately killing civilians. It means not committing sexual violence. People, including prisoners of war, must not be tortured. Civilians, prisoners and others hors de combat must be treated humanely. … Those in command of armed forces must make it clear to their fighters that anyone found to have been involved in such violations will be prosecuted and held accountable.
~ Michelle Bachelet ~
2023
O, wonder!
How many goodly creatures are there here!
How beauteous mankind is! O brave new world,
That has such people in't!
~ William Shakespeare ~
in
~ The Tempest ~
2024
We are still waging Peloponnesian wars. Our control of the material world and our positive science have grown fantastically. But our very achievements turn against us, making politics more random and wars more bestial.
~ George Steiner ~
2025
Rank or add further suggestions…

Quotes by people born this day, already used as QOTD:

Opinions alter, manners change, creeds rise and fall, but the moral laws are written on the tablets of eternity. ~ James Anthony Froude (this was long misattributed to Lord Acton, and initially presented as a quote by him; subsequent research for Wikiquote helped bring to an end some of the most extensive uses of this misattribution.)

The Quote of the Day (QOTD) is a prominent feature of the Wikiquote Main Page. Thank you for submitting, reviewing, and ranking suggestions!

Ranking system
4 : Excellent – should definitely be used. (This is the utmost ranking and should be used by any editor for only one quote at a time for each date.)
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.
An averaging of the rankings provided to each suggestion produces it’s general ranking in considerations for selection of Quote of the Day. The selections made are usually chosen from the top ranked options existing on the page, but the provision of highly ranked late additions, especially in regard to special events (most commonly in regard to the deaths of famous people, or other major social or physical occurrences), always remain an option for final selections.
Thank you for participating!

Suggestions

[edit]

Full fathom five thy father lies;
Of his bones are coral made;
Those are pearls that were his eyes;
Nothing of him that doth fade,
But doth suffer a sea-change
Into something rich and strange.
~ "Ariel" in The Tempest by William Shakespeare~

  • 3 Kalki 20:20, 22 April 2007 (UTC) with a lean toward an eventual 4.
  • 3 InvisibleSun 19:35, 21 April 2008 (UTC)
  • 1 Zarbon 00:10, 23 April 2008 (UTC)
  • 3.5 DanielTom (talk) 21:52, 19 April 2013 (UTC)

Men are accomplices to that which leaves them indifferent. ~ George Steiner (born April 23, 1929)

It is not the literal past that rules us, save, possibly, in a biological sense. It is images of the past. These are often as highly structured and selective as myths. Images and symbolic constructs of the past are imprinted, almost in the manner of genetic information, on our sensibility. ~ George Steiner

For many human beings, religion has been the music which they believe in. ~ George Steiner

We cannot turn back. We cannot choose the dreams of unknowing. We shall, I expect, open the last door in the castle, even if it leads, perhaps because it leads, on to realities which are beyond the reach of human comprehension and control. And we shall do so with that desolate clairvoyance, so marvellously rendered in Bartok's music, because opening doors is the tragic merit of our identity. ~ George Steiner

The ordinary man casts a shadow. In a way we do not quite understand, the man of genius casts light. Instinctively, we flinch from this light. We assure ourselves that genius must pay a terrible price. Often history bears us out: the creator, the supreme artist, the master of politics carries the scars of his greatness. ~ George Steiner

  • 3 Kalki 20:57, 22 April 2008 (UTC) with a lean toward 4.
  • 3 InvisibleSun 21:39, 22 April 2008 (UTC)
  • 1 Zarbon 00:10, 23 April 2008 (UTC)

O masters, lords and rulers in all lands
How will the Future reckon with this Man?
How answer his brute question in that hour
When whirlwinds of rebellion shake all shores?
How will it be with kingdoms and with kings —
With those who shaped him to the thing he is —
When this dumb Terror shall rise to judge the world.
After the silence of the centuries?
~ Edwin Markham ~

  • 3 Kalki 20:57, 22 April 2008 (UTC) with a strong lean toward 4.
  • 3 InvisibleSun 21:39, 22 April 2008 (UTC)
  • 1 Zarbon 00:10, 23 April 2008 (UTC)

A pessimist is a man who thinks all women are bad. An optimist is a man who hopes they are. ~ Chauncey Depew

To create is to destroy. To induce life is to destroy life. ~ Halldór Laxness

The difference between a novelist and a historian is this: that the former tells lies deliberately and for the fun of it; the historian tells lies in his simplicity and imagines he is telling the truth. ~ Halldór Laxness

All gods are equally good except the god that answers prayers, because he is nowhere. ~ Halldór Laxness

War has always been the chief amusement of mankind. Other amusements are a surrogate for war. ~ Halldór Laxness

I feel that my duty has been faithfully, though it may be imperfectly, performed, and, whatever the result may be, I shall carry to my grave the consciousness that I at least meant well for my country. ~ James Buchanan

What is right and what is practicable are two different things. ~ James Buchanan

Sir, if you are as happy in entering the White House as I shall feel on returning to Wheatland, you are a happy man indeed. ~ James Buchanan

Abstract propositions should never be discussed by a legislative body. ~ James Buchanan

  • 2 Zarbon 19:23, 22 April 2009 (UTC)
  • 2 Kalki 19:38, 22 April 2009 (UTC)

I have no regret for any public act of my life, and history will vindicate my memory. ~ James Buchanan

  • 3 Zarbon 19:23, 22 April 2009 (UTC)
  • 2 Kalki 19:38, 22 April 2009 (UTC)

Time is a great corrective. Political subjects which but a few years ago excited and exasperated the public mind have passed away and are now nearly forgotten. ~ James Buchanan

We have no right to assume that any physical laws exist, or if they have existed up to now, that they will continue to exist in a similar manner in the future. ~ Max Planck

  • 2 Zarbon 19:23, 22 April 2009 (UTC)
  • 3 Kalki 19:38, 22 April 2009 (UTC) with a lean toward 4.
  • 3 InvisibleSun 23:37, 22 April 2009 (UTC)

Both Religion and science require a belief in God. For believers, God is in the beginning, and for physicists He is at the end of all considerations… To the former He is the foundation, to the latter, the crown of the edifice of every generalized world view. ~ Max Planck

Truth never triumphs — its opponents just die out. ~ Max Planck

  • 4 Zarbon 19:23, 22 April 2009 (UTC)
  • 1 Kalki (talk · contributions) 02:55, 30 April 2010 (UTC) * 2 Kalki 19:38, 22 April 2009 (UTC) this is a rather poorly worded variant of one already used.
  • 2 InvisibleSun 23:37, 22 April 2009 (UTC)

It is not the possession of truth, but the success which attends the seeking after it, that enriches the seeker and brings happiness to him. ~ Max Planck

  • 3 Zarbon 19:23, 22 April 2009 (UTC)
  • 2 Kalki 19:38, 22 April 2009 (UTC)

We may conclude that from what science teaches us, there is in nature an order independent of man's existence, a meaningful order to which nature and man are subordinate. ~ Max Planck

  • 2 Zarbon 19:23, 22 April 2009 (UTC)
  • 3 Kalki 19:38, 22 April 2009 (UTC) with a lean toward 4.

The city, that monster with a hundred mouths and a thousand ears, a monster that knows nothing but says everything, had written me off. ~ Jean-Dominique Bauby

  • 2 Zarbon 19:23, 22 April 2009 (UTC)
  • 1 Kalki 19:38, 22 April 2009 (UTC) seems too inclomplete an assertion.
  • 2 InvisibleSun 23:37, 22 April 2009 (UTC)

I cut a hole in my heart and wrote with the blood. ~ James Anthony Froude

Opinions alter, manners change, creeds rise and fall, but the moral law is written on the tablets of eternity. For every false word or unrighteous deed, for cruelty and oppression, for lust or vanity, the price has to be paid at last. ~ James Anthony Froude

  • 2 Zarbon 19:23, 22 April 2009 (UTC)
  • 3 Kalki 19:38, 22 April 2009 (UTC) but most of this was already used.
You fools! I and my fellows
Are ministers of Fate; the elements,
Of whom your swords are temper'd may as well
Wound the loud winds, or with bemock'd-at stabs
Kill the still-closing waters, as diminish
One dowle that's in my plume.
~ William Shakespeare ~
in
~ The Tempest ~
To be your fellow
You may deny me; but I'll be your servant,
Whether you will or no.
~ William Shakespeare ~
in
~ The Tempest ~
There are only two sides to this question. Every man must be for the United States or against it. There can be no neutrals in this war; only patriots and traitors.
~ Stephen A. Douglas ~
Only bad books have good endings. If a book is any good, it's ending is always bad - because you don't want the book to end.
~ The Name of this Book is Secret ~
“Books can also provoke emotions. And emotions sometimes are even more troublesome than ideas.
~ The Name of this Book is Secret ~



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