"They are not long, the days of wine and roses:Out of a misty dreamOur path emerges for a while, then closesWithin a dream. "

Dowson, Ernest on uncategorised   

"Men shrink less from offending one who inspires love than one who inspires fear."

Machiavelli, Niccolo on leadership
4 fans of this quote   

"A prince never lacks legitimate reasons to break his promise."

Machiavelli, Niccolo on promises
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"I consider it a mark of great prudence in a man to abstain from threats or any contemptuous expressions, for neither of these weaken the enemy, but threats make him more cautious, and the other excites his hatred, and a desire to revenge himself."

Machiavelli, Niccolo on prudence   

"Since it is difficult to join them together, it is safer to be feared than to be loved when one of the two must be lacking."

Machiavelli, Niccolo on totalitarianism   

"There is no avoiding war; it can only be postponed to the advantage of others."

Machiavelli, Niccolo on war
5 fans of this quote   

"The main foundations of every state, new states as well as ancient or composite ones, are good laws and good arms you cannot have good laws without good arms, and where there are good arms, good laws inevitably follow."

Machiavelli, Niccolo on weapons   

"God is not willing to do everything, and thus take away our free will and that share of glory which belongs to us."

Machiavelli, Niccolo on power   

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"There is nothing more difficult to take in hand, more perilous to conduct, or more uncertain in its success than to take the lead in the introduction of a new order of things."

Machiavelli, Niccolo on leadership   

"Men are more apt to be mistaken in their generalizations than in their particular observations."

Machiavelli, Niccolo on judgment and judges
3 fans of this quote   

"Men in general judge more by the sense of sight than by the sense of touch, because everyone can see, but only a few can test by feeling. Everyone sees what you seem to be, few know what you really are, and those few do not dare take a stand against the general opinion."

Machiavelli, Niccolo on judgment and judges   

"There are three kinds of intelligence: one kind understands things for itself, the other appreciates what others can understand, the third understands neither for itself nor through others. This first kind is excellent, the second good, and the third kind useless."

Machiavelli, Niccolo on intelligence and intellectuals   

"Men nearly always follow the tracks made by others and proceed in their affairs by imitation, even though they cannot entirely keep to the tracks of others or emulate the prowess of their models. So a prudent man should always follow in the footsteps of great men and imitate those who have been outstanding. If his own prowess fails to compare with theirs, at least it has an air of greatness about it. He should behave like those archers who, if they are skilful, when the target seems too distant, know the capabilities of their bow and aim a good deal higher than their objective, not in order to shoot so high but so that by aiming high they can reach the target."

Machiavelli, Niccolo on imitation
3 fans of this quote   

"Hatred is gained as much by good works as by evil."

Machiavelli, Niccolo on hatred
4 fans of this quote   

"Ambition is so powerful a passion in the human breast, that however high we reach we are never satisfied."

Machiavelli, Niccolo on ambition   

"It is better to be feared than loved, if you cannot be both."

Machiavelli, Niccolo on fear
7 fans of this quote   

"Depend on the rabbit's foot if you will, but remember it didn't work for the rabbit."

Shay, R. E. on luck
10 fans of this quote   

"I base my calculations on the expectation that luck will be against me"

Bonaparte, Napoleon on luck
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"A wise man will see to it that his acts always seem voluntary and not done by compulsion, however much he may be compelled by necessity."

Machiavelli, Niccolo on wisdom   

"Because just as good morals, if they are to be maintained, have need of the laws, so the laws, if they are to be observed, have need of good morals. "

Machiavelli, Niccolo on uncategorised   

"It is not titles that honor men, but men that honor titles."

Machiavelli, Niccolo on honor   

"You never know how much a man can't remember until he is called as a witness."

Rogers, Will on memory
5 fans of this quote   

"The short memories of American voters is what keeps our politicians in office."

Rogers, Will on memory
4 fans of this quote   

"In the early days of the Indian Territory, there were no such things as birth certificates. You being there was certificate enough."

Rogers, Will on life   

"Liberty doesn't work as well in practice as it does in speeches."

Rogers, Will on liberty
4 fans of this quote   

"A man can learn only two ways, one by reading, and the other by association with smarter people."

Rogers, Will on learning
11 fans of this quote   

"People are getting smarter nowadays; they are letting lawyers, instead of their conscience, be their guide."

Rogers, Will on law suits
5 fans of this quote   

"Everything is funny as long as it is happening to somebody else."

Rogers, Will on humor
6 fans of this quote   

"We can't all be heroes, because somebody has to sit on the curb and clap as they go by."

Rogers, Will on heroes and heroism
4 fans of this quote   

"Be thankful we're not getting all the government we're paying for."

Rogers, Will on government
5 fans of this quote   

"I don't make jokes. I just watch the government and report the facts."

Rogers, Will on government   

"I never met a man I didn't like."

Rogers, Will on affection   

"Every time a woman leaves off something she looks better, but every time a man leaves off something he looks worse."

Rogers, Will on dress
5 fans of this quote   

"An economist's guess is liable to be as good as anybody else s."

Rogers, Will on economy and economics   

"There is nothing so stupid as an educated man, if you get him off the thing he was educated in."

Rogers, Will on experts
6 fans of this quote   

"Strangers are just friends I haven't met yet."

Rogers, Will on friends and friendship   

"My ancestors didn't come over on the Mayflower, but they were there to meet the boat."

Rogers, Will on ancestry   

"So live that you wouldn't be ashamed to sell the family parrot to the town gossip."

Rogers, Will on gossip
5 fans of this quote   

"There is no pain equal to that which two lovers can inflict on one another. This should be made clear to all who contemplate such a union. The avoidance of this pain is the beginning of wisdom, for it is strong enough to contaminate the rest of our lives."

Connolly, Cyril on love
3 fans of this quote   

"We love but once, for once only are we perfectly equipped for loving."

Connolly, Cyril on love
7 fans of this quote