Quotes about humankind

"That man is the noblest creature may also be inferred from the fact that no other creature has yet contested this claim."

Lichtenberg, Georg C. on humankind   

"God must love the common man, he made so many of them."

Lincoln, Abraham on humankind
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"The decay of decency in the modern age, the rebellion against law and good faith, the treatment of human beings as things, as the mere instruments of power and ambition, is without a doubt the consequence of the decay of the belief in man as something more than an animal animated by highly conditioned reflexes and chemical reactions. For, unless man is something more than that, he has no rights that anyone is bound to respect, and there are no limitations upon his conduct which he is bound to obey."

Lippmann, Walter on humankind   

"Good and evil, reward and punishment, are the only motives to a rational creature: these are the spur and reins whereby all mankind are set on work, and guided."

Locke, John on humankind   

"Of mankind we may say in general they are fickle, hypocritical, and greedy of gain."

Machiavelli, Niccolo on humankind
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"In recognizing the humanity of our fellow beings, we pay ourselves the highest tribute."

Marshall, Thurgood on humankind   

"What is the use of this fuss about morality when the issue only involves a horse? The first and most difficult teaching of civilization concerns man's behavior to his inferiors. Make humanity gentle or reasonable toward animals, and strife or injustice between human beings would speedily terminate."

Mayhew, Dr Edward on humankind   

"One of the oldest human needs is having someone wonder where you are when you don't come home at night."

Mead, Margaret on humankind
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"Let me look into a human eye; it is better than to gaze into sea or sky; better than to gaze upon God."

Melville, Herman on humankind   

"Have you ever watched a crab on the shore crawling backward in search of the Atlantic Ocean, and missing? That's the way the mind of man operates."

Mencken, H. L. on humankind   

"Man is a beautiful machine that works very badly."

Mencken, H. L. on humankind   

"The basic fact about human existence is not that it is a tragedy, but that it is a bore. It is not so much a war as an endless standing in line."

Mencken, H. L. on humankind   

"The man who is forever disturbed about the condition of humanity either has no problems of his own or has refused to face them."

Miller, Henry on humankind   

"The history of mankind is the history of ideas."

Mises, Ludwig Von on humankind   

"Man is stark mad; he cannot make a flea, and yet he will be making gods by the dozens."

Montaigne, Michel Eyquem De on humankind
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"After all there is but one race -- humanity."

Moore, George on humankind   

"We are, to put it mildly, in a mess, and there is a strong chance that we shall have exterminated ourselves by the end of the century. Our only consolation will have to be that, as a species, we have had an exciting term of office."

Morris, Desmond on humankind   

"Human affairs are not serious, but they have to be taken seriously."

Murdoch, Iris on humankind   

"I teach you the Superman. Man is something that should be overcome."

Nietzsche, Friedrich on humankind
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"Man is no longer an artist, he has become a work of art."

Nietzsche, Friedrich on humankind
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"I am a member of the rabble in good standing."

Pegler, Westbrook on humankind   

"We are all cells in the same body of humanity."

Pilgrim, Peace on humankind
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"Man is a two-legged animal without feathers."

Plato on humankind
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"Man is a being in search of meaning."

Plato on humankind
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"If, presume not to God to scan; The proper study of Mankind is Man. Plac'd on this isthmus of a middle state, a being darkly wise, and rudely great."

Pope, Alexander on humankind   

"Man is harder than iron, stronger than stone and more fragile than a rose."

Proverb, Turkish on humankind
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"The law of humanity ought to be composed of the past, the present, and the future, that we bear within us; whoever possesses but one of these terms, has but a fragment of the law of the moral world."

Quinet, Edgar on humankind   

"All people are a single nation."

Qur'an on humankind
3 fans of this quote   

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"I wish I loved the Human Race; I wish I loved its silly face; I wish I liked the way it walks; I wish I liked the way it talks; And when I'm introduced to one I wish I thought What Jolly Fun!"

Raleigh, Sir Walter on humankind   

"Let us ask ourselves; What kind of people do we think we are?"

Reagan, Ronald on humankind   

"Human beings, for all their pretensions, have a remarkable propensity for lending themselves to classification somewhere within neatly labeled categories. Even the outrageous exceptions may be classified as outrageous exceptions!"

Reichmann, W.J. on humankind   

"In our civilization, men are afraid that they will not be men enough and women are afraid that they might be considered only women."

Reik, Theodor on humankind   

"Humanity has advanced, when it has advanced, not because it has been sober, responsible, and cautious, but because it has been playful, rebellious, and immature."

Robbins, Tom on humankind   

"To be human is to keep rattling the bars of the cage of existence hollering, What's it for?"

Robert, Fulghum on humankind   

"It's great to be great, but it's greater to be human."

Rogers, Will on humankind
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"An effective human being is a whole that is greater than the sum of its parts."

Rolf, Ida P. on humankind   

"Man's only true happiness is to live in hope of something to be won by him. Reverence something to be worshipped by him, and love something to be cherished by him, forever."

Ruskin, John on humankind   

"We say nothing essential about the cathedral when we speak of its stones. We say nothing essential about Man when we seek to define him by the qualities of men."

Saint-Exupery, Antoine De on humankind
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"Those who live in a world of human beings can only retrace their steps."

Sarraute, Nathalie on humankind   

"Man is a useless passion."

Sartre, Jean-Paul on humankind