Famous Quotes & Sayings

O. Henry

There is a saying that no man has tasted the full flavor of life until he has known poverty, love, and war.

O. Henry

Men to whom life had appeared as a reversible coat - seamy on both sides.

O. Henry

There was clearly nothing to do but flop down on the shabby little couch and howl. So Della did it. Which instigates the moral reflection that life is made up of sobs, sniffles, and smiles, with sniffles predominating.

Octavio Paz

We must cultivate and defend particularity, individuality, and irregularity-life. Human beings do not have a future in the collectivism of bureaucratic states or in the mass society created by capitalism. Every system, by virtue as much of its abstract nature as of its pretension to totality, is the enemy of life. As a forgotten Spanish poet, José Moreno Villa, put it with melancholy wit: "I have discovered in symmetry the root of much iniquity."

Novalis

Love works magic. It is the finalpurpose of the world story, the Amen of the universe.

Novalis

Every beloved object is the center point of a paradise.

Novalis

Mathematics is the Life of the Gods.

Norton Juster

if something is there, you can only see it with your eyes open, but if it isn't there, you can see it just as well with your eyes closed. That's why imaginary things are often easier to see than real ones.

Norman Vincent Peale

Empty pockets never held anyone back. Only empty heads and empty hearts can do that.

Norman Vincent Peale

Artur Rubinstein, the famous pianist, was once asked the secret of his success-was it dedication, ability, discipline, hard work? Mr. Rubinstein smiled as he remarked, "It's hard to say, but one thing I do know: if you love life, life will love you back!" What a wonderful insight! That philosophy explains how a man in his eighties can continue to be so creative. For life is simply filled with exciting blessings for everybody. They're ours if we give enough of ourselves to life!

Norman Vincent Peale

Plant seeds of expectation in your mind; cultivate thoughts that anticipate achievement. Believe in yourself as being capable of overcoming all obstacles and weaknesses.

Norman Vincent Peale

Practice hope. As hopefulness becomes a habit, you can achieve a permanently happy spirit.

Emilie Autumn

Why can I never go back to bed? Who's is the voice ringing in my head? Where is the sense in these desperate dreams? Why should I wake when I'm half past dead?

Emile Zola

Yes! live life with every fibre of one's being, surrender oneself to it, with no thoughts of rebellion, without deluding oneself that one can improve it and render it painless.

Emile Zola

If you ask me what I came into this life to do, I will tell you: I came to live out loud.

Emile M. Cioran

To exist is equivalent to an act of faith, a protest against the truth, an interminable prayer. As soon as they consent to live, the unbeliever and the man of faith are fundamentally the same, since both have made the only decision that defines a being.

Ellen Johnson Sirleaf

Leadership is never given on a silver platter, one has to earn it.

Ellen Johnson Sirleaf

Ethnicity should enrich us; it should make us a unique people in our diversity and not be used to divide us.

Ellen Johnson Sirleaf

If your dreams do not scare you, they are not big enough.

Ellen Goodman

It has begun to occur to me that life is a stage I'm going through.

Ellen Glasgow

... the ordinary is simply the universal observed from the surface, that the direct approach to reality is not without, but within. Touch life anywhereand you will touch universality wherever you touch the earth.

Ellen DeGeneres

That's what life is all about. There's a lot of crying. So you'd better cry now and get used to it.

Ellen DeGeneres

Life is short. If you doubt me, ask a butterfly. Their average life span is a mere five to fourteen days.

Eric Roth

Our lives are defined by opportunities, even the ones we miss.

Erasmus Darwin

Life is a forced state! I am surprized that we live, rather than that our friends die.

Epictetus

In theory it is easy to convince an ignorant person; in actual life, men not only object to offer themselves to be convinced, but hate the man who has convinced them.

Epictetus

Remember that you are in actor in a play of such a kind that the author chooses...For this is your duty, to act well the part that is given to you; but to select the part belongs to another.

Epictetus

Try to enjoy the great festival of life with other men!

Epictetus

What really frightens and dismays us is not external events themselves, but the way in which we think about them. It is not things that disturb us, but our interpretation of their significance.

Epictetus

Ask yourself, "How are my thoughts, words and deeds affecting my friends, my spouse, my neighbour, my child, my employer, my subordinates, my fellow citizens?"

Epictetus

Ask yourself: Does this appearance (of events) concern the things that are within my own control or those that are not? If it concerns anything outside your control, train yourself not to worry about it.

Epictetus

Consider the bigger picture.....think things through and fully commit!

Epictetus

Try not to react merely in the moment. Pull back from the situation. Take a wider view. Compose yourself.