Sydney J. Harris
Sydney J. Harris
Sydney J. Harriswas an American journalist for the Chicago Daily News and, later, the Chicago Sun-Times. He wrote 11 books and his weekday column, “Strictly Personal,” was syndicated in approximately 200 newspapers throughout the United States and Canada...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionJournalist
Date of Birth14 September 1917
CountryUnited States of America
Sydney J. Harris quotes about
best-love believe partners
Marriages we regard as the happiest are those in which each of the partners believes he or she got the best of it.
acceptance merit mediocrity
Elitism is the slur directed at merit by mediocrity.
lessons characteristics treats
This is a lesson mankind has not yet learned. We identify, and stratify, and treat persons largely on the basis of their accidental (physical) characteristics, which have no deeper meaning.
being-yourself departure where-you-are
Being yourself is not remaining where you are, or being satisfied with what you are. It is the point of departure.
hard-work play people
Many people know how to work hard; many others know how to play well; but the rarest talent in the world is the ability to introduce elements of playfulness into work, and to put some constructive labor into our leisure.
helping-others people faults
People who won't help others in trouble "because they got into trouble through their own fault" would probably not throw a lifeline to a drowning person until they learned whether that person fell in through his or her own fault or not.
time world care
Time is love, above all else. It is the most precious commodity in the world and should be lavished on those we care most about.
able renounce possession
We truly possess only what we are able to renounce; otherwise, we are simply possessed by our possessions.
maturity feelings feels
Maturity begins when we're content to feel we're right about something without feeling the necessity to prove someone else wrong.
strong character two
As we grow older, we should learn that these are two quite different things. Character is something you forge for yourself; temperament is something you are born with and can only slightly modify. Some people have easy temperaments and weak characters; others have difficult temperaments and strong characters. We are all prone to confuse the two in assessing people we associate with. Those with easy temperaments and weak characters are more likable than admirable; those with difficult temperaments and strong characters are more admirable than likable.
wisdom anger power
If a small thing has the power to make you angry, does that not indicate something about your size?
fear past lessons
A cynic is not merely one who reads bitter lessons from the past, his is also one who is permanently disappointed in the future.
forgiveness sacrifice forgiving
A winner rebukes and forgives; a loser is too Forgiveness breaks the chain of causality because he who forgives you -- out of love -- takes upon himself the consequences of what you have done. Forgiveness, therefore, always entails a sacrifice.
integrity evil looks
Once we assuage our conscience by calling something a "necessary evil", it begins to look more and more necessary and less and less evil.