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Quote by Sydney J. Harris

“The greatest enemy of progress is not stagnation, but false progress.”

Quote by Sydney J. Harris

Author

Sydney J. Harris

Sydney J. Harris was an American journalist renowned for his wit and incisive commentary. Born on September 14, 1917, in Chicago, Illinois, he passed away on December 8, 1986. Harris was a prominent figure in journalism, particularly for his newspaper columns. more

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“The difference between faith and superstition is that the first uses reason to go as far as it can, and then makes the jump; the second shuns reason entirely — which is why superstition is not the ally, but the enemy, of true religion.”

Firsts Reason Use Differences Enemy Allies Superstitions True Religion

Book:Strictly personal

Source: Strictly personal

“Ancient boundaries are meaningless, except for political purposes; old divisions of clan and tribe are sentimental remnants of the pre-atomic age; neither creed nor color nor place of origin is relevant to the realities of modern power to utterly seek and destroy.”

Reality Age Political Purpose Modern Color Ancient Boundaries Division Meaningless Relevant Creeds Tribes Sentimental Clans Remnants

Book:Best of Sydney J. Harris

Source: Best of Sydney J. Harris

“When we inform, we lead from strength; when we communicate, we lead from weakness—and it is precisely this confession of mortality that engages the ears, heads and hearts of those we want to enlist as allies in a common cause.”

Want Heart Causes Common Weakness Ears Communicate Mortality Allies Confession Head And Heart

Book:Best of Sydney J. Harris

Source: Best of Sydney J. Harris

“But what is significant is that if you don't want to like and accept somebody, one excuse is as good as another. The objective facts don't matter, and the reasons are never as ‘reasonable' as we like to think they are.”

Ifs Thinking Want Matter Reason Facts Accepting Excuse Significant Objectives Reasonable

Book:Best of Sydney J. Harris

Source: Best of Sydney J. Harris

“Nobody can misunderstand a child as much as his own parents.”

Children Parent

Book:Leaving the Surface

Source: Leaving the Surface

“And people are intrigued if I really am as grumpy in real life. People feel a bit let down if I'm laughing or smiling.”

People Ifs Feels Real Bits Laughing Real Life Intrigued Let Down Grumpy

Author:Jack Dee

“The severest test of character is not so much the ability to keep a secret as it is, when the secret is finally out, to refrain from disclosing that you knew it all along.”

Character Ability Secret Tests Refrain Test Of Character

Author:Sydney J. Harris

“As WArden Lawes once said of convicts, no man can be called a failure until he has tried something he really likes, and fails at it.”

Men Said Failing Likes Convicts Wardens

Book:Best of Sydney J. Harris

Source: Best of Sydney J. Harris

“And most of the failures in parent-child relationships, from my observation, begin when the child begins to acquire a mind and a will of its own, to make independent decisions and to question the omnipotence or the wisdom of the parent.”

Mind Children Parent Decision Independent Observation Acquire Omnipotence Parent Child Parent Child Relationship

Book:Best of Sydney J. Harris

Source: Best of Sydney J. Harris

“It is not only useless, it is harmful, to believe in oneself until one truly knows oneself. And to know oneself means to accept our moments of insanity, of eccentricity, of childishness and blindness.”

Knows Believe Mean Moments Accepting Oneself Useless Insanity Blindness Eccentricity Knowing Oneself Childishness

Book:Best of Sydney J. Harris

Source: Best of Sydney J. Harris