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Common Quotes

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Common Quotes

“In New York City, the common bats fly only at twilight. Brick-bats fly at all hours.”

Hours Common Cities New York New York City Twilight Bats Bricks

Author:George D. Prentice

“Obstinacy and contention are common qualities, most appearing in, and best becoming, a mean and illiterate soul.”

Mean Soul Common Quality Becoming Appearing Illiterate Contention Obstinacy

Book:Montaigne's Essays in Three Books: With Notes and Quotations. And an Account of the Author's Life. With a Short Character of the Author and Translator

Source: Montaigne's Essays in Three Books: With Notes and Quotations. And an Account of the Author's Life. With a Short Character of the Author and Translator

“All men of goodwill have this in common - that our works put us to shame.”

Men Common Failure Shame Goodwill

Book:Six Novels: With Other Stories and Essays

Source: Six Novels: With Other Stories and Essays

“Attain and maintain a reputation, for it is the usufruct of fame. A stiff climb, for it is the issue of excellence, as rare as mediocrity is common.”

Common Issues Fame Excellence Reputation Climbs Mediocrity

Author:Baltasar Gracian

“I don't know why it is that the religious never ascribe common sense to God.”

Knows Religious Common Common Sense

Author:W. Somerset Maugham

“The rapprochement of peoples is only possible when differences of culture and outlook are respected and appreciated rather than feared and condemned, when the common bond of human dignity is recognized as the essential bond for a peaceful world.”

World Humans Culture Differences Common Essentials Dignity Peaceful Outlook Appreciated Human Dignity Peaceful World Personal Dignity

Author:J. William Fulbright

“Common fluency of speech in many men and most women is owing to a scarcity of matter.”

Men Matter Common Speech Scarcity Owing Fluency

Book:The Works of Dr Jonathan Swift, Dean of St Patrick's, Dublin. Accurately Corrected by the Best Editions. With the Author's Life and Character; Notes Historical, Critical, and Explanatory; Tables of Contents, and Indexes. More Complete Than Any Preceding Edition. In Eight Volumes

Source: The Works of Dr Jonathan Swift, Dean of St Patrick's, Dublin. Accurately Corrected by the Best Editions. With the Author's Life and Character; Notes Historical, Critical, and Explanatory; Tables of Contents, and Indexes. More Complete Than Any Preceding Edition. In Eight Volumes

“As simplistic as this may sound, commitment is still the common denominator separating those who live their dreams from those who live in regret.”

May Stills Dream Sound Common Regret Commitment Consistent Separating Common Denominator Move Mountains Awaken The Giant Within

Book:Awaken The Giant Within

Source: Awaken The Giant Within

“Let not things, because they are common, enjoy for that the less share of our consideration.”

Enjoy Common Share Consideration

Book:Delphi Complete Works of Pliny the Elder (Illustrated)

Source: Delphi Complete Works of Pliny the Elder (Illustrated)

“Great collections of books are subject to certain accidents besides the damp, the worms, and the rats; one not less common is that of the borrowers, not to say a word of the purloiners”

Book Certain Common Subjects Accidents Collections Rats Worms Borrowing Damp Borrowers

Author:Isaac D'Israeli

“No longer virtuous no longer free; is a Maxim as true with regard to a private Person as a Common-wealth.”

Persons Wealth Common Regard Virtuous Maxims

Book:Autobiography and Other Writings

Source: Autobiography and Other Writings

“I fear you do not fully comprehend the danger of abridging the liberties of the people. Nothing but the sternest necessity can ever justify it. A government had better go to the extreme of toleration, than to do aught that could be construed into an interference with, or to jeopardize in any degree, the common rights of its citizens.”

People Government Common Liberty Rights Danger Citizens Degrees Extremes Justify Interference Toleration Jeopardize

Book:State papers, 1861-1865

Source: State papers, 1861-1865

“The future works out great men's destinies; The present is enough for common souls, Who, never looking forward, are indeed Mere clay wherein the footprints of their age Are petrified forever.”

Men Soul Enough Age Common Destiny Forever Mere Work Out Great Men Clay Looking Forward Footprint Future Work

Book:Poems

Source: Poems

“The right to be a cussed fool Is safe from all devices human, It's common (ez a gin'I rule) To every critter born of woman.”

Humans Born Common Fool Safe Devices Gin Critters

Author:James Russell Lowell

“I will not choose what many men desire, Because I will not jump with common spirits And rank me with the barbarous multitudes.”

Men Spirit Desire Common Multitudes

Author:William Shakespeare

“We are not going to be able to operate our Spaceship Earth successfully nor for much longer unless we see it as a whole spaceship and our fate as common. It has to be everybody or nobody.”

Whole Able Earth Success Common Fate Diversity Brotherhood Spectacular Spaceships

Book:World Game Series: Document 1

Source: World Game Series: Document 1

“We are unified both by hating in common and by being hated in common.”

Hate Common Hated Unified Being Hated

Book:The Passionate State of Mind

Source: The Passionate State of Mind

“Poetry should be common in experience but uncommon in books.”

Should Book Poetry Common Poet Uncommon

Author:Robert Frost

“The last time anybody made a list of the top hundred character attributes of New Yorkers, common sense snuck in at number 79.”

Made Character Lasts Common Numbers Hundred Lists Common Sense Attributes Last Time New Yorkers Hitchhikers Guide To The Galaxy Hitchhikers Guide

Book:Mostly Harmless

Source: Mostly Harmless

“The art of governing consists simply of being honest, exercising common sense, following principle, and doing what is right and just.”

Art Common Principles Honest Exercise Following Common Sense Being Honest Governing

Author:Thomas Jefferson

“I can never fear that things will go far wrong where common sense has fair play.”

I Can Play Common Fairs Common Sense Never Fear Fair Play

Book:The Writings of Thomas Jefferson: Correspondence, contin

Source: The Writings of Thomas Jefferson: Correspondence, contin

“Let common sense and common honesty have fair play, and they will soon set things to rights.”

Play Common Rights Honesty Fairs Common Sense Fair Play

Book:Light and Liberty: Reflections on the Pursuit of Happiness

Source: Light and Liberty: Reflections on the Pursuit of Happiness

“All genuine ideals have one thing in common: they express the desire for something which is not yet accomplished but which is desirable for the purpose of the growth and happiness of the individual.”

Desire Purpose Individual Growth Common One Thing Ideals Genuine Accomplished Desirable

Book:Escape from Freedom

Source: Escape from Freedom

“For this reason, if you believe proverbs, let me tell you the common one: "It is unlucky to marry in May.”

Ifs Believe May Reason Common Let Me If You Believe Matrimony Unlucky

Author:Ovid

“It is easy for a man who sits idle at home, and has nobody to please but himself, to ridicule or censure the common practices of mankind.”

Men Home Easy Common Practice Mankind Please Idle Ridicule Censure

Book:The Rambler: A Periodical Paper, Published in 1750, 1751, 1752

Source: The Rambler: A Periodical Paper, Published in 1750, 1751, 1752

“Credulity is the common failing of inexperienced virtue; and he who is spontaneously suspicious may justly be charged with radical corruption.”

May Common Virtue Failing Corruption Radical Suspicious Credulity

Book:The Wisdom of the Rambler, Adventurer, and Idler

Source: The Wisdom of the Rambler, Adventurer, and Idler

“Nothing is more common than to find men, whose works are now totally neglected, mentioned with praises by their contemporaries as the oracles of their age, and the legislators of science.”

Men Age Common Praise Find Me Neglected Legislators Oracles

Book:The Works of Samuel Johnson, LL. D.: With an Essay on His Life and Genius /c by Arthur Murphy, Esq

Source: The Works of Samuel Johnson, LL. D.: With an Essay on His Life and Genius /c by Arthur Murphy, Esq

“London! the needy villain's general home, The common sewer of Paris and of Rome! With eager thirst, by folly or by fate, Sucks in the dregs of each corrupted state.”

States Home Common Fate London Paris Folly Rome Villain Thirst Needy Sewers Dregs

Book:The poetical works of Samuel Johnson: collated with the best editions

Source: The poetical works of Samuel Johnson: collated with the best editions

“These papers of the day have uses more adequate to the purposes of common life than more pompous and durable volumes.”

Use Purpose Common Paper Newspapers Volume Papers Adequate Pompous Common Life

Book:The Rambler: In Four Volumes

Source: The Rambler: In Four Volumes

“Every man, however hopeless his pretensions may appear, has some project by which he hopes to rise to reputation; some art by which he imagines that the attention of the world will be attracted; some quality, good or bad, which discriminates him from the common herd of mortals, and by which others may be persuaded to love, or compelled to fear him.”

Men World May Art Common Attention Quality Imagine Fame Projects Every Man Reputation Mortals Hopeless Imagine That Compelled Herds Pretension

Author:Samuel Johnson

“The revolutions of thought which shape the basic outlook of an age are not disseminated through text-books- they spread like epidemics, through contamination by invisible agents and innocent germ carriers, by the most varied forms of contact, or simply by breathing the common air.”

Book Age Form Common Air Revolution Shapes Spread Invisible Innocent Contact Agents Breathing Outlook Epidemics Germs Carrier Contamination

Author:Arthur Koestler

“The evils of mankind are caused, not by the primary aggressiveness of individuals, but by their self-transcending identification with groups whose common denominator is low intelligence and high emotionality.”

Self Evil Individual Common Groups Mankind Lows Primaries Identification Common Denominator Transcending Aggressiveness

Author:Arthur Koestler

“We cannot be wise while in the grip of a deep fear. ... This is why demagogues, when seeking our support, will first cause us to fear and hate, knowing when we are in the grip of a great fear, we will abandon common sense and wisdom, we will forsake the hard-won lessons of time and experience.”

Firsts Hard Wisdom Hate Causes Common Support Courage Knowing Wise Lessons Seeking Common Sense Abandon Being Wise Forsake

Author:Philip Gulley

“And after hearing what our Church can say, If still our reason runs another way, That private reason 'tis more just to curb, Than by disputes the public peace disturb; For points obscure are of small use to learn, But common quiet is mankind's concern.”

Ifs Way Stills Reason Use Running Church Common Mankind Quiet Concern Hearing Doctrine Obscure Disputes Another Way Curb

Book:Dryden: Selected Poems

Source: Dryden: Selected Poems

“Generally, common sense is rare in the (higher) rank.”

Common Higher Common Sense

Author:Juvenal

“Common sense among men of fortune is rare.”

Men Wealth Common Fortune Common Sense

Author:Juvenal

“There is nothing more hostile to a city that a tyrant, under whom in the first and chiefest place, there are not laws in common, but one man, keeping the law himself to himself, has the sway, and this is no longer equal.”

Men Firsts Law Common Cities Equal Tyranny One Man Tyrants Hostile

Book:The Tragedies of Euripides: Hercules furens. The Troades. Ion. Andromache. Suppliants. Helen. Electra. Cyclops. Rhesus

Source: The Tragedies of Euripides: Hercules furens. The Troades. Ion. Andromache. Suppliants. Helen. Electra. Cyclops. Rhesus

“I do not believe that any political campaign justifies the declaration of a moratorium on ordinary common sense.”

Believe Political Common Ordinary Campaigns Common Sense Justify Declaration Political Campaign

Author:Dwight D. Eisenhower

“But I am not discouraged. I do not despair for our country. I believe tonight, as I always have, that the essential decency, compassion and common sense of the American people will prevail.”

People Believe Country I Believe Common Compassion Essentials Despair Common Sense Our Country Tonight Decency Discouraged

Author:Jimmy Carter

“There are certain things that words on paper can never make a crime, .. There are certain acts that by sheer common sense are not crimes.”

Certain Common Crime Paper Common Sense Sheer Words On Paper

Author:Jack Kevorkian

“Learn to do the common things uncommonly well.”

Wells Common Competence Secret To Success Achieving Success Achieved Success Common Things

Author:George Washington Carver

“In real friendship the judgment, the genius, the prudence of each party become the common property of both.”

Real Friendship Party Common Genius Judgment Property Real Friends Prudence Real Friendship

Book:Works

Source: Works

“The painter has to unlearn the habit of thinking that things seem to have the color which common sense says they 'really' have, and to learn the habit of seeing things as they appear.”

Thinking Seems Common Seeing Color Habit Common Sense Painter Unlearn

Book:The Problems of Philosophy

Source: The Problems of Philosophy

“Enemies could become the best companions. Companionship is based on a common interest, and the greater the interest the closer the companionship. What makes enemies of people, if not the eagerness, the passion for the same thing?”

People Ifs Passion Interest Common Enemy Greater Companion Companionship Eagerness Common Interests

Book:Sunset and Twilight: From the Diaries of 1947-1958

Source: Sunset and Twilight: From the Diaries of 1947-1958

“Corruption springs from light: 'tis one same power Creates, preserves, destroys; matter whereon It works, on e'er self-transmutative form, Common to now the living, now the dead.”

Self Matter Light Form Common Spring Corruption Preserves

Author:Philip James Bailey

“Planes and Trains and Boats and Busses Characteristically Evolve a common attitude of blue Unless you have a suitcase and a ticket and a passport And the cargo that they're carrying is you.”

Common Attitude Blue Train Boat Evolve Planes Tickets Passports Suitcases Cargo

Author:Tom Waits

“It is surely a matter of common observation that a man who knows no one thing intimately has no views worth hearing on things in general.”

Knows Men Matter Views Common One Thing Hearing Observation

Book:Human Nature and the Social Order

Source: Human Nature and the Social Order

“Whatever is in common is true; but likeness is false.”

Author:Georges Braque

“The sculptor does not work for the anatomist, but for the common observer of life and nature.”

Doe Common Sculpture Observers Sculptors

Book:Modern Painters

Source: Modern Painters

“Of all the vices, avarice is the most generally detested; it is the effect of an avidity common to all men; it is because men hate those from whom they can expect nothing. The greedy misers rail at sordid misers.”

Men Hate Common Effects Vices Greedy Avarice Rail Misers Expect Nothing

Author:Claude Adrien Helvetius