To dare is to lose one’s footing momentarily. To not dare is to lose oneself.

May it please your majesty, I have neither eyes to see nor tongue to speak in this place but as this house is pleased to direct me whose servant I am here; and humbly beg your majesty’s pardon that I cannot give any other answer than this

Every man is wise when attacked by a mad dog; fewer when pursued by a mad woman; only the wisest survive when attacked by a mad notion.

And above all, watch with glittering eyes the whole world around you because the greatest secrets are always hidden in the most unlikely places. Those who don’t believe in magic will never find it.

A gentleman’s agreement is an agreement which is not an agreement, made between two people neither of whom are gentlemen, whereby each expects the other to be strictly bound without himself being bound at all.

Causa Belli

They read good books, and quote, but never learn
a language other than the scream of rocket-burn
Our straighter talk is drowned but ironclad;
elections, money, empire, oil and Dad.

Eliminate absolutely, positively all extraneous words

A wise man will make more opportunities than he finds.

To be positive: To be mistaken at the top of one’s voice.

his stock reply to angry letters:

Dear Sir,

You may be right.

Sincerely yours,

H L Mencken

I loathe the expression “What makes him tick.” It is the American mind, looking for simple and singular solution, that uses the foolish expression. A person not only ticks, he also chimes and strikes the hour, falls and breaks and has to be put together again, and sometimes stops like an electric clock in a thunderstorm.

All human actions have one or more of these seven causes: chance, nature, compulsions, habit, reason, passion, desire.

Taxes feed the naked and clothe the hungry.

Nietzsche is pietzche
But Sartre is smartre.

To endure is greater than to dare; to tire out hostile fortune; to be daunted by no difficulty; to keep heart when all have lost it; to go through intrigue spotless; to forego even ambition when the end is gained – who can say this is not greatness?

The secret to winning is very simple: do everything reasonably well and make no mistakes.

They said that it could not be done:
With a laugh he went right to it.
He tackled the thing that couldn’t be done –
And couldn’t do it.

As a cure for worrying, work is better than whiskey.

I can live for two months on a good compliment.

We are all guilty of hammering on the knuckles of those who try to climb into our boat.