Quote Queen

William Howard Stein (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Antonio Gaudi – 1852 – Architect

“Copiers do not collaborate.”

Georges Courteline – 1858 – Dramatist

“If it was necessary to tolerate in other people everything that one permits oneself, life would be unbearable.”

Robert Henri – 1865 – Artist

“Do whatever you do intensely.”

Hermann Oberth – 1894 – Scientist

“Our education system is like an automobile which has strong rear lights, brightly illuminating the past.  But looking forward things are barely discernible.”

Moses Hadas – 1900 – Writer

“The greatest gift is the passion for reading.  It is cheap, it consoles, it distracts, it excites, it gives you knowledge of the world and experience of a wide kind.  It is a moral illumination.”

George Orwell – 1903 – Author

“Happiness can exist only in acceptance.”

William Howard Stein – 1911 -Scientist

“Keep high aspirations, moderate expectations, and small needs.”

Harry Seidler – 1923 – Architect

“Architecture is not an inspirational business, it’s a rational procedure to do sensible and hopefully beautiful things; that’s all.”

Dorothy Gilman – 1923 – Novelist

“It something anticipated arrives too late it finds us numb, wrung out from waiting, and we feel – nothing at all.  The best things arrive on time.”

Sidney Lumet – 1924 – Director

“All great work is preparing yourself for the accident to happen.”

Robert Venturi – 1925 – Architect

Vladimir Kramnik 06 08 2006 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

“Less is a bore.”

Eric Carle – 1929 – Author

“The hardest part is developing the idea, and that can take years.”

Willis Reed – 1942 – Athlete

“Go for the moon.  If you don’t get it, you’ll still be heading for a star.”

Phyllis George – 1949 – Journalist

“Life is what you make it:  If you snooze, you lose; if you snore, you lose more.”

Sonia Sotomayor – 1954 – Judge

“We apply law to facts.  We don’t apply feelings to facts.”

Anthony Bourdain – 1956 – Author

“Context and memory play powerful roles in all the truly great meals in one’s life.”

Ricky Gervais – 1961 – British Comedian

“Where there’s a will there’s a relative.”

George Michael – 1963 – Musician

“You’ll never find peace of mind until you listen to your heart.”

Matt LeBlanc – 1967 – Actor

“I believe that laughter is the best emotional Band-Aid in the world.  It’s like nature’s Neosporin.”

Vladimir Kramnik – 1975 – Russian Chess Champion

“Even if you play perfectly, a fault of your opponent’s can destroy the entire beauty of the game.”

Lauren Bush – 1984 – Model

“I think politicians do great things in the world, but I don’t think they’re the only ones who can.  I don’t like all the rhetoric and the finger pointing.”

Ambrose Bierce, American author (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Henry Ward Beecher – 1813 – Clergyman

“In this world it is not what we take up, but what we give up, that makes us rich.”

Rebecca Harding Davis – 1831 – Author

“The sun, the earth, love, friends, our very breath are parts of the banquet.”

Ambrose Bierce – 1842 – Journalist

“Speak when you are angry and you will make the speech you will ever regret.”

Jack Dempsey – 1895 – Athlete

“A champion is someone who gets up when he can’t.”

Katherine Dunham – 1909 – Dancer

“I used to want the words ‘She tried’ on my tombstone.  Now I want ‘She did it.'”

Irving R. Kaufman – 1910 – Judge

“The judicial system is the most expensive machine ever invented for finding out what happened and what to do about it.”

Mary Wesley – 1912 – Novelist

“Of course risk-taking does not always pay off, but it’s a lot of fun!”

Fred Hoyle – 1915 – Scientist

“There is a coherent plan in the universe, though I don’t know what it’s a plan for.”

Norman Cousins – 1915 – Author

“Hearty laughter is a good way to jog internally without having to go outdoors.”

John Ciardi – 1916 – Dramatist

“Intelligence recognizes what has happened.  Genius recognizes what will happen.”

Martin Lewis Perl – 1927 – Physicist

Solange Knowles @ The Ruby Lounge, Manchester, (14/11/08) (Photo credit: magicube77 (shay))

“My parents regarded school teachers as higher beings, as did many immigrants.”

Claude Chabrol – 1930 – Director

“Stupidity is infinitely more fascinating than intelligence.  Intelligence has its limits while stupidity has none.”

Peter Bart – 1932 – Editor

“Most movie-goers are overdosing on star coverage; it’s the ultimate example of too much information.”

Terry Riley – 1935 – Composer

“Everyone seems to be in a kind of accelerated time mode that is beyond their own control.”

Lawrence Block – 1938 – Writer

“When you get older, keeping the private stuff private seems less important.”

Sherry Stringfield – 1967 – Actress

“It’s amazing how everyone has an opinion on how you should live your life.”

Jean Charest – 1968 – Lawyer

“You can’t go east and west at the same time.”

Christine Rampone – 1975 – Athlete

“I try to be realistic, listen to my body and know when to slow down.”

Solange Knowles – 1986 – Actress

Lionel Messi (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

“You get educated by traveling.”

Lionel Messi – 1987 – Athlete

“The day you think there is no improvements to be made is a sad one for any player.”

Irvin Cobb (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

John Dickey – 1794 – Politician

“To create the power of competence without creating a corresponding direction to guide the use of that power is bad education.”

Irvin S. Cobb – 1876 – Journalist

“A good storyteller is a person with a good memory and hopes other people haven’t.”

King Edward VIII – 1894 – English Royalty

“When you’re bored with yourself, marry and be bored with someone else.”

Winifred Holtby – 1898 – Novelist

“The crown of life is neither happiness nor annihilation; it is understanding.”

Gordon B. Hinckley – 1910 – Clergyman

“Without hard work, nothing grows but weeds.”

WINIFRED HOLTBY (Photo credit: summonedbyfells)

Edward P. Morgan – 1910 – Journalist

“A book is the only place in which you can examine a fragile thought without breaking it, or explore an explosive idea without fear it will go off in your face.  It is one of the few havens remaining where a man’s mind can get both provocation and privacy.”

Jean Anouilh – 1910 – French Playwright

“Our entire life – consists ultimately in accepting ourselves as we are.”

David Ogilvy – 1911 – Businessman

“A good advertisement is one which sells the product without drawing attention to itself.”

June Carter Cash (Photo credit: A.Currell)

Alan Turing – 1912 – Mathematician

“We can only see a short distance ahead, but we can see plenty there that needs to be done.”

Art Modell – 1925 – Businessman

“I want to be remembered as a guy who tried his best and did his best.”

June Carter Cash – 1929 – Musician

“Every dog has his day, unless he loses his tail, then he has a weak-end.”

Dave Bristol – 1933 – Coach

“Boys, baseball is a game where you gotta have fun.  You do that by winning.”

Richard Bach – 1936 – Novelist

“If you love someone, set them free.  If they come back they’re yours; if they don’t they never were.”

Wilma Rudolph – 1940 – Track and Field Champion

“Never underestimate the power of dreams and the influence of human spirit.  We are all the same in this notion:  The potential for greatness lives within each of us.”

Clarence Thomas – 1948 – Judge

“Good manners will open doors that the best education cannot.”

Randy Jackson – 1956 – Musician

“Figure out who you are.”

Frances McDormand – 1957 – Actress

“The only power you have is the word no.”

Joel Edgerton – 1974 – Actor

“Every job leaves its residue, a bit of extra knowledge, or a new skill-set.”

Jason Mraz – 1977 – Musician

“You come to realize that only one person can tell you what’s expected of you, and that’s you.”

English: Italian statesman Giuseppe Mazzini (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Jacques Delille – 1738 – Poet

“Fate chooses our relatives, we choose our friends.”

Wilhelm von Humboldt – 1767 – Educator

“I am more and more convinced that our happiness or unhappiness depends far more on the way we meet the events of life than on the nature of these events themselves.”

Giuseppe Mazzini – 1805 – Italian Activist

“Music is the harmonious voice of creation; an echo of the invisible world.”

John Dillinger – 1903 – Criminal

“OK, boys; let’s go make a withdrawal.”

Carl Hubbell – 1903 – Athlete

“A fellow doesn’t last long on what he has done.  He has to keep on delivering.”

Gilbert Highet – 1906 – Writer

“These are not books, lumps of lifeless paper, but minds alive on the shelves.”

Anne Morrow Lindbergh – 1906 – Author

English: Portrait of Anne Morrow Lindbergh, photographed by Louis Fabian Bachrach, 1918. Image courtesy of the Lindbergh Picture Collection, Yale University Manuscripts & Archives Digital Images Database. Retouched by MarmadukePercy. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

“If you surrender completely to the moments as they pass, you live more richly those moments.”

Billy Wilder – 1906 – Director

“Trust your own instincts.  Your mistakes might as well be your own, instead of someone else’s.”

Michael Todd – 1909 – Producer

“I have always advised people never to apply for a job you do not really want.”

Bill Blass – 1922 – Designer

“Red is the ultimate cure for sadness.”

Bruce Kent – 1929 – British Activist

“Some people are genetically programmed to be difficult.”

Dianne Feinstein – 1933 – Politician

“Ninety percent of leadership is the ability to communicate something people want.”

Kris Kristofferson – 1936 – Musician

“You don’t paddle against the current, you paddle with it.  And if you get good at it, you throw away the oars.”

Andrew Brown – 1938 – Producer

“The Internet is so big, so powerful and pointless that for some people it is a complete substitute for life.”

Abbas Kiarostami – 1940 – Director

“A work of art doesn’t exist outside the perception of the audience.”

Ed Bradley – 1941 – Journalist

“Be prepared, work hard, and hope for a little luck.  Recognize that the harder you word and the better prepared you are, the more luck you might have.”

Brit Hume – 1943 – Journalist

“Fairness is not an attitude.  It’s a professional skill that must be developed and exercised.”

Pete Maravich – 1947 – Athlete

“There is nothing wrong with dedication and goals, but if you focus on yourself, all the lights fade away and you become a fleeting moment in life.”

Octavia Butler – 1947 – Writer

“Sometimes being a friend means mastering the art of timing.  There is a time for silence.  A time to let go and allow people to hurl themselves into their own destiny.  And a time to prepare to pick up the pieces when it’s all over.”

Todd Rundgren – 1948 – Musician

“Behind every tree there’s a new monster.”

Meryl Streep – 1949 – Actress

“Expensive clothes are a waste of money.”

Lindsay Wagner – 1949 – Actress

“Once you go inside and weed through the muck, you will find the real beauty, the truth about yourself.”

Cyndi Lauper – 1953 – Musician

“People can save the world by the way they think and by the way they behave and what they hold to be important.”

Stephen Chow – 1962 – Actor

“A creation needs not only subjectivity, but also objectivity.”

Dan Brown – 1964 – Author

“That is the definition of faith – acceptance of that which we imagine to be true, that which we cannot prove.”

Greg Anderson – 1964 – Athlete

“Focus on the journey, not the destination.  Joy is found not in finishing an activity but in doing it.”

A splendid wreck and other poems : illustrated (1888) (Photo credit: CircaSassy)

Anthony Collins – 1676 – Philosopher

“I am obligated to believe certain opinions myself.  No man’s belief will save me except my own.”

Simeon Poisson – 1781 – Mathematician

“Life is good for only two things, discovering mathematics and teaching mathematics.”

Ferdinand Christian Baur – 1792 – Theologian

“Without philosophy, history is always for me dead and dumb.”

Matthew Simpson – 1811 – Clergyman

“Angels are spirits, flames of fire; they are higher than man, they have wider connections.”

Daniel Carter Beard – 1850 – Artist

“We must depend upon the Boy Scout Movement to produce men of the future.”

Henry Ossawa Tanner – 1859 – Artist

“Get it – get it better or get it worse.  No middle ground of compromise.”

Josiah Stamp – 1880 – Businessman

Reinhold Niebuhr (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

“It is easy to dodge our responsibilities, but we cannot dodge the consequences of dodging our responsibilities.”

Jean-Paul Sartre (um 1950) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Reinhold Niebuhr – 1892 – Theologian

“God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.”

Al Hirschfeld – 1903 – Cartoonist

“Artists are just children who refuse to put down their crayons.”

Jean-Paul Sartre – 1905 – Philosopher

“Only the guy who isn’t rowing has time to rock the boat.”

Mary McCarthy – 1912 – Author

“We are the hero of our own story.”

Jane Russell – 1921 – Actress

“Publicity can be terrible.  But only if you don’t have any.”

Conrad Hall – 1926 – Artist

“There is a kind of beauty in imperfection.”

Francoise Sagan – 1935 – Playwright

“Art must take reality by surprise.”

Ian McEwan – 1948 – Author

“True intelligence requires fabulous imagination.”

Kathy Mattea – 1959 – Musician

“We rob ourselves of so much by focusing on the wrong stuff.  And the ability to get into the moment and deal with what is, that’s the real opportunity.”

Nicole Kidman – 1967 – Actress

“I would rather be tough on myself than have other people be tough on me.”

Richard Jefferson – 1980 – Athlete

“Businessmen…were not born chief executives.  They were often people first.”

Prince William – 1982 – British Royalty

“My guiding principles in life are to be honest, genuine, thoughtful, and caring.”

Hellman, on jacket of her autobiography An Unfinished Woman: A Memoir (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Anna Letitia Barbauld – 1743 – Poet

“The dead of midnight is the noon of thought.”

Charles W. Chesnutt – 1858 – Novelist

“There’s time enough, but none to spare.”

Giorgio Morandi – 1890 – Artist

“Everything is a mystery, ourselves, and all things both simple and humble.”

Lillian Hellman – 1905 – Dramatist

“People change and forget to tell each other.”

Errol Flynn – 1909 – Actor

“It isn’t what they say about you, it’s what they whisper.”

Aime Cesaire – 1913 – Poet

“Poetic knowledge is born in the great silence of scientific knowledge.”

Orlando Aloysius Battista – 1917 – Scientist

“An error doesn’t become a mistake until you refuse to correct it.”

Chet Atkins – 1924 – Musician

Errol Flynn (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

“Once you become predictable, no one’s interested anymore.”

Audie Murphy – 1924 – Soldier

“Lead from the front.”

Eric Dolphy – 1928 – Musician

“When you hear music, after it’s over, it’s gone, in the air.  You can never capture it again.”

Olympia Dukakis – 1931 – Actress

“Winning is everything in Hollywood.”

Wendy Craig – 1934 – Actress

“One rose says more than a dozen.”

Audie Murphy, highly decorated 3rd Infantry Division officer who was awarded the Medal of Honor for his heroism during the fighting in the Bois de Riedwihr. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Lionel Richie – 1949 – Musician

“Greatness comes from fear.  Fear can either shut us down and we can go home, or we fight through it.”

Paul Muldoon – 1951 – Poet

“For whatever reason, people, including very well-educated people or people otherwise interested in reading, do not read poetry.”

John Goodman – 1952 – Actor

“TV is the best babysitter.”

Robert Craig – 1953 – Author

“I love the fact that you collaborate with your readers when you write a book.”

Robert Rodriguez – 1968 – Director

“Creative people are notoriously the slowest to adopt new technology.”

Josh Lucas – 1971 – Actor

“Always do something different.  Always different things.”

Sandra Oh – 1971 – Actress

“Becoming an actor?  If it’s not a calling, don’t do it.  It’s too hard.”

Larry and Moe Mug For The Camera (Photo credit: Larry He’s So Fine)

King James I – 1566 – Royalty

“Smoking is hateful to the nose, harmful to the brain, and dangerous to the lungs.”

Thomas Fuller – 1608 – Clergyman

“He that cannot forgive others breaks the bridge over which he must pass himself; for every man has need to be forgiven.”

Blaise Pascal – 1623 – Philosopher

“Do you wish people to think well of you?  Don’t speak well of yourself.”

Charles Spurgeon – 1834 – Clergyman

“A lie can travel halfway around the world while the truth is putting on its shoes.”

Sam Walter Foss – 1858 – Poet

“Seek not for fresher founts afar, just drop your bucket where you are.”

Elbert Hubbard – 1859 – Writer

“Your friend is the man who knows all about you, and still likes you.”

Jose Rizal – 1861 – Writer

“He who does not know how to look back at where he came from will never get to his destination.”

Clarence Stein – 1882 – Architect

“The house itself is of minor importance.  Its relation to the community is the thing that really counts.”

Wallis Simpson – 1895 – Royalty

“Never explain, never complain.”

Moe Howard – 1897 – Actor

“Only fools are positive.”

Lou Gehrig – 1903 – Baseball Player

“The ballplayer who loses his head, who can’t keep his cool, is worse than no ballplayer at all.”

Lester Cole – 1904 – Writer

Actress Phylicia Rashad in the 2007 Red Dress Collection for The Heart Truth Foundation (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

“Forgive your enemies, but first get even.”

Abe Fortas – 1910 – Judge

“Judging is a lonely job in which a man is, as near as may be, an island entire.”

Julius Schwartz – 1915 – Editor

“Not too many people know who the editor is.”

Joshua Nkomo – 1917 – Politician

“All I’m trying to do is not join my ancestral spirits just yet.”

Pauline Kael – 1919 – Critic

“In the arts, the critic is the only independent source of information.  The rest is advertising.”

Gena Rowlands – 1930 – Actress

“I can never have a poker face.  Anybody looking at me can tell exactly what I’m thinking.”

Tobias Wolff – 1945 – Writer

“Memory is funny.  Once you hit a vein the problem is not how to remember but how to control the flow.”

Salman Rushdie – 1947 – Novelist

“A book is a version of the world.  If you do not like it, ignore it; or offer your own version in return.”

Phylicia Rashad – 1948 – Actress

“Acting’s not about nose jobs and liposuction.  It’s about being truthful to what you’re doing.”

Paula Abdul – 1962 – Musician

“Keep the faith, don’t lose your perseverance and always trust your gut instinct.”

Sadie Frost – 1965 – Actress

Brian McBride during USMNT practice session (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

“Having money has given me a certain freedom, but being in the public eye has taken away a lot.”

Joichi Ito – 1966 – Businessman

“Money creates a power relationship between the payer and the payee.”

Lara Spencer – 1969 – Journalist

“Finding your style is like putting puzzle pieces together.”

Robin Tunney – 1972 – Actress

“Actors love mental disorders, dialects, and corsets.  Give them one of the three and they’re happy.”

Brian McBride – 1972 – Athlete

“Basically I say a few prayers before a game and let that direct me, not superstitions.”

Poppy Montgomery – 1975 – Actress

“Every rule should be broken at least one time.”

Zoe Saldana – 1978 – Actor

“Glamour is about feeling good in your own skin.”

Mia Maestro – 1978 – Actress

“If you’re always strict with yourself, life gets miserable.  And we’re supposed to enjoy life.”

Paul Dano – 1984 – Actor

“Everything you do, every experience that you have, enlightens you a little bit or worsens you.”

List of Russian language novelists (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Paul McCartney (Photo credit: darioferrini)

Ivan Goncharov – 1812 – Novelist

“It is a trick among the dishonest to offer sacrifices that are not needed, or not possible, to avoid making those that are required.”

Auberon Herbert – 1838 – Writer

“You will not make a man wiser by taking freedom or action from him.  A man can only learn when he is free to act.”

Carolyn Wells – 1862 – Author

“Advice is one of those things it is far more blessed to give than to receive.”

Raymond Radiguet – 1903 – Author

“Originality consists in trying to be like everybody else and failing.”

Robert Mondavi – 1913 – Businessman

“How beautiful it is to excel, and the goodness of giving from your heart.”

Sammy Cahn – 1919 – Musician

“The popular song is America’s greatest ambassador.”

Red Adair – 1915- Celebrity

“If you think it’s expensive to hire a professional to do the job, wait until you hire an amateur.”

Français : Robert Mondavi préparant une dégustation de ses vins en 2003 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Phil Crosby – 1926 – Businessman

“You have to lead people gently toward what they already know is right.”

Jerzy Kosinski – 1933 – Novelist

“The principles of true art is not to portray, but to evoke.”

Gail Godwin – 1937 – Novelist

“None of us suddenly becomes something overnight.  The preparations have been in the making for a lifetime.”

Lou Brock – 1939 – Athlete

“Show me a guy who’s afraid to look bad, and I’ll show you a guy you can beat every time.”

Roger Ebert – 1942 – Critic

“Your intellect may be confused, but your emotions will never lie to you.”

Paul McCartney – 1942 – Musician

“I used to think anyone doing anything weird was weird.  Now I know it is the people that call others weird that are weird.”

Bill Keller – 1949 – Editor

“Choosing my favorite moment in journalism would be like picking a favorite among my children.  I can’t pick one favorite.”

1966 Lou Brock Front (Photo credit: cthoyes)

Chris Van Allsburg – 1949 – Author

“The idea of the extraordinary happening in the context of the ordinary is what’s fascinating to me.”

Richard Powers – 1957 – Novelist

“I don’t mind arguing with myself.  It’s when I lose that it bothers me.”

Barbara Broccoli – 1960 – Producer

“Never give up, have the passion.  Don’t be afraid.”

Alison Moyet – 1961 – Musician

“When you have a creative mind, it doesn’t stop going.”

Dan O’Brien – 1966 – Athlete

“Take pride in exactly what it is you do and remember it’s okay to fail as long as you don’t give up.”

Ray LaMontagne – 1973 – Musician

“You have to believe in yourself before anybody else believes in you.”

Blake Shelton – 1976 – Musician

“To me, what makes an artist is a unique personality that they’re not afraid to let show.”

David Giuntoli – 1981 – Actor

“Fame for fame’s sake is never a good road to go down.”

Richard Madden – 1986 – Actor

“I try to live honestly in every aspect of my life, which can make things a bit more complicated, right?”

Renee Olstead – 1989 – Actress

“The biggest ingredient in a best friend is someone whose actions you respect and who you can truly be yourself around.”

Charles Gounod in 1882 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Charles Gounod – 1818 – Composer

“Musical ideas sprang to my mind like a flight of butterflies, and all I had to do was to stretch out my hand to catch them.”

Henry Lawson – 1867 – Writer

“Beer makes you feel the way you ought to feel without beer.”

Carl Van Vechten – 1880 – Writer

“The cat, it is well to remember, remains the friend of man because it pleases him to do so and not because he must.”

Igor Stravinsky – 1882 – Composer

“I haven’t understood a bar of music in my life, but I have felt it.”

M. C. Escher – 1898 – Artist

“We adore chaos because we love to produce order.”

Charles Eames – 1907 – Designer

“The real questions are:  Does it solve a problem?  Is it serviceable?  How is it going to look in ten years?”

John Hersey – 1914 – Writer

“Journalism allows its readers to witness history; fiction gives its readers an opportunity to live it.”

Kingman Brewster, Jr. – 1919 – Educator

“There is no greater challenge than to have someone relying on you; no greater satisfaction than to vindicate his expectation.”

Rod Paige – 1933 – Politician

Newt Gingrich (Photo credit: Talk Radio News Service)

“Character is one of the most precious parts of you.  You can’t get involved in things that will damage your character.”

William Lucking – 1941 – Actor

“Don’t even think of acting as a profession unless not doing it would cause you to sicken and waste away.”

Barry Manilow – 1943 – Singer (Barry Alan Pincus)

“You say something stupid and the next morning you’re in the headlines.”

Burt Rutan – 1943 – Scientist

“Testing leads to failure, and failure leads to understanding.”

Newt Gingrich – 1943 – Politician

“Perseverance is the hard work you do after you get tired of doing the hard work you already did.”

Tommy Franks – 1945 – Soldier

“No one hates war like a soldier hates war.”

Jello Biafra – 1958 – Musician

“For every prohibition you create, you also create an underground.”

Greg Kinnear – 1963 – Actor

“I’ve never had a clear road map.  When things come along, I benefit.”

Tory Burch – 1966 – Designer

“One of my greatest talents is recognizing talent in others and giving them the forum to shine.”

Jason Clarke – 1969 – Actor

“As an actor, the first thing you learn in drama school is you never judge.”

Venus Williams (Photo credit: Glyn Lowe Photoworks)

Will Forte – 1970 – Actor

“My life is littered with bad decisions.”

Venus Williams – 1980 – Athlete

“You have to believe in yourself when no one else does – that makes you a winner right there.”

Kendrick Lamar – 1987 – Musician

“It’s easy to forget who you are.”

Barbara McClintock (1902-1992) (Photo credit: Smithsonian Institution)

Giovanni Boccaccio – 1313 – Author

“People tend to believe the bad rather than the good.”

Geronimo – 1829 – Statesman

“While living I want to live well.”

Stan Laurel – 1890 – Actor

“Another fine mess you’ve gotten me into.”

Barbara McClintock – 1902 – Scientist

“If you know you are on the right track, if you have this inner knowledge, then nobody can turn you off…no matter what they say.”

Enoch Powell – 1912 – Politician

“If my ship sails from sight, it doesn’t mean my journey ends, it simply means the river bends.”

John Tukey – 1915 – Scientist

“Far better an approximate answer to the right question, which is often vague, than the exact answer to the wrong question, which can always be made precise.”

Katharine Graham – 1917 – Businesswoman

“A mistake is simply another way of doing things.”

Isabelle Holland – 1920 – Writer

“As long as you don’t forgive, who and whatever it is will occupy rent-free space in your mind.”

Idries Shah – 1924 – Author

JOYCE CAROL OATES (Author -Novelist) / Book Reading & Signing Event 2008 – Bryant Park, Manhattan NYC – 07/23/08 (Photo credit: asterix611)

“Enlightenment must come little by little – otherwise it would overwhelm.”

John Shelby Spong – 1931 – Clergyman

“Whatever diminishes life is evil, and whatever enhances life is good.”

Erich Segal – 1937 – Novelist

“True love comes quietly, without banners or flooding lights,  If you hear bells, get your ears checked.”

Joyce Carol Oates – 1938 – Novelist

“In love there are two things – bodies and words.”

Phil Mickelson – 1970 – Golfer

“The object of golf is not just to win.  It is to play like a gentleman, and win.”

Tupac Shakur – 1971 – Musician

“My mama always used to tell me:  ‘If you can’t find somethin’ to live for, you best find somethin’ to die for.'”

John Cho – 1972 – Actor

“With acting, you are a small part of the creative process, and sometimes it is hard to feel like you are making an impact.”

Ben Rattray – 1980 – Businessman

“Some charaties treat donors like cash machines.  Until now there hasn’t been any effective way for them to provide a more personal or interactive giving experiences.”