Great Throughts Treasury

This site is dedicated to the memory of Dr. Alan William Smolowe who gave birth to the creation of this database.

Related Quotes

H. L. Mencken, fully Henry Louis Mencken

Democracy is the pathetic belief in the wisdom of collective ignorance.

Work |

H. L. Mencken, fully Henry Louis Mencken

To believe that Russia has got rid of the evils of capitalism takes a special kind of mind. It is the same kind that believes that a Holy Roller has got rid of sin.

Work |

H. L. Mencken, fully Henry Louis Mencken

The war on privilege will never end. Its next great campaign will be against the special privileges of the underprivileged.

Force | Malice | Reason |

Haile Selassie

He who would be a leader must pay the price in self-discipline and moral restraints. This details the correction and improvement of his personal character, the checking of passions and desires and an exemplary control of one's bodily needs and desires.

Work |

Hannah Arendt

Power corrupts... when the weak band together in order to ruin the strong, but not before. The will to power... far from being a characteristic of the strong, is, like envy and greed, among the vices of the weak, and possibly even their most dangerous one.

Evil | Malice | Think |

Hans Rosling

If you have democracy, people will vote for washing machines. They love them!

Work |

Italian Proverbs

Nothing ventured nothing gained.

Peace | Happiness |

Italian Proverbs

The dying cannot leave their wisdom or experience to their heirs.

Art | Control | Work | Art |

Italian Proverbs

No good lawyer ever goes to court himself.

Ability | Balance | Technology | Work |

Italian Proverbs

Saying is one thing, doing another.

Goals | People | Pleasure | Progress | Success | Work |

Italian Proverbs

The ass does not know the worth of this tail till he has lost it.

Books | Character | Effort | Hope | Judgment | Will | Work | Realism |

Italian Proverbs

One who makes his bed must lie in it.

Determination | People | Will | Work |

Italian Proverbs

The devil is bad because he is old.

Ability | Age | Art | Control | Culture | Humor | Memory | Need | Time | Work | World | Art |

Italian Proverbs

The first blow is as good as two.

Courage | Mankind | Men | Peace | Strength | Tears | Will |

Italian Proverbs

The sun is still beautiful, though ready to set.

Wants | Work |

Italian Proverbs

Two women and a goose make a market.

Doubt | Irony | Life | Life | Means | Need | Plenty | Self | Superiority | Understanding | Work | World | Afraid |

Italian Proverbs

The same fire purifies gold and consumes straw.

Vision | Work |

Italian Proverbs

Very seldom does any good thing arise but there comes an ugly phantom of a caricature of it.

Birth | Childhood | Death | Irony | Paradox | Religion | Time | Work |

Italian Proverbs

There is never enough where nought is left.

Better | Change | Motives | Work | Understand |

Italian Proverbs

The sick man sleeps when the debtor cannot.

Global | Sense | Work |