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

Gore Vidal, fully Eugene Luther Gore Vidal

It is astonishing to think that millions of people in my time-now, too, I suppose-actually thought that at a given moment in history two human beings had evolved to a higher state than that of all the gods that ever were or ever will be. This is titanism, as the Greeks would say. This is madness.

Writing | Think |

Gore Vidal, fully Eugene Luther Gore Vidal

I have found that there is no attitude so bizarre that one will not encounter it sooner or later if one travels far enough.

Writing |

Gore Vidal, fully Eugene Luther Gore Vidal

The only absolute attainment is absolute abandonment.

Business | Will | Writing | Business |

Gore Vidal, fully Eugene Luther Gore Vidal

In general. . . novel-theorists have nothing very urgent or interesting to say about literature. Why then do they write when they have nothing to say? Because the ambitious teacher can only rise in the academic bureaucracy by writing at complicated length about writing that has already been much written about. The result of all this book-chat cannot interest anyone who knows literature while those who would like to learn something about books can only be mystified and discouraged by these commentaries.

Experiment | Revolution | Writing |

Gore Vidal, fully Eugene Luther Gore Vidal

Sexual revelation in literature, must be tactful and must serve plot

Life | Life | Meaning | Nothing | Novels |

Eugene V. Debs, fully Eugene Victor Debs

With faith and hope and courage we hold our heads erect and with dauntless spirit marshal the working class for the march from Capitalism to Socialism, from Slavery to Freedom, from Barbarism to Civilization.

Courage | Hell | History | Labor | Men | Need | Spirit | Struggle | Time | Will | World | Writing |

Gore Vidal, fully Eugene Luther Gore Vidal

The four most beautiful words in our common language: I told you so.

Attention | Mind | Writing |

Gore Vidal, fully Eugene Luther Gore Vidal

In matters of faith, inconvenient evidence is always suppressed while contradictions go unnoticed.

Books | Literature | Nothing | Writing | Learn | Teacher |

Gore Vidal, fully Eugene Luther Gore Vidal

Litigation takes the place of sex at middle age.

Language | Little | Nothing | Sense | Writing |

Gore Vidal, fully Eugene Luther Gore Vidal

Ideally, of course, a relationship is best, but then how many people are capable of deep feeling? Practically none.

Nothing | Writing |

Gore Vidal, fully Eugene Luther Gore Vidal

In any case, write what you know will always be excellent advice to those who ought not to write at all.

Books | Church | Meaning | Silence | Talking | Time | Writing |

Eugenio Montale

In reality art is always for everyone and for no one.

Beginning | Desire | Life | Life | Meaning | Myth | Question |

Eugenio Montale

The inspiration often seems like a tarantula bite him, shake him from sleep atavistic and in those moments it is impossible to write better than him, with far more cunning, with the most perfect taste.

Art | Consciousness | Instinct | Music | Practice | Style | Time | Art | Poem |

Evan Esar

The thing that surprises the college graduate most when he gets out in the world is to find out how much uneducated people know.

Right | Writing |

Evelyn Underhill

As the genuine religious impulse becomes dominant, adoration more and more takes charge. I come to seek God because I need Him, may be an adequate formula for prayer. I come to adore His splendor, and fling myself and all that I have at His feet, is the only possible formula for worship.

Meaning | Purity | Reality | Strength | World |

Ezra Taft Benson

With all my heart I love our great nation. I have lived and traveled abroad just enough to make me appreciate rather fully what we have in America. To me the U. S. is not just another nation. It is not just one of a family of nations. The U. S. is a nation with a great mission to perform for the benefit and blessing of liberty-loving people everywhere.

Books | Church | Counsel | Desire | Duty | Evil | Faith | God | Good | Government | Influence | Law | Lord | Love | Meaning | Means | Men | Morality | People | Principles | Qualities | Receive | Religion | Right | Rule | Will | Wisdom | Wise | Government | Counsel | God | Learn |

Ezra Taft Benson

Pride is characterized by "What do I want out of life?" rather than by "What would God have me do with my life?" It is self-will as opposed to God's will. It is the fear of man over the fear of God.

Care | Devil | Force | God | Looks | Man | Men | Pride | Self | Spirit | God |

Ezra Taft Benson

One of the marks of an educated man today is to know what not to read--what not to see or what not to listen to.

Attention | Cause | Family | Man | Problems | Self | Woman |