Great Throughts Treasury

"To persons standing alone on a hill during a clear midnight such as this, the roll of the world eastward is almost a palpable movement." - Thomas Hardy

"An insult unpunished is the parent of many others." - Thomas Jefferson

"I am not among those who fear the people. They, and not the rich, are our dependence for continued freedom. And to preserve their independence, we must not let our rulers load us with perpetual debt. We must make our election between economy and liberty, or profusion and servitude. If we run into such debts, as that we must be taxed in our meat and in our drink, in our necessities and our comforts, in our labors and our amusements, for our calling and our creeds, as the people of England are, our people, like them, must come to labor sixteen hours in the twenty-four, give the earnings of fifteen of these to the government for their debts and daily expenses; and the sixteenth being insufficient to afford us bread, we must live, as they now do, on oatmeal and potatoes; have no time to think, no means of calling the mismanagers to account; but be glad to obtain subsistence by hiring ourselves to rivet their chains on the necks of our fellow suffers. Our land-holders, too, like theirs, retaining indeed the title and stewardship of estates called theirs but held really in trust for the treasury, must wander, like theirs, in foreign countries, and be contented with penury, obscurity, exile, and the glory of the nation. This example reads to us the salutary lesson, that private fortunes are destroyed by public as well as by private extravagances. And this is the tendency of all human governments. A departure from principle in one instance becomes a precedent for the second; that second for a third; and so on, till the bulk of the society is reduced to mere automatons of misery, to have no sensibilities left but for sinning and suffering. Then begins, indeed, the bellum omnium in omnia, which some philosophers observing to be so general in this world, have mistaken for the natural, instead of the abusive state of man. And the fore horse on this frightful team is public debt. Taxation follows that, and in its train wretchedness and oppression." - Thomas Jefferson

"I have lived temperately, eating little animal food, and that not as an aliment, so much as a condiment for the vegetables, which constitute my principal diet." - Thomas Jefferson

"I place economy among the first and important virtues, and public debt as the greatest of dangers. To preserve our independence, we must not let our rulers load us with perpetual debt. We must make our choice between economy and liberty, or profusion and servitude. If we can prevent the government from wasting the labors of the people under the pretense of caring for them, they will be happy... We must make our choice between economy and liberty, or profusion and servitude." - Thomas Jefferson

"We might as well require a man to wear still the coat which fitted him when a boy, as civilized society to remain ever under the regimen of their barbarous ancestors." - Thomas Jefferson

"You have not been mistaken in supposing my views and feeling to be in favor of the abolition of war. Of my disposition to maintain peace until its condition shall be made less tolerable than that of war itself, the world has had proofs, and more, perhaps, than it has approved. I hope it is practicable, by improving the mind and morals of society, to lessen the disposition to war; but of its abolition I despair." - Thomas Jefferson

"When men yield up the privilege of thinking, the last shadow of liberty quits the horizon." - Thomas Paine

"When the qualification to vote is regulated by years, it is placed on the firmest possible ground, because the qualification is such as nothing but dying before the time can take away ; and the equality of Rights, as a principle, is recognized in the act of regulating the exercise. But when Rights are placed upon, or made dependent upon property, they are on the most precarious of all tenures. Riches make themselves wings, and fly away, and the rights fly with them ; and thus they become lost to the man when they would be of most value." - Thomas Paine

"Though, if you ask her name, she says Elise, Being plain Elizabeth, e'en let it pass, And own that, if her aspirates take their ease, She ever makes a point, in washing glass, Handling the engine, turning taps for tots, And countering change, and scorning what men say, Of posing as a dove among the pots, Nor often gives her dignity away. Her head's a work of art, and, if her eyes Be tired and ignorant, she has a waist; Cheaply the Mode she shadows; and she tries From penny novels to amend her taste; And, having mopped the zinc for certain years, And faced the gas, she fades and disappears." - William Henley, fully William Ernest Henley

"Here then, is modern man, disposed to treat himself as a denizen of this world and nothing more. What is the huge and patent result? Well, it is plain enough. He begins to work and strive exclusively for an object in this world. The purpose of his work is not the reasonable satisfaction of human needs in order that the spiritual destiny of man may be achieved, but the accumulation of material power, prestige, gain. And man himself becomes the servant, the slave of this process. The end of human activity is no longer a human end, but something inhuman. Man is not to be regarded as the master and ruler of the world process. He has banished God, he has banished the eternal meaning from his politics and economics, but it is not his humanity that is allowed to supply the meaning. And it must be so. For in turning from God he turned from himself. In starting a non-religious civilization he impoverished his own manhood, and stood, a poor defenseless organism of dust, before the mighty forces which he had unchained but could no longer control." - W. G. Peck, fully William George Peck

"We go forth all to seek America. And in the seeking we create her. In the quality of the search shall be the nature of the America that we created." - Waldo Frank

"Pay it forward with gratuities: This is a good rule of thumb. However, in our day, we sometimes travel several hours to do a funeral because we've worked with other congregations. I’ve done funerals that have paid as if it was my salary, and I’ve had some that barely paid the gas to drive the four hours to do the funeral. Nevertheless, it’s not about the money. It is about honoring that person as much as you can. God will supply all our needs." - Willard L. Sperry, fully Willard Learoyd Sperry

"From ‘Milton’ - And did those feet in ancient time Walk upon England’s mountains green? And was the holy Lamb of God On England’s pleasant pastures seen? And did the Countenance Divine Shine forth upon our clouded hills? And was Jerusalem builded here Among these dark Satanic Mills? Bring me my bow of burning gold! Bring me my arrows of desire! Bring me my spear! O clouds, unfold! Bring me my chariot of fire! I will not cease from mental fight, Nor shall my sword sleep in my hand, Till we have built Jerusalem In England’s green and pleasant land. " - William Blake

"A Song : On The Green Margin - On the green margin of the brook, Despairing Phyllida reclined, Whilst every sigh, and every look, Declared the anguish of her mind. Am I less lovely then? (she cries, And in the waves her form surveyed); Oh yes, I see my languid eyes, My faded cheek, my colour fled: These eyes no more like lightning pierced, These cheeks grew pale, when Damon first His Phyllida betrayed. The rose he in his bosom wore, How oft upon my breast was seen! And when I kissed the drooping flower, Behold, he cried, it blooms again! The wreaths that bound my braided hair, Himself next day was proud to wear At church, or on the green. While thus sad Phyllida lamented, Chance brought unlucky Thyrsis on; Unwillingly the nymph consented, But Damon first the cheat begun. She wiped the fallen tears away, Then sighed and blushed, as who would say Ah! Thyrsis, I am won. " - William Cowper

"I love laughing." - William Blake

"In conclusion, I have endeavored, with what success has been already determined by the voice of my own country, to give a panorama of Irish life among the people … and in doing this, I can say with solemn truth that I painted them honestly and without reference to the existence of any particular creed or party." - William Carleton

"Poetry is my cheap means of transportation. By the end of the poem the reader should be in a different place from where he started. I would like him to be slightly disoriented at the end, like I drove him outside of town at night and dropped him off in a cornfield." - William Collins

"How various his employments whom the world calls idle, and who justly in return esteems that busy world an idler too!" - William Cowper

"The man that is not moved with what he reads, that takes not fire at their heroic deeds, unworthy of the blessings of the brave, is base in kind, and born to be a slave." - William Cowper

"Where men of judgment creep and feel their way, The positive pronounce without dismay." - William Cowper

"When you say No to a Woman, Sir, always say it in one word. If you give her reasons, she invariably believes that you mean Yes." - Wilkie Collins, fully William Wilkie Collins

"You are one of the most remarkable women England - you have never written a novel." - Wilkie Collins, fully William Wilkie Collins

"No man is great if he thinks he is." - Will Rogers, fully William Penn Adair "Will" Rogers

"You know you are getting old when everything either dries up or leaks." - Will Rogers, fully William Penn Adair "Will" Rogers

"Home affairs are not talked about on the public square. – African Proverb" -

"Walk with the dreamers, the believers, the courageous, the cheerful, the planners, the doers, the successful people with their heads in the clouds and their feet on the ground. Walk with those who have ideals, with zest to help and lift, to create and contribute. Let their spirit ignite a fire within you to leave this world better than when you found it… Associate with the creative people wherever you find them. Make friends with them, go where they are, talk with them, listen to them, be open and receptive to them, let them inspire you. Catch their attitudes, their way of thinking and living." - Wilferd Peterson, fully Wilferd Arlan Peterson

"You have no sense of your true duty, which is to be a man and preserve humanity. You imitate wise men so badly and bandits so well. Your movies and radio programs are full of murder." - Wilhelm Reich

"The main village, which includes the Railroad station, is built around a village green or informal park. In the park will be benches, a bandstand, drinking fountain, trees, and shrubs. It will be a place for people to sit and rest; mothers and grandmothers can watch over small children at play. I want it to be very relaxing, cool, and inviting. Around the park will be built the town. At one end will be the Railroad Station; at the other end, the Town Hall. The Hall will be built to represent a Town Hall, but actually we will use it as our administration building. It will be the headquarters of the entire project. Adjoining the Town hall will be the Fire and Police Stations. The Fire Station will contain practical fire apparatus, scaled down. The police station will also be put to practical use. Here the visitors will report all violations, lost articles, lost kids, etc. In it we could have a little jail where the kids could look in. We might even have characters in it." - Walt Disney, fully Walter Elias "Walt" Disney

"I say that democracy can never prove itself beyond cavil, until it founds and luxuriantly grows its own forms of art, poems, schools, theology, displacing all that exists, or that has been produced anywhere in the past, under opposite influences." - Walt Whitman, fully Walter "Walt" Whitman

"Viewed freely, the English language is the accretion and growth of every dialect, race, and range of time, and is both the free and compacted composition of all." - Walt Whitman, fully Walter "Walt" Whitman

"When I heard the learn’d astronomer; when the proofs, the figures, were ranged in columns before me; when I was shown the charts and the diagrams, to add, divide, and measure them; when I, sitting, heard the astronomer, where he lectured with much applause in the lecture-room, how soon, unaccountable, I became tired and sick; till rising and gliding out, I wander’d off by myself, in the mystical moist night-air, and from time to time, look’d up in perfect silence at the stars." - Walt Whitman, fully Walter "Walt" Whitman

"I usually get my stuff from people who promised somebody else that they would keep it a secret." - Walter Winchell

"Empty hill not see person. Yet hear person voice sound. Return scene enter deep forest. Duplicate light green moss on. Hills are empty, no man is seen, yet the sound of people's voices is heard. Light is cast into the deep forest, and shines again on green moss." - Wang Wei, aka Wang Youcheng

"How could sufferings be relieved through purification? To know the Path is to get lost at the ford. Indeed, sickness comes from worldly love And poverty begins with the pursuit of greed." - Wang Wei, aka Wang Youcheng

"I cannot find the Monastery of Heaped Fragrance, miles up now into the clouds of the summit. There is no footpath through the ancient woods. Where did the bell sound, deep in the sound, deep in the mountain? The voice of the torrent gulps over jagged stones; sunlight hardly warms the bluish pines. As dusk deepens in these unfathomable mazes, I practice meditation to subdue the dragon of desire." - Wang Wei, aka Wang Youcheng

"Look for companies with high profit margins." - Warren Buffett, fully Warren Edward Buffett, aka Oracle of Omaha

"The important thing is to keep playing, to play against weak opponents and to play for big stakes." - Warren Buffett, fully Warren Edward Buffett, aka Oracle of Omaha

"Time is the friend of the wonderful company, the enemy of the mediocre." - Warren Buffett, fully Warren Edward Buffett, aka Oracle of Omaha

"Today people who hold cash equivalents feel comfortable. They shouldn't. They have opted for a terrible long-term asset, one that pays virtually nothing and is certain to depreciate in value." - Warren Buffett, fully Warren Edward Buffett, aka Oracle of Omaha

"A mother is the truest friend we have, when trials heavy and sudden fall upon us; when adversity takes the place of prosperity; when friends desert us; when trouble thickens around us, still will she cling to us, and endeavor by her kind precepts and counsels to dissipate the clouds of darkness, and cause peace to return to our hearts." - Washington Irving

"A sharp tongue is the only edge tool that grows keener with constant use." - Washington Irving

"The taste of the English in the cultivation of land, and in what is called landscape gardening, is unrivalled. They have studied nature intently, and discover an exquisite sense of her beautiful forms and harmonious combinations. Those charms which in other countries she lavishes in wild solitudes are here assembled round the haunts of domestic life. They seem to have caught her coy and furtive graces, and spread them, like witchery, about their rural abodes." - Washington Irving

"Better a good shilling than a dud sovereign." - Welsh Proverbs

"First to the mill will get to grind." - Welsh Proverbs

"In distress will the faithful friend be seen." - Welsh Proverbs

"In every choice there is perplexity." - Welsh Proverbs

"No good will come of over sleeping." - Welsh Proverbs

"The devil is civil as long as he is coaxed." - Welsh Proverbs

"Without perseverance talent is a barren bed." - Welsh Proverbs