Great Throughts Treasury

"With the Gospel men may become heretics." - Italian Proverbs

"Words are female, deeds are male." - Italian Proverbs

"Worrying is a negative activity that can age you prematurely." - Italian Proverbs

"You are more likely to win if you take the initiative and make an attack rather than preparing to defend yourself." - Italian Proverbs

"You must grease the wheels if you would have the car run." - Italian Proverbs

"Be yourself is about the worst advice you can give to some people." - J. B. Priestly, fully John Boynton Priestly

"Comedy, we may say, is society protecting itself - with a smile." - J. B. Priestly, fully John Boynton Priestly

"If you are a genius, you'll make your own rules, but if not - and the odds are against it - go to your desk no matter what your mood, face the icy challenge of the paper - write." - J. B. Priestly, fully John Boynton Priestly

"It had the old double keyboard, an entirely different set of keys for capitals and figures, so that the paper seemed a long way off, and the machine was as big and solid as a battle cruiser. Typing was then a muscular activity. You could ache after it. If you were not familiar with those vast keyboards, your hand wandered over them like a child lost in a wood. The noise might have been that of a shipyard on the Clyde. You would no more have thought of carrying one of those grim structures as you would have thought of travelling with a piano." - J. B. Priestly, fully John Boynton Priestly

"Nearly everything possible has been done to spoil this game: the heavy financial interests... the absurd publicity given to every feature of it by the Press... but the fact remains that it is not yet spoilt, and it has gone out and conquered the world." - J. B. Priestly, fully John Boynton Priestly

"One of the delights beyond the grasp of youth is that of Not Going. Not to have an invitation for the dance, the party, the picnic, the excursion is to be diminished. To have an invitation and then not to be able to go -- oh cursed spite! Now I do not care the rottenest fig whether I receive an invitation or not. After years of illusion, I finally decided I was missing nothing by Not Going. I no longer care whether I am missing anything or not." - J. B. Priestly, fully John Boynton Priestly

"And here he was, a little halfling from the Shire, a simple hobbit of the quiet countryside, expected to find a way where the great ones could not go, or dared not go. It was an evil fate." - J. R. R. Tolkien, fully John Ronald Reuel Tolkien

"Gil-galad was an Elven-king. Of him the harpers sadly sing: the last whose realm was fair and free between the Mountains and the Sea. His sword was long, his lance was keen, his shining helm afar was seen; the countless stars of heaven's field were mirrored in his silver shield. But long ago he rode away, and where he dwelleth none can say; for into darkness fell his star in Mordor where the shadows are." - J. R. R. Tolkien, fully John Ronald Reuel Tolkien

"I shall have to go. But- and here Frodo looked hard at Sam- if you really care about me, you will have to keep that DEAD secret. See? If you don't, if you even breathe a word of what you've heard here, then I hope Gandalf will turn you into a spotted toad and fill the garden full of grass snakes. Sam fell on his knees, trembling. Get up, Sam! Said Gandalf. I have thought of something better than that. Something to keep you quiet, and punish you properly for listening. You shall go away with Mr. Frodo! Me, sir! cried Sam, springing up like a dog invited for a walk. Me go and see Elves and all! Hooray! he shouted, and then burst into tears." - J. R. R. Tolkien, fully John Ronald Reuel Tolkien

"It cannot be seen, cannot be felt, cannot be heard, cannot be smelt, it lies behind stars and under hills, and empty holes it fills, it comes first and follows after, ends life, kills laughter." - J. R. R. Tolkien, fully John Ronald Reuel Tolkien

"With the Gospel men may become heretics." - Italian Proverbs

"Words are female, deeds are male." - Italian Proverbs

"Worrying is a negative activity that can age you prematurely." - Italian Proverbs

"You are more likely to win if you take the initiative and make an attack rather than preparing to defend yourself." - Italian Proverbs

"You must grease the wheels if you would have the car run." - Italian Proverbs

"Be yourself is about the worst advice you can give to some people." - J. B. Priestly, fully John Boynton Priestly

"Comedy, we may say, is society protecting itself - with a smile." - J. B. Priestly, fully John Boynton Priestly

"If you are a genius, you'll make your own rules, but if not - and the odds are against it - go to your desk no matter what your mood, face the icy challenge of the paper - write." - J. B. Priestly, fully John Boynton Priestly

"It had the old double keyboard, an entirely different set of keys for capitals and figures, so that the paper seemed a long way off, and the machine was as big and solid as a battle cruiser. Typing was then a muscular activity. You could ache after it. If you were not familiar with those vast keyboards, your hand wandered over them like a child lost in a wood. The noise might have been that of a shipyard on the Clyde. You would no more have thought of carrying one of those grim structures as you would have thought of travelling with a piano." - J. B. Priestly, fully John Boynton Priestly

"Nearly everything possible has been done to spoil this game: the heavy financial interests... the absurd publicity given to every feature of it by the Press... but the fact remains that it is not yet spoilt, and it has gone out and conquered the world." - J. B. Priestly, fully John Boynton Priestly

"One of the delights beyond the grasp of youth is that of Not Going. Not to have an invitation for the dance, the party, the picnic, the excursion is to be diminished. To have an invitation and then not to be able to go -- oh cursed spite! Now I do not care the rottenest fig whether I receive an invitation or not. After years of illusion, I finally decided I was missing nothing by Not Going. I no longer care whether I am missing anything or not." - J. B. Priestly, fully John Boynton Priestly

"And here he was, a little halfling from the Shire, a simple hobbit of the quiet countryside, expected to find a way where the great ones could not go, or dared not go. It was an evil fate." - J. R. R. Tolkien, fully John Ronald Reuel Tolkien

"Gil-galad was an Elven-king. Of him the harpers sadly sing: the last whose realm was fair and free between the Mountains and the Sea. His sword was long, his lance was keen, his shining helm afar was seen; the countless stars of heaven's field were mirrored in his silver shield. But long ago he rode away, and where he dwelleth none can say; for into darkness fell his star in Mordor where the shadows are." - J. R. R. Tolkien, fully John Ronald Reuel Tolkien

"I shall have to go. But- and here Frodo looked hard at Sam- if you really care about me, you will have to keep that DEAD secret. See? If you don't, if you even breathe a word of what you've heard here, then I hope Gandalf will turn you into a spotted toad and fill the garden full of grass snakes. Sam fell on his knees, trembling. Get up, Sam! Said Gandalf. I have thought of something better than that. Something to keep you quiet, and punish you properly for listening. You shall go away with Mr. Frodo! Me, sir! cried Sam, springing up like a dog invited for a walk. Me go and see Elves and all! Hooray! he shouted, and then burst into tears." - J. R. R. Tolkien, fully John Ronald Reuel Tolkien

"It cannot be seen, cannot be felt, cannot be heard, cannot be smelt, it lies behind stars and under hills, and empty holes it fills, it comes first and follows after, ends life, kills laughter." - J. R. R. Tolkien, fully John Ronald Reuel Tolkien