Word to Live By
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I must study politics and war that my sons may have liberty to study mathematics and philosophy. — John Adams
Let justice be done though the heavens should fall. — John Adams
A general dissolution of principles and manners will more surely overthrow the liberties of America than the whole force of the common enemy. While the people are virtuous they cannot be subdued; but when once they lose their virtue then will be ready to surrender their liberties to the first external or internal invader. — Samuel Adams
Losers find excuses, winners find solutions. — Anonymous
Pigs don’t know pigs stink. — Anonymous
If you can’t afford it, you don’t deserve it. — Anonymous
It’s likely that whatever challenges you have faced in your life currently could have been avoided but some better decisions upstream. — Anonymous
Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime. — Author unknown
Hold yourself responsible for a higher standard than anybody else expects of you. Never excuse yourself. Never pity yourself. Be a hard master to yourself – and be lenient to everybody else. — Henry Ward Beecher
People like people who help them like themselves. — Dale Carnegie
Oh your powers of deduction are exceptional. I simply can’t allow you to waste them here when there are so many crimes going unsolved at this very moment. Go! Go for the good of the city! — Comic Book Guy
We shall defend our island whatever the cost may be; we shall fight on beaches, landing grounds, in fields, in streets and on the hills. We shall never surrender and even if, which I do not for the moment believe, this island or a large part of it were subjugated and starving, then our empire beyond the seas, armed and guarded by the British Fleet, will carry on the struggle until in God’s good time the New World with all its power and might, sets forth to the liberation and rescue of the Old. — Winston Churchill
“Without God, there could be no American form of government, nor an American way of life. Recognition of the Supreme Being is the first – the most basic – expression of Americanism. *Gerald R. Ford”
“Those who only believe what they can see and touch fail to utilize their intellectual capacity to its fullest” – Anon
“no greater thing could come to our land today than a revival of the spirit of religion – a revival that would sweep through the homes of the nation and stir the hearts of men and women of all faiths to a reassertion of their belief in God and their dedication to His will for themselves and for their world *Franklin D. Roosevelt”
“The same revolutionary beliefs for which our forbears fought are still at issue around the globe, the belief that the rights of man come not from the generosity of the state, but from the hand of God. John F. Kennedy”
“Love the river’s beauty, but live on a hill.”
“Invention is the mother of too many useless toys.”
“Democracies rest on faith * Lyndon B. Johnson”
“If we ignore the spiritual foundations of our birth as a nation, we do so at our peril. It took a faith in God to win our freedoms. *Harry S Truman”
“Government should be most powerful at its lowest level”
Those who would sacrifice liberty in the name of safety deserve neither liberty nor safety. *Benjamin Franklin”
In the first place it is to be remembered that the general government is not to be charged with the whole power of making and administering laws. Its jurisdiction is limited to certain enumerated objects. *James Madison”
A fear of weapons is a sign of retarded sexual and emotional maturity. *Sigmund Freud”
Man will ultimately be governed by GOD or by tyrants. *Benjamin Franklin”
The people know it is impossible to rightly govern without GOD and the BIBLE. *George Washington”
Never appeal to a man’s better nature, he may not have one. Invoking his self interest gives you more leverage. *Robert Heinlein”
There aint no such thing as a free lunch TANSTAAFL *Robert Heinlein”
Libertarianism n : an ideological belief in freedom of thought and speech”
Liberalism is the politics of cowardice *P.J. O’Rourke”
Where government is afraid of the people there is freedom. Where the people are afraid of the government there is tyranny *Thomas Jefferson”
To see what is right, and not do it, is want of courage, or of principle. *Confucius”
“I agree with you that there is a natural aristocracy among men. The grounds of this are virtue and talent. *Thomas Jefferson 1813 letter to John Adams”
“It cannot be emphasized too strongly or too often that this great nation was founded, not by religionists, but by Christians. *Patrick Henry”
“Every thinking man, when he thinks, realizes that the teachings of the Bible are so interwoven and entwined with our whole civic and social life that it would be literally impossible for us to figure ourselves what that life would be if these standards were removed. We would lose almost all the standards by which we now judge both public and private morals; all the standards which we, with more or less resolution, strive to raise ourselves. *Theodore Roosevelt”
“Let’s not confuse a free and tolerant society with one with no moral underpinnings. Those moral underpinnings make it all possible. *Star Parker”
“I cannot find any authority in the Constitution for public charity, adding that to approve such spending would be contrary to the letter and the spirit of the Constitution and subversive to the whole theory upon which the Union of these States is founded. *Franklin Pierce”
“I feel obliged to withhold my approval of the plan to indulge in benevolent and charitable sentiment through the appropriation of public funds. I find no warrant for such an appropriation in the Constitution. *Grover Cleveland”
“We have the right, as individuals, to give away as much of our own money as we please in charity, but as members of Congress, we have no right to appropriate a dollar of the public money. *David Crockett”
“Timid men prefer the calm of despotism to the tempestuous sea of liberty. *Thomas Jefferson”
“Congress has not unlimited powers to provide for the general welfare, but only those specifically enumerated. *Thomas Jefferson”
“The only foundation for a useful education in a republic is to be laid in religion. Without this there can be no virtue, and without virtue there can be no liberty, and liberty is the object and life of all republican governments. *Benjamin Rush”
“Whatever makes good Christians, makes them good citizens. *Daniel Webster”
“What is a communist? One who hath yearnings for equal division of unequal earnings. *Ebenezer Elliott”
“Don’t expect to build up the weak by pulling down the strong. *Calvin Coolidge”
“Whoever can surprise well must conquer. *John Paul Jones”
“Half-heartedness never won a battle. *William McKinley”
“Don’t let them immanentize the eschaton. *Eric Vogelin”
“We shall not fail or falter we shall not weaken or tire Give us the tools and we will finish the job. *Sir Winston Churchill”
“Physical courage which despises all danger will make a man brave in one way and moral courage which despises all opinion will make a man brave in another. *Charles Caleb Colton”
“The spirit of penitence and the practice of it stimulates us to detach ourselves sincerely from everything superfluous that we have. *Pope John Paul II”
“The history of free men is never really written by chance but by choice their choice. *Dwight D. Eisenhower”
“Far and away the best prize that life offers is the chance to work hard at work worth doing. *Theodore Roosevelt”
“The difference between a moral man and a man of honor is that the latter regrets a discreditable act, even when it has worked and he has not been caught. *H. L. Mencken”
“When there is a lack of honor in government, the morals of the whole people are poisoned. *Herbert Hoover”
“In the long-run every government is the exact symbol of its people, with their wisdom and unwisdom, we have to say, like people, like government. *Thomas Carlyle”
“I think that we should be men first, and subjects afterward. It is not desirable to cultivate a respect for the law, so much as for the right. *Henry David Thoreau”
“Money will not purchase character or good government. *Calvin Coolidge”
“In my creed, waste of public money is like the sin against the Holy Ghost. *John Morley”
“That most delicious of all privileges spending other people’s money. *John Randolph of Roanoke”
“Every public official should be recycled occasionally. *John V. Lindsay”
“The first thing we do, let’s kill all the lawyers. *Shakespeare”
“Those people who will not be governed by God will be ruled by tyrants *William Penn”
“The right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed. A well-regulated Militia, composed of the people trained to arms, is the best and
most natural defense of a free country. *James Madison”
“The blessing and protection of Heaven are at all times necessary, but especially so in times of public distress and danger. The general hopes and trusts that every officer and man will endeavor to live and act as becomes a Christian soldier, defending the dearest rights and liberties of his country *George Washington”
“And that the said Constitution be never construed to authorize Congress to prevent the people of the United States, who are peaceable citizens, from keeping their own arms. *Samuel Adams”
“Arms discourage and keep the invader and plunderer in awe, and preserve order in the world as well as property … horrid mischief would ensue were the law-abiding deprived of the use of them. *Thomas Paine”
“I ask, sir, what is the militia? It is the whole people, except for a few public officials. *George Mason”
“Firearms are second only to the Constitution in importance; they are the people’s liberty teeth. A free people ought to be armed. When firearms go, all goes. We need them every hour. *George Washington”
“No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms. … The strongest reason for people to retain the right to keep and bear arms is, as a last resort, to protect themselves against tyranny in government. *Thomas Jefferson”
“The best we can hope for, concerning the people at large, is that they be properly armed. *Alexander Hamilton”
“There is not a syllable in the Constitution which directly empowers – the national courts to construe the laws according to the spirit of the Constitution *Alexander Hamilton”
“Underlying most arguments against the free market is a lack of belief in freedom itself. *Milton Friedman”
“I would rather be exposed to the inconveniences attending too much liberty than to those attending too small a degree of it. *Thomas Jefferson”
“There is no room in this country for hyphenated Americanism. The one absolutely certain way of bringing this nation to ruin, of preventing all possibility of its continuing to be a nation at all, would be to permit it to become a tangle of squabbling nationalities. *Theodore Roosevelt”
“The persistent temptation of our age is to give way to our culture´s concept of tolerance and allow evil to be called good, and good, evil, and to let stand unchallenged those deceptions. *Anon”
“It is a principle incorporated into the settled policy of America, that as peace is better than war, war is better than tribute. *James Madison”
“The more attracted we are to Christ, the less we’ll be distracted by the world *Anon”
The inherent vice of capitalism is the unequal sharing of blessings; the inherent virtue of socialism is the equal sharing of miseries.” — Winston Churchill
We (The British) have not journeyed across the centuries, across the oceans, across the mountains, across the prairies, because we are made of sugar candy. — Winston Churchill
What kind of a people do they (Japan) think we are? Is it possible they do not realise that we shall never cease to persevere against them until they have been taught a lesson which they and the world will never forget?” — Winston Churchill
Never give in–never, never, never, never, in nothing great or small, large or petty, never give in except to convictions of honour and good sense. Never yield to force; never yield to the apparently overwhelming might of the enemy. — Winston Churchill
If you will not fight when your victory will be sure and not too costly, you may come to the moment when you will have to fight with all the odds against you and only a precarious chance for survival. There may even be a worse case. You may have to fight when there is no hope of victory, because it is better to perish than to live as slaves. — Winston Churchill
To have the United States at our side was to me the greatest joy. Now at this very moment I knew the United States was in the war, up to the neck and in to the death. So we had won after all!…Hitler’s fate was sealed. Mussolini’s fate was sealed. As for the Japanese, they would be ground to powder. — Winston Churchill
In the corporeal world, international law is whatever the United States and Great Britain say it is. — Ann Coulter
Not exactly smashing stereotypes of liberals as mincing pantywaists, the left’s entire contribution to the war effort thus far has been to whine. — Ann Coulter
Looking at the line-up of speakers at the (Democratic National) Convention, I have developed the 7-11 challenge: I will quit making fun of, for example, Dennis Kucinich, if he can prove he can run a 7-11 properly for 8 hours. We’ll even let him have an hour or so of preparation before we open up. Within 8 hours, the money will be gone, the store will be empty, and he’ll be explaining how three 11-year olds came in and asked for the money and he gave it to them. — Ann Coulter
Democrats always assure us that deterrence will work, but when the time comes to deter, they’re against it. — Ann Coulter
While the form of treachery varies slightly from case to case, liberals always manage to take the position that most undermines American security. — Ann Coulter
Liberals become indignant when you question their patriotism, but simultaneously work overtime to give terrorists a cushion for the next attack and laugh at dumb Americans who love their country and hate the enemy. — Ann CoulterIf you can somehow force a liberal into a point-counterpoint argument, his retorts will bear no relation to what you’ve said — unless you were in fact talking about your looks, your age, your weight, your personal obsessions, or whether you are a fascist. In the famous liberal two-step, they leap from one idiotic point to the next, so you can never nail them. It’s like arguing with someone with Attention Deficit Disorder. — Ann Coulter
Our country! In her intercourse with foreign nations, may she always be in the right; but our country, right or wrong! — Steven Decatur
I am for doing good to the poor, but I differ in opinion of the means. I think the best way of doing good to the poor, is not making them easy in poverty, but leading or driving them out of it. In my youth I travelled much, and I observed in different countries, that the more public provisions were made for the poor, the less they provided for themselves, and of course became poorer. And, on the contrary, the less was done for them, the more they did for themselves, and became richer. — Ben Franklin
“Another source of “unfair competition” is said to be subsidies by foreign governments to their producers that enable them to sell in the United States below cost. Suppose a foreign government gives such subsidies, as no doubt some do. Who is hurt and who benefits? To pay for the subsidies the foreign government must tax its citizens. They are the ones who pay for the subsidies. US consumers benefit. They get cheap TV sets or automobiles or whatever that is subsidized. Should we complain about such a program of reverse foreign aid?” — Milton Friedman
Economists may not know much. But we know one thing very well: how to produce surpluses and shortages. Do you want a surplus? Have the government legislate a minimum price that is above the price that would otherwise prevail. That is what we have done at one time or another to produce surpluses of wheat, of sugar, of butter, of many other commodities. Do you want a shortage? Have the government legislate a maximum price that is below the price that would otherwise prevail. — Milton Friedman
For whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. — Galatians 6:7
Tolerant, but not stupid! Look, just because you have to tolerate something doesn’t mean you have to approve of it! …”Tolerate” means you’re just putting up with it! You tolerate a crying child sitting next to you on the airplane or, or you tolerate a bad cold. It can still piss you off! — Mr. Garrison
(J)ust to clarify: If you go into every situation saying there’s absolutely nothing worth fighting over, you will inevitably end up on a cot sleeping next to a guy named Tiny, bringing him breakfast in his cell every morning, and spending your afternoons ironing his boxers. Or, in the case of the French, you might spend your afternoon rounding up Jews to send to Germany, but you get the point. — Jonah Goldberg
Is life so dear or peace so sweet as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God. I know not what course others may take, but as for me, give me liberty or give me death! — Patrick Henry
The battle, Sir, is not to the strong alone; it is to the vigilant, the active, the brave. Besides, Sir, we have no election. If we were base enough to desire it, it is now too late to retire from the contest. There is no retreat but in submission and slavery! Our chains are forged! Their clanking may be heard on the plains of Boston! The war is inevitable; and let it come! I repeat, Sir, let it come! — Patrick Henry
They tell us Sir, that we are weak — unable to cope with so formidable an adversary. But when shall we be stronger? Will it be the next week, or the next year? Will it be when we are totally disarmed, and when a British guard shall be stationed in every house? Shall we gather strength by irresolution and inaction? Shall we acquire the means of effectual resistance by lying supinely on our backs, and hugging the delusive phantom of hope, until our enemies shall have bound us hand and foot? Sir, we are not weak, if we make a proper use of those means which the God of nature has placed in our power. — Patrick Henry
They sow the wind and reap the whirlwind. — Hosea 8:7
For God so loved the world that He sent His only begotten Son; that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. — John 3:16
When I die, I desire no better winding sheet than the Stars and Stripes, and no softer pillow than the Constitution of my country. — Andrew Johnson
(C)ompassion is defined not by how many people are on the government dole but by how many people no longer need government assistance. — Rush Limbaugh
What about feeling sorry for those…who pay the taxes? Those are the people NO ONE ever feels sorry for. They are asked to give and give until they have no more to give. And when they say “Enough!” they are called selfish. — Rush Limbaugh
The world’s biggest problem is the unequal distribution of capitalism. If there were capitalism everywhere, you wouldn’t have food shortages. — Rush Limbaugh
I’m not opposed to the protection of animals. But the best way to do that is to make sure some human being owns them. — Rush Limbaugh
America will never be destroyed from the outside. If we falter and lose our freedoms, it will be because we destroyed ourselves. — Abraham Lincoln
One should never allow chaos to develop in order to avoid going to war, because one does not avoid a war but instead puts it off to his disadvantage. — Niccolo Machiavelli
And what physicians say about disease is applicable here: that at the beginning a disease is easy to cure but difficult to diagnose; but as time passes, not having been treated or recognized at the outset, it becomes easy to diagnose but difficult to cure. The same thing occurs in affairs of state; for by recognizing from afar the diseases that are spreading in the state (which is a gift given only to a prudent ruler), they can be cured quickly; but when they are not recognized and are left to grow to the extent that everyone recognizes them, there is no longer any cure. — Niccolo Machiavelli
And many writers have imagined for themselves republics and principalities that have never been seen or known to exist in reality; for there is such a gap between how one lives and how one ought to live that anyone who abandons what is done for what ought to be done learns his ruin rather than his preservation: for a man who wishes to profess goodness at all times will come to ruin among so many who are not good. — Niccolo Machiavelli
From this arises an argument: whether it is better to be loved than feared. I reply that one should like to be both one and the other; but since it is difficult to join them together, it is much safer to be feared than to be loved when one of the two must be lacking. — Niccolo Machiavelli
One can make this generalization about men: they are ungrateful, fickle, liars, and deceivers, they shun danger and are greedy for profit; while you treat them well, they are yours. They would shed their blood for you, risk their property, their lives, their children, so long, as I said above, as danger is remote; but when you are in danger they turn against you. — Niccolo Machiavelli
The fewer rules a coach has, the fewer rules there are for players to break. — John Madden
Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar’s; and unto God the things that are God’s. — Matthew 22:21
War is an ugly thing, but not the ugliest of things. The decayed and degraded state of moral and patriotic feeling which thinks that nothing is worth war is much worse. The person who has nothing for which he is willing to fight, nothing which is more important than his own personal safety, is a miserable creature and has no chance of being free unless made and kept so by the exertions of better men than himself. — John Stuart Mill
The finest steel has to go through the hottest fire. — Richard Nixon
People sleep peaceably in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf. — George Orwell
A good plan today is better than a perfect plan tomorrow. — George S. Patton
I do not fear failure. I only fear the “slowing up” of the engine inside of me which is pounding, saying, “Keep going, someone must be on top, why not you? — George S. Patton
You say we [reporters] are distracting from the business of government. Well, I hope so. Distracting a politician from governing is like distracting a bear from eating your baby. — P.J. O’Rourke
There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences. — P.J. O’Rourke
The Democrats are the party that says government will make you smarter, taller, richer, and remove the crabgrass on your lawn. The Republicans are the party that says government doesn’t work and then they get elected and prove it. — P.J. O’Rourke
Never Refuse Wine. It is an odd but universally held opinion that anyone who doesn’t drink must be an alcoholic. — P.J. O’Rourke
These are the times that try men’s souls. The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their county; but he that stands it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman. Tyranny like hell is not easily conquered yet we have this consolation with us, the harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph. What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly; it is dearness only that gives everything its value. — Tom Paine
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. — Psalms 23:4
History teaches that war begins when governments believe the price of aggression is cheap. — Ronald Reagan
Of the four wars in my lifetime, none came about because the U.S. was too strong. — Ronald Reagan
Government’s view of the economy could be summed up in a few short phrases: If it moves, tax it. If it keeps moving, regulate it. And if it stops moving, subsidize it. — Ronald Reagan
We don’t have a trillion-dollar debt because we haven’t taxed enough; we have a trillion-dollar debt because we spend too much. — Ronald Reagan
General Secretary Gorbachev, if you seek peace, if you seek prosperity for the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe, if you seek liberalization: Come here to this gate! Mr. Gorbachev, open this gate! Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall. — Ronald Reagan
The nine most terrifying words in the English language are, “I’m from the government and I’m here to help. — Ronald Reagan
You and I have a rendezvous with destiny. We will preserve for our children (America), the last best hope of man on earth, or we will sentence them to take the first step into a thousand years of darkness. If we fail, at least let our children and our children’s children say of us we justified our brief moment here. We did all that could be done. — Ronald Reagan
I hope we have once again reminded people that man is not free unless government is limited. There’s a clear cause and effect here that is as neat and predictable as a law of physics: as government expands, liberty contracts. — Ronald Reagan
Excellence is the gradual result of always striving to do better. — Pat Riley
When you’re playing against a stacked deck, compete even harder. Show the world how much you’ll fight for the winner’s circle. If you do, someday the cellophane will crackle off a fresh pack, one that belongs to you, and the cards will be stacked in your favor. — Pat Riley
It’s not knowing what to do, it’s doing what you know. — Tony Robbins
If you question anything enough, you’ll begin to doubt it. — Tony Robbins
Nothing in life has any real meaning except the meaning you give it. — Tony Robbins
Your emotions are nothing but biochemical storms in your brain and you are in control of them at any point in time. — Tony Robbins
In life, never spend more than 10% of your time on the problem and spend at least 90% of your time on the solution. — Tony Robbins
Losers always whine about their best. Winners go home and F*ck the prom queen. — The Rock
Do what you can, with what you have, where you are. — Teddy Roosevelt
It is not the critic that counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles or the doer of deeds could have them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the Arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but he who does actually strive to do the deed; who knows the great devotion; who spends himself in a worthy cause, who at the best, knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails while daring greatly, knows that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls, who know neither victory nor defeat. — Teddy Roosevelt
Reports that say that something hasn’t happened are always interesting to me, because as we know, there are known knowns; there are things we know we know. We also know there are known unknowns; that is to say we know there are some things we do not know. But there are also unknown unknowns — the ones we don’t know we don’t know. And if one looks throughout the history of our country and other free countries, it is the latter category that tend to be the difficult ones. — Donald Rumsfeld
War is cruelty. There is no use trying to reform it. The crueler it is, the sooner it will be over” — Gen William T. Sherman
(A) shortage is a sign that somebody is keeping the price artificially lower than it would be if supply and demand were allowed to operate freely. — Thomas Sowell
It is not from the benevolence of the butcher, the brewer, or the baker, that we expect our dinner, but from their regard to their own interest. — Adam Smith
There are no solutions…(t)here are only trade-offs. — Thomas Sowell
This (liberal) vision so permeates the media and academia, and has made such major inroads into the religious community, that many grow into adulthood unaware that there is any other way of looking at things, or that evidence might be relevant to checking out the sweeping assumptions of so-called “thinking people.” Many of these “thinking people” could more accurately be characterized as articulate people, as people whose verbal nimbleness can elude both evidence and logic. This can be a fatal talent, when it supplies the crucial insulation from reality behind many historic catastrophes. — Thomas Sowell
A succinct summary of the tragic vision was given by historians Will and Ariel Durant: Out of every hundred new ideas ninety-nine or more will probably be inferior to the traditional responses which they propose to replace. No one man, however brilliant or well-informed, can come in one lifetime to such fullness of understanding as to safely judge and dismiss the customs or institutions of his society, for those are the wisdom of generations after centuries of experiment in the laboratory of history. — Thomas Sowell
In short, killing the goose that lays the golden egg is a viable political strategy, so long as the goose does not die before the next election and no one traces the politicians’ fingerprints on the murder weapon. — Thomas Sowell
Naked force has settled more issues in history than any other factor. The contrary opinion ‘violence never solves anything’ is wishful thinking at its worst. People who forget that always pay…They pay with their lives and their freedom. — Starship Troopers
In a small town, an idiot breaks a shop window. He’s called a vandal, until someone points out that a window installer now must be paid to replace the window. The window installer then will have enough money to buy a new suit. A tailor will then be able to buy a new desk. And so on. The whole town apparently gains from the economic activity generated by the broken window. Of course, if this made sense, cities should hire people to run though town, breaking windows. But it doesn’t make sense. It’s a fallacy because the circulating money is seen; what is not seen is what would have been done with the money if the window were still whole. The shopkeeper, instead of paying the window installer, might have expanded his business, or bought a new suit or a new desk. The town is worse off because of a broken window. — John Stossel
…The defence budget is one of the very few elements of public expenditure that can truly be described as essential. This point was well-made by a robust Labour Defence Minister, Denis (Now Lord) Healey, many years ago, “Once we have cut expenditure to the extent where our security is imperilled, we have no houses, we have no hospitals, we have no schools. We have a heap of cinders.” — Margaret Thatcher
…Conservatives have excellent credentials to speak about human rights. By our efforts, and with precious little help from self-styled liberals, we were largely responsible for securing liberty for a substantial share of the world’s population and defending it for most of the rest. — Margaret Thatcher
Left-wing zealots have often been prepared to ride roughshod over due process and basic considerations of fairness when they think they can get away with it. For them the end always seems to justify the means. That is precisely how their predecessors came to create the gulag. — Margaret Thatcher
It is one of the great weaknesses of reasonable men and women that they imagine that projects which fly in the face of commonsense are not serious or being seriously undertaken. — Margaret Thatcher
Yet the basic fact remains: every regulation represents a restriction of liberty, every regulation has a cost. That is why, like marriage (in the Prayer Book’s words), regulation should not ‘be enterprised, nor taken in hand, unadvisedly, lightly, or wantonly’.” — Margaret Thatcher
It’s not the size of the dog in the fight, it’s the size of the fight in the dog. — Mark Twain
You see, Phase 1: collect underpants. Phase 2: ? Phase 3: Profit. — Underpants Gnome
Sure I wave the American flag. Do you know a better flag to wave? Sure I love my country with all her faults. I’m not ashamed of that, never have been, never will be. — John Wayne
We might think of dollars as being “certificates of performance.” The better I serve my fellow man, and the higher the value he places on that service, the more certificates of performance he gives me. The more certificates I earn, the greater my claim on the goods my fellow man produces. That’s the morality of the market. In order for one to have a claim on what his fellow man produces, he must first serve him. — Walter Williams
Common Sense or Commonly Accepted
A nod’s as good as a wink to a blind horse.
A penny for your thoughts.
A penny saved is a penny earned.
A person is known by the company he keeps.
A picture paints a thousand words.
A place for everything and everything in its place.
A poor beauty finds more lovers than husbands.
A problem shared is a problem halved.
A prophet is not recognized in his own land.
A rolling stone gathers no moss.
A soft answer turneth away wrath: but grievous words stir up anger. Proverbs 15:1
A stitch in time saves nine.
A thing of beauty is a joy forever.
A volunteer is worth twenty pressed men.
A watched pot never boils.
A woman’s place is in the home.
A woman’s work is never done.
A worthy woman is far more precious than jewels, strength and dignity are her clothing.
Proverbs 3:1
Absence makes the heart grow fonder.
Absolute power corrupts absolutely.
Actions speak louder than words.
Advice when most needed is least heeded.
After a storm comes a calm.
All good things come to he who waits.
All good things must come to an end.
All roads lead to Rome.
All that glitters is not gold.
All the world loves a lover.
All things must pass.
All is well that ends well. John Heywood
All’s fair in love and war.
All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.
All you need is love.
An apple a day keeps the doctor away.
An Englishman’s home is his castle.
An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.
Appearances are deceptive.
April showers bring May flowers.
As a dog returneth to his vomit, so a fool returneth to his folly. Proverbs 26:11
As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he. Proverbs 23:7
As cold waters to a thirsty soul, so is good news from a far country. Proverbs 25:25
As soon as man is born he begins to die.
As you make your bed, so must you lie in it.
As you sow, so shall you reap.
Ask no questions and hear no lies.
Attack is best form of defense.
Bad news travels fast.
Barking dogs seldom bite.
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
Beauty is only skin-deep.
Beggars can’t be choosers. John Heywood
Behind every great man there’s a great woman.
Better late than never. John Heywood
Better safe than sorry.
Better die with honor than live with shame.
Better the devil you know than the devil you don’t know.
Better to be alone than in bad company.
Better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all.
Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak and remove all doubt.
Beware of Greeks bearing gifts.
Birds of a feather flock together.
Blood is thicker than water.
Boys will be boys.
Business before pleasure.
Business is business.
Butter would not melt in her mouth. John Heywood
Charity begins at home.
Children are poor men’s riches.
Children suck the mother when they are young and the father when they are old.
Christmas comes but once a year.
Cleanliness is next to godliness.
Clogs to clogs in three generations.
Cold hands, warm heart.
Comparisons are odious.
Count your blessings.
Crime does not pay.
Curiosity killed the cat.
Cut your coat to suit your cloth.
Dead men have no friends.
Dead men tell no tales.
Death always comes too early or too late.
Death closes all doors.
Other common sense, anonymous, sayings
Death is the great leveler.
Death pays all debts.
Diligence is the mother of good fortune.
Discretion is the better part of valor.
Divide and rule.
Do as you would be done by.
Do not wear out your welcome.
Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.
Don’t bite the hand that feeds you.
Don’t burn your bridges behind you.
Don’t change horses in midstream.
Don’t cross the bridge until you come to it.
Don’t count your chickens before they are hatched.
Don’t cut off your nose to spite your face.
Don’t go near the water until you learn how to swim.
Don’t keep a dog and bark yourself.
Don’t let the bastards grind you down.
Don’t look a gift horse in the mouth.
Don’t put all yours eggs in one basket.
Don’t put new win into old bottles.
Don’t rock the boat.
Don’t spoil the ship for a hap worth of tar.
Don’t try to teach your Grandmother to suck eggs.
Don’t try to walk before you can crawl.
Don’t upset the apple-cart.
Don’t wash your dirty linen in public.
Doubt is the beginning not the end of wisdom.
Early to bed and early to rise, make a man healthy, wealthy and wise.
Easier said than done.
Easy come, easy go.
Empty vessels make the most noise.
Enough is as good as a feast.
Enough is enough.
Even a fool, when he holdeth his peace, is counted wise: and he that shutteth his lips is esteemed a man of understanding. Proverbs 17:28
Every bird loves to hear himself sing.
Every dark cloud has a silver lining.
Every dog has his day.
Every family has a skeleton in the closet.
Every garden may have some weeds.
Every man has his faults.
Every man has his price.
Every man is his own worst enemy.
Every picture tells a story.
Every stick has two ends.
Everybody wants to go to heaven but nobody wants to die.
Experience is the best teacher.
Experience is the mother of wisdom.
Failing to plan is planning to fail.
Failure teaches success.
Faint heart never won fair lady.
Faith will move mountains.
Fame is a magnifying glass.
Familiarity breeds contempt.
Fear is stronger than love.
Fear of death is worse than death itself.
Fight fire with fire.
Fine feathers make fine birds.
Finders keepers, losers weepers.
First come, first served.
First things first.
First think, and then speak.
Fish and guests smell after three days.
Flattery will get you nowhere.
Fools rush in where angels fear to tread.
Forewarned is forearmed.
Fortune favors the brave.
Friends are like fiddle strings, they must not be screwed too tight.
Garbage in, garbage out.
Give credit where credit is due.
Give him an inch and he’ll take a mile.
Give the devil his due.
God help the rich, the poor can look after themselves.
God helps them that help themselves.
Good fences make good neighbors.
Good talks save the food.
Good things come to those who wait.
Goodness is better than beauty.
Gray hairs are death’s blossoms.
Great minds think alike.
Half a loaf is better than no bread.
Handsome is as handsome does.
Half a loaf is better than none. John Heywood
Hard work never did anyone any harm.
Haste makes waste. John Heywood
He is not wise that is not wise for himself.
He is the best general who makes the fewest mistakes.
He that is master of himself, will soon be master of others.
He that knows nothing, doubts nothing.
He that lives on hope will die fasting.
He that maketh haste to be rich shall not be innocent. Proverbs 28:20
He that marries for money will earn it.
He that plants a tree plants for posterity.
He that plants thorns must never expect to gather roses.
He that seeks trouble never misses.
He that spareth his rod hateth his son. Proverbs 2:4
He who hesitates is lost.
He who laughs last laughs longest.
He who lives by the sword shall die by the sword.
He who pays the piper calls the tune.
He who sups with the devil has need of a long spoon.
He who would climb the ladder must begin at the bottom.
He whose face gives no light, shall never become a star. William Blake
Hindsight is always twenty-twenty.
History repeats itself.
Home is where the heart is.
Honesty is the best policy.
If a job’s worth doing, it’s worth doing well.
If God had meant us to fly, he’d have given us wings.
If at first you don’t succeed try, try and try again.
If ifs and ands were pots and pans there’d be no work for tinkers.
If life deals you lemons made lemonade
If the mountain won’t come to Mohammed, Mohammed must go to the mountain.
If wishes were horses beggars would ride.
If you can’t be good, be careful.
If you can’t beat them, join them.
If you can’t stand the heat, get out of the kitchen.
Ignorance is bliss.
Ignorance of the law excuses no man.
Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.
In for a penny, in for a pound.
In the kingdom of the blind the one eyed man is king.
In the midst of life we are in death.
Into every life a little rain must fall.
It goes without saying.
It never rains but it pours.
It is a bold mouse that nestles in the cat’s ear.
It is an equal failing to trust everybody, and to trust nobody.
It’s all grist to the mill.
It’s an ill wind that blows no one any good.
It’s best to be on the safe side.
It’s better to give than to receive.
It’s better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all.
It’s better to light a candle than curse the darkness.
It’s better to travel hopefully than to arrive.
It’s never too late.
It’s no use locking the stable door after the horse has bolted.
It’s not worth crying over spilt milk.
It’s the early bird that gets the worm.
It’s the empty can that makes the most noise.
It’s the squeaky wheel that gets the grease.
It never rains, but it pours.
It takes a thief to catch a thief.
It takes one to know one.
It takes two to tango.
Jack of all trades, master of none.
Keep your chin up.
Keep your powder cry.
Keep your mouth shut and your ears open.
Kill not the goose that lays the golden eggs.
Last ship, best ship.
Laugh and the world laughs with you, weep and you weep alone.
Laughter is the best medicine.
Lend your money and lose your friend.
Let bygones be bygones.
Let not the sun go down on your wrath.
Let sleeping dogs lie.
Let the buyer beware.
Let the dead bury their dead.
Let the punishment fit the crime.
Life begins at forty.
Life is a bowl of cherries.
Life is what you make it.
Lightning never strikes twice in the same place.
Like a lame man’s legs that hang limp is a proverb in the mouth of a fool. Proverbs 26:7
Like father, like son.
Like mother, like daughter.
Little pitchers have big ears.
Live and learn.
Live and let live.
Live for today for tomorrow may never come.
Look before you leap. John Heywood
Look on the bright side.
Love conquers all.
Love is blind.
Love makes the world go round.
Love me, love my dog. John Heywood
Love sees no faults.
Love will find a way.
Luck has a slender anchorage.
Mad as a march hare. John Heywood
Make hay while the sun shines.
Make love, not war.
Man cannot live by bread alone.
Many hands make light work. John Heywood
Marriages are made in heaven.
Marry in haste, repent at leisure.
May as well be hanged for a sheep as a lamb.
Mind your own business.
Mighty oaks from little acorns grow.
Misery loves company.
Money doesn’t grow on trees.
Money isn’t everything.
Money makes the world go round.
Money talks.
More haste, less speed.
More things belong to marriage than four bare legs in a bed. John Heywood
Music has charms to soothe the savage beast.
Nature abhors a vacuum.
Necessity is the mother of invention.
Necessity never made a good bargain.
Never judge a book by its cover.
Never judge from appearances.
Never look a gift horse in the mouth.
Never love with all your heart, it only ends in breaking.
Never put off until tomorrow what you can do today.
Never say die.
Never speak ill of the dead.
Never too late to learn.
Never too late to repent.
No man can serve two masters.
No man is an island.
No man is indispensable.
No man ought to look a given horse in the mouth. John Heywood
No news is good news.
No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.
No pain, no gain.
No rest for the wicked.
No time like the present.
Nothing is certain but death and taxes.
Nothing is impossible to a willing heart. John Heywood
Nothing succeeds like success.
Nothing ventured, nothing gained.
Oil and water don’t mix.
Old habits die hard.
Old soldiers never die, they simply fade away.
One good turn deserves another. John Heywood
One man’s loss is another man’s gain.
One of these day is none of these days.
One swallow maketh not a summer. John Heywood
Only fools and horses work.
Only the wearer knows where the shoe pinches.
Opportunity seldom knocks twice.
Out of sight, out of mind.
Out of the frying pan into the fire. John Heywood
Patience is a virtue.
Pearls of wisdom.
People who live in glass houses shouldn’t throw stones.
Penny wise, pound foolish.
Poor men seek meat for their stomach, rich men stomach for their meat.
Possession is nine tenths of the law.
Power corrupts; absolute power corrupts absolutely.
Practice makes perfect.
Practice what you preach.
Prevention is better than cure.
Pride comes before a fall.
Procrastination is the thief of time.
Put your best foot forward.
Rain, rain, go away, come again another day.
Rats desert a sinking ship.
Red sky at night, Shepard’s delight; red sky in the morning, Shepard’s warning.
Revenge is a dish best served cold.
Robbing Peter to pay Paul.
Rome wasn’t built in a day. John Heywood
Sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander.
Scratch my back and I’ll scratch yours.
Seeing is believing.
Set a thief to catch a thief.
Silence is golden.
Six hours’ sleep for a man, seven for a woman and eight for a fool.
Something is better than nothing.
Sorrow for a husband is like a pain in the elbow, sharp and short.
Spare the rod and spoil the child.
Speak not of my debts unless you mean to pay them.
Speak when you are spoken to.
Still waters run deep.
Stolen waters are sweet, and bread eaten in secret is pleasant. Proverbs 9:17
Strike while the iron is hot.
Stupid is as stupid does.
Sweet things are bad for the teeth.
Take heed of enemies reconciled, and of meat twice boiled.
Talk is cheap.
Talk of the devil and he is sure to appear.
That which does not kill us makes us stronger.
The Devil finds work for idle hands to do.
The best defense is a good offense.
The best go first.
The best of friends must part.
The best things in life are free.
The bigger they are, the harder they fall.
The boy is father to the man.
The burnt child dreads the fire.
The cobbler always wears the worst shoes.
The darkest hour is just before the dawn.
The early bird catches the worm.
The ends justify the means.
The exception which proves the rule.
The fat is in the fire. John Heywood
The female of the species is more deadly than the male.
The first step is the hardest.
The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence.
The green new broom sweepeth clean. John Heywood
The hand that rocks the cradle rules the world.
The hours of folly are measured by the clock, but of wisdom no clock can measure. William Blake
The last straw breaks the camel’s back.
The longest journey starts with a single step.
The love of money is the root of all evil.
The moon is made of a green cheese. John Heywood
The more one knows, the less one believes.
The more the merrier. John Heywood
The more things change, the more they stay the same.
The more you get, the more you want.
The pen is mightier than the sword.
The pot calls the kettle black.
The proof of the pudding is in the eating.
The Spaniard is a bad servant but a worse master.
The tide tarrieth for no man. John Heywood
The way to a man’s heart is through his stomach.
There are none so blind as those who will not see.
There are only twenty-four hours in a day.
There are two sides to every question.
There but for the grace of God go I.
There is a time and a place for everything.
There is but one good mother-in-law and she is dead.
There is no honor among thieves.
There is more than one way to skin a cat.
There is safety in numbers.
There’s a black sheep in every flock.
There’s always more fish in the sea.
There’s more than one way to skin a cat.
There’s no fool like an old fool.
There’s no place like home.
There’s no smoke without fire.
There’s no such thing as a free lunch.
There’s no such as bad publicity.
There’s no time like the present.
There’s none so deaf as they who will not hear.
There’s one born every minute.
There’s one law for the rich, and another for the poor.
They that dance must pay the fiddler.
They who love most are least valued.
Things are not always what they seem.
Think in the morning. Act in the noon. Eat in the evening. Sleep in the night. William Blake
Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it.
Those who live in glass houses should not throw stones.
Those who sleep with dogs will rise with fleas.
Time and tide wait for no man.
Time cures all things.
Time flies.
Time trieth truth.
Time is a great healer.
Time is money.
Today is the first day of the rest of your life.
Tomorrow is a new day.
To err is human, to forgive divine.
To the victor go the spoils.
To talk without thinking is to shoot without aiming.
To travel hopefully is a better thing than to arrive.
Tomorrow is another day.
Tomorrow never comes.
Too many cooks spoil the broth.
True love never grows old.
Trust is the mother of deceit.
Truth is stranger than fiction.
Truth stands the test of time; lies are soon exposed. Proverbs 12:19
Turn the other cheek.
Two heads are better than one. John Heywood
Two is company, three is a crowd.
Two wrongs do not make a right.
United we stand, divided we fall.
Variety is the spice of life.
Virtue is its own reward.
Walk softly but carry a big stick.
Walls have ears.
War is death’s feast. George Herbert
Waste not, want not.
Went in one ear and out the other. John Heywood
What you don’t know can’t hurt you.
When in doubt, do nothing.
When in Rome, do as the Romans do.
When the cat’s away, the mice will play.
When the iron is hot, strike. John Heywood
When the sun shineth, make hay. John Heywood
When the sword of rebellion is drawn, the sheath should be thrown away.
Where no counsel is, the people fall; but in the multitude of counselors there is safety. Proverbs 11:14
Where there is no trust there is no love.
Where there is no vision, the people perish. Proverbs 29:18
Where there’s a will, there’s a way.
Witches and harlots come out at night.
Withhold not correction from the child: for if thou beatest him with the rod, he shall not die. Thou shalt beat him with the rod, and shalt deliver his soul from hell. Proverbs 23:13-14
Without justice, courage is weak.
Worrying never did anyone any good.
You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make it drink.
You can’t get blood out of a stone.
You can’t make a silk purse from a sow’s ear.
You can’t make an omelet without breaking eggs.
You can’t make bricks without straw.
You can’t please everyone.
You can’t take it with you when you die.
You can’t teach an old dog new tricks.
You can’t tell a book by its cover.
You can’t win them all.
You cannot have it both ways.
You cannot have your cake and eat it.
You cannot unscramble eggs.
You catch more flies with honey than with vinegar.
You don’t get something for nothing.
You have to kiss a lot of toads before you find a handsome prince.
Young men may die, old men must.
You win some, you lose some.
Youth is wasted on the young.
