citations part two
Wordperfect for the Day
Part two. See part one
Os ruego, padre mío, que, puesto que sois débil, lo parezcáis. —Regania a su padre, el rey Lear.
Her name was Magill / and she called herself Lil / But everyone knew her as Nancy. —The Beatles, 'The Continuing Story of Bungalow Bill'.
Think cynically, act morally —Torribio Blups.
Free your mail. —Torribio Blups.
I believed in the Great Principles until an olive branch took my eye out. —Torribio Blups.
Give me some time and I'll give you some pleasure. Give me some pleasure and I'll give you some time. —Torribio Blups.
Sometimes I think I think. —Torribio Blups.
There are no aliens in the Internet. —Torribio Blups.
With all my support to Aung San Suu Kyi. Freedom for Burma.
El drama és que hi hagi tantes coses davant les quals no es pugui pensar res —tantes coses davant les quals el mecanisme mental és estèril. —Josep Pla (1897-1981), El quadern gris.
Pero entendiendo Jesús que iban a venir para apodararse de él y hacerle rey, volvió a retirarse al monte él solo. —Juan 6, 15.
Mi tiempo aún no ha llegado, mas vuestro tiempo siempre está presto. —Juan 7, 6.
No puede el mundo aborreceros a vosotros; más a mi me aborrece, porque yo testifico de él, que sus obras son malas. —Juan 7, 7.
There are virtues which become crimes by exaggeration. —Alexandre Dumas, The Count of Monte Cristo.
Because, my dear fellow, you understand one must never be eccentric. If one's lot is cast among fools, it is necessary to study folly. —Alexandre Dumas, The Count of Monte Cristo.
Analytic and romantic understanding should be united at a basic level. Reassimilate the passions from which the rational mind fled. —R.M.Pirsig.
That the sun shines tomorrow is a judgement that is as true as the contrary judgement. —David Hume.
Anarchism is founded on the observation that since few men are wise enough to rule themselves, even fewer are wise enough to rule others. —Edward Abbey.
There are two types of people in this world, good and bad. The good sleep better, but the bad seem to enjoy the waking hours much more. —Woody Allen.
La ideología moral convencional es la piedra angular de la institución autoritaria del matrimonio; es contraria a la satisfacción sexual y presupone la negación de la sexualidad. —Wilhelm Reich, La revolución sexual.
Recordo la senyoreta Ponjoan, que vaig conèixer en una festa major de Calonge a la meva adolescència: un somni de carn jove, tibant, esvelta, rossa. —Josep Pla (1897-1981), El quadern gris.
Meravellosa criatura, amb un reflex de carmí de petxina sobre la polpa de carn tensa! —Josep Pla (1897-1981), El quadern gris.
The universe we observe has precisely the properties we should expect if there is, at bottom, no design, no purpose, no evil, no good, nothing but blind, pitiless indifference. —Charles Darwin.
If I wished to punish a province, I would have it governed by philosophers. —Frederick II, the Great (1712-1786).
The most exciting phrase to hear in science, the one that heralds new discoveries, is not Eureka! (I found it!) but rather, 'hmm.... that's funny...' —Isaac Asimov.
...the myth of socialism is far stronger than the reality of capitalism. That is because capitalism is not really an ism at all. It is what people do if you leave them alone. —Arnold Beichmen, Hoover Institute Fellow.
Happiness is good health and a bad memory. —Ingrid Bergman (1917-1982).
Computers are like Old Testament gods; lots of rules and no mercy. —Joseph Campbell.
It is a kind of spiritual snobbery that makes people think they can be happy without money. —Albert Camus.
The wise man learns more from his enemies than a fool does from his friends. —Chinese Proverb.
I like pigs. Dogs look up to us. Cats look down on us. Pigs treat us as equals. —Winston Churchill.
The best argument against democracy is a five minute talk with the average voter. —Winston Churchill.
Our greatest glory is not in never failing, but in rising every time we fail. —Confucius (s. VI BC).
No people do so much harm as those who go about doing good. —Mandell Creighton (1843-1901).
A man who dares to waste an hour of time has not discovered the value of life. —Charles Darwin.
There's nothing I like less than bad arguments for a view that I hold dear. —Daniel Dennett.
An intellectual is a man who takes more words than necessary to tell more than he knows. —Dwight D. Eisenhower.
It takes a big man to admit when he's wrong, and an even bigger one to keep his mouth shut when he's right. —Jim Fiebig.
I'm a great housekeeper. I get divorced. I keep the house. —Zsa Zsa Gabor.
If you understand, things are as they are. If you do not understand, things are as they are. — Gensha, Zen Master.
The dogmatist within is always worse than the enemy without. —S.J. Gould.
A little government and a little luck are necessary in life, but only a fool trusts either of them. —P.J. O'Rourke.
Most people get a fair amount of fun out of their lives, but on balance life is suffering, and only the very young or very foolish imagine otherwise. —George Orwell.
He was a wise man who invented God. —Plato.
One of the symptoms of an approaching nervous breakdown is the belief that one's work is terribly important. —Bertrand Russell.
By all means marry; if you get a good wife, you'll be happy. If you get a bad one, you'll become a philosopher. —Socrates.
The more corrupt the state, the more numerous the laws. —Cornelius Tacitus.
Don't be so humble, you're not that great. —Golda Meir.
Es mejor encender una vela que maldecir la oscuridad. —Proverbio chino.
Si os he dicho cosas terrenales, y no creéis, ¿cómo creeréis si os dijere las celestiales? —Juan 3, 12.
Entonces los judíos volvieron a tomar piedras para apedrearle. / Jesús les respondió: Muchas buenas obras os he mostrado de mi Padre; ¿por cuál de ellas me apedreáis? —Juan 10, 31-32.
Jesús le respondió: Si he hablado mal, testifica en qué está el mal; y si bien, ¿por qué me golpeas? —Juan 18, 23.
Aracil demostraba casi siempre una crueldad desdeñosa, sin brutalidad, de un carácter femenino. —Pío Baroja, El árbol de la ciencia.
Men occasionally stumble over the truth, but most of them pick themselves up and hurry off as if nothing had happened. —Winston Churchill.
There is no such thing as a 'verdict of history', only the stumbling and often silly interpretations of those who make it their business to judge the past. —Peter L. Berger, The Capitalist Revolution, 1986.
At least in science, one shows the greatest respect for an author by leaving him behind. —Peter L. Berger, The Capitalist Revolution, 1986.
[...] it is wise to have an overall bias against unicausal explanations; it is very unlikely that any significant event in history was caused by a single factor. —Peter L. Berger, The Capitalist Revolution, 1986.
Those who require certitude should not turn to science. They should worship at the ideological shrine of their choice and settle the choice with their conscience. —Peter L. Berger, The Capitalist Revolution, 1986.
Penso, avergonyit, en els escarafalls, que faig sovint en públic, a favor de la cuina popular. En realitat, la trobo horrible, exasperant. —Josep Pla (1897-1981), El quadern gris.
De totes les aberracions sexuals, la més peculiar potser és la castedat. —Rémy de Gourmont (1858-1915).
Tot cos continua en el seu estat de repòs o de moviment uniforme en línia recta si no és empès a canviar aquest estat per forces impreses sobre seu. —Isaac Newton, Principia Mathematica (1687).
Nessun maggior dolore / che ricordarsi del tempo felice / nella miseria. —Dante Alighieri (1265-1321), La Divina Comèdia.
La gran qüestió que no s'ha contestat mai i que jo encara no he pogut contestar, tot i els trenta anys de recerca dins l'ànima femenina, és «Què vol una dona?» —Freud, carta a M. Bonaparte.
We don't see things as they are, we see them as we are. —Talmud.
"No basta serlo; necesito que se me sepa feliz". Mientras pienses eso, no serás feliz todavía. —André Gide.
Knowledge is power. —Thomas Hobbes.
"Never waste any time you can spend sleeping". —Professor Frank H. Knight, in class at the University of Chicago, 1936 (courtesy of Herbert Stein).
"To kill that particular monster [time] is the most ordinary and legitimate occupation of each person". —Baudelaire (courtesy of Herbert Stein).
"Where is the wisdom we have lost in knowledge? Where is the knowledge we have lost in information?" —T.S. Eliot, The Rock, 1934 (courtesy of Herbert Stein).
Beach, sun, fun, and peace of mind. —Torribio Blups.
La felicidad consiste en no tener más problemas que los que uno mismo se crea. —Torribio Blups.
Cada día se me hace más difícil encontrar diferencias entre la inteligencia y el sentido del humor. —Julio Gago Alonso.
Most people are such fools that it really is no great compliment to say that a man is above the average. —William Somerset Maugham (1874-1965), when he was 18.
We can forgive a man for making a useful thing as long as he does not admire it. The only excuse for making a useless thing is that one admires it intensely. All art is quite useless. —Oscar Wilde (1854-1900), The Picture of Dorian Gray.
Conscience is the inner voice which warns us that someone may be looking. —H.L. Mencken (1880-1956).
Alimony: The ransom that the happy pay to the devil. —H.L. Mencken (1880-1956).
Adultery is the application of democracy to love. —H.L. Mencken (1880-1956).
Puritanism: The haunting fear that someone somewhere may be happy. —H.L. Mencken (1880-1956).
The truth is suddenly dawning on me and triggering my inevitable collapse. —Anacleto Smith-Garcia.
Casual conversations, how they bore me. —Supertramp, Casual Conversations.
The Master said, "The superior man, in the world, does not set his mind either for anything, or against anything; what is right he will follow." —Confucius (s. VI BC), Analects.
The Master said, "The superior man thinks of virtue; the small man thinks of comfort. The superior man thinks of the sanctions of law; the small man thinks of favors which he may receive." —Confucius (s. VI BC), Analects.
The Master said: "He who acts with a constant view to his own advantage will be much murmured against." —Confucius (s. VI BC), Analects.
The Master said, "A man should say, I am not concerned that I have no place, I am concerned how I may fit myself for one. I am not concerned that I am not known, I seek to be worthy to be known." —Confucius (s. VI BC), Analects.
The Master said, "When we see men of worth, we should think of equaling them; when we see men of a contrary character, we should turn inwards and examine ourselves." —Confucius (s. VI BC), Analects.
The Master said, "When good order prevailed in his country, Ning Wu acted the part of a wise man. When his country was in disorder, he acted the part of a stupid man. Others may equal his wisdom, but they cannot equal his stupidity." —Confucius (s. VI BC), Analects.
Fer frases és relativament fàcil. Es desfer-les, després, el que dóna ànsia. Hi ha frases totalment inútils, inservibles, falses, que hom transporta, com un pes mort, anys i anys. —Josep Pla (1897-1981), El quadern gris.
Esta forma tan cobarde de no decirnos que no. —Joaquín Sabina, Cerrado por derribo.
All she saw was a silhouette of a gun / Far away on the other side. / He was shot six times by a man on the run / And she couldn't find how to push through. —Mike Oldfield, Moonlight Shadow.
Annandale: 'I often think life must be quite different to a man called Smith; it can have neither poetry nor distinction'. —William Somerset Maugham (1874-1965), "A Writer's Notebook".
The love that lasts longest is the love that is never returned. —William Somerset Maugham (1874-1965), "A Writer's Notebook".
Puede decirse realmente de todas las cosas del mundo que sólo se las desea en vista de otra cosa, excepto, sin embargo, la felicidad, porque ella es en sí misma fin. —Aristóteles (384-321 aC).
Entonces Pedro se acordó de las palabras de Jesús, que le había dicho: Antes que cante el gallo, me negarás tres veces. Y saliendo fuera, lloró amargamente. —Mateo 26, 75.
If all you've got to do today is find peace of mind —come round, you can take a piece of mine / And if all you've got to do today is hesitate —come here, you can leave it late with me. —Catatonia, Road Rage.
If all you've got to prove today is your innocence / Calm down, you're as guilty as can be. —Catatonia, Road Rage.
No sento el més lleu impuls d'adorar res. —Josep Pla (1897-1981), El quadern gris.
L'única cosa que començava d'entreveure era l'absurditat que suposa voler fer negoci sense tenir-ne un autèntic temperament. —Josep Pla (1897-1981), El quadern gris.
Una de les coses més tèrboles, desconcertants i desagradables de la vida és constatar que a gairebé tots ens apassiona més una mala acció divertida que una bona acció avorrida. —Josep Pla (1897-1981), El quadern gris.
Quan un amic meu és borni, el miro de perfil —Joubert, cortesia de Josep Pla.
No self-made man ever did such a good job that some woman didn't want to make some alterations. — Kim Hubbard.
The life of most men is merely a ceaseless toil to prepare food and home for their offspring; and these enter the world to perform exactly the same offices as their progenitors. —William Somerset Maugham (1874-1965), "A Writer's Notebook".
Man's ideal of a woman is still the princess in the fairy-tale who could not sleep upon seven mattresses because a dried pea was beneath the undermost. He is always rather frightened of a woman who has no nerves. —William Somerset Maugham (1874-1965), "A Writer's Notebook".
People continually ruin their lives by persisting in actions against which their sensations rebel. —William Somerset Maugham (1874-1965), "A Writer's Notebook".
If you don't deny yourself for other they look upon you as detestably selfish; but they bear with astonishing fortitude the ills you may incur by the sacrifices you have made for their sakes. —William Somerset Maugham (1874-1965), "A Writer's Notebook".
There are no feminine characteristics more marked than a passion for detail and an unerring memory. Women can give you an exact and circumstancial account of some quite insignificant conversation with a friend years before; and what is worse, they do. —William Somerset Maugham (1874-1965), "A Writer's Notebook".
Y cuando el diablo hubo acabado toda tentación, se apartó de él por un tiempo. —Lucas 4, 13.
Estar content és una cosa subjectiva que queda considerablement reforçada si els vostres amics acorden decretar, encara que no sigui més que per majoria, que realment esteu content. —Josep Pla (1897-1981), El quadern gris.
The one charm of marriage is that it makes a life of deception a neccessity. —Oscar Wilde (courtesy of Julio Gago).
Oculte, con traidora máscara, nuestro semblante lo que maquina el alma. —Macbeth.
¡Si con dar un golpe se atajaran las consecuencias y el éxito fuera seguro... yo me lanzaría de cabeza desde el escollo de la duda al mar de una existencia nueva! —Macbeth.
¡Mi terror, nacido de la falta de costumbre, me quita el sueño! ¡Soy novicio en el crimen! —Macbeth.
Feliz eres, anciano; feliz es cualquier mortal que pasa su vida sin fama y sin gloria, y menos felices los que disfrutan de honores. —Agamenón, Ifigenia en Aulide, Eurípides.
Ningún mortal es dichoso hasta el fin; ninguno ha habido hasta ahora que no conozca el dolor. — Agamenón, Ifigenia en Aulide, Eurípides.
Y yo, que en nada pequé, ¿expiaré tus faltas? —Agamenón a Menelao, Ifigenia en Aulide, Eurípides.
Tranquilízate, pues; un dios grande te protege, pues si no lo soy, he de parecerlo. —Aquiles, Ifigenia en Aulide, Eurípides.
Quan vaig comprendre que tenia algunes condicions per a viure solitàriament i que m'agradava poc molestar els altres amb la meva presència, ho vaig considerar més aviat positiu. —Josep Pla (1897-1981), El quadern gris.
When one expects unselfishness from another and does not get it, one can only shrug one's shoulder and pass on. Certainly one has no right to be angry. —William Somerset Maugham (1874-1965), "A Writer's Notebook".
From the standpoint of pure reason, there are no good grounds to support the claim that one should sacrifice one's own happiness to that of others. —William Somerset Maugham (1874-1965), "A Writer's Notebook".
There can be nothing praiseworthy in sacrifice in itself, and before a man does a self-sacrificing thing, he may reasonably ask himself if it is worth while. —William Somerset Maugham (1874-1965), "A Writer's Notebook".
Few misfortunes can befall a boy which bring worse consequences that to have a really affectionate mother. —William Somerset Maugham (1874-1965), "A Writer's Notebook".
There are few minds in a century that can look upon a new idea without terror. Fortunately for the rest of us there are very few new ideas about. —William Somerset Maugham (1874-1965), "A Writer's Notebook".
A marvellous instance of the gullibility of man is that he has been willing to take the artists at their own valuation. —William Somerset Maugham (1874-1965), "A Writer's Notebook".
One can only rule men by dogmatic affirmations. That is why men of strong opinions, prejudices and enthusiasms, and not philosophers, are the leaders of the people. —William Somerset Maugham (1874-1965), "A Writer's Notebook".
Pues si no podéis ni aun con lo que es menos, ¿por qué os afanáis por lo demás? —Lucas 12,26
Considerad los lirios, cómo crecen; no trabajan, ni hilan; mas os digo, que ni aun Salomón con toda su gloria se vistió como uno de ellos. —Lucas 12,27
There are people who say: quite well, thank you, when you say, how d'you do, to them. How vain they must be to think you can possibly care! —William Somerset Maugham (1874-1965), "A Writer's Notebook".
One of the most difficult things for a man to do is to realise that he does not stand at the centre of things, but at the circumference. —William Somerset Maugham (1874-1965), "A Writer's Notebook".
Porque yo hago lo que quiero y me gano mi dinero, y si quieres yo te quiero pero págame primero. —Radio Futura, "La negra flor".
Prefiero no mirarte, no tocarte, podría devorarte. —Radio Futura, "No tocarte".
Y si esta noche quieres ir a bailar, vete poniendo el disfraz de pecadora; pero tendrás que estar lista en media hora, porque si no yo no te paso a buscar. —Radio Futura, "Veneno en la piel".
Con mi pensamiento sigo el movimiento de los peces en el agua. —Radio Futura, "La estatua del jardín botánico".
Ah! mother mine! how canst thou speak of such a horror? Yet tell me all, yes all, O mother dear! —Polyxena in "Hecuba", Euripides (484-406 aC).
But these things are naught; in vain are all our thoughtful schemes, in vain our vaunting words. He is happiest who meets no sorrow in his daily walk. —Hecuba in "Hecuba", Euripides (484-406 aC).
No easy task is it for mortal lips to speak smooth words in sorrow's hour. —Euripides (484-406 aC), Hecuba.
Pero ya tengo un plan para escapar... me largaré por la puerta de atrás. —Alex y Christina, El souvenir.
The Master said, "The superior man is satisfied and composed; the mean man is always full of distress." —Confucius (s. VI BC), Analects.
"When a country is well governed, poverty and a mean condition are things to be ashamed of. When a country is ill governed, riches and honor are things to be ashamed of." —Confucius (s. VI BC), Analects.
The Master said, "Ardent and yet not upright, stupid and yet not attentive; simple and yet not sincere:-such persons I do not understand." —Confucius (s. VI BC), Analects.
The Master said, "Hold faithfulness and sincerity as first principles. Have no friends not equal to yourself. When you have faults, do not fear to abandon them." —Confucius (s. VI BC), Analects.
The Master said, "The wise are free from perplexities; the virtuous from anxiety; and the bold from fear." —Confucius (s. VI BC), Analects.
But that's okay. The world needs a few reductionists (mainly as physicists). Reductionists like to take things apart. The rest of us are just trying to get it together. —Wall, Christiansen, Schwartz, Programming Perl.
The Master said, "The superior man has a dignified ease without pride. The mean man has pride without a dignified ease." —Confucius (s. VI BC), Analects.
The Master said, "The firm, the enduring, the simple, and the modest are near to virtue." —Confucius (s. VI BC), Analects.
"When the love of superiority, boasting, resentments, and covetousness are repressed, this may be deemed perfect virtue." —Confucius (s. VI BC), Analects.
The Master said, "The virtuous will be sure to speak correctly, but those whose speech is good may not always be virtuous. Men of principle are sure to be bold, but those who are bold may not always be men of principle." —Confucius (s. VI BC), Analects.
The Master said, "The progress of the superior man is upwards; the progress of the mean man is downwards." —Confucius (s. VI BC), Analects.
The Master said, "In ancient times, men learned with a view to their own improvement. Nowadays, men learn with a view to the approbation of others." —Confucius (s. VI BC), Analects.
The Master said, "I will not be concerned at men's not knowing me; I will be concerned at my own want of ability." —Confucius (s. VI BC), Analects.
The Master said, "He who does not anticipate attempts to deceive him, nor think beforehand of his not being believed, and yet apprehends these things readily when they occur;-is he not a man of superior worth?" —Confucius (s. VI BC), Analects.
La conversión directa de un sólido a gas se denomina sublimación.
I am ruined; no evil now is left. —Hecuba in "Hecuba", Euripides (484-406 aC).
Good luck to thee! for this is the interest alike of citizen and state, that the wrongdoer be punished and the good man prosper. —Agamemnon in "Hecuba", Euripides (484-406 aC).
PÍLADES - [...] Ten a todos los hombres por enemigos; a todos sin excepción, mejor que no a los dioses. —Esquilo (525-455 aC), Las coéforas.
TECMESA - Que se rían y se alegren de la desgracia de éste. Pues si vivo no lo estimaron, es posible que muerto lo lloren al carecer de su ayuda; porque los necios no aprecian el bien que entre manos tienen hasta que lo pierden. —Sófocles (496-406 aC), Ayax.
CORO - Tampoco aplaudo la manera como te expresas hallándote en la desgracia; porque las palabras duras, aun cuando sean justas, muerden. —Sófocles (496-406 aC), Ayax.
Si crees que la arrogancia, cuando la razón no la apoya, es cosa que debe mantenerse, te equivocas. —Sófocles (496-406 aC), Edipo rey.
Por lo tanto, tú harás lo que te plazca; porque el encontrarme solo, aun cuando tengo razón, me hace despreciable; pero si me maltratáis, aunque viejo soy, procuraré defenderme. —Sófocles (496-406 aC), Edipo en Colono.
El huésped, ¡oh rey!, es honorable; sus desgracias, funestísimas, y merece por ellas que se le defienda. —Sófocles (496-406 aC), Edipo en Colono.
[...] Común a todos los hombres es el errar; pero cuando el hombre yerra no es necio ni infeliz si, reconociendo su error, se enmienda y no es terco; que la terquedad acusa ignorancia. —Sófocles (496-406 aC), Antígona.
No sé muy bien qué es ser feliz, ni me preocupa demasiado... Pero cuando estuve cerca, tú estabas a mi lado. —Esclarecidos, Arriba y abajo.
No es ahora la primera vez que pienso que los proyectos de los mortales son sólo humo, ni vacilo en afirmar que los que se tienen por sabios y se consagran a investigar la razón de las cosas, son los que más torpezas cometen. —Sófocles (496-406 aC), Medea.
Cuando crees que me ves cruzo la pared, hago chas y aparezco a tu lado. Quieres ir tras de mí, pobrecito de ti... No me puedes atrapar. —Alex y Christina, Chas!
Should I stay or should I go?
El día que yo fui feliz nadie tocaba el violín; ni una maldita florecita, ni arco iris sobre mi. —Christina Rosenvinge, Ni una maldita florecita.
El día que yo fui feliz nunca pensé que fuera así... Y como nadie me avisó, no me di cuenta y me dormí. —Christina Rosenvinge, Ni una maldita florecita.
All I wanna do is have some fun... I've got a feeling I'm not the only one... until the sun comes up over Santa Monica boulevard. —Sheryl Crow, All I Wanna Do.
No le des de comer al perro flaquito, que yo sé que se quiere quedar para siempre contigo. —Christina Rosenvinge, Muertos o algo mejor.
Y este idiota se cree que puede llamarme muñeca... Soy capaz de jugar al ping-pong en su cabeza hueca. —Christina Rosenvinge, Muertos o algo mejor.
The Master said, "If a man take no thought about what is distant, he will find sorrow near at hand." —Confucius (s. VI BC), Analects.
The Master said, "What the superior man seeks, is in himself. What the mean man seeks, is in others." —Confucius (s. VI BC), Analects.
The Master said, "A man can enlarge the principles which he follows; those principles do not enlarge the man." —Confucius (s. VI BC), Analects.
The Master said, "In language it is simply required that it convey the meaning." —Confucius (s. VI BC), Analects.
Un escalador em va dir una vegada: 'Una escalada no és prou divertida si no hi ha hagut almenys un moment en el qual hagis jurat que, si te'n surts, no tornaràs a escalar mai més'. —C.S. Lewis, Un experiment de crítica literària.
The Master said, "When a man at forty is the object of dislike, he will always continue what he is." —Confucius (s. VI BC), Analects.
Tsze-hsia said, "He, who from day to day recognizes what he has not yet, and from month to month does not forget what he has attained to, may be said indeed to love to learn." —Confucius (s. VI BC), Analects.
Tsze-hsia said, "The superior man undergoes three changes. Looked at from a distance, he appears stern; when approached, he is mild; when he is heard to speak, his language is firm and decided." —Confucius (s. VI BC), Analects.
Ana, como algunos seres muy mesurados en sus reacciones, no toleraba nada que la comprometiera. —Françoise Sagan, Buenos días tristeza.
'There are many things easy enough in act, which by speech it is hard to explain. There are also things concerning which speech is easy, but no noble action follows when the speech is done.' —Answer by Darius to Otanes, Herodotus (484-429 bC), 'History'.
Aprendre que res no acaba si dintre teu abans no acaba /Que el sol no es pon sense tornada si en el teu cor esclata l'alba. —Lluís Llach, Aprendre.
Aprendre que l'esperança és mentida si no hi ha cada dia un esforç pel nou demà. —Lluís Llach, Aprendre.
Aprendre a estimar-se la vida quan la vida fa mal. —Lluís Llach, Aprendre.
Aprendre que en certesa res no tinc si no m'ho dones /A fer que el cor sempre es commogui pel fràgil gest de la bellesa. —Lluís Llach, Aprendre.
Aprendre per saber-se desprendre, heus aquí el vell secret. —Lluís Llach, Aprendre.
Buscar el coratge perdurant en l'intent; així t'espero, i sols així em tens. —Lluís Llach, I amb el somriure, la revolta.
Te veo muy distinta, es nuevo ese carmín... Estás mucho más guapa, será que te embellece ser feliz. —Luis E. Aute, Pasaba por aquí.
Sigui quin sigui el valor de la literatura, solament s'actualitza quan els bons lectors la llegeixen. —C.S. Lewis, Un experiment de crítica literària.
Such are the two reasons alleged for the death of Polycrates; it is open to all to believe which they please. —Herodotus (484-429 bC), 'History'.
It brings back to life an awful lot of things you thought you had left behind. And in these short, eventual visits, unwanted memories, behaviors and attitudes appear, sharply shaped, in front of you, to surround you and harass you. To drag you down and drown you. Out of the blue. —Anacleto Garcia-Smith
I do not believe the tale, but it is told nevertheless. —Herodotus (484-429 bC), 'History'.
Hi ha, en efecte, una suscitació mútua o recíproca. Es cert que viure fa sentir i pensar, i que sentir i pensar fan dir. També ho és que, inversament, dir fa pensar i sentir, i que pensar i sentir fan viure. —Lluís V. Aracil, La mort humana.
Cada 100 años se renueva toda la población del planeta. Es una realidad que me fascina. —Alfons Cornella.
Entenguem-nos: el pitjor no és errar, esgarriar-nos i perdre'ns ocasionalment, sinó fer-ho habitualment, sense adonar-nos-en o ni tan sols sospitar-ho. —Lluís V. Aracil, La mort humana.
Val més reconèixer que dir (com pensar) no és pas l'ordinari. Dir és prendre la iniciativa, i pensar és aventurar-se. —Lluís V. Aracil, La mort humana.
The study of Ethics is part and parcel of the study of Nature; for man must learn his place in the world before he can act rightly and reasonably. —William Somerset Maugham (1874-1965), "A Writer's Notebook".
Perfection seems to be nothing more than a complete adaptation to the environment; but the environment is constantly changing, so perfection can never be more than transitory. —William Somerset Maugham (1874-1965), "A Writer's Notebook".
The same sentence can never produce exactly the same effect on two persons, and the first quick impressions that any given word in it may convey will in two minds widely differ. —William Somerset Maugham (1874-1965), "A Writer's Notebook".
I can imagine no more comfortable frame of mind for the conduct of life than a humorous resignation. —William Somerset Maugham (1874-1965), "A Writer's Notebook".
His soul was like a prisoner in a tower who saw through the narrow windows of his cell the green grass and the growing trees of the free world, yet remained perforce within those dank cold walls in perpetual gloom. —William Somerset Maugham (1874-1965), "A Writer's Notebook".
I think one pays a better compliment to the object of one's admiration when one considers him with sense than when one surrenders oneself to him like a drunkard to his glass of gin. —William Somerset Maugham (1874-1965), "A Writer's Notebook".
All methods are good if you have talent. —William Somerset Maugham (1874-1965), "A Writer's Notebook".
Tratad, pues, de emular a estos hombres, y estimando que la felicidad se basa en la libertad y la libertad en el coraje, no miréis con inquietud los peligros de la guerra. —Thucydides, The History of the Peloponnesian War -Discurso fúnebre de Pericles.
Pero hay que soportar los males enviados por los dioses con resignación y los que proceden de los enemigos con valor. —Thucydides, The History of the Peloponnesian War -Discurso de Pericles.
Everyone has some monstrous, nearly impenetrable book they did manage to finish and I recommend making that a personal talisman. —Laura Miller.
The use of travel is to regulate imagination by experience, and, instead of thinking how things may be, to see how they are. —Samuel Johnson, courtesy of Lluís V. Aracil.
But I have promises to keep,/ And miles to go before I sleep. —Robert Frost, courtesy of Lluís V. Aracil.
And so you may do the worst you can do, / Be assur’d, Mr Devil, I won’t pray to you. —William Blake, courtesy of Lluís V. Aracil.
Yo no digo mi canción, sino a quien conmigo va. —Romanç anònim castellà, cortesia de Lluís V. Aracil.
Pero no hay que crecerse por los infortunios del adversario, sino fundar la confianza en la superioridad de los planes propios. ——Tucídides, Historia de la guerra del Peloponeso, Discurso de Nicias.
He spoke in a low voice, seldom unless he was spoken to, and though he never said an intelligent thing he never said a foolish one. —William Somerset Maugham (1874-1965), "A Writer's Notebook".
When we treat our neighbour with common civility it is no favour we grant him; it is his right. —William Somerset Maugham (1874-1965), "A Writer's Notebook".
Whenever you have an aim you must sacrifice something of freedom to achieve it. But by the time you have reached middle age you have discovered how much freedom it is worth while to sacrifice in order to achieve any aim that you have in view. —William Somerset Maugham (1874-1965), "A Writer's Notebook".
El día que yo fui feliz nadie tocaba el violín / ni una maldita florecita / ni arco iris sobre mi / El día que yo fui feliz / nunca pensé que fuera así / y como nadie me avisó / no me di cuenta y me dormí. —Christina y los Subterráneos, Ni una maldita florecita.
The only way to be new is constantly to change yourself, and the only way to be original is to increase, enlarge, deepen your own personality. —William Somerset Maugham (1874-1965), "A Writer's Notebook".
The great tragedy of science: The slaying of a beautiful hypothesis by an ugly fact. —T.H. Huxley.
How sad that life should be both tragic and trivial: a melodrama in which the noblest sentiments of men serve merely to stir the cheap emotions of a vulgar audience. —William Somerset Maugham (1874-1965), "A Writer's Notebook".
Why is it so wounding to have an ill turn done you by a friend? Naïvety or vanity? —William Somerset Maugham (1874-1965), "A Writer's Notebook".
Close your eyes / Have no fear / The monster's gone / He's on the run and your daddy's here. —John Lennon, Beautiful Boy.
People say I'm crazy doing what I'm doing / Well they give me all kinds of warnings to save me from ruin / When I'm say that I'm o.k. they look at me kind of strange / Surely you're not happy now you no longer play the game. —John Lennon, Watching the Wheels.
Before you go to sleep / Say a little prayer / Every day in every way / It's getting better and better. —John Lennon, Beautiful Boy.
I'm just sitting here watching the wheels / go round and round / I really love to watch them roll. —John Lennon, Watching the Wheels.
People say I'm lazy dreaming my life away / Well they give all kinds of advice designed to enlighten me / When I tell them that I'm doing fine watching shadows on the wall / Don't you miss the big time boy you're no longer on the ball? —John Lennon, Watching the Wheels.
Stop the bleeding now. —John Lennon, I'm Losing You.
Aceptarlo todo es un ejercicio, y robustece; entenderlo todo es una coerción, y fatiga. —G.K. Chesterton (1874-1936), Ortodoxia.
El loco se encuentra como metido en una clara y aseada prisión, la prisión de una idea; y toda su sensibilidad parece concentrada en un solo punto doloroso. —G.K. Chesterton (1874-1936), Ortodoxia.
¿I per què heu volgut entrar al riu de Sant Pere? / Per explicar-ho al cafè... —ha dit, després de pensar-s'hi un moment, amb una admirable decisió plena de sinceritat i de franquesa. —Josep Pla (1897-1981), Aigua de mar.
El siete de septiembre es nuestro aniversario, y no sabemos si besarnos en la cara o en los labios —Mecano, El siete de septiembre.
Una teoría unificada, consistent i completa, és tan sols el primer pas: la nostra finalitat és la comprensió completa dels esdeveniments del nostre entorn, i de la nostra pròpia existència. —Stephen W. Hawking, Història del temps.
Un mono solitario es una criatura vulnerable. Carece de las poderosas armas naturales del carnívoro, y si se encuentra solo es fácil presa de los cazadores al acecho. —Desmond Morris, El mono desnudo, 1967.
Arbre sublim! Del geni n'és ell la viva imatge: / domina les muntanyes i aguaita l'infinit; / per ell la terra es dura, mes besa son ramatge / el cel que l'enamora, i té el llamp i l'oratge / per glòria i per delit. —Miquel Costa i Llobera (1854-1922), El pi de Formentor.
Arbre, mon cor t'enveja. Sobre la terra impura, / com a penyora santa duré jo el teu record. / Lluitar constant i vèncer, regnar sobre l'altura / i alimentar-se i viure de cel i de llum pura ... / O vida, o noble sort! —Miquel Costa i Llobera (1854-1922), El pi de Formentor.
Pensem-la clara, aquesta quietud / que escampa tants de ressons impensats / Pensem-la clara i suggerent, que ens ompli l'espai concret d'ara mateix. —Miquel Martí i Pol, Ara mateix.
Potser el secret és que no hi ha secret. —Miquel Martí i Pol, Ara mateix.
Sóc avar de la llum que em resta dins els ulls / i que em fa tremolar quan et recordo. —Bartomeu Rosselló-Pòrcel, A Mallorca durant la guerra civil.
Las exigencias de la locomoción vertical no han sido muy piadosas para la hembra de nuestra especie; este avance fue sentenciado con una pena de varias horas de doloroso parto. —Desmond Morris, El mono desnudo, 1967.
Libro I, 4. De mi abuelo, el no haber frecuentado las escuelas públicas y haberme proveído de buenos maestros en casa, bien persuadido que en este particular es menester gastar asiduamente. —Marco Aurelio (121-180), Meditaciones.
Si queremos comprender la naturaleza de nuestros impulsos agresivos, tendremos que estudiarlos bajo el prisma de nuestro origen animal. —Desmond Morris, El mono desnudo, 1967.
Es menos probable que os ataque el rival iracundo y de rostro congestionado que el de cara pálida y labios apretados. —Desmond Morris, El mono desnudo, 1967.
Las reglas son muy sencillas: cuanto más domina el impulso de ataque al impulso de fuga, más se proyecta la cara hacia delante. Cuando ocurre lo contrario y domina el miedo, todos los detalles faciales parecen retroceder. —Desmond Morris, El mono desnudo, 1967.
[...] [U]na dolencia lo bastante seria para hacernos guardar cama tiene la gran ventaja de volver a crear, para todos nosotros, las cuidadosas atenciones de nuestra segura infancia. —Desmond Morris, El mono desnudo, 1967.
Libro II. 12. ¿Qué es la muerte? Que, si se la mira aisladamente y se abstraen, por análisis de los conceptos, los fantasmas que la imaginación abulta, no se verá en ella más que un efecto de la naturaleza. Ahora bien: es evidentemente pueril temer los efectos de la naturaleza. —Marco Aurelio (121-180), Meditaciones.
How does it feel / How does it feel / To be on your own / With no direction home / Like a complete unknown / Like a rolling stone? —Bob Dylan, Like a rolling stone.
No t’afegiràs a la majoria per cometre mal ni faràs de testimoni en un procès decantant-te a la majoria en contra de la justícia. —Èxode 23,2 (thanks to Ricard Colom).
Qui salva una vida salva un món sencer. —Talmud.
Raonar i convèncer, què difícil, llarg i costós! Suggestionar? Què n’és de fácil, ràpid i senzill! —Santiago Ramon y Cajal (1852-1934), premi Nobel de Filosofia i Medicina.
Daughter of a free-born sire, a slave I am to die. —Polyxena in "Hecuba", Euripides (484-406 aC).
I don't mind your lies, so keep on talking. —Catatonia, 'Don't need the sunshine'.
Your Representative owes you, not only his industry, but his judgment; and he betrays, instead of serving you, if he sacrifices it to your opinion. —Edmund Burke (1729-1797).
La superstició —una de les filles més revingudes de la ignorància— porta a creure morals les coses que no ho són i, per tant, a tractar-les moralment, és a dir, a sacrificar-se, o a sacrificar, per elles. —Francesc Pujols (1882-1962)
Si la mentida no trobés gent disposada a morir i a matar per ella, no subsistiria, al revés de la veritat, la qual posen en perill (si més no, d'enterbolir) els qui moren i maten en nom seu. —Francesc Pujols (1882-1962)
Ningún elogio nos parece inmerecido; a lo sumo, insuficiente —Matías Vallés.
It is a miracle that curiosity survives formal education. —Albert Einstein (1879-1955).
Libro VI, 34. ¡Cuántos placeres han gozado los malvados, los prostituidos, los parricidas, los tiranos! —Marco Aurelio (121-180), Meditaciones.
Libro VII, 12. Conviene que seas hombre recto, o que seas enderezado. —Marco Aurelio (121-180), Meditaciones.
Libro VIII, 4. Entiende que los hombres cometerán siempre, aunque te exaspere, los mismos errores. —Marco Aurelio (121-180), Meditaciones.
Libro IV, 49. Haz por semejarte al peñasco batido sin cesar por las olas: permanece inmóvil y a su alrededor desmaya la efervescencia de las aguas. —Marco Aurelio (121-180), Meditaciones.
You simply have to do the right thing because you will be someone that you do not want to be if you do not. —Debra Dickerson.
Except for a few pimpy-looking guys, and a few whory-looking blondes, the lobby was pretty empty. —J.D. Salinger, The Catcher in the Rye.Para un ser consciente existir significa mudar, mudar significa madurar, madurar significa crearse indefinidamente a sí mismo. —Henri Bergson (1859-1941)
The mark of the immature man is that he wants to die nobly for a cause, while the mark of the mature man is that he wants to live humbly for one. —Wilhelm Stekel, courtesy of 'The catcher in the rye'
Don't get mad; get even. —Chicago's putative motto.
Parentem patientia vince.
Vence a tu padre por tu paciencia.
—Catón.
Maiori concede.
Cede ante tus mayores.
—Catón.
Patere legem quam ipse tuleris.
Sométete a la ley que hayas dictado tú mismo.
—Catón.
Libenter amorem ferto.
Demuestra con agrado tu cariño.
—Catón.
Magistratum metue.
Teme a los magistrados.
—Catón.
Illud aggredere quod iustum est.
Acomete lo que sea justo.
—Catón.
Antequam voceris, ne accesseris.
No acudas antes de que te llamen.
—Catón.
Mundus esto.
Sé pulcro.
—Catón.
Verecundiam serva.
Preserva tu vergüenza.
—Catón.
Nihil temere crediteris.
No creas nada a la ligera.
—Catón.
Familiam cura.
Encárgate de los tuyos.
—Catón.
Ad praetorium stato.
Sé firme ante el palacio.
—Catón.
Deo supplica.
Ruega a Dios.
—Catón.
Virtute utere.
Practica la virtud.
—Catón.
Coniugem ama.
Ama a tu esposa.
—Catón.
Qua legeris memento.
Recuerda lo que has leído.
—Catón.
Libros lege.
Lee libros.
—Catón.
Benefici accepti esto memor.
Acuérdate del bien que te hayan hecho.
—Catón.
Saluta libenter.
Saluda de buena gana.
—Catón.
Aleam fuge.
Rehúye el azar.
—Catón.
Parentes ama.
Ama a tus mayores.
—Catón.
Cognatos cole.
Sé considerado con tus semejantes.
—Catón.
Liberos erudi.
Enseña a tus hijos.
—Catón.
Iusiurandum serva.
Mantén tus juramentos.
—Catón.
Alienum noli concupiscere.
No desees lo que pertenezca a otros.
—Catón.
Blandus esto.
Sé flexible.
—Catón.
Aequum iudica.
Juzga equitativamente.
—Catón.
Tuta consule.
Da consejos seguros.
—Catón.
Minorem ne contempseris.
No menosprecies al más joven.
—Catón.
Bono benefacito.
Haz el bien a los buenos.
—Catón.
Iracundiam rege.
Controla tu ira.
—Catón.
Neminem riseris.
No te rías de nadie.
—Catón.
Intelligence: the pursuit of goals in the face of obstacles. —Steven Pinker, How the mind works (1997).
Rem tuam custodi.
Guarda lo que te pertenece.
—Catón.
Minime iudica.
No juzgues jamás.
—Catón.
Miserum noli irridere.
No te burles del desgraciado.
—Catón.
Meretricem fuge.
Rehúye las prostitutas.
—Catón.
Liberalibus stude.
Pon tu empeño en objetivos honrados.
—Catón.
Our enemies' opinion of us comes closer to the truth than our own. —François La Rochefoucauld.
Mutuum da.
Da en préstamo.
—Catón.
Pauca in convivio loquere.
Habla poco en los banquetes.
—Catón.
Irascere ob rem gravem.
Enfádate por cosas que lo merezcan.
—Catón.
Quod satis est dormi.
Duerme lo suficiente.
—Catón.
Even three-month-old infants prefer to look at a pretty face. —Steven Pinker, How the mind works (1997).
Quisque miser casu alterius solatia sumit.
A cualquier desgraciado, la desdicha de los otros lo colma de alborozo.
—Catón.
Maledicus ne esto.
No seas maldiciente.
—Catón.
Cum bonis ambula.
Anda con buenas compañías.
—Catón.
Pugna pro patria.
Lucha por tu patria.
—Catón.
Existimationem retine.
Conserva tu reputación.
—Catón.
Litteras disce.
Dótate de cultura.
—Catón.
Diligentiam adhibe.
Practica la diligencia.
—Catón.
Datum serva.
Conserva lo que te han dado.
—Catón.
Vino tempera.
Modérate en el vino.
—Catón.
Consultus esto.
Sé reflexivo.
—Catón.
Convivare raro.
Banquetes, sólo de tarde en tarde.
—Catón.
Foro parce.
Abstente de actividades públicas.
—Catón.
'I notice that everyone in favor of abortion has already been born'. —Ronald Reagan.
I love children, especially when they cry, for then someone takes them away. —Nancy Mitford.
Cui des videto.
Vigila a quien das.
—Catón.
Nihil arbitrio virium feceris.
No actúes al capricho de la fuerza.
—Catón.
In iudicio adesto.
Da tu apoyo en el tribunal.
—Catón.
Nihil mentire.
No mientas en nada.
—Catón.
PAINFUL BITS. Edited by Torribio Blups
http://www.torribioblups.net/painfulbits
Last updated on March 29, 2002