Quote collection

Thinking Quotes — page 497 of 4756

JO
Johan Oscar Smith Businessman
Hopeful

“A longsuffering person will endure where others give up. He always thinks about how God has been longsuffering toward him, and he counts God's longsuffering as salvation. Longsuffering endures where no one else can endure, and it always hopes for a happy result at the end.”

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe Poet, Playwright, Novelist
Philosophical

“All ages have said and repeated that one should strive to know one's self. This is a strange demand which no one up to now has measured up to and, strictly considered, no one should. With all their study and effort, people are directed to what is outside, to the world about them, and they are kept busy coming to know this and to master it to the extent that their purposes require. . . . How can you come to know yourself? Never by thinking, always by doing. Try to do your duty, and you'll know right away what you amount to. And what is your duty? Whatever the day calls for.”

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Johann Wolfgang von Goethe Poet, Playwright, Novelist
Philosophical

“It is natural to man to regard himself as the object of the creation, and to think of all things in relation to himself, and the degree in which they can serve and be useful to him.”

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JA
John Adams Founding Father, Politician
Angry

“Power always sincerely, conscientiously, de très bon foi, believes itself right. Power always thinks it has a great soul and vast views, beyond the comprehension of the weak.”

JA
John Adams Founding Father, Politician
Philosophical

“A question arises whether all the powers of government, legislative, executive, and judicial, shall be left in this body? I think a people cannot be long free, nor ever happy, whose government is in one Assembly.”

John Bachman Naturalist, Botanist
Bold

“The president said nothing about the views of government in regard to the possibility of Carolinas seceding. This however was frequently spoken of by other statesmen at the North. I think they were unanimous in this, that no army would be sent here.”

John Donne Poet, Cleric
Angry

“God affords no man the comfort, the false comfort of Atheism: He will not allow a pretending Atheist the power to flatter himself, so far, as to seriously think there is no God.”

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John F. Kennedy Politician
Hopeful

“But I think the American people expect more from us than cries of indignation and attack. The times are too grave, the challenge too urgent, and the stakes too high to permit the customary passions of political debate. We are not here to curse the darkness, but to light the candle that can guide us through that darkness to a safe and sane future. As Winston Churchill said on taking office some twenty years ago: if we open a quarrel between the present and the past, we shall be in danger of losing the future.”

John F. Kennedy Politician
Hopeful

“This is one country. It has become one country because all of us and all the people who came here had an equal chance to develop their talents. We cannot say to ten percent of the population that you can't have that right; that your children cannot have the chance to develop whatever talents they have; that the only way that they are going to get their rights is to go in the street and demonstrate. I think we owe them and we owe ourselves a better country than that.”

John F. Kennedy Politician
Inspired

“I think we're going to have to do better. Mr. Nixon talks about our being the strongest country in the world. I think we are today, but we were far stronger relative to the Communists 5 years ago. And what is of great concern is that the balance of power is in danger of moving with them. They made a breakthrough in missiles and by 1961, '2, and '3, they will be outnumbering us in missiles.”

John F. Kennedy Politician
Courageous

“I think the American people expect more from us than cries of indignation and attack. The times are too grave, the challenge too urgent, and the stakes too high - to permit the customary passions of political debate.”

John F. Kennedy Politician
Inspired

“I don't think the intelligence reports are all that hot. Some days I get more out of the New York Times.”

JG
John Gould Artist
Grateful

“I dont think a really good pie can be made without a dozen or so children peeking over your shoulder as you stoop to look in at it every little while.”