Wise and Funny Statements

[Sol Invictus]

How fortunate for governments that the people they administer don't think. Adolf Hitler

There are two ways to conquer and enslave a nation. One is by the sword, the other is by debt. John Adams

It's not the strongest of species that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change. Charles Darwin

There is only one corner of the universe you can be certain of improving, and that's yourself. Aldous Huxley

Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it's the only thing that ever has. Margaret Mead

It's not that I am so smart, it's just that I stay with problems longer. Albert Einstein

"It's not what you look at that matters, it's what you see." Henry David Thoreau



For a country, everything will be lost when the jobs of an economist and a banker become highly respected professions. Montesquieu

"Central bankers... they often don't know where they are, let alone where they are heading; their maps and compasses are unreliable and their steering is wonky.
Worst of all their recent policy dilemmas are the equivalent of not knowing whether the earth is round or flat." The Economist

I was in search of a one-armed economist so that the guy could never make a statement and then say:"on the other hand." Harry S. Truman

Central Bankers are brought up pulling the legs off ants. Paul Volker

Banking Establishments are more dangerous than standing armies. Thomas Jefferson

The best minds are not in government. If any were, business would hire them away. Ronald Reagan

Every successful enterprise requires three people, a dreamer, a business man, and a son of a bitch. Peter Mc Arthur


If Stupidity got us into this mess, then why can't it get us out? Will Rogers (1879-1935)

It is not the crook in modern business that we fear, but the honest man who does not know what he is doing. Owen D. Young

[Psychonaut]

The Spartans were the absolute masters of the one-liners. They were so great at coming up with witticisms that their particular type has it's own name: the Laconic phrase (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laconic). A few of my favorites:


A witticism attributed to Lycurgus, the legendary lawgiver of Sparta, was a response to a proposal to set up a democracy there: "Begin with your own family."


One famous example comes from the time of the invasion of Philip II of Macedon. With key Greek city-states in submission, he turned his attention to Sparta and sent a message: "If I win this war, you will be slaves forever." In another version, Philip proclaims: "You are advised to submit without further delay, for if I bring my army into your land, I will destroy your farms, slay your people, and raze your city." The Spartan ephors sent back a one word reply: "If." Subsequently, both Philip and Alexander would avoid Sparta entirely.


When Leonidas was in charge of guarding the narrow mountain pass at Thermopylae with just 7,000 Greek men in order to delay the invading Persian army, Xerxes offered to spare his men if they gave up their arms. Leonidas replied "Molon labe" (Greek: Μολών λαβέ), which translates to "Come and take them". Today this is the motto of the Greek 1st Army Corps.