"Whenever we would prepare the mind by a forcible appeal, an opening quotation is a symphony preluding on the chords those tones we are about to harmonize."

Isaac D'Israeli Literature See all quotes by Isaac D'Israeli →

React to this quote

More by Isaac D'Israeli

“Curiosities of Literature, Vol. II by Isaac Disraeli”

“The wisdom of the wise, and the experience of ages, may be preserved by quotation.”

“After the golden age of Latinity, we gradually slide into the silver, and at length precipitately descend into the iron.”

“An excessive indulgence in the pleasures of social life constitutes the great interests of a luxuriant and opulent age”

“Candour is the brightest gem of criticism.”

“The poet and the painter are only truly great by the mutual influences of their studies, and the jealousy of glory has only produced an idle contest.”

Resonant Thoughts

"the Chinese see the vulnerability of Taiwan, not getting United States support, then they would be thinking about starting scenarios where they would be able to take Taiwan over."

— Joseph Wu

Politics1954

#mind

"You ask if I would have been different without "Party guidance"? Yes, almost certainly. No doubt the line I was pursuing when I wrote the Fourth Symphony would have been stronger and sharper in my wor…"

— Dmitri Shostakovich

Music1906–1975

#art

"“All the ideas we have about the awakening actually are distortions about what it really is. So we really need to let go of not only all of our ideas of ourself, but all of our ideas about spiritual r…"

— Adyashanti

Literature1962

#truth

"It's not about Harriet Tubman, it's about keeping the picture on the $20. Y'know? Why would you want to change that? I am a conservative, I like to keep what we have. Here's what's really happening: T…"

— Steve King

Science1949

#knowledge