"It's an honor to be beheaded. Even a little churl becomes a man by being beheaded."

Halldór Laxness Literature See all quotes by Halldór Laxness →

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“o anyone who weeps, life has some importance.”

“It's a useful habit to never believe more than half of what people tell you, and not to concern yourself with the rest. Rather keep your mind free and your path your own.”

“My image will soon be obliterated; it was only an illusion. But even though I may fall, even though my image may be obliterated, there is one thing that will never fall and can never be obliterated, and that is the yearning of those in chains for liberty.”

“You should deny facts if they're inconvenient.”

“He who weeps does not die; weeping is a sign of life; weep, and your life is worth something again.”

“They thought I was an Icelander! But I'm no Icelander, s'help me!”

Resonant Thoughts

"First: my Friend planted a Row of Indian corn that was Coloured Red and Blue; the rest of the Field being planted with corn of the yellow, which is the most usual color. To the Windward side, this Red…"

— Cotton Mather

Literature1663–1728

#philosophy

"when Jesus Christ was still hanging on the tree nails were still into his palms and feet, and he was naked, and he was being mocked by Pharisees underneath the cross, he did not wait for the pain to s…"

— John Rucyahana

Religion1945

#philosophy

"The most beautiful experience we can have is the mysterious. It is the fundamental emotion that stands at the cradle of true art and true science. Whoever does not know it and can no longer wonder, no…"

— Albert Einstein

Science1879–1955

#philosophy

"Let us contemplate two epochal events in the long human story. One is the annunciation of the unity of God at Mt. Sinai. That same God was said to have made man, alone among living beings, in His imag…"

— Harry V. Jaffa

Philosophy1918–2015

#philosophy