"I may not here omit those two main plagues and common dotages of human kind, wine and women, which have infatuated and besotted myriads of people; they go commonly together."

Robert Burton English-language literature See all quotes by Robert Burton →

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“To these crocodile tears they will add sobs, fiery sighs, and sorrowful countenance.”

“Though it rain daggers with their points downward.”

“Seneca thinks the gods are well pleased when they see great men contending with adversity.”

“Our conscience, which is a great ledger book, wherein are written all our offenses...grinds our souls with the remembrance of some precedent sins, makes us reflect upon, accuse and condemn ourselves.”

“The Chinese say that we Europeans have one eye, they themselves two, all the world else is blinde.”

“Out of too much learning become mad.”

Resonant Thoughts

"With this question of Denmark and Germany, two issues are brought clearly before us—I mean the question as to the dynastic, secret, irresponsible, engagements of our Foreign Office, and also the quest…"

— Richard Cobden

Politics1804–1865

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"I do not believe in violent changes, nor do I expect them. Things in possession have a very firm grip. One of the strongest cements of society is the conviction of mankind that the state of things int…"

— James Russell Lowell

Literature1819–1891

#Human Nature

"Ignorance is a kind of insanity in the human animal. People who delight in torturing defenseless children or tiny creatures are in reality insane. The terrible thing is that people who are madmen in p…"

— Akira Kurosawa

Entertainment1910–1998

#Human Nature

"As the elections were being held, he published in Gerarchla a disquisition on Machiavelli. He had, he remarked, just re-read the Florentine writer's corpus, although, he added modestly, he had not ful…"

— R.J.B. Bosworth

1943

#Human Nature