"We call “happiness” a certain set of circumstances that makes joy possible. But we call joy that state of mind and emotions that needs nothing to feel happy."

André Gide Literature See all quotes by André Gide →

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“The sole art that suits me is that which, rising from unrest, tends toward serenity.”

“When intelligent people pride themselves on not understanding, it is quite natural they should succeed better than fools.”

“True kindness presupposes the faculty of imagining as one’s own the suffering and joys of others.”

“The great artists are the ones who dare to entitle to beauty things so natural that when they’re seen afterward, people say: Why did I never realize before that this too was beautiful?”

“O my dearest and most lovable thought, why should I try further to legitimize your birth?”

“Often the best in us springs from the worst in us.”

Resonant Thoughts

"Men who have been guilty of a crime like rape or murder, should be visited with swift and certain punishment and the just effort made by the courts to protect them in their rights should under no circ…"

— Theodore Roosevelt

Politics1858–1919

#justice

"See, I never understand why my paintings hold together because I don't have any tricks for doing it and that is usually what makes a painting academic. There were some well-known devices for making a …"

— Adolph Gottlieb

Art1903–1974

#knowledge

"By this point he had seen enough of them to know that they were cooler under pressure, and better to be within a tight spot, than 999 out of 1,000 women. But their presence obliged him to divert a sig…"

— Neal Stephenson

Literature1959

#life

"The purpose of keeping any collection of wild animals in confinement should be threefold; first, to conduct as complete as possible a biological study of every species, especially those aspects which …"

— Gerald Durrell

Science

#nature