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Wise men don't say, "I shall live to do that". Tomorrow's life's too late; live today.

Martial

Epigrams

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Topic

Living in the moment Present and future The present

Author

Martial

Source

Epigrams

Medium

Epigram

Language

Latin

Time

103 100s 2nd century

Era

Classical antiquity

Authentication Score 1

Original Citation

Martial. Epigrammata [Epigrams]. c. 102 AD, bk. 1, no. 15.

Current Citation

Martial. Epigrams, translated by Gideon Nisbet. Oxford University Press, 2015, bk. 1, no. 15.

A generous and elevated mind is distinguished by nothing more certainly than an eminent degree of curiosity.

Samuel Johnson

Quoted in The Life of Samuel Johnson, LL.D, by James Boswell

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Topic

Curiosity

Speaker

Samuel Johnson

Author

James Boswell

Source

The Life of Samuel Johnson, LL.D

Genre

Biography

Language

English

Time

1784 1780s 18th century

Era

Age of Enlightenment

Authentication Score 2

Original Citation

Johnson, Samuel. Quoted in The Life of Samuel Johnson, LL.D, written by James Boswell. Vol. 1, London: Charles Dilly, 1791, "1733," aetat. 24.

Current Citation

Johnson, Samuel. Quoted in The Life of Samuel Johnson, written by James Boswell, edited by David Womersley. Penguin Classics, 2008.

They come from the end of the line, most of 'em—small towns you never heard of: Pulaski, Tennessee; Brandon, Mississippi; Pork Bend, Utah; Wampum, Pennsylvania. Two years' high school's about it. Maybe if they're lucky, a job waiting for them back in a factory. But most of 'em got nothing. They're poor. They're the unwanted. Yet they're fighting for our society and our freedom. It's weird, isn't it? At the bottom of the barrel, they know it. Maybe that's why they call themselves "grunts", 'cause a grunt can take it—can take anything.

Platoon

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Topic

Soldiers Vietnam War

Speaker

Chris

Actor

Charlie Sheen

Source

Platoon

Medium

Film

Genre

War (film) War

Language

English

Time

1986 1980s 20th century

Authentication Score 3

Citation

Platoon. Directed by Oliver Stone, Hemdale Film Corporation, 1986.

Who so pulleth out this sword of this stone and anvil, is rightwise king born of all England.

Sir Thomas Mallory

Le Morte d'Arthur

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Topic

England

Author

Sir Thomas Mallory

Source

Le Morte d'Arthur

Language

English

Time

1485 1480s 15th century

Era

Middle Ages

Authentication Score 2

Original Citation

Malory, Thomas. Le Morte d'Arthur. London: William Caxton, 1485, bk. 1, ch. 5.

Current Citation

Malory, Thomas. Le Morte D'Arthur. Vol. 1, Penguin Classics, 1970, bk. 1, ch. 5.

Love is the longing for the half of ourselves we have lost.

Milan Kundera

The Unbearable Lightness of Being

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Topic

Love Melancholy

Author

Milan Kundera

Source

The Unbearable Lightness of Being

Medium

Novel

Language

Czech

Time

1984 1980s 20th century

Authentication Score 3

Original Citation

Kundera, Milan. L'insoutenable légèreté de l'être [The Unbearable Lightness of Being]. Gallimard, 1984.

Current Citation

Kundera, Milan. The Unbearable Lightness of Being, translated by Michael Henry Heim. Harper Perennial, 2009.

Everything that is hard to attain is easily assailed by the generality of men.

Ptolemy

Tetrabiblos

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Topic

Envy

Author

Ptolemy

Source

Tetrabiblos

Genre

Philosophical literature

Language

Greek

Time

168 160s 2nd century

Era

Classical antiquity

Authentication Score 2

Citation

Ptolemy, Claudius. Τετράβιβλος [Tetrabiblios]. c. 150, bk. 1.

For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.

Luke 14:11

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Topic

Pride vs. humility Pride Humility

Source

Gospel of Luke The Bible

Medium

Scripture

Genre

Religious literature

Statement Type

Paradox

Language

Greek

Time

61 60s 1st century

Era

Classical antiquity

Authentication Score 3

Citation

The Holy Bible: The King James Version. 1611. (Luke 14:11).

He is no wise man who will quit a certainty for an uncertainty.

Samuel Johnson

More information about this quote

Topic

Uncertainty Certainty Wisdom

Author

Samuel Johnson

Source

The Idler

Language

English

Time

1759 1750s 18th century

Authentication Score 3

Citation

Johnson, Samuel. "Idler." Universal Chronicle, 19 May 1759, no. 57.

Nothing is worse than having an itch you can never scratch!

Blade Runner

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Topic

Powerlessness

Speaker

Leon Kowalski

Actor

Brion James

Source

Blade Runner

Medium

Film

Genre

Dystopian (film) Science fiction (film) Dystopian Science fiction

Language

English

Time

1982 1980s 20th century

Authentication Score 3

Citation

Blade Runner. Directed by Ridley Scott, The Ladd Company/Blade Runner Partnership/Shaw Brothers Studio, 1982.

At the dawn of the 21st century, a free people must now choose to shape the forces of the information age and the global society, to unleash the limitless potential of all our people, and yes, to form a more perfect Union.

Bill Clinton

Second Inaugural Address of Bill Clinton

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Topic

America and the world

Speaker

Bill Clinton

Source

Second Inaugural Address of Bill Clinton Presidential inaugural address

Medium

Speech

Genre

Political speech

Language

English

Time

1997 1990s 20th century

Authentication Score 3

Citation

Clinton, William J. "Second Inaugural Address." 20 Jan. 1997, West Front, US Capitol Building, Washington, DC, USA.

Sweet childish days, that were as long
As twenty days are now.

William Wordsworth

To a Butterfly (I've Watched You Now a Full Half-Hour)

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Topic

Childhood Nature of time Passage of time

Author

William Wordsworth

Source

To a Butterfly (I've Watched You Now a Full Half-Hour)

Medium

Poem

Language

English

Time

1807 1800s 19th century

Authentication Score 3

Original Citation

Wordsworth, William. "To a Butterfly." Poems, in Two Volumes. Vol. 2, London: Longman, Hurst, Rees & Orme, 1807, st. 2.

Current Citation

Wordsworth, William. "To a Butterfly ('I've watch you')." William Wordsworth: The Major Works: including The Prelude, edited by Stephen Gill. Oxford University Press, 2008.

It's that every now and again, not often, but occasionally, you get to be a part of justice being done. That really is quite a thrill when that happens.

Philadelphia

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Topic

Fighting for justice Justice

Speaker

Andrew Beckett

Actor

Tom Hanks

Source

Philadelphia

Medium

Film

Genre

Drama (film) Drama

Language

English

Time

1993 1990s 20th century

Authentication Score 3

Citation

Philadelphia. Directed by Jonathan Demme. Clinica Estetico/TriStar Pictures, 1993.

Lynchings must not be tolerated in a great and civilized country like the United States; courts, not mobs, must execute the penalties of the law.

William McKinley

First Inaugural Address of William McKinley

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Topic

Lynching Jim Crow Rule of law

Speaker

William McKinley

Source

First Inaugural Address of William McKinley Presidential inaugural address

Medium

Speech

Genre

Political speech

Language

English

Time

1897 1890s 19th century

Authentication Score 2

Citation

McKinley, William. "First Inaugural Address." 4 Mar. 1897, Front of original Senate Wing, US Capitol Building, Washington, DC, USA.

When you decide to be something, you can be it. That's what they don't tell you in the church. When I was your age they would say we can become cops or criminals. Today, what I'm saying is this: when you're facing a loaded gun, what's the difference?

The Departed

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Topic

Vocation Decisions and choices

Speaker

Frank Costello

Actor

Jack Nicholson

Source

The Departed

Medium

Film

Genre

Crime (drama) Thriller (film) Crime Thriller

Language

English

Time

2006 2000s 21st century

Authentication Score 3

Citation

The Departed. Directed by Martin Scorsese, Plan B Entertainment, Warner Bros. Pictures, Vertigo Entertainment, Media Asia Entertainment Group, Vertigo Films, GK Films, and Media Asia Films, 2006.

Laws are sand, customs are rock. Laws can be evaded and punishment escaped, but an openly transgressed custom brings sure punishment.

Mark Twain

More information about this quote

Topic

Custom and convention Legal theory Law

Author

Mark Twain

Source

The Gorky Incident

Language

English

Time

1906 1900s 20th century

Authentication Score 3

Original Citation

Twain, Mark. The Gorky Incident. 1906.

Current Citation

Twain, Mark. "The Gorky Incident." Letters from the Earth: Uncensored Writings, edited by Bernard DeVoto. Harper Perennial Modern Classics, 2004.

America will start winning again, winning like never before. We will bring back our jobs. We will bring back our borders. We will bring back our wealth. And we will bring back our dreams.

Donald Trump

Inaugural Address of Donald Trump

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Topic

American politics

Speaker

Donald Trump

Source

Inaugural Address of Donald Trump Presidential inaugural address

Medium

Speech

Genre

Political speech

Language

English

Time

2017 2010s 21st century

Authentication Score 3

Citation

Trump, Donald. "Inaugural Address." 20 Jan. 2017, West Front, US Capitol Building, Washington, DC, USA.

We need a new Government for a new century, humble enough not to try to solve all our problems for us but strong enough to give us the tools to solve our problems for ourselves... The preeminent mission of our new Government is to give all Americans an opportunity, not a guarantee but a real opportunity, to build better lives.

Bill Clinton

Second Inaugural Address of Bill Clinton

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Topic

Role of government

Speaker

Bill Clinton

Source

Second Inaugural Address of Bill Clinton Presidential inaugural address

Medium

Speech

Genre

Political speech

Language

English

Time

1997 1990s 20th century

Authentication Score 3

Citation

Clinton, William J. "Second Inaugural Address." 20 Jan. 1997, West Front, US Capitol Building, Washington, DC, USA.

Do not marvel at this; for the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear His voice and come forth—those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation.

Jesus

John 5:28-29

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Topic

Resurrection Judgment Day End times

Speaker

Jesus

Source

Gospel of John The Bible

Medium

Scripture

Genre

Religious literature

Language

Greek

Time

90 90s 1st century

Era

Classical antiquity

Authentication Score 3

Citation

The Holy Bible: The King James Version. 1611. (John 5:28-29).

The more we love our friends, the less we flatter them; it is by excusing nothing that pure love shows itself.

Molière

The Misanthrope

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Topic

Honesty in friendship Friendship

Speaker

Alceste

Author

Molière

Source

The Misanthrope

Medium

Play

Genre

Comedic play

Language

French

Time

1666 1660s 17th century

Authentication Score 3

Original Citation

Molière. Le Misanthrope ou l'Atrabilaire amoureux [The Misanthrope, or the Cantankerous Lover]. King's Players, 4 June 1666, Théâtre du Palais-Royal, Paris, France, act 1, sc. 4.

Current Citation

Moliere. "The Misanthrope." The Misanthrope, Tartuffe, and Other Plays, translated by Maya Slater. Oxford University Press, 2008, act 1, sc. 4.

Moments of crisis produce in man a redoubling of life.

François-Rene de Chateaubriand

More information about this quote

Topic

Inflection points Difficult situations Overcoming adversity Adversity Motivation

Author

François-Rene de Chateaubriand

Source

Memoirs from Beyond the Grave

Genre

Autobiography and memoir

Language

French

Time

1850 1850s 19th century

Authentication Score 1

Original Citation

De Chateaubriand, Francois Rene. Memoires d'outre Tomb [Memoirs from Beyond the Grave]. Vol. 2, Paris: Penaud frères, 1850, bk. 5, ch. 14.

Current Citation

De Chateaubriand, Francois Rene. Memoirs from Beyond the Grave: 1768-1800, translated by Alex Andriesse. NYRB Classics, 2018.