November 22

Quotes of the day from previous years:

2004

I'd rather be a climbing ape than a falling angel. ~ Terry Pratchett

• selected by Kalki

2005

O may I join the choir invisible of those immortal dead who live again in minds made better by their presence; live in pulses stirred to generosity, in deeds of daring rectitude, in scorn for miserable aims that end with self, in thoughts sublime that pierce the night like stars, and with their mild persistence urge men's search to vaster issues. ~ George Eliot (born 22 November 1819)

• proposed by Kalki

2006

What do we live for, if it is not to make life less difficult to each other? ~ George Eliot

• proposed by Kalki

2007

This is life to come, —
Which martyred men have made more glorious
For us who strive to follow. May I reach
That purest heaven, — be to other souls
The cup of strength in some great agony,
Enkindle generous ardor, feed pure love,
Beget the smiles that have no cruelty,
Be the sweet presence of a good diffused,
And in diffusion ever more intense!
So shall I join the choir invisible
Whose music is the gladness of the world.
~ George Eliot ~

• proposed by Kalki

2008

Human feeling is like the mighty rivers that bless the earth: it does not wait for beauty — it flows with resistless force and brings beauty with it. ~ George Eliot

• proposed by Kalki

2009

It is well known to all experienced minds that our firmest convictions are often dependent on subtle impressions for which words are quite too coarse a medium. ~ George Eliot

• proposed by Kalki

2010

It is better to be hated for what you are than loved for what you are not. ~ André Gide

• proposed by Zarbon

2011

For the man sound in body and serene of mind there is no such thing as bad weather; every sky has its beauty, and storms which whip the blood do but make it pulse more vigorously. ~ George Gissing

• proposed by Zarbon

2012

Shall we not have reason to conclude, that other planets besides our own are inhabited by living creatures? All the planets resemble our earth; like it enjoy the light and genial warmth of the sun, have the alternation of night and day, and the succession of summer and winter: but what end would all these phenomena answer unless the planets were inhabited? Considering them as so many peopled worlds, what a sublime idea we conceive of the grandeur of God, and the extent of his empire! How impossible to fathom his bounty, or penetrate the limits of his power! His glory, reflected from so many worlds, tills us with amaze, and calls forth every sentiment of awe, veneration and gratitude. Supposing that his praise is celebrated in all the worlds which roll above and round us, let us not be surpassed in our adoration, but in holy emulation mingle our hymns with those of the inhabitants of these numerous worlds, and celebrate the Lord God of the universe with eternal thanksgiving!

~ Christoph Christian Sturm ~

• proposed by Kalki

2013

It should be clear by now that a nation can be no stronger abroad than she is at home. Only an America which practices what it preaches about equal rights and social justice will be respected by those whose choice affects our future. Only an America which has fully educated its citizens is fully capable of tackling the complex problems and perceiving the hidden dangers of the world in which we live. And only an America which is growing and prospering economically can sustain the worldwide defenses of freedom, while demonstrating to all concerned the opportunities of our system and society.

~ John F. Kennedy ~

• proposed by bystander

2014

High achievements demand some other unusual qualification besides an unusual desire for high prizes.

~ George Eliot ~

• proposed by Kalki

2015

Patriotism is when love of your own people comes first; nationalism, when hate for people other than your own comes first.

~ Charles de Gaulle ~

• proposed by Zarbon

2016

With what reason canst thou expect that thy children should follow thy good instructions, when thou thyself givest them an ill example? Thou dost but as it were beckon to them with thy head, and shew them the way to heaven by thy good counsel, but thou takest them by the hand and leadest them in the way to hell by thy contrary example.

~ John Tillotson ~

• proposed by Zarbon

2017

I wish to use my last hours of ease and strength in telling the strange story of my experience. I have never fully unbosomed myself to any human being; I have never been encouraged to trust much in the sympathy of my fellow-men. But we have all a chance of meeting with some pity, some tenderness, some charity, when we are dead: it is the living only who cannot be forgiven — the living only from whom men's indulgence and reverence are held off, like the rain by the hard east wind. While the heart beats, bruise it — it is your only opportunity; while the eye can still turn towards you with moist, timid entreaty, freeze it with an icy unanswering gaze; while the ear, that delicate messenger to the inmost sanctuary of the soul, can still take in the tones of kindness, put it off with hard civility, or sneering compliment, or envious affectation of indifference; while the creative brain can still throb with the sense of injustice, with the yearning for brotherly recognition — make haste — oppress it with your ill-considered judgements, your trivial comparisons, your careless misrepresentations. The heart will by and by be still … the eye will cease to entreat; the ear will be deaf; the brain will have ceased from all wants as well as from all work. Then your charitable speeches may find vent; then you may remember and pity the toil and the struggle and the failure; then you may give due honour to the work achieved; then you may find extenuation for errors, and may consent to bury them.

~ George Eliot ~

• proposed by Kalki

2018

Much time has passed since the first colonists came to rocky shores and dark forests of an unknown continent, much time since President Washington led a young people into the experience of nationhood, much time since President Lincoln saw the American nation through the ordeal of fraternal war — and in these years our population, our plenty and our power have all grown apace. … Yet, as our power has grown, so has our peril. Today we give our thanks, most of all, for the ideals of honor and faith we inherit from our forefathers — for the decency of purpose, steadfastness of resolve and strength of will, for the courage and the humility, which they possessed and which we must seek every day to emulate. As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words but to live by them. Let us therefore proclaim our gratitude to Providence for manifold blessings — let us be humbly thankful for inherited ideals — and let us resolve to share those blessings and those ideals with our fellow human beings throughout the world.

~ John F. Kennedy ~

• proposed by Kalki — A statement of JFK for the Thanksgiving Day of 1963, as QOTD of the holiday in 2018.

2019

President Putin and the Russian security services operate like a Super PAC. They deploy millions of dollars to weaponize our own political opposition research and false narratives. When we are consumed by partisan rancor, we cannot combat these external forces as they seek to divide us against each another, degrade our institutions, and destroy the faith of the American people in our democracy. I respect the work that this Congress does in carrying out its constitutional responsibilities, including in this inquiry, and I am here to help you to the best of my ability. If the President, or anyone else, impedes or subverts the national security of the United States in order to further domestic political or personal interests, that is more than worthy of your attention. But we must not let domestic politics stop us from defending ourselves against the foreign powers who truly wish us harm.

~ Fiona Hill ~

• proposed by Kalki

2020

Give me no light, great heaven, but such as turns To energy of human fellowship; No powers save the growing heritage That makes complete manhood.

~ George Eliot ~

• proposed by Kalki

2021

What another would have done as well as you, do not do it. What another would have said as well as you, do not say it; what another would have written as well, do not write it. Be faithful to that which exists nowhere but in yourself — and thus make yourself indispensable.

~ André Gide ~

• proposed by Kalki

2022

My own experience and development deepen everyday my conviction that our moral progress may be measured by the degree in which we sympathize with individual suffering and individual joy.

~ George Eliot ~

• proposed by Kalki

2023

Civility is not a sign of weakness, and sincerity is always subject to proof. Let us never negotiate out of fear. But let us never fear to negotiate. … Together let us explore the stars, conquer the deserts, eradicate disease, tap the ocean depths, and encourage the arts and commerce. … All this will not be finished in the first one hundred days. Nor will it be finished in the first one thousand days, nor in the life of this Administration, nor even perhaps in our lifetime on this planet. But let us begin.

~ John F. Kennedy ~

• proposed by UDScott

2024

The finest virtues can become deformed with age. The precise mind becomes finicky; the thrifty man, miserly; the cautious man, timorous; the man of imagination, fanciful. Even perseverance ends up in a sort of stupidity. Just as, on the other hand, being too willing to understand too many opinions, too diverse ways of seeing, constancy is lost and the mind goes astray in a restless fickleness.

~ André Gide ~

• proposed by bystander

2025

Rank or add further suggestions…

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Quotes by people born this day, already used as QOTD:

• The growing good of the world is partly dependent on unhistoric acts; and that things are not so ill with you and me as they might have been, is half owing to the number who lived faithfully a hidden life, and rest in unvisited tombs. ~ George Eliot
  • used 14 November 2003; selected by Kalki

• I like not only to be loved, but also to be told that I am loved. I am not sure that you are of the same mind. But the realm of silence is large enough beyond the grave. This is the world of light and speech, and I shall take leave to tell you that you are very dear. ~ George Eliot
  • used 8 September 2004; selected by Kalki

• Delicious autumn! My very soul is wedded to it, and if I were a bird I would fly about the earth seeking the successive autumns. ~ George Eliot
  • used 22 September 2005; proposed by Kalki

• My own experience and development deepen every day my conviction that our moral progress may be measured by the degree in which we sympathize with individual suffering and individual joy. ~ George Eliot
  • used 22 December 2005; proposed by UDScott

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Man is more interesting than men. God made him and not them in his image. Each one is more precious than all. ~ André Gide

• 2 Zarbon 03:54, 17 October 2008 (UTC)
• 2 Kalki 23:14, 21 November 2008 (UTC)
• 3 InvisibleSun 23:19, 21 November 2008 (UTC)

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I am a man who belongs to no-one and who belongs to everyone. ~ Charles de Gaulle

• 2 Zarbon 03:54, 17 October 2008 (UTC)
• 2 Kalki 23:14, 21 November 2008 (UTC)
• 3 InvisibleSun 23:19, 21 November 2008 (UTC)

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Nothing builds authority up like silence, splendor of the strong and shelter of the weak. ~ Charles de Gaulle

• 3 Zarbon 03:54, 17 October 2008 (UTC)
• 3 Kalki 23:14, 21 November 2008 (UTC)
• 3 InvisibleSun 23:19, 21 November 2008 (UTC)

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It is better to have a bad method than to have none. ~ Charles de Gaulle

• 4 Zarbon 03:54, 17 October 2008 (UTC)
• 1 Kalki 23:14, 21 November 2008 (UTC)
• 1 InvisibleSun 23:19, 21 November 2008 (UTC)

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We are taking care of our troops today, hence their loyalty. Formerly a rifle was given to a man and he had to shift for himself. ~ İsmail Enver

• 2 Zarbon 03:54, 17 October 2008 (UTC)
• 2 Kalki 23:14, 21 November 2008 (UTC)
• 1 InvisibleSun 23:19, 21 November 2008 (UTC)

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Economics is a science which studies human behavior as a relationship between ends and scarce means which have alternative uses. ~ Lionel Robbins

• 2.5 ~ DanielTom (talk) 23:03, 19 May 2016 (UTC)
• 2 ♞☤☮♌︎Kalki ⚚⚓︎⊙☳☶⚡ 08:22, 22 November 2017 (UTC)

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