Blathery

Quotes & anectdotes from
the wise,
the foolish,
the courageous &
the drunk

Born this week

Eleanor Roosevelt

October 11, 1884November 7, 1962

Justice cannot be for one side alone, but must be for both.

Anna Eleanor Roosevelt was an American politician, diplomat, and activist. She was the longest-serving First Lady of the United States, ...

John Lennon

October 9, 1940December 8, 1980

God is a concept by which we measure our pain.

John Ono Lennon, MBE, born John Winston Lennon;, was an English musician, singer and songwriter who rose to worldwide fame as a founder ...

Denis Diderot

October 5, 1713July 31, 1784

The best doctor is the one you run to and can't find.

Denis Diderot was a French philosopher, art critic and writer. He was a prominent figure during the Enlightenment and is best known for ...

Niels Bohr

October 7, 1885November 18, 1962

The best weapon of a dictatorship is secrecy, but the best weapon of a democracy should be the weapon of openness.

Niels Henrik David Bohr was a Danish physicist who made foundational contributions to understanding atomic structure and quantum theory, ...

Frank Herbert

October 8, 1920February 11, 1986

How often it is that the angry man rages denial of what his inner self is telling him.

Franklin Patrick Herbert, Jr. was an American science fiction writer best known for the novel Dune and its five sequels. Though he became ...

Helen Hayes

October 10, 1900March 17, 1993

Age is not important unless you're a cheese.

Helen Hayes MacArthur was an American actress whose career spanned almost 80 years. She eventually garnered the nickname "First Lady of the ...

Ray Kroc

October 5, 1902January 14, 1984

We provide food that customers love, day after day after day. People just want more of it.

Raymond Albert "Ray" Kroc was an American businessman of Czech origin. He joined McDonald's in 1954 and built it into the most successful ...

Le Corbusier

October 6, 1887August 27, 1965

A house is a machine for living in.

Charles-Édouard Jeanneret-Gris, who was better known as Le Corbusier, was a Swiss-French architect, designer, painter, urban planner, ...

Jim Elliot

October 8, 1927January 8, 1956

God always gives His best to those who leave the choice with him.

Philip James "Jim" Elliot was an evangelical Christian who was one of five missionaries killed while participating in Operation Auca, an ...

William Samuel Johnson

October 7, 1727November 14, 1819

Whatever enlarges hope will also exalt courage.

William Samuel Johnson was an early American statesman who was notable for signing the United States Constitution, for representing ...

Lin Yutang

October 10, 1895March 26, 1976

No one realizes how beautiful it is to travel until he comes home and rests his head on his old, familiar pillow.

Lin Yutang was a Chinese writer, translator, linguist and inventor. His informal but polished style in both Chinese and English made him ...

Jonathan Edwards

October 5, 1703March 22, 1758

Prayer is as natural an expression of faith as breathing is of life.

Jonathan Edwards was a Christian preacher, philosopher, and theologian. Edwards "is widely acknowledged to be America's most important and ...

Henry A. Wallace

October 7, 1888November 18, 1965

It has been claimed at times that our modern age of technology facilitates dictatorship.

Henry Agard Wallace was the 33rd Vice President of the United States, the Secretary of Agriculture, and the Secretary of Commerce. In the ...

James Whitcomb Riley

October 7, 1849July 22, 1916

The anger of a person who is strong, can always bide its time.

James Whitcomb Riley was an American writer, poet, and best-selling author. During his lifetime he was known as the "Hoosier Poet" and ...

Jonathan Mayhew

October 8, 1720July 9, 1766

But let us remember, at the same time, government is sacred, and not to be trifled with.

Jonathan Mayhew (October 8, 1720 - July 9, 1766) was a noted American minister at Old West Church, Boston, Massachusetts. He is credited ...

Ivo Andric

October 9, 1892March 13, 1975

If people would know how little brain is ruling the world, they would die of fear.

Ivan "Ivo" Andrić was a Yugoslav novelist, short story writer, and the 1961 winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature. His writings dealt ...