October 14

Quotes of the day from previous years:

2004

It is better to debate a question without deciding it than to decide it without debate. ~ Joseph Joubert

selected by Kalki

2005

love is the every only god ~ E. E. Cummings (born 14 October 1894)

proposed by Kalki

2006

I am totally convinced from my experience of working with poor people that they can get themselves out of poverty if we give them the same or similar opportunities we give to others. The poor themselves can create a poverty-free world — all we have to do is to free them from the chains that we have put around them. ~ Muhammad Yunus (winner of the Nobel Peace Prize in 2006)

proposed by Kalki

2007

There's an old African proverb that says "If you want to go quickly, go alone. If you want to go far, go together." We have to go far — quickly. And that means we have to quickly find a way to change the world's consciousness about exactly what we're facing, and why we have to work to solve it. ~ Al Gore (winner of the Nobel Peace Prize of 2007)

proposed by Kalki

2008

A people that values its privileges above its principles soon loses both. ~ Dwight D. Eisenhower (born 14 October 1890)

proposed by Kalki

2009

Man cannot be free if he does not know that he is subject to necessity, because his freedom is always won in his never wholly successful attempts to liberate himself from necessity. ~ Hannah Arendt

proposed by InvisibleSun

2010

We must be ready to dare all for our country. For history does not long entrust the care of freedom to the weak or the timid. We must acquire proficiency in defense and display stamina in purpose.
We must be willing, individually and as a Nation, to accept whatever sacrifices may be required of us. A people that values its privileges above its principles soon loses both. ~ Dwight D. Eisenhower

proposed by Kalki

2011

Art is a mystery.
A mystery is something immeasurable.
In so far as every child and woman and man may be immeasurable, art is the mystery of every man and woman and child. In so far as a human being is an artist, skies and mountains and oceans and thunderbolts and butterflies are immeasurable; and art is every mystery of nature. Nothing measurable can be alive; nothing which is not alive can be art; nothing which cannot be art is true: and everything untrue doesn’t matter a very good God damn... ~ E. E. Cummings

proposed by Kalki

2012

seeming's enough for slaves of space and time

— ours is the now and here of freedom. Come

~ E. E. Cummings ~

proposed by Kalki

2013

Almost anybody can learn to think or believe or know, but not a single human being can be taught to feel …
the moment you feel, you're nobody-but-yourself.
To be nobody-but-yourself-in a world which is doing its best, night and day, to make you everybody else — means to fight the hardest battle which any human being can fight; and never stop fighting.

~ E. E. Cummings ~

proposed by Kalki

2014

Love is indeed Heaven upon Earth; since Heaven above would not be Heaven without it: For where there is not Love, there is Fear: But perfect Love casts out Fear.

~ William Penn ~

proposed by Kalki

2015

Could we change our attitude, we should not only see life differently, but life itself would come to be different. Life would undergo a change of appearance because we ourselves had undergone a change of attitude.

~ Katherine Mansfield ~

proposed by Kalki

2016

Character in many ways is everything in leadership. It is made up of many things, but I would say character is really integrity. When you delegate something to a subordinate, for example, it is absolutely your responsibility, and he must understand this. You as a leader must take complete responsibility for what the subordinate does. I once said, as a sort of wisecrack, that leadership consists of nothing but taking responsibility for everything that goes wrong and giving your subordinates credit for everything that goes well.

~ Dwight D. Eisenhower ~

proposed by Kalki

2017

No people on earth can be held, as a people, to be an enemy, for all humanity shares the common hunger for peace and fellowship and justice. … No nation's security and well-being can be lastingly achieved in isolation but only in effective cooperation with fellow-nations. … Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired signifies, in the final sense, a theft from those who hunger and are not fed, those who are cold and are not clothed. This world in arms is not spending money alone. It is spending the sweat of its laborers, the genius of its scientists, the hopes of its children. ~

~ Dwight D. Eisenhower ~

proposed by Kalki

2018

Power and violence are opposites; where the one rules absolutely, the other is absent. Violence appears where power is in jeopardy, but left to its own course it ends in power's disappearance.

~ Hannah Arendt ~

proposed by InvisibleSun

2019

All of us have heard this term "preventative war" since the earliest days of Hitler. I recall that is about the first time I heard it. In this day and time … I don't believe there is such a thing; and, frankly, I wouldn't even listen to anyone seriously that came in and talked about such a thing.

~ Dwight D. Eisenhower ~

proposed by Kalki

2020

The supreme quality for a leader is unquestionably integrity. Without it, no real success is possible, no matter whether it is on a section gang, a football field, in an army, or in an office. If a man's associates find him guilty of being phony, if they find that he lacks forthright integrity, he will fail. His teachings and actions must square with each other. The first great need, therefore, is integrity and high purpose.

~ Dwight D. Eisenhower ~

proposed by Kalki

2021

What you have given me, is the most profound experience I could imagine. I’m so filled with emotion, about what’s just happened — it’s extraordinary. It’s extraordinary.
I hope I never recover from this. I hope that I can maintain what I feel now — I don’t want to lose it. It’s so … so much larger than me and life and it hasn’t got anything to do with the little green planet and the blue orb — it has to do with the enormity — at the quickness and the suddenness of life and death and then — oh my God!

~ William Shatner ~

proposed by Kalki, in regard of his becoming the oldest human to have as yet travelled into outer space.

2022

Our duty today is to our country and our children and our constitution. We are obligated to seek answers directly from the man who set this all in motion, and every American is entitled to those answers — so we can act now to protect our republic. So this afternoon, I am offering this resolution: that the committee direct the chairman to issue a subpoena for relevant documents and testimony under oath from Donald John Trump in connection with the January 6th attack on the United States Capital.

~ Liz Cheney ~

proposed by Kalki; recent remarks on significant current and historic events.

2023

The hand of the aggressor is stayed by strength — and strength alone.

~ Dwight D. Eisenhower ~

proposed by Kalki

2024

In the councils of government, we must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military-industrial complex. The potential for the disastrous rise of misplaced power exists and will persist. We must never let the weight of this combination endanger our liberties or democratic processes.

~ Dwight D. Eisenhower ~

proposed by Kalki, with extensions suggested by DanielTom.

2025: Rank or add further suggestions…

The Quote of the Day (QOTD) is a prominent feature of the Wikiquote Main Page. Thank you for submitting, reviewing, and ranking suggestions!

Ranking system

4 : Excellent – should definitely be used. (This is the utmost ranking and should be used by any editor for only one quote at a time for each date.)

3 : Very Good – strong desire to see it used.

2 : Good – some desire to see it used.

1 : Acceptable – but with no particular desire to see it used.

0 : Not acceptable – not appropriate for use as a quote of the day.

An averaging of the rankings provided to each suggestion produces it’s general ranking in considerations for selection of Quote of the Day. The selections made are usually chosen from the top ranked options existing on the page, but the provision of highly ranked late additions, especially in regard to special events (most commonly in regard to the deaths of famous people, or other major social or physical occurrences), always remain an option for final selections.

Thank you for participating!

Let's bounce, Tigger! ~ Roo, on Winnie the Pooh (date of publication)

2 (if anyone added more fun quotes to the article, I'd probably vote for them) ~ MosheZadka (Talk) 23:30, 5 October 2005 (UTC)
1 Zarbon 04:43, 25 April 2008 (UTC)
1 Kalki 21:45, 12 October 2008 (UTC)
1 InvisibleSun 22:15, 13 October 2008 (UTC)

Behold the Fruits of Love; the Power, Vertue, Benefit and Beauty of Love! Love is above all; and when it prevails in us all, we shall all be Lovely, and in Love with God and one with another. ~ William Penn (date of birth)

3 Kalki 22:46, 11 October 2005 (UTC) with a very strong lean toward 4.
2 InvisibleSun 07:26, 11 October 2006 (UTC)
1 Zarbon 04:43, 25 April 2008 (UTC)

It were better to be of no Church, than to be bitter for any. . ~ William Penn (date of birth)

3 Kalki 22:46, 11 October 2005 (UTC)
3 InvisibleSun 07:26, 11 October 2006 (UTC)
2 Zarbon 04:43, 25 April 2008 (UTC)

True religion does not draw men out of the world but enables them to live better in it and excites their endeavors to mend it. ~ William Penn (date of birth)

3 Kalki 22:46, 11 October 2005 (UTC) with a lean toward 4.
3 InvisibleSun 07:26, 11 October 2006 (UTC)
1 Zarbon 04:43, 25 April 2008 (UTC)*

I hate war as only a soldier who has lived it can, only as one who has seen its brutality, its stupidity. ~ Dwight D. Eisenhower (date of birth)

3 Kalki 22:46, 11 October 2005 (UTC) with a strong lean toward 4.
3 InvisibleSun 07:26, 11 October 2006 (UTC)
2 however, this is extremely biased, but it is perceptive. I live for the ideology of the soldier. Zarbon 04:43, 25 April 2008 (UTC)

It is of immense importance to learn to laugh at ourselves. ~ Katherine Mansfield (date of birth)

3 Kalki 22:46, 11 October 2005 (UTC) with a very strong lean toward 4, and I would now prefer to extend it to:

When we can begin to take our failures nonseriously, it means we are ceasing to be afraid of them. It is of immense importance to learn to laugh at ourselves. ~ Katherine Mansfield

2 InvisibleSun 07:26, 11 October 2006 (UTC)
1 Zarbon 04:43, 25 April 2008 (UTC)

Risk! Risk anything! Care no more for the opinion of others, for those voices. Do the hardest thing on earth for you. Act for yourself. Face the truth. ~ Katherine Mansfield (date of birth)

3 Kalki 22:46, 11 October 2005 (UTC)
3 InvisibleSun 07:26, 11 October 2006 (UTC)
1 Zarbon 04:43, 25 April 2008 (UTC)

The more you are motivated by love, the more fearless and free your actions will be. ~ Katherine Mansfield (date of birth)

0 Kalki 01:07, 14 October 2009 (UTC) I would rank this a 3 or 4, but I cannot find a source for it. * 3 Kalki 22:46, 11 October 2005 (UTC)

* 3 InvisibleSun 07:26, 11 October 2006 (UTC)

Changed to 1 because the quote is unsourced. - InvisibleSun 22:15, 13 October 2008 (UTC)
1 Zarbon 04:43, 25 April 2008 (UTC)

Time's a strange fellow; more he gives than takes (and he takes all) ~ E. E. Cummings (date of birth)

3 Kalki 22:46, 11 October 2005 (UTC) with a very strong lean toward 4.
3 InvisibleSun 07:26, 11 October 2006 (UTC)
2 Zarbon 04:43, 25 April 2008 (UTC)

The whole truth… sings only —and all lovers are the song ~ E. E. Cummings (date of birth)

3 Kalki 22:46, 11 October 2005 (UTC) with a lean toward 4.
2 InvisibleSun 07:26, 11 October 2006 (UTC)
1 Zarbon 04:43, 25 April 2008 (UTC)

no evil is so worse than worst you fall in hate with love ~ E. E. Cummings (date of birth)

3 Kalki 22:46, 11 October 2005 (UTC) with a very strong lean toward 4.
3 InvisibleSun 07:26, 11 October 2006 (UTC)
1 Zarbon 04:43, 25 April 2008 (UTC)

In God we trust, all others bring data. ~ W. Edwards Deming, date of birth

3 ~ UDScott 16:34, 19 December 2006 (UTC)

* 3 InvisibleSun 17:26, 13 October 2007 (UTC)

Changed to 1 because the quote is unsourced. - InvisibleSun 22:15, 13 October 2008 (UTC)
1 Zarbon 04:43, 25 April 2008 (UTC)
2 Kalki 21:45, 12 October 2008 (UTC) but it needs sourcing before it can be used.

Experience by itself teaches nothing...Without theory, experience has no meaning. Without theory, one has no questions to ask. Hence without theory there is no learning. ~ W. Edwards Deming, date of birth

3 ~ UDScott 16:34, 19 December 2006 (UTC)
3 InvisibleSun 17:26, 13 October 2007 (UTC)
2 Zarbon 04:43, 25 April 2008 (UTC)
3 Kalki 21:45, 12 October 2008 (UTC)

We are seeking our own authenticity, and we will find it because we wish, in the innermost fibers of our being to discover it. ~ Mobutu Sésé Seko (born October 14)

2 Zarbon 04:17, 27 April 2008 (UTC)
1 Kalki 21:45, 12 October 2008 (UTC)
1 InvisibleSun 22:15, 13 October 2008 (UTC)

The chief is the chief. He is the eagle who flies high and cannot be touched by the spit of the toad. ~ Mobutu Sésé Seko (born October 14)

4 because this is a nice personification. I personally like the toad as an animal, but the attribution here is negative, committing the eagle to high standards and the toad to that of the lower. And true as the quote says, the eagle soars as a chief, unscathed and untouched by those below. Zarbon 04:17, 27 April 2008 (UTC)
- SOURCE: Political Reform in Francophone Africa By John Frank Clark, David E. Gardinier - page 246
1 Kalki 21:45, 12 October 2008 (UTC)
1 InvisibleSun 22:15, 13 October 2008 (UTC)

When you are a soldier, either you surrender or you are killed. But you don't flee. ~ Mobutu Sésé Seko (born October 14)

3 because this is what the gallant steps of a soldier are all about. Zarbon 04:17, 27 April 2008 (UTC)
1 Kalki 21:45, 12 October 2008 (UTC)
1 InvisibleSun 22:15, 13 October 2008 (UTC)

It takes two to corrupt – the corrupted and the corrupter. ~ Mobutu Sésé Seko (born October 14)

2 Zarbon 05:39, 16 May 2008 (UTC)
2 Kalki 21:45, 12 October 2008 (UTC)
2 InvisibleSun 22:15, 13 October 2008 (UTC)

The starlight of heaven above us shall quiver
As our souls flow in one down eternity's river. ~ Thomas Osborne Davis

2 Zarbon 05:20, 3 July 2008 (UTC)
3 Kalki 21:45, 12 October 2008 (UTC)
2 InvisibleSun 22:15, 13 October 2008 (UTC)

Come in the evening, or come in the morning;
Come when you're looked for, or come without warning. ~ Thomas Osborne Davis

2 Zarbon 05:20, 3 July 2008 (UTC)
2 Kalki 21:45, 12 October 2008 (UTC)
2 InvisibleSun 22:15, 13 October 2008 (UTC)

I have opinions that are based on the facts that are presented to me. I don't apologize. I stand by it. If I'm hated, so what? If I'm loved, so what? ~ Stephen A. Smith

2 Zarbon 05:20, 3 July 2008 (UTC)
2 Kalki 21:45, 12 October 2008 (UTC)
2 InvisibleSun 22:15, 13 October 2008 (UTC)

I always felt that the great high privilege, relief and comfort of friendship was that one had to explain nothing. ~ Katherine Mansfield

3 Kalki 01:07, 14 October 2009 (UTC)

I have made it a rule of my life never to regret and never to look back. Regret is an appalling waste of energy, and no one who intends to become a writer can afford to indulge in it. ~ Katherine Mansfield

3 Kalki 01:07, 14 October 2009 (UTC)

Whenever I prepare for a journey I prepare as though for death. Should I never return, all is in order. This is what life has taught me. ~ Katherine Mansfield

3 Kalki 01:07, 14 October 2009 (UTC)

By health I mean the power to live a full, adult, living, breathing life in close contact with what I love — the earth and the wonders thereof — the sea — the sun. All that we mean when we speak of the external world. A want to enter into it, to be part of it, to live in it, to learn from it, to lose all that is superficial and acquired in me and to become a conscious direct human being. I want, by understanding myself, to understand others. I want to be all that I am capable of becoming so that I may be (and here I have stopped and waited and waited and it’s no good — there’s only one phrase that will do) a child of the sun. About helping others, about carrying a light and so on, it seems false to say a single word. Let it be at that. A child of the sun. ~ Katherine Mansfield

3 Kalki 01:07, 14 October 2009 (UTC) with a very strong lean toward 4.

follow no path
all paths lead where

truth is here
~ E. E. Cummings ~

3 Kalki 01:07, 14 October 2009 (UTC) with a strong lean toward 4.

i thank You God for most this amazing
day:for the leaping greenly spirits of trees
and a blue true dream of sky;and for everything
which is natural which is infinite which is yes
~ E. E. Cummings ~

3 Kalki 01:07, 14 October 2009 (UTC) with a strong lean toward 4.

what if a dawn of a doom of a dream
bites this universe in two,
peels forever out of it's grave
and sprinkles nowhere with me and you?
~ E. E. Cummings ~

3 Kalki 01:07, 14 October 2009 (UTC) with a strong lean toward 4.

when skies are hanged and oceans drowned, the single secret will still be man
~ E. E. Cummings ~

3 Kalki 01:07, 14 October 2009 (UTC) with a strong lean toward 4.

All in green went my love riding
on a great horse of gold
into the silver dawn.
~ E. E. Cummings ~

3 Kalki 01:07, 14 October 2009 (UTC) with a strong lean toward 4.

We are so proud of our guarantees of freedom in thought and speech and worship, that, unconsciously, we are guilty of one of the greatest errors that ignorance can make — we assume our standard of values is shared by all other humans in the world. ~ Dwight D. Eisenhower

3 Kalki 00:11, 26 October 2009 (UTC)

Neither a wise man or a brave man lies down on the tracks of history to wait for the train of the future to run over him. ~ Dwight D. Eisenhower

3 Kalki 00:11, 26 October 2009 (UTC)

Out flew the web and floated wide;

The mirror cracked from side to side;
"The curse is come upon me," cried
The Lady of Shalott.

~ Alfred, Lord Tennyson ~

4 nice, and widely quoted and recognized (for example, an Agatha Christie novel). A well-known quote that surprisingly hasn't been used before. Cremastra (talk) 01:12, 11 October 2024 (UTC)
1 ♞☤☮♌︎Kalki ⚚⚓︎⊙☳☶⚡ 00:35, 13 October 2024 (UTC); but would likely rank it higher with a relation to the date, such as Tennyson's birthday on 6 August.

Hello, Kalki, and thanks for moving this to the right section for suggestions. Could you elaborate why this is less desirable for QOTD? Cheers, Cremastra (talk) 01:11, 13 October 2024 (UTC)

Though it has never been an absolute requirement, it has long been the generally accepted practice to select and prefer quotes with some relationship to the date, usually in regard to the author's birthday, or historical events, or occasionally to recent events, such as notable deaths. As more people are becoming involved here, this probably should be added to the guidelines on these suggestion pages, and I might do that within a few days. ~ ♞☤☮♌︎Kalki ⚚⚓︎⊙☳☶⚡ 13:31, 13 October 2024 (UTC)

October 14

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October 14

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