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Quotes of the day from previous years:
- 2004
- In properly organized groups no faith is required; what is required is simply a little trust and even that only for a little while, for the sooner a man begins to verify all he hears the better it is for him. ~ G. I. Gurdjieff
- selected by Kalki
- 2005
- I want to walk through life instead of being dragged through it. ~ Alanis Morissette (born 1 June 1974)
- This was the last quotation that was selected from the Quote of the Day proposals page, prior to setting up the current system of ranking quotes to be used for each day of the year. It was first proposed on that page on 8 August 2004 by IP 24.167.93.227 ~ Kalki
- 2006
- Surprise becomes effective when we suddenly face the enemy at one point with far more troops than he expected. This type of numerical superiority is quite distinct from numerical superiority in general: it is the most powerful medium in the art of war. ~ Carl von Clausewitz (born 1 June 1780)
- selected by Kalki
- 2007
- Strength of character does not consist solely in having powerful feelings, but in maintaining one’s balance in spite of them. Even with the violence of emotion, judgment and principle must still function like a ship’s compass, which records the slightest variations however rough the sea. ~ Carl von Clausewitz
- selected by Kalki
- 2008
- There are times when the utmost daring is the height of wisdom. ~ Carl von Clausewitz
- proposed by Kalki
- 2009
- If the mind is to emerge unscathed from this relentless struggle with the unforeseen, two qualities are indispensable: first, an intellect that, even in the darkest hour, retains some glimmerings of the inner light which leads to truth; and second, the courage to follow this faint light wherever it may lead. ~ Carl von Clausewitz
- proposed by Kalki
- 2010
- There is a legend about a bird that sings just once in its life, more sweetly than any other creature on the face of the earth. From the moment it leaves the nest it searches for a thorn tree and does not rest until it has found one. Then, singing among the savage branches, it impales itself upon the longest, sharpest spine. Dying, it rises above its own agony to out-carol the lark and the nightingale. One superlative song, existence the price. But the whole world stills to listen, and God in His heaven smiles. For the best is only bought at the cost of the great pain. … Or so says the legend. ~ Colleen McCullough
- proposed by Kalki
- 2011
- With uncertainty in one scale, courage and self-confidence should be thrown into the other to correct the balance. The greater they are, the greater the margin that can be left for accidents. ~ Carl von Clausewitz
- proposed by Kalki
- 2012
| Angels are those beings who have been on an earth like this, and have passed through the same ordeals that we are now passing through. They have kept their first estate far enough to preserve themselves in the Priesthood. They did not so violate the law of the Priesthood and condemn themselves to the sin against the Holy Ghost as to be finally lost. They are not crowned with the celestial ones. They are persons who have lived upon an earth, but did not magnify the Priesthood in that high degree that many others have done who have become Gods, even the sons of God. Human beings that pertain to this world, who do not magnify or are not capable of magnifying their high calling in the Priesthood and receive crowns of glory, immortality, and eternal lives, will also, when they again receive their bodies, become angels and will receive a glory. They are single, without families or kingdoms to reign over. All the difference between men and angels is, men are passing through the day of trial that angels have already passed through. |
| ~ Brigham Young ~ |
- proposed by Zarbon
- 2013
| Beauty cannot be defined by abscissas and ordinates; neither are circles and ellipses created by their geometrical formulas. |
| ~ Carl von Clausewitz ~ |
- proposed by Zarbon
- 2014
| Seize the time, Meribor. Live now. Make now always the most precious time. Now will never come again. |
| ~ Jean-Luc Picard ~ in Star Trek : The Next Generation ~ "The Inner Light" ~ |
- proposed by Kalki
- 2015
| I want to decide between survival and bliss And though I know who I'm not I still don't know who I am But I know I won't keep on playing the victim. |
| ~ Alanis Morissette ~ |
- proposed by Kalki
- 2016
| Determination in a single instance is an expression of courage; if it becomes characteristic, a mental habit. But here we are referring not to physical courage but to courage to accept responsibility, courage in the face of a moral danger. This has often been called courage d'esprit, because it is created by the intellect. That, however, does not make it an act of the intellect: it is an act of temperament. Intelligence alone is not courage; we often see that the most intelligent people are irresolute. Since in the rush of events a man is governed by feelings rather than by thought, the intellect needs to arouse the quality of courage, which then supports and sustains it in action. Looked at in this way, the role of determination is to limit the agonies of doubt and the perils of hesitation when the motives for action are inadequate. |
| ~ Carl von Clausewitz ~ |
- proposed by Zarbon
- 2017
There's an obvious attraction 'Cause it's easy not to |
| ~ Alanis Morissette ~ |
- proposed by Kalki
- 2018
| The mind is formed by the knowledge and the direction of ideas it receives and the guidance it is given. Great things alone can make a great mind, and petty things will make a petty mind unless a man rejects them as completely alien. |
| ~ Carl von Clausewitz ~ |
- proposed by Kalki
- 2019
| The truth is I've never fooled anyone. I've let men sometimes fool themselves. Men sometimes didn’t bother to find out who and what I was. Instead they would invent a character for me. I wouldn't argue with them. They were obviously loving somebody I wasn't. When they found this out, they would blame me for disillusioning them — and fooling them. |
| ~ Marilyn Monroe ~ |
- proposed by Kalki
- 2020
| The invention of gunpowder and the constant improvement of firearms are enough in themselves to show that the advance of civilization has done nothing practical to alter or deflect the impulse to destroy the enemy, which is central to the very idea of war. |
| ~ Carl von Clausewitz ~ |
- proposed by Zarbon
- 2021
| "God is love," as Scripture says, and that means the revelation is in the relationship. "God is love" means God is known devotionally, not dogmatically. "God is love" does not clear up old mysteries; it discloses new mystery. "God is love" is not a truth we can master; it is only one to which we can surrender. Faith is being grasped by the power of love. |
| ~ William Sloane Coffin ~ |
- proposed by Kalki
- 2022
| War is an act of violence pushed to its utmost bounds. |
| ~ Carl von Clausewitz ~ |
- proposed by Kalki
- 2023
| If we do not learn to regard a war, and the separate campaigns of which it is composed, as a chain of linked engagements each leading to the next, but instead succumb to the idea that the capture of certain geographical points or the seizure of undefended provinces are of value in themselves, we are liable to regard them as windfall profits. In so doing, and in ignoring the fact that they are links in a continuous chain of events, we also ignore the possibility that their possession may later lead to definite disadvantages. |
| ~ Carl von Clausewitz ~ |
- proposed by Kalki
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!
DOB: Carl von Clausewitz · Charlene (singer) · William Sloane Coffin · Morgan Freeman · Andy Griffith · Heidi Klum · Colleen McCullough · Marilyn Monroe · Geminiano Montanari · Alanis Morissette · Charles Kay Ogden · Kip Thorne · Events: Anne Boleyn crowned Queen of England 1533
... the side that feels the lesser urge for peace will naturally get the better bargain. ~ Carl von Clausewitz
- 4 because those who are far from heavy sympathy and peacefulness are those who end up obtaining most of the power, and hence, "the better bargain". Zarbon 17:06, 29 April 2008 (UTC)
- 1 Kalki 01:08, 31 May 2008 (UTC)
- 2 InvisibleSun 23:14, 31 May 2008 (UTC)
- 4 Ficaia (talk) 19:06, 12 May 2024 (UTC)
Where execution is dominant, as it is in the individual events of a war whether great or small, then intellectual factors are reduced to a minimum. ~ Carl von Clausewitz
- 3 because execution is the final judgment, but alas, a weaker form of proving a point where intellect fails. Zarbon 17:06, 29 April 2008 (UTC)
- 2 Kalki 01:08, 31 May 2008 (UTC)
- 2 InvisibleSun 23:14, 31 May 2008 (UTC)
...it intuitively seems correct that the brain is just some sort of computer—it just seems natural. … But it has undermined almost all of our work to build intelligent machines and understand thinking. It's just wrong … the brain isn't like a computer at all. ~ Jeff Hawkins (born June 1)
- 2 because the functions of the brain and its capacity in similarity to the workings of a computer have been compared often. Zarbon 16:15, 17 May 2008 (UTC)
- 2 Kalki 01:08, 31 May 2008 (UTC)
- 2 InvisibleSun 23:14, 31 May 2008 (UTC)
I never have hurt any person any other way except with this unruly member, my tongue. ~ Brigham Young (born June 1)
- 2 because words are a weapon. Zarbon 16:15, 17 May 2008 (UTC)
- 2 Kalki 01:08, 31 May 2008 (UTC)
- 2 InvisibleSun 23:14, 31 May 2008 (UTC)
Never let a day so pass that you will have cause to say, "I will live better tomorrow." ~ Brigham Young
- 3 because the desired tomorrow may never come. Zarbon 16:15, 17 May 2008 (UTC)
- 2 ♞☤☮♌︎Kalki ⚚⚓︎⊙☳☶⚡ 14:00, 30 May 2012 (UTC)
3 Kalki 01:08, 31 May 2008 (UTC) - 3 InvisibleSun 23:14, 31 May 2008 (UTC)
I want to live perfectly above the law, and make it my servant instead of my master. ~ Brigham Young
- 2 I think what Young is trying to say here is that making the law one's servant is the same as serving the law...which is actually corresponding with law. To master the law, would actually be going against it...nice way of putting it, a little confusing, but nice nonetheless. Zarbon 16:15, 17 May 2008 (UTC)
- 2 Kalki 01:08, 31 May 2008 (UTC)
2 InvisibleSun 23:14, 31 May 2008 (UTC)
Any complex activity, if it is to be carried on with any degree of virtuosity, calls for appropriate gifts of intellect and temperament. If they are outstanding and reveal themselves in exceptional achievements, their possessor is called a "genius". ~ Carl von Clausewitz
- 2 Kalki 20:08, 31 May 2009 (UTC)
* 3 Kalki 01:08, 31 May 2008 (UTC) - 1 Zarbon 03:24, 31 May 2008 (UTC)
- 2 InvisibleSun 23:14, 31 May 2008 (UTC)
Every time I scratch my nails down someone else's back I hope you feel it. ~ Alanis Morissette
- 2 Kalki (talk · contributions) 01:17, 28 May 2010 (UTC)
| Kind-hearted people might of course think there was some ingenious way to disarm or defeat the enemy without too much bloodshed, and might imagine this is the true goal of the art of war. Pleasant as it sounds, it is a fallacy that must be exposed: War is such a dangerous business that mistakes that come from kindness are the very worst. |
| ~ Carl von Clausewitz ~ |
| A conqueror is always a lover of peace (as Bonaparte always asserted of himself); he would like to make his entry into our state unopposed; in order to prevent this, we must choose war, and therefore also make preparations, that is in other words, it is just the weak, or that side which must defend itself, which should be always armed in order not to be taken by surprise; so it is willed by the art of war. |
| ~ Carl von Clausewitz ~ |
| Any move made in a state of tension will be of more important, and will have more results, than it would have made in a state of equilibrium. In times of maximum tension this importance will rise to an infinite degree. |
| ~ Carl von Clausewitz ~ |
| The moral elements are among the most important in war. They constitute the spirit that permeates war as a whole, and at an early stage they establish a close affinity with the will that moves and leads a whole mass of force, practically merging with it, since the will is itself a moral quantity. Unfortunately they will not yield to academic wisdom. They cannot be classified or counted. They have to be seen or felt. … It is paltry philosophy if in the old-fashioned way one lays down rules and principles in total disregard of moral values. As soon as these appear one regards them as exceptions, which gives them a certain scientific status, and thus makes them into rules. Or again one may appeal to genius, which is above all rules; which amounts to admitting that rules are not only made for idiots, but are idiotic in themselves. |
| ~ Carl von Clausewitz ~ |
- The pageant of the river bank had marched steadily along, unfolding itself in scene-pictures that succeeded each other in stately procession. Purple loosestrife arrived early, shaking luxuriant tangled locks along the edge of the mirror whence its own face laughed back at it. Willow-herb, tender and wistful, like a pink sunset cloud, was not slow to follow. Comfrey, the purple hand-in-hand with the white, crept forth to take its place in the line; and at last one morning the diffident and delaying dog-rose stepped delicately on the stage, and one knew, as if string-music had announced it in stately chords that strayed into a gavotte, that June at last was here.
- Kenneth Grahame, The Wind in the Willows
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