Anonymous

For quotes on the subject of anonymity, see Anonymity.

For quotes by or about the social activist group which promotes anonymous social action, see Anonymous (group).

Anonymous is the adjective form of anonymity derived from the Greek word ἀνωνυμία, anonymia, meaning "without a name" or "namelessness." It commonly refers to the state of an individual's personal identity, or personally identifiable information, being publicly unknown, intentionally or unintentionally. This article is for famous or notable quotes whose author is unknown.

Quotes by anonymous authors

• Τὁ ῥὀδον ἀκμἀζει βαιὀν χρονὁν’ ἢν δἑ παρἐλθυ,
  ζητῶν εὐρἠσεισ οὐ ῥὀδον, ἀλλἁ βἀτον.
  • Soon fades the rose; once past the fragrant hour,
    The loiterer finds a bramble for a flow’r.
  • Greek Anthology, bk. 11, no. 53; trans. Samuel Johnson, The Rambler, no. 71 (20 November 1750)

• Εἴθ᾿ ἄπυρον καλὸν γενοίμην μέγα χρυσίον,
  καί με καλὴ γυνὴ φοροίη καθαρὸν θεμένη νόον.
  • I would I were a jewel
       Of costly gold and fine,
    And a lovely woman wearing me
       With heart as true as mine!
  • Fragment, in Athenaeus, bk. 15, sec. 695d; trans. Walter Headlam, A Book of Greek Verse (1907), p. 39

    Cf. Tennyson, The Miller's Daughter · Sylvester, Woodman's Bear · Romeo and Juliet, act 2, sc. 2, l. 23

• Sumer is icumen in,
  Lhude sing cuccu!
  Groweth sed, and bloweth med,
  And springth the wude nu—
  Sing cuccu!
  • "Sumer is icumen in" (13th century), opening lines

• Perle, pleasaunte to prynces paye
  To clanly clos in golde so clere,
  Oute of oryent, I hardyly saye,
  Ne proued I neuer her precios pere.
  • Pearl (late 14th century), opening lines

• In Adam’s fall
  We sinnèd all.
  • The New England Primer (ed. 1727)

• Xerxes did die,
  And so must I.
  • The New England Primer (ed. 1777)

• Praise undeserv'd is satire in disguise.
  • "Epigram on a Certain Line of Mr. Br----, Author of a Copy of Verses, Call'd the British Beauties", in Lewis Theobald (ed.) The Grove; or, A Collection of Original Poems, Translations, &c (1721), p. 294

• Remember the Alamo!
  • Common American war cry (after 6 March 1836)

• Whatever you have to say, my friend,
  Whether witty or grave or gay,
  Condense as much as ever you can,
  And say it the readiest way;
  And whether you write of rural affairs
  Or of matter and things in town,
  Just take a word of friendly advice—
  Boil it down.
  • "Boil it Down", in the Manitoba Free Press (June 5, 1875)

• What we would achieve is, therefore, plainly and simply,—
  First, Destruction of the existing class rule, by all means, i.e., by energetic, relentless, revolutionary, and international action.
  Second, Establishment of a free society based upon co-operative organization of production.
  Third, Free exchange of equivalent products by and between the productive organizations without commerce and profit-mongery.
  Fourth, Organization of education on a secular, scientific, and equal basis for both sexes.
  Fifth, Equal rights for all without distinction to sex or race.
  Sixth, Regulation of all public affairs by free contracts between the autonomous (independent) communes and associations, resting on a federalistic basis.
  Whoever agrees with this ideal let him grasp our outstretched brother hands!
  Proletarians of all countries, unite!
  Fellow-workmen, all we need for the achievement of this great end is ORGANIZATION and UNITY.
  There exists now no great obstacle to that unity. The work of peaceful education and revolutionary conspiracy well can and ought to run in parallel lines.
  The day has come for solidarity. Join our ranks! Let the drum beat defiantly the roll of battle, "Workmen of all lands, unite! You have nothing to lose but your chains; you have a world to win!"
  Tremble, oppressors of the world! Not far beyond your purblind sight there dawns the scarlet and sable lights of the Judgment Day.
  • Pittsburgh Manifesto (October 1883), anarchist work

• Illegitimi non carborundum
  • Dog latin phrase meant to be read as "don’t let the bastards grind you down", even though a more accurate translation would be "The unlawful are not silicon carbide". Originated in World War II (c. 1941)

• Question everything; accept nothing without proof.
  • Reported in Elizabeth Janet Gray, Anthology with Comments (1942), p. 39

• Love starts when you sink in his arms and ends with your arms in his sink.
  • Reported in The Shepherd College Picket, vol. 47 (November 9, 1943), p. 4

• When the going gets tough, the tough get going.
  • Attributed to Joseph P. Kennedy Sr. in J. H. Cutler, Honey Fitz (1962), p. 291; also attributed to Knute Rockne, and others

• Real programmers don't comment their code. If it was hard to write it should be hard to understand.
  • Appeared in "Real Programmers Don't Use Pascal" (July 1983), but may or may not have been in existence beforehand

• Philosophy is questions that may never be answered. Religion is answers that may never be questioned.
  • Reported in Daniel Dennett, Breaking the Spell (Viking, 2006), p. 17

See also

• Proverbs, which are often passed down through the generations anonymously
• Bible — much of its material is of disputed authorship and is not believed to have been written by its purported authors
• Laozi — likely mythical founder of Taoism, most sayings attributed to him were probably written anonymously
• Nursery rhymes, many of unclear origin
• Beowulf
• Junius

External links

Wikisource has original works on the topic:

Anonymous texts