English Quotes

But, if the follies of youth made me for a while forget his wise lessons, I have at length the happiness to be conscious that, whatever propensity one may have to vice, it is not easy for an education, with which love has mingled, to be entirely thrown away. #JeanJacquesRousseau — English Quotes (@english_quotes) Feb 19, 2026

The race is not always to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, nor bread to the wise, nor favor to those of skill, but time and chance happen to them all. An essential part of rationality is dealing with randomness in our lives and uncertainty in our knowledge. #StevenPinker

The race is not always to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, nor bread to the wise, nor favor to those of skill, but time and chance happen to them all. An essential part of rationality is dealing with randomness in our lives and uncertainty in our knowledge. #StevenPinker — English Quotes (@english_quotes) Feb 19, 2026

There is a helplessness in the character of extreme humanity which more than any thing interests our pity. There is nothing in itself which renders it either ungraceful or disagreeable. We only regret that it is unfit for the world, because the world is unworthy of it #AdamSmith

There is a helplessness in the character of extreme humanity which more than any thing interests our pity. There is nothing in itself which renders it either ungraceful or disagreeable. We only regret that it is unfit for the world, because the world is unworthy of it #AdamSmith — English Quotes (@english_quotes) Feb 18, 2026

If I had my life to live over again, I would have made a rule to read some poetry and listen to some music at least once every week. #CharlesDarwin

If I had my life to live over again, I would have made a rule to read some poetry and listen to some music at least once every week. #CharlesDarwin — English Quotes (@english_quotes) Feb 18, 2026

I think often about how much time and energy we use thinking up things to say that would go over well with a context-collapsed crowd... This is its own form of research, and when I do it, it feels not only pathetic but like a waste of energy. #JennyOdell

I think often about how much time and energy we use thinking up things to say that would go over well with a context-collapsed crowd... This is its own form of research, and when I do it, it feels not only pathetic but like a waste of energy. #JennyOdell — English Quotes (@english_quotes) Feb 18, 2026

The big question facing humans isn't what is the meaning of life? but rather how do we stop suffering? #YuvalNoahHarari

The big question facing humans isn't what is the meaning of life? but rather how do we stop suffering? #YuvalNoahHarari — English Quotes (@english_quotes) Feb 18, 2026

Just as when two clashing musical notes played together force a piece of music forward, so discord in our thoughts, ideas and values compel us to think, re-evaluate and criticise. Consistency is the playground of dull minds. #YuvalNoahHarari

Just as when two clashing musical notes played together force a piece of music forward, so discord in our thoughts, ideas and values compel us to think, re-evaluate and criticise. Consistency is the playground of dull minds. #YuvalNoahHarari — English Quotes (@english_quotes) Feb 18, 2026

The noise of fast and shallow communications makes it harder to hear the quieter sounds that emanate from the depths. #DavidBrooks

The noise of fast and shallow communications makes it harder to hear the quieter sounds that emanate from the depths. #DavidBrooks — English Quotes (@english_quotes) Feb 18, 2026

Find the most believable people possible who disagree with you and try to understand their reasoning. Having open-minded conversations with believable people who disagree with you is the quickest way to get an education and to increase your probability of being right. #RayDalio

Find the most believable people possible who disagree with you and try to understand their reasoning. Having open-minded conversations with believable people who disagree with you is the quickest way to get an education and to increase your probability of being right. #RayDalio — English Quotes (@english_quotes) Feb 17, 2026

...the savage lives within himself, whereas the citizen, constantly beside himself, knows only how to live in the opinion of others; insomuch that it is, if I may say so, merely from their judgment that he derives the consciousness of his own existence. #JeanJacquesRousseau

...the savage lives within himself, whereas the citizen, constantly beside himself, knows only how to live in the opinion of others; insomuch that it is, if I may say so, merely from their judgment that he derives the consciousness of his own existence. #JeanJacquesRousseau — English Quotes (@english_quotes) Feb 17, 2026

...there are costs to averting our eyes from the realities. We put off dealing with the adaptations that we need to make as a society. And we blind ourselves to the opportunities that exist to change the individual experience of aging for the better. #AtulGawande

...there are costs to averting our eyes from the realities. We put off dealing with the adaptations that we need to make as a society. And we blind ourselves to the opportunities that exist to change the individual experience of aging for the better. #AtulGawande — English Quotes (@english_quotes) Feb 17, 2026

[Not no sex as] then we are oppressed or possibly repressed, and we're either not being our true authentic selves, or we havent discovered this crucial side of ourselves that is our sexuality in relation to other people, or we haven't grown up properly or awakened yet #AngelaChen

[Not no sex as] then we are oppressed or possibly repressed, and we're either not being our true authentic selves, or we havent discovered this crucial side of ourselves that is our sexuality in relation to other people, or we haven't grown up properly or awakened yet #AngelaChen — English Quotes (@english_quotes) Feb 17, 2026

Faith, if it is ever right about anything, is right by accident. #SamHarris

Faith, if it is ever right about anything, is right by accident. #SamHarris — English Quotes (@english_quotes) Feb 17, 2026

What's the point of this things condemning things? You a worthless man about to die... how do you know I'm a worthless tree? #ZhuangZhou

What's the point of this things condemning things? You a worthless man about to die... how do you know I'm a worthless tree? #ZhuangZhou — English Quotes (@english_quotes) Feb 17, 2026

But this principle [of separation between church and state] is based on a more profound philosophical idea -- that no matter how certain you may be that you are in possession of the truth, you have no right to impose your belief on society as a whole. #HelenPluckrose

But this principle [of separation between church and state] is based on a more profound philosophical idea -- that no matter how certain you may be that you are in possession of the truth, you have no right to impose your belief on society as a whole. #HelenPluckrose — English Quotes (@english_quotes) Feb 16, 2026

Faith is a place of mystery, where we find the courage to believe in what we cannot see and the strength to let go of our fear of uncertainty. #BreneBrown

Faith is a place of mystery, where we find the courage to believe in what we cannot see and the strength to let go of our fear of uncertainty. #BreneBrown — English Quotes (@english_quotes) Feb 16, 2026

Satisfying consumer demand is not valuable in itself; its value depends, case by case, on the moral status of the ends it serves. #MichaelSandel

Satisfying consumer demand is not valuable in itself; its value depends, case by case, on the moral status of the ends it serves. #MichaelSandel — English Quotes (@english_quotes) Feb 16, 2026

Eating a quart of ice cream in an afternoon or listening to a new CD ten times in a row are good ways to overdose and deaden yourself to future pleasure. #JonathanHaidt

Eating a quart of ice cream in an afternoon or listening to a new CD ten times in a row are good ways to overdose and deaden yourself to future pleasure. #JonathanHaidt — English Quotes (@english_quotes) Feb 16, 2026

Our propensity to impose meaning and concepts blocks our awareness of the details making up the concept. #NassimNicholasTaleb

Our propensity to impose meaning and concepts blocks our awareness of the details making up the concept. #NassimNicholasTaleb — English Quotes (@english_quotes) Feb 16, 2026

We laugh at others and we don't realize that someone will be just as justified in laughing at us on some not too remote day. #NassimNicholasTaleb

We laugh at others and we don't realize that someone will be just as justified in laughing at us on some not too remote day. #NassimNicholasTaleb — English Quotes (@english_quotes) Feb 15, 2026

Because most people are more emotional than logical, they tend to overreact to short-term results; they give up and sell low when times are bad and buy too high when times are good. I find this is just as true for relationships as it is for investments. #RayDalio

Because most people are more emotional than logical, they tend to overreact to short-term results; they give up and sell low when times are bad and buy too high when times are good. I find this is just as true for relationships as it is for investments. #RayDalio — English Quotes (@english_quotes) Feb 15, 2026

I got a lot out of my bad times, not just because they gave me mistakes to learn from but also because they helped me find out who my real friends were--the friends who would be with me through thick and thin. #RayDalio

I got a lot out of my bad times, not just because they gave me mistakes to learn from but also because they helped me find out who my real friends were--the friends who would be with me through thick and thin. #RayDalio — English Quotes (@english_quotes) Feb 15, 2026

We can be absolutely certain only about things we do not understand. #EricHoffer

We can be absolutely certain only about things we do not understand. #EricHoffer — English Quotes (@english_quotes) Feb 15, 2026

If Passion drives, let Reason hold the Reins. #BenjaminFranklin

If Passion drives, let Reason hold the Reins. #BenjaminFranklin — English Quotes (@english_quotes) Feb 15, 2026

...the modern idea of productivity is so often a frame for what is actually the destruction of the natural productivity of an ecosystem [...] like the paradox in Zhuang Zhou's story, which more than anything is a joke about how narrow the concept of usefulness is. #JennyOdell

...the modern idea of productivity is so often a frame for what is actually the destruction of the natural productivity of an ecosystem [...] like the paradox in Zhuang Zhou's story, which more than anything is a joke about how narrow the concept of usefulness is. #JennyOdell — English Quotes (@english_quotes) Feb 14, 2026

The Goldilocks Rule states that humans experience peak motivation when working on tasks that are right on the edge of their current abilities. Not too hard. Not too easy. Just right. #JamesClear

The Goldilocks Rule states that humans experience peak motivation when working on tasks that are right on the edge of their current abilities. Not too hard. Not too easy. Just right. #JamesClear — English Quotes (@english_quotes) Feb 14, 2026

Students are treated like candles, which can be extinguished by a puff of wind. The goal of a Socratic education should be to turn them into fires, which thrive on the wind. #JonathanHaidt

Students are treated like candles, which can be extinguished by a puff of wind. The goal of a Socratic education should be to turn them into fires, which thrive on the wind. #JonathanHaidt — English Quotes (@english_quotes) Feb 14, 2026

Construing populist protest as either malevolent or misdirected absolves governing elites of responsibility for creating the conditions that have eroded the dignity of work and left many feeling disrespected and disempowered. #MichaelSandel

Construing populist protest as either malevolent or misdirected absolves governing elites of responsibility for creating the conditions that have eroded the dignity of work and left many feeling disrespected and disempowered. #MichaelSandel — English Quotes (@english_quotes) Feb 14, 2026

It is the anticipation of a reward--not the fulfillment of it--that gets us to take action. The greater the anticipation, the greater the dopamine spike. #JamesClear

It is the anticipation of a reward--not the fulfillment of it--that gets us to take action. The greater the anticipation, the greater the dopamine spike. #JamesClear — English Quotes (@english_quotes) Feb 14, 2026

In fact, I don't know what a personal brand is other than a reliable, unchanging pattern of snap judgments: like this... and don't like this, ... with little room for ambiguity or contradiction. #JennyOdell

In fact, I don't know what a personal brand is other than a reliable, unchanging pattern of snap judgments: like this... and don't like this, ... with little room for ambiguity or contradiction. #JennyOdell — English Quotes (@english_quotes) Feb 14, 2026

[The sage] is to Stoicism as Buddha is to Buddhism. Most Buddhists can never hope to become as enlightened as Buddha, but nevertheless, reflecting on Buddha's perfection can help them gain a degree of enlightenment. #WilliamBIrvine

[The sage] is to Stoicism as Buddha is to Buddhism. Most Buddhists can never hope to become as enlightened as Buddha, but nevertheless, reflecting on Buddha's perfection can help them gain a degree of enlightenment. #WilliamBIrvine — English Quotes (@english_quotes) Feb 13, 2026

The degeneration of philosophical schools in its turn is the consequence of the mistaken belief that one can philosophize without having been compelled to philosophize by problems outside philosophy. #NassimNicholasTaleb

The degeneration of philosophical schools in its turn is the consequence of the mistaken belief that one can philosophize without having been compelled to philosophize by problems outside philosophy. #NassimNicholasTaleb — English Quotes (@english_quotes) Feb 13, 2026

I came across a lot of ads about computers whose main point was that they were going to save you time working. #JennyOdell

I came across a lot of ads about computers whose main point was that they were going to save you time working. #JennyOdell — English Quotes (@english_quotes) Feb 13, 2026

Our lives are brief, and so it is the quality of our experiences, rather than the extent of our possessions, that matters. #TheSchoolOfLife

Our lives are brief, and so it is the quality of our experiences, rather than the extent of our possessions, that matters. #TheSchoolOfLife — English Quotes (@english_quotes) Feb 13, 2026

Sometimes taking time is actually a shortcut. #HarukiMurakami

Sometimes taking time is actually a shortcut. #HarukiMurakami — English Quotes (@english_quotes) Feb 13, 2026

Yet since we have no idea what the world and the job market will look like in 2050, we don't really know what particular skills people will need. #YuvalNoahHarari

Yet since we have no idea what the world and the job market will look like in 2050, we don't really know what particular skills people will need. #YuvalNoahHarari — English Quotes (@english_quotes) Feb 13, 2026

...the ethic of divinity had been central to public discourse in the United States until the time of the World War I, after which it began to fade (except in a few places, such as the American South...) #JonathanHaidt

...the ethic of divinity had been central to public discourse in the United States until the time of the World War I, after which it began to fade (except in a few places, such as the American South...) #JonathanHaidt — English Quotes (@english_quotes) Feb 12, 2026

[Grandparents] also grasp that even when things go a bit wrong, children will generally cope well enough. Their sense of danger and their sense of hope have both been made more accurate by experience. History encourages the less panicky sides of ourselves. #TheSchoolOfLife

[Grandparents] also grasp that even when things go a bit wrong, children will generally cope well enough. Their sense of danger and their sense of hope have both been made more accurate by experience. History encourages the less panicky sides of ourselves. #TheSchoolOfLife — English Quotes (@english_quotes) Feb 12, 2026

My goal for the future isn't to avoid mistakes, it's for the mistakes I do make to be my own. #TimUrban

My goal for the future isn't to avoid mistakes, it's for the mistakes I do make to be my own. #TimUrban — English Quotes (@english_quotes) Feb 12, 2026

[Although people] want to do good deeds, in two studies where we gave them the opportunity to sign up for volunteer work or to help an experimenter pick up a stack of papers she had dropped, we did not find that elevation made people behave much differently. #JonathanHaidt

[Although people] want to do good deeds, in two studies where we gave them the opportunity to sign up for volunteer work or to help an experimenter pick up a stack of papers she had dropped, we did not find that elevation made people behave much differently. #JonathanHaidt — English Quotes (@english_quotes) Feb 12, 2026

As we try to make sense of the world, we work with our existing knowledge and paradigms. We formulate ideas and then systematically seek out information that confirms those ideas. We dismiss contrary information as exceptions. #StevenNovella

As we try to make sense of the world, we work with our existing knowledge and paradigms. We formulate ideas and then systematically seek out information that confirms those ideas. We dismiss contrary information as exceptions. #StevenNovella — English Quotes (@english_quotes) Feb 11, 2026

Even if the contrary opinion is in error, the airing of it may help to remind people of a truth and prevent its slippage into an ignorant dogma which may in time--if unchallenged--itself become lost. (John Stuart Mill) #DouglasMurray

Even if the contrary opinion is in error, the airing of it may help to remind people of a truth and prevent its slippage into an ignorant dogma which may in time--if unchallenged--itself become lost. (John Stuart Mill) #DouglasMurray — English Quotes (@english_quotes) Feb 11, 2026

It is one of the unexpected disasters of the modern age that our new unparalleled access to information has come at the price of our capacity to concentrate on anything much. #AlaindeBotton

It is one of the unexpected disasters of the modern age that our new unparalleled access to information has come at the price of our capacity to concentrate on anything much. #AlaindeBotton — English Quotes (@english_quotes) Feb 11, 2026

There are good things in store. Not because I deserve them. Not because I worked for them. But because they are as much a part of Chaos as destruction and loss. #LuluMiller

There are good things in store. Not because I deserve them. Not because I worked for them. But because they are as much a part of Chaos as destruction and loss. #LuluMiller — English Quotes (@english_quotes) Feb 11, 2026

But the threat of some kind of punishment must always be present, or a norm is little more than hot air. Covenants, says Thomas Hobbes, without the sword, are but words. Similarly, you can't have enforcement without creating a de facto norm... #KevinSimler

But the threat of some kind of punishment must always be present, or a norm is little more than hot air. Covenants, says Thomas Hobbes, without the sword, are but words. Similarly, you can't have enforcement without creating a de facto norm... #KevinSimler — English Quotes (@english_quotes) Feb 11, 2026

Pessimism of the spirit; optimism of the will. #AntonioGramsci

Pessimism of the spirit; optimism of the will. #AntonioGramsci — English Quotes (@english_quotes) Feb 10, 2026

As algorithms come to know us so well, authoritarian governments could gain absolute control over their citizens, even more so than in Nazi Germany, and resistance to such regimes might be utterly impossible. #YuvalNoahHarari

As algorithms come to know us so well, authoritarian governments could gain absolute control over their citizens, even more so than in Nazi Germany, and resistance to such regimes might be utterly impossible. #YuvalNoahHarari — English Quotes (@english_quotes) Feb 10, 2026

Concern about safety and lawsuits [limited what people could have in] assisted living apartments, mandated what activities they were expected to participate in, and defined ever more stringent move-out conditions that would trigger discharge to a nursing facility. #AtulGawande

Concern about safety and lawsuits [limited what people could have in] assisted living apartments, mandated what activities they were expected to participate in, and defined ever more stringent move-out conditions that would trigger discharge to a nursing facility. #AtulGawande — English Quotes (@english_quotes) Feb 10, 2026

[Spiritual] journeys are fundamentally different from religions, because religions seek to cement the worldly order whereas spirituality seeks to escape it. #YuvalNoahHarari

[Spiritual] journeys are fundamentally different from religions, because religions seek to cement the worldly order whereas spirituality seeks to escape it. #YuvalNoahHarari — English Quotes (@english_quotes) Feb 10, 2026

Solitude, observation, and simple conviviality should be recognized not only as ends in and of themselves, but inalienable rights belonging to anyone lucky enough to be alive. #JennyOdell

Solitude, observation, and simple conviviality should be recognized not only as ends in and of themselves, but inalienable rights belonging to anyone lucky enough to be alive. #JennyOdell — English Quotes (@english_quotes) Feb 10, 2026

The traditional American rule for successfully transferring a powerful message to an audience: tell them what you are going to tell them, then tell them, then tell them what you've told them. This is the philosophy of low context communication in a nutshell. #ErinMeyer

The traditional American rule for successfully transferring a powerful message to an audience: tell them what you are going to tell them, then tell them, then tell them what you've told them. This is the philosophy of low context communication in a nutshell. #ErinMeyer — English Quotes (@english_quotes) Feb 9, 2026

In essence, terrorism is a show. Terrorists stage a terrifying spectacle of violence that captures our imagination and makes us feel as if we are sliding back into medieval chaos. Consequently states often feel obliged to react to the theatre of terrorism... #YuvalNoahHarari

In essence, terrorism is a show. Terrorists stage a terrifying spectacle of violence that captures our imagination and makes us feel as if we are sliding back into medieval chaos. Consequently states often feel obliged to react to the theatre of terrorism... #YuvalNoahHarari — English Quotes (@english_quotes) Feb 9, 2026

Virtue is excellence, something uncommonly great and beautiful, which rises far above what is vulgar and ordinary. #AdamSmith

Virtue is excellence, something uncommonly great and beautiful, which rises far above what is vulgar and ordinary. #AdamSmith — English Quotes (@english_quotes) Feb 9, 2026

The popular insurrection that ends in the death or deposition of a Sultan is as lawful an act as those by which he disposed, the day before, of the lives and fortunes of his subjects. #JeanJacquesRousseau

The popular insurrection that ends in the death or deposition of a Sultan is as lawful an act as those by which he disposed, the day before, of the lives and fortunes of his subjects. #JeanJacquesRousseau — English Quotes (@english_quotes) Feb 9, 2026

Don't do anything that isn't play! #MarshallRosenberg

Don't do anything that isn't play! #MarshallRosenberg — English Quotes (@english_quotes) Feb 9, 2026

...we now have Social Justice texts [...] sex is not biological and exists on a spectrum, language can be literal violence, denial of gender identity is killing people, the wish to remedy disability and obesity is hateful, and everything needs to be decolonized. #HelenPluckrose

...we now have Social Justice texts [...] sex is not biological and exists on a spectrum, language can be literal violence, denial of gender identity is killing people, the wish to remedy disability and obesity is hateful, and everything needs to be decolonized. #HelenPluckrose — English Quotes (@english_quotes) Feb 8, 2026

Nothing is inherently beautiful, sacred, or sexy; human feelings make it so. #YuvalNoahHarari

Nothing is inherently beautiful, sacred, or sexy; human feelings make it so. #YuvalNoahHarari — English Quotes (@english_quotes) Feb 8, 2026

A feeling cannot be 'right' or 'wrong'. It is how we act out our feelings that is moral or immoral. #TheSchoolOfLife

A feeling cannot be 'right' or 'wrong'. It is how we act out our feelings that is moral or immoral. #TheSchoolOfLife — English Quotes (@english_quotes) Feb 8, 2026

Some see in our rancorous politics a surfeit of moral conviction: too many people believe too deeply, too stridently, in their own convictions and want to impose them on everyone else. #MichaelSandel

Some see in our rancorous politics a surfeit of moral conviction: too many people believe too deeply, too stridently, in their own convictions and want to impose them on everyone else. #MichaelSandel — English Quotes (@english_quotes) Feb 8, 2026

...the ancients reveal a sophisticated understanding of moral psychology, similar to Franklin's. They all knew that virtue resides in a well-trained elephant. They all knew that training takes daily practice and a great deal of repetition. #JonathanHaidt

...the ancients reveal a sophisticated understanding of moral psychology, similar to Franklin's. They all knew that virtue resides in a well-trained elephant. They all knew that training takes daily practice and a great deal of repetition. #JonathanHaidt — English Quotes (@english_quotes) Feb 8, 2026

Political reform need not go hand in hand with economic liberalisation. I do not believe that if you are libertarian, full of diverse opinions, full of competing ideas in the market place, full of sound and fury, therefore you will succeed. #LeeKuanYew

Political reform need not go hand in hand with economic liberalisation. I do not believe that if you are libertarian, full of diverse opinions, full of competing ideas in the market place, full of sound and fury, therefore you will succeed. #LeeKuanYew — English Quotes (@english_quotes) Feb 8, 2026

A telos crisis is defined by the fact that people in it don't know what their purpose is. When this happens, they become fragile. Nietzsche says that he who has a why to live for can endure any how. If you know what your purpose is, you can handle the setbacks. #DavidBrooks

A telos crisis is defined by the fact that people in it don't know what their purpose is. When this happens, they become fragile. Nietzsche says that he who has a why to live for can endure any how. If you know what your purpose is, you can handle the setbacks. #DavidBrooks — English Quotes (@english_quotes) Feb 7, 2026

Consider that two people can hold incompatible beliefs based on the exact same data. Does this mean that there are possible families of explanations and that each of these can be equally perfect and sound? Certainly not. #NassimNicholasTaleb

Consider that two people can hold incompatible beliefs based on the exact same data. Does this mean that there are possible families of explanations and that each of these can be equally perfect and sound? Certainly not. #NassimNicholasTaleb — English Quotes (@english_quotes) Feb 7, 2026

The psychologist Linda Skitka finds that when people have strong moral feelings about a controversial issue--when they have a moral mandate--they care much less about procedural fairness in court cases. They want the good guys freed by any means #JonathanHaidt

The psychologist Linda Skitka finds that when people have strong moral feelings about a controversial issue--when they have a moral mandate--they care much less about procedural fairness in court cases. They want the good guys freed by any means #JonathanHaidt — English Quotes (@english_quotes) Feb 7, 2026

We are taught [...] to analyze our own fault for making him/her leave. [...] In fact, this is a dangerous slope of gnawing at our own self-worth, and a medicalization of the perfectly natural response to companionship (love), instrumented by psychology. #EvaIllouz

We are taught [...] to analyze our own fault for making him/her leave. [...] In fact, this is a dangerous slope of gnawing at our own self-worth, and a medicalization of the perfectly natural response to companionship (love), instrumented by psychology. #EvaIllouz — English Quotes (@english_quotes) Feb 7, 2026

As pschologists will point out, what dooms couples isn't that they argue; it's that they don't know how to make up. #TheSchoolOfLife

As pschologists will point out, what dooms couples isn't that they argue; it's that they don't know how to make up. #TheSchoolOfLife — English Quotes (@english_quotes) Feb 7, 2026

No leader gets free rein without accountability--if their decisions turn out to be bad, they are held to task. #JulieZhuo

No leader gets free rein without accountability--if their decisions turn out to be bad, they are held to task. #JulieZhuo — English Quotes (@english_quotes) Feb 6, 2026

The discipline imposed on citizens by the bourgeois state makes them into subjects, people who delude themselves that they exert an influence on the course of events. #AntonioGramsci

The discipline imposed on citizens by the bourgeois state makes them into subjects, people who delude themselves that they exert an influence on the course of events. #AntonioGramsci — English Quotes (@english_quotes) Feb 6, 2026

[The Russian Handbook] Paging through the book during my flight, I was amused to read: If you are walking through the street without a jacket, little old Russian ladies may stop and chastise you for poor judgment #ErinMeyer

[The Russian Handbook] Paging through the book during my flight, I was amused to read: If you are walking through the street without a jacket, little old Russian ladies may stop and chastise you for poor judgment #ErinMeyer — English Quotes (@english_quotes) Feb 6, 2026

The core idea of the ethic of divinity is that each person has divinity inside, so the ideal society helps people live in a way consistent with that divinity. What an individual desires is not particularly important... #JonathanHaidt

The core idea of the ethic of divinity is that each person has divinity inside, so the ideal society helps people live in a way consistent with that divinity. What an individual desires is not particularly important... #JonathanHaidt — English Quotes (@english_quotes) Feb 6, 2026

Every man is pent up within the limits of his own consciousness, and cannot directly get beyond those limits any more than he can get beyond his own skin #Schopenhauer

Every man is pent up within the limits of his own consciousness, and cannot directly get beyond those limits any more than he can get beyond his own skin #Schopenhauer — English Quotes (@english_quotes) Feb 6, 2026

Remember this rule: intuition cannot be trusted in the absence of stable regularities in the environment. #DanielKahneman

Remember this rule: intuition cannot be trusted in the absence of stable regularities in the environment. #DanielKahneman — English Quotes (@english_quotes) Feb 6, 2026

And everyone, with an eye to raising their price, strives to make themselves more attractive as a friend or associate--by learning new skills, acquiring more and better tools, and polishing their charms. #KevinSimler

And everyone, with an eye to raising their price, strives to make themselves more attractive as a friend or associate--by learning new skills, acquiring more and better tools, and polishing their charms. #KevinSimler — English Quotes (@english_quotes) Feb 5, 2026

You aren't a machine with broken parts. You are an animal whose needs are not being met. #JohannHari

You aren't a machine with broken parts. You are an animal whose needs are not being met. #JohannHari — English Quotes (@english_quotes) Feb 5, 2026

Once we learn to see ourselves as already, and by nature, foolish, it doesn't matter so much if we do one more thing that might look quite stupid. The person we try to kiss could indeed think us ridiculous. But if they did so, it wouldn't be news to us #AlaindeBotton

Once we learn to see ourselves as already, and by nature, foolish, it doesn't matter so much if we do one more thing that might look quite stupid. The person we try to kiss could indeed think us ridiculous. But if they did so, it wouldn't be news to us #AlaindeBotton — English Quotes (@english_quotes) Feb 5, 2026

The oftener the choice fell upon old men, the oftener it became necessary to repeat it, and the more the trouble of such repetitions became sensible; electioneering took place; factions arose; the parties contracted ill blood... to relapse into their primitive confusion #Rousseau

The oftener the choice fell upon old men, the oftener it became necessary to repeat it, and the more the trouble of such repetitions became sensible; electioneering took place; factions arose; the parties contracted ill blood... to relapse into their primitive confusion #Rousseau — English Quotes (@english_quotes) Feb 5, 2026

As people become aware of the finitude of their life, they do not ask for much. They do not seek more riches. They do not seek more power. They ask only to be permitted, insofar as possible, to keep shaping the story of their life in the world #AtulGawande

As people become aware of the finitude of their life, they do not ask for much. They do not seek more riches. They do not seek more power. They ask only to be permitted, insofar as possible, to keep shaping the story of their life in the world #AtulGawande — English Quotes (@english_quotes) Feb 5, 2026

Cleverness, after all, has its limitations. Its mechanical judgments and clever remarks tend to prove inaccurate with passing time, because it doesn't look very deeply into things to begin with #BenjaminHoff

Cleverness, after all, has its limitations. Its mechanical judgments and clever remarks tend to prove inaccurate with passing time, because it doesn't look very deeply into things to begin with #BenjaminHoff — English Quotes (@english_quotes) Feb 4, 2026

Twenty-six American states passed laws explicitly prohibiting or limiting the employment of married women in various fields. By 1940 more than three-quarters of the school systems in the United States refused to hire married women as teachers. #StephanieCoontz

Twenty-six American states passed laws explicitly prohibiting or limiting the employment of married women in various fields. By 1940 more than three-quarters of the school systems in the United States refused to hire married women as teachers. #StephanieCoontz — English Quotes (@english_quotes) Feb 4, 2026

To be human is to have biases. #JonathanHaidt

To be human is to have biases. #JonathanHaidt — English Quotes (@english_quotes) Feb 4, 2026

Removing the [irrational] fear and the concern with identity or the opinions of others would thrust the person into the not-actually-risky Chef Lab and have them bouncing around all the exhilarating places outside their comfort zone--and their lives would take off. #TimUrban

Removing the [irrational] fear and the concern with identity or the opinions of others would thrust the person into the not-actually-risky Chef Lab and have them bouncing around all the exhilarating places outside their comfort zone--and their lives would take off. #TimUrban — English Quotes (@english_quotes) Feb 4, 2026

One of the most important forms of heroism is the heroism of conciousness, the heroism of thought: the willingness to tolerate aloneness. #NathanielBranden

One of the most important forms of heroism is the heroism of conciousness, the heroism of thought: the willingness to tolerate aloneness. #NathanielBranden — English Quotes (@english_quotes) Feb 4, 2026

For more than 260 years, scientists from Kew have explored every corner of the world documenting the rich diversity of plants and fungi. We were beacons of discovery and science, but also beacons of privilege and exploitation. #RichardDeverell

For more than 260 years, scientists from Kew have explored every corner of the world documenting the rich diversity of plants and fungi. We were beacons of discovery and science, but also beacons of privilege and exploitation. #RichardDeverell — English Quotes (@english_quotes) Feb 3, 2026

As long as people don't know about asexuality [not knowing that saying no forever and for any reason and in any context is okay] sex education, sex therapy, and popular depictions of sex are incomplete and people don't have the relevant information to fully consent. #AngelaChen

As long as people don't know about asexuality [not knowing that saying no forever and for any reason and in any context is okay] sex education, sex therapy, and popular depictions of sex are incomplete and people don't have the relevant information to fully consent. #AngelaChen — English Quotes (@english_quotes) Feb 3, 2026

Don't hire people just to fit the first job they will do; hire people you want to share your life with. #RayDalio

Don't hire people just to fit the first job they will do; hire people you want to share your life with. #RayDalio — English Quotes (@english_quotes) Feb 3, 2026

We were bothered by sex because it is a fundamentally disruptive, overwhelming and demented force, strongly at odds with the majority of our ambitions and all but incapable of being discreetly integrated within civilized society. #AlaindeBotton

We were bothered by sex because it is a fundamentally disruptive, overwhelming and demented force, strongly at odds with the majority of our ambitions and all but incapable of being discreetly integrated within civilized society. #AlaindeBotton — English Quotes (@english_quotes) Feb 3, 2026

If pupils suffer from attention disorders, stress and low grades, perhaps we ought to blame outdated teaching methods, overcrowded classrooms and an unnaturally fast tempo of life. #YuvalNoahHarari

If pupils suffer from attention disorders, stress and low grades, perhaps we ought to blame outdated teaching methods, overcrowded classrooms and an unnaturally fast tempo of life. #YuvalNoahHarari — English Quotes (@english_quotes) Feb 3, 2026

It's easy to say that sex is important and it's harder to be vulnerable enough to say that sex is important because a lack of sex creates fear and insecurity. #AngelaChen

It's easy to say that sex is important and it's harder to be vulnerable enough to say that sex is important because a lack of sex creates fear and insecurity. #AngelaChen — English Quotes (@english_quotes) Feb 2, 2026

Peoples once accustomed to masters are not in a condition to do without them. If they attempt to shake off the yoke, they still more estrange themselves from freedom, as [...] they nearly always manage [...] to hand themselves over to seducers ... #JeanJacquesRousseau

Peoples once accustomed to masters are not in a condition to do without them. If they attempt to shake off the yoke, they still more estrange themselves from freedom, as [...] they nearly always manage [...] to hand themselves over to seducers ... #JeanJacquesRousseau — English Quotes (@english_quotes) Feb 2, 2026

We should be aiming to lead lives that feel long because we have managed to imbue them with the right sort of open-hearted appreciation and unsnobbish receptivity, the kind that five-year-olds know naturally how to bring to bear. #TheSchoolOfLife

We should be aiming to lead lives that feel long because we have managed to imbue them with the right sort of open-hearted appreciation and unsnobbish receptivity, the kind that five-year-olds know naturally how to bring to bear. #TheSchoolOfLife — English Quotes (@english_quotes) Feb 2, 2026

The absence of alternatives clears the mind marvelously. #HenryKissinger

The absence of alternatives clears the mind marvelously. #HenryKissinger — English Quotes (@english_quotes) Feb 2, 2026

The old equation has changed. Most families no longer save money by keeping wives at home. They lose by not having wives in the workplace, where women have more opportunities than in the past to earn decent wages. #StephanieCoontz

The old equation has changed. Most families no longer save money by keeping wives at home. They lose by not having wives in the workplace, where women have more opportunities than in the past to earn decent wages. #StephanieCoontz — English Quotes (@english_quotes) Feb 2, 2026

Differences give rise to disagreements, and the combination of these disagreements can give rise to even greater misunderstandings. As a result, sometimes people are unfairly criticized. #HarukiMurakami

Differences give rise to disagreements, and the combination of these disagreements can give rise to even greater misunderstandings. As a result, sometimes people are unfairly criticized. #HarukiMurakami — English Quotes (@english_quotes) Feb 2, 2026

Idealism easily becomes dangerous because it brings with it, almost inevitably, the belief that the ends justify the means. If you are fighting for good or for God, what matters is the outcome, not the path. #JonathanHaidt

Idealism easily becomes dangerous because it brings with it, almost inevitably, the belief that the ends justify the means. If you are fighting for good or for God, what matters is the outcome, not the path. #JonathanHaidt — English Quotes (@english_quotes) Feb 1, 2026

If you speak English, 200 million out of 1.2 billion people will be able to understand you. If you speak Hindi, you have the ears of about 500 million people. If you speak Tamil, you have only 60 million people... It is a great handicap for any prime minister of India #LeeKuanYew

If you speak English, 200 million out of 1.2 billion people will be able to understand you. If you speak Hindi, you have the ears of about 500 million people. If you speak Tamil, you have only 60 million people... It is a great handicap for any prime minister of India #LeeKuanYew — English Quotes (@english_quotes) Feb 1, 2026

If utopia means the highest set of values we want to defend and see implemented in social life, nothing prevents us from hanging on to all of them even if we know that they will never be perfectly compatible with each other. #LeszekKolakowski

If utopia means the highest set of values we want to defend and see implemented in social life, nothing prevents us from hanging on to all of them even if we know that they will never be perfectly compatible with each other. #LeszekKolakowski — English Quotes (@english_quotes) Feb 1, 2026

Society may subsist, though not in the most comfortable state, without beneficence; but the prevalence of injustice must utterly destroy it. #AdamSmith

Society may subsist, though not in the most comfortable state, without beneficence; but the prevalence of injustice must utterly destroy it. #AdamSmith — English Quotes (@english_quotes) Feb 1, 2026

Knowledge is not enough for tranquillity and goodness, because it doesn't contain the motivation to be good. Only love impels action. We don't become better because we acquire new information. We become better because we acquire better loves. #DavidBrooks

Knowledge is not enough for tranquillity and goodness, because it doesn't contain the motivation to be good. Only love impels action. We don't become better because we acquire new information. We become better because we acquire better loves. #DavidBrooks — English Quotes (@english_quotes) Feb 1, 2026

We say that the function of school is to teach valuable skills and knowledge. Yet students don't remember most of what they're taught, and most of what they do remember isn't very useful. #KevinSimler

We say that the function of school is to teach valuable skills and knowledge. Yet students don't remember most of what they're taught, and most of what they do remember isn't very useful. #KevinSimler — English Quotes (@english_quotes) Feb 1, 2026

...the birth rate fell sharply and was much lower at the end of the century than it was at the beginning. As the age of first marriage climbed to record high levels, women rose to record high levels in higher education and higher occupations. #ThomasSowell

...the birth rate fell sharply and was much lower at the end of the century than it was at the beginning. As the age of first marriage climbed to record high levels, women rose to record high levels in higher education and higher occupations. #ThomasSowell — English Quotes (@english_quotes) Jan 31, 2026

One day [Zhao Gao] brought a deer to a meeting with the emperor and many top officials, calling the deer a great horse. [...] This was how Zhao Gao flushed out his enemies. Soon after, he murdered all the officials who refused to call the deer a horse. #KevinSimler

One day [Zhao Gao] brought a deer to a meeting with the emperor and many top officials, calling the deer a great horse. [...] This was how Zhao Gao flushed out his enemies. Soon after, he murdered all the officials who refused to call the deer a horse. #KevinSimler — English Quotes (@english_quotes) Jan 31, 2026

The graveyard of failed persons will be full of people who shared [...] courage, risk taking, optimism, et cetera. Just like the population of millionaires. There may be some differences in skills, but what truly separates the two is for the most part [luck] #NassimNicholasTaleb

The graveyard of failed persons will be full of people who shared [...] courage, risk taking, optimism, et cetera. Just like the population of millionaires. There may be some differences in skills, but what truly separates the two is for the most part [luck] #NassimNicholasTaleb — English Quotes (@english_quotes) Jan 31, 2026

[Geriatricians] requires each of us to contemplate the unfixables in our life, the decline we will unavoidably face, in order to make the small changes necessary to reshape it. #AtulGawande

[Geriatricians] requires each of us to contemplate the unfixables in our life, the decline we will unavoidably face, in order to make the small changes necessary to reshape it. #AtulGawande — English Quotes (@english_quotes) Jan 31, 2026

Think carefully about your larger objectives before you mix cultures up. If your goal is innovation or creativity, the more cultural diversity the better, as long as the process is managed carefully. If your goal is simple speed and efficiency, then monocultural #ErinMeyer

Think carefully about your larger objectives before you mix cultures up. If your goal is innovation or creativity, the more cultural diversity the better, as long as the process is managed carefully. If your goal is simple speed and efficiency, then monocultural #ErinMeyer — English Quotes (@english_quotes) Jan 31, 2026

...there is an awakening to the fact that, just as a human being cannot hope to realize his or her potential without healthy self-esteem, neither can a society whose members do not respect themselves, do not value their persons, do not trust their minds. #NathanielBranden

...there is an awakening to the fact that, just as a human being cannot hope to realize his or her potential without healthy self-esteem, neither can a society whose members do not respect themselves, do not value their persons, do not trust their minds. #NathanielBranden — English Quotes (@english_quotes) Jan 31, 2026

There is the moral dualism that sees good and evil as instincts within us between which we must choose. But there is also what I will call pathological dualism that sees humanity itself as radically... divided into the unimpeachably good and the irredeemably bad. #JonathanHaidt

There is the moral dualism that sees good and evil as instincts within us between which we must choose. But there is also what I will call pathological dualism that sees humanity itself as radically... divided into the unimpeachably good and the irredeemably bad. #JonathanHaidt — English Quotes (@english_quotes) Jan 30, 2026

I'm like I want you to stare at me, but I don't want you to [have sex with] me, and they have nothing to do with each other, Selena continues. And then [allosexual people] are so funny because they just insist that those have everything to do with each other. #AngelaChen

I'm like I want you to stare at me, but I don't want you to [have sex with] me, and they have nothing to do with each other, Selena continues. And then [allosexual people] are so funny because they just insist that those have everything to do with each other. #AngelaChen — English Quotes (@english_quotes) Jan 30, 2026

The hardest thing to explain is the glaringly evident which everybody has decided not to see. #AynRand

The hardest thing to explain is the glaringly evident which everybody has decided not to see. #AynRand — English Quotes (@english_quotes) Jan 30, 2026

Good news is good news first; how good matters rather little. So to have a pleasant life you should spread these small affects across time as evenly as possible. Plenty of mildly good news is preferable to one single lump of great news. #NassimNicholasTaleb

Good news is good news first; how good matters rather little. So to have a pleasant life you should spread these small affects across time as evenly as possible. Plenty of mildly good news is preferable to one single lump of great news. #NassimNicholasTaleb — English Quotes (@english_quotes) Jan 30, 2026

Modernization did not demote the elderly. It demoted the family. It gave people--the young and the old--a way of life with more liberty and control, including the liberty to be less beholden to other generations. #AtulGawande

Modernization did not demote the elderly. It demoted the family. It gave people--the young and the old--a way of life with more liberty and control, including the liberty to be less beholden to other generations. #AtulGawande — English Quotes (@english_quotes) Jan 30, 2026

In India, a bride burning--to punish a woman for inadequate dowry or to eliminate her so a man can remarry--takes place approximately once every two hours, but rarely constitute news. #NicholasDKristof

In India, a bride burning--to punish a woman for inadequate dowry or to eliminate her so a man can remarry--takes place approximately once every two hours, but rarely constitute news. #NicholasDKristof — English Quotes (@english_quotes) Jan 30, 2026

Conspicuous and inconspicuous consumption follow different psychological rules. Conspicuous consumption is a zero-sum game #JonathanHaidt

Conspicuous and inconspicuous consumption follow different psychological rules. Conspicuous consumption is a zero-sum game #JonathanHaidt — English Quotes (@english_quotes) Jan 29, 2026

Becoming the best version of yourself requires you to continuously edit your beliefs, and to upgrade and expand your identity. #JamesClear

Becoming the best version of yourself requires you to continuously edit your beliefs, and to upgrade and expand your identity. #JamesClear — English Quotes (@english_quotes) Jan 29, 2026

Liberty can be obtained, it cannot be regained. #JeanJacquesRousseau

Liberty can be obtained, it cannot be regained. #JeanJacquesRousseau — English Quotes (@english_quotes) Jan 29, 2026

Once that blossoming [of awareness] becomes experiential for you, you explode into the oneness of existence. This is yoga, the ultimate union. #Sadhguru

Once that blossoming [of awareness] becomes experiential for you, you explode into the oneness of existence. This is yoga, the ultimate union. #Sadhguru — English Quotes (@english_quotes) Jan 29, 2026

Evaluate accurately, not kindly. #RayDalio

Evaluate accurately, not kindly. #RayDalio — English Quotes (@english_quotes) Jan 29, 2026

If we knew nobody thought badly of us then we would have little fear, it would be more of a nuisance to fail and we would then deal with the consequences. We would also not weigh our own self-worth by an exam result. This is the Fridge Door Goblin at its best! #StevePeters

If we knew nobody thought badly of us then we would have little fear, it would be more of a nuisance to fail and we would then deal with the consequences. We would also not weigh our own self-worth by an exam result. This is the Fridge Door Goblin at its best! #StevePeters — English Quotes (@english_quotes) Jan 28, 2026

I live, I am partisan. This is why I hate those who do not take sides; I hate those who are indifferent #AntonioGramsci

I live, I am partisan. This is why I hate those who do not take sides; I hate those who are indifferent #AntonioGramsci — English Quotes (@english_quotes) Jan 28, 2026

We see radical relativism in the form of double standards, such as assertions that only men can be sexist and only white people can be racist, and in the whole rejection of consistent principles of nondiscrimination. #HelenPluckrose

We see radical relativism in the form of double standards, such as assertions that only men can be sexist and only white people can be racist, and in the whole rejection of consistent principles of nondiscrimination. #HelenPluckrose — English Quotes (@english_quotes) Jan 28, 2026

Misogyny often stems from the desire to take women down, to put them in their place again. So the higher they climb, the farther they may be made to fall because of it. #KateManne

Misogyny often stems from the desire to take women down, to put them in their place again. So the higher they climb, the farther they may be made to fall because of it. #KateManne — English Quotes (@english_quotes) Jan 28, 2026

The effective way to please people is not to people-please but to take the risk of behaving in a real way around them which might well involve a few tantrums-something that which we should ultimately be reassured by and feel grateful to be on the receiving end of #TheSchoolOfLife

The effective way to please people is not to people-please but to take the risk of behaving in a real way around them which might well involve a few tantrums-something that which we should ultimately be reassured by and feel grateful to be on the receiving end of #TheSchoolOfLife — English Quotes (@english_quotes) Jan 28, 2026

Enjoy the little things, for one day you may look back and realize they were the big things. #RobertBrault

Enjoy the little things, for one day you may look back and realize they were the big things. #RobertBrault — English Quotes (@english_quotes) Jan 27, 2026

They taught me to embrace the cards you are dealt or it will eat you alive. If you go to the heart of your own matter, you will find only by loving and helping do you have peace from your own trauma. #RobertKolker

They taught me to embrace the cards you are dealt or it will eat you alive. If you go to the heart of your own matter, you will find only by loving and helping do you have peace from your own trauma. #RobertKolker — English Quotes (@english_quotes) Jan 27, 2026

...it's never useful to have secret gaps in your knowledge, or to adopt false beliefs that you keep entirely to yourself. The entire value of strategic ignorance and related phenomena lies in the way others act when they believe that you're ignorant. #KevinSimler

...it's never useful to have secret gaps in your knowledge, or to adopt false beliefs that you keep entirely to yourself. The entire value of strategic ignorance and related phenomena lies in the way others act when they believe that you're ignorant. #KevinSimler — English Quotes (@english_quotes) Jan 27, 2026

Happiness is simply the absence of desire. When you observe a cue, but do not desire to change your state, you are content with the current situation. #JamesClear

Happiness is simply the absence of desire. When you observe a cue, but do not desire to change your state, you are content with the current situation. #JamesClear — English Quotes (@english_quotes) Jan 27, 2026

[Our confirmation bias:] they think immigrants commit a lot of crime because they read in the news about an immigrant who robbed a store, but don't think about the larger number of stores robbed by native-born citizens. #StevenPinker

[Our confirmation bias:] they think immigrants commit a lot of crime because they read in the news about an immigrant who robbed a store, but don't think about the larger number of stores robbed by native-born citizens. #StevenPinker — English Quotes (@english_quotes) Jan 27, 2026

In America it was Chinese men who felt lost. Chinese women lost only the traditional shackles, gaining greater freedom. Just like men, they wanted to taste all the enjoyment that life had to offer, including the one that had always been monopolized by men, sex. #QianNing

In America it was Chinese men who felt lost. Chinese women lost only the traditional shackles, gaining greater freedom. Just like men, they wanted to taste all the enjoyment that life had to offer, including the one that had always been monopolized by men, sex. #QianNing — English Quotes (@english_quotes) Jan 27, 2026

The child you see today will not be here tomorrow. The child arriving home from school, is different from the one who left from home this morning. Every moment is a death of all that has gone before, and a birth of all that is to come. #WilliamMartin

The child you see today will not be here tomorrow. The child arriving home from school, is different from the one who left from home this morning. Every moment is a death of all that has gone before, and a birth of all that is to come. #WilliamMartin — English Quotes (@english_quotes) Jan 26, 2026

[Kant] reasoned that for moral rules to be laws, they had to be universally applicable. If gravity worked differently for men and women, or for Italians and Egyptians, we could not speak of it as a law. #JonathanHaidt

[Kant] reasoned that for moral rules to be laws, they had to be universally applicable. If gravity worked differently for men and women, or for Italians and Egyptians, we could not speak of it as a law. #JonathanHaidt — English Quotes (@english_quotes) Jan 26, 2026

How many centuries must have elapsed before men reached the point of seeing any other fire than that in the sky? #JeanJacquesRousseau

How many centuries must have elapsed before men reached the point of seeing any other fire than that in the sky? #JeanJacquesRousseau — English Quotes (@english_quotes) Jan 26, 2026

Movies, plays, operas, TV dramas--even the lyrics of songs--help us deal with our lived experiences, which are something different and broader than the mere material from which our experience hypothetically rises. #JordanPeterson

Movies, plays, operas, TV dramas--even the lyrics of songs--help us deal with our lived experiences, which are something different and broader than the mere material from which our experience hypothetically rises. #JordanPeterson — English Quotes (@english_quotes) Jan 26, 2026

...our culture we think of freedom as the absence of restraint. That's freedom from. But there is another and higher kind of freedom. That is freedom to. #DavidBrooks

...our culture we think of freedom as the absence of restraint. That's freedom from. But there is another and higher kind of freedom. That is freedom to. #DavidBrooks — English Quotes (@english_quotes) Jan 26, 2026

[Those we love would ideally] warn us about their bad moods after work, their awkwardness around their mother or their tendency to panic at airports. Their confessions won't magically remove every problem, but they will hugely attenuate their impact. #TheSchoolOfLife

[Those we love would ideally] warn us about their bad moods after work, their awkwardness around their mother or their tendency to panic at airports. Their confessions won't magically remove every problem, but they will hugely attenuate their impact. #TheSchoolOfLife — English Quotes (@english_quotes) Jan 25, 2026

For the optimal realization of our possibilities, we need to trust ourselves and we need to admire ourselves, and the trust and admiration need to be grounded in reality, not generated out of fantasy and self-delusion. #NathanielBranden

For the optimal realization of our possibilities, we need to trust ourselves and we need to admire ourselves, and the trust and admiration need to be grounded in reality, not generated out of fantasy and self-delusion. #NathanielBranden — English Quotes (@english_quotes) Jan 25, 2026

Mill got depressed when he felt his desires go lukewarm. He pulled out of it when he discovered the existence of infinite desires, which are spiritual and moral, and not worldly desires. #DavidBrooks

Mill got depressed when he felt his desires go lukewarm. He pulled out of it when he discovered the existence of infinite desires, which are spiritual and moral, and not worldly desires. #DavidBrooks — English Quotes (@english_quotes) Jan 25, 2026

I wanted meaningful work and meaningful relationships equally, and I valued money less, as long as I had enough to take care of my basic needs. #RayDalio

I wanted meaningful work and meaningful relationships equally, and I valued money less, as long as I had enough to take care of my basic needs. #RayDalio — English Quotes (@english_quotes) Jan 25, 2026

Modernity became ugly because we forgot how to articulate that beauty is, in the end, as much of a necessity for a building as a functioning roof. We lost the vocabulary to describe our pain. #TheSchoolOfLife

Modernity became ugly because we forgot how to articulate that beauty is, in the end, as much of a necessity for a building as a functioning roof. We lost the vocabulary to describe our pain. #TheSchoolOfLife — English Quotes (@english_quotes) Jan 25, 2026

What we really crave is for someone to make loving sense of us. We want them to write us, with all our complexity and obscurity, down in crisply phrased and clear sentences. #TheSchoolOfLife

What we really crave is for someone to make loving sense of us. We want them to write us, with all our complexity and obscurity, down in crisply phrased and clear sentences. #TheSchoolOfLife — English Quotes (@english_quotes) Jan 24, 2026

Ideology would be relegated to domestic management [as long as not interfering with the need for cooperation against the Soviet danger]; it took a leave from foreign policy. The ideological armistice was, of course, valid only so long as objectives remained compatible. #HenryKi…

Ideology would be relegated to domestic management [as long as not interfering with the need for cooperation against the Soviet danger]; it took a leave from foreign policy. The ideological armistice was, of course, valid only so long as objectives remained compatible. #HenryKi… — English Quotes (@english_quotes) Jan 24, 2026

Teaching kids that failures, insults, and painful experiences will do lasting damage is harmful in and of itself. Human beings need physical and mental challenges and stressors or we deteriorate. #JonathanHaidt

Teaching kids that failures, insults, and painful experiences will do lasting damage is harmful in and of itself. Human beings need physical and mental challenges and stressors or we deteriorate. #JonathanHaidt — English Quotes (@english_quotes) Jan 24, 2026

Resist the urge to squeal out loud at the preposterous notion that a teenager in any sense knows who she is with the level of certainty sufficient to entrust her with life-altering decisions. #AbigailShrier

Resist the urge to squeal out loud at the preposterous notion that a teenager in any sense knows who she is with the level of certainty sufficient to entrust her with life-altering decisions. #AbigailShrier — English Quotes (@english_quotes) Jan 24, 2026

The psychologist Barry Schwartz calls this the paradox of choice... We value choice and put ourselves in situations of choice, even though choice often undercuts our happiness. #JonathanHaidt

The psychologist Barry Schwartz calls this the paradox of choice... We value choice and put ourselves in situations of choice, even though choice often undercuts our happiness. #JonathanHaidt — English Quotes (@english_quotes) Jan 24, 2026

But if the heart didn't keep the good blood for itself, the heart would die. And if the heart died, it would take every other organ with it. The liver. The kidneys. The brain. The heart, in a way, has to be selfish for its own preservation. #VishenLakhiani

But if the heart didn't keep the good blood for itself, the heart would die. And if the heart died, it would take every other organ with it. The liver. The kidneys. The brain. The heart, in a way, has to be selfish for its own preservation. #VishenLakhiani — English Quotes (@english_quotes) Jan 24, 2026

As a general rule, the more immediate pleasure you get from an action, the more strongly you should question whether it aligns with your long-term goals. #JamesClear

As a general rule, the more immediate pleasure you get from an action, the more strongly you should question whether it aligns with your long-term goals. #JamesClear — English Quotes (@english_quotes) Jan 23, 2026

...the establishment of a male breadwinner/female homemaker family in the middle and upper classes often required large sections of the lower class to be unable to do so. #StephanieCoontz

...the establishment of a male breadwinner/female homemaker family in the middle and upper classes often required large sections of the lower class to be unable to do so. #StephanieCoontz — English Quotes (@english_quotes) Jan 23, 2026

Constrictions need to be loosened, but not too much. The underlying assumption is that sex in relationships is imperative and everything else the amount of sex, the number of partners, the positions, the toysollows from that axiom. #AngelaChen

Constrictions need to be loosened, but not too much. The underlying assumption is that sex in relationships is imperative and everything else the amount of sex, the number of partners, the positions, the toysollows from that axiom. #AngelaChen — English Quotes (@english_quotes) Jan 23, 2026

The love for all living creatures is the most noble attribute of man. #CharlesDarwin

The love for all living creatures is the most noble attribute of man. #CharlesDarwin — English Quotes (@english_quotes) Jan 23, 2026

Reform is usually possible only once a sense of crisis takes hold... In fact, crises are such valuable opportunities that a wise leader often prolongs a sense of emergency on purpose. #CharlesDuhigg

Reform is usually possible only once a sense of crisis takes hold... In fact, crises are such valuable opportunities that a wise leader often prolongs a sense of emergency on purpose. #CharlesDuhigg — English Quotes (@english_quotes) Jan 23, 2026

Money will be one of the things you need, but it's not the only one and certainly not the most important one once you get past having the amount you need to get what you really want. #RayDalio

Money will be one of the things you need, but it's not the only one and certainly not the most important one once you get past having the amount you need to get what you really want. #RayDalio — English Quotes (@english_quotes) Jan 22, 2026

The real difference between us and chimpanzees is the mythical glue that binds together large numbers of individuals, families and groups. #YuvalNoahHarari

The real difference between us and chimpanzees is the mythical glue that binds together large numbers of individuals, families and groups. #YuvalNoahHarari — English Quotes (@english_quotes) Jan 22, 2026

The sparks of laughter illuminate what is otherwise murky and hard to pin down with precision: the threshold between safety and danger, between what's appropriate and what's transgressive, between who does and doesn't deserve our empathy. #KevinSimler

The sparks of laughter illuminate what is otherwise murky and hard to pin down with precision: the threshold between safety and danger, between what's appropriate and what's transgressive, between who does and doesn't deserve our empathy. #KevinSimler — English Quotes (@english_quotes) Jan 22, 2026

Today the West faces challenges without and threats within. But no greater threat exists than that which comes from people inside the West intent on pulling apart the fabric of our societies, piece by piece. #DouglasMurray

Today the West faces challenges without and threats within. But no greater threat exists than that which comes from people inside the West intent on pulling apart the fabric of our societies, piece by piece. #DouglasMurray — English Quotes (@english_quotes) Jan 22, 2026

At the end of my November 1973 visit, I suggested to Zhou a hotline between Washington and Beijing as part of an agreement on reducing the risks of accidental war. #HenryKissinger

At the end of my November 1973 visit, I suggested to Zhou a hotline between Washington and Beijing as part of an agreement on reducing the risks of accidental war. #HenryKissinger — English Quotes (@english_quotes) Jan 22, 2026

There are [advocates] promoting an open-ended commitment to more [Improvement], without any indication of a limit [...] much less any consideration of alternative uses of the resources that some people want devoted to whatever desirable thing they are promoting. #ThomasSowell

There are [advocates] promoting an open-ended commitment to more [Improvement], without any indication of a limit [...] much less any consideration of alternative uses of the resources that some people want devoted to whatever desirable thing they are promoting. #ThomasSowell — English Quotes (@english_quotes) Jan 22, 2026

Your brain secretly wants that song, because it's so familiar to everything else you've already heard and liked. It just sounds right. There is evidence that a preference for things that sound familiar is a product of our neurology. #CharlesDuhigg

Your brain secretly wants that song, because it's so familiar to everything else you've already heard and liked. It just sounds right. There is evidence that a preference for things that sound familiar is a product of our neurology. #CharlesDuhigg — English Quotes (@english_quotes) Jan 21, 2026

Almost everything in social life is produced by rare but consequential shocks and jumps; all the while almost everything studied about social life focuses on the normal, particularly with bell curve methods of inference that tell you close to nothing. #NassimNicholasTaleb

Almost everything in social life is produced by rare but consequential shocks and jumps; all the while almost everything studied about social life focuses on the normal, particularly with bell curve methods of inference that tell you close to nothing. #NassimNicholasTaleb — English Quotes (@english_quotes) Jan 21, 2026

If you believe in an absolute truth revealed by a transcendent power, you cannot allow yourself to admit any error--for that would nullify your whole story; if you believe in a quest for truth by fallible humans, admitting blunders is an inherent part of the game #YuvalNoahHarari

If you believe in an absolute truth revealed by a transcendent power, you cannot allow yourself to admit any error--for that would nullify your whole story; if you believe in a quest for truth by fallible humans, admitting blunders is an inherent part of the game #YuvalNoahHarari — English Quotes (@english_quotes) Jan 21, 2026

For the hundreds of millions of the world's poorest people who live outside the protection of the rule of law, they principal reason they suffer abuse is often not the absence of good laws, but the absence of a functioning public justice system to enforce those laws. #GaryAHaugen

For the hundreds of millions of the world's poorest people who live outside the protection of the rule of law, they principal reason they suffer abuse is often not the absence of good laws, but the absence of a functioning public justice system to enforce those laws. #GaryAHaugen — English Quotes (@english_quotes) Jan 21, 2026

Remember that people are built very differently and that different ways of seeing and thinking make people suitable for different jobs. #RayDalio

Remember that people are built very differently and that different ways of seeing and thinking make people suitable for different jobs. #RayDalio — English Quotes (@english_quotes) Jan 21, 2026

Today, I am not going to lie. I will be as honest as possible. I only have a few days of the year to not lie, and today happens to be one of them. #HarukiMurakami

Today, I am not going to lie. I will be as honest as possible. I only have a few days of the year to not lie, and today happens to be one of them. #HarukiMurakami — English Quotes (@english_quotes) Jan 21, 2026

The Woodstock counterculture seemed, superficially, to rebel against mainstream values, but as the ensuing decades have demonstrated, it was just a flipside version of the culture of the Big Me. Both capitalism and Woodstock were about the liberation of self... #DavidBrooks

The Woodstock counterculture seemed, superficially, to rebel against mainstream values, but as the ensuing decades have demonstrated, it was just a flipside version of the culture of the Big Me. Both capitalism and Woodstock were about the liberation of self... #DavidBrooks — English Quotes (@english_quotes) Jan 20, 2026

There are no ultimate solutions. The moderate can only hope to achieve a balance that is consistent with the needs of the moment. #DavidBrooks

There are no ultimate solutions. The moderate can only hope to achieve a balance that is consistent with the needs of the moment. #DavidBrooks — English Quotes (@english_quotes) Jan 20, 2026

It would be equally unreasonable to imagine that men at first threw themselves into the arms of an absolute master, without any conditions or consideration on his side #JeanJacquesRousseau

It would be equally unreasonable to imagine that men at first threw themselves into the arms of an absolute master, without any conditions or consideration on his side #JeanJacquesRousseau — English Quotes (@english_quotes) Jan 20, 2026

We associate [friendship] with a casual acquaintance we see only once in a while to exchange inconsequential and shallow banter. But real friendship is something altogether more profound and worthy of exultation. #AlaindeBotton

We associate [friendship] with a casual acquaintance we see only once in a while to exchange inconsequential and shallow banter. But real friendship is something altogether more profound and worthy of exultation. #AlaindeBotton — English Quotes (@english_quotes) Jan 20, 2026

The second step in transforming a society is to change people's external circumstances. The Stoics would add that if we fail to transform ourselves, then no matter how much we transform the society in which we live, we are unlikely to have a good life. #WilliamBIrvine

The second step in transforming a society is to change people's external circumstances. The Stoics would add that if we fail to transform ourselves, then no matter how much we transform the society in which we live, we are unlikely to have a good life. #WilliamBIrvine — English Quotes (@english_quotes) Jan 20, 2026

Imagine meeting your partner through the lens of art. You would find again the allure of things about them that--through familiarity and haste--had been neglected. We could study once more the magic of a palm that we once longed to caress #TheSchoolOfLife

Imagine meeting your partner through the lens of art. You would find again the allure of things about them that--through familiarity and haste--had been neglected. We could study once more the magic of a palm that we once longed to caress #TheSchoolOfLife — English Quotes (@english_quotes) Jan 19, 2026

Our notebooks are the forum for a second, third and hundredth chance; they end up doing greater justice to our thoughts than our minds themselves. #TheSchoolOfLife

Our notebooks are the forum for a second, third and hundredth chance; they end up doing greater justice to our thoughts than our minds themselves. #TheSchoolOfLife — English Quotes (@english_quotes) Jan 19, 2026

We need to be able to [...] risk unpopularity by searching for context when our Facebook feed is an outpouring of unchecked outrage and scapegoating, to closely study the ways that media and advertising play upon our emotions... #JennyOdell

We need to be able to [...] risk unpopularity by searching for context when our Facebook feed is an outpouring of unchecked outrage and scapegoating, to closely study the ways that media and advertising play upon our emotions... #JennyOdell — English Quotes (@english_quotes) Jan 19, 2026

People are contagious. #DafnaKatan