“It is better to die on your feet than to live on your knees.” Dolores Ibárruri was a Spanish communist leader. She earned a legendary reputation as a passionate orator during the Spanish Civil War when she coined the Republican battle cry, “They shall not… Read More »I – Dolores Ibárruri “La Pasionaria” (1895-1989)
“Everything flows, and nothing stays.” “You can’t step twice into the same river.” Heraclitus was a Greek philosopher from the city of Ephesus, which was part of the Persian Empire. He saw the world as constantly in flux, changing even as it stayed the same.… Read More »H – Heraclitus (513 B.C.)
“In two words: im possible.” Samuel Goldwyn was a Polish-born American film producer. He was best known for being the founding contributor and executive of several motion picture studios in Hollywood, including MGM (Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer). Although he was ousted from MGM before the merger, it kept… Read More »G – Samuel Goldwyn (1882-1974)
“Wynken, Blynken, and Nod one night Sailed off in a wooden shoe – Sailed on a river of crystal light, Into a sea of dew.” Eugene Field was an American writer best known for his children’s poetry and humorous essays. He was known as “The… Read More »F – Eugene Field (1850-1895)
“What is a weed? A plant whose virtues have not been discovered.” Ralph Waldo Emerson was a New England preacher, essayist, lecturer, philosopher, and Transcendentalist poet. The Transcendentalists shared a belief that each person could move beyond the physical world of the senses into a… Read More »E – Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882)
(Marie Anne de Vichy-Chamond, marquise du Deffand) “The distance is nothing; it is only the first step that is difficult.” Cultivated and intense, Madame du Deffand was a French woman of letters (a fancy term for a scholar) who was a patron of fashion and… Read More »Madame du Deffand (1697-1780)
“One sees great things from the valley; only small things from the peak.” Gilbert Keith Chesterton was an English writer, philosopher, and Christian apologist, and a literary and art critic. G.K. Chesterton is also the author of one of my all-time favorite books, “The Complete… Read More »C – G.K. Chesterton (1874-1936)
“If a man will begin with certainties, he shall end in doubts; but if he will be content to begin with doubts, he shall end in certainties.” Francis Bacon was a leading figure in the field of natural philosophy and science. He lived during the… Read More »B – Francis Bacon (1561-1626)
“Give me somewhere to stand and I will move the Earth.” Archimedes was a Greek mathematician, philosopher, scientist and engineer. This quote was meant to illustrate the remarkable power of levers. Interesting, for certain, but it feels far more inspiring to me than that! Shiny… Read More »A – Archimedes (287-212 B.C.)
When I was in the eighth grade at Whatcom Middle School, my teacher, Mrs. Kuikan, would put pieces of a quote up on the board every Monday. By Friday we would need to have found the exact quote along with its author, memorize it, down… Read More »Wisdom From Oxford – A New Blog
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