Quotations Collected by David Moursund
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Last updated 11/5/2011.
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Introduction
For many years I have been collection quotations that resonate with my views. I think of each of the quotations given here as a short short story. Each conveys a message that seems important to me. I often make use of quotations from my list in my writing.
Unattributed
“When you are up to your neck in alligators, it's hard to remember the original objective was to drain the swamp." (Adage, unattributed)
“Spoken words fly away, written words remain.” "Verba volant, scripta manent. (Adage, unattributed.)
"No one gets rich teaching, but no one lives a richer life." (Adage, unattributed.)
"Smooth seas do not make skillful sailors." (African Proverb.)
“It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it." Aristotle; Greek philosopher; 384 BCE–322 BCE.
"Learning without thinking is labor lost; thinking without learning is dangerous." (Chinese Proverb.)
"Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime." (Chinese Proverb.)
"The first step to wisdom is silence. The second is listening." (Chinese Proverb.)
“A man grows most tired when standing still." (Chinese Proverb.)
"One good teacher outweighs a ton of books." (Chinese Proverb.)
"Do not fear going forward slowly; fear only to stand still." (Chinese Proverb.)
"A clever person turns great troubles into little ones and little ones into none at all." (Chinese Proverb.)
“A single conversation across the table with a wise man is worth a month's study of books." (Chinese proverb.)
"Ignorance is merely a condition of lacking knowledge. It is cured by education." (Unknown)
"Behind every man there's a smart woman." (Barbara Walters, of 20/20, did a story on gender roles in Kabul, Afghanistan, several years before the Afghan conflict. She noted that women customarily walked five paces behind their husbands. She recently returned to Kabul and observed that women still walk behind their husbands. Despite the overthrow of the oppressive Taliban regime, the women now seem to, and are happy to, maintain the old custom. Ms. Walters approached one of the Afghani women and asked, 'Why do you now seem happy with an old custom that you once tried so desperately to change?' The woman looked Ms. Walters straight in the eyes, and without hesitation said, 'Land Mines.’ Moral of the story is (no matter what language you speak or where you go): "Behind every man there's a smart woman."
Authors A to C
"They know enough who know how to learn." (Henry B. Adams; American novelist, journalist, and historian; 1838–1918.)
“Never let the future disturb you. You will meet it, if you have to, with the same weapons of reason which today arm you against the present.” (Marcus Aurelius Antoninus, Roman Emperor; 121–180 A.D.)
"The saddest aspect of life right now is that science gathers knowledge faster than society gathers wisdom." (Isaac Asimov; Russian-born American author and biochemist; 1920–1992.)
"We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, therefore, is not an act but a habit." (Aristotle; Greek philosopher; 384 BC–322 BC.)
"Speech is the representation of the mind, and writing is the representation of speech." (Aristotle; Greek philosopher; 384 BC–322 BC.)
"Knowledge is power." (Sir Francis Bacon; English philosopher, statesman, scientist, lawyer, jurist, author and father of the scientific method; 1561-1626.)
"The purpose of education, finally, is to create in a person the ability to look at the world for him/herself." (James Baldwin; American novelist, writer, playwright, poet, essayist and civil rights activist; 1924–1987.)
"SAT tests are designed by huge panels of experts in education and psychology who work for years to design tests in which not one single question measures any bit of knowledge that anyone might actually need in the real world. We should applaud kids for getting lower scores." (Dave Barry; American humor columnist and author; 1947–.)
“It isn't enough just to learn—one must learn how to learn, how to learn without classrooms, without teachers, without textbooks. Learn, in short, how to think and analyze and decide and discover and create. (Michael Bassis; President, Westminister College in Utah, USA.)
“When one door closes, another opens; but we often look so long and so regretfully upon the closed door that we do not see the one which has opened." (Alexander Graham Bell; American inventor; 1847–1922.)
“A brand for a company is like a reputation for a person. You earn reputation by trying to do hard things well." (Jeff Bezos; founder and CEO of Amazon.com; 1964–.)
“To achieve great things, two things are needed; a plan, and not quite enough time." (Leonard Bernstein; American conductor and composer; 1918–1990.)
“We to be much clearer about what we do and do not know so that we don’t continually confuse the two. If I could have one wish for education, it would be the systematic ordering of our basic knowledge in such a way that what is known and true can be acted on, while what is superstition, fad, and myth can be recognized as such and used only when there is nothing else to support us in our frustration and despair.” (Benjamin S. Bloom; American educational psychologist; 1913–1999.)
“What any person in the world can learn, almost all persons can learn if provided with appropriate prior and current conditions of learning.” (Benjamin S. Bloom; American educational psychologist; 1913–1999.)
“Education must be increasingly concerned about the fullest development of all children and youth, and it will be the responsibility of the school to seek learning conditions that enable each individual to reach the highest level of learning possible for her or him. (Benjamin S. Bloom; American educational psychologist; 1913–1999.) Also see http://chapters.rowmaneducation.com/15/788/1578862434ch1.pdf.
"An expert is a person who has made all the mistakes that can be made in a very narrow field." (Niels Bohr; Danish physicist who made fundamental contributions to understanding atomic structure and quantum mechanics, for which he received the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1922; 1885–1962.)
“The important thing in science is not so much to obtain new facts as to discover new ways of thinking about them.” (Sir William Henry Bragg; British physicist and chemist who uniquely shared the Nobel Prize in Physics with his son, William Lawrence Bragg, in 1915; 1862–1942.)
“I have learned to use the word 'impossible' with the greatest caution." (Wernher von Braun; German-American rocket scientist; 1912–1977.)
”Less is more.” (Robert Browning; English poet and playwright; in a 1855 poem titled Andrea del Sarto; 1812–1889.)
"In the book of life, the answers aren't in the back." (Charles Schulz; American cartoonist best known worldwide for his Peanuts comic strip; the quoted statement is from the comic strip character Charlie Brown; 1922–2000.)
“The biggest problem in the world could have been solved when it was small.” (Witter Bynner; American poet, scholar, and writer; 1881–1968.)
"When people cannot see the need for what’s being taught, they ignore it, reject it, or fail to assimilate it in any meaningful way. Conversely, when they have a need, then, if the resources for learning are available, people learn effectively and quickly." (Book by Brown & Duguid, 2000.)
"In short, learning is the process by which novices become experts. " (John T. Bruer. Schools for Thought, 1999, page 13.)
“Never invest in a business you cannot understand." (Warren Buffett; American businessman; 1930–.)
“Someone's sitting in the shade today because someone planted a tree a long time ago." (Warren Buffett; American businessman; 1930–.)
"Consider a future device for individual use, which is a sort of mechanized private file and library. It needs a name, and, to coin one at random, 'memex' will do. A memex is a device in which an individual stores all his books, records, and communications, and which is mechanized so that it may be consulted with exceeding speed and flexibility. It is an enlarged intimate supplement to his memory." (Vannevar Bush, As We May Think, The Atlantic, July 1945. American engineer and science administrator known for his work on analog computing, his political role in the development of the atomic bomb, and the idea of the memex, which was seen decades later as a pioneering concept for the World Wide Web. 1890–1974.)
"People rarely succeed unless they have fun in what they are doing." (Dale Carnegie; American writer and lecturer; 1888–1995.)
"Now here, you see, it takes all the running you can do, to keep in the same place. If you want to get somewhere else, you must run at least twice as fast as that!" (Lewis Carroll, pen name for Charles Lutwidge Dodgson, English author, mathematician, logician, and photographer, 1832–1898.)
"An intellectual is someone whose mind watches itself." (Albert Camus; French novelist, essayist and playwright, who received the 1957 Nobel Prize for literature.)
"Men occasionally stumble over the truth, but most of them pick themselves up and hurry off as if nothing ever happened." (Winston Churchill; British prime minister; 1874–1965.)
“The empires of the future are the empires of the mind.” (Winston Churchill; British prime minister; 1874–1965.)
“The price of greatness is responsibility." (Winston Churchill; British prime minister; 1874–1965.)
“However beautiful the strategy, you should occasionally look at the results." (Winston Churchill; British prime minister; 1874–1965.)
"We make a living by what we do, but we make a life by what we give.” (Winston Churchill; British prime minister; 1874–1965.)
"A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty." (Winston Churchill; British prime minister; 1874–1965.)
"Before you become too entranced with gorgeous gadgets and mesmerizing video displays, let me remind you that information is not knowledge, knowledge is not wisdom, and wisdom is not foresight. Each grows out of the other, and we need them all." (Arthur C. Clarke; British science fiction author, inventor, and futurist; 1917–2008.)
“Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.” (Arthur C. Clarke; British science fiction author; 1917–2008.)
“Any teacher that can be replaced by technology—should be.” (Arthur C. Clarke; British science fiction author; 1917–2008.)
“If an elderly but distinguished scientist says that something is possible he is almost certainly right, but if he says that it is impossible he is very probably wrong.” (Arthur C. Clarke; British science fiction author; 1917–2008.)
"To be good is noble, but to teach others how to be good is nobler, and less trouble." (Samuel Langhorne Clemens, better known by his pen name Mark Twain; American author and humorist; 1835–1910.)
“I have never let my schooling interfere with my education.” (Samuel Langhorne Clemens, better known by his pen name Mark Twain; American author and humorist; 1835–1910.) See additional Mark Twain quotations at http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/m/mark_twain.html.
Imagine a school with children that can read or write, but with teachers who cannot, and you have a metaphor of the Information Age in which we live. (Peter Cochrane.)
"Tell me, and I will forget. Show me, and I may remember. Involve me, and I will understand." (Confucius; Chinese thinker and social philosopher, whose teachings and philosophy have deeply influenced Chinese, Korean, Japanese, Taiwanese and Vietnamese thought and life; 551 BC–479 BC.)
"The strongest memory is not as strong as the weakest ink." (Confucius; Chinese thinker and social philosopher, whose teachings and philosophy have deeply influenced Chinese, Korean, Japanese, Taiwanese and Vietnamese thought and life; 551 BC–479 BC.)
"He who asks a question is a fool for five minutes; he who does not ask a question remains a fool forever." (Confucius; Chinese thinker and social philosopher, whose teachings and philosophy have deeply influenced Chinese, Korean, Japanese, Taiwanese and Vietnamese thought and life; 551 BC–479 BC.)
"Ability will never catch up with the demand for it." (Confucius; Chinese thinker and social philosopher, whose teachings and philosophy have deeply influenced Chinese, Korean, Japanese, Taiwanese and Vietnamese thought and life; 551 BC–479 BC.)
"The superior man understands what is right; the inferior man understands what will sell." (Confucius; Chinese thinker and social philosopher, whose teachings and philosophy have deeply influenced Chinese, Korean, Japanese, Taiwanese and Vietnamese thought and life; 551 BC–479 BC.)
"Learning without thought is labor lost." (Confucius; Chinese thinker and social philosopher, whose teachings and philosophy have deeply influenced Chinese, Korean, Japanese, Taiwanese and Vietnamese thought and life; 551 BC–479 BC.)
"I never see what has been done; I only see what remains to be done." (Marie Curie; physicist and chemist of Polish upbringing and, subsequently, French citizenship. She was a pioneer in the field of radioactivity, the first person honored with two Nobel Prizes, and the first female professor at the University of Paris; 1867–1934.)
Authors D to F
"It is not the strongest of the species that survive, nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change." (Charles Darwin; English naturalist; 1809—1882.)
"Anyone who conducts an argument by appealing to authority is not using his intelligence; he is just using his memory." (Leonardo da Vinci; Italian artist; 1452–1519.)
"The most dangerous experiment we can conduct with our children is to keep schooling the same at a time when every other aspect of our society is dramatically changing." (Chris Dede, written statement to the PCAST panel, 1997.)
"You don't just learn knowledge; you have to create it. Get in the driver's seat, don't just be a passenger. You have to contribute to it or you don't understand it." (Dr. W. Edwards Deming; 1900–1993.)
"Each problem that I solved became a rule which served afterwards to solve other problems." (René Descartes, French philosopher, mathematician, scientist, and writer; 1596–1650.)
"Any genuine teaching will result, if successful, in someone's knowing how to bring about a better condition of things than existed earlier." (John Dewey; American philosopher, psychologist, and educational reformer; 1859–1952.)
"Education is not a preparation for life; education is life itself." (John Dewey; American philosopher, psychologist, and educational reformer; 1859–1952,)
"A loving heart is the truest wisdom." (Charles Dickens; the most popular English novelist of the Victorian era, as well as a vigorous social campaigner; 1818–1870.)
"Computer Science is no more about computers than astronomy is about telescopes." (Edsger Dijkstra; Dutch computer scientist; 1930–2002.)
"In their capacity as a tool, computers will be but a ripple on the surface of our culture. In their capacity as intellectual challenge, they are without precedent in the cultural history of mankind.” (Edsger Dijkstra; Dutch computer scientist; 1930–2002.)
"Computer Science is no more about the computer than astronomy is about the telescope." (Edsger Dijkstra; Dutch computer scientist; 1930–2002.)
"Computation is the principle; the computer is the tool." (Edsger Dijkstra; Dutch computer scientist; 1930–2002.)
“Too often we forget that genius, too, depends upon the data within its reach, that even Archimedes could not have devised Edison's inventions.” (Ernest Dimnet; French priest, writer and lecturer, is the author of The Art of Thinking, a popular book on thinking and reasoning during the 1930s; 1866–1954.)
“Our greatest natural resource is the minds of our children.” (Walt Disney; American film producer, director, screenwriter, voice actor, animator, entrepreneur, entertainer, international icon; 1901–1966.)
“If there is no struggle, there is no progress." (Frederick Douglass; American abolitionist, orator and writer; 1818–1895.)
"What do you want to contribute?" (Peter Drucker; writer, management consultant, and self-described “social ecologist” born in Vienna, Austria; 1909–2005.)
“There is nothing so useless as doing efficiently that which should not be done at all." (Peter Drucker; writer, management consultant, and self-described “social ecologist” born in Vienna, Austria; 1909–2005.)
“Historically, the elementary school has been totally labor-intensive. Tomorrow's elementary school will be heavily capital-intensive.” (Peter Drucker; writer, management consultant, and self-described “social ecologist” born in Vienna, Austria; 1909–2005.)
"Technology is a gift of God. After the gift of life it is perhaps the greatest of God's gifts. It is the mother of civilizations, of arts and of sciences." (Freeman Dyson; British-born American theoretical physicist and mathematician; 1923–.)
“A good scientist is a person with original ideas. A good engineer is a person who makes a design that works with as few original ideas as possible. There are no prima donnas in engineering.” (Freeman Dyson; British-born American theoretical physicist and mathematician; 1923–.)
"Just because something doesn't do what you planned it to do in the first place doesn't mean it's useless." (Thomas A. Edison; American inventor and businessman; 1847–1931.)
Books will soon be obsolete in the schools. ... Scholars will soon be able to instruct through the eye. It is possible to touch every branch of human knowledge with the motion picture. (Thomas A. Edison; American inventor and businessman; 1847–1931; quotation from 1913.)
I believe that the motion picture is destined to revolutionize our educational system and that in a few years it will supplant largely, if not entirely, the use of textbooks. (Thomas A. Edison; American inventor and businessman; 1847–1931; quotation from 1922.)
In 1876, Thomas Edison coined a term we use to this day to describe those pesky glitches, malfunctions and other deviations from the intended paths of technology:
“It has been just so in all my inventions. The first step is an intuition — and come with a burst, then difficulties arise. This thing gives out and then that—‘Bugs’—as such little faults and difficulties are called.” (Thomas A. Edison; American inventor and businessman; 1847–1931.)
“We don't know a millionth of one percent about anything.” (Thomas A. Edison; American inventor and businessman; 1847–1931.)
“Genius is one per cent inspiration, ninety-nine per cent perspiration.” (Thomas A. Edison; American inventor and businessman; 1847–1931.)
“I have more respect for the fellow with a single idea who gets there than for the fellow with a thousand ideas who does nothing.” (Thomas A. Edison; American inventor and businessman; 1847–1931.)
“The grand aim of all science is to cover the greatest number of empirical facts by logical deduction from the smallest number of hypotheses or axioms.” (Albert Einstein; German-born theoretical physicist and 1921 Nobel Prize winner; 1879–1955.)
“A hundred times every day I remind myself that my inner and outer life are based on the labors of other men, living and dead, and that I must exert myself in order to give in the same measure as I have received and am still receiving." (Albert Einstein; German-born theoretical physicist and 1921 Nobel Prize winner; 1879–1955.)
"Common sense is the collection of prejudices acquired by age eighteen." (Albert Einstein; German-born theoretical physicist and 1921 Nobel Prize winner; 1879–1955.)
“Education is what remains after one has forgotten what one has learned in school.” (Albert Einstein; German-born theoretical physicist and 1921 Nobel Prize winner; 1879–1955.)
“Wisdom is not a product of schooling, but of the life-long attempt to acquire it.” (Albert Einstein; German-born theoretical physicist and 1921 Nobel Prize winner; 1879–1955.)
"It is a miracle that curiosity survives formal education." (Albert Einstein; German-born theoretical physicist and 1921 Nobel Prize winner; 1879–1955.)
“The aim (of education) must be the training of independently acting and thinking individuals who, however, can see in the service to the community their highest life achievement.” (Albert Einstein; German-born theoretical physicist and 1921 Nobel Prize winner; 1879–1955.)
"When I examine myself and my methods of thought, I come to the conclusion that the gift of fantasy has meant more to me than my talent for absorbing positive knowledge." (Albert Einstein; German-born theoretical physicist and 1921 Nobel Prize winner; 1879–1955.)
"Not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted." (Albert Einstein; German-born theoretical physicist and 1921 Nobel Prize winner; 1879–1955.)
"Imagination is more important than knowledge." (Albert Einstein; German-born theoretical physicist and 1921 Nobel Prize winner 1879–1955.)
“It is every man's obligation to put back into the world at least the equivalent of what he takes out of it." (Albert Einstein; German-born theoretical physicist and 1921 Nobel Prize winner; 1879–1955.)
“Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler.” (Albert Einstein; German-born theoretical physicist and 1921 Nobel Prize winner; 1879–1955.)
“If I had an hour to solve a problem and my life depended on the solution, I would spend the first 55 minutes determining the proper question to ask, for once I know the proper question, I could solve the problem in less than five minutes.” (Albert Einstein; German-born theoretical physicist and 1921 Nobel Prize winner; 1879–1955.)
“Intellectuals solve problems; geniuses prevent them.” (Albert Einstein; German-born theoretical physicist and 1921 Nobel Prize winner; 1879–1955.)
“We can't solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them.” (Albert Einstein; German-born theoretical physicist and 1921 Nobel Prize winner; 1879–1955.
“I never teach my pupils; I only attempt to provide the conditions in which they can learn.” (Albert Einstein; German-born theoretical physicist and 1921 Nobel Prize winner; 1879–1955.)
“If we knew what we were doing, we wouldn't call it research.” (Albert Einstein; German-born theoretical physicist and 1921 Nobel Prize winner; 1879–1955.)
"The formulation of a problem is often more essential than its solution, which may be merely a matter of mathematical or experimental skill." (Albert Einstein; German-born theoretical physicist and 1921 Nobel Prize winner; 1879–1955.)
“Leadership: The art of getting someone else to do something you want done because he wants to do it." (Dwight D. Eisenhower; thirty-fourth U.S. president; 1890–1969)
"Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go." (T.S. Eliot)
"A great teacher makes hard things easy." (Ralph Waldo Emerson; American essayist, philosopher, poet, and leader; 1803–1882.)
"Once you make a decision, the universe conspires to make it happen." (Ralph Waldo Emerson; American essayist, philosopher, poet, and leader; 1803–1882.)
“First say to yourself what you would be; and then do what you have to do." (Epictetus; Greek philosopher; 55 AD –135 AD.)
"I believe that a scientist looking at nonscientific problems is just as dumb as the next guy." (Richard Feynman; Nobel Prize winning American physicist; 1918–1988.)
“There is a computer disease that anybody who works with computers knows about. It's a very serious disease and it interferes completely with the work. The trouble with computers is that you 'play' with them!” (Richard Feynman; Nobel Prize winning American physicist; 1918–1988.)
“Science is the belief in the ignorance of the experts.” (Richard Feynman; Nobel Prize winning American physicist; 1918–1988.
“ If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again. Then quit. There's no use being a damn fool about it.” (W. C. Fields; American comedian, actor, and juggler; 1880–1946.)
"An educated mind is, as it were, is composed of all the minds of preceding ages." (Bernard Le Bovier Fontenelle; mathematical historian; 1657-1757.)
"Chop your own wood, and it will warm you twice." (Henry Ford; American founder of the Ford Motor Company and father of modern assembly lines used in mass production; 1863–1947.)
“Obstacles are those frightful things you see when you take your eyes off your goal." (Henry Ford; American founder of the Ford Motor Company and father of modern assembly lines used in mass production; 1863–1947.)
The whole art of teaching is only the art of awakening the natural curiosity of young minds for the purpose of satisfying it afterwards. (Anatole France; French novelist/poet; 1844–1924.)
“How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world." (Anne Frank; German-Dutch diarist and Holocaust victim; 1929–1945.)
"When you're finished changing, you're finished." (Benjamin Franklin; one of the founding fathers of the United States; 1706–1790.)
"The things which hurt, instruct." (Benjamin Franklin; one of the founding fathers of the United States; 1706–1790.)
"Nothing gives an author so much pleasure as to find his works respectfully quoted by other learned authors." (Benjamin Franklin; one of the founding fathers of the United States; 1706–1790.)
"Never confuse motion with action." (Benjamin Franklin; one of the founding fathers of the United States; 1706–1790.)
"At twenty years of age the will reigns; at thirty, the wit; and at forty, the judgment." (Benjamin Franklin; one of the founding fathers of the United States; 1706–1790.)
"Life's Tragedy is that we get old to soon and wise too late." (Benjamin Franklin; one of the founding fathers of the United States; 1706–1790.)
"If you would not be forgotten, as soon as you are dead and rotten, either write things worth reading, or do things worth the writing." (Benjamin Franklin; American scientist, inventor statesman, printer, philosopher; 1706–1790.)
"I am not a teacher. . . I am an awakener." (Robert Frost; American poet; 1874–1963.)
“The one common experience of all humanity is the challenge of problems.” (Richard Buckminster Fuller; American engineer, author, designer, inventor, and futurist; 1895–1983.)
“A proverb is much matter distilled into few words. (Richard Buckminster Fuller; American engineer, author, designer, inventor, and futurist; 1895–1983.)
“Everyone is born a genius, but the process of living de-geniuses them.” (Richard Buckminster Fuller; American engineer, author, designer, inventor, and futurist; 1895–1983.)
"All things are difficult before they are easy." (Thomas Fuller; English churchman and historian; 1654-1734.)
Authors G to I
"Unfortunately what is little recognized is that the most worthwhile scientific books are those in which the author clearly indicates what he does not know; for an author most hurts his readers by concealing his difficulties." (Evariste Galois; French mathematician; 1811-1832.)
“You must be the change you wish to see in the world." (Mahatma Gandhi; major political and spiritual leader of India and the Indian independence movement; 1869–1948.)
Happiness is when what you think, what you say, and what you do are in harmony." (Mahatma Gandhi; major political and spiritual leader of India and the Indian independence movement; 1869–1948.)
"Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever." (Mahatma Gandhi; major political and spiritual leader of India and the Indian independence movement; 1869–1948.)
"The future depends on what we do in the present.” (Mahatma Gandhi; major political and spiritual leader of India and the Indian independence movement; 1869–1948.)
"An individual understands a concept, skill, theory, or domain of knowledge to the extent that he or she can apply it appropriately in a new situation." (Howard Gardner; American psychologist and educator; 1943–.)
“Mathematics is the queen of the sciences.” (Carl Friedrich Gauss, German mathematician, physicist, & prodigy; 1777–1855.)
"... pedagogy is what our species does best. We are teachers, and we want to teach while sitting around the campfire rather than being continually present during our offspring's trial-and-error experiences." (Michael S. Gazzaniga; American brain scientist; 1939–.)
"Adults are obsolete children." (Theodor Seuss Geisel; American writer and cartoonist; better known as Dr. Seuss; 1994–1991.)
“The future is here. It's just not widely distributed yet.” (William Gibson; American-Canadian writer who coined the term "cyberspace" in his short story "Burning Chrome" and later popularized the concept in his debut novel, Neuromancer; 1948–.)
"Whatever you do, or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius and power and magic in it." (Johann Wolfgang von Goethe; German writer and polymath; 1749–1832.)
“Knowing is not enough; we must apply. Willing is not enough; we must do.” (Johann Wolfgang von Goethe; German writer and polymath; 1749–1832.)
“A mathematician, like a painter or poet, is a maker of patterns. If his patterns are more permanent than theirs, it is because they are made with ideas.”(G.H. Hardy; prominent English mathematician, known for his achievements in number theory and mathematical analysis; 1877–1947.)
“A cynic is not merely one who reads bitter lessons from the past, he is one who is prematurely disappointed in the future.” (Sidney J. Harris; American Journalist; 1917–1986.)
“Intelligence is the ability to adapt to change." (Stephen Hawking; British theoretical physicist and cosmologist; 1942–.)
“Even for the physicist the description in plain language will be a criterion of the degree of understanding that has been reached.” (Werner Karl Heisenberg; German theoretical physicists; 1901–1976.)
“Do not handicap your children by making their lives easy.” (Robert A Heinlein; American science fiction writer; 1907–1988.)
"In times of change, the learner will inherit the earth while the learned are beautifully equipped for a world that no longer exists." (Eric Hoffer; American social writer and philosopher; 1902–1983.)
"Man's mind, once stretched by a new idea, never regains its original dimensions." (Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr.; American jurist who served as an associate justice on the Supreme Court of the United States from 1902 to 1932; 1841–1935.)
"Change is not made without inconvenience, even from worse to better." (Richard Hooker; Anglican priest and an influential theologian; 1554–1600.)
"Humans are allergic to change. They love to say, 'We've always done it this way.' I try to fight that. That's why I have a clock on my wall that runs counter-clockwise." (Grace Hopper; American computer scientist and computer educator; 1906–1992.)
"Try to learn something about everything and everything about something." (Thomas H. Huxley; English writer; 1825–1895.)
Authors J to L
“It is our attitude at the beginning of a difficult task which, more than anything else, will affect its successful outcome." (William James; American philosopher and psychologist; 1842-1910.)
"I was bold in the pursuit of knowledge, never fearing to follow truth and reason to whatever results they led." (Thomas Jefferson; third President of the United States; 1743–1826.)
"What is written without effort is in general read without pleasure." (Samuel Johnson; British author; 1709–1784.)
"Knowledge is of two kinds. We know a subject ourselves, or we know where we can find information upon it." (Samuel Johnson; British author; 1709–1784.)
“It is better to debate a question without settling it than to settle a question without debating it." (Joseph Joubert; French moralist and essayist; 1754–1824.)
"One looks back with appreciation to the brilliant teachers, but with gratitude to those who touched our human feelings. The curriculum is so much necessary raw material, but warmth is the vital element for the growing plant and for the soul of the child." (Carl Jung)
"Simple things should be simple. Complex things should be possible." (Alan Kay; American computer scientist; 1940–.) See http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/a/alankay160916.html.
"Don't worry about what anybody else is going to do… The best way to predict the future is to invent it. Really smart people with reasonable funding can do just about anything that doesn't violate too many of Newton's Laws. (Alan Kay; American computer scientist; 1940–.) See http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/a/alankay160916.html.
"I am only one, but still I am one. I can not do everything, but still I can do something. And because I can not do everything, I will not refuse to do something I can do." (Helen Keller; was an American author, political activist, and lecturer. She was the first deaf blind person to earn a Bachelor of Arts degree; 1880–1968.)
“Defeat is simply a signal to press onward." (Helen Keller; was an American author, political activist, and lecturer. She was the first deaf blind person to earn a Bachelor of Arts degree; 1880–1968.)
"All progress is precarious, and the solution of one problem brings us face to face with another problem." (Martin Luther King Jr., 1926–1968.)
“Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.” (Martin Luther King Jr.)
“The time is always right to do what is right." (Martin Luther King Jr., Nobel Peace Prize recipient and civil rights activist.)
"Logic is the art of going wrong with confidence." (Morris Kline; American mathematician and a writer on the history, philosophy, and teaching of mathematics; 1908–1992.)
“Statistics: the mathematical theory of ignorance.” (Morris Kline; American mathematician and a writer on the history, philosophy, and teaching of mathematics; 1908–1992.)
“A proof tells us where to concentrate our doubts.” (Morris Kline; American mathematician and a writer on the history, philosophy, and teaching of mathematics; 1908–1992.)
“God created the natural numbers. All the rest is the work of man.” (Leopold Kronecker; German mathematician; 1823-1891.)
"It is a poor carpenter who blames his tools." (Thomas Kuhn in his 1996 book: The Structure of Scientific Revolutions, 3rd edition. Chicago, IL, University of Chicago Press; American intellectual who wrote extensively on the history of science; 1922–1996.)
“In the final analysis it is not what you do for your children but what you have taught them to do for themselves that will make them successful human beings.” (Ann Landers was a pen name created by Chicago Sun-Times advice columnist Ruth Crowley in 1943 and taken over by Eppie Lederer in 1955. For 56 years, the Ask Ann Landers syndicated advice column was a regular feature in many newspapers across North America. Due to this popularity, 'Ann Landers', though fictional, became something of a national institution and cultural icon.)
"It is unworthy of excellent men to lose hours like slaves in the labor of calculation which could be safely relegated to anyone else if machines were used." (Gottfried Leibniz; German philosopher and mathematician; 1646–1716.)
“Life is like a piano. What you get out of it depends on how you play it." (Tom Lehrer; American singer-songwriter, satirist, pianist and mathematician; born April 9, 1928.)
"If I had eight hours to chop down a tree, I'd spend six sharpening my axe." (Abraham Lincoln; 16th President of the United States; 1809–1865.)
"In the end, it's not the years in your life that count. It's the life in your years. (Abraham Lincoln; 16th President of the United States; 1809–1865.)
“Children are the message we send to the future.” (Abraham Lincoln; 16th President of the United States; 1809–1865.)
“To sin by silence when they should protest makes cowards of men." (Abraham Lincoln; 16th President of the United States; 1809–1865.)
"The difference between a successful person and others is not a lack of strength, not a lack of knowledge, but rather in a lack of will." (Vince Lombardi; American football coach; 1913–1970.)
Authors M to O
"One change leaves the way open for the introduction of others." (Niccolò Machiavelli; Italian philosopher/writer, and is considered one of the main founders of modern political science; 1469–1527.)
"I don't know who discovered water but it wasn't a fish!" (Marshall McLuhan); Canadian educator, philosopher, and scholar—a professor of English literature; 1911–1980.)
“On Spaceship Earth there are no passengers; everybody is a member of the crew. We have moved into an age in which everybody's activities affect everybody else." (Marshall McLuhan); Canadian educator, philosopher, and scholar—a professor of English literature; 1911–1980.)
“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful committed citizens can change the world: indeed; it's the only thing that ever has.” (Margaret Mead; American Cultural Anthropologist; 1901–1978.)
“If one cannot state a matter clearly enough so that even an intelligent twelve-year-old can understand it, one should remain within the cloistered walls of the university and laboratory until one gets a better grasp of one’s subject matter.” (Margaret Mead; American Cultural Anthropologist; 1901–1978.)
“There is always an easy solution to every human problem—neat, plausible, and wrong.” (Henry Louis “H .L.” Mencken; American journalist, essayist, editor, critic of American life; 1880–1956.)
“Ancora Imparo!” [English translation: "And STILL I am learning!"]. (Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simon at age 87; commonly known as Michelangelo, he was an Italian Renaissance painter, sculptor, architect, poet, and engineer; 1475–1564.)
"Making the simple complicated is commonplace; making the complicated simple, awesomely simple, that's creativity." (Charles Mingus; American jazz musician, composer, bandleader, and civil rights activist; 1922–1979.)
"No computer has ever been designed that is ever aware of what it's doing; but most of the time, we aren't either." (Marvin Minsky; American cognitive scientist in the field of artificial intelligence; 1927–.)
"...we discovered that education is not something which the teacher does, but that it is a natural process which develops spontaneously in the human being. It is not acquired by listening to words, but in virtue of experiences in which the child acts on his environment. The teacher's task is not to talk, but to prepare and arrange a series of motives for cultural activity in a special environment made for the child." (Maria Montessori; Italian physician, educator, philosopher, and humanitarian; 1870–1952.)
"The real purpose of books is to trap the mind into doing its own thinking." (Christopher Morley; American journalist, novelist, essayist and poet; 1890–1957.)
"One striking fact is that the complex world of education—unlike defense, health care, or industrial production—does not rest on a strong research base. In no other field are personal experience and ideology so frequently relied on the make policy choices, and in no other field is the research base so inadequate and little used." (Improving Student Learning; National Research Council; 1999.)
“If I have seen further it is by standing on the shoulders of giants.” (Isaac Newton; English mathematician & physicist; Letter to Robert Hooke, February 5, 1675; 642 – 1727.)
"A book is made better by good readers and clearer by good opponents." (Friedrich W. Nietzsche; German philosopher; 1844–1900.)
“A good author possesses not only his own intellect, but also that of his friends.” (Friedrich W. Nietzsche; German philosopher; 1844–1900.)
“Rule No. 1: Use your own good judgment in all situations. There will be no additional rules." (Bruce, Jim, and John Nordstrom, co-presidents of Nordstrom department stores, in the employee handbook.)
Authors P to R
"The reason most kids don't like school is not that the work is too hard, but that it is utterly boring." (Seymour Papert; born in South Africa; MIT mathematician, computer scientist, and educator; 1928–.)
There won’t be schools in the future... I think the computer will blow up the school. That is, the school defined as something where there are classes, teachers running exams, people structured in groups by age, following a curriculum — all of that... (Seymour Papert; born in South Africa; MIT mathematician, computer scientist, and educator; 1928–.)
"Nothing could be more absurd than an experiment in which computers are placed in a classroom where nothing else is changed." (Seymour Papert; born in South Africa; MIT mathematician, computer scientist, and educator; 1928–.)
“The best way to have a good idea is to have lots of ideas." (Linus Pauling; American scientist, winner of two Nobel prizes; 1901–1994.)
“If a problem has no solution, it may not be a problem, but a fact—not to be solved, but to be coped with over time.” (Shimon Peres; political leader in Israel, including serving as Prime Minister and President; 1923–.)
"If we desire to form individuals capable of inventive thought and of helping the society of tomorrow to achieve progress, then it is clear that an education which is an active discovery of reality is superior to one that consists merely in providing the young with ready-made wills to will with and ready-made truths to know with…" (Jean Piaget; Swiss philosopher and natural scientist, well known for his work studying children and his 4-stage theory of cognitive development; 1896–1980.)
“It is with children that we have the best chance of studying the development of logical knowledge, mathematical knowledge, physical knowledge, and so forth.” (Jean Piaget; Swiss philosopher and natural scientist, well known for his work studying children, his theory of cognitive development; 1896–1980.)
"If you don't know where you are going, you're likely to end up somewhere else." (Lawrence J. Peter; educator and hierarchiologist of "Peter's Principles" fame; 1919–1990.)
"I have made this letter longer than usual, only because I have not had the time to make it shorter." Here is the original in French: "Je n'ai fait celle-ci plus longue que d'habitude parce que je n'ai pas eu laloisir de la faire plus courte." (Blaise Pascal; French mathematician, physicist, religious philosopher, and child prodigy; 1523–1662.)
"Chance favors only the prepared mind." (Louis Pasteur; French chemist and microbiologist; 1822–1895.)
"Never tell people how to do things. Tell them what to do and they will surprise you with their ingenuity." (George S. Patton Jr.; World War II general; 1885–1945.)
"My familiarity with various software programs is part of my intelligence if I have access to those tools." (David Perkins; American Professor, Harvard Graduate School of Education.)
"The man who makes no mistakes does not usually make anything." (John Edward Phelps; American lawyer and diplomat; 1822–1900.)
"If women are to do the same work as men, we must teach them the same things." (Plato; Classical Greek philosopher, mathematician, writer of philosophical dialogues, and founder of the Academy in Athens, the first institution of higher learning in the western world; 428/427 BC– 348/347 BC.)
“When you spoke of a nature gifted or not gifted in any respect, did you mean to say that one man may acquire a thing easily, another with difficulty; a little learning will lead the one to discover a great deal; whereas the other, after much study and application no sooner learns then he forgets …” (Plato; Classical Greek philosopher, mathematician, writer of philosophical dialogues, and founder of the Academy in Athens, the first institution of higher learning in the western world; 428/427 BC– 348/347 BC.)
"Elements of instruction...should be presented to the mind in childhood; not, however, under any notion of forcing education. A freeman ought not to be a slave in the acquisition of knowledge of any kind. Bodily exercise, when compulsory, does no harm to the body; but knowledge which is acquired under compulsion obtains no hold on the mind." (Plato; Classical Greek philosopher, mathematician, writer of philosophical dialogues, and founder of the Academy in Athens, the first institution of higher learning in the western world; 428/427 BC–348/347 BC.)
“Necessity is the mother of invention.” (Plato; Classical Greek philosopher, mathematician, writer of philosophical dialogues, and founder of the Academy in Athens, the first institution of higher learning in the western world; 428/427 BC–348/347 BC.)
"The mind is not a vessel to be filled but a fire to be kindled." (Plutarch; Roman historian; 46 AD–120 AD.)
“Mathematics consists of content and know-how. What is know-how in mathematics? The ability to solve problems.” (George Polya; Hungarian mathematician; 1887–1985.)
"It's not only what we do, but what we fail to do, for which we are accountable." (Jean-Baptiste Poquelin, stage name Molière; French playwright; 1622-1673.)
"Once you have learned how to ask relevant and appropriate questions, you have learned how to learn and no one can keep you from learning whatever you want or need to know." (Neil Postman and Charles Weingartner. Teaching as a Subversive Activity.)
“Failure is not the only punishment for laziness; there is also the success of others.” (Jules Renard; French author and member of the Académie Goncourt; 1964-1910.)
“Good ideas and innovations must be driven into existence by courageous patience." (Hyman George Rickover; four-star admiral in the United States Navy who directed the original development of naval nuclear propulsion; 1900–1986.)
"Even if you're on the right track, you'll get run over if you just sit there." (Will Rogers; American cowboy, humorist, and commentator; 1879–1935.)
“If you're riding' ahead of the herd, take a look back every now and then to make sure it's still there." (Will Rogers; American cowboy, humorist, and commentator; 1879–1935.)
“A typical vice of American politics is the avoidance of saying anything real on real issues." (Theodore Roosevelt; 26th U.S. president; 1858–1919.)
“I am a part of everything that I have read.” (Theodore Roosevelt; 26th U.S. president; 1858–1919.)
"It is common sense to take a method and try it. If it fails, admit it frankly and try another. But above all, try something." (Franklin D. Roosevelt)
"One of the symptoms of an approaching nervous breakdown is the belief that one's work is terribly important." (Bertrand Russell; British philosopher, logician, mathematician, historian, socialist, pacifist and social critic; 1872–1970.)
Authors S to U
"Intelligence is quickness in seeing things as they are." (George Santayana; lifelong Spanish citizen, Santayana was raised and educated in the United States, wrote in English and is generally considered an American man of letters; 1863–1952.)
“We must welcome the future, remembering that soon it will be the past; and we must respect the past, remembering that it was once all that was humanly possible." (George Santayana; lifelong Spanish citizen, Santayana was raised and educated in the United States, wrote in English and is generally considered an American man of letters; 1863–1952.)
"The wisest mind has something yet to learn." (George Santayana; lifelong Spanish citizen, Santayana was raised and educated in the United States, wrote in English and is generally considered an American man of letters; 1863–1952.)
"Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it." (George Santayana; lifelong Spanish citizen, Santayana was raised and educated in the United States, wrote in English and is generally considered an American man of letters; 1863–1952.)
"… math is just logic with numbers attached. (Marilyn vos Savant; American magazine columnist, author, lecturer and playwright who rose to fame through her listing in the Guinness Book of World Records under "Highest IQ"; 1946–.)
"In the book of life, the answers aren't in the back." (Charles M. Schulz; American cartoonist speaking through the voice of his comic strip character Charlie Brown; 1922–2000.)
“The boss drives people; the leader coaches them. The boss depends on authority; the leader on good will. The boss inspires fear; the leader inspires enthusiasm. The boss says 'I'; the leader says 'we.' The boss fixes the blame for the breakdown; the leader fixes the breakdown. The boss says 'go'; the leader says 'let's go!'" (Harry Gordon Selfridge, Sr.; American-British retail magnate; was an American-born retail magnate; 1864–1947.)
"Qui Docet Discet" (when you teach, you learn twice). (Seneca; Roman philosopher and advocate of cooperative learning; 4 BC–65 AD.)
“Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity.” (Seneca; Roman philosopher and advocate of cooperative learning; 4 BC–65 AD.)
“Through learning we re-create ourselves. Through learning we become able to do something we never were able to do. Through learning we re-perceive the world and our relationship to it. Through learning we extend our capacity to create, to be part of the generative process of life. There is within each of us a deep hunger for this type of learning” (Peter Senge; American scientist and director of the Center for Organizational Learning at the MIT Sloan School of Management; 1947–.)
"Beware of false knowledge; it is more dangerous than ignorance." (George Bernard Shaw; Irish playwright; 1856–1950.)
"If you have an apple and I have an apple and we exchange these apples then you and I will still each have one apple. But if you have an idea and I have an idea and we exchange these ideas, then each of us will have two ideas." (George Bernard Shaw; Irish playwright; 1856–1950.)
“Those who can, do; those who can’t, teach.” (George Bernard Shaw; Irish playwright; 1856–1950.)
"Few people think more than two or three times a year; I have made an international reputation for myself by thinking once or twice a week." (George Bernard Shaw; Irish playwright; 1856–1950.)
"The people who get on in this world are the people who get up and look for the circumstances they want, and if they can't find them, make them." (George Bernard Shaw; Irish playwright; 1856–1950.)
“You see things and say ‘Why?’ But I dream things that never were, and I say, ‘Why not?’” (George Bernard Shaw; Irish playwright; 1856–1950.)
The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore, all progress depends on the unreasonable man." (George Bernard Shaw; Irish playwright; 1856–1950.)
"It is bad enough to reinvent the wheel. What really hurts is when they reinvent the flat tire." (Lee Shulman; educational psychologist who has made notable contributions to the study of teacher education, assessment of teaching, and education in the fields of medicine, science and mathematics.)
"The real problem is not whether machines think but whether people do." (B.F. Skinner; American psychologist, author, inventor, advocate for social reform; 1904–1990.)
Because education will be much more efficient, it will probably cost less than it does now. This is not a utopian dream. It is well within the range of an existing technology of teaching. (B.F. Skinner; American psychologist, author, inventor, advocate for social reform; 1904–1990.)
Education is what survives when what has been learned has been forgotten." (B.F. Skinner; American psychologist, author, inventor, advocate for social reform; 1904–1990.)
"Adults are obsolete children." (Dr. Seuss.) Pen name for Theodor Seuss Geisel. (American writer and cartoonist; 1994–1991.)
"Our youth now loves luxury. They have bad manners, contempt for authority, disrespect for older people. Children nowadays are tyrants. They no longer rise when their elders enter the room. They contradict their parents, chatter before company, gobble their food and tyrannize their teachers." (Socrates; Classical Greek philosopher; c. 469 BC–399 BC.)
"Everybody gets so much information all day long that they lose their common sense." (Gertrude Stein; American writer, poet and feminist; 1874–1946.)
"On the Internet, nobody knows you're a dog." (Two dogs talking to each other, in a New Yorker carton by Peter Steiner, July 5, 1993) Accessed 10/29/05: http://www.unc.edu/depts/jomc/academics/dri/idog.html.
"The illiterate of the 21st century will not be the one who can not read and write, but the one who can not learn, unlearn, and relearn." (Alvin Toffler; American writer and futurist; 1928–.)
"All education springs from some image of the future. If the image of the future held by a society is grossly inaccurate, its education system will betray its youth." (Alvin Toffler; American writer and futurist; 1928–.)
"Future shock [is] the shattering stress and disorientation that we induce in individuals by subjecting them to too much change in too short a time." (Alvin Toffler; American writer and futurist; 1928–.)
“Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing himself.” (Leo Tolstoy; Russian novelist and philosopher; 1828–1910.)
"Mankind owes to the child the best it has to give." (United Nations Declaration of the Rights of the Child, 1959.)
Authors V to Z
"It is the process of working and by watching yourself work that innovation occurs." (J. Kirk T. Varnedoe; world renown artist and MacArthur Award winner; 1946–2003.)
"Anything one man can imagine, other men can make real." (Jules Verne; French author who helped pioneer the science fiction genre; 1828–1905.)
“As the twig is bent the tree inclines.” (Virgil—Publius Vergilius Maro; classical Roman poet; 70 BCE–19 BCE.)
“The time may not be very remote when it will be understood that for complete initiation as an efficient citizen of one of the great complex world states that are now developing, it is necessary to be able to compute, to think in averages and maxima and minima, as it is now to be able to read and to write.” (H.G. Wells; English author 1866–1946.)
"Human history becomes, more and more, a race between education and catastrophe." (H.G. Wells; English author 1866–1946.)
"Civilization advances by extending the number of important operations which we can perform without thinking of them." (Alfred North Whitehead; English mathematician and philosopher; 1861–1947.)
“No one who achieves success does so without acknowledging the help of others. The wise and confident acknowledge this help with gratitude.” (Alfred North Whitehead; English mathematician and philosopher; 1861–1947.)
“The 'silly question' is the first intimation of some totally new development."(Alfred North Whitehead; English mathematician and philosopher; 1861–1947.)
“The art of progress is to preserve order amid change and to preserve change amid order.” (Alfred North Whitehead; British Mathematician and Philosopher, 1861-1947.)
“The vitality of thought is in adventure. Ideas won't keep. Something must be done about them. When the idea is new, its custodians have fervor, live for it, and if need be, die for it.” (Alfred North Whitehead; British Mathematician and Philosopher, 1861-1947.)
“The only thing to do with good advice is pass it on. It is never any use to oneself." (Oscar Wilde; Irish playwright, novelist and poet; 1854–1900.)
"Don't let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do." (John Wooden; American basketball coaching legend; 1910–2010.)
"If it keeps up, man will atrophy all his limbs but the push-button finger." (Frank Lloyd Wright; American architect, interior designer, writer and educator; 1867–1959.)
"The best dividends on the labor invested have invariably come from seeking more knowledge rather than more power." (Orville and Wilber Wright; two Americans who are generally credited with inventing and building the world's first successful airplane and making the first controlled, powered and sustained heavier-than-air human flight, on December 17, 1903.)
Author or Authors
This page was created by David Moursund.
