There is this paradox in pride -- it makes some men ridiculous, but prevents others from becoming so.

When Religion and Royalty are swept away, the people will attack the great, and after the great, they will fall upon the rich.

Honore de Balzac

Civilized countries generally adopt gold or silver or both as money.

Alfred Marshall

the only people for me are the mad ones, the ones who are mad to live, mad to talk, mad to be saved, desirous of everything at the same time, the ones who never yawn or say a commonplace thing, but burn, burn, burn like fabulous yellow roman candles exploding like spiders across the stars.

Jack Kerouac

The qualities of an exceptional cook are akin to those of a successful tightrope walker: an abiding passion for the task, courage to go out on a limb and an impeccable sense of balance.

Bryan Miller

When a girl marries, she exchanges the attentions of all the other men of her acquaintance for the inattention of just one.

Helen Rowland

The paper does not provide the exact number of penises eaten by ducks, but the author says there have been enough over the years to prompt the coining of a popular saying: 'I better get home or the ducks will have something to eat.

Mary Roach

Each instant of life is a step toward death.

Pierre Corneille

On a level plain, simple mounds look like hills; and the insipid flatness of our present bourgeoisie is to be measured by the altitude of its great intellects.

Karl Marx

The trick is always to write in pairs because if at least two people find it funny, you've immediately halved the odds of it not being funny.

Steve Coogan

You should celebrate the end of a love affair as they celebrate death in New Orleans, with songs, laughter, dancing and a lot of wine.

Francoise Sagan

Another thing to do with the blues is how they were recorded. They were done on the quick, and some of that stuff was made on wire, not even tape, let alone digital.

Keith Richards

Failure is unimportant. It takes courage to make a fool of yourself.

Charlie Chaplin