Sir Leslie Stephen Quotes & Sayings

Self-improvement is generally a removal of a vice rather than an acquisition of a virtue. — Chris Matakas

Wherever books are burned, human beings are destined to be burned too. — Heinrich Heine

I'm not usually this emotional," I say. He shrugs. "All women say that. It usually precedes an episode of batshit craziness. — Tammy Falkner

With every year that passes, I get further away from my target audience, and while I've been happy to think of myself as a father figure to these kids, I'd be a little distressed to be thought of as a grandfather figure. — Anthony Horowitz

Government has a legitimate function, but the private sector has one too, and it is superior. In other words, people are better than institutions. — Cal Thomas

We who believe that children want to learn about the world, are good at it, and can be trusted to do it with very little adult coercion or interference, are probably no more than one percent of the population, if that. And we are not likely to become the majority in my lifetime. This doesn't trouble me much anymore, as long as this minority keeps on growing. My work is to help it grow.
— John Holt

Why are you fearful, O you of little faith?" Matthew 8:26 When we are afraid, the least we can do is pray to God. But our Lord has a right to expect that those who name His name have an underlying confidence in Him. God expects His children to be so confident in Him that in any crisis they are the ones who are reliable. Yet our trust is only in God up to a certain point, then we turn back to the elementary panic-stricken prayers of those people who do not even know God. We come to our wits' end, showing that we don't have even the slightest amount of confidence in Him or in His sovereign control of the world. To us He seems to be asleep, and we can see nothing but giant, breaking waves on the sea ahead of us. — Oswald Chambers

It is confirmation to me that beyond the material world of cause and effect, there is a dimension of spirit waiting for our recognition. We see such a small piece of all the wonder surrounding us. — Paula D'Arcy

There are a great many people who are in favor of conservation no matter what it means. — William Howard Taft

I like to be a free spirit. Some don't like that, but that's the way I am. — Diana Princess Of Wales

To sleep around is absolutely wrong for a woman; it's degrading and it completely ruins her personality. Sooner or later it will destroy all that is feminine and beautiful and idealistic in her. — Barbara Cartland

I've always been fascinated by the picaresque. — David Mamet

Low lights signal to our senses that the workday may be over and it's time for sleep, making it hard for an audience to pay careful attention. When we stand behind a big wooden podium, it can feel as if there's a shield between us and the audience. — John P. Kotter

In the end, he had to admit, he didn't really understand her. He didn't understand women. He didn't understand men. He didn't even understand children very well. All he really understood, he thought, was himself and the rest of the universe. Neither anything like completely, of course, but both well enough to know that what remained to be discovered would make sense; it would fit in, it could all be gradually and patiently fitted together a bit at a time, like an infinite jigsaw puzzle, with no straight edges to look for and no end in sight, but one in which there was always going to be somewhere for absolutely any piece to fit. — Iain Banks

The power of words to deceive is a danger far exceeding any we might encounter from physical weapons. Sticks and stones can break bones! But words can lead worlds into ruin! — Steve Bivans