Vilfredo Quotes & Sayings

Our desire is to grow so quiet and to work so deeply that we participate fully in the mystery in which we're embedded. When we manage to do that we feel as if we have merged with the universe; for the duration of that experience we feel immortal. — Eric Maisel

I hadn't thought about that."He pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. "Curiouser and curiouser."
Startled, I glanced at him. "I say that sometimes."
Even with his face tight with worry, Dad managed to look a little amused. "It's from Alice in Wonderland. Appropriate, don't you think? — Rachel Hawkins

It is a know fact that almost all revolutions have been the work, not of the common people, but of the aristocracy, and especially of the decayed part of the aristocracy. — Vilfredo Pareto

Assume that the new elite were clearly and simply to proclaim its intentions which are to supplant the old elite; no one would come to its assistance, it would be defeated before having fought a battle. On the contrary, it appears to be asking nothing for itself, well knowing that without asking anything in advance it will obtain what it wants as a consequence of its victory. — Vilfredo Pareto

The unceasing activity of the Creator whereby, in overflowing bounty and goodwill, He upholds His creatures in ordered existence, guides and governs all events, circumstances, and free acts of angels and men, and directs everything to its appointed goal, for His own glory. — J.I. Packer

There are some people who imagine that they can disarm their enemy by complacent flattery. They are wrong. The world has always belonged to the stronger and will belong to them for many years to come. Men only respect those who make themselves respected. Whoever becomes a lamb will find a wolf to eat him. — Vilfredo Pareto

In the morning, Liam enjoyed a long, lovely cuddle in bed with Mommy and Daddy. Then he grew excited because Mommy and Daddy started getting ready to go somewhere. Often that meant he got to go somewhere too, and he liked exploring this new, sunny place. — Thea Harrison

When you feel humiliated or things like that, you either use it as fuel to change or you get covered by it. — Diane Von Furstenberg

For a very long time, and among a large number of peoples, political power has belonged to the owners of the land. — Vilfredo Pareto

The diverse natures of men, combined with the necessity to satisfy in some manner the sentiment which desires them to be equal, has had the result that in the democracies they have endeavored to provide the appearance of power in the people and the reality of power in an elite. — Vilfredo Pareto

Travel early and travel often. Live abroad, if you can. Understand cultures other than your own. As your understanding of other cultures increases, your understanding of yourself and your own culture will increase exponentially. — Tom Freston

In any series of elements to be controlled, a selected small fraction, in terms of numbers of elements, always accounts for a large fraction in terms of effect. — Vilfredo Pareto

If you're Noah, and your ark is about to sink, look for the elephants first, because you can throw over a bunch of cats, dogs, squirrels, and everything else that is just a small animal and your ark will keep sinking. But if you can find one elephant to get overboard, you're in much better shape. — Vilfredo Pareto

Increase in the wealth per capita fosters democracy; but the latter, at least according to what we have been able to observe up to now, entails great destruction of wealth and even eventually dries up the sources of it. Hence it is its own grave-digger, it destroys what gave it birth. — Vilfredo Pareto

Usually, so far as improvement in the people's economic conditions is concerned, humanitarians simply play the role of the busybody. — Vilfredo Pareto

The assertion that men are objectively equal is so absurd that it does not even merit being refuted. — Vilfredo Pareto

Empirical laws [ ... ] have only slight or even no value beyond the limits within which they have been observed to be true. — Vilfredo Pareto

The liberals who demanded equality of taxation on behalf of the poor, for instance, did not imagine that they would obtain progressive taxation to the disadvantage of the well-off, and that they would end up with an arrangement in which taxes are voted by those who do not pay them. — Vilfredo Pareto

It's a horrible and wonderful battle with yourself, to stay calm, stay in the moment. My coach said, "Stay here, not at the target. Don't be down there." It's why they call it the Zen art. — Geena Davis

All governments use force and all assert that they are founded on reason. In fact, whether universal suffrage prevails or not, it is always an oligarchy that governs, finding ways to give to'the will of the people'the expression which the few desire. — Vilfredo Pareto

Give me a fruitful error anytime, full of seeds, bursting with its own corrections. — Vilfredo Pareto

The intent of sincere humanitarians is to do good to society, just as the intent of the child who kills a bird by to much fondling is to do good to the bird. — Vilfredo Pareto

Give me the fruitful error any time, full of seeds, bursting with its own corrections. You can keep your sterile truth for yourself. — Vilfredo Pareto

Men follow their sentiments and their self-interest, but it pleases them to imagine that they follow reason. And so they look for, and always find, some theory which, a posteriori, makes their actions appear to be logical. If that theory could be demolished scientifically, the only result would be that another theory would be substituted for the first one, and for the same purpose. — Vilfredo Pareto

Bush fell off his bike while mountain biking on his ranch over the weekend. He hit a rough spot in the trail. There's a switch - the environment hurting Bush. — Jay Leno

But as a heathen tells us, there is no nation so barbarous, no race so brutish as not to be imbued with the conviction that there is a God. — John Calvin

Society is not homogeneous, and those who do not deliberately close their eyes have to recognize that men differ greatly from one another from the physical, moral, and intellectual viewpoints. — Vilfredo Pareto

The party that called itself liberal aimed at respecting the liberty to dispose of one's own goods — Vilfredo Pareto

Among civilized peoples, especially the very wealthy population of the United States of America, women have become objects of luxury who consume but do not produce. — Vilfredo Pareto

For many events, roughly 80% of the effects come from 20% of the causes — Vilfredo Pareto

This world rubs me raw, scours me smooth like an SOS pad put to a grease-caked skillet. And pain: it stabs and scrapes and pulls me back to earth, my final B&B, that worm-spun cot of cool black sod. — Chila Woychik

I never thought I'd be on Sesame Street with Elmo and Big Bird. I'm still thrilled. I'm on a high. — Michelle Obama

When it is useful to them, men can believe a theory of which they know nothing more than its name. — Vilfredo Pareto

My wish is to construct a system of sociology on the model of celestial mechanics, physics, and chemistry. — Vilfredo Pareto

The computer revolution is a revolution in the way we think and in the way we express what we think. — Hal Abelson

80% of results come from 20% of effort/time — Vilfredo Pareto

Human behaviour reveals uniformities which constitute natural laws. If these uniformities did not exist, then there would be neither social science nor political economy, and even the study of history would largely be useless. In effect, if the future actions of men having nothing in common with their past actions, our knowledge of them, although possibly satisfying our curiosity by way of an interesting story, would be entirely useless to us as a guide in life. — Vilfredo Pareto

Theories of "natural law" and the "law of nations" are another excellent example of discussions destitute of all exactness. [ ... ] "Natural law" is simply that law of which the person using the phrase approves[ ... ] — Vilfredo Pareto

If modesty and candor are necessary to an author in his judgment of his own works, no less are they in his reader. — Sarah Fielding

Renaissance," Alice's husband said casually. "A rebirth? Like you guys have been able to start again now that you're together?"

Cali shook her head. "No. We haven't started again. The Renaissance was about maturity," she explained, using the words Kent had spoken to her in the Landon Industries vault more than a year ago. "So, instead of a rebirth, this is us growing into ourselves. It's the culmination of all the years we lived before we decided to live them together. — Zannie Adams

Above, far above the prejudices and passions of men soar the laws of nature. Eternal and immutable, they are the expression of the creative power they represent what is, what must be, what otherwise could not be. Man can come to understand the: he is incapable of changing them. — Vilfredo Pareto

The economic and social theories used by those who take part in the social struggle ought to be judged not by their objective value but primarily for their effectiveness in arousing emotions. The scientific refutation of them which can be made is useless, however correct it may be objectively. — Vilfredo Pareto

He may wear what he likes in the future, for I shall never drive with him again. His conduct was shocking. When we passed Highgate Archway, he tried to pass everything and everybody. He shouted to respectable people who were walking quietly in the road to get out of the way; he flicked at the horse of an old man who was riding, causing it to rear; and, as I had to ride backwards, I was compelled to face a gang of roughs in a donkey-cart, whom Lupin had chaffed, and who turned and followed us for nearly a mile, bellowing, indulging in coarse jokes and laughter, to say nothing of occasionally pelting us with orange-peel. — George Grossmith