Wikiquote

October 27

date

Quotes of the day from previous years:

2004
The antagonism between science and religion, about which we hear so much, appears to me to be purely factitious — fabricated, on the one hand, by short-sighted religious people who confound a certain branch of science, theology, with religion; and, on the other, by equally short-sighted scientific people who forget that science takes for its province only that which is susceptible of clear intellectual comprehension; and that, outside the boundaries of that province, they must be content with imagination, with hope, and with ignorance. ~ T. H. Huxley
2005
It is not the critic who counts, not the man who points out how the strong man stumbled, or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena; whose face is marred by the dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again; who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions and spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best, knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who, at worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly; so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory or defeat. ~ Theodore Roosevelt (born 27 October 1858)
2006
I love people. Everybody. I love them, I think, as a stamp collector loves his collection. Every story, every incident, every bit of conversation is raw material for me. My love's not impersonal yet not wholly subjective either. I would like to be everyone, a cripple, a dying man, a whore, and then come back to write about my thoughts, my emotions, as that person. But I am not omniscient. I have to live my life, and it is the only one I'll ever have. And you cannot regard your own life with objective curiosity all the time. ~ Sylvia Plath (born 27 October 1932)
2007
Patriotism means to stand by the country. It does not mean to stand by the President or any other public official save exactly to the degree in which he himself stands by the country. It is patriotic to support him insofar as he efficiently serves the country. It is unpatriotic not to oppose him to the exact extent that by inefficiency or otherwise he fails in his duty to stand by the country. ~ Theodore Roosevelt
2008
Books won't stay banned. They won't burn. Ideas won't go to jail. In the long run of history, the censor and the inquisitor have always lost. The only sure weapon against bad ideas is better ideas. The source of better ideas is wisdom. The surest path to wisdom is a liberal education. ~ Alfred Whitney Griswold
2009
Though they go mad they shall be sane,
Though they sink through the sea they shall rise again;
Though lovers be lost love shall not;
And death shall have no dominion.
~ Dylan Thomas ~
2010
No man is justified in doing evil on the grounds of expediency. ~ Theodore Roosevelt
2011
Could Hamlet have been written by a committee, or the Mona Lisa painted by a club? Could the New Testament have been composed as a conference report? Creative ideas do not spring from groups. They spring from individuals. The divine spark leaps from the finger of God to the finger of Adam, whether it takes ultimate shape in a law of physics or a law of the land, a poem or a policy, a sonata or a mechanical computer. ~ Alfred Whitney Griswold
2012
Do not go gentle into that good night,
Old age should burn and rave at close of day;
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
~ Dylan Thomas ~
2013
Our words must be judged by our deeds; and in striving for a lofty ideal we must use practical methods; and if we cannot attain all at one leap, we must advance towards it step by step, reasonably content so long as we do actually make some progress in the right direction.
~ Theodore Roosevelt ~
2014

Light breaks where no sun shines;
Where no sea runs, the waters of the heart
Push in their tides;
And, broken ghosts with glow-worms in their heads,
The things of light
File through the flesh where no flesh decks the bones.

~ Dylan Thomas ~
2015
We must recognize that it is a cardinal sin against democracy to support a man for public office because he belongs to a given creed or to oppose him because he belongs to a given creed. It is just as evil as to draw the line between class and class, between occupation and occupation in political life. No man who tries to draw either line is a good American. True Americanism demands that we judge each man on his conduct, that we so judge him in private life and that we so judge him in public life.
~ Theodore Roosevelt ~
2016
An attitude of moderation is apt to be misunderstood when passions are greatly excited and when victory is apt to rest with the extremists on one side or the other; yet I think it is in the long run the only wise attitude...
~ Theodore Roosevelt ~
2017
We stand equally against government by a plutocracy and government by a mob. There is something to be said for government by a great aristocracy which has furnished leaders to the nation in peace and war for generations; even a democrat like myself must admit this. But there is absolutely nothing to be said for government by a plutocracy, for government by men very powerful in certain lines and gifted with "the money touch," but with ideals which in their essence are merely those of so many glorified pawnbrokers.
~ Theodore Roosevelt ~
2018
All of us, no matter from what land our parents came, no matter in what way we may severally worship our Creator, must stand shoulder to shoulder in a united America for the elimination of race and religious prejudice. We must stand for a reign of equal justice to both big and small.
~ Theodore Roosevelt ~
2019
The poorest way to face life is to face it with a sneer. There are many men who feel a kind of twisted pride in cynicism; there are many who confine themselves to criticism of the way others do what they themselves dare not even attempt. There is no more unhealthy being, no man less worthy of respect, than he who either really holds, or feigns to hold, an attitude of sneering disbelief toward all that is great and lofty, whether in achievement or in that noble effort which, even if it fails, comes to second achievement. A cynical habit of thought and speech, a readiness to criticize work which the critic himself never tries to perform, an intellectual aloofness which will not accept contact with life's realities — all these are marks, not as the possessor would fain to think, of superiority but of weakness.
~ Theodore Roosevelt ~
2020
Men with the muckrake are often indispensable to the well-being of society, but only if they know when to stop raking the muck, and to look upward to the celestial crown above them. … If they gradually grow to feel that the whole world is nothing but muck their power of usefulness is gone.
~ Theodore Roosevelt ~
2021
In name we had the Declaration of Independence in 1776; but we gave the lie by our acts to the words of the Declaration of Independence until 1865; and words count for nothing except in so far as they represent acts. This is true everywhere.
~ Theodore Roosevelt ~
2022
I wish to preach, not the doctrine of ignoble ease, but the doctrine of the strenuous life, the life of toil and effort, of labor and strife; to preach that highest form of success which comes, not to the man who desires mere easy peace, but to the man who does not shrink from danger, from hardship, or from bitter toil, and who out of these wins the splendid ultimate triumph.
~ Theodore Roosevelt ~
2023
There are good citizens and bad citizens in every class as in every locality, and the attitude of decent people toward great public and social questions should be determined, not by the accidental questions of employment or locality, but by those deep-set principles which represent the innermost souls of men.
~ Theodore Roosevelt ~
2024
It’s time to sing a new song. A song that began 248 years ago. The old notes of downfall, discord, despair, no longer resonate. Our generations of loved ones before us are whispering a prophecy, a quest, a calling, an anthem. Our moment right now. It’s time for America to sing a new song.
Our voices sing a chorus of unity. They sing a song of dignity and opportunity. Are y’all ready to add your voice to the new American song? Because I am. So let’s do this!
~ Beyoncé ~
  • proposed by Kalki; recent remarks on the current US presidential election. 
2025
Rank or add further suggestions…

Quotes by people born this day, already used as QOTD:

The Quote of the Day (QOTD) is a prominent feature of the Wikiquote Main Page. Thank you for submitting, reviewing, and ranking suggestions!

Ranking system
4 : Excellent – should definitely be used. (This is the utmost ranking and should be used by any editor for only one quote at a time for each date.)
3 : Very Good – strong desire to see it used.
2 : Good – some desire to see it used.
1 : Acceptable – but with no particular desire to see it used.
0 : Not acceptable – not appropriate for use as a quote of the day.
An averaging of the rankings provided to each suggestion produces it’s general ranking in considerations for selection of Quote of the Day. The selections made are usually chosen from the top ranked options existing on the page, but the provision of highly ranked late additions, especially in regard to special events (most commonly in regard to the deaths of famous people, or other major social or physical occurrences), always remain an option for final selections.
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Suggestions

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Suggestions

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When you meet the head of state in Great Britain, you only have to go down on one knee. ~ John Cleese, born that day

I have always been fond of the West African proverb "Speak softly and carry a big stick; you will go far." ~ Theodore Roosevelt, born that day

  • 2 ~ MosheZadka (Talk) 09:47, 8 October 2005 (UTC)
  • 3 Kalki 23:49, 26 October 2008 (UTC) with very strong lean toward 4. 4 Kalki 00:14, 17 October 2008 (UTC) I'm inclined to use this one this year in this fuller form despite having previously used the most commonly quoted portion of it a few years ago. 2 ~ Kalki 21:36, 8 October 2005 (UTC) but would prefer something else this year, as the major portion of this was just recently used last month (September 2005).
  • 1 because I didn't know it had already been used. I personally love this quote because it's important to never be caught off guard and always be prepared. The message is one of my favorites, but the fact that the initial message was already used, I don't see the purpose of putting it up again, just for "I have always been fond of the West African proverb"...that part was duly taken out...it isn't the part that holds meaning and it's the entering, if you will, into the quote...I would normally have given this a 4, but since it was already used, I don't see the point. Zarbon 05:43, 25 April 2008 (UTC)
The point of using the fuller quote is that the ending is rarely quoted and the statement is usually cited as one originating with TR himself, but in his earliest mentions of it, he clearly states it to be a proverb he himself had heard. I think that additional information is significant enough to emphasize in a quote of the day. ~ Kalki 15:36, 21 October 2008 (UTC)
I still don't think it's worth it until all other suggestions are used. Then we can think about the actual reusing of quotes already used just for missing portions. The portion that was left out isn't really important to begin with for this specific quote. The message of the quote comes from the portion that was already used. - Zarbon 12:40, 23 October 2008 (UTC)
If others cannot agree that this quote is one of the best, and rank it a 4, I would prefer to use : "No man is justified in doing evil on the grounds of expediency." ~ Theodore Roosevelt, suggested below, and would be willing to rank that a 4. The nazi quote currently ranked 4 by 2 user names is one I find detestable. ~ Kalki 22:57, 26 October 2008 (UTC)

If neurotic is wanting two mutually exclusive things at one and the same time, then I'm neurotic as hell. I'll be flying back and forth between one mutually exclusive thing and another for the rest of my days. ~ Sylvia Plath (born October 27, 1932)

  • 3 InvisibleSun 07:36, 26 October 2006 (UTC)
  • 1 Zarbon 05:43, 25 April 2008 (UTC)
  • 2 Kalki 00:14, 17 October 2008 (UTC)
  • 2 ~ UDScott 23:39, 26 October 2008 (UTC)

Perfection is terrible, it cannot have children. ~ Sylvia Plath

  • 3 InvisibleSun 07:36, 26 October 2006 (UTC)
  • 2 Zarbon 05:43, 25 April 2008 (UTC)
  • 2 Kalki 00:14, 17 October 2008 (UTC)
  • 2 ~ UDScott 23:39, 26 October 2008 (UTC)

I'm a riddle in nine syllables,
An elephant, a ponderous house,
A melon strolling on two tendrils.
O red fruit, ivory, fine timbers!
This loaf's big with its yeasty rising.
Money's new-minted in this fat purse.
I'm a means, a stage, a cow in calf.
I've eaten a bag of green apples,
Boarded the train there's no getting off.
~ Sylvia Plath

  • 3 InvisibleSun 07:36, 26 October 2006 (UTC)
  • 1 Zarbon 05:43, 25 April 2008 (UTC)
  • 2 Kalki 00:14, 17 October 2008 (UTC)
  • 2 ~ UDScott 23:39, 26 October 2008 (UTC)

I am inhabited by a cry.
Nightly it flaps out
Looking, with its hooks, for something to love.

I am terrified by this dark thing
That sleeps in me;
All day I feel its soft, feathery turnings, its malignity.
~ Sylvia Plath

  • 3 InvisibleSun 07:36, 26 October 2006 (UTC)
  • 1 Zarbon 05:43, 25 April 2008 (UTC)
  • 3 Kalki 00:14, 17 October 2008 (UTC)
  • 2 ~ UDScott 23:39, 26 October 2008 (UTC)

What would you do if your country's welfare depended on labor? When a ship is in a storm it requires one captain. ~ Fritz Sauckel (born October 27)

  • 4 because under the worst conditions, one man can steer better than thousands. This is a nice dynamic comparison between the living conditions of that era and the job duty of a naval officer. Zarbon 16:56, 21 April 2008 (UTC)
    • SOURCE: The Nuremberg Interviews by Leon Goldensohn, Robert Gellately - History - 2004 - Page 209
  • 0 Kalki 22:57, 26 October 2008 (UTC) 2 Kalki 00:14, 17 October 2008 (UTC) Though part of the statement is valid, the quote makes several deplorable presumptions, and is an authoritarian argument by one of the servants of one of the vilest regimes in human history. I cannot agree that this is acceptable as a quote of the day here.
  • 0 ~ UDScott 23:39, 26 October 2008 (UTC)

There will be certain things in a man that have to be won, not forced; inspired, not compelled. ~ Alfred Whitney Griswold

  • 2 Zarbon 05:12, 5 July 2008 (UTC)
  • 3 Kalki 00:14, 17 October 2008 (UTC) with a lean toward 4, for the corrected and extended version:
There are certain things in a man that have to be won, not forced; inspired, not compelled. Among these are many, I should say most, of the things that constitute the good life. All are essential to democracy. All are proof against its enemies.
  • 0 because it is unsourced. InvisibleSun 23:29, 26 October 2008 (UTC)
A corrected version of this has now been sourced. Kalki 02:39, 19 October 2009 (UTC)
  • 3 ~ UDScott 23:39, 26 October 2008 (UTC)

We needed someone who could play like the devil and sing like heaven. ~ Scott Weiland

  • 2 Zarbon 05:12, 5 July 2008 (UTC)
  • 2 Kalki 00:14, 17 October 2008 (UTC)
  • 0 because it is unsourced. InvisibleSun 23:29, 26 October 2008 (UTC)
  • 2 ~ UDScott 23:39, 26 October 2008 (UTC)

Time held me green and dying
Though I sang in my chains like the sea.
~ Dylan Thomas

  • 2 Zarbon 05:12, 5 July 2008 (UTC)
  • 3 Kalki 00:14, 17 October 2008 (UTC)
  • 3 InvisibleSun 23:29, 26 October 2008 (UTC)
  • 3 ~ UDScott 23:39, 26 October 2008 (UTC)

The more blessed she felt on earth, the more rarely she turned to heaven. ~ Zadie Smith

  • 2 Zarbon 05:12, 5 July 2008 (UTC)
  • 2 Kalki 00:14, 17 October 2008 (UTC)
  • 2 InvisibleSun 23:29, 26 October 2008 (UTC)
  • 2 ~ UDScott 23:39, 26 October 2008 (UTC)

For what is life but a play in which everyone acts a part until the curtain comes down? ~ Desiderius Erasmus

  • 2 Zarbon 05:12, 5 July 2008 (UTC)
  • 2 Kalki 00:14, 17 October 2008 (UTC)
  • 2 InvisibleSun 23:29, 26 October 2008 (UTC)
  • 2 ~ UDScott 23:39, 26 October 2008 (UTC)

War is sweet to them that know it not. ~ Desiderius Erasmus

  • 3 Zarbon 05:12, 5 July 2008 (UTC)
  • 3 Kalki 00:14, 17 October 2008 (UTC)
  • 0 This appears on the Erasmus page as a misattributed quote. - InvisibleSun 23:29, 26 October 2008 (UTC)
As the actual author is Pindar, of whom we have no date of birth, I am still inclined to rank it at 3 or even 4 eventually, but with proper attribution. ~ Kalki 01:41, 19 October 2009 (UTC)

The most disadvantageous peace is better than the most just war. ~ Desiderius Erasmus

  • 2 Zarbon 05:12, 5 July 2008 (UTC)
  • 3 Kalki 00:14, 17 October 2008 (UTC)
  • 0 because it is unsourced. InvisibleSun 23:29, 26 October 2008 (UTC)
This has now been sourced. ~ Kalki 04:50, 19 October 2009 (UTC)
  • 3 ~ UDScott 23:39, 26 October 2008 (UTC)

Far and away the best prize that life has to offer is the chance to work hard at work worth doing. ~ Theodore Roosevelt

  • 3 Kalki 05:21, 19 October 2009 (UTC)

You can tear a poem apart to see what makes it technically tick... You're back with the mystery of having been moved by words. The best craftsmanship always leaves holes and gaps in the works of the poem so that something that is not in the poem can creep, crawl, flash, or thunder in. The joy and function of poetry is, and was, the celebration of man, which is also the celebration of God. ~ Dylan Thomas

  • 3 Kalki 05:21, 19 October 2009 (UTC) with a lean toward 4.

The fact that logic cannot satisfy us awakens an almost insatiable hunger for the irrational ~ A. N. Wilson, born that day

I cannot consent to take the position that the door of hope, the door of opportunity, is to be shut upon any man, no matter how worthy, purely upon the grounds of race or color. Such an attitude would, according to my convictions, be fundamentally wrong.
~ Theodore Roosevelt ~
The only wise and honorable and Christian thing to do is to treat each black man and each white man strictly on his merits as a man, giving him no more and no less than he shows himself worthy to have.
~ Theodore Roosevelt ~
Some of the very best Americans I have ever known were naturalized Americans, Americans born abroad. But a hyphenated American is not an American at all. This is just as true of the man who puts 'native' before the hyphen as of the man who puts German or Irish or English or French before the hyphen. Americanism is a matter of the spirit and of the soul. Our allegiance must be purely to the United States. We must unsparingly condemn any man who holds any other allegiance. But if he is heartily and singly loyal to this Republic, then no matter where he was born, he is just as good an American as anyone else.
~ Theodore Roosevelt ~
Treat each man on his own merits.
~ Theodore Roosevelt ~
  • 3. – Illegitimate Barrister 23:18, 5 August 2015 (UTC)
  • 2 ♞☤☮♌︎Kalki ⚚⚓︎⊙☳☶⚡ 22:15, 26 October 2015 (UTC) This and several others of Roosevelt I certainly agree with, but there are other more impressive statements by him and others on the page, thus I give this and a few other suggestions only a 2 at this time.
  • Fair enough, thanks. – Illegitimate Barrister, 20:39, 27 October 2015 (UTC)
The immigrant who comes here in good faith, becomes an American and assimilates himself to us, he shall be treated on an exact equality with everyone else, for it is an outrage to discriminate against any such man because of creed, or birthplace, or origin. But this is predicated upon the man's becoming in very fact an American, and nothing but an American. If he tries to keep segregated with men of his own origin and separated from the rest of America, then he isn't doing his part as an American. There can be no divided allegiance here. Any man who says he is an American, but something else also, isn't an American at all. We have room for but one flag, the American flag... We intend to see that the crucible turns our people out as Americans, of American nationality... We have room for but one soul loyalty, and that is loyalty to the American people.
~ Theodore Roosevelt ~


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