Quotes of the day from previous years:

2003
What's another word for Thesaurus? ~ Steven Wright
2004
The earth is rude, silent, incomprehensible at first; Be not discouraged — keep on — there are divine things, well envelop'd; I swear to you there are divine things more beautiful than words can tell. ~ Walt Whitman in Leaves of Grass
2005
Love is life. All, everything that I understand, I understand only because I love. ~ Leo Tolstoy (born 9 September 1828)
2006
Art is a human activity having for its purpose the transmission to others of the highest and best feelings to which men have risen. ~ Leo Tolstoy (born 9 September 1828)
2007
You're given the form, but you have to write the sonnet yourself. What you say is completely up to you. ~ Madeleine L'Engle (recent death)
2008
Seize the moments of happiness, love and be loved! That is the only reality in the world, all else is folly. It is the one thing we are interested in here. ~ Leo Tolstoy
2009
All men live not by the thought they spend on their own welfare, but because love exists in man.
I knew before that God gave life to men and desires that they should live; now I understood more than that.
I understood that God does not wish men to live apart, and therefore he does not reveal to them what each one needs for himself; but he wishes them to live united, and therefore reveals to each of them what is necessary for all.
I have now understood that though it seems to men that they live by care for themselves, in truth it is love alone by which they live. He who has love, is in God, and God is in him, for God is love. ~ Leo Tolstoy
2010
One thing only is needful: the knowledge of the simple and clear truth which finds place in every soul that is not stupefied by religious and scientific superstitions — the truth that for our life one law is valid — the law of love, which brings the highest happiness to every individual as well as to all mankind. Free your minds from those overgrown, mountainous imbecilities which hinder your recognition of it, and at once the truth will emerge from amid the pseudo-religious nonsense that has been smothering it: the indubitable, eternal truth inherent in man, which is one and the same in all the great religions of the world. It will in due time emerge and make its way to general recognition, and the nonsense that has obscured it will disappear of itself, and with it will go the evil from which humanity now suffers. ~ Leo Tolstoy
2011
As soon as men live entirely in accord with the law of love natural to their hearts and now revealed to them, which excludes all resistance by violence, and therefore hold aloof from all participation in violence — as soon as this happens, not only will hundreds be unable to enslave millions, but not even millions will be able to enslave a single individual. ~ Leo Tolstoy
2012
In 2009 a deadly virus burned through our civilization, pushing humankind to the edge of extinction. Dr. Robert Neville dedicated his life to the discovery of a cure, and the restoration of humanity. On September 9th 2012, at approximately 8:49 PM he discovered that cure; and at 8:52 he gave his life to defend it. We are his legacy. This is his legend. Light up the darkness.
~ I Am Legend ~
film based on the novel by
~ Richard Matheson ~
2013
The most difficult subjects can be explained to the most slow-witted man if he has not formed any idea of them already; but the simplest thing cannot be made clear to the most intelligent man if he is firmly persuaded that he knows already, without a shadow of doubt, what is laid before him.
~ Leo Tolstoy ~
2014
The thunderstorm is a constant phenomenon, raging alternately over some part of the world or the other. Can a single man or creature escape death if all that charge of lightning strikes the earth?
~ Kalki Krishnamurthy ~
2015
There are many evils in this country. The only remedy for every one of them is freedom for the nation.
~ Kalki Krishnamurthy ~
2016
The strongest of all warriors are these two — Time and Patience.
~ Leo Tolstoy ~
2017
Even after killing ninety nine tigers the Maharaja should beware of the hundredth.
~ Kalki Krishnamurthy ~
2018
There comes a day when, for someone who has persecuted us, we feel only indifference, a weariness at his stupidity. Then we forgive him.
~ Cesare Pavese ~
2019
In the mental disturbance and effort of writing, what sustains you is the certainty that on every page there is something left unsaid.
~ Cesare Pavese ~
2020
We do not free ourselves from something by avoiding it, but only by living though it.
~ Cesare Pavese ~
2021
Error is the force that welds men together; truth is communicated to men only by deeds of truth. Only deeds of truth, by introducing light into the conscience of each individual, can dissolve the cohesion of error, and detach men one by one from the mass united together by the cohesion of error.
~ Leo Tolstoy ~
2022
We continue to be inspired by the kindness of strangers and draw comfort that — even on the darkest nights — there is hope in the new dawn.
~ Elizabeth II ~
  • proposed by Kalki; in regard of her recent death.
2023
War makes men barbarous because, to take part in it, one must harden oneself against all regret, all appreciation of delicacy and sensitive values. One must live as if those values did not exist, and when the war is over one has lost the resilience to return to those values.
~ Cesare Pavese ~
2024
Rank or add further suggestions…

Ranking system:

4 : Excellent - should definitely be used.
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.


Suggestions edit

Political power grows out of the barrel of a gun. ~ Mao Zedong, died this day

  • 3 ~ MosheZadka (Talk) 13:59, 1 August 2005 (UTC)
  • 1 Kalki 17:46, 9 September 2007 (UTC)
  • 4 because protection by police force and military force is not uncommon and it is truly beautiful in its stature, an enigmatic symbol of political power, something I highly respect with all my being. Zarbon 22:04, 24 April 2008 (UTC)
  • 1 Lyle Enigmatic? This quote should be moved to Mao's birth date. 17:04, 6 November 2008 (UTC)
  • 1 InvisibleSun 23:37, 8 September 2008 (UTC)
  • 2 //Gbern3 (talk) 14:53, 23 August 2013 (UTC)

The law of love is in accord with the nature of man. But men can only recognize this truth to its full extent when they have completely freed themselves from all religious and scientific superstitions and from all the consequent misrepresentations and sophistical distortions by which its recognition has been hindered for centuries. ~ Leo Tolstoy

  • 3 Kalki 04:29, 24 October 2009 (UTC) with a VERY strong lean toward 4.
  • 1 //Gbern3 (talk) 14:53, 23 August 2013 (UTC)

Life is not a search for experience, but for ourselves. Having discovered our own fundamental level we realize that it conforms to our own destiny and we find peace. ~ Cesare Pavese


Anchorites used to ill-treat themselves in the way they did, so that the common people would not begrudge them the beatitude they would enjoy in heaven. ~ Cesare Pavese


In general, the man who is readily disposed to sacrifice himself is one who does not know how else to give meaning to his life. The profession of enthusiasm is the most sickening of all insincerities. ~ Cesare Pavese


What doesn't slumber under the shells of us all? One just needs courage to uncover it and be oneself. Or at least to discuss it. There isn't enough discussion in the world. ~ Cesare Pavese


Idleness makes hours pass slowly and years swiftly. Activity makes the hours short and the years long. ~ Cesare Pavese


No woman marries for money: they are all clever enough, before marrying a millionaire, to fall in love with him. ~ Cesare Pavese


No matter how much a young man likes to think for himself, he is always trying to model himself on some abstract pattern largely derived from the example of the world around him. And a man, no matter how conservative, shows his own worth by his personal deviation from that pattern. ~ Cesare Pavese


We want Realism's wealth of experience and Symbolism's depth of feeling. All art is a problem of balance between two opposites. ~ Cesare Pavese


We must never say, even in fun, that we are disheartened, because someone might take us at our word. ~ Cesare Pavese


A dream is a creation of the intelligence, the creator being present but not knowing how it will end. ~ Cesare Pavese


Narrating incredible things as though they were real — old system; narrating realities as though they were incredible — the new. ~ Cesare Pavese


Nothing is vulgar in itself but that talking and thinking make it so. ~ Cesare Pavese


There is no finer revenge than that which others inflict on your enemy. Moreover, it has the advantage of leaving you the role of a generous man. ~ Cesare Pavese


The problems that agitate one generation are extinguished for the next, not because they have been solved but because the general lack of interest sweeps them away. ~ Cesare Pavese


The act — the act — must not be a revenge. It must be a calm, weary renunciation, a closing of accounts, a private, rhythmic deed. The last remark. ~ Cesare Pavese


I forgive everyone and to everyone I ask forgiveness. Well enough? Don't gossip too much. ~ Cesare Pavese


Kalki introduced healthy humour as against the dull and the vulgar. His humour does not hurt anybody and so makes everybody laugh.
~ R. Dhandayudham ~

Generally, Kalki’s writings are well received by the people. There are two reasons for this. One thing is there will be humour in all his essays. Even in the saddest situation he will find something funny. … There was something very interesting about his writings. Writing the way he did, was something very great at that time, because there were no precedents to his writing style.
~ K Anandhi, daughter of R. Krishnamurthy ~

The reason for his taking "Kalki" as a pen name was based on the myth of the "Kalki Avataram" (the final incarnation of Lord Vishnu, in the age of Kali). Through his writings, he wanted to bring about change in this age.
~ K Anandhi, daughter of R. Krishnamurthy ~

You should be glad that the government has provided for chain and bangles at their own expense, why are you feeling so bad about it?
~ Kalki Krishnamurthy ~