Wikiquote

August 23

day of the year

Quotes of the day from previous years:

2003
The conservation movement is a breeding ground of Communists and other subversives. We intend to clean them out, even if it means rounding up every bird watcher in the country. ~ John Mitchell
2004
As long as war is regarded as wicked, it will always have its fascination. When it is looked upon as vulgar, it will cease to be popular. ~ Oscar Wilde
2005
I could not be a traitor to Edward, for I was never his subject. ~ William Wallace at his trial (executed 23 August 1305)
2006
I have brought you to the ring, now see if you can dance. ~ William Wallace
2007
It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll,
I am the master of my fate:
I am the captain of my soul.
~ William Ernest Henley ~
2008
A few Cobras in your home will soon clear it of Rats and Mice. Of course, you will still have the Cobras. ~ Will Cuppy (born 23 August 1884)
2009
Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
for my unconquerable soul.
~ William Ernest Henley ~
2010

I never started to plow in my life
That some one did not stop in the road
And take me away to a dance or picnic.
I ended up with forty acres;
I ended up with a broken fiddle —
And a broken laugh, and a thousand memories,
And not a single regret.

~ Edgar Lee Masters ~

2011
In the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful
We have indeed revealed this (Message) in the Night of Power:
And what will explain to thee what the night of power is?
The Night of Power is better than a thousand months.
Therein come down the angels and the Spirit by God's permission, on every errand:
Peace!...This until the rise of morn!
~ Al-Qur'an ~
Sura 97 : Al-Qadr
as translated by
Abdullah Yusuf Ali
  • proposed by Kalki to note ths date as one of the several dates of the Islamic calendar traditionally considered a likely one of the Night of Power, in the last 10 days of Ramadan corresponding to August 2011, in the Gregorian calendar.
2012
It is a paradoxical but profoundly true and important principle of life that the most likely way to reach a goal is to be aiming not at that goal itself but at some more ambitious goal beyond it.
~ Arnold Toynbee ~
2013
You may think, passer-by, that Fate
Is a pit-fall outside of yourself,
Around which you may walk by the use of foresight
And wisdom.
…
In time you shall see Fate approach you
In the shape of your own image in the mirror;
Or you shall sit alone by your own hearth,
And suddenly the chair by you shall hold a guest,
And you shall know that guest,
And read the authentic message of his eyes.
~ Edgar Lee Masters ~
2014
We are the Choice of the Will: God, when He gave the word
That called us into line, set in our hand a sword;
Set us a sword to wield none else could lift and draw,
And bade us forth to the sound of the trumpet of the Law.
~ William Ernest Henley ~
2015
I can not be a traitor, for I owe him no allegiance. He is not my Sovereign; he never received my homage; and whilst life is in this persecuted body, he never shall receive it. To the other points whereof I am accused, I freely confess them all. As Governor of my country I have been an enemy to its enemies; I have slain the English; I have mortally opposed the English King; I have stormed and taken the towns and castles which he unjustly claimed as his own. If I or my soldiers have plundered or done injury to the houses or ministers of religion, I repent me of my sin; but it is not of Edward of England I shall ask pardon.
~ William Wallace ~
2016
The strife of Love's the abysmal strife,
And the word of Love is the Word of Life.
And they that go with the Word unsaid,
Though they seem of the living, are damned and dead.
~ William Ernest Henley ~
2017
Who says that we shall pass, or the fame of us fade and die,
While the living stars fulfil their round in the living sky?
~ William Ernest Henley ~
2018

Think on the shame of dreams for deeds,
The scandal of unnatural strife,
The slur upon immortal needs,
The treason done to life:

Arise! no more a living lie,
And with me quicken and control
Some memory that shall magnify
The universal Soul.

~ William Ernest Henley ~
2019
My Son, Freedom is best, I tell thee true, of all things to be won. Then never live within the Bond of Slavery.
~ William Wallace ~
2020
We must expect for a long time yet to see capitalists still striving to obtain the highest possible profits. But observe, that the passion for wealth is certainly in some senses new. It grew up very rapidly at the beginning of the present century; it was not so strong in the last century, when men were much more content to lead a quiet easy life of leisure. The change has really influenced the relations between men; but in the future it is quite possible that the scramble for wealth may grow less intense, and a change in the opposite direction take place.
~ Arnold Toynbee ~
2021
It would be well if, in studying the past, we could always bear in mind the problems of the present, and go to that past to seek large views of what is of lasting importance to the human race.
~ Arnold Toynbee ~
2022
The right method in any particular case must be largely determined by the nature of the problem.
~ Arnold Toynbee ~
2023
To a reluctant admission of the necessity for State action, we join a burning belief in duty, and a deep spiritual ideal of life. And we have more than an abstract belief in duty, we do not hesitate to unite the advocacy of social reform with an appeal to the various classes who compose society to perform those duties without which all social reform must be merely delusive.
~ Arnold Toynbee ~
2024
This election isn’t about "us and them". It’s about you and me and what we want our futures to look like. There are choices to be made when we cast our ballot. Now, there’s a certain candidate that says, if we just go to the polls this one time, then we’ll never have to do it again. Well, you know what? You’re looking at a registered independent who’s proud to vote again and again and again. Because I’m an American, and that’s what Americans do.
Voting is the best of America. And I have always, since I was eligible to vote, I’ve always voted my values. And that is what is needed in this election, now more than ever. So I’m calling on all you independents and all you undecideds. You know this is true. You know I’m telling you the truth: that values and character matter most of all, in leadership and in life. And more than anything — you know this is true — that decency and respect are on the ballot in 2024.
And just plain common sense.
~ Oprah Winfrey ~
  • proposed by Kalki; recent remarks on the upcoming US elections.
2025
Rank or add further suggestions…

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

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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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Whenever I hear anyone arguing for slavery, I feel a strong impulse to see it tried on him personally. ~ Abraham Lincoln, in honor of the abolition of slavery in the British colonies.

  • 3 ~ MosheZadka (Talk) 11:34, 20 July 2005 (UTC)
  • 2 If we're going to have something about abolition of slavery then something by William Wilberforce might be more suited.AllanHainey 10:43, 26 July 2005 (UTC)
  • COMMENT - There is some uncertainty as to whether slavery in British Empire/colonies was repealed today or on 1 Aug see relevant dates talk pages. AllanHainey 12:00, 26 July 2005 (UTC)
  • 1 Zarbon 16:00, 24 April 2008 (UTC)
  • 1 InvisibleSun 21:42, 22 August 2008 (UTC)
  • 1 Ningauble 15:53, 22 August 2009 (UTC)
  • 3 ♞☤☮♌︎Kalki ⚚⚓︎⊙☳☶⚡ 22:55, 9 August 2012 (UTC) with a strong lean towards 4.
  • 2 //Gbern3 (talk) 17:34, 19 June 2013 (UTC)
  • 0 allixpeeke (talk) 21:31, 23 August 2014 (UTC) I here present four reasons for my ranking, in the order of importance, where A is the most important reason and D the least important reason.  (A) I don't want to see slavery tried on anyone, not even those who argue for it.  (B) Lincoln was an American.  Quoting a Brit would make more sense, as AllanHainey suggests above.  (C) I am of the understanding that the United Kingdom abolished slavery without resorting to war.  Lincoln, by contrast, resorted to war in order to protect northern business interests, and only pretended to abolish slavery in territories over which he had zero control as a war tactic, and that didn't happen until years into the war.  Slavery wasn't actually abolished in the States until the thirteenth amendment was ratified, which happened after the war.  The United Kingdom, since it did not resort of violence, ended slavery in an infinitely better way than the United States.  (D) AllanHainey says there is a discrepancy on the actual date.
  • 3 DanielTom (talk) 10:59, 18 May 2015 (UTC)

Sons of Scotland! I am William Wallace...

  • 0 121a0012 02:55, July 21, 2005 (UTC) (too long, misformatted dialogue, inadequate attribution)
  • 0 User:Warrior-Poet Fair enough, I could put the Scots Gaelic line in there 21 July, 2005 8:06 (CST)
  • 0 AllanHainey 10:43, 26 July 2005 (UTC)
  • 0 Zarbon 16:00, 24 April 2008 (UTC)
  • 0 InvisibleSun 21:42, 22 August 2008 (UTC)
  • 1 allixpeeke (talk) 21:31, 23 August 2014 (UTC) I have no objection to using a quote from a movie (so long as it is clearly attributed to the character in the film and not the actual person), but why this quote?  It says nothing meaningful.  In the very same scene, he says, "I am William Wallace!  And I see a whole army of my country men here in defiance of tyranny.  You've come to fight as free men, and free men you are.  What will you do with that freedom?  Will you fight?"  Would that not be an infinitely better quote to use?

The Age of Reptiles ended because it had gone on long enough and it was all a mistake in the first place. A better day was dawning at the close of the Mesozoic Era. There were some little warm-blooded animals around which had been stealing and eating the eggs of the Dinosaurs, and they were gradually learning to steal other things, too. Civilization was just around the corner. ~ Will Cuppy

The moral of the story of the Pilgrims is that if you work hard all your life and behave yourself every minute and take no time out for fun you will break practically even, if you can borrow enough money to pay your taxes. ~ Will Cuppy

At last we will reveal ourselves to the Jedi. At last we will have revenge. ~ from Star Wars as Darth Maul Ray Park (born August 23)

  • 3 Maul is my alltime favorite Star Wars character, along with Sidious, Dooku, and Tarkin closely followed up. Zarbon 05:58, 24 April 2008 (UTC)
  • 1 Kalki 23:37, 20 August 2008 (UTC)
  • 1 InvisibleSun 21:42, 22 August 2008 (UTC)
  • 0 Ningauble 15:53, 22 August 2009 (UTC)
  • 1 //Gbern3 (talk) 17:34, 19 June 2013 (UTC)
  • 1 (leaning to 2) allixpeeke (talk) 21:31, 23 August 2014 (UTC)

Fear. Fear attracts the fearful. The strong. The weak. The innocent. The corrupt. Fear. Fear is my ally. ~ from the Star Wars main trailer sequence, said by Darth Maul Ray Park (born August 23)

  • 4 his best description of power through spreading fear in the hearts of his enemies, my favorite Maul saying. Zarbon 05:58, 24 April 2008 (UTC)
  • 1 Kalki 23:37, 20 August 2008 (UTC)
  • 1 InvisibleSun 21:42, 22 August 2008 (UTC)
  • 0 Ningauble 15:53, 22 August 2009 (UTC)
  • 1 //Gbern3 (talk) 17:34, 19 June 2013 (UTC) I would have ranked this quote higher but Ray Park doesn't have a WQ page.
  • 2 allixpeeke (talk) 21:31, 23 August 2014 (UTC)

It is evident that one cannot say anything demonstrable about the problem before having resolved these preliminary questions, and yet we hardly possess the necessary information to solve some of them. ~ Georges Cuvier

  • 4 Fossil 20:04, 7 November 2008 (UTC)
  • 2 Zarbon 16:22, 8 April 2009 (UTC)
  • 1 Kalki 15:26, 22 August 2009 (UTC) context is not clearly provided by the quote.
  • 0 Ningauble 15:53, 22 August 2009 (UTC)
  • 1 //Gbern3 (talk) 17:34, 19 June 2013 (UTC) What questions?
  • 1 allixpeeke (talk) 21:31, 23 August 2014 (UTC)

Why has not anyone seen that fossils alone gave birth to a theory about the formation of the earth, that without them, no one would have ever dreamed that there were successive epochs in the formation of the globe. ~ Georges Cuvier

The earth keeps some vibration going
There in your heart, and that is you.
And if the people find you can fiddle,
Why, fiddle you must, for all your life.
~ Edgar Lee Masters

Very often atheists themselves admit that they have no evidence of God's absence, but they try to put a different spin on it. They'll tell you, “No one can prove a universal negative” (like “There is no God”). They think this somehow excuses them from needing evidence against God's existence. But not only is it false that you can't prove a universal negative (all you have to do is show something is self-contradictory), but more importantly, this claim is really an admission that it's impossible to prove atheism! Atheism involves a universal negative, you can't prove a universal negative, therefore, atheism is unprovable. It turns out that it is the atheist who is believing a view for which there is and can be no evidence. ~ William Lane Craig

The Radical creed, as I understand it, is this: We have not abandoned our old belief in liberty, justice, and Self-help, but we say that under certain conditions the people cannot help themselves, and that then they should be helped by the State representing directly the whole people. In giving this State help, we make three conditions: first, the matter must be one of primary social importance; next, it must be proved to be practicable; thirdly, the State interference must not diminish self-reliance. Even if the chance should arise of removing a great social evil, nothing must be done to weaken those habits of individual self-reliance and voluntary association which have built up the greatness of the English people.
~ Arnold Toynbee ~



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