Sydney J. Harris Quotes

Regret for the things we did can be tempered by time; it is regret for the things we did not do that is inconsolable.

The difference between patriotism and nationalism is that the patriot is proud of his country for what it does, and the nationalist is proud of his country no matter what it does; the first attitude creates a feeling of responsibility, but the second a feeling of blind arrogance that leads to war.

Those who imagine that the world is against them have generally conspired to make it true.

History repeats itself, but in such cunning disguise that we never detect the resemblance until the damage is done.

Nobody can be so amusingly arrogant as a young man who has just discovered an old idea and thinks it is his own.

We believe what we want to believe, what we like to believe, what suits our prejudices and fuels our passions.

Perseverance is the most overrated of traits, if it is unaccompanied by talent; beating your head against a wall is more likely to produce a concussion in the head than a hole in the wall.

Enemies, as well as lovers, come to resemble each other over a period of time.

We can often endure an extra pound of pain far more easily than we can suffer the withdrawal of an ounce of accustomed pleasure.

American parents, on the whole, do not want their sons to be artisans or craftsmen, but business or professional people. As a result, millions of youngsters are being prepared for careers they have little aptitude for – and little interest in except for dubious prestige.

We must become masters of our own actions and attitudes. To let another person determine whether we will be rude or gracious, elated or depressed is to give control of ourselves. The only true possession is self possession.

This is a lesson mankind has not yet learned. We identify, and stratify, and treat persons largely on the basis of their accidental (physical) characteristics, which have no deeper meaning.