Sydney J. Harris Quotes

• 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.

  Sydney J. Harris

  Country, Attitude, War

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• The whole purpose of education is to turn mirrors into windows.

  Sydney J. Harris

  Graduation, Education, Wall

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• Good teaching must be slow enough so that it is not confusing, and fast enough so that it is not boring.

  Sydney J. Harris

  Teacher, Teaching, Confusing

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

  Sydney J. Harris

  Damage Is Done, History Repeats Itself, Cunning

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• The best combination of parents consists of a father who is gentle beneath his firmness, and a mother who is firm beneath her gentleness.

  Sydney J. Harris

  Mother, Father, Parent

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• A winner knows how much he still has to learn, even when he is considered an expert by others; a loser wants to be considered an expert by others before he has learned enough to know how little he knows.

  Sydney J. Harris

  Growth, Want, Littles

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• The three hardest tasks in the world are neither physical feats nor intellectual achievements, but moral acts: to return love for hate, to include the excluded, and to say, 'I was wrong'.

  Sydney J. Harris

  Love, Inspirational, Life

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• Our dilemma is that we hate change and love it at the same time; what we really want is for things to remain the same but get better.

  Sydney J. Harris

  Love, Funny, Change

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• Happiness is a direction, not a place.

  Sydney J. Harris

  Happiness, Happy

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• A famously wise old man in a village was once asked how he came by his wisdom. "I got it from my good judgment," he answered. And where did his good judgment come from? "I got it from my bad judgment."

  Sydney J. Harris

  Wise, Wisdom, Men

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• The two words 'information' and 'communication' are often used interchangeably, but they signify quite different things. Information is giving out; communication is getting through.

  Sydney J. Harris

  Communication, Two, Giving

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• There are always too many Democratic congressmen, too many Republican congressmen, and never enough U.S. congressmen.

  Sydney J. Harris

  Voting, Democracy, Republican

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• The real danger is not that computers will begin to think like men, but that men will begin to think like computers.

  Sydney J. Harris

  Real, Math, Technology

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

  Sydney J. Harris

  Love, Inspirational, Motivational

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• "Terrorism" is what we call the violence of the weak, and we condemn it; "war" is what we call the violence of the strong, and we glorify it.

  Sydney J. Harris

  Strong, War, Violence

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• As we grow older, we should learn that these are two quite different things. Character is something you forge for yourself; temperament is something you are born with and can only slightly modify. Some people have easy temperaments and weak characters; others have difficult temperaments and strong characters. We are all prone to confuse the two in assessing people we associate with. Those with easy temperaments and weak characters are more likable than admirable; those with difficult temperaments and strong characters are more admirable than likable.

  Sydney J. Harris

  Strong, Character, Two

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• Most people are mirrors, reflecting the moods and emotions of the times; few are windows, bringing light to bear on the dark corners where troubles fester. The whole purpose of education is to turn mirrors into windows.

  Sydney J. Harris

  Education, Dark, Mirrors

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• As WArden Lawes once said of convicts, no man can be called a failure until he has tried something he really likes, and fails at it.

  Sydney J. Harris

  Men, Likes, Failing

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• The acceptance of ambiguity implies more than the commonplace understanding that some good things and some bad things happen to us. It means that we know that good and evil are inextricably intermixed in human affairs; that they contain, and sometimes embrace, their opposites; that success may involve failure of a different kind, and failure may be a kind of triumph.

  Sydney J. Harris

  Failure, Mean, Acceptance

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• When I hear somebody sigh, 'Life is hard,' I am always tempted to ask, 'Compared to what?'

  Sydney J. Harris

  Inspirational, Funny, Life

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• Why do most Americans look up to education and down upon educated people?

  Sydney J. Harris

  People, Looks, Look Up

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• There's no point in burying a hatchet if you're going to put up a marker on the site.

  Sydney J. Harris

  Forgiveness, Heartbroken, Site

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

  Sydney J. Harris

  Enemy, Lovers, Time Love

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• Why do so many people yearn for an eternal life when they don't even know what to do with themselves in this brief one?

  Sydney J. Harris

  People, Immortality, Eternal Life

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• Ninety per cent of the world's woe comes from people not knowing themselves, their abilities, their frailties, and even their real virtues. Most of us go almost all the way through life as complete strangers to ourselves - so how can we know anyone else?

  Sydney J. Harris

  Real, Knowing, People

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