Sydney J. Harris Quotes

Quotes about:

• 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

  Sydney J. Harris (1953). “Strictly personal”

  110 Copy quote

• 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

  Sydney J. Harris (1986). “Clearing the ground”, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

  108 Copy quote

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

  Sydney J. Harris

  Graduation, Education, Wall

  Sydney J. Harris (1985). “Pieces of Eight Pa”, Mariner Books

  174 Copy quote

• 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

  Sydney J. Harris (1985). “Pieces of Eight Pa”, Mariner Books

  106 Copy quote

• 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

  143 Copy quote

• Never let your fears be the boundaries of your dreams.
  Happiness is a direction, not a place.

  Sydney J. Harris

  Dream, Follow Your Dreams, Boundaries

  19 Copy quote

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

  Sydney J. Harris

  Inspirational, Funny, Life

  Sydney J. Harris (1953). “Strictly personal”

  124 Copy quote

• 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

  Sydney J. Harris (1985). “Pieces of Eight Pa”, Mariner Books

  61 Copy quote

• 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

  Sydney J. Harris (1964). “Leaving the Surface”

  18 Copy quote

• Elitism is the slur directed at merit by mediocrity.

  Sydney J. Harris

  Acceptance, Mediocrity, Merit

  Sydney J. Harris (1985). “Pieces of Eight Pa”, Mariner Books

  14 Copy quote

• At it's highest level, the purpose of teaching is not to teach—it is to inspire the desire for learning. Once a student's mind is set on fire, it will find a way to provide its own fuel.

  Sydney J. Harris

  Teaching, Fire, Inspire

  Sydney J. Harris (1976). “Best of Sydney J. Harris”

  18 Copy quote

• 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

  Sydney J. Harris (1953). “Strictly personal”

  77 Copy quote

• 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

  77 Copy quote

• Men make counterfeit money; in many more cases, money makes counterfeit men.

  Sydney J. Harris

  Money, Men, Cases

  15 Copy quote

• 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

  68 Copy quote

• If a small thing has the power to make you angry, does that not indicate something about your size?

  Sydney J. Harris

  Wisdom, Anger, Power

  25 Copy quote

• Many married couples separate because they quarrel incessantly, but just as many separate because they were never honest enough or courageous enough to quarrel when they should have.

  Sydney J. Harris

  Couple, Divorce, Should Have

  10 Copy quote

• As the horsepower in modern automobiles steadily rises, the congestion of traffic steadily lowers the average possible speed of your car. This is known as Progress.

  Sydney J. Harris

  Average, Car, Progress

  8 Copy quote

• If you cannot endure to be thought in the wrong, you will begin to do terrible things to make the wrong appear right.

  Sydney J. Harris

  Acceptance, Endure, Terrible

  Sydney J. Harris (1964). “Leaving the Surface”

  24 Copy quote

• Nobody can misunderstand a child as much as his own parents.

  Sydney J. Harris

  Children, Parent

  Sydney J. Harris (1964). “Leaving the Surface”

  10 Copy quote

• It may be true that the weak will always be driven to the wall; but it is the task of a just society to see that the wall is climbable.

  Sydney J. Harris

  Wall, Weak Will, Justice

  7 Copy quote

• Isolation always perverts; when a man lives only among his own sort, he soon begins to believe that his sort are the best sort. This attitude breeds both the arrogance of the conservative and the bitterness of the radical.

  Sydney J. Harris

  Attitude, Believe, Men

  Sydney J. Harris (1976). “Best of Sydney J. Harris”

  10 Copy quote

• "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

  Sydney J. Harris (1986). “Clearing the ground”, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

  33 Copy quote

• The truest test of independent judgment is being able to dislike someone who admires us, and to admire someone who dislikes us.

  Sydney J. Harris

  Independent, Dislike Someone, Independence

  Sydney J. Harris (1972). “For the Time Being”

  11 Copy quote

• The founder of every creed from Jesus Christ to Karl Marx, would be appalled to return to earth and see what has been made of that creed, not by its enemies, but by its most devoted adherents.

  Sydney J. Harris

  Jesus, Enemy, Would Be

  Sydney J. Harris (1976). “Best of Sydney J. Harris”

  8 Copy quote

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