Animosity Quotes

• Life appears to me too short to be spent in nursing animosity, or registering wrongs.

  Charlotte Bronte

  Life, Forgiveness, Hate

  Charlotte Bronte (2013). “Jane Eyre”, p.76, Simon and Schuster

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• Heat and animosity, contest and conflict, may sharpen the wits, although they rarely do; they never strengthen the understanding, clear the perspicacity, guide the judgment, or improve the heart.

  Walter Savage Landor

  Anger, Heart, Understanding

  Walter Savage Landor (1856). “Selections from the Writings of Walter Savage Landor”, p.242

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• Forgiveness is not always easy. At times, it feels more painful than the wound we suffered, to forgive the one that inflicted it. And yet, there is no peace without forgiveness.

  Marianne Williamson

  Inspirational, Forgiveness, Peace

  Marianne Williamson (2013). “Illuminata: Thoughts, Prayers, Rites of Passage”, p.131, Random House

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• You can let hate, animosity and anger eat away at you, or you can let it go and begin again.

  Leon Brown

  Life, Hate, Let It Go

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• All war must be just the killing of strangers against whom you feel no personal animosity; strangers whom, in other circumstances, you would help if you found them in trouble, and who would help you if you needed it.

  Mark Twain

  War, Politics, Helping

  Mark Twain (2004). “The Man That Corrupted Hadleyburg”, p.424, 1st World Publishing

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• To harbor hatred and animosity in the soul makes one irritable, gloomy, and prematurely old.

  Berthold Auerbach

  Hatred, Soul, Harbors

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• Those whose character is mean and vicious will rouse others to animosity against them.

  Xunzi

  Character, Mean, Vicious

  Xunzi, John Knoblock (1988). “Xunzi: A Translation and Study of the Complete Works”, p.137, Stanford University Press

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• Suspicion and doubt lead to animosity and hatred.

  Ralph Steadman

  Hatred, Doubt, Suspicion

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• Without forgiveness life is governed by... an endless cycle of resentment and retaliation.

  Roberto Assagioli

  Life, Forgiveness, Spiritual

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• Great affection is often the cause of violent animosity. The quarrels of men often arise from too great a familiarity.

  Sakya Pandita

  Men, Causes, Affection

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• Indifference breeds animosity.

  Sarah Ban Breathnach

  Indifference

  Sarah Ban Breathnach (2009). “Something More: Excavating Your Authentic Self”, p.86, Hachette UK

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• It's difficult to have any animosity towards someone if you recognize that on so many levels they're exactly the same as you.

  Jonathan Taylor Thomas

  Levels, Difficult, Ifs

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• I would rather drown myself in the waters of the Sabarmati than harbour hate or animosity in my heart.

  Mahatma Gandhi

  Hate, Heart, Water

  Gandhi (Mahatma) (1924). “Collected works”

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• Everyone who comes in is just amazed that our children do not have the animosity, the hatred, because these children are into it. You know, once you learn to like yourself, then you don't see this black-white bit. I still say that a good basic education is the only thing. I feel guilty sometimes because I don't think Jesus Christ could get any more accolades than I do when I walk through that classroom, even from the children I do not teach. They know that I love them, but I am forever telling them, "Get into that seat so you can have choices in this world."

  Marva Collins

  Jesus, Children, Thinking

  Source: reason.com

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• A zeal for different opinions concerning religion...[has] divided mankind into parties, inflamed them with mutual animosity, and rendered them much more disposed to vex and oppress each other than to co-operate for their common good.

  James Madison

  Party, Religion, Atheism

  Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, John Jay (1864). “The Federalist: A Commentary on the Constitution of the United States”, p.106

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• Great contests generally excite great animosities.

  Livy

  Contests, Contention

  Livy (1855). “The History of Rome”, p.129

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• Every actor has a natural animosity toward every other actor, present or absent, living or dead

  Louise Brooks

  Actors, Natural, Absent

  1982 Lulu in Hollywood.

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• When a man fails to see the truth of certain generally accepted views, there is no law compelling him to provoke animosity by announcing his dissent.

  George Henry Lewes

  Men, Views, Law

  George Henry Lewes (1891). “The Principles of Success in Literature”

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• Of all the animosities which have existed among mankind, those which are caused by a difference of sentiments in religion appear to be the most inveterate and distressing, and ought to be deprecated. I was in hopes that the enlightened and liberal policy, which has marked the present age, would at least have reconciled Christians of every denomination so far that we should never again see the religious disputes carried to such a pitch as to endanger the peace of society.

  George Washington

  Christian, Religious, Differences

  George Washington, Edward Frank Humphrey (1932). “George Washington on religious liberty and mutual understanding: selections from Washington's letters”

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• Therefore, it is forbidden to say anything to anyone that might cause animosity between any two people.

  Israel Meir Kagan

  Two, People, Say Anything

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• History affords us many instances of the ruin of states,
  by the prosecution of measures ill suited to the temper and
  genius of their people. The ordaining of laws in favor of one
  part of the nation, to the prejudice and oppression of another, is certainly the most erroneous and mistaken policy. ... These measures never fail to create great and violent jealousies and animosities between the people favored and the people oppressed; whence a total separation of affections, interests, political obligations, and all manner of connections, by which the whole state is weakened.

  Benjamin Franklin

  Law, People, Political

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• I have always felt that a politician is to be judged by the animosities he excites among his opponents.

  Winston Churchill

  Politics, Opponents, Politician

  Winston Churchill's speech at the Institute of Journalists Dinner in London (November 17,1906), as quoted in "Churchill by Himself: The Definitive Collection of Quotations" edited by Richard Langworth (p. 392), 2008.

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• I've been in and out of Wall Street since 1949, and I've never seen the type of animosity between government and Wall Street. And I'm not sure where it comes from, but I suspect it's got to do with a general schism in this society which is really becoming ever more destructive.

  Alan Greenspan

  Wall, Government, Becoming

  "Meet the Press", www.nbcnews.com. August 1, 2010.

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• It's our tendency to approach every problem as if it were a fight between two sides. We see it in headlines that are always using metaphors for war. It's a general atmosphere of animosity and contention that has taken over our public discourse.

  Deborah Tannen

  War, Taken, Fighting

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• But the greatest menace to our civilization today is the conflict between giant organized systems of self-righteousness - each system only too delighted to find that the other is wicked - each only too glad that the sins give it the pretext for still deeper hatred and animosity.

  Herbert Butterfield

  Self, Civilization, Giving

  Herbert Butterfield (1953). “Christianity, Diplomacy and War”, London : Epworth Press

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