Quotes of the day from previous years:
- 2004
- "When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume, among the Powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation." ~ Opening statement ofThe Declaration of Independence of The United States of America, composed primarily byThomas Jefferson (Third of three fromThe Declaration of Independence or drafts of it, that were quoted July 4,5, & 6 of 2004)
- 2005
- I have not yet begun to fight! ~John Paul Jones (born 6 July 1747)
- 2006
- They thought I was a Surrealist, but I wasn't. I never painted dreams. I painted my own reality. ~Frida Kahlo (born 6 July 1907)
- 2007
- Love and compassion are necessities, not luxuries. Without them humanity cannot survive. ~Tenzin Gyatso, 14th Dalai Lama (born 6 July 1935)
- 2008
- I wish to have no connection with any ship that does not sail fast; for I intend to go in harm's way. ~John Paul Jones
- 2009
- Peace can only last where human rights are respected, where the people are fed, and where individuals and nations are free. True peace with oneself and with the world around us can only be achieved through the development of mental peace. ~Tenzin Gyatso, 14th Dalai Lama (date of birth)
- 2010
- I believe that at every level of society — familial, tribal, national and international — the key to a happier and more successful world is the growth of compassion. We do not need to become religious, nor do we need to believe in an ideology. All that is necessary is for each of us to develop our good human qualities. ~Tenzin Gyatso, 14th Dalai Lama
- 2011
- We need a little more compassion, and if we cannot have it then no politician or even a magician can save the planet. ~Tenzin Gyatso, 14th Dalai Lama
- 2012
- 2013
- 2014
- 2015
- 2016
Ibelieve allsuffering iscaused byignorance.People inflictpain on others in theselfish pursuit of theirhappiness orsatisfaction. Yettrue happiness comes from asense of innerpeace andcontentment, which in turn must beachieved through the cultivation ofaltruism, oflove andcompassion and elimination of ignorance, selfishness andgreed.
Theproblems we face today,violentconflicts,destruction ofnature,poverty,hunger, and so on, are human-created problems which can be resolved throughhumaneffort,understanding and the development of a sense ofbrotherhood and sisterhood. We need to cultivate auniversalresponsibility for one another and theplanet we share.
Although I have found my ownBuddhistreligionhelpful in generating love and compassion, even for those we consider ourenemies, I amconvinced that everyone can develop agoodheart and a sense of universal responsibility with or without religion. |
| ~Tenzin Gyatso, 14th Dalai Lama ~ |
- 2017
- 2018
| Ouridentity as anation — unlike many other nations — is not determined bygeography or ethnicity, by soil or blood. Being anAmerican involves the embrace of highideals and civicresponsibility. We become the heirs ofThomas Jefferson byaccepting the ideal ofhumandignity found in theDeclaration of Independence. We become the heirs ofJames Madison byunderstanding thegenius andvalues of theU.S. Constitution. We become the heirs ofMartin Luther King, Jr., by recognizing one another not by the color of their skin, but by the content of theircharacter. This means thatpeople of everyrace,religion, and ethnicity can be fully and equally American. It means thatbigotry or white supremacy in any form isblasphemy against the Americancreed. And it means that the very identity of our nation depends on the passing of civic ideals to the next generation. ... It is thegreatadvantage offreesocieties that we creativelyadapt tochallenges, without the direction of some centralauthority.Self-correction is the secretstrength of freedom. We are a nation with a history of resilience and a genius for renewal. Right now, one of our worst national problems is a deficit ofconfidence. But the cause of freedom justifies all ourfaith andeffort. It stillinspires men and women in the darkest corners of theworld, and it will inspire a rising generation. The American spirit does not say, “We shall manage,” or “We shall make the best of it.” It says, “We shall overcome.” And that is exactly what we will do, with the help ofGod and one another. |
| ~George W. Bush ~ |
- 2019
- 2020
- 2021
- 2022
As towar, I am and always was a greatenemy, at the same time awarrior the greater part of mylife, and were I young again, should still be a warrior while everthis country should be invaded and I lived — aDefensive war I think arighteous war to Defend my life &property & that of myfamily, in my own opinion, is right & justifiable in the sight ofGod.
Anoffensive war, I believe to bewrong and would therefore havenothing to do with it, having no right to meddle with another man's property, his ox or his ass, his man servant or his maid servant or anything that is his. Neither does he have a right to meddle with anything that is mine, if he does I have a right to defend it by force. |
| ~Daniel Morgan ~ |
- 2023
- 2024
Our country hasvoted decisively forchange, for national renewal and a return ofpolitics topublic service … we can make a start today with the simple acknowledgement that public service is aprivilege and that yourgovernment should treat every single person in this country withrespect. If you votedLabour yesterday, we will carry theresponsibility of yourtrust as we rebuild our country.
But whether you voted Labour or not — in fact, especially if you did not — I say to you directly, my government will serve you. Politics can be a force forgood. We will show that. |
| ~Keir Starmer ~ |
- 2025
- 2026
- Rank or add further suggestions…
Ranking system:
- 4 :Excellent - should definitely be used.
- 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.
Quotas are bad for America. It's not the way America is all about. ~George W. Bush, born that day.
- 3 ~MosheZadka(Talk) 08:32, 25 Jun 2005 (UTC)
- 1 ~ Too many topics around America. A bit bored.—The precedingunsigned comment was added byAphaia (talk •contribs) 02:09, 5 July 2005 (UTC)
- 0.Jeff Q (talk) 16:59, 4 July 2006 (UTC) Concur with Aphaia.
- 1Kalki 19:27, 9 July 2007 (UTC) Would prefer something more remarkable by Bush, if he were to be quoted on his birthday.
- 0 Strongly concur with Aphaia and Jeffq.Zarbon 05:03, 24 April 2008 (UTC)
- 1InvisibleSun 00:01, 6 July 2008 (UTC)
I may sink, but I'll be damned if I strike! ~John Paul Jones
Where men of fine feeling are concerned there is seldom misunderstanding. ~John Paul Jones
I know some in Washington would like us to start leaving Iraq now. To begin withdrawing before our commanders tell us we are ready would be dangerous for Iraq, for the region, and for the United States. It would mean surrendering the future of Iraq to al Qaeda. It would mean that we'd be risking mass killings on a horrific scale. It would mean we'd allow the terrorists to establish a safe haven in Iraq to replace the one they lost in Afghanistan. It would mean increasing the probability that American troops would have to return at some later date to confront an enemy that is even more dangerous. ~George W. Bush
- 2,5 because it came true.DanielTom (talk) 10:52, 4 March 2015 (UTC) #ThanksObama
- 2♞☤☮♌︎Kalki⚚⚓︎⊙☳☶⚡ 11:44, 5 July 2015 (UTC), The statement is certainly valid, and yet the ironical hypocrisies and stupidities innate in the general context of it being made are not easily apparent without very extensive commentary. The greatest enemy of all humanity is human stupidity which persists inabsolutist forms oferror. Some of the worst, most pervasive and pernicious forms of human stupidity are those forms of entrenched bigotry born of ignorance and confusion by which one person or group of persons declares other persons or groups of persons absolutely good or absolutely bad, and absolutist wars of absolutist enmities are so "justified" and soinitiated and so fought, by many diverse parties thinking of themselves as absolutely good or entirely right, and others as absolutely bad and entirely wrong — and deserving of only contempt, and worthy only to be mercilessly punished or even exterminated — throughout the ages of human histories. Some people have enough wisdom, even in infancy to reject such pervasive forms of stupidity, and yet know that contending ably against the many forms of it which exists in others can be very dangerous and exhausting, and must be done wisely and with great grace. The wise seek to assert the ways of greatest grace and wise virtues, and know that this path is not always easy or simple or easily explained.Soitgoes…⨀∴☥☮♥∵ॐ… ~♞☤☮♌︎Kalki⚚⚓︎⊙☳☶⚡ 11:44, 5 July 2015 (UTC) + tweak
- Straw man. ~DanielTom (talk) 12:09, 5 July 2015 (UTC)
- Certainly you seem to be setting up a straw man argument in apparently implying that I do. I simply state a few of my reasons for not ranking this very highly at this time, preferring quotes of the sageTenzin Gyatso, 14th Dalai Lama and the able warriorDaniel Morgan to this person, who initiated a profoundly stupid act of aggression against a profoundly corrupt nation-state in profoundly corrupt and corruptive ways. That he afterward then makes the valid argument that one cannot easily withdraw from the mess created by mutually supportive forms of corruption and stupidity, without creating in many ways a fouler mess, shows he was cognizant of greater need of caution and reserve than he had when he initiated much of the most deadly and dangerous aspects of the mess. The seeds of ISIS/ISIL were sown by the destruction of the infrastructure if Iraq in the war of stupidities with stupidity which was stupidly initiated by this person against a nation on rather false and flimsy suppositions that it would be good for America and good for the world.I have no hatred of him as a human being, despite some of his more unfortunate stupidities, and yet I considered and still consider the invasion he initiated, on the whole, to have been a profoundly stupid, wasteful, act which endangered the world as a whole far more than it directly alleviated some of the problems caused by a brutally petty-minded and profoundly stupid and pernicious dictator. ~♞☤☮♌︎Kalki⚚⚓︎⊙☳☶⚡ 12:25, 5 July 2015 (UTC) + tweaks
| Human happiness and human satisfaction must ultimately come from within oneself. It is wrong to expect some final satisfaction to come from money or from a computer. |
| ~Tenzin Gyatso, 14th Dalai Lama ~ |
| All major religious traditions carry basically the same message, that is love, compassion and forgiveness … the important thing is they should be part of our daily lives. |
| ~Tenzin Gyatso, 14th Dalai Lama ~ |
| The time has come to educate people, to cease all quarrels in the name of religion, culture, countries, different political or economic systems. Fighting is useless. Suicide. |
| ~Tenzin Gyatso, 14th Dalai Lama ~ |
| Freedom is not the possession of one race. We know with equal certainty that freedom is not the possession of one nation. This belief in the natural rights of man, this conviction that justice should reach wherever the sun passes, leads America into the world. |
| ~George W. Bush ~ |
| To those of you who are graduating this afternoon with high honors, awards, and distinctions, I say, 'well done'. And as I like to tell the 'C' students: You, too, can be President. |
| ~George W. Bush ~ |
| Human beings have the power to continue to oppress other species forever, or until we make this planet unsuitable for living beings. Will our tyranny continue, proving that morality counts for nothing when it clashes with selfinterest, as the most cynical of poets and philosophers have always said? Or will we rise to the challenge and prove our capacity for genuine altruism by ending our ruthless exploitation of the species in our power, not because we are forced to do so by rebels or terrorists, but because we recognize that our position is morally indefensible? The way in which we answer this question depends on the way in which each one of us, individually, answers it. |
| ~Peter Singer ~ |
