A library of wisdom
Quotes — every concept, every voice
622 hand-picked quotes from the world's wisdom traditions, each linked to its source concept. Filter by concept below, or scroll through the whole library.
“The future belongs to those who learn more skills and combine them in creative ways.”
“Never outshine the master. Always make those above you feel comfortably superior.”
“The keenest sting to one's pride is the consciousness that someone else has read one's real motives.”
“Powerful people impress and intimidate by saying less. The more you say, the more common you appear.”
“Reputation is the cornerstone of power. Through reputation alone you can intimidate and win.”
“The supreme art of war is to subdue the enemy without fighting.”
“All warfare is based on deception.”
“To know your enemy, you must become your enemy.”
“He who has a why to live for can bear almost any how.”
“It is better to be feared than loved, if you cannot be both.”
“Men in general judge more by the sense of sight than by the sense of touch. Everyone sees what you seem; few touch what you are.”
“A prince never lacks legitimate reasons to break his promise.”
“Hypocrisy is the homage that vice pays to virtue.”
“The intellect is always fooled by the heart.”
“We pardon to the extent that we love.”
“Politics is the art of the possible, the attainable — the art of the next best.”
“Be polite; write diplomatically; even in a declaration of war one observes the rules of politeness.”
“A great empire, like a great cake, is most easily diminished at the edges.”
“Surround yourself with the best people you can find, delegate authority, and don't interfere as long as the policy you've decided upon is being carried out.”
“When the situation is desperate, it is too late to be serious. Be playful.”
“Speech was given to man to disguise his thoughts.”
“The strongest man in the world is he who stands most alone.”
“Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.”
“A man's character is his fate.”
“The wise man does at once what the fool does finally.”
“In victory, you deserve champagne. In defeat, you need it.”
“Never interrupt your enemy when he is making a mistake.”
“There are no permanent friends, no permanent enemies — only permanent interests.”
“Read the book. Then close it. Then read the world. The book is a map; the world is the ground.”
“Knowing the law is a defence. Using the law is a choice.”