Wit & Wisdom

“Civilization begins with distillation.”

William Faulkner, quoted in the Los Angeles Times

“We all choke. Winners know how to handle choking better than losers.”

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

John McEnroe, quoted in Smithsonian.com

“Wit is a sword; it is meant to make people feel the point as well as see it.”

G.K. Chesterton, quoted in the Los Angeles Review of Books

“Never second-guess inspiration.”

Flannery O’Connor, quoted in the Portland Oregonian

“One sees clearly only with the heart. Anything essential is invisible to the eyes.”

Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, quoted in The New York Times

“Television enables you to be entertained in your home by people you wouldn’t have in your home.”

David Frost, quoted in The Washington Post

“If no one ever took risks, Michelangelo would have painted the Sistine floor.”

Neil Simon, quoted in The Buffalo News