Wit & Wisdom
From Russell Lynes, Baron de Montesquieu, Former Secretary of State James Baker, Malachy McCourt, Friedrich Nietzsche, Jules Renard, René Descartes
“The only graceful way to accept an insult is to ignore it; if you can’t ignore it, top it; if you can’t top it, laugh at it; if you can’t laugh at it,
it’s probably deserved.”
Essayist Russell Lynes, quoted in the Associated Press
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

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.
“Happiness is not the absence of problems but the ability to deal with them.”
Baron de Montesquieu, quoted in the Associated Press
“Overnight is an eternity in politics.”
Former Secretary of State James Baker, quoted in HumanEvents.com
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
“Resentment is like taking poison and waiting for the other person to die.”
Author Malachy McCourt, quoted in the London Guardian
“At times one remains faithful to a cause only because its opponents do not cease to be insipid.”
Friedrich Nietzsche, quoted in WeeklyStandard.com
“Laziness is nothing more than the habit of resting before you get tired.”
Author Jules Renard, quoted in the Columbia, Mo., Daily Tribune
“The reading of all good books is like a conversation with the finest minds of past centuries.”
René Descartes, quoted in The Washington Post
-
How Zohran Mamdani's NYC mayoral run will change the Democratic Party
Talking Points The candidate poses a challenge to the party's 'dinosaur wing'
-
Book reviews: '1861: The Lost Peace' and 'Murderland: Crime and Bloodlust in the Time of Serial Killers'
Feature How America tried to avoid the Civil War and the link between lead pollution and serial killers
-
Brian Wilson: the troubled genius who powered the Beach Boys
Feature The musical giant passed away at 82