Wit & Wisdom

From Napoleon, William Butler Yeats, Andy Rooney, Willa Cather, George Bernard Shaw, Christopher Morley, Ralph Waldo Emerson

“The young fulfill the revolutions that the old prepare.”

Napoleon, quoted in the London Times

“Do not wait to strike till the iron is hot; but make it hot by striking.”

Subscribe to The Week

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

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

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

“In a conversation, remember that you’re more interested in what you’re saying than anyone else is.”

Andy Rooney, quoted in the Norwalk, Conn., Hour

“Give the people a new word and they think they have a new fact.”

Willa Cather, quoted in the Newark, N.J., Star-Ledger

“The power of accurate observation is commonly called cynicism by those who have not got it.”

George Bernard Shaw, quoted in Bookreporter.com

“Only the sinner has the right to preach.”

Journalist Christopher Morley, quoted in MSNBC.com

“Finish each day and be done with it. You have done what you could.”

Ralph Waldo Emerson, quoted in the Ithaca, N.Y., Journal