Wit & Wisdom

“A man’s errors are his portals of discovery.”

James Joyce, quoted in The Economist

“Experience is like tail-lights on a boat, which illuminate where we have been when we should be focusing on where we should be going.”

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 F. Kennedy, quoted in The New Republic

“Always forgive your enemies; nothing annoys them so much.”

Oscar Wilde, quoted in the London Daily Mail

“The early bird may get the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese.”

Willie Nelson, quoted in NYTimes.com

“When everything is coming your way, you’re in the wrong lane.”

Comedian Steven Wright, quoted in the Toronto National Post

“The aging process has you firmly in its grasp if you never get the urge to throw a snowball.”

Aphorist Doug Larson, quoted in the Montreal Gazette

“That which has always been accepted by everyone, everywhere, is almost certain to be false.”

Paul Valery, quoted in The Book Reporter