Don Marquis famous quotes

An idea isn't responsible for the people who believe in it.
-- Don Marquis

#Believe #Responsibility #Science

Procrastination is the art of keeping up with yesterday.
-- Don Marquis

#Witty #Art #Procrastination

When a man tells you that he got rich through hard work, ask him: 'Whose?'
-- Don Marquis

#Money #Work #Men

The chief obstacle to the progress of the human race is the human race.
-- Don Marquis

#Race #Life Sucks #Progress

Every cloud has its silver lining but it is sometimes a little difficult to get it to the mint.
-- Don Marquis

#Funny #Hope #Witty

Pity the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.
-- Don Marquis

#Ironic #Literature #Earth

A sequel is an admission that you've been reduced to imitating yourself.
-- Don Marquis

#Admission

If you want to get rich from writing, write the sort of thing that's read by persons who move their lips when they're reading to themselves.
-- Don Marquis

#Moving #Reading #Writing

personally my ambition is to get my time as a cockroach shortened for good behavior and be promoted to a revenue officer it is not much of a step up but i am humble
-- Don Marquis

#Humble #Ambition #Cockroaches

Punctuality is one of the cardinal business virtues: always insist on it in your subordinates.
-- Don Marquis

#Funny Inspirational #Business #Work

Ideas pull the trigger, but instinct loads the gun.
-- Don Marquis

#Love #Life #Relationship

Happiness is the interval between periods of unhappiness.
-- Don Marquis

#Happiness #Happy #Inner Peace

Publishing a volume of verse is like dropping a rose petal down the Grand Canyon and waiting for the echo.
-- Don Marquis

#Education #Learning #Knowledge

A demagogue is a person with whom we disagree as to which gang should mismanage the country.
-- Don Marquis

#Country #Literature #Gang

The trouble with the public is that there is too much of it; what we need in public is less quantity and more quality.
-- Don Marquis

#Quality #Needs #Too Much

We pay for the mistakes of our ancestors, and it seems only fair that they should leave us the money to pay with.
-- Don Marquis

#Money #Mistake #Inheritance

I have often noticed that ancestors never boast of the descendants who boast of ancestors. I would rather start a family than finish one. Blood will tell, but often it tells too much.
-- Don Marquis

#Blood #Literature #Too Much

i have had my ups and downs but wotthehell wotthehell yesterday sceptres and crowns fried oysters and velvet gowns and today i herd with bums but wotthehell wotthehell i wake the world from sleep as i caper and sing and leap when i sing my wild free tune wotthehell wotthehell under the blear eyed moon i am pelted with cast off shoon but wotthehell wotthehell
-- Don Marquis

#Sleep #Moon #Yesterday

A pessimist is a person who has had to listen to too many optimists.
-- Don Marquis

#Funny #Life #Witty

Nearly every night before I go to bed I ask myself, "Have I vibrated in tune with the Infinite today, or have I failed?
-- Don Marquis

#Night #Bed #Tunes

it is better to be a part of beauty for one instant and then cease to exist than to exist forever and never be a part of beauty
-- Don Marquis

#Forever #Instant

Life is one damned kitten after another." Mehitabel the Alley Cat
-- Don Marquis

#Cat #Life Is #Kitten

The art of newspaper paragraphing is to stroke a platitude until it purrs like an epigram.
-- Don Marquis

#Art #Literature #Newspapers

It takes all sorts of people to make the underworld.
-- Don Marquis

#Pregnancy #People #Criminals

In order to influence a child, one must be careful not to be that child's parent or grandparent.
-- Don Marquis

#Children #Order #Grandparent

By the time a bartender knows what drink a man will have before he orders, there is little else about him worth knowing.
-- Don Marquis

#Men #Order #Knowing

Middle age is the time when a man is always thinking that in a week or two he will feel as good as ever.
-- Don Marquis

#Birthday #Time #Men

I would rather start a family than finish one.
-- Don Marquis

#Family #Pumpkin

fire is beautiful and we know that if we get too close it will kill us but what does that matter it is better to be happy for a moment and be burned up with beauty than to live a long time and be bored all the while
-- Don Marquis

#Beautiful #Fire #Long

One of the most important things to remember about infant care is: don't change diapers in midstream.
-- Don Marquis

#Important #Literature #Care

Of middle age the best that can be said is that a middle-aged person has likely learned how to have a little fun in spite of his troubles.
-- Don Marquis

#Birthday #Fun #Age

Honesty is a good thing, but it is not profitable to its possessor unless it is kept under control.
-- Don Marquis

#Honesty #Dishonesty #Good Things

Fishing is a delusion entirely surrounded by liars in old clothes.
-- Don Marquis

#Liars #Lying #Lakes

In all systems of theology the devil figures as a male person. Yes, it is women who keep the church going.
-- Don Marquis

#Church #Devil #Males

The female of all species are most dangerous when they appear to retreat.
-- Don Marquis

#Female #Retreat #Dangerous

From 'the lesson of the moth': and before i could argue him out of his philosophy he went and immolated himself on a patent cigar lighter i do not agree with him myself i would rather have half the happiness and twice the longevity but at the same time i wish there was something i wanted as badly as he wanted to fry himself
-- Don Marquis

#Philosophy #Wish #Patents