“Man is born ridiculous, as can easily be seen if you look at him soon after he is born.”
G.K. Chesterton, “Shaw, The Philosopher,” in Alberto Manguel, ed., On Lying in Bed and Other Essays by G.K. Chesterton
“Can’t is the father of feeble endeavor,/ The parent of terror and halfhearted work….”
Edgar Guest, “Can’t,” in William Bennett The Book of Virtues
“Many moderns treat taste as if it were a matter of morality. I can only hope that they do not treat morality as a matter of taste.”
G.K. Chesterton in Daily News Sept. 1, 1906 quoted in Gilbert: The Magazine of the Society of G.K. Chesterton Vol. 25 #2 (November-December 2021)
“The [tsetse] fly’s devastating effects are similar to those of other known sleeping-sickness carriers, such as the tsetse professor, tsetse boss, and tsetse New York Times op-ed page writer.”
P.J. O’Rourke Eat the Rich
“The really happy person is the one who can enjoy the scenery while on a detour.”
Emailed by a friend and attributed to “Unknown” who is also widely credited online with having said it and so probably did.
“Penny candy rotted your teeth just as fast when it didn’t cost a quarter.”
Bob Uecker and Mickey Herskowitz. Catcher in the Wry.
“I have no Will at all – and no Won’t – simply Can’t.”
Harold Skimpole in Charles Dickens Bleak House
“Failure is only the opportunity to begin again, more intelligently.”
Henry Ford, widely quoted online including for instance at https://www.quotespedia.org/authors/h/henry-ford/failure-is-simply-the-opportunity-to-begin-again-this-time-more-intelligently-henry-ford/