Calamity Quotes

• Suffering becomes beautiful when anyone bears great calamities with cheerfulness, not through insensibility but through greatness of mind.

  Aristotle

  Beauty, Beautiful, Gratitude

  47 Copy quote

• One common calamity makes men extremely affect each other, though they differ in every other particular

  Richard Steele

  Sympathy, Men, Common

  Joseph Addison, Sir Richard Steele (1853). “The Spectator: With a Biographical and Critical Preface, and Explanatory Notes ...”, p.93

  7 Copy quote

  Show source

• Necessity may well be called the mother of invention but calamity is the test of integrity.

  Samuel Richardson

  Mother, Integrity, May

  Samuel Richardson (1820). “Clarissa, Or, The History of a Young Lady: Comprehending the Most Important Concerns of Private Life : and Particularly Shewing the Distresses that May Attend the Misconduct Both of Parents and Children, in Relation to Marriage”, p.255

  22 Copy quote

  Show source

• It is from the level of calamities, not that of every-day life, that we learn impressive and useful lessons.

  William Makepeace Thackeray

  Levels, Lessons, Impressive

  7 Copy quote

• Often it takes some calamity to make us live in the present. Then suddenly we wake up and see all the mistakes we have made.

  Bill Watterson

  Funny Life, Mistake, Wake Up

  10 Copy quote

• The calamity that comes is never the one we had prepared ourselves for.

  Mark Twain

  Prepared

  Mark Twain (1972). “Everyone's Mark Twain”

  8 Copy quote

  Show source

• Have the courage to be ignorant of a great number of things, in order to avoid the calamity of being ignorant of everything.

  Sydney Smith

  Courage, Ignorance, Order

  Sydney Smith (1856). “Wit and Wisdom of the Rev. Sydney Smith”, p.198

  9 Copy quote

  Show source

• When any calamity is suffered, the first thing to be remembered is, how much has been escaped.

  Samuel Johnson

  Suffering, Tragedy, Firsts

  "Johnsoniana: Or, Supplement to Boswell: Being Anecdotes and Sayings of Dr. Johnson".

  23 Copy quote

  Show source

• It is an easy thing for one whose foot is on the outside of calamity to give advice and to rebuke the sufferer.

  Aeschylus

  Feet, Giving, Advice

  Aeschylus, Sophocles, Euripides (1956). “The complete Greek tragedies”

  83 Copy quote

  Show source

• CALAMITY, n. A more than commonly plain and unmistakable reminder that the affairs of this life are not of our own ordering. Calamities are of two kinds: misfortune to ourselves, and good fortune to others.

  Ambrose Bierce

  Life, Two, Kind

  Ambrose Bierce (2001). “The Unabridged Devil's Dictionary”, p.31, University of Georgia Press

  6 Copy quote

  Show source

• There is no calamity which a great nation can invite which equals that which follows a supine submission to wrong and injustice

  Grover Cleveland

  Injustice, Submission, Invites

  Grover Cleveland, United States. President (1885-1889 : Cleveland), United States. President (1893-1897 : Cleveland) (1968). “Grover Cleveland, 1837-1908: chronology, documents, bibliographical aids”

  20 Copy quote

  Show source

• Calamity is the perfect glass wherein we truly see and know ourselves.

  William Davenant

  Glasses, Perfect, Knows

  8 Copy quote

• I would say the damage here is much more [than the tsunami], the magnitude of the calamity here is much more

  Bill Vaughan

  Damage, Magnitude, Tsunami

  7 Copy quote

• I figure if a girl wants to be a legend, she should go ahead and be one.

  Calamity Jane

  Motivational, Girl, Strong Women

  91 Copy quote

• A calamity that makes you turn to Allah is better for you then a blessing which makes you forget the remembrance of Allah

  Ibn Taymiyyah

  Blessing, Remembrance, Forget

  968 Copy quote

• These times of ours are series and full of calamity, but all times are essentially alike. As soon as there is life there is danger.

  Ralph Waldo Emerson

  Time, Danger, Series

  7 Copy quote

• Calamity is man's true touchstone.

  John William Fletcher

  Men, Negativity, Affliction

  8 Copy quote

• He is not valiant that dares lie; but he that boldly bears calamity.

  Philip Massinger

  Suicide, Lying, Bears

  12 Copy quote

• Calamity is virtue's opportunity.

  Seneca the Younger

  Opportunity, Virtue

  "Hoyt's New Cyclopedia Of Practical Quotations" by Jehiel Keeler Hoyt, p. 518-19, De Providentia, IV, 1922.

  7 Copy quote

  Show source

• In spite of calamity, He still has a plan for me, And it's working for my good, And it's building my testimony.

  Marvin Sapp

  Faith, God, Christian

  Song: My Testimony

  89 Copy quote

  Show source

• Every calamity is a spur and a valuable hint.

  Ralph Waldo Emerson

  Spiritual, Failure, Spurs

  Ralph Waldo Emerson (1981). “The Portable Emerson: New Edition”, p.267, Penguin

  8 Copy quote

  Show source

• Persistent prophecy is a familiar way of assuring the event.

  George Gissing

  Events, Way, Persistent

  George Gissing (2016). “The Private Papers of Henry Ryecroft”, p.90, The Floating Press

  6 Copy quote

  Show source

• Bear calamities with meekness.

  Euripides

  Bears, Meekness

  Euripides (1820). “The Hecuba, Orestes, Phœnician virgins, and Medea, of Euripides: literally tr. [by T.W.C. Edwards].”, p.228

  7 Copy quote

  Show source

• A great source of calamity lies in regret and anticipation; therefore a person is wise who thinks of the present alone, regardless of the past or future.

  Oliver Goldsmith

  Wise, Regret, Lying

  11 Copy quote

• You want calamities? What about the Ice Age? God made this world, but didn't complete it.

  Mario Cuomo

  Ice, Age, Want

  "Analysis: Tragedies of nature, terror leave vulnerable feeling" by Charles Passy, The Palm Beach Post, September 12, 2005.

  52 Copy quote

  Show source