Contrary Quotes - Page 34

• A return to first principles in a republic is sometimes caused by the simple virtues of one man. His good example has such an influence that the good men strive to imitate him, and the wicked are ashamed to lead a life so contrary to his example.

  Niccolo Machiavelli

  Simple, Men, Good Man

  Niccolo Machiavelli (2017). “The Prince”, p.99, Race Point Publishing

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• I've always wanted to write a book relating my experiences growing up as a deaf child in Chicago. Contrary to what people might think, it wasn't all about hearing aids and speech classes or frustrations.

  Marlee Matlin

  Children, Growing Up, Book

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• The common idea that success spoils people by making them vain, egotistic and self-complacent is erroneous; on the contrary it makes them, for the most part, humble, tolerant and kind.

  W. Somerset Maugham

  Inspirational, Success, Congratulations

  Summing Up (1938) p. 187

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• Imagination grows by exercise, and contrary to common belief, is more powerful in the mature than in the young.

  W. Somerset Maugham

  Powerful, Writing, Creativity

  "The Summing Up" by W. Somerset Maugham, Doubleday, Doran & Co., (p. 164), 1938.

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• The roots of the word 'anarchy' are 'an archos,' 'no leaders,' which is not really about the kind of chaos that most people imagine when the word 'anarchy' is mentioned. I think that anarchy is, to the contrary, about taking personal responsibility for yourself.

  Alan Moore

  Responsibility, Thinking, Roots

  Interview with Tasha Robinson, www.avclub.com. October 24, 2001.

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• Contrary to what those in power would like you to believe so that you'll give up your pension, cut your wages, and settle for the life your great-grandparents had, America is not broke. Not by a long shot. The country is awash in wealth and cash.

  Michael Moore

  Country, Giving Up, Believe

  "Michael Moore Wisconsin Speech: America Is Not Broke" by Michael Moore, www.thedailybeast.com. March 7, 2011.

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• Contrary to my image, I do have a sense of humour.

  Andy Murray

  Humour

  "Holding court: Andy Murray interview". "The Telegraph" Interview, www.telegraph.co.uk. June 5, 2008.

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• Extreme positions are not succeeded by moderate ones but by extreme positions of the opposite kind.

  Friedrich Nietzsche

  Position, Extremes, Moderates

  "The Will to Power".

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• Contrary to the claims of some of my critics and some of the editorial pages, I am an ardent believer in the free market.

  Barack Obama

  Pages, Claims, Critics

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• Contrary to what the politicians and religious leaders would like us to believe, the world won't be made safer by creating barriers between people.

  Michael Palin

  Religious, Believe, Creating

  "Letter from London". Personal Website, palinstravels.co.uk. September 18, 2003.

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• Faith indeed tells what the senses do not tell, but not the contrary of what they see. It is above them and not contrary to them.

  Blaise Pascal

  Faith, Perception, Senses

  Blaise Pascal (2010). “Thoughts, Letters & Minor Works”, p.97, Cosimo, Inc.

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• Literature is the expression of a feeling of deprivation, a recourse against a sense of something missing. But the contrary is also true: language is what makes us human. It is a recourse against the meaningless noise and silence of nature and history.

  Octavio Paz

  Expression, History, Silence

  Octavio Paz (1973). “Alternating Current”, p.172, Arcade Publishing

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• Very few beings really seek knowledge in this world. Mortal or immortal, few really ASK. On the contrary, they try to wring from the unknown the answers they have already shaped in their own minds.

  Anne Rice

  Mind, Trying, Demise

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• I believe that the testing of the student's achievements in order to see if he meets some criterion held by the teacher, is directly contrary to the implications of therapy for significant learning.

  Carl Rogers

  Education, Teacher, Believe

  Carl Rogers (2012). “On Becoming a Person: A Therapist's View of Psychotherapy”, p.290, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

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• I undertake the same project as Montaigne, but with an aim contrary to his own: for he wrote his Essays only for others, and I write my reveries only for myself.

  Jean-Jacques Rousseau

  Writing, Projects, Aim

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• Work continuously to trim the White House staff from your first day to your last. All the pressures are to the contrary.

  Donald Rumsfeld

  White, House, Lasts

  Donald Rumsfeld (2001). “Public Statements of Donald H. Rumsfeld, Secretary of Defense, 2001”

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• Contrary to popular opinion, things don't go stale particularly fast in the art world.

  Jerry Saltz

  Art, World, Opinion

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• The submission of her body without love or desire is degrading to the woman's finer sensibility, all the marriage certificates on earth to the contrary notwithstanding.

  Margaret Sanger

  Aggravation, Desire, Body

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• There are two contrary impulses which govern this man's brain-the one sane, and the other eccentric. They alternate at regular intervals.

  Franz Schubert

  Men, Two, Brain

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• The belief that the animals exist because God created them - and that he created them so we can better meet our needs - is contrary to our scientific understanding of evolution and, of course, to the fossil record, which shows the existence of non-human primates and other animals millions of years before there were any human beings at all.

  Peter Singer

  Animal, Years, Understanding

  "Religion's regressive hold on animal rights issues" by Peter Singer, www.theguardian.com. June 08, 2010.

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• Contrary to what President Obama said in his inaugural address, going on Medicare and food stamps does not strengthen us. Just ask people who are fourth-generation welfare recipients.

  Mark Skousen

  People, President, Addresses

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• See, even despite pious statements to the contrary, much of the industrialized world has not yet come to terms with the recognition of the fallacy of what I call the strong man syndrome.

  Wole Soyinka

  Strong, Men, World

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• Whatsoever is contrary to nature is contrary to reason, and whatsoever is contrary to reason is absurd.

  Baruch Spinoza

  Nature, Philosophical, Environment

  "Theological-Political Treatise " by Baruch Spinoza, (p. 92), 1670.

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• Steve Jobs was rare: a C.E.O. who actually had a huge impact on his company's fortunes. Contrary to corporate mythology, most C.E.O.s could be easily replaced, if not by your average Joe, then by your average executive vice-president. But Jobs genuinely earned the label of superstar.

  James Surowiecki

  Jobs, Average, Impact

  "Apple: What Happens Now?". www.newyorker.com. August 24, 2011.

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• The Kurdish people welcome the no-fly zone protection, contrary to the Iraqi regime that is against it.

  Jalal Talabani

  People, Welcome, Protection

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