September 22

September 22

Quotes of the day from previous years:

2003

I never desire to converse with a man who has written more than he has read. ~ Samuel Johnson

• selected by Nanobug

2004

At least two thirds of our miseries spring from human stupidity, human malice and those great motivators and justifiers of malice and stupidity, idealism, dogmatism and proselytizing zeal on behalf of religious or political idols. ~ Aldous Huxley

• selected by Kalki

2005

Delicious autumn! My very soul is wedded to it, and if I were a bird I would fly about the earth seeking the successive autumns. ~ George Eliot

• proposed by Kalki for the first day of Autumn 2005 in Northern Hemisphere

2006

The world is a country which nobody ever yet knew by description; one must travel through it one's self to be acquainted with it. ~ Philip Dormer Stanhope, 4th earl of Chesterfield (born 22 September 1694)

• proposed by InvisibleSun

2007

Just practice good, do good for others, without thinking of making yourself known so that you may gain reward. Really bring benefit to others, gaining nothing for yourself. This is the primary requisite for breaking free of attachments to the Self. ~ Dōgen (died today in 1253)

• proposed by Aphaia

2008

Wear your learning, like your watch, in a private pocket: and do not pull it out and strike it, merely to show that you have one. ~ Philip Dormer Stanhope, 4th earl of Chesterfield

• proposed by InvisibleSun

2009

Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness,
Close bosom-friend of the maturing sun;
Conspiring with him how to load and bless
With fruit the vines that round the thatch-eves run;
To bend with apples the moss’d cottage-trees,
And fill all fruit with ripeness to the core;
To swell the ground, and plump the hazel shells
With a sweet kernel; to set budding more,
And still more, later flowers for the bees,
Until they think warm days will never cease,
For Summer has o’er-brimm’d their clammy cells.

Who hath not seen thee oft amid thy store?

~ John Keats ~ (first lines of "To Autumn" — for first day of Autumn 2009)

• proposed by Kalki

2010

I have far more confidence in the one man who works mentally and bodily at a matter than in the six who merely talk about it … Nature is our kindest friend and best critic in experimental science if we only allow her intimations to fall unbiased on our minds. Nothing is so good as an experiment which, whilst it sets an error right, gives us (as a reward for our humility in being reproved) an absolute advancement in knowledge. ~ Michael Faraday

• proposed by Kalki

2011

Work. Finish. Publish. ~ Michael Faraday

• proposed by Aphaia

2012

The strong man is strongest when alone.

~ Friedrich Schiller ~

• proposed by Aphaia

2013

Among those points of self-education which take up the form of mental discipline, there is one of great importance, and, moreover, difficult to deal with, because it involves an internal conflict, and equally touches our vanity and our ease. It consists in the tendency to deceive ourselves regarding all we wish for, and the necessity of resistance to these desires. It is impossible for any one who has not been constrained, by the course of his occupation and thoughts, to a habit of continual self-correction, to be aware of the amount of error in relation to judgment arising from this tendency. The force of the temptation which urges us to seek for such evidence and appearances as are in favour of our desires, and to disregard those which oppose them, is wonderfully great. In this respect we are all, more or less, active promoters of error. In place of practising wholesome self-abnegation, we ever make the wish the father to the thought: we receive as friendly that which agrees with, we resist with dislike that which opposes us; whereas the very reverse is required by every dictate of common sense.

~ Michael Faraday ~

• proposed by Kalki

2014

Electricity is often called wonderful, beautiful; but it is so only in common with the other forces of nature. The beauty of electricity or of any other force is not that the power is mysterious, and unexpected, touching every sense at unawares in turn, but that it is under law, and that the taught intellect can even now govern it largely. The human mind is placed above, and not beneath it, and it is in such a point of view that the mental education afforded by science is rendered super-eminent in dignity, in practical application and utility; for by enabling the mind to apply the natural power through law, it conveys the gifts of God to man.

~ Michael Faraday ~

• proposed by Kalki

2015

I urge you to work together in promoting a true, worldwide ethical mobilization which, beyond all differences of religious or political convictions, will spread and put into practice a shared ideal of fraternity and solidarity, especially with regard to the poorest and those most excluded.

~ Pope Francis ~

• proposed by Kalki

2016

Oh, what a catastrophe for man when he cut himself off from the rhythm of the year, from his unison with the sun and the earth. Oh, what a catastrophe, what a maiming of love when it was a personal, merely personal feeling, taken away from the rising and the setting of the sun, and cut off from the magic connection of the solstice and the equinox!

~ D. H. Lawrence ~

• proposed by Kalki

2017

I call the phantoms of a thousand hours Each from his voiceless grave: they have in vision'd bowers Of studious zeal or love's delight Outwatch'd with me the envious night: They know that never joy illum'd my brow Unlink'd with hope that thou wouldst free This world from its dark slavery, That thou, O awful LOVELINESS, Wouldst give whate'er these words cannot express. The day becomes more solemn and serene When noon is past; there is a harmony In autumn, and a lustre in its sky, Which through the summer is not heard or seen, As if it could not be, as if it had not been! Thus let thy power, which like the truth Of nature on my passive youth Descended, to my onward life supply Its calm, to one who worships thee, And every form containing thee, Whom, SPIRIT fair, thy spells did bind To fear himself, and love all human kind.

~ Percy Bysshe Shelley ~

• proposed by Kalki

2018

Let it be your maxim through life, to know all you can know, yourself; and never to trust implicitly to the informations of others.

~ Philip Stanhope, 4th Earl of Chesterfield ~

• proposed by Kalki

2019

We must not draw general conclusions from certain particular principles, though, in the main, true ones. We must not suppose that, because a man is a rational animal, he will therefore always act rationally; or, because he has such or such a predominant passion, that he will act invariably and consequentially in the pursuit of it. No. We are complicated machines: and though we have one main-spring, that gives motion to the whole, we have an infinity of little wheels, which, in their turns, retard, precipitate, and sometimes stop that motion.

~ Philip Stanhope, 4th Earl of Chesterfield ~

• proposed by Kalki

2020

Cheerful with wisdom, with innocence gay, And calm with your joys gently glide thro' the day. The dews of the evening most carefully shun — Those tears of the sky for the loss of the sun.

~ Philip Stanhope, 4th Earl of Chesterfield ~

• proposed by Ningauble

2021

Advice is seldom welcome; and those who want it the most always like it the least.

~ Philip Stanhope, 4th Earl of Chesterfield ~

• proposed by InvisibleSun

2022

Let us speak plainly. A permanent member of the United Nations Security Council invaded its neighbor, attempted to erase a sovereign state from the map. Russia has shamelessly violated the core tenets of the United Nations Charter … the clear prohibition against countries taking the territory of their neighbor by force. Again, just today, President Putin has made overt nuclear threats against Europe and a reckless disregard for the responsibilities of the non-proliferation regime. Now Russia is … calling up more soldiers to join the fight. And the Kremlin is organizing a sham referenda to try to annex parts of Ukraine, an extremely significant violation of the U.N. Charter. This world should see these outrageous acts for what they are. Putin claims he had to act because Russia was threatened. But no one threatened Russia, and no one other than Russia sought conflict. … Putin’s own words make his true purpose unmistakable. Just before he invaded, Putin asserted — and I quote — Ukraine was "created by Russia" and never had, quote, "real statehood." … This war is about extinguishing Ukraine’s right to exist as a state, plain and simple, and Ukraine’s right to exist as a people. Whoever you are, wherever you live, whatever you believe … that should make your blood run cold. That’s why 141 nations in the General Assembly came together to unequivocally condemn Russia’s war against Ukraine. … We chose principles to which every party to the United Nations Charter is beholding. We stood with Ukraine.

~ Joe Biden ~

• proposed by Kalki; recent remarks to the UN General Assembly.

2023

Five hundred seventy-four days of pain, losses, and struggle have already passed since the start of the full-scale aggression launched by the state, which, for some reason, is still present here among the permanent members of the UN Security Council. Russia has killed at least tens of thousands of our people and turned millions into refugees by destroying their homes. Most of the world recognizes the truth about this war. It is a criminal and unprovoked aggression by Russia against our nation, aimed at seizing Ukraine's territory and resources. But it is not just that. With its aggression, the terrorist state is willing to undermine all the dams of international norms meant to protect the world from wars. And I am grateful to all those who have recognized the Russian aggression as a violation of the UN Charter.

~ Volodymyr Zelenskyy ~

• proposed by Kalki

2024

The manner is often as important as the matter, sometimes more so.

~ Philip Stanhope, 4th Earl of Chesterfield ~

• proposed by Kalki

2025

Knowledge may give weight, but accomplishments give luster, and many more people see than weigh.

~ Philip Stanhope, 4th Earl of Chesterfield ~

2026

Rank or add further suggestions…

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The Quote of the Day (QOTD) is a prominent feature of the Wikiquote Main Page. Thank you for submitting, reviewing, and ranking suggestions!

Ranking system

4 : Excellent – should definitely be used. (This is the utmost ranking and should be used by any editor for only one quote at a time for each date.)

3 : Very Good – strong desire to see it used.

2 : Good – some desire to see it used.

1 : Acceptable – but with no particular desire to see it used.

0 : Not acceptable – not appropriate for use as a quote of the day.

An averaging of the rankings provided to each suggestion produces it’s general ranking in considerations for selection of Quote of the Day. The selections made are usually chosen from the top ranked options existing on the page, but the provision of highly ranked late additions, especially in regard to special events (most commonly in regard to the deaths of famous people, or other major social or physical occurrences), always remain an option for final selections.

Thank you for participating!

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Suggestions

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Why sir, there is the probability that you will soon be able to tax it. – Michael Faraday (born September 22, 1791), answering the Chancellor of the Exchequer who had asked what was the use of electricity.

• 4. David | Talk 21:02, 10 September 2006 (UTC)
• 2 - A good quote; but it would need a line of explanation for context, which would make it less suitable for Quote of the Day - InvisibleSun 19:19, 21 September 2006 (UTC)
• 1 Kalki 16:40, 21 September 2007 (UTC)
• 0 Zarbon 17:44, 22 April 2008 (UTC)
• 2 ~ UDScott 19:45, 16 September 2008 (UTC)
• 2 ---Aphaia per InvisibleSun.
• 1 Ningauble 16:50, 21 September 2009 (UTC) doesn't work without context

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It isn't right to be obedient only when things go well; it is much harder to be a good, obedient soldier when things go badly and times are hard. Obedience and faith at such time is a virtue. ~ Wilhelm Keitel (born September 22)

• 4 because this to me, is one of my three all-time favorite quotes. I have been waiting all year for this quotation and if a rating of 5 were possible, I would give it to this, since the wait has been rather long. The same goes for only two other selections of mine for this entire year. I have limited my rating of 4 to such an extent (only three quotes as I discussed many months earlier), in the hopes that they will make it this year. This particular quote defines loyalty and discipline and it describes the most important quality of a soldier in times of difficulty. Oh, how I am slave to the beautiful moral image of this quote. Please judge fairly, based upon the actual message of the quote and not who is saying it. I have been waiting a rather long time for this quote. Zarbon 04:03, 18 April 2008 (UTC)
  • SOURCE: The Nuremberg Interviews by Leon Goldensohn, Robert Gellately - History - 2004 - Page 166
• 2 ~ UDScott 19:45, 16 September 2008 (UTC)
• 0 Denji The general defense of all defendants at the Nuremberg trials was "Befehl ist Befehl", which comes down to same: shoving away one's responsibility for one's deeds. In the end the judges didn't agree with FM Keitel's view and was executed for the actions which he defends with this quote. The hard times he refers to is WWII, being obedient meant crimes against humanity. Though I respect your feelings towards the moral behind the quote, I disagree to the utmost degree with the meaning Keitel gave to it.
  • I don't think a rating of "0" is plausible unless the quotation is on the wrong date. The lowest rating I have given to a quote is 1, unless it was already used. This shouldn't even be taken into account since this person has absolutely no history on wikiquote whatsoever other than right here. Also, the fact that this person ignores the very guideline that we are judging quotations and not people is also dubious. This quote means a lot to me, and I have limited my 4 rating to a mere 3 quotes for the entire year, a rather large difference from prior. - Zarbon 04:11, 21 September 2008 (UTC)
    • I do not think any of our personal merit should be in the consideration of the quote and I did not attack this quote because of Keitel. I think the man has probably said a lot of very useful things. However, as I stated before this quote represents a view that upper echelon Nazis were not responsible for the Holocaust, because Hitler said they should kill those people. So my problem is not with Keitel, but with the thought behind the quote. Denji 12:02, 21 September 2008 (UTC)
      • You are being negligent. You can't rate something a 0 unless it is on the wrong date. Frankly, you are misinterpreting the quote. It wasn't even from the trial. It was from an interview with Leon Goldensohn. It was about Keitel's view of what was the most important quality of a soldier, according to him. This was his response. Initially, it strengthens his resolve and gives potential meaning to the already powerful message. A soldier is a great icon, revered by all countries. The quote was about loyalty and nothing else. Bare in mind that Keitel was responsible for the Oberkommando, which is the highest General unit of army commanders. As he was chief and a very smart war tactician, he truly was honorable as a man and again, the loyalty image here is superb. To remain loyal at times of difficulty is such a powerful act. It's what history has shown difficult (in the cases of Judas against Jesus and Brutus against Caesar. Those are but a few examples of treachery and betrayal in times of difficulty. And the actual unique morality and deep meaning showcased by loyalty is more higher, more magnificent...than any other emotion belonging and pertaining to the image of the soldier elite. That should explain why this quote is so powerful and why I choose it as one of my three favorite quotes of all time as my QOTD suggestions. I mean, I have literally broken down my suggestions of a rating of 4 to a mere 3 quotes for this entire year. This quote means a lot to me. - Zarbon 23:49, 21 September 2008 (UTC)
        • This quote is clearly about obedience, which is not to be confused with loyalty. "Loyalty" implies love or affinity for an entity (i.e. person or cause), while "obedience" is a duty or obligation that does not necessarily involve any emotion. Judas and Brutus loved Jesus and Caesar, respectively, which made their actions disloyal. The whole point of "Et tu, Brute?" is that Caesar was betrayed by a friend, not some nameless sneaky senator. You gravely misinterpret this quote if you compare disobedient soldiery to Judas and Brutus. I rate this quote 1 Lyle 23:00, 16 October 2008 (UTC)
          • It is still one of my 3 favorite quotes of all time. It holds exceptionally powerful meaning and morality behind it. And frankly, you don't seem to be judging all the rest of the quotes on any pages. The fact that my favorite quotes mean a lot to me seems to bother you, along with a few others. I think what you can't accept/agree with is the fact that the people I strongly like from history are either German Nazis, Italian Fascists, Japanese Imperials, Soviet Russians, Ottoman Turks, Roman Soldiers, French Revolutionaries, etc. Yes, I like dictators, despots, and brutal conquerors. They are the ones who leave the biggest impact on history. For many it may be negative, but it is an impact nonetheless. To neglect all the MEANINGFUL and MORAL things that they say is to ERASE history and create what you want to be heard only, a one-sided, one-dimensional bore. The dilemma here is that people don't want to incorporate quotations that are made by powerful people who actually had power. All the presidents of America and the people of American history are being used and abused on a constant basis here. It is a very one-sided dogmatic view being expressed here mostly. I am especially tired from the extreme American sympathizer notions that are being played all the time on almost every date of suggestions. The fact that every year, on each important date in American history, a quote is added which depicts a strong nationalism toward America. This automatically becomes redundant and annoying. I myself am living in the country but I am not interested in a constant nationalism. The fact that all these powerful quotations from extremely powerful historic organizations are being shafted is seriously annoying. As Darth Sidious of Star Wars would say, "in order to understand the force, one must study all its aspects, not just the good." It is time to allow all the historic military people into the spotlight, not just those representing America. Now, from a military historical standpoint, look at this quote. The power, the sheer brilliance behind it. It encompasses a magnitude of utter loyalty. In order to be loyal, one must be devoted and obedient. The very word obedience strikes a powerful chord in this musical composition, if you will, this entendre known as life. My comrade, one cannot expect to be a soldier when times are good only, one must be a soldier at times of difficulty. That is all here. This is one of my three favorite quotes of all time.
            • Citing George Lucas's writing in "Revenge of the Sith" doesn't help your argument. And it doesn't bother me, nor could I even care, that this quote is meaningful to you. Is it meaningful to me? Yes, but in a bad way. I rank the quote low because I dislike it and therefore don't want it to be QOTD. I typically vote only on quotes that I appreciate or disdain. Your "3 favorite quotes" share the same theme - you shouldn't be surprised that I vote low on all of them. Lyle 15:59, 28 October 2008 (UTC)
              • Well, the fact of the matter is that my favorite theme is a powerful theme. To say that you don't like it is one thing. But to say that the quotes themselves aren't ironic and mesmerizing is another, for they are. I strongly like enthralling military-fanatic quotes. I will try my best to give my best suggestions the highest rating I possibly can and all I can do is hope that others will help my cause in breaking the ice because this constant same-ness in taking sides for QOTD is repetitive and biased. There must be quotes from all these fundamental people in order to incorporate history to the fullest extent. All morality must be heard. It might take some time for everyone to accept, but these quotes will hopefully be used. I am a patient person. Zarbon 02:46, 30 October 2008 (UTC)
• 1 Kalki 14:26, 21 September 2009 (UTC) * 2 Kalki 00:22, 21 September 2008 (UTC)
• 2 InvisibleSun 23:09, 21 September 2008 (UTC)
• 1 Aphaia 02:57, 27 October 2008 (UTC)
• 0.5 Ningauble 16:50, 21 September 2009 (UTC)
• 0.5 away with soldiers, let us only have men and women who defend what they love. N6n 15:53, 9 September 2010 (UTC)
  • 3 for N6n's quote, if only it was allowed. DanielTom (talk) 04:07, 27 March 2013 (UTC)

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[Michael Faraday invented] the first motor converting electric current into continuous mechanical motion. Looks pretty feeble, right? But that turning spindle is the beginning of a revolution, one that dwarfs all the shots fired and bombs ever detonated in the sheer magnitude of its effect on our civilization. ~ In commemoration of the 22 September 1791 birth of Michael Faraday, from the tenth episode of the science documentary television series Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey (2014).

• 4 Pithy Francoln (talk) 23:24, 7 October 2016 (UTC) The electricity-related inventions of Michael Faraday had a profound impact on our civilization. Wikiquote and Wikipedia wouldn't be possible if Michael Faraday or someone like him hadn't "learned to make electrons do our bidding" (another quote from Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey).
• 1 ♞☤☮♌︎Kalki ⚚⚓︎⊙☳☶⚡ 23:58, 21 September 2021 (UTC) quotes of Faraday himself are generally preferable to quotes about his inventions by others..

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It is an undoubted truth, that the less one has to do, the less time one finds to do it in. One yawns, one procrastinates, one can do it when one will, and therfore one seldom does it at all.

~ Philip Stanhope, 4th Earl of Chesterfield ~

• 3 ♞☤☮♌︎Kalki ⚚⚓︎⊙☳☶⚡ 11:07, 21 September 2018 (UTC)

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• Let me tell you, my young doctor friends, that a cheerful face and step, and neckcloth and kindly joke, a power of exciting, a setting a-going, a good laugh, are stock in our trade not to be despised. The hearty heart does good like a medicine. ~ John Brown (physician, born 1810)
  • 3 Ficaia (talk) 06:32, 13 June 2024 (UTC)

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