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Usefulness


Usefulness

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Quotations

Gabriel Garcia MarquezA lie is more comfortable than doubt, more useful than love, more lasting than truth.

—  Gabriel Garcia Marquez, 1927-2014, Colombian writer

14 likes
Charles DarwinI have called this principle, by which each slight variation, if useful, is preserved, by the term of Natural Selection.

—  Charles Darwin, 1809-1882, British scientist

9 likes
Georges ClemenceauThere are only two perfectly useless things in this world. One is an appendix and the other is the President of the Republic.

—  Georges Clemenceau, 1841-1929, French Prime Minister

7 likes
Stanislaw Jerzy LecWhen smashing monuments, save the pedestals – they always come in handy.

—  Stanislaw Jerzy Lec, 1906-1966, Polish author of maxims

7 likes
Arthur SchopenhauerFor everyday life, genius is as useful as a giant telescope in the theater.

—  Arthur Schopenhauer, 1788-1860, German philosopher

6 likes
William JamesThe great use of life is to spend it for something that will outlast it.

—  William James, 1842-1910, American philosopher

6 likes
Edward GibbonThe various modes of worship, which prevailed in the Roman world, were all considered by the people, as equally true; by the philosopher, as equally false; and by the magistrate, as equally useful.

—  Edward Gibbon, 1737-1794, English historian

5 likes
Georg Christoph LichtenbergThe man was such an intellectual he was of almost no use.

—  Georg Christoph Lichtenberg, 1742-1799, German author of maxims

5 likes
Fernando PessoaWhy is art beautiful? Because it's useless. Why is life ugly? Because it's all ends and purposes and intentions.

—  Fernando Pessoa, 1888-1935, Portuguese poet & writer

5 likes
Kin HubbardNothing’s as mean as giving a little child something useful for Christmas.

—  Kin Hubbard, 1868-1930, American cartoonist

5 likes
Wolfgang GoetheA useless life is an early death.

—  Wolfgang Goethe, 1749-1832, German poet & philosopher

4 likes
Eugene IonescoIf one does not understand the usefulness of the useless and the uselessness of the useful, one cannot understand art.

—  Eugene Ionesco, 1912-1994, French-Romanian playwright

3 likes
Charles BaudelaireBeing a useful man always seemed to me something very hideous.

—  Charles Baudelaire, 1821-1867, French poet

3 likes
Théophile GautierLiterature has nothing to do with usefulness; the most useful place in any house is the toilet.

—  Théophile Gautier, 1811-1872, French poet & writer

3 likes
MontesquieuUseless laws weaken the necessary laws.

—  Montesquieu, 1689-1755, French thinker

3 likes
Baltasar GracianThe wise person would rather see others needing him than thanking him.

—  Baltasar Gracian, 1601-1658, Spanish writer

Gertrude SteinSo many words to use. Oh do not say that words have a use.

—  Gertrude Stein, 1874-1946, American writer

Thomas SowellPeople who think that they are being “exploited” should ask themselves whether they would be missed if they left, or whether people would say: “Good riddance”?

—  Thomas Sowell, 1930 -, American political thinker

Simone De BeauvoirOppression tries to defend itself by its utility.

—  Simone De Beauvoir, 1908-1986, French writer

Honoré de BalzacPeople value you for your usefulness, regardless of your worth.

—  Honoré de Balzac, 1799-1850, French writer

Graham GreeneThe economy of a novelist is a little like that of a careful housewife who is unwilling to throw away anything that might perhaps serve its turn. Perhaps the comparison is closer to the Chinese cook who leaves hardly any part of a duck unserved.

—  Graham Greene, 1904-1991, British writer

Théophile GautierOnly that which serves no end is beautiful; everything useful is ugly.

—  Théophile Gautier, 1811-1872, French poet & writer

Robert Louis StevensonNo man is useless while he has a friend.

—  Robert Louis Stevenson, 1850-1894, Scottish writer

Dale CarnegieKnowledge isn’t power until it is applied.

—  Dale Carnegie, 1888-1955, American self-help writer

Nikola TeslaArchimedes was my ideal. I admired the works of artists, but to my mind, they were only shadows and semblances. The inventor, I thought, gives to the world creations which are palpable, which live and work.

—  Nikola Tesla, 1856-1943, Serbian-American inventor

Leonardo da VinciThe function of muscle is to pull and not to push, except in the case of the genitals and the tongue.

—  Leonardo da Vinci, 1452-1519, Italian polymath & painter

Latin Quotes

Latin phraseAbuse does not cancel use.

Abusus non tollit usum.

—  Latin phrase

     (misuse of something is no argument against its proper use)

23 likes

Ancient Greek

AeschylusWise is he who knows useful things, not he who knows many things.

Χρήσιμ’ ειδώς ουχ ο πολλά ειδώς σοφός.

—  Aeschylus, 525-456 BC, Ancient Greek tragedian

15 likes



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Self-interest

Necessity

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Ability

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