The human story does not always unfold like a mathematical calculation on the principle that two and two make four. Sometimes in life they make five or minus three; and sometimes the blackboard topples down in the middle of the sum and leaves the class in disorder and the pedagogue with a black eye.
—Winston Churchill (1874–1965) British Leader, Historian, Journalist, Author
When we violate the law ourselves, whatever short-term advantage may be gained, we are obviously encouraging others to violate the law; we thus encourage disorder and instability and thereby do incalculable damage to our own long-term interests.
—J. William Fulbright (1905–95) American Politician
Confusion heard his voice, and wild uproar Stood ruled, stood vast infinitude confined; Till at his second bidding darkness fled, Light shone, and order from disorder sprung.
—John Milton (1608–74) English Poet, Civil Servant, Scholar, Debater
Work: a dangerous disorder affecting high public functionaries who want to go fishing.
—Ambrose Bierce (1842–1913) American Short-story Writer, Journalist
The only things that evolve by themselves in an organization are disorder, friction, and malperformance.
—Peter Drucker (1909–2005) Austrian-born Management Consultant
What the horrors of war are, no one can imagine. They are not wounds and blood and fever, spotted and low, or dysentery, chronic and acute, cold and heat and famine. They are intoxication, drunken brutality, demoralization and disorder on the part of the inferior… jealousies, meanness, indifference, selfish brutality on the part of the superior.
—Florence Nightingale (1820–1910) English Nurse
OPTIMISM, n. The doctrine, or belief, that everything is beautiful, including what is ugly, everything good, especially the bad, and everything right that is wrong. It is held with greatest tenacity by those most accustomed to the mischance of falling into adversity, and is most acceptably expounded with the grin that apes a smile. Being a blind faith, it is inaccessible to the light of disproof—an intellectual disorder, yielding to no treatment but death. It is hereditary, but fortunately not contagious.
—Ambrose Bierce (1842–1913) American Short-story Writer, Journalist
I think flying planes into a building was a faith-based initiative. I think religion is a neurological disorder.
—Bill Maher (b.1956) American Comedian, TV Host, Commentator
However, it required some years before the scientific community in general accepted that flexibility and disorder are very relevant molecular properties also in other systems.
—Robert Huber (b.1937) German Nobel Biochemist
Order marches with weighty and measured strides; disorder is always in a hurry.
—Napoleon I (1769–1821) Emperor of France
Although the particular inclination of the homosexual person is not a sin, it is more or less strong tendency ordered to an intrinsic moral evil, and thus the inclination itself must be seen as an objective disorder.
—Pope Benedict XVI (1927–2022) German Catholic Pope, Theologian, Professor
When virtue is lost, benevolence appears, when benevolence is lost right conduct appears, when right conduct is lost, expedience appears. Expediency is the mere shadow of right and truth; it is the beginning of disorder.
—Laozi (fl.6th Century BCE) Chinese Philosopher, Sage
True stability results when presumed order and presumed disorder are balanced. A truly stable system expects the unexpected, is prepared to be disrupted, waits to be transformed.
—Tom Robbins (1932–2025) American Novelist known for Seriocomic Fiction
War begets quiet, quiet idleness, idleness disorder, disorder ruin; likewise ruin order, order virtue, virtue glory, and good fortune.
—Walter Raleigh (1552–1618) English Courtier, Navigator, Poet
I have a skin disorder that destroys the pigmentation of my skin, it’s something that I cannot help, OK?
—Michael Jackson (1958–2009) American Singer-Songwriter
When the soul drifts uncertainly between life and the dream, between the mind’s disorder and the return to cool reflection, it is in religious thought that we should seek consolation.
—Gerard de Nerval (1808–55) French Poet, Essayist, Critic
There is a quality even meaner than outright ugliness or disorder, and this meaner quality is the dishonest mask of pretended order, achieved by ignoring or suppressing the real order that is struggling to exist and to be served.
—Jane Jacobs (1916–2006) Canadian Urbanologist, Author
Simulated disorder postulates perfect discipline; simulated fear postulates courage; simulated weakness postulates strength.
—Laozi (fl.6th Century BCE) Chinese Philosopher, Sage
As the biggest library if it is in disorder is not as useful as a small but well-arranged one, so you may accumulate a vast amount of knowledge but it will be of far less value to you than a much smaller amount if you have not thought it over for yourself.
—Arthur Schopenhauer (1788–1860) German Philosopher
IMMORAL, adj. Inexpedient. Whatever in the long run and with regard to the greater number of instances men find to be generally inexpedient comes to be considered wrong, wicked, immoral. If man’s notions of right and wrong have any other basis than this of expediency; if they originated, or could have originated, in any other way; if actions have in themselves a moral character apart from, and nowise dependent on, their consequences—then all philosophy is a lie and reason a disorder of the mind.
—Ambrose Bierce (1842–1913) American Short-story Writer, Journalist
Idleness is an inlet to disorder, and makes way for licentiousness.—People who have nothing to do are quickly tired of their own company.
—Jeremy Collier (1650–1726) Anglican Church Historian, Clergyman
It is best to do things systematically, since we are only humans, and disorder is our worst enemy.
—Hesiod (f.700 BCE) Greek Poet
Gaiety—a quality of ordinary men. Genius always presupposes some disorder in the machine.
—Denis Diderot (1713–84) French Philosopher, Writer
When men take pleasure in feeling their minds elevated with strong drink, and so indulge their appetite as to disorder their understandings, neglect their duty as members of a family or civil society, and cast off all regard to religion, their case is much to be pitied.
—John Woolman (1720–1772) American Quaker Preacher, Reformer
Things are always best seen when they are a trifle mixed-up, a trifle disordered; the chilly administrative neatness of museums and filing cases, of statistics and cemeteries, is an inhuman and antinatural kind of order; it is, in a word, disorder.
—Camilo Jose Cela (1916–2002) Spanish Novelist, Nobel Laureate
Democracy is a charming form of government, full of variety and disorder, and dispensing a sort of equality to equals and unequal alike.
—Plato (428 BCE–347 BCE) Greek Philosopher, Mathematician, Educator
Music when healthy, is the teacher of perfect order, and when depraved, the teacher of perfect disorder.
—John Ruskin (1819–1900) English Writer, Art Critic
It is thus tolerance that is the source of peace, and intolerance that is the source of disorder and squabbling.
—Pierre Bayle (1647–1706) French Philosopher, Critic
For disorder obstructs: besides, it doth disgust life, distract the appetities, and yield no true relish to the senses.
—Margaret Lucas Cavendish (1623–73) English Aristocrat, Philosopher, Writer
I don’t understand if you get caught in a fight, but take it out on a room, how that implies some psychiatric disorder.
—Sean Connery (1930–2020) Scottish Actor, Film Producer
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