Consult duty, not events.
—Walter Savage Landor (1775–1864) English Writer, Poet
Trust only movement. Life happens at the level of events, not of words. Trust movement.
—Alfred Adler (1870–1937) Austrian Psychiatrist
Like a kick in the butt, the force of events wakes slumberous talents.
—Edward Hoagland (b.1932) American Essayist, Novelist
A society which allows an abominable event to burgeon from its dung heap and grow on its surface is like a man who lets a fly crawl unheeded across his face or saliva dribble from his mouth — either epileptic or dead.
—Jean Baudrillard (1929–2007) French Sociologist, Philosopher
That man is prudent who neither hopes nor fears anything from the uncertain events of the future.
—Anatole France (1844–1924) French Novelist
Events will take their course, it is no good of being angry at them; he is happiest who wisely turns them to the best account.
—Euripides (480–406 BCE) Ancient Greek Dramatist
The horror of the Twentieth Century was the size of each new event, and the paucity of its reverberation.
—Norman Mailer (1923–2007) American Novelist, Journalist, Playwright
Often do the spirits of great events stride on before the events, and in today already walks tomorrow.
—Samuel Taylor Coleridge (1772–1834) English Poet, Literary Critic, Philosopher
The great events of life often leave one unmoved; they pass out of consciousness, and, when one thinks of them, become unreal. Even the scarlet flowers of passion seem to grow in the same meadow as the poppies of oblivion.
—Oscar Wilde (1854–1900) Irish Poet, Playwright
Man must be prepared for every event of life, for there is nothing that is durable.
—Menander (c.343–c.291 BCE) Greek Comic Dramatist, Poet
Laughter gives us distance. It allows us to step back from an event, deal with it and then move on.
—Bob Newhart (b.1929) American Comedian, Actor, TV Personality, Film Personality
The emotional brain responds to an event more quickly than the thinking brain.
—Daniel Goleman (b.1946) American Psychologist, Author, Science Journalist
Headlines twice the size of the events.
—John Galsworthy (1867–1933) English Novelist, Playwright
In war, events of importance are the result of trivial causes.
—Julius Caesar (c.100–44BCE) Roman Statesman, Military General
Excellence is an art won by training and habituation. We do not act rightly because we have virtue or excellence, but we rather have those because we have acted rightly. We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act but a habit.
—Aristotle (384BCE–322BCE) Ancient Greek Philosopher, Scholar
It is easy to be wise after the event.
—Common Proverb
Even a minor event in the life of a child is an event of that child’s world and thus a world event.
—Gaston Bachelard (1884–1962) French Philosopher, Psychoanalyst, Poet
I claim not to have controlled events, but confess plainly that events have controlled me.
—Abraham Lincoln (1809–65) American Head of State
In the world we live in everything militates in favor of things that have not yet happened, of things that will never happen again.
—Andre Breton (1896–1966) French Poet, Essayist, Critic
One of the extraordinary things about human events is that the unthinkable becomes thinkable.
—Salman Rushdie (b.1947) Indian-born British Novelist
Let the motive be in the deed and not in the event. Be not one whose motive for action is the hope of reward.
—The Bhagavad Gita Hindu Scripture