It’s useless to hold a person to anything he says while he’s in love, drunk, or running for office.
—Shirley MacLaine (b.1934) American Actress, Dancer, Activist
Losers make promises they often break. Winners make commitments they always keep.
—Denis Waitley (1933–2025) American Speaker, Consultant, Self-help Pioneer
An acre of performance is worth the whole world of promise.
—Jeremiah Brown Howell
Oft expectation fails, and most oft there
Where most it promises; and oft it hits
Where hope is coldest, and despair most fits.
—William Shakespeare (1564–1616) British Playwright
To promise not to do a thing is the surest way in the world to make a body want to go and do that very thing.
—Mark Twain (1835–1910) American Humorist
Eggs and oaths are easily broken.
—Danish Proverb
If we got one-tenth of what was promised to us in these acceptance speeches there wouldn’t be any inducement to go to heaven.
—Will Rogers (1879–1935) American Actor, Rancher, Humorist
Nothing weights lighter than a promise.
—German Proverb
Let God’s promises shine on your problems.
—Corrie Ten Boom (1892–1983) Dutch Evangelist, Author
In the midst of great joy, do not promise anyone anything. In the midst of great anger, do not answer anyone’s letter.
—Chinese Proverb
This is the first convention of the space age – where a candidate can promise the moon and mean it.
—Unknown
Oaths are but words, and words but wind.
—Samuel Butler (1835–1902) British Victorian Novelist, Essayist, Critic
Promises are like babies: easy to make, hard to deliver.
—Unknown
For every promise, there is a price to pay. If the promise is clear, the price is easy.
—Jim Rohn (1930–2009) American Entrepreneur, Author, Motivational Speaker
Politicians are the same all over. They promise to build bridges even when there are no rivers.
—Nikita Khrushchev (1894–1971) Russian Head of State, Political leader
Your capacity to keep your vow will depend on the purity of your life.
—Mohandas K. Gandhi (1869–1948) Indian Hindu Political leader
One must have a good memory to be able to keep the promises that one makes.
—Friedrich Nietzsche (1844–1900) German Philosopher, Scholar, Writer
Half the promises people say were never kept, were never made.
—E. W. Howe (1853–1937) American Novelist, Editor
Civilization rests on a set of promises; if the promises are broken too often, the civilization dies, no matter how rich it may be, or how mechanically clever. Hope and faith depend on the promises; if hope and faith go, everything goes.
—Herbert Agar (1897–1980) American Journalist, Historian, Poet, Critic
Rarely promise, but, if lawful, constantly perform.
—William Penn (1644–1718) American Entrepreneur, Philosopher, Political Leader
The righteous promise little and do much.
—The Talmud Sacred Text of the Jewish Faith
Illness is the most heeded of doctors: to goodness and wisdom we only make promises; pain we obey.
—Marcel Proust (1871–1922) French Novelist
And be these juggling friends no more believ’d,
That palter with us in a double sense;
That keep the word of promise to our ear
And break it to our hope.
—William Shakespeare (1564–1616) British Playwright
No pillows so soft as God’s Promise.
—Common Proverb
A liar is always lavish of oaths.
—Pierre Corneille (1606–84) French Poet, Dramatist
We must not promise what we ought not, lest we be called on to perform what we cannot.
—Abraham Lincoln (1809–65) American Head of State
It is the purpose that makes strong the vow; But vows to every purpose must not hold.
—William Shakespeare (1564–1616) British Playwright
Better break your word than do worse in keeping it.
—Thomas Fuller (1608–61) English Cleric, Historian
God never made a promise that was too good to be true.
—Dwight L. Moody (1837–99) Christian Religious Leader, Publisher
Nothing is as easy to make as a promise this winter to do something next summer; this is how commencement speakers are caught.
—Sydney J. Harris (1917–86) American Essayist, Drama Critic
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