Kipling sees clearly that men can only be highly civilized while other men, inevitably less civilised, are there to guard and feed them.
—George Orwell (1903–50) English Novelist, Journalist
I’m hostile to men, I’m hostile to women, I’m hostile to cats, to poor cockroaches, I’m afraid of horses.
—Norman Mailer (1923–2007) American Novelist Essayist
Shun security.
—Thales of Miletus (c.624–c.545 BCE) Greek Philosopher, Mathematician
Solvency is entirely a matter of temperament, not of income.
—Logan Pearsall Smith (1865–1946) American-British Essayist, Bibliophile
I’m in love with the potential of miracles. For me, the safest place is out on a limb.
—Shirley MacLaine (b.1934) American Actress, Dancer, Activist
Do not stop thinking of life as an adventure. You have no security unless you can live bravely, excitingly, imaginatively, unless you can choose a challenge instead of a competence.
—Eleanor Roosevelt (1884–1962) American First Lady, Diplomat, Humanitarian
Uncertainty and expectation are the joys of life. Security is an insipid thing.
—William Congreve (1670–1729) English Playwright, Poet
Be like the bird that, passing on her flight awhile on boughs too slight, feels them give way beneath her, and yet sings, knowing that she hath wings.
—Victor Hugo (1802–85) French Novelist
To be on the alert is to live; to be lulled into security is to die.
—Oscar Wilde (1854–1900) Irish Poet, Playwright
It is better to have a permanent income than to be fascinating.
—Oscar Wilde (1854–1900) Irish Poet, Playwright
Happiness has many roots, but none more important than security.
—Edward Stettinius, Jr. (1900–49) American Statesman, Diplomat
No man has a prosperity so high or firm, but that two or three words can dishearten it; and there is no calamity which right words will not begin to redress.
—Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–82) American Philosopher
There is nothing assured to mortals.
—Horace (Quintus Horatius Flaccus) (65–8 BCE) Roman Poet
Too many people are thinking of security instead of opportunity. They seem more afraid of life than of death.
—James F. Byrnes (1882–1972) American Politician, Supreme Court Justice, Statesman
There are one hundred men seeking security to one able man who is willing to risk his fortune.
—J. Paul Getty (1892–1976) American Art Collector, Philanthropist, Businessperson
Whatever has overstepped its due bounds is always in a state of instability.
—Seneca the Younger (Lucius Annaeus Seneca) (c.4 BCE–65 CE) Roman Stoic Philosopher, Statesman, Tragedian
Anxiety is the mark of spiritual insecurity.
—Thomas Merton (1915–68) American Trappist Monk
Security is not the meaning of my life. Great opportunities are worth the risk.
—Shirley Hufstedler (1925–2016) American Lawyer, Jurist
You cannot strengthen the weak by weakening the strong.
—William J. H. Boetcker (1873–1962) American Presbyterian Minister
Security is mostly a superstition. It does not exist in nature. Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than outright exposure. Life is either a daring adventure, or nothing.
—Helen Keller (1880–1968) American Author
The one permanent emotion of the inferior man is fear—fear of the unknown, the complex, the inexplicable. What he wants beyond everything else is safety.
—H. L. Mencken (1880–1956) American Journalist, Literary Critic
There’s no telling what might have happened to our defense budget if Saddam Hussein hadn’t invaded Kuwait that August and set everyone gearing up for World War II. Can we count on Saddam Hussein to come along every year and resolve our defense-policy debates? Given the history of the Middle East, it’s possible.
—P. J. O’Rourke (1947–2022) American Journalist, Political Satirist
The ultimate in futility is owning important jewelry. Insurers often insist on the wearing of paste replicas because necks with real rocks around ’em risk wringing.
—Malcolm S. Forbes (1919–1990) American Publisher, Businessperson
A man who has nothing which he cares about more than he does about his personal safety is a miserable creature who has no chance of being free, unless made and kept so by the existing of better men than himself.
—John Stuart Mill (1806–73) English Philosopher, Economist
Thousands of tired, nerve-shaken, over-civilized people are beginning to find out that going to the mountains is going home; that wildness is a necessity; that mountain parks and reservations are useful not only as fountains of timber and irrigating rivers, but as fountains of life.
—John Muir (1838–1914) Scottish-born American Naturalist
Security will produce danger.
—Samuel Johnson (1709–84) British Essayist
Yet one thing secures us what ever betide, the scriptures assures us the Lord will provide.
—Isaac Newton (1643–1727) English Physicist, Mathematician, Astronomer
There is not much collective security in a flock of sheep on the way to the butcher.
—Winston Churchill (1874–1965) British Leader, Historian, Journalist, Author
To keep oneself safe does not mean to bury oneself.
—Seneca the Younger (Lucius Annaeus Seneca) (c.4 BCE–65 CE) Roman Stoic Philosopher, Statesman, Tragedian
Most men love money and security more, and creation and construction less, as they get older.
—John Maynard Keynes (1883–1946) English Economist
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