If you want to sound clever but don’t have the time or patience to read a few hundred books, don’t worry. Memorizing a few key phrases and quotes will not only make you sound sophisticated and cultured, it will inspire others around you to rise to the occasion. Mark Twain, Albert Einstein, Socrates, and Eleanor Roosevelt all feature in this list which will make you the center of attention at your next dinner party. Try to space them out so you don’t pull a David Brent and make it obvious. Here are 30 quotes that will make you sound like the genius you would be if you didn’t have to, you know, work and live a normal life.
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1. “There are only two great tragedies in life: one is not getting what you want and the other is getting it.” – Oscar Wilde
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A very witty way of saying the grass is always greener on the other side.
2. “Try not to become a man of success, but rather try to become a man of value.” – Albert Einstein
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Success may be fleeting, but real fulfillment comes from your character and integrity.
3. “What gets us into trouble is not what we don’t know. It’s what we know for sure that just ain’t so.” – Mark Twain
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Always question your beliefs and assumptions.
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4. “The only true wisdom is in knowing you know nothing.” – Socrates
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Acknowledging ignorance is the first step towards finding the truth.
5. “The unexamined life is not worth living.” – Socrates
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Self-awareness is key to a happy, fulfilling life.
6. “The mind is everything. What you think you become.” – Buddha
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Our thoughts shape our reality—make sure they’re good ones.
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7. “In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.” – Martin Luther King Jr.
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Those we love have more power to hurt us than our enemies do. Loyalty and support is everything.
8. “The only limit to our realization of tomorrow is our doubts of today.” – Franklin D. Roosevelt
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Do not allow fear to undermine your dreams and ambitions.
9. “The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.” – Eleanor Roosevelt
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Believe in yourself and work hard for your goals.
10. “Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I’m not sure about the universe.” – Albert Einstein
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This one will make people laugh—ignorance and folly really are limitless.
“The greatest wealth is to live content with little.” – Plato
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Happiness comes from being content with the small things.
12. “Imagination is more important than knowledge. For knowledge is limited, whereas imagination embraces the entire world, stimulating progress, giving birth to evolution.” – Albert Einstein
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Imagination has no limits—don’t be afraid to think outside the box.
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13. “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.” – Aristotle
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Good habits and consistent behavior is what leads to success.
14. “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.” – Franklin D. Roosevelt
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Fear will undermine your life—don’t let it.
15. “The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step.” – Lao Tzu
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Be patient and stay the course. No matter how overwhelming something might be, the first step is the most important.
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16. “To thine own self be true, and it must follow, as the night the day, thou canst not then be false to any man.” – William Shakespeare
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Self-integrity is the foundation for an authentic life.
17. “The best way to predict the future is to invent it.” – Alan Kay
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Don’t be passive about the future, take steps to shape it.
19. “Success is not final, failure is not fatal: It is the courage to continue that counts.” – Winston Churchill
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Nothing is more important than courage and the will to continue, no matter what the outcome.
20. “In three words I can sum up everything I’ve learned about life: it goes on.” – Robert Frost
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Despite challenges and changes, life continues—learn to adapt.
22. “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.” – Edmund Burke
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When you stand by and watch evil happen, you are complicit. Fight for what is right.
23. “The greatest glory in living lies not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.” – Nelson Mandela
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Persistence and resilience is key to an honorable, happy life.
24. “If you tell the truth, you don’t have to remember anything.” – Mark Twain
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Telling the truth and living an authentic life is so much more simple that keeping up with a web of lies and deceit.
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25. “Everything you’ve ever wanted is on the other side of fear.” – George Addair
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Fear will stop you from reaching your goals and living your dreams. Don’t let it.
26. “Do not go gentle into that good night. Rage, rage against the dying of the light.” – Dylan Thomas
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Never back down without a fight—always try to succeed, and don’t give up.
28. “It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live, remember that.” – J.K. Rowling
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Life is what’s happening right now—live it.
29. “You must be the change you wish to see in the world.” – Mahatma Gandhi
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If you want to change the world, start with yourself.
30. “The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing.” – Walt Disney
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You can talk and plan all you want, but action is what counts.