The quote archive
Each edition closes with words worth carrying into the day — from the news, and from the people who said it best before us.
“Age is a question of mind over matter. If you don't mind, it doesn't matter.”
— Satchel Paige, Hall of Fame pitcher · July 25, 2026
“In the future, everyone will be world-famous for 15 minutes.”
— Andy Warhol, artist · July 24, 2026
“We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars.”
— Oscar Wilde, playwright and poet · July 23, 2026
“Fate has ordained that the men who went to the moon to explore in peace will stay on the moon to rest in peace.”
— William Safire, in the never-delivered contingency speech drafted for President Nixon in case Apollo 11 failed · July 22, 2026
“The world breaks everyone, and afterward, some are strong at the broken places.”
— Ernest Hemingway, 'A Farewell to Arms' (born on this day in 1899) · July 21, 2026
“That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.”
— Neil Armstrong, astronaut, upon stepping onto the Moon on this date in 1969 · July 20, 2026
“You have to fight to reach your dream. You have to sacrifice and work hard for it.”
— Lionel Messi · July 19, 2026
“It always seems impossible until it's done.”
— Nelson Mandela, born on this day in 1918 · July 18, 2026
“Nothing was handed to us.”
— Lionel Messi, Argentina captain, responding to critics ahead of Sunday's World Cup final against Spain · July 17, 2026
“Now I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds.”
— J. Robert Oppenheimer, physicist, recalling the Trinity nuclear test of July 16, 1945 · July 16, 2026
“Find out who you are and do it on purpose.”
— Dolly Parton, singer-songwriter · July 15, 2026
“Sport has the power to change the world. It has the power to inspire. It has the power to unite people in a way that little else does.”
— Nelson Mandela · July 14, 2026
“I'm not afraid to die, but it would annoy me.”
— Sam Neill (1947-2026), actor, in his 2023 memoir · July 13, 2026
“I came, I saw, I conquered.”
— Julius Caesar, born on this date by traditional reckoning · July 12, 2026
“I need a hero. I'm holding out for a hero 'til the end of the night.”
— Bonnie Tyler, 'Holding Out for a Hero' (1984); the Welsh singer died Friday at 75 · July 11, 2026
“The present is theirs; the future, for which I really worked, is mine.”
— Nikola Tesla, inventor, born on this day in 1856 · July 10, 2026
“Music is the shorthand of emotion.”
— Leo Tolstoy · July 9, 2026
“It ain't over till it's over.”
— Yogi Berra, Hall of Fame catcher — words Argentina embodied in its 3-2 World Cup comeback over Egypt · July 8, 2026
“Great is the art of beginning, but greater is the art of ending.”
— Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, poet · July 7, 2026
“Sport has the power to change the world. It has the power to inspire. It has the power to unite people in a way that little else does.”
— Nelson Mandela, former president of South Africa · July 6, 2026
“Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can.”
— Arthur Ashe · July 5, 2026
“I have noticed that nothing I have never said ever did me any harm.”
— Calvin Coolidge, 30th US president · July 4, 2026
“It ought to be solemnized with pomp and parade, with shows, games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires, and illuminations, from one end of this continent to the other, from this time forward forever more.”
— John Adams, in a 1776 letter to Abigail Adams on celebrating American independence · July 3, 2026
“The Second Day of July 1776, will be the most memorable Epocha, in the History of America.”
— John Adams, in a letter to Abigail Adams, July 3, 1776 · July 2, 2026
“America is not a place — it's an idea. And ideas can change the world.”
— Bono · July 1, 2026
“The most courageous act is still to think for yourself. Aloud.”
— Coco Chanel · June 30, 2026
“The secret of getting ahead is getting started.”
— Mark Twain · June 29, 2026
“The music business is a cruel and shallow money trench, a long plastic hallway where thieves and pimps run free, and good men die like dogs. There's also a negative side.”
— Hunter S. Thompson · June 28, 2026
“The smallest countries can carry the biggest dreams.”
— Attributed to the Cape Verde World Cup squad, June 27, 2026 · June 27, 2026
“All free men, wherever they may live, are citizens of Berlin, and therefore, as a free man, I take pride in the words 'Ich bin ein Berliner.'”
— President John F. Kennedy, June 26, 1963 · June 26, 2026
“The most courageous act is still to think for yourself. Aloud.”
— Coco Chanel · June 25, 2026
“The most courageous act is still to think for yourself. Aloud.”
— Coco Chanel · June 24, 2026
“Music is the shorthand of emotion.”
— Leo Tolstoy · June 23, 2026
“The most courageous act is still to think for yourself. Aloud.”
— Coco Chanel · June 22, 2026
“The most important thing in the world is family and love.”
— John Wooden · June 21, 2026
“The most courageous act is still to think for yourself. Aloud.”
— Coco Chanel · June 20, 2026
“Freedom is never given; it is won.”
— A. Philip Randolph, labor and civil rights leader · June 19, 2026
“The most important thing in the Olympic Games is not winning but taking part; the essential thing in life is not conquering but fighting well.”
— Pierre de Coubertin, founder of the modern Olympic Games · June 18, 2026
“The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.”
— Martin Luther King Jr. · June 17, 2026
“The most important thing is to be whatever you are without shame.”
— Rod Steiger · June 16, 2026
“The most courageous act is still to think for yourself. Aloud.”
— Coco Chanel · June 15, 2026
“The moment you doubt whether you can fly, you cease forever to be able to do it.”
— J.M. Barrie · June 14, 2026
“Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once we grow up.”
— Pablo Picasso · June 13, 2026
“I'm the luckiest person in this world.”
— Moira Brown, 93-year-old Scotland fan, on attending her first World Cup match after decades of waiting · June 12, 2026
“It ain't over till it's over.”
— Yogi Berra, Baseball Hall of Famer -- words the Knicks embodied in their record 29-point Finals comeback · June 11, 2026
“It always seems impossible until it is done.”
— Nelson Mandela · June 10, 2026
“Violence is the last refuge of the incompetent.”
— Isaac Asimov · June 9, 2026
“A dream doesn't become reality through magic; it takes sweat, determination and hard work.”
— Colin Powell · June 8, 2026
“The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now.”
— Chinese Proverb · June 7, 2026
“We will accept nothing less than full victory.”
— General Dwight D. Eisenhower, D-Day Order of the Day, 1944 · June 6, 2026
“A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm.”
— Isaac Asimov, First Law of Robotics · June 5, 2026