Sydney J. Harris Quotes

The difference between patriotism and nationalism is that the patriot is proud of his country for what it does, and the nationalist is proud of his country no matter what it does; the first attitude creates a feeling of responsibility, but the second a feeling of blind arrogance that leads to war.

History repeats itself, but in such cunning disguise that we never detect the resemblance until the damage is done.

The whole purpose of education is to turn mirrors into windows.

The three hardest tasks in the world are neither physical feats nor intellectual achievements, but moral acts: to return love for hate, to include the excluded, and to say, 'I was wrong'.

Many a secret that cannot be pried out by curiosity can be drawn out by indifference.

Our dilemma is that we hate change and love it at the same time; what we really want is for things to remain the same but get better.

When I hear somebody sigh, 'Life is hard,' I am always tempted to ask, 'Compared to what?'

The best combination of parents consists of a father who is gentle beneath his firmness, and a mother who is firm beneath her gentleness.

Most people are mirrors, reflecting the moods and emotions of the times; few are windows, bringing light to bear on the dark corners where troubles fester. The whole purpose of education is to turn mirrors into windows.

Every rule in the book can be broken, except one - be who you are, and become all you were meant to be.

Regret for the things we did can be tempered by time; it is regret for the things we did not do that is inconsolable.

Never let your fears be the boundaries of your dreams. Happiness is a direction, not a place.

At it's highest level, the purpose of teaching is not to teach—it is to inspire the desire for learning. Once a student's mind is set on fire, it will find a way to provide its own fuel.

The two words 'information' and 'communication' are often used interchangeably, but they signify quite different things. Information is giving out; communication is getting through.

Men make counterfeit money; in many more cases, money makes counterfeit men.

If you cannot endure to be thought in the wrong, you will begin to do terrible things to make the wrong appear right.

If a small thing has the power to make you angry, does that not indicate something about your size?

There's no point in burying a hatchet if you're going to put up a marker on the site.

The best thing you can give children, next to good habits, are good memories.

We truly possess only what we are able to renounce; otherwise, we are simply possessed by our possessions.

"Terrorism" is what we call the violence of the weak, and we condemn it; "war" is what we call the violence of the strong, and we glorify it.

Time is love, above all else. It is the most precious commodity in the world and should be lavished on those we care most about.

Honesty consists of the unwillingness to lie to others; maturity, which is equally hard to attain, consists of the unwillingness to lie to oneself.

The real danger is not that computers will begin to think like men, but that men will begin to think like computers.

We evaluate others with a Godlike justice, but we want them to evaluate us with a Godlike compassion.