Whenever our neighbour's house is on fire, it cannot be amiss for the engines to play a little on our own.

The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.

Nobody made a greater mistake than he who did nothing because he could do only a little.

Those who don't know history are destined to repeat it.

The hottest fires in hell are reserved for those who remain neutral in times of moral crisis.

Silence is golden but when it threatens your freedom it's yellow.

In a democracy, the majority of the citizens is capable of exercising the most cruel oppressions upon the minority.

It is a general popular error to suppose the loudest complainers for the public to be the most anxious for its welfare.

When you fear something, learn as much about it as you can. Knowledge conquers fear.

Mere parsimony is not economy. Expense, and great expense, may be an essential part in true economy.

The Fate of good men who refuse to become involved in politics is to be ruled by evil men.

You know what the future is? It is a heavy fog which hides inside everything you can imagine!

...childlike wonder and awe have died. The scenery and poetry and music of the majesty of God have dried up like a forgotten peach at the back of the refrigerator.

Every game is critical.

I don't keep a dog and bark myself.

What's the difference between a communist or socialist and a progressive? Revolution or evolution? One requires a gun and the other eats away slowly.

I'll give you everything I've got for a little peace of mind

Men never do good unless necessity drives them to it; but when they are free to choose and can do just as they please, confusion and disorder become rampant.

I write to be truthful in my songs, which is why I wrote what's painfully truthful about my life in my autobiography.

The breath, prayers, and libido of the fingertip must somehow be transferred to the neutral indifference of the key.

I have often before now been convinced that a democracy is incapable of empire.