People who won't help others in trouble "because they got into trouble through their own fault" would probably not throw a lifeline… — Sydney J. Harris Copy Share Image
Why do so many people yearn for an eternal life when they don't even know what to do with themselves in this… — Sydney J. Harris Copy Share Image
Many people feel "guilty" about things they shouldn't feel guilty about, in order to shut out feelings of guilt about things they… — Sydney J. Harris Copy Share Image
People decline invitations when they are "indisposed" physically, and I wish they would do likewise when they feel indisposed emotionally. A person… — Sydney J. Harris Copy Share Image
People who think they're generous to a fault usually think that's their only fault. — Sydney J. Harris Copy Share Image
As we grow older, we should learn that these are two quite different things. Character is something you forge for yourself; temperament… — Sydney J. Harris Copy Share Image
Genealogy: A perverse preoccupation of those who seek to demonstrate that their forebears were better people than they are. — Sydney J. Harris Copy Share Image
It's surprising how many persons go through life without ever recognizing that their feelings toward other people are largely determined by their… — Sydney J. Harris Copy Share Image
The real heretic is not the atheist or agnostic (who are often decent people) but those who murmur "it doesn't matter what… — Sydney J. Harris Copy Share Image
Why do most Americans look up to education and down upon educated people? — Sydney J. Harris Copy Share Image
Making out an invitation list for a party brings out the worst in everyone. It is then that our most ruthless estimates… — Sydney J. Harris Copy Share Image
Ninety per cent of the world's woe comes from people not knowing themselves, their abilities, their frailties, and even their real virtues.… — Sydney J. Harris Copy Share Image
Norbert Blei is a writer the way people used to be troubadours and minstrels, celebrating what he has seen and heart and… — Sydney J. Harris Copy Share Image
Many people know how to work hard; many others know how to play well; but the rarest talent in the world is… — Sydney J. Harris Copy Share Image
Take away grievances from some people and you remove their reasons for living; most of us are nourished by hope, but a… — Sydney J. Harris Copy Share Image
American parents, on the whole, do not want their sons to be artisans or craftsmen, but business or professional people. As a… — Sydney J. Harris Copy Share Image
This is a lesson mankind has not yet learned. We identify, and stratify, and treat persons largely on the basis of their accidental (physical)… — Sydney J. Harris Copy Share Image
Character is something you forge for yourself; temperament is something you are born with and can only slightly modify. — Sydney J. Harris Copy Share Image
Middle Age is that perplexing time of life when we hear two voices calling us, one saying, 'Why not?' and the other, 'Why bother?' — Sydney J. Harris Copy Share Image
The profound immoralities of our time are cruelty, indifference, injustice and the use of others as means rather than ends in themselves. — Sydney J. Harris Copy Share Image
Marriages we regard as the happiest are those in which each of the partners believes he or she got the best of it. — Sydney J. Harris Copy Share Image
“...it calls for deciding things on their own merit, not because you read it or were told it or grew up believing it.” — Sydney J. Harris Copy Share Image
Ignorance per se is not nearly as dangerous as ignorance of ignorance. — Sydney J. Harris Copy Share Image
Patriotism is proud of a country's virtues and eager to correct its deficiencies; it also acknowledges the legitimate patriotism of other countries, with their… — Sydney J. Harris Copy Share Image
A cynic is not merely one who reads bitter lessons from the past, his is also one who is permanently disappointed in the future. — Sydney J. Harris Copy Share Image
Time is love, above all else. It is the most precious commodity in the world and should be lavished on those we care most… — Sydney J. Harris Copy Share Image
“The cynic is goodhearted beneath his facade, whereas the sentimentalist is flint-hearted beneath his.” — Sydney J. Harris Copy Share Image