--- title: "1 Strangers Know Quotes By Sydney J. Harris" description: "1 Strangers Know quotes by Sydney J. Harris. Plus more from Sydney J. Harris and more Strangers Know sayings from other authors." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/504/sydney-j-harris-1578_ability_ninety-per-cent-of-the-world-s-woe-comes_2653970.png" --- > [Ninety per cent of the world's woe comes from people not knowing themselves, their abilities, their frailties, and even their real virtues. Most of us go almost all the way through life as complete strangers to ourselves - so how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sydney-j-harris/ninety-per-cent-of-the-world-s-woe-comes-from-people-not-knowing/) [Sydney J. Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sydney-j-harris/) [Image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/504/sydney-j-harris-1578_ability_ninety-per-cent-of-the-world-s-woe-comes_2653970.png) ## More by Sydney J. Harris > [This is a lesson mankind has not yet learned. We identify, and stratify, and treat persons largely on the basis of their accidental (physical)…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sydney-j-harris/this-is-a-lesson-mankind-has-not-yet-learned-we-identify-and-stratify/) [Sydney J. Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sydney-j-harris/) > [Character is something you forge for yourself; temperament is something you are born with and can only slightly modify.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sydney-j-harris/character-is-something-you-forge-for-yourself-temperament-is/) [Sydney J. Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sydney-j-harris/) > [Middle Age is that perplexing time of life when we hear two voices calling us, one saying, 'Why not?' and the other, 'Why bother?'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sydney-j-harris/middle-age-is-that-perplexing-time-of-life-when-we-hear-two-voices/) [Sydney J. Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sydney-j-harris/) > [The profound immoralities of our time are cruelty, indifference, injustice and the use of others as means rather than ends in themselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sydney-j-harris/the-profound-immoralities-of-our-time-are-cruelty-indifference/) [Sydney J. Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sydney-j-harris/) > [Marriages we regard as the happiest are those in which each of the partners believes he or she got the best of it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sydney-j-harris/marriages-we-regard-as-the-happiest-are-those-in-which-each-of-the/) [Sydney J. Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sydney-j-harris/) > [“...it calls for deciding things on their own merit, not because you read it or were told it or grew up believing it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sydney-j-harris/it-calls-for-deciding-things-on-their-own-merit-not-because-you-read/) [Sydney J. Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sydney-j-harris/) > [Ignorance per se is not nearly as dangerous as ignorance of ignorance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sydney-j-harris/ignorance-per-se-is-not-nearly-as-dangerous-as-ignorance-of-ignorance/) [Sydney J. Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sydney-j-harris/) > [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…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sydney-j-harris/patriotism-is-proud-of-a-country-s-virtues-and-eager-to-correct-its/) [Sydney J. Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sydney-j-harris/) > [A cynic is not merely one who reads bitter lessons from the past, his is also one who is permanently disappointed in the future.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sydney-j-harris/a-cynic-is-not-merely-one-who-reads-bitter-lessons-from-the-past-his/) [Sydney J. Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sydney-j-harris/) > [Time is love, above all else. It is the most precious commodity in the world and should be lavished on those we care most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sydney-j-harris/time-is-love-above-all-else-it-is-the-most-precious-commodity-in-the/) [Sydney J. Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sydney-j-harris/) > [Just about the only interruption we don't object to is applause.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sydney-j-harris/just-about-the-only-interruption-we-don-t-object-to-is-applause/) [Sydney J. Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sydney-j-harris/) > [“The cynic is goodhearted beneath his facade, whereas the sentimentalist is flint-hearted beneath his.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sydney-j-harris/the-cynic-is-goodhearted-beneath-his-facade-whereas-the/) [Sydney J. Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sydney-j-harris/) > [Any philosophy that can be put in a nutshell belongs there.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sydney-j-harris/any-philosophy-that-can-be-put-in-a-nutshell-belongs-there/) [Sydney J. Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sydney-j-harris/) > [“Like all persecuted minority groups, they strike back by forming cabals, by “taking over” certain spheres of activity (in the arts, for instance), and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sydney-j-harris/like-all-persecuted-minority-groups-they-strike-back-by-forming/) [Sydney J. Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sydney-j-harris/) > [Intolerance is the most socially acceptable form of egotism, for it permits us to assume superiority without personal boasting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sydney-j-harris/intolerance-is-the-most-socially-acceptable-form-of-egotism-for-it/) [Sydney J. Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sydney-j-harris/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "ItemList", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/strangers-know/sydney-j-harris/#itemlist", "name": "1 Strangers Know Quotes By Sydney J. Harris", "numberOfItems": 1, "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "item": { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Ninety per cent of the world's woe comes from people not knowing themselves, their abilities, their frailties, and even their real virtues. Most of us go almost all the way through life as complete strangers to ourselves - so how can we know anyone else?", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Sydney J. 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