Contrary Quotes

1184 quotes by 895 authors

Unseen hands delay The coming of what oft seems close in ken, And, contrary, the moment, when we say "'Twill never come!" comes on us… — Robert Bulwer-Lytton, 1st Earl of Lytton
The weakness of their reasoning faculty also explains why women show more sympathy for the unfortunate than men;... and why, on the contrary, they are… — Arthur Schopenhauer
Perhaps we are looking at this from a wrong perspective; this search for the truth, the meaning of life, the reason of God. We all… — Jason Calacanis
To make a crooked stick straight, we bend it the contrary way. — Michel de Montaigne
No, life has not disappointed me. On the contrary, I find it truer, more desirable and mysterious every year -- ever since the day when… — Friedrich Nietzsche
There is no quality so contrary to any nature which one cannot affect, and put on upon occasion, in order to serve an interest. — Jonathan Swift
I abjure with a sincere heart and unfeigned faith, I curse and detest the said errors and heresies, and generally all and every error and… — Galileo Galilei
When men think and believe in one set of symbols and act in ways which are contrary to their professed and conscious ideas, confusion and… — John Dewey
The rules that I shall propose concerning secrecy, and from which I think it not safe to deviate without long and exact deliberation, are, never… — Samuel Johnson
The continuous disasters of man's history are mainly due to his excessive capacity and urge to become identified with a tribe, nation, church or cause,… — Arthur Koestler
Assuredly we bring not innocence not the world, we bring impurity much rather: that which purifies us is trial, and trial is by what is… — John Milton
Limited means often constitute the charm and force of primitive painting. Extension, on the contrary, leads the arts to decadence. — Georges Braque
I devour nature ceaselessly. I exaggerate, sometimes I make changes in the subject; but still I don't invent the whole picture. On the contrary, I… — Vincent Van Gogh
In adolescence, I hated life and was continually on the verge of suicide, from which, however, I was restrained by the desire to know more… — Bertrand Russell
School is an institution built on the axiom that learning is the result of teaching. And institutional wisdom continues to accept this axiom, despite overwhelming… — Ivan Illich
There are so many people, especially among our comrades, who imagine that words are nothing - on the contrary, isn't it true that saying a… — Vincent Van Gogh
The growing complexity of science, technology, and organization does not imply either a growing knowledge or a growing need for knowledge in the general population.… — Thomas Sowell
Many of the products which create a modern standard of living are only the physical incorporations of ideas- not only the ideas of an Edison… — Thomas Sowell
Contrary to the vulgar belief that men are motivated primarily by materialistic considerations, we now see the capitalist system being discredited and destroyed all over… — Ayn Rand
In early times every sort of advantage tends to become a military advantage; such is the best way, then, to keep it alive. But the… — Walter Bagehot

Who Wrote These Contrary Quotes

895 authors contributed a total of 1,184 Contrary Quotes, led by these top contributors: