You may be sure that when a man begins to call himself a realist he is preparing to do something that he is secretly ashamed of doing.
Sydney J. HarrisThe 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.
Sydney J. HarrisOur 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.
Sydney J. HarrisRegret for the things we did can be tempered by time; it is regret for the things we did not do that is inconsolable.
Sydney J. HarrisAs we grow older, we should learn that these are two quite different things. Character is something you forge for yourself; temperament is something you are born with and can only slightly modify. Some people have easy temperaments and weak characters; others have difficult temperaments and strong characters. We are all prone to confuse the two in assessing people we associate with. Those with easy temperaments and weak characters are more likable than admirable; those with difficult temperaments and strong characters are more admirable than likable.
Sydney J. Harris