# October 4

Quotes of the day from previous years:

## 2004

    As for myself, I always willingly acknowledge my own self as the principal cause of every good and of every evil which may befall me; therefore I have always found myself capable of being my own pupil, and ready to love my teacher. ~ Giacomo Casanova
   * selected by Kalki

## 2005

    If we do discover a complete theory, it should in time be understandable in broad principle by everyone, not just a few scientists. Then we shall all, philosophers, scientists, and just ordinary people, be able to take part in the discussion of the question of why it is that we and the universe exist. If we find the answer to that, it would be the ultimate triumph of human reason — for then we would know the mind of God. ~ Stephen Hawking
   * proposed by User:Inhuman14

## 2006

    A comedian does funny things. A good comedian does things funny. ~ Buster Keaton (born 4 October 1895)
   * selected by Kalki

## 2007

    Personally I do not resort to force — not even the force of law — to advance moral reforms. I prefer education, argument, persuasion, and above all the influence of example — of fashion. ~ Rutherford B. Hayes (born 4 October 1822)
   * proposed by InvisibleSun

## 2008

    The quicker humanity advances, the more important it is to be the one who deals the first blow. ~ Ernst Kaltenbrunner (born 4 October 1903)
   * proposed by Zarbon

## 2009

    The real difficulty is with the vast wealth and power in the hands of the few and the unscrupulous who represent or control capital. Hundreds of laws of Congress and the state legislatures are in the interest of these men and against the interests of workingmen. These need to be exposed and repealed. All laws on corporations, on taxation, on trusts, wills, descent, and the like, need examination and extensive change. This is a government of the people, by the people, and for the people no longer. It is a government of corporations, by corporations, and for corporations. — How is this? ~ Rutherford B. Hayes
   * proposed by InvisibleSun

## 2010

    Disunion and civil war are at hand; and yet I fear disunion and war less than compromise. We can recover from them. The free States alone, if we must go on alone, will make a glorious nation. ~ Rutherford B. Hayes
   * proposed by Kalki

## 2011

    The unrestricted competition so commonly advocated does not leave us the survival of the fittest. The unscrupulous succeed best in accumulating wealth.. ~ Rutherford B. Hayes
   * proposed by Kalki

## 2012

* For honest merit to succeed amid the tricks and intrigues which are now so lamentably common, I know is difficult; but the honor of success is increased by the obstacles which are to be surmounted. Let me triumph as a man or not at all.
* ~ Rutherford B. Hayes ~
   * proposed by Kalki

## 2013

* General education is the best preventive of the evils now most dreaded. In the civilized countries of the world, the question is how to distribute most generally and equally the property of the world. As a rule, where education is most general the distribution of property is most general.... As knowledge spreads, wealth spreads. To diffuse knowledge is to diffuse wealth. To give all an equal chance to acquire knowledge is the best and surest way to give all an equal chance to acquire property.
* ~ Rutherford B. Hayes ~
   * proposed by Kalki

## 2014

* Buster survives tornados, waterfalls, avalanches of boulders, and falls from great heights, and never pauses to take a bow: He has his eye on his goal. And his movies, seen as a group, are like a sustained act of optimism in the face of adversity; surprising, how without asking, he earns our admiration and tenderness. Because he was funny, because he wore a porkpie hat, Keaton's physical skills are often undervalued … no silent star did more dangerous stunts than Buster Keaton. Instead of using doubles, he himself doubled for his actors, doing their stunts as well as his own.
* ~ Roger Ebert ~
   * proposed by Kalki

## 2015

* Every age has its temptations, its weaknesses, its dangers. Ours is in the line of the snobbish and the sordid.
* ~ Rutherford B. Hayes ~
   * proposed by Kalki

## 2016

* Unjust attacks on public men do them more good than unmerited praise. They are hurt less by undeserved censure than by undeserved commendation. Abuse helps; often praise hurts.
* ~ Rutherford B. Hayes ~
   * proposed by InvisibleSun

## 2017

* Yeah, it's over before you know it. It all goes by so fast. And bad nights last forever And the good nights don't ever seem to last. And man, we never had the real thing, But sometimes we used to kiss Back when we didn't understand What we were caught up in. Wherever you are tonight I wish you the best of everything, in the world, And I hope you found Whatever you were looking for.
* ~ Tom Petty ~
   * proposed by Kalki in regard to his recent death.

## 2018

* One of the tests of the civilization of people is the treatment of its criminals.
* ~ Rutherford B. Hayes ~
   * proposed by InvisibleSun

## 2019

* The President of the United States of necessity owes his election to office to the suffrage and zealous labors of a political party, the members of which cherish with ardor and regard as of essential importance the principles of their party organization; but he should strive to be always mindful of the fact that he serves his party best who serves the country best.
* ~ Rutherford B. Hayes ~
   * proposed by InvisibleSun

## 2020

* I have a talent for silence and brevity. I can keep silent when it seems best to do so, and when I speak I can, and do usually, quit when I am done. This talent, or these two talents, I have cultivated. Silence and concise, brief speaking have got me some laurels, and, I suspect, lost me some. No odds. Do what is natural to you, and you are sure to get all the recognition you are entitled to.
* ~ Rutherford B. Hayes ~
   * proposed by Kalki

## 2021

* The melancholy thing in our public life is the insane desire to get higher.
* ~ Rutherford B. Hayes ~
   * proposed by Kalki

## 2022

* With the devastation caused by Hurricane Ian in Florida … I’ve directed that every possible action be taken to save lives and get help to survivors, because every single minute counts. It’s not just a crisis for Florida.  This is an American crisis.  We’re all in this together.  And I’ve spoken to Governor DeSantis on multiple occasions, as well this morning, as well as mayors and county officials — both Republican and Democrat — from the places most affected.  And I spoke with Governor McMaster of South Carolina this morning as well. … We’re just beginning to see the scale of that destruction. It’s likely to rank among the worst … in the nation’s history. … It’s going to take months, years to rebuild. … I just want the people of Florida to know we see what you’re going through, and we’re with you. We’re going to do everything we can for you. … I’m grateful for the brave women and men — federal, state, and local folks working so hard.  They’re all working as one team. … I have immense gratitude for the first responders and the emergency crews who always show up no matter what. At times like these, Americans come together. They put aside politics, they put aside division, and we come together to help each other. … That’s America.  That’s who we are.  We’re going to keep doing everything we can, and we’ll do it as the United States of America.
* ~ Joe Biden ~
   * proposed by Kalki; recent remarks on responses to Hurricane Ian.

## 2023

* Change is not merely necessary to life; it is life.
* ~ Alvin Toffler ~
   * proposed by Kalki

## 2024

    Rank or add further suggestions…
The Quote of the Day (QOTD) is a prominent feature of the Wikiquote Main Page. Thank you for submitting, reviewing, and ranking suggestions!

   ## Ranking system

    4 : Excellent – should definitely be used. (This is the utmost ranking and should be used by any editor for only one quote at a time for each date.)
    3 : Very Good – strong desire to see it used.
    2 : Good – some desire to see it used.
    1 : Acceptable – but with no particular desire to see it used.
    0 : Not acceptable – not appropriate for use as a quote of the day.
    An averaging of the rankings provided to each suggestion produces it’s general ranking in considerations for selection of Quote of the Day. The selections made are usually chosen from the top ranked options existing on the page, but the provision of highly ranked late additions, especially in regard to special events (most commonly in regard to the deaths of famous people, or other major social or physical occurrences), always remain an option for final selections.
    Thank you for participating!

## Suggestions

    DOB: Rutherford B. Hayes · Buster Keaton
There is no human law or law of God or national law that states that any healthy being has to permit the snake to eat the mouse - but on the other hand, it is perfectly justified to defend the mouse. ~ Ernst Kaltenbrunner (born October 4)
* 4 because the underdog will always be protected by law and this is a great description of that defense, beautifully and morally personified by the snake and the mouse. Zarbon 05:50, 18 April 2008 (UTC)
** SOURCE: The Nuremberg Interviews By Leon Goldensohn, Robert Gellately - Page 151
* 1 Kalki 21:55, 3 October 2009 (UTC) * 2 Kalki 19:14, 2 October 2008 (UTC) the quote itself is acceptable, but I am not sure of the context in which Kaltenrunner is using this assertion, and feel uneasy giving it anything more than a 1 until I know more about this.
** The assertion is a response to someone asking him whether mankind stands up for itself, and his response to that is that mankind stands up for the underdog, and interprets the phrase beautifully with the mouse and snake as a personification. - Zarbon 22:56, 3 October 2009 (UTC)
       I remain disinclined to rank this any higher than I currently have, which is the highest you have ranked any other suggestion on this date, most of which I consider to have far more merit. I actually used your previous suggestion by Kaltenbrunner last year, despite my severe distaste for him. In relation to some of the points of this quote, I would say that sometimes the underdogs are worthy in many ways which make them worth supporting, or at least wishing well, but sometimes the underdog is rightfully the underdog, and remains so, especially when there is plainly a will to to unjustly oppress others, deceive them or confuse them. I don't actually rely on even the best of "over-dogs" being continually magnanimous, or even fair, but sometimes it is far better that some of the less than perfect ones remain so, than that they be in any way defeated or replaced by some of the severely deluded and demented underdogs who lust to be as brutal as they desire to be. ~ Kalki 00:55, 4 October 2009 (UTC)
* 2 InvisibleSun 23:14, 3 October 2008 (UTC)
* 2 I am all for it as long as the talk is only of something looking "justified" or not -- wallow in sentimentality for all I care. But I am against Law entering the issue. N6n 14:45, 15 September 2010 (UTC)
* Buster Keaton … will be around forever, because it's unlikely that human beings will ever go out-of-date the way special effects do.
* ~ Anthony Puccinelli ~
* 3 ♞☤☮♌︎Kalki ⚚⚓︎⊙☳☶⚡ 13:36, 1 October 2014 (UTC)
* Watch his mind as it contemplates a hostile universe whose violent whims Buster understands, withstands and, miraculously, tames. Watch his camera taking his picture (Keaton directed or supervised all his best films); it is as cool as the star it captured in its glass... The medium was still in its infancy; comics were pioneering the craft of making people laugh at moving images. Keaton, it turns out, knew it all — intuitively.
* ~ Richard Corliss ~
* 4 ♞☤☮♌︎Kalki ⚚⚓︎⊙☳☶⚡ 00:18, 4 October 2024 (UTC) 3 ♞☤☮♌︎Kalki ⚚⚓︎⊙☳☶⚡ 13:36, 1 October 2014 (UTC)