# December 1

Quotes of the day from previous years:

## 2003

    For myself, I am an optimist — it does not seem to be much use being anything else. ~ Winston Churchill
   * selected by Kalki

## 2004

    Ooh, with a little luck — December will be magic again. ~ Kate Bush
   * selected by Kalki

## 2005

    The important thing, I think, is not to be bitter... if it turns about that there is a God, I don't think that he is evil. I think that the worst thing you could say is that he is, basically, an under-achiever. ~ Woody Allen (born 1 December 1935)
   * proposed by Kalki

## 2006

    If only God would give me some clear sign! Like making a large deposit in my name in a Swiss bank. ~ Woody Allen
   * proposed by Kalki

## 2007

    December will be magic again. Don't miss the brightest star. Kiss under mistletoe. I want to hear you laugh. Don't let the mystery go now. ~ Kate Bush ~
   * proposed by Kalki

## 2008

    There's an old joke... two elderly women are at a Catskill mountain resort, and one of 'em says, "Boy, the food at this place is really terrible." The other one says, "Yeah, I know; and such small portions." Well, that's essentially how I feel about life — full of loneliness, and misery, and suffering, and unhappiness — and it's all over much too quickly. ~ Woody Allen
   * proposed by UDScott

## 2009

    The AIDS crisis is evidence of a world in which nothing important is regional, local, limited; in which everything that can circulate does, and every problem is, or is destined to become, worldwide. ~ Susan Sontag (anniversary of World AIDS Day)
   * proposed by InvisibleSun

## 2010

    Stop the habit of wishful thinking and start the habit of thoughtful wishes. ~ Mary Martin
   * proposed by Kalki

## 2011

    December will be magic again. Take a husky to the ice While Bing Crosby sings White Christmas. He makes you feel nice. December will be magic again. ~ Kate Bush ~
   * proposed by Kalki

## 2012

* Neverland is the way I would like real life to be … timeless, free, mischievous, filled with gaiety, tenderness, and magic.
* ~ Mary Martin ~
   * proposed by Kalki

## 2013

* Why taunt me? Why upbraid me? I am merely a genius, not a god. A genius may discover the hidden secrets and display them; only a god could create new ones.
* ~ Rex Stout ~ in ~ Fer-de-Lance ~
   * proposed by Kalki

## 2014

* Labels are for the things men make, not for men. The most primitive man is too complex to be labeled.
* ~ Rex Stout ~
   * proposed by Kalki

## 2015

* The only difference between me and most people is that I'm perfectly aware that all my important decisions are made for me by my subconscious. My frontal lobes are just kidding themselves that they decide anything at all. All they do is think up reasons for the decisions that are already made.
* ~ Rex Stout ~
   * proposed by bystander

## 2016

* There are times when all the little demons disappear down their ratholes, and ugliness itself takes on the shape of beauty; when the darkest corner is touched by light; when the coldest heart feels the glow of warmth; when the trumpet call of good will and good cheer drowns out all the Babel of mean little noises. This is such a time. Merry Christmas! Merry merry merry!
* ~ Rex Stout ~ in ~ Christmas Party ~
   * proposed by Kalki

## 2017

* There's nothing as safe as ignorance — or as dangerous.
* ~ Rex Stout ~ in ~ "The Squirt and the Monkey"(AKA "See No Evil") ~
   * proposed by Kalki

## 2018

* The potency of knowledge depends on how and when it is used.
* ~ Rex Stout ~ in ~ Murder by the Book ~
   * proposed by Kalki

## 2019

* Nothing is simpler than to kill a man; the difficulties arise in attempting to avoid the consequences.
* ~ Rex Stout ~ in ~ Too Many Cooks ~
   * proposed by Kalki

## 2020

* I don't answer questions containing two or more unsupported assumptions.
* ~ Rex Stout ~ in ~ The Rubber Band ~
   * proposed by Kalki

## 2021

* Surely the day will come when color means nothing more than skin tone, when religion is seen uniquely as a way to speak one’s soul; when birth places have the weight of a throw of the dice and all men are born free, when understanding breeds love and brotherhood.
* ~ Josephine Baker ~
   * proposed by Kalki, in regard of her recent induction into the French Pantheon.

## 2022

* It is a fact that under equal conditions, large-scale battles and whole wars are won by troops which have a strong will for victory, clear goals before them, high moral standards, and devotion to the banner under which they go into battle.
* ~ Georgy Zhukov ~
   * proposed by Kalki

## 2023

* There cannot be a crisis next week. My schedule is already full.
* ~ Henry Kissinger ~
   * proposed by Kalki; in regard of his recent death.

## 2024

* The more you put in a brain, the more it will hold — if you have one.
* ~ Rex Stout ~ in ~ Might as Well Be Dead ~
   * proposed by Kalki

## 2025

    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

If an expert says it can't be done, get another expert. ~ David Ben-Gurion (date of death)
* 3 ~ UDScott 23:09, 28 November 2005 (UTC)
* 3 InvisibleSun 09:28, 5 January 2007 (UTC)
* 3 Kalki 18:27, 30 November 2007 (UTC)
* 3 Zarbon 15:17, 26 April 2008 (UTC)
I have always been amazed at the way an ordinary observer lends so much more credence and attaches so much more importance to waking events than to those occurring in dreams... Man... is above all the plaything of his memory. ~ Andre Breton
    —This unsigned comment is by 123.201.89.84 (talk • contribs) .
* 2 Kalki 21:23, 20 December 2007 (UTC) Good quote, but no clear relation to the date; it would be better on a birthday, but might be usable here if there's ever a shortage of date-related quotes.
* 1 Zarbon 15:17, 26 April 2008 (UTC)
Only in our dreams are we free. The rest of the time we need wages. ~ Terry Pratchett
    —This unsigned comment is by 123.201.89.84 (talk • contribs) .
* 2 Kalki 21:23, 20 December 2007 (UTC) Another good quote, but no clear relation to the date.
* 2 Zarbon 15:17, 26 April 2008 (UTC)
* 1 76.0.79.210 02:48, 8 June 2008 (UTC)
If the nation only knew their hands dripped with innocent blood, it would have met them not with applause but with stones. ~ Georgy Zhukov (born December 1)
* 4 because hell hath no fury like that of a scorned nation. Zarbon 04:11, 18 April 2008 (UTC)
** SOURCE: A Century of Violence in Soviet Russia - Page 3 by Alexander N. Yakovlev, Anthony Austin - Political Science - 2002
* 1 Kalki 00:08, 29 November 2008 (UTC)
* 2 Antiquary 17:44, 30 November 2008 (UTC)
* 2 InvisibleSun 19:08, 30 November 2008 (UTC)
The mere existence of atomic weapons implies the possibility of their use. ~ Georgy Zhukov (born December 1)
* 3 Zarbon 02:47, 27 September 2008 (UTC)
* 2 Kalki 00:08, 29 November 2008 (UTC)
* 3 Antiquary 17:44, 30 November 2008 (UTC)
* 3 InvisibleSun 19:08, 30 November 2008 (UTC)
I really feel pressure to create something that is as strong as possible.The war has really swept away eveything from the past. ~ Karl Schmidt-Rottluff
* 2 Zarbon 03:32, 27 October 2008 (UTC)
* 1 Kalki 00:08, 29 November 2008 (UTC)
Is your mind so big that it can encompass galaxies or is the universe little enough to fit in one's head? ~ John Crowley
* 2 Zarbon 03:32, 27 October 2008 (UTC)
Note: This is a paraphrase. I have corrected the author article. Ningauble 16:57, 29 November 2008 (UTC)
* 3 Kalki 00:08, 29 November 2008 (UTC) — originally ranked for the first suggestion, but ranking remains the same for the corrected version added to the author's page by Ninguable:
       She wondered whether her head were so big as to be able to contain all this starry universe, or whether the universe were so little that it would fit within the compass of her human head. She alternated between these feelings, expanding and diminishing.
Seasons don't fear the reaper, nor do the wind, the sun, or the rain. ~Eric Bloom, singer and songwriter of Blue Öyster Cult
* 3 Lyle 20:31, 10 December 2008 (UTC) * 0 I misattributed these lyrics. Lyle 14:56, 11 December 2008 (UTC)
Even as a baby I quickly learned to crawl out of my crib. … They'd put up barriers but I learned how to go over them. ~ Mary Martin
* 3 Kalki (talk · contributions) 22:38, 27 November 2010 (UTC) with a lean toward 4.
A person who does not read cannot think. He may have good mental processes, but he has nothing to think about. You can feel for people or natural phenomena and react to them, but they are not ideas. You cannot think about them. ~ Rex Stout
* 3 bystander (talk) 14:42, 1 December 2012 (UTC)
* 2 ♞☤☮♌︎Kalki ⚚⚓︎⊙☳☶⚡ 23:56, 30 November 2013 (UTC)
* Of course the modern detective story puts off its best tricks till the last, but Doyle always put his best tricks first and that's why they're still the best ones.
* ~ Rex Stout ~
* 3 ♞☤☮♌︎Kalki ⚚⚓︎⊙☳☶⚡ 23:56, 30 November 2013 (UTC)
* There are damn few great writers and I'm not one of them. While I could afford to I played with words. When I could no longer afford that I wrote for money.
* ~ Rex Stout ~
* 3 ♞☤☮♌︎Kalki ⚚⚓︎⊙☳☶⚡ 23:56, 30 November 2013 (UTC)
* There are two kinds of characters in all fiction, the born and the synthetic. If the writer has to ask himself questions — is he tall, is he short? — he had better quit.
* ~ Rex Stout ~
* 3 ♞☤☮♌︎Kalki ⚚⚓︎⊙☳☶⚡ 23:56, 30 November 2013 (UTC)
* Archie, you have heard me say that I am an actor. I am afraid I have a weakness for dramatic statement. It would be foolish not to indulge it when a good opportunity is offered. There is death in this room.
* ~ Rex Stout ~ in ~ Fer-de-Lance ~
* Remember that those of us who are both civilized and prudent commit our murders only under the complicated rules which permit us to avoid personal responsibility.
* ~ Rex Stout ~ in ~ Fer-de-Lance ~
* 3 ♞☤☮♌︎Kalki ⚚⚓︎⊙☳☶⚡ 23:56, 30 November 2013 (UTC)
* I know pretty well what my field is. Aside from my primary function as the thorn in the seat of Wolfe's chair to keep him from going to sleep and waking up only for meals, I'm chiefly cut out for two things: to jump and grab something before the other guy can get his paws on it, and to collect pieces of the puzzle for Wolfe to work on.
* ~ Rex Stout ~ in ~ The Red Box ~
* 3 ♞☤☮♌︎Kalki ⚚⚓︎⊙☳☶⚡ 23:56, 30 November 2013 (UTC)
* Some day, Archie, I shall be constrained … but no. I cannot remake the universe, and must therefore put up with this one. What is, is, including you.
* ~ Rex Stout ~ in ~ The Red Box ~
* 3 ♞☤☮♌︎Kalki ⚚⚓︎⊙☳☶⚡ 23:56, 30 November 2013 (UTC)
* I wouldn't use physical violence even if I could, because one of my romantic ideas is that physical violence is beneath the dignity of a man, and that whatever you get by physical aggression costs more than it is worth.
* ~ Rex Stout ~ in ~ Too Many Cooks ~
* 3 ♞☤☮♌︎Kalki ⚚⚓︎⊙☳☶⚡ 23:56, 30 November 2013 (UTC) with a lean toward 4.
* There are various kinds of discipline. One man's flower is another man's weed.
* ~ Rex Stout ~ in ~ Over My Dead Body ~
* 3 ♞☤☮♌︎Kalki ⚚⚓︎⊙☳☶⚡ 23:56, 30 November 2013 (UTC) with a lean toward 4.
* You're suffering from an occupational disease. When an international financier is confronted by a holdup man with a gun, he automatically hands over not only his money and jewelry but also his shirt and pants, because it doesn't occur to him that a robber might draw the line somewhere.
* ~ Rex Stout ~ in ~ Over My Dead Body ~
* 3 ♞☤☮♌︎Kalki ⚚⚓︎⊙☳☶⚡ 23:56, 30 November 2013 (UTC) with a lean toward 4.
* A government, like an individual, spends money for any or all of three reasons: because it needs to, because it wants to, or simply because it has it to spend. The last is much the shabbiest. It is arguable, if not manifest, that a substantial portion of the great spring flood of billions pouring into the Treasury will in effect get spent for the last shabby reason.
* ~ Rex Stout ~ in ~ And Be a Villain ~
* 3 ♞☤☮♌︎Kalki ⚚⚓︎⊙☳☶⚡ 23:56, 30 November 2013 (UTC) with a lean toward 4.
* Use your brains, but give up the idea of renting mine.
* ~ Rex Stout ~ in ~ Help Wanted, Male ~
* 3 ♞☤☮♌︎Kalki ⚚⚓︎⊙☳☶⚡ 23:56, 30 November 2013 (UTC) with a lean toward 4.
* There are numerous layers of honesty, and the deepest should not have a monopoly.
* ~ Rex Stout ~ in ~ The Second Confession ~
* 3 ♞☤☮♌︎Kalki ⚚⚓︎⊙☳☶⚡ 23:56, 30 November 2013 (UTC) with a lean toward 4.
* No man should tell a lie unless he is shrewd enough to recognize the time for renouncing it, if and when it comes, and knows how to renounce it gracefully.
* ~ Rex Stout ~ in ~ Before Midnight ~
* 3 ♞☤☮♌︎Kalki ⚚⚓︎⊙☳☶⚡ 23:56, 30 November 2013 (UTC)
* I will ride my luck on occasion, but I like to pick the occasion.
* ~ Rex Stout ~ in ~ Might as Well Be Dead ~
* 3 ♞☤☮♌︎Kalki ⚚⚓︎⊙☳☶⚡ 23:56, 30 November 2013 (UTC)
* In a world that operates largely at random, coincidences are to be expected, but any one of them must always be mistrusted.
* ~ Rex Stout ~ in ~ Champagne for One ~
* 3 ♞☤☮♌︎Kalki ⚚⚓︎⊙☳☶⚡ 23:56, 30 November 2013 (UTC) with a lean toward 4.
* Man's brain, enlarged fortuitously, invented words in an ambitious attempt to learn how to think, only to have them usurped by his emotions. But we still try.
* ~ Rex Stout ~ in ~ Death of a Dude ~
* 3 ♞☤☮♌︎Kalki ⚚⚓︎⊙☳☶⚡ 23:56, 30 November 2013 (UTC)
* I always belong wherever I am.
* ~ Rex Stout ~ in ~ A Right to Die ~
* 3 ♞☤☮♌︎Kalki ⚚⚓︎⊙☳☶⚡ 23:56, 30 November 2013 (UTC) with a strong lean toward 4.
* I understand the technique of eccentricity; it would be futile for a man to labor at establishing a reputation for oddity if he were ready at the slightest provocation to revert to normal action.
* ~ Rex Stout ~ in ~ Fer-de-Lance ~
* 3 ♞☤☮♌︎Kalki ⚚⚓︎⊙☳☶⚡ 23:56, 30 November 2013 (UTC) with a lean toward 4.