Sydney J. Harris

British American journalist

1917–1986

12 quotes, most often on Love and Character. Part of the Writers collection.

Regret for the things we did can be tempered by time; it is regret for the things we did not do that is inconsolable.
- Risk
When I hear somebody sigh, ‘Life is hard,’ I am always tempted to ask, ‘Compared to what?’
Strictly Personal (1953), “Purely Personal Prejudices”
- Life & Death
Nobody can be so amusingly arrogant as a young man who has just discovered an old idea and thinks it is his own.
Strictly Personal (1953), “Purely Personal Prejudices”
- Ideas
- Youth
Freud’s prescription for personal happiness as consisting of work and love must be taken with the proviso that the work has to be loved, and the love has to be worked at.
Pieces of Eight (1982)
- Love
- Work
Self-discipline without talent can often achieve astounding results, whereas talent without self-discipline inevitably dooms itself to failure.
Pieces of Eight (1982)
- Failure
- Success
An idealist believes the short run doesn’t count. A cynic believes the long run doesn’t matter. A realist believes that what is done or left undone in the short run determines the long run.
Reader’s Digest (May 1979)
A cynic is not merely one who reads bitter lessons from the past; he is one who is prematurely disappointed in the future.
On the Contrary (1964), Ch. 7
- Character
People who think they’re generous to a fault usually think that’s their only fault.
On the Contrary (1964), Ch. 7
- Character
Superior people are only those who let it be discovered by others; the need to make it evident forfeits the very virtue they aspire to.
Pieces of Eight (1982)
- Character
- Pride
The principal difference between love and hate is that love is an irradiation, and hate is a concentration.
Strictly Personal (1953)
- Love
All the fearful counterfeits of love — possessiveness, lust, vanity, jealousy — are closer to hate: they concentrate on the object, guard it, suck it dry.
Strictly Personal (1953)
- Love
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 own specific virtues.
Pieces of Eight (1982)
- Patriotism

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