quotations about destiny
Alas, poor men, their destiny. When all goes well a shadow will overthrow it. If it be unkind one stroke of a wet sponge wipes all the picture out.
AESCHYLUS
The Oresteia
It is old age, rather than death, that is to be contrasted with life. Old age is life's parody, whereas death transforms life into a destiny: in a way it preserves it by giving it the absolute dimension. Death does away with time.
SIMONE DE BOUVOIR
The Coming of Age
Sow a character and you reap a destiny.
JAMES ALLEN
Como Un Hombre Piensa Asi Es Su Vida
Destiny can never be cast away by you because it is you.
SORIN CERIN
Wisdom Collection
Motive is a thread, work is a skein, destiny is a maze.
THOMAS ROBERT SLICER
Meditations
Ah me, thou Destiny,
Giver of evil gifts.
AESCHYLUS
The Seven Against Thebes
Destiny is in reality a pompous word that means very little. If we have great talents, it will probably be our destiny to show them. If we have no talents, it will certainly be our destiny to show none.
ANONYMOUS
The Spectator, Aug. 2, 1884
Destiny is not a matter of chance; it is a matter of choice. It is not a thing to be waited for; it is a thing to be achieved.
WILLIAM JENNINGS BRYAN
speech, Feb. 22, 1899
Destiny is selfhood. To live your destiny is to be raised above accidental circumstances to the level of your essential being. This is not merely because destiny precludes accidents and thus provides a propitious life-environment. The relationship between destiny and self is more intimate than that. Destiny defines the self: you ARE your destiny. To speak of destiny as though it is merely something that happens to you is to assume that a person is in essence always the same, changeless at the core amid the ceaseless changes of life and history. But the truth is that what happens to you--including in this category the ideas and impulses that arise within you in response to outward events--defines your identity. The only way you could be fully identified would be by a story--of the kind God alone could tell--of the unfolding of your life in all its depths and complexities. Thus living your destiny is carrying on your life as the one you really are.
GLENN E. TINDER
The Fabric of Hope
Don't you know that what happens to you once always happens again? You always react in the same way to the same thing. It's no accident when you make a mess. Then you do it again. It's called destiny.
CESARE PAVESE
The Devil in the Hills
It is man's destiny to ponder on the riddle of existence.
C. F. KETTERING
Prophet of Progress
A girl with a good figure can often shape her own destiny.
EVAN ESAR
20,000 Quips & Quotes
An unjust destiny is at variance with the will of the Almighty; a just destiny is merely the expression of his will: in no case is there room for destiny outside and above the deity. There is therefore no destiny apart from the will of God. By obedience to that will man may escape from evil, by opposing it he may bring evil on himself and his descendants.
EVELYN ABBOT
Hellenica
Betimes I have heard people bewail the fact that our destinies are shrouded in mystery; I think, though, that it is a blessing of sorts. Surely if we knew what bitterness fate held in store, we would shrink back in fear and let the cup of life pass us untasted.
JACQUELINE CAREY
Kushiel's Dart
Motive is internal, work is external, destiny is eternal.
THOMAS ROBERT SLICER
Meditations
Not without a shudder may the human hand grasp the mysterious urn of destiny.
FRIEDRICH SCHILLER
The Death of Wallenstein
The real test of a man is not how well he plays the role he has invented for himself, but how well he plays the role that destiny assigned to him.
JAN PATOCKA
attributed, In Pursuit of Destiny
Destiny does not send us heralds. She is too wise or too cruel for that.
OSCAR WILDE
The Picture of Dorian Gray
Destiny is what you are supposed to do in life. Fate is what kicks you in the ass to make you do it.
HENRY MILLER
attributed, The Harper Book of Quotations
Destiny will show when it's time.
ERIC HARVEY
Freedom of Speech Writing Out Loud