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Mason Cooley

63 quotes

Mason Cooley (1927–2002) was an American aphorist known for his witty, compact observations about modern urban life, relationships, and human nature. A professor of English and French at the College of Staten Island, Cooley published several collections of aphorisms that are admired for their precision and sardonic humor.

“The power of lying is much less than the power of what is not to be discussed.”

— Mason Cooley

Power

All Quotes by Mason Cooley

“In every death, a busy world comes to an end.”

— Mason Cooley

Death

“Amazing that the human race has taken enough time out from thinking about food or sex to create the arts and sciences.”

— Mason Cooley

Amazing

“Imagination has rules, but we can only guess what they are.”

— Mason Cooley

Imagination

“A sense of blessedness comes from a change of heart, not from more blessings.”

— Mason Cooley

Change

“Every literary critic believes he will outwit history and have the last word.”

— Mason Cooley

History

“The passion for money is never fickle.”

— Mason Cooley

Money

“People believe that photographs are true and therefore cannot be art.”

— Mason Cooley

Art

“Good parties create a temporary youthfulness.”

— Mason Cooley

Newyears

“Even cats grow lonely and anxious.”

— Mason Cooley

Pet

“If you call failures experiments, you can put them in your resume and claim them as achievements.”

— Mason Cooley

Wisdom

“Lying just for the fun of it is either art or pathology.”

— Mason Cooley

Art

“When I prayed for success, I forgot to ask for sound sleep and good digestion.”

— Mason Cooley

Success

“If you are going to break a Law of Art, make the crime interesting.”

— Mason Cooley

Art

“Travelers never think that they are the foreigners.”

— Mason Cooley

Travel

“Living alone makes it harder to find someone to blame.”

— Mason Cooley

Alone

“Death is frightening, and so is Eternal Life.”

— Mason Cooley

Death

“Humor does not rescue us from unhappiness, but enables us to move back from it a little.”

— Mason Cooley

Humor

“Staid middle age loves the hurricane passions of opera.”

— Mason Cooley

Age

“Consciousness is our only reprieve from Time.”

— Mason Cooley

Time

“Bad faith likes discourse on friendship and loyalty.”

— Mason Cooley

Faith