- Nov 07, 2020
Man Quotes
Short lines on character, patience and what it means to be a man.
This is a smaller, general collection of quotes touching on manhood, character and patience. One well-known line uses golf as an example, a test of temperament disguised as a leisure game, to make a wider point about what reveals a man's spirit. For steadier, values-driven lines, see our Good quotes.
- Last Updated on Jul 30, 2026
- History
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- Nov 07, 2020
Israel is too attached to America, too influenced by America. It should be connected to Europe. America is based on mythology - the free man, the individual, the open frontier. Europe is more conscious of history. Take Britain and Shakespeare. You shape your identity through history.
- Nov 07, 2020
War is something of man's own fostering, and if all mankind renounces it, then it is no longer there.
- Like
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- Nov 07, 2020
Every man imagines that he will turn his suit like a double agent, that it can be twisted to his will with irony or comedy, that the man can undermine its origins.
- Problem
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- Nov 07, 2020
The problem with a man bag is that it's called a man bag.
- Exam
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- Nov 07, 2020
So, being a good man is not an exam or a qualification, it changes, and it incorporates being a good friend, a good father, a good employee, a good boss, a good neighbour and a good citizen.
- Heart
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- Nov 07, 2020
Learning Jimmy Carr riffs off by heart is not the way to anyone's heart, unless you're Jimmy Carr. And remember, the two most attractive things in a man is a sense of danger and being able to make a girl feel really safe.
- Devilish
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- Nov 07, 2020
A cravat has to be approached with consummate self-confidence and a devilish nonchalance. A cravat has to be grasped by a man who knows how to treat a cravat.
- Learning
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- Nov 07, 2020
Trying to learn to be a good man is like learning to play tennis against a wall. You are only a good man - a competent, capable, interesting and lovable man - when you're doing it for, or with, other people.
- Nov 07, 2020
It is impossible to be taken seriously in shorts. No one has ever cared about anything said by a man in shorts.
- Nov 07, 2020
Shorts are silly. Men in shorts are silly men. And silly is the very worst thing a man can be.
- Marriage
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- Nov 07, 2020
You can propose marriage naked or in handcuffs, but no one is going to agree to forsake all others for a man in shorts. You can't declare war in shorts or deliver a eulogy in shorts.
- Great
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- Nov 07, 2020
There are five great ages of man - five moments when you need to reevaluate everything, clear out the cupboard and the wardrobe, and most importantly, your head. They are 13, 20, 30, 40 and 60. All men need to know this.
- Good
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- Nov 07, 2020
But my father was also the one who told me I needed to clean up my mouth or I'd never find a man. What's very important to him is manners. Show up on time. Always send thank-you letters. He is one of the more thoughtful humans I've ever met. He's a great man and a very good dad.
- Girl
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- Nov 07, 2020