July 20

"Who overrefines his argument brings himself to grief."

Francesco Petrarch
(07/20/1304 – 07/20/1374)
Italian scholar (died on his birthday)

"I desire that death find me ready and writing, or if it please Christ, praying and in tears."

Francesco Petrarch
(07/20/1304 – 07/20/1374)
Italian scholar (died on his birthday)

"The relationship between a Russian and a bottle of vodka is almost mystical."

Richard Owen
(07/20/1804 – 12/18/1892)
English zoologist

"You Moon! Have you done something wrong in heaven,
That God has hidden your face?"

Jean Ingelow
(03/17/1829 – 07/20/1897)
US writer

"The highest duty is to respect authority."

Pope Leo XIII
(03/02/1810 – 07/20/1903)
Italian religious leader

"Life's more amusing than we thought."

Andrew Lang
(03/31/1844 – 07/20/1912)
Scottish writer

"Well, we knocked the bastard off!"

Sir Edmund Hillary
(07/20/1919 – 01/11/2008)
New Zealander explorer , on climbing Everest

"Why do writers write? Because it isn't there."

Thomas Berger
(07/20/1924 – )
US writer , paraphrasing Hillary

"He may be dead; or he may be teaching English."

Cormac McCarthy
(07/20/1933 – )
US writer

"The only time a woman can really succeed in changing a man is when he is a baby."

Natalie Wood
(07/20/1938 – 11/29/1981)
US actor

"I hope there's a tinge of disgrace about me. Hopefully, there's one good scandal left in me yet."

Dame Diana Rigg
(07/20/1938 – )
English actor

"Everything changes but the avant garde."

Paul Valéry
(10/30/1871 – 07/20/1945)
French surrealist

"What we're interested in, man, is compassion and healing. ... I'm not about show business, man. I'm not entertainment."

Carlos Santana
(07/20/1947 – )
Mexican guitarist

"Led Zeppelin is just a bunch of stupid idiots who wrote cool riffs."

Chris Cornell
(07/20/1964 – )
US singer (Soundgarden) and stupid idiot

"It's not the daily increase but daily decrease. Hack away at the unessential."

Bruce Lee
(11/27/1940 – 07/20/1973)
US martial artist, actor

"I married Saroyan the second time because I couldn't believe how terrible it was the first time. I married Walter because I love to sleep with him."

Carol Grace Matthau
(09/11/1925 – 07/20/2003)
US actor (was married to William Saroyan, Walter Matthau)

Tammy Faye Bakker: "...and now we're down to our last $37,000."
Interviewer: "But just last week you said you were down to your last $50,000; what happened to $13,000 since then?"

Tammy Faye Bakker: "Uh...um...I don't know."
(03/07/1942 – 07/20/2007)
US trailer trash, televangelist (was married to Jim Bakker)