You have a strange relationship with calamity when you're a writer: you write about it as an artist you objectify and fetishize it. You render life into material and that's a creepy thing to do.

Man is subject to innumerable pains and sorrows by the very condition of humanity and yet as if nature had not sown evils enough in life we are continually adding grief to grief and aggravating the common calamity by our cruel treatment of one another.

A little learning indeed may be a dangerous thing but the want of learning is a calamity to any people.

The thing is Obama is right that it would be a calamity for the government to default on its debt by not meeting its obligations. Such a thing has never happened and can't be allowed to happen.

A Shakespearean tragedy as so far considered may be called a story of exceptional calamity leading to the death of a man in high estate. But it is clearly much more than this and we have now to regard it from another side.

Prohibit the taking of omens and do away with superstitious doubts. Then until death itself comes no calamity need be feared.

Have the courage to be ignorant of a great number of things in order to avoid the calamity of being ignorant of everything.

He who knows no hardships will know no hardihood. He who faces no calamity will need no courage. Mysterious though it is the characteristics in human nature which we love best grow in a soil with a strong mixture of troubles.

A great source of calamity lies in regret and anticipation therefore a person is wise who thinks of the present alone regardless of the past or future.