The great appear great to us.

The Irish people will only be free, when they own everything from the plough to the stars

Yes, friends, governments in capitalist society are but committees of the rich to manage the affairs of the capitalist class.

If you strike at, imprison, or kill us, out of our prisons or graves we will still evoke a spirit that will thwart you, and perhaps, raise a force that will destroy you! We defy you! Do your worst!

Don't be 'practical' in politics. To be practical in that sense means that you have schooled yourself to think along the lines, and in the grooves that those who rob you would desire you to think.

The British Government has no right in Ireland, never had any right in Ireland, and never can have any right in Ireland.

We believe in constitutional action in normal times; we believe in revolutionary action in exceptional times.

Apostles of Freedom are ever idolised when dead, but crucified when alive.

Yes, ruling by fooling, is a great British art with great Irish fools to practice on.

No revolutionary movement is complete without its poetical expression.

The worker is the slave of capitalist society, the female worker is the slave of that slave.

Like my mother, I was always saying, 'I'll fix my life one day.' It became clear when I saw her die without fulfilling her dreams that my time was now or maybe never.

Every time you win, it diminishes the fear a little bit. You never really cancel the fear of losing; you keep challenging it.

Shame is the turnkey that keeps our evil desires in jail.

It is vain for you to expect, it is impudent for you to ask of God forgiveness on your own behalf, if you refuse to exercise this forgiving temper with respect to others.

For me it's always contingent on getting a sound-the sound always suggests what kind of melody it should be. So it's always sound first and then the line afterwards.

Grief is not very different from illness: in the impetus of its fire it does not recognise lords, it does not fear colleagues, it does not respect or spare anyone, not even itself.

Whatever you fear most has no power--it is your fear that has the power

Paganism attributes the creation of the world to blind chance.

Their sighing, canting, grace-proud faces, their three-mile prayers, and half-mile graces.

This is possibly the most shameful situation I've ever gotten myself in in my life, and I've done some pretty dumb things in my life. So to actually make a new No. 1 is spectacularly stupid.