"When small men begin to cast big shadows, it means that the sun is about to set."
— Lin Yutang

January 1, 1970

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Added on April 10, 2026
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Philosophers from ChinaTranslators from ChinaLexicographersInventorsNovelists from China
Original Language: English

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Frequently attributed to Lin Yutang (such as in Hard-to-Solve Cryptograms (2001) by Derrick Niederman, p. 96) Actually a variation of a Walter Savage Landor quotation from his work Imaginary Conversations: "Little men in lofty places, who throw long shadows, because our sun is setting."