Champ
Looking for the right thing to say when the clock strikes midnight? Say goodbye to 2013 with the perfect New Year’s Eve toast. Be brainy. Be boozy. Be prepared. Reuters/Benoit Tessier

If you were brave enough to throw a New Year’s Eve party this year, the responsibility will fall on you to make the all-important New Year’s Eve toast. In other words, you’re going to have to sound smart, witty and wise -- and you’re probably going to be tipsy when the time comes.

Nevertheless, there’s no need to despair if you still haven’t found the perfect thing to say when the clock strikes midnight. IBTimes has compiled a list of 20 great toasts for the start of 2014. Whether you’re looking for something winsome, insightful or just plain snarky, we have you covered. And here’s to another year of useful online listicles that double as cheat sheets.

ToastNelson
Nelson Mandela. Reuters

Wise Toasts

“The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.” -Eleanor Roosevelt, American first lady.

“The past is always tense, the future perfect.” -Zadie Smith, British novelist.

“Hope is that thing with feathers that perches in the soul and sings the tune without the words and never stops… at all.” -Emily Dickinson, American poet.

“To regret deeply is to live afresh.” -Henry David Thoreau, American author.

“Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment.” -Buddha.

“We must use time wisely and forever realize that the time is always ripe to do right.” -Nelson Mandela, South African revolutionary/politician.

ToastMarlene
Marlene Dietrich. Wiki Commons

Witty Toasts

“Always forgive your enemies; nothing annoys them so much.” -Oscar Wilde, Irish playwright.

“Never regret. If it's good, it’s wonderful. If it’s bad, it’s experience.” - Eleanor Hibbert, English author.

“It's the friends you can call up at 4 a.m. that matter.” -Marlene Dietrich, German-born American actress.

“With mirth and laughter let old wrinkles come.” -William Shakespeare, English playwright.

“Any idiot can face a crisis. It’s day to day living that wears you out.” -Anton Chekhov, Russian author and playwright.

ToastWest
Cornel West. Reuters

Brainy Toasts

“The distinction between the past, present and future is only a stubbornly persistent illusion.” -Albert Einstein, German physicist.

“Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards.” -Søren Kierkegaard, Danish philosopher.

“Time brings all things to pass.” -Aeschylus, Greek tragedian.

“Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is always to try just one more time.” -Thomas Edison, American inventor.

“I cannot be an optimist but I am a prisoner of hope.” -Cornel West, American academic.

ToastNapoleon
Napoleon. Reuters

Boozy Toasts

“In victory, you deserve Champagne, in defeat, you need it.” -Napoleon Bonaparte, French conqueror.

“Alcohol may be man's worst enemy, but the Bible says love your enemy.” -Frank Sinatra, American singer.

“I never worry about being driven to drink; I just worry about being driven home.” -W.C. Fields, American actor/comedian.

“Here's to alcohol: the cause of, and solution to, all of life's problems.” -Homer Simpson, American cartoon character.

Sources: BrainyQuote.com, Yahoo Voices, Good Reads, Thought Catalog, Quotations Page

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