The rose of the old year withers away as the new bud begins to bloom. – Terri Guillemets, “Withered,” 2004

I fear thee not, O untried morrow! – Julia B. Cady (d.1869), “New-Year Thoughts,” in Sabbath at Home, January 1870

The only way to spend New Years Eve is either quietly with friends or in a brothel. Otherwise when the evening ends and people pair off, someone is bound to be left in tears. – W. H. Auden

An optimist stays up until midnight to see the new year in. A pessimist stays up to make sure the old year leaves. – Bill Vaughan (1915–1977), in The Kansas City Star