"Character is destiny." - Heraclitus
"You have enemies? Good. That means you've stood up for something, sometime in your life." -- Unknown (often incorrectly ascribed to Winston Churchill)
"A fool is one who knows the price of everything and the value of nothing." -- Oscar Wilde
"Thinking is the hardest work there is, which is probably why so few engage in it." -- Henry Ford
"Where all think alike, little thinking takes place." - Walter Lippman
"Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak and remove all doubt." - Unknown (likely Maurice Switzer, 1906)
"Progress is a nice word. But change is its motivator. And change has its enemies." -- Robert Kennedy
"He not busy being born is busy dying." - Bob Dylan
“The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.” - Falsely attributed to Edmond Burke, but most likely adapted from the more opaque John Stuart Mill (see below)
"Progress is a nice word. But change is its motivator. And change has its enemies." -- Robert Kennedy
"He not busy being born is busy dying." - Bob Dylan
"I dream of painting, then I paint my dreams." - Vincent Van Gogh
"Don't ask yourself what the world needs; ask yourself what makes you come alive. And then go and do that. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive." - Howard Thurman
"Don't ask yourself what the world needs; ask yourself what makes you come alive. And then go and do that. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive." - Howard Thurman
"Then there was the man who drowned crossing a stream with an average depth of six inches." -- W.I.E. Gates
"Five percent of the people think; ten percent of the people think they think; and the other eighty-five percent would rather die than think." -- Thomas Edison
“The greatest danger in turbulent times is not the turbulence, but to act with yesterday’s logic.” - Peter Drucker
"Five percent of the people think; ten percent of the people think they think; and the other eighty-five percent would rather die than think." -- Thomas Edison
“The greatest danger in turbulent times is not the turbulence, but to act with yesterday’s logic.” - Peter Drucker
“I would rather have questions that can’t be answered than answers that can’t be questioned.” - Richard Feynman
"Build your own dreams, or someone else will hire you to build theirs." - Farrah Gray
"Remember that not getting what you want is sometimes a wonderful stroke of luck." - Dalai Lama
"Build your own dreams, or someone else will hire you to build theirs." - Farrah Gray
"Remember that not getting what you want is sometimes a wonderful stroke of luck." - Dalai Lama
First they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out—because I was not a socialist.
Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out—because I was not a trade unionist.
Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—because I was not a Jew.
Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me. - Martin Niemöller
“The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.” - Falsely attributed to Edmond Burke, but most likely adapted from the more opaque John Stuart Mill (see below)
"The opposite of love is not hate, it is indifference." - Elie Wiesel
“Bad men need nothing more to compass their ends, than that good men should look on and do nothing.” - John Stuart Mill, February 1, 1867
“Bad men need nothing more to compass their ends, than that good men should look on and do nothing.” - John Stuart Mill, February 1, 1867
"Pain is inevitable, suffering is optional." - Anonymous
"Man is free if he needs to obey no person but solely the laws." - Immanuel Kant
"Man is free if he needs to obey no person but solely the laws." - Immanuel Kant
"History doesn't repeat, but it rhymes." - Theodore Reik (often erroneously attributed to Mark Twain)
"What's money? A man is a success if he gets up in the morning and goes to bed at night and in between does what he wants to do." - Bob Dylan
"A man is judged by the company he keeps." - Aesop
A conservative is someone who stands athwart history, yelling Stop, at a time when no one is inclined to do so, or to have much patience with those who so urge it." - William F. Buckley
"Freedom for the pike is death for the minnows." - R.H. Tawney (1931)
"Oh! What a tangled web we weave when first we practice to deceive" - Sir Walter Scott
"In times of such commotion as the present, while the passions of men are worked up to an uncommon pitch, there is great danger in fatal extremes. The same state of passions which fits the multitude, who have not a sufficient stock of reason and knowledge to guide them, for opposition to tyranny and oppression, very naturally leads them to a contempt and disregard for all authority. The due medium is hardly to be found among the more intelligent. It is almost impossible among the unthinking populace. When the minds of these are loosened from their attachment to ancient establishments and courses, they seem to grow giddy and are apt more or less to run to anarchy." - Alexander Hamilton, Nov 1775
“Against stupidity we have no defense. Neither protests nor force can touch it. Reasoning is of no use. Facts that contradict personal prejudices can simply be disbelieved — indeed, the fool can counter by criticizing them, and if they are undeniable, they can just be pushed aside as trivial exceptions. So the fool, as distinct from the scoundrel, is completely self-satisfied. In fact, they can easily become dangerous, as it does not take much to make them aggressive. For that reason, greater caution is called for than with a malicious one. Never again will we try to persuade the stupid person with reason, for it is senseless and dangerous.” — Dietrich Bonhoeffer [Editor's note: Keep in mind that by definition, one half of the people are dumber than average.]
"If conservatives become convinced they cannot win democratically, they will not abandon conservatism. They will abandon democracy." - Conservative commentator David Frum and former speechwriter for George W. Bush (January 18, 2018)
"No one makes a better stooge than the stupid man who thinks he's smart." - Me, apparently (I was recently reminded of this statement)
"Never fight a battle of wits with the witless, because they have nothing to lose."
"We'll never solve anything as a nation as long as one party appeals to the angry and the other to the aggrieved." (August 8, 2017)
"We get more of what we subsidize, less of what we tax."
"If it's cold outside we use a furnace, if it's hot, we use the AC. If only we could be so wise regarding public policy."
"Cutting taxes is like lowering the thermostat - going from 90 to 70 improves productivity, but going from 70 to 50 is likely to do more harm than good."
"Begin with trust and you will find some unworthy of that trust, but begin with mistrust and you will never trust anyone."
"Treating others with respect will not guarantee one will be treated in kind, but treating others with disrespect will."
"People who admit mistakes learn from them, those who deny making mistakes never learn."
"A flag and a gun no more make one a patriot than a bible and a cross make one a Christian."
"One can't love their country without loving its people."
"Intelligence can recognize intelligence but stupid can't recognize stupid."
"Votes are like raindrops. One appears insignificant, but working in concert with others can move mountains."
"The only thing we have to be angry about is anger itself." (sorry FDR, had to steal it)
"Pursuing policies that irritate your opponents because you believe them to be best for the country is what democracy is all about. Pursuing policies simply because they irritate your opponents is a cancer upon democracy."
"I have always looked for - and found - the best in people. I believe ability and goodness is to be found equally across race, creed, ethnicity, class, country of origin, everything. I grew up a Republican, but when the party turned toward its nativist, nationalist side, seeing evil and danger in "others," I rejected that and left the party. However, the left also has its demons that they unfairly vilify, including the wealthy, the successful, the right and the "infidel" Whites who have not fully embraced the left's identity politics. I cannot be party to either side's extreme view." August 7, 2021 (the day I left Facebook)
"All costs are ultimately labor costs, with profit being the premium we are willing to pay to direct that labor toward one pursuit over another. That said, the purpose of capitalism is to drive out cost (labor) while uncovering new value to put that labor to work elsewhere in pursuit of profit. This is creative destruction in a nutshell. However, if technology reduces labor faster than human ingenuity can find new uses for it, we will find ourselves in a very tricky conundrum. The time to plan for that, whether it comes to fruition or not, is now." - August 9, 2017
"Human behavior is malleable. Human nature is not." (November 2021) [Note: to change human behavior, one must appeal to human nature - wants, fears, aspirations, but most of all, self-interest - however each individual defines it for themselves]
"When faith in guns supersedes faith in elections, strife, chaos and tyranny are not far behind." (November 20, 2021)
"What's money? A man is a success if he gets up in the morning and goes to bed at night and in between does what he wants to do." - Bob Dylan
"A man is judged by the company he keeps." - Aesop
"Be curious, not judgmental." - Unknown (not Walt Whitman)
"The best lack all conviction, while the worst are full of passionate intensity." - William Butler Yeats
"Mass movements can rise and spread without belief in a God, but never without belief in a devil." - Eric Hoffer
"The devil can cite scripture for his purpose." - William Shakespeare (The Merchant of Venice)
"Between stimulus and response is a space - and in that space is your power and your freedom." - Max Frankl, Auschwitz survivor
"Mass movements can rise and spread without belief in a God, but never without belief in a devil." - Eric Hoffer
"The devil can cite scripture for his purpose." - William Shakespeare (The Merchant of Venice)
"Between stimulus and response is a space - and in that space is your power and your freedom." - Max Frankl, Auschwitz survivor
"Comparison is the thief of joy." - Theodore Roosevelt
"Some men change their party for the sake of their principles; others their principles for the sake of their party." - Winston Churchill
"Some men change their party for the sake of their principles; others their principles for the sake of their party." - Winston Churchill
“Once the writer in every individual comes to life (and that time is not far off), we are in for an age of universal deafness and lack of understanding.” - Milan Kundera, “The Book of Laughter and Forgetting” (1979)
A conservative is someone who stands athwart history, yelling Stop, at a time when no one is inclined to do so, or to have much patience with those who so urge it." - William F. Buckley
"Freedom for the pike is death for the minnows." - R.H. Tawney (1931)
“Freedom for the wolves has often meant death to the sheep." - Isiah Berlin (1958)
"In a time of universal deceit, telling the truth becomes a revolutionary act." - Unknown (often attributed to George Orwell)
“An educated citizenry is a vital requisite for our survival as a free people.” - Thomas Jefferson
“An educated citizenry is a vital requisite for our survival as a free people.” - Thomas Jefferson
"Those who seem to despise half of America should never be entrusted to govern any of it." - David Frum
"Oh! What a tangled web we weave when first we practice to deceive" - Sir Walter Scott
“In a place where there are no men, strive to be a man.” - Rabbi Hillel
"Culture eats strategy for breakfast." - Peter Drucker (allegedly)
“A great many people think they are thinking when they are merely rearranging their prejudices.” - William James
"Culture eats strategy for breakfast." - Peter Drucker (allegedly)
“A great many people think they are thinking when they are merely rearranging their prejudices.” - William James
"He who knows only his own side of the case knows little of that." - John Stuart Mill
"To be absolutely certain about something, one must know everything or nothing about it." — Henry Kissinger
"The mind is not a vessel to be filled but a fire to be kindled." - Plutarch
"Correction does much, but encouragement does more." - Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
"Your vision can only be as big as the number of people that it positively impacts." - Unknown
"Unless the mass retains sufficient control over those entrusted with the powers of their government, these will be perverted to their own oppression, and to the perpetuation of wealth and power in the individuals and their families selected for the trust.” - Thomas Jefferson, 1812
“It's easier to hold your principles 100 percent of the time than it is to hold them 98 percent of the time.” - Clayton Christensen
“Success consists of going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm.” – Winston Churchill
"Fellow citizens, why do you turn and scrape every stone to gather wealth, and, yet, take so little care of your own children, to whom one day you must relinquish all?" – Socrates
"Imagination is everything. It is the preview of life's coming attractions." - Albert Einstein
"Not really. We study natural stupidity." - Cognitive psychologist Amos Tversky when asked if his Nobel-prize winning work with Daniel Kahneman was the basis for artificial intelligence.
"Stories of imagination tend to upset those without one." - Terry Pratchett
The earth was once molten rock and now sings operas." - Brian Swimme
"In war resolution, in defeat defiance, in victory magnanimity, in peace goodwill" - Winston Churchull
"Patriotism is the last refuge of the scoundrel." - Samuel Johnson
"Correction does much, but encouragement does more." - Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
"Your vision can only be as big as the number of people that it positively impacts." - Unknown
"Unless the mass retains sufficient control over those entrusted with the powers of their government, these will be perverted to their own oppression, and to the perpetuation of wealth and power in the individuals and their families selected for the trust.” - Thomas Jefferson, 1812
“It's easier to hold your principles 100 percent of the time than it is to hold them 98 percent of the time.” - Clayton Christensen
“Success consists of going from failure to failure without loss of enthusiasm.” – Winston Churchill
"Fellow citizens, why do you turn and scrape every stone to gather wealth, and, yet, take so little care of your own children, to whom one day you must relinquish all?" – Socrates
"Imagination is everything. It is the preview of life's coming attractions." - Albert Einstein
"Not really. We study natural stupidity." - Cognitive psychologist Amos Tversky when asked if his Nobel-prize winning work with Daniel Kahneman was the basis for artificial intelligence.
"Stories of imagination tend to upset those without one." - Terry Pratchett
The earth was once molten rock and now sings operas." - Brian Swimme
"In war resolution, in defeat defiance, in victory magnanimity, in peace goodwill" - Winston Churchull
"Patriotism is the last refuge of the scoundrel." - Samuel Johnson
"The people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is tell them they are being attacked, and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism." - Herman Goering, Nuremburg war crimes trial testimony
"The way you see people is the way you treat them, and the way you treat them is what they become." - Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
"Tell me and I forget, show me and I remember, involve me and I understand." - Unknown
"The way you see people is the way you treat them, and the way you treat them is what they become." - Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
"Tell me and I forget, show me and I remember, involve me and I understand." - Unknown
“Am I tired of doing Maggie Mae? F@#% no. That song put me on the map. And I wrote it. It’s like saying you’re tired of seeing one of your kids. Just f@#%ing stupid. It’s 4 min out of my life every show. Make the people happy…” - Rod Stewart
“Let your credo be this: Let the lie come into the world, let it even triumph. But not through me.” - Alexander Solzhenitsyn
"There was a time when scientists would announce we have a problem and politicians would debate how to address it. Today, scientists announce we have a problem and politicians debate whether there really is a problem." - One of my children quoting the other August 10, 2017 (which is which is lost to memory)
"Those who are at the mercy of impulse - who lack self-control - suffer a moral deficiency. The ability to control impulse is the base of will and character. By the same token, the root of altruism lies in empathy, the ability to read emotions in others; lacking a sense of another's need or despair, there is no caring." - Daniel Goleman, "Emotional Intelligence"
"If our world is different, then our politics must also be different.” - Annalena Baerbock, German foreign Minister and member of the pacifist Green Party, on Germany's hawkish response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine
"Totalitarianism in power invariably replaces all first rate talent, regardless of their sympathies, with those crackpots and fools whose lack of intelligence and creativity is still the best guarantee of their loyalty." - Hannah Arendt, author of "The Origins of Totalitarianism" (1951)
“Let your credo be this: Let the lie come into the world, let it even triumph. But not through me.” - Alexander Solzhenitsyn
"There was a time when scientists would announce we have a problem and politicians would debate how to address it. Today, scientists announce we have a problem and politicians debate whether there really is a problem." - One of my children quoting the other August 10, 2017 (which is which is lost to memory)
"Those who are at the mercy of impulse - who lack self-control - suffer a moral deficiency. The ability to control impulse is the base of will and character. By the same token, the root of altruism lies in empathy, the ability to read emotions in others; lacking a sense of another's need or despair, there is no caring." - Daniel Goleman, "Emotional Intelligence"
"If our world is different, then our politics must also be different.” - Annalena Baerbock, German foreign Minister and member of the pacifist Green Party, on Germany's hawkish response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine
"Totalitarianism in power invariably replaces all first rate talent, regardless of their sympathies, with those crackpots and fools whose lack of intelligence and creativity is still the best guarantee of their loyalty." - Hannah Arendt, author of "The Origins of Totalitarianism" (1951)
“Men have been found to resist the most powerful monarchs and to refuse to bow down before them, but few indeed have been found to resist the crowd, to stand up alone before misguided masses, to face their implacable frenzy without weapons and with folded arms to dare a no when a yes is demanded." - Hannah Arendt, author of "The Origins of Totalitarianism" (1951)
"Where, as in the case of sickness and accident, neither the desire to avoid such calamities nor the efforts to overcome their consequences are as a rule weakened by the provision of assistance – where, in short, we deal with genuinely insurable risks – the case for the state’s helping to organize a comprehensive system of social insurance is very strong." - F.A. Hayek (The Road to Serfdom)
"In times of such commotion as the present, while the passions of men are worked up to an uncommon pitch, there is great danger in fatal extremes. The same state of passions which fits the multitude, who have not a sufficient stock of reason and knowledge to guide them, for opposition to tyranny and oppression, very naturally leads them to a contempt and disregard for all authority. The due medium is hardly to be found among the more intelligent. It is almost impossible among the unthinking populace. When the minds of these are loosened from their attachment to ancient establishments and courses, they seem to grow giddy and are apt more or less to run to anarchy." - Alexander Hamilton, Nov 1775
“Against stupidity we have no defense. Neither protests nor force can touch it. Reasoning is of no use. Facts that contradict personal prejudices can simply be disbelieved — indeed, the fool can counter by criticizing them, and if they are undeniable, they can just be pushed aside as trivial exceptions. So the fool, as distinct from the scoundrel, is completely self-satisfied. In fact, they can easily become dangerous, as it does not take much to make them aggressive. For that reason, greater caution is called for than with a malicious one. Never again will we try to persuade the stupid person with reason, for it is senseless and dangerous.” — Dietrich Bonhoeffer [Editor's note: Keep in mind that by definition, one half of the people are dumber than average.]
"If conservatives become convinced they cannot win democratically, they will not abandon conservatism. They will abandon democracy." - Conservative commentator David Frum and former speechwriter for George W. Bush (January 18, 2018)
“A representative democracy*, where the right of election is well secured and regulated & the exercise of the legislative, executive and judiciary authorities, is vested in select persons, chosen by the people, will in my opinion be most likely to be happy, regular and durable.” - Alexander Hamilton
"A republic**, if you can keep it." - Benjamin Franklin, when asked what kind of government the Constitutional Convention had decided upon
"A republic**, if you can keep it." - Benjamin Franklin, when asked what kind of government the Constitutional Convention had decided upon
Fun & Games
“I was invited with Paul Kantner to meet Mick Jagger at his Chelsea home to discuss the Altamont concert. I was scared because I thought we were going to walk into an orgy. I’m not against orgies, but I’m not a good multi-tasker.” - Grace Slick, The Jefferson Airplane https://bit.ly/43WOA3W
And now, the best (or worst) of me:
"Hungry people gripe, starving people revolt."
And now, the best (or worst) of me:
"Hungry people gripe, starving people revolt."
"There are two kinds of organizations - those who inspire good people and weed out the weak, and those who frustrate good people and are left with the weak."
"No one makes a better stooge than the stupid man who thinks he's smart." - Me, apparently (I was recently reminded of this statement)
"Never fight a battle of wits with the witless, because they have nothing to lose."
"We'll never solve anything as a nation as long as one party appeals to the angry and the other to the aggrieved." (August 8, 2017)
"We get more of what we subsidize, less of what we tax."
"If it's cold outside we use a furnace, if it's hot, we use the AC. If only we could be so wise regarding public policy."
"Cutting taxes is like lowering the thermostat - going from 90 to 70 improves productivity, but going from 70 to 50 is likely to do more harm than good."
"Begin with trust and you will find some unworthy of that trust, but begin with mistrust and you will never trust anyone."
"Treating others with respect will not guarantee one will be treated in kind, but treating others with disrespect will."
"People who admit mistakes learn from them, those who deny making mistakes never learn."
"A flag and a gun no more make one a patriot than a bible and a cross make one a Christian."
"One can't love their country without loving its people."
"Intelligence can recognize intelligence but stupid can't recognize stupid."
"Votes are like raindrops. One appears insignificant, but working in concert with others can move mountains."
"The only thing we have to be angry about is anger itself." (sorry FDR, had to steal it)
"A bad guy with a gun doesn't become a bad guy with a gun until it's too late."
"Total freedom leads to anarchy, which leads to tyranny of the strong."
"One who sees Kyle Rittenhouse as a patriot and Colin Kaepernick as a traitor umderstands neither patriotism nor America."
"Pursuing policies that irritate your opponents because you believe them to be best for the country is what democracy is all about. Pursuing policies simply because they irritate your opponents is a cancer upon democracy."
"I have always looked for - and found - the best in people. I believe ability and goodness is to be found equally across race, creed, ethnicity, class, country of origin, everything. I grew up a Republican, but when the party turned toward its nativist, nationalist side, seeing evil and danger in "others," I rejected that and left the party. However, the left also has its demons that they unfairly vilify, including the wealthy, the successful, the right and the "infidel" Whites who have not fully embraced the left's identity politics. I cannot be party to either side's extreme view." August 7, 2021 (the day I left Facebook)
"All costs are ultimately labor costs, with profit being the premium we are willing to pay to direct that labor toward one pursuit over another. That said, the purpose of capitalism is to drive out cost (labor) while uncovering new value to put that labor to work elsewhere in pursuit of profit. This is creative destruction in a nutshell. However, if technology reduces labor faster than human ingenuity can find new uses for it, we will find ourselves in a very tricky conundrum. The time to plan for that, whether it comes to fruition or not, is now." - August 9, 2017
"Human behavior is malleable. Human nature is not." (November 2021) [Note: to change human behavior, one must appeal to human nature - wants, fears, aspirations, but most of all, self-interest - however each individual defines it for themselves]
"When faith in guns supersedes faith in elections, strife, chaos and tyranny are not far behind." (November 20, 2021)
"Put money in the hands of the wealthy, asset prices rise. Put money in the hands of the masses, consumer prices rise." (November 25, 2021)
"We don’t need tighter election laws to stop the alleged things the Democrats did, but to prevent the real things Republicans have actually tried to do." (January 12, 2022)
"Christians never need proclaim they're Christian, honest folks never need proclaim they're honest, smart folks never need proclaim they're smart and patriots never need proclaim they're patriots." (April 2, 2022)
"A group of men who wrote slavery into a nation's constitution should not be heralded as infallible." (April 2, 2022)
"The day folks on the right stop decrying and begin defending the politics of Timothy McVeigh will mark the point of no return." (April 12, 2022)
"We don’t need tighter election laws to stop the alleged things the Democrats did, but to prevent the real things Republicans have actually tried to do." (January 12, 2022)
"Christians never need proclaim they're Christian, honest folks never need proclaim they're honest, smart folks never need proclaim they're smart and patriots never need proclaim they're patriots." (April 2, 2022)
"A group of men who wrote slavery into a nation's constitution should not be heralded as infallible." (April 2, 2022)
"The day folks on the right stop decrying and begin defending the politics of Timothy McVeigh will mark the point of no return." (April 12, 2022)
"Our phones may be smart, but too many of their owners are not." (April 30, 2022)
"Better to suffer fools gladly than fail to recognize they are, indeed, fools." (September 22, 2022)
"The best way to stop a bad guy with a gun is to keep the bad guy from getting a gun." (March 28, 2022)
"The best way to stop a bad guy with a gun is to keep the bad guy from getting a gun." (March 28, 2022)
"Life is complicated, which is why so many seek simple answers." (October 30, 2022)
"It's easier to quell dissent than corruption because the payoff for dissent is neither as tangible nor immediate as corruption.' (July 22, 1023)
And finally, the most mind-boggling quotes:
And finally, the most mind-boggling quotes:
“The baby is born. The mother meets with the doctor. They take care of the baby. They wrap the baby beautifully. And then the doctor and the mother determine whether or not they will execute the baby.” - Donald Trump at a 2019 rally (when he was president)
* Democracy, from the Greek Demos, meaning the people, and the Greek kratia, meaning rule or power
** Republic, from the Latin res, meaning entity, and the Latin publicus, meaning "of the people"
** Republic, from the Latin res, meaning entity, and the Latin publicus, meaning "of the people"
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