Quotes

[Alon Tsin 0]

Just saw this on LGF

Clothes make the man. Naked people have little or no influence on society.

— Mark Twain

[Free Capitalist 0]

Petrarch, founder of the Renaissance during 1300s AD (Middle Ages), first humanist etc, writes:

I was climbing a mountain, for a great view, and was enjoying the view around me when suddenly it occurred to me to look into my book of Classical authors, a gift that I always have about me. I opened the compact little volume, small indeed in size, but of infinite charm, with the intention of reading whatever came to hand, for I could happen upon nothing that would be otherwise than edifying and devout. Now it chanced that a random page opened by, where it said: "Men go to wonder at the heights of the mountains, and the mighty waves of the sea, and the wide sweep of rivers, and the circuit of the ocean, and the revolution of the stars, but themselves they consider not."

I was abashed, and, asking my brother (who was anxious to hear more), not to annoy me, I closed the book, angry with myself that I should still be admiring outward things. Long since I ought to have learned that nothing is wonderful but the human soul, which, when great itself, finds nothing great outside of itself.

[JRoberts 0]

Petrarch, founder of the Renaissance during 1300s AD (Middle Ages), first humanist etc, writes:

I was climbing a mountain, for a great view, and was enjoying the view around me when suddenly it occurred to me to look into my book of Classical authors, a gift that I always have about me. I opened the compact little volume, small indeed in size, but of infinite charm, with the intention of reading whatever came to hand, for I could happen upon nothing that would be otherwise than edifying and devout. Now it chanced that a random page opened by, where it said: "Men go to wonder at the heights of the mountains, and the mighty waves of the sea, and the wide sweep of rivers, and the circuit of the ocean, and the revolution of the stars, but themselves they consider not."

I was abashed, and, asking my brother (who was anxious to hear more), not to annoy me, I closed the book, angry with myself that I should still be admiring outward things. Long since I ought to have learned that nothing is wonderful but the human soul, which, when great itself, finds nothing great outside of itself.

This quote reminds me very much of Ayn Rand.

I believe it is in the book "Facets of Ayn Rand" that a story is told in which Ayn Rand very seldom admired nature, always preferring a skyscraper to a mountain. However, Mary Ann Sures was shocked one day to hear that Ayn Rand was amazed by one element of nature: the gardens at the White House.

[KaptnK 0]

From "A Raisin in the Sun"

BENEATHA: "Mama, you don't understand. It's all a matter of ideas, and God is just one idea I don't accept. It's not important. I am not going out and be immoral or commit crimes because I don't believe in God. I don't even think about it. It's just that I get tired of Him getting credit for all the things the human race achieves through its own stubborn effort. There simply is no blasted God--there is only man and it is he who makes miracles!"

[Lady Brin 0]

Someone sent me the following, but I changed several and added a few. Also, I've never gotten the hang of #16. It's like turning the other cheek - it's not gonna happen.

The Zen of Sarcasm

1. Do not walk behind me, cause you probably won't catch up.

Do not walk ahead of me, because I take the short cut every time.

2. The journey of a thousand miles begins with a broken fan belt and leaky tire (unless you're Joe Hendrix - my daddy) .

3. It's always darkest before dawn. So if you're going to steal your neighbor's newspaper, that's the time to do it.

4. Don't be irreplaceable. If you can't be replaced, you can't be promoted.

5. Always remember that you're unique. So, do your damnedest in an ostentatious manner at all the times. 2nd sentence - George Patton

6. Never test the depth of the water with both feet (throw your kid brother in first) .

7. If you think nobody cares if you're alive, try missing a couple of car payments.

8. Marriage is a contract - not a perpetual tryst.

9. If at first you don't succeed, skydiving is probably not for you.

10. A man's character is his destiny.

11. If you lend someone $20 and never see that person again, it was probably a wise investment.

12. Our deepest fear is NOT that we are inadequate, but rather that we are powerful beyond measure. We ask ourselves, "Who am I to be brilliant, talented and fabulous. Actually, who are we not to be? Ayn Rand

13. Some days you're the bug; some days you're the windshield, but the best days are when you're the DDT.

14. Everyone seems normal until you get to know them.

15. The quickest way to double your money is to fold it in half and put it back in your pocket.

16. A closed mouth gathers no foot.

17. Duct tape is like 'The Force.' It has a light side and a dark side, while holding the universe together.

18. There are two theories to arguing with women. Neither one works.

19. Generally speaking, you aren't learning much when your lips are moving.

20. Experience is something you don't get until just after you need it.

21.Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day. Teach him how to fish, and he will sit in a boat and drink beer all day.

22. Never, under any circumstances, take a sleeping pill and a laxative on the same night.

23. If you want to change the world, spray paint works the best.

24.The world needs thinkers & the world needs doers. But above all, the world needs thinkers who DO!

25. You can put your boots in the oven, but that don't make 'em biscuits. (stolen from egochick)

26. Never forget, you may want horns, but you're gonna die butt headed.

Brin

You know those families where everyone is out of their minds,

but at the end of the day they are your family so you love them?

Mine's not like that.

Consider the environment and print this email. Pine tree farmers will thank you.

Exploit the Earth or die!

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------->

The original:

Please consider the environment before printing this email

The Zen of Sarcasm

1. Do not walk behind me, for I may

not lead.

Do not walk ahead of me, for I may not

follow.

Do not walk beside me either. Just

pretty much leave me alone.

2. The journey of a thousand miles

begins with a broken fan belt and leaky tire.

3. It's always darkest before

dawn. So if you're going to steal your neighbor's newspaper, that's the

time to do it.

4. Don't be irreplaceable. If you

can't be replaced, you can't be promoted.

5. Always remember that you're unique.

Just like everyone else.

6. Never test the depth of the water

with both feet.

7. If you think nobody cares if

you're alive, try missing a couple of car payments.

8. Before you criticize someone, you

should walk a mile in their shoes. That way, when you criticize them,

you're a mile away and you have their shoes.

9. If at first you don't succeed,

skydiving is probably not for you.

10. Give a man a fish and he will eat

for a day. Teach him how to fish, and he will sit in a boat and drink

beer all day.

11. If you lend someone $20 and never

see that person again, it was probably a wise investment.

12. If you tell the truth, you don't

have to remember anything.

13. Some days you're the bug; some

days you're the windshield.

14. Everyone seems normal until you

get to know them.

15. The quickest way to double your

money is to fold it in half and put it back in your pocket.

16. A closed mouth gathers no foot.

17. Duct tape is like 'The Force.' It

has a light side and a dark side, and it holds the universe together.

18. There are two theories to arguing

with women. Neither one works.

19. Generally speaking, you aren't

learning much when your lips are moving.

20. Experience is something you don't

get until just after you need it.

21. Never miss a good chance to shut

up.

22. Never, under any circumstances,

take a sleeping pill and a laxative on the same night.

[PhilO 0]

I just read this and got a big laugh from it.

----------------

I have heard there are troubles of more than one kind.

Some come from ahead and some come from behind.

But I've bought a big bat. I'm all ready you see.

Now my troubles are going to have troubles with me!

- Dr. Seuss

[JohnRgt 0]

"The only thing that keeps us alive is our brilliance. The only way to protect our brilliance is patents." -- Edwin Land, founder of Polaroid

[B. Royce 0]

From, of all places, a light-hearted romantic comedy by P.G. Wodehouse (titled Damsel In Distress):

"Once the die is cast for revolution, there can be no looking back,"

[RayK 0]

"The adventure is now over, and this adverturer with his mind filled with memories of many new things he has seen and experienced...is turning his face eagerly homeward, to a place where there is an abundance of pure water, where the great majority of the inhabitants are not hopelessly and unspeakably filthy, where the mosquitoes are not allowed to spread disease, where the roads are smooth and the streets clean, where the four seasons follow each other in glorious sequence, where there is music, art and science, and boundless scope and unlimited opportunity for development of all that is admirable in man, and above all where he hopes to enjoy the priceless privilege of a few more years of contact with friends whom he has gathered about him during the course of a long, interesting and eventful life."

This quote is from a letter to Alice Whitney from George Eastman (Kodak) at the end of a trip to Africa.

[condor 0]

Some great quotes in this thread! Here's a couple of lightweight ones I like:

"The road to success is lined with many tempting parking spaces." -Unknown

"There are a number of mechanical devices which increase sexual arousal, particularly in women. Chief among these is the Mercedes-Benz 500SLConvertible." -Unknown

[condor 0]

Oh yeah, these too:

"The secret of life is honesty and fair dealing. If you can fake that you’ve got it made." -Groucho Marx

"If I look confused it’s because I’m thinking." -Samuel Goldwyn

"Men never do evil so completely and cheerfully as when they do it from religious conviction." –Blaise Pascal

[piz 0]

This was yesterday's Cryptoquote in my local newspaper. No idea who Dr. Robert Anthony is, but it's a good comment on pragmatism:

"If you are honest because honesty is the best policy, then your honesty is corrupt." - Dr. Robert Anthony

[Arnold 0]

This was yesterday's Cryptoquote in my local newspaper. No idea who Dr. Robert Anthony is, but it's a good comment on pragmatism:

"If you are honest because honesty is the best policy, then your honesty is corrupt." - Dr. Robert Anthony

But why conclude the reason is pragmatism? For example; It is good policy to be reasonable, because in principle, that is how best to succeed in life, not because it's pragmatic.

[James Grabowski 0]

This was yesterday's Cryptoquote in my local newspaper. No idea who Dr. Robert Anthony is, but it's a good comment on pragmatism:

"If you are honest because honesty is the best policy, then your honesty is corrupt." - Dr. Robert Anthony

What if we change it to read: If you refuse to fake reality because it is the best policy, then your honesty is corrupt. Would you still consider it pragmatic?

[piz 0]

This was yesterday's Cryptoquote in my local newspaper. No idea who Dr. Robert Anthony is, but it's a good comment on pragmatism:

"If you are honest because honesty is the best policy, then your honesty is corrupt." - Dr. Robert Anthony

But why conclude the reason is pragmatism? For example; It is good policy to be reasonable, because in principle, that is how best to succeed in life, not because it's pragmatic.

I took "because [it's] the best policy" to have an implicit "merely" in front of because, making it mean what pragmatists mean by "do what works," as opposed to honesty based on objective principle. So if honesty doesn't work, if it's not the "best policy," then those who are honest merely because it's the "best policy" will cease to be honest. They'll pick and choose honesty and dishonesty according to which one gets them what they're after - cf. nearly any modern politician.

What if we change it to read: If you refuse to fake reality because it is the best policy, then your honesty is corrupt. Would you still consider it pragmatic?

No, because that changes the context of the quote to honesty based on objective principle. As given, I interpret it as explained above, or like this: "If the basis of your honesty goes no deeper than that it's the best policy, then your honesty is corrupt."

[Arnold 0]

This was yesterday's Cryptoquote in my local newspaper. No idea who Dr. Robert Anthony is, but it's a good comment on pragmatism:

"If you are honest because honesty is the best policy, then your honesty is corrupt." - Dr. Robert Anthony

But why conclude the reason is pragmatism? For example; It is good policy to be reasonable, because in principle, that is how best to succeed in life, not because it's pragmatic.

I took "because [it's] the best policy" to have an implicit "merely" in front of because, making it mean what pragmatists mean by "do what works," as opposed to honesty based on objective principle. So if honesty doesn't work, if it's not the "best policy," then those who are honest merely because it's the "best policy" will cease to be honest. They'll pick and choose honesty and dishonesty according to which one gets them what they're after - cf. nearly any modern politician.

What if we change it to read: If you refuse to fake reality because it is the best policy, then your honesty is corrupt. Would you still consider it pragmatic?

No, because that changes the context of the quote to honesty based on objective principle. As given, I interpret it as explained above, or like this: "If the basis of your honesty goes no deeper than that it's the best policy, then your honesty is corrupt."

I don't want to make too much of this. Honesty based on Objectivist principles also 'works', and if it doesn't work, it could hardly be called objective. The missing ingredient with pragmatism is principle, and nothing in the original quote indicated a necessary lack of principle. "Best policy" can be interpreted in different ways, that are left open in the quote.

[piz 0]

I don't want to make too much of this. Honesty based on Objectivist principles also 'works', and if it doesn't work, it could hardly be called objective. The missing ingredient with pragmatism is principle, and nothing in the original quote indicated a necessary lack of principle. "Best policy" can be interpreted in different ways, that are left open in the quote.

In analyzing isolated quotes, because there is no context I keep to a narrow interpretation, one that "stays within the quote." That leads me to interpret "because" to mean "for this reason in and of itself," because introducing any other, hypothetical reasons goes "outside" the quote. That interpretation of "because" indicates a pragmatist's "honesty." Also, I assume that the person quoted believed, or at least intended, the statement to be true (except perhaps in obvious cases of comedy, irony, or sarcasm). The only way that quote can be true (i.e. the honesty in question is actually corrupt) is if it's not referring to a (correctly) principled "honesty."

That's how I came to my conclusion, feel free to disagree with my method. Not that it was on my to-do list, but this is the first time I've analyzed and explicitly identified how I interpret quotes, though I go through this process every time. It was an interesting exercise in examining some of my mental processes.

[Nathaniel Hale 1775 0]

In analyzing isolated quotes, because there is no context I keep to a narrow interpretation, one that "stays within the quote." That leads me to interpret "because" to mean "for this reason in and of itself," because introducing any other, hypothetical reasons goes "outside" the quote. That interpretation of "because" indicates a pragmatist's "honesty." Also, I assume that the person quoted believed, or at least intended, the statement to be true (except perhaps in obvious cases of comedy, irony, or sarcasm). The only way that quote can be true (i.e. the honesty in question is actually corrupt) is if it's not referring to a (correctly) principled "honesty."

I took honesty, in the sense he used it, as the intrinsicist's "honesty", as something to be observed because it is good in itself, not because it is good for someone.

[B. Royce 0]

This was yesterday's Cryptoquote in my local newspaper. No idea who Dr. Robert Anthony is, but it's a good comment on pragmatism:

"If you are honest because honesty is the best policy, then your honesty is corrupt." - Dr. Robert Anthony

The only way I could agree with Dr. Anthony's conclusion is if "because honesty is" means "someone else has judged honesty to be".

[ruveyn ben yosef 0]

This was yesterday's Cryptoquote in my local newspaper. No idea who Dr. Robert Anthony is, but it's a good comment on pragmatism:

"If you are honest because honesty is the best policy, then your honesty is corrupt." - Dr. Robert Anthony

Pure Kantian morality.

ruveyn

[JohnRgt 0]

For it is often easier to fight for principles than to live up to them -- Adlai Stevenson

[B. Royce 0]

In the early twentieth century Camille Saint-Saens, thinking about dissonance in modern symphonic music, wrote the following, which has applications to things other than music: "The real sense of the word progress---progressus---is march forward, but this does not say to what goal. There is the progress of an illness, which is not an amelioration."

[JohnRgt 0]

Levin read a bunch of Lincoln quotes yesterday, trying to undo the Obama-Lincoln connection the Anointed One keeps pushing. Here's one:

Let not him who is houseless pull down the house of another, but let him work diligently and build one for himself, thus by example assuring that his own shall be safe from violence when built.

For more, click here.

[RayK 0]

"...and I see a whole army of my fellow countrymen here in defiance of tyranny. You come to fight as free men, and free men you are. What will you do with that freedom? Will you fight?...Aye, fight and you may die, run and you'll live, at least a while. And dying in your beds many years from now, would you be willing to trade all the days from this day to that for one chance, just one chance to come back here and tell our enemies that they may take our lifes, but they'll never take our freedom." William Wallace, Braveheart

[piz 0]

Today's Threadbender Cryptoquote should be of interest.