Neither a man nor a crowd nor a nation can be trusted to act humanely or to think sanely under the influence of a great fear.
Bertrand Russell (1872-1970) English mathematician and philosopher
“An Outline of Intellectual Rubbish” (1943)
You know, most of the people I’ve known in this business, Republicans and Democrats, conservatives and liberals, were good people, honest people, and they did what they thought was right. And I hope that I’ll live long enough to see American politics return to vigorous debates where we argue who’s right and wrong, not who’s good and bad.
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton (b. 1946) American politician, US President (1993-2001)
Comments at his offical portrait unveiling (14 Jun. 2004)
Neither party should be defined by pandering to the outer reaches of American politics and the agents of intolerance, whether they be Louis Farrakhan or Al Sharpton on the left, or Pat Robertson and Jerry Falwell on the right.
John McCain (1936-2018) American naval aviator, politician
(Attributed)
When we put aside partisanship, embrace the best ideas regardless of where they come from and work for principled compromise, we can move America not left or right, but forward.
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton (b. 1946) American politician, US President (1993-2001)
News conference (8 Nov. 1996)
Idealism without pragmatism is impotent. Pragmatism without idealism is meaningless. The key to effective leadership is pragmatic idealism.
Richard M. Nixon (1913-1994) American politician, writer, US President (1967-74)
(Attributed)
This is a time for courage and a time of challenge. Neither conformity nor complacency will do. Neither fanatics nor the faint-hearted are needed. And our duty as a Party is not to our Party alone, but to the Nation, and, indeed to all mankind. Our duty is not merely the preservation of political power but the preservation of peace and freedom.
John F. Kennedy (1917-1963) US President (1961-63)
Undelivered speech (22 Nov. 1963)
Extreme opposites resemble the other. Each believes that we have only two choices: appeasement or war, suicide or surrender, humiliation or holocaust, to be either Red or dead.
John F. Kennedy (1917-1963) US President (1961-63)
(Attributed)
The future lies with those wise political leaders who realize that the great public is interested more in Government than in politics.
Franklin Delano Roosevelt (1882-1945) American lawyer, politician, statesman, US President (1933-1945)
(Attributed)
We … hold the just balance and set ourselves as resolutely against improper corporate influence on the one hand as against demagogy and mob rule on the other.
Theodore Roosevelt (1858-1919) American politician, statesman, conservationist, writer, US President (1901-1909)
An Autobiography, ch. 8 “The New York Governorship” (1913)
There is nothing which I dread so much as a division of the republic into two great parties, each arranged under its leader, and concerting measures in opposition to each other. This, in my humble apprehension, it to be dreaded as the greatest political evil under our Constitution.
John Adams (1735-1826) American lawyer, Founding Father, statesman, US President (1797-1801)
Letter to Jonathan Jackson (2 Oct 1789)
Every difference of opinion is not a difference of principle.
Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826) American political philosopher, polymath, statesman, US President (1801-09)
Inaugural Address (1801-03-14)
(Source)
I am not a Federalist, because I never submitted the whole system of my opinions to the creed of any party of men whatever in religion, in philosophy, in politics, or in any thing else where I was capable of thinking for myself. Such an addiction is the last degradation of a free and moral agent. If I could not go to heaven but with a party, I would not go there at all. Therefore I protest to you I am not of the party of federalists. But I am much farther from that of the Antifederalists.
Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826) American political philosopher, polymath, statesman, US President (1801-09)
Letter (1789-03-13) to Francis Hopkinson
(Source)
It is only common sense to recognize that the great bulk of Americans, whether Republican or Democrat, face many common problems and agree on a number of basic objectives.
Dwight David Eisenhower (1890-1969) American general, US President (1953-61)
(Attributed)
For you I am a bishop, but with you I am a Christian. The first is an office accepted; the second is a gift received. One is danger; the other is safety. If I am happier to be redeemed with you than to be placed over you, then I shall, as the Lord commanded, be more fully your servant.
Augustine of Hippo (354-430) Christian church father, philosopher, saint [b. Aurelius Augustinus]
Sermon 340
via Rev. Bonnie Spencer (favorite quote)
Silence is not damage control. Silence is standing by hoping that if you don’t pay attention to the fires and the water rushing into the hold, it will all magically go away. Swift, forthright, honest communication: that’s damage control. Because what’s usually damaged most in a crisis is trust, and you can only be trusted if you show yourself trustworthy.
Graham Ericsson (b. 1947) American writer, aphorist
The Crisis of the Day (2004)
Deliver us from the presumption of coming to this Table for solace only, and not for strength; for pardon only, and not for renewal.
(Other Authors and Sources)
Book of Common Prayer, p. 327, Eucharistic Prayer C (1979)
Luck is the residue of design.
Branch Rickey (1881-1965) American baseball executive
Lecture title (1950)
It amazes me that people understand what it means to line up to get a driver’s license renewed or convince the city to enforce a no parking zone but still attribute divine competence to the CIA, FBI or their equivalents in the UK or elsewhere. They may be spooks but they are still civil servants working in massive government bureaucracies. I imagine that for many people it is more comforting to believe a malevolent force is running the show than face the fact that most of the time nobody knows with much certainty what the heck is going on.
Nicholas Packwood (contemp.) Canadian essayist and academic
Ghost of a Flea, “Conspiracy” (17 May 2004)
http://www.ghostofaflea.com/archives/002160.html
Those who “abjure” violence can only do so because others are committing violence on their behalf.
George Orwell (1903-1950) English writer [pseud. of Eric Arthur Blair]
“Notes on Nationalism” Polemic, (Oct. 1945)
Source essay.Commonly misquoted as "People sleep peaceably in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf." This is not found in Orwell's works, but was a paraphrase of this and other Orwell writings by Richard Grenier, "Perils of Passive Sex," Washington Times (6 Apr 1973). See here for more information.
TIMON: ‘Tis not enough to help the feeble up,
But to support him after.William Shakespeare (1564-1616) English dramatist and poet
Timon of Athens, Act 1, sc. 1, l. 107ff (1.1.107-108) (1606) [with Thomas Middleton]
(Source)
TOUCHSTONE: I do now remember a saying, “The fool doth think he is wise, but the wise man knows himself to be a fool.”
William Shakespeare (1564-1616) English dramatist and poet
As You Like It, Act 5, sc. 1, l. 30ff (5.1.30-32) (1599)
(Source)
POET: The fire i’the flint
Shows not till it be struck.William Shakespeare (1564-1616) English dramatist and poet
Timon of Athens, Act 1, sc. 1, l. 28ff (1.1.28-29) (1606) [with Thomas Middleton]
(Source)
THERSITES: The devil Luxury, with his fat rump and potato finger …
William Shakespeare (1564-1616) English dramatist and poet
Troilus and Cressida, Act 5, sc. 2, l. 66 (5.2.66) (1602)
(Source)
IAGO: Pleasure and action make the hours seem short.
William Shakespeare (1564-1616) English dramatist and poet
Othello, Act 2, sc. 3, l. 400 (2.3.400) (1603)
(Source)
FALSTAFF: Lord, Lord, how this world is given to lying!
William Shakespeare (1564-1616) English dramatist and poet
Henry IV, Part 1, Act 5, sc. 4, l. 148 (5.4.148) (1597)
(Source)
ISABELLA:Truth is truth
To the very end of reckoning.William Shakespeare (1564-1616) English dramatist and poet
Measure for Measure, Act 5, sc. 1, l. 51ff (5.1.51-52) (1604)
(Source)
ROMEO: Sleep dwell upon thine eyes, peace in thy breast.
William Shakespeare (1564-1616) English dramatist and poet
Romeo and Juliet, Act 2, sc. 2, l. 202 (2.2.202) (c. 1594)
(Source)
PEMBROKE: And oftentimes excusing of a fault
Doth make the fault the worse by th’ excuse,
As patches set upon a little breach
Discredit more in hiding of the fault
Than did the fault before it was so patched.William Shakespeare (1564-1616) English dramatist and poet
King John, Act 4, sc. 2, l. 30ff (4.2.30-34) (1596)
(Source)
I demand to know how much longer the so-called “authorities” intend to continue ignoring the international spate of alarming incidents involving bosoms.
At this point you’re thinking: “WHAT international spate of alarming incidents involving bosoms?” Unless, of course, you’re a man, in which case you’re thinking only: “Bosoms!” The male brain has an entire lobe devoted to this topic.Dave Barry (b. 1947) American humorist
(29 Apr. 2001)
SHEPHERD’S SON: He seems to be of
great authority. Close with him, give him gold; and
though authority be a stubborn bear, yet he is oft
led by the nose with gold.William Shakespeare (1564-1616) English dramatist and poet
Winter’s Tale, Act 4, sc. 4, l. 932ff (4.4.932-935) (1611)
(Source)
You must watch my life, how I live, eat, sit, talk, behave in general. The sum total of all those in me is my religion.
Mohandas Gandhi (1869-1948) Indian philosopher and nationalist [Mahatma Gandhi]
(Attributed)
I am the vessel. The draught is God’s. And God is the thirsty one.
Dag Hammarskjöld (1905-1961) Swedish diplomat, author, UN Secretary-General (1953-61)
(Attributed)
He who carves the Buddha never worships him.
(Other Authors and Sources)
Chinese proverb
DILBERT: Lately, the only think keeping me from being a serial killer is my distaste for manual labor.
Scott Adams (b. 1957) American cartoonist
Dilbert (11 Jan. 2001)
Fellowship in woe doth woe assuage.
We cannot get grace from gadgets. In the Bakelite house of the future, the dishes may not break, but the heart can. Even a man with ten shower baths may find life flat, stale and unprofitable.
J. B. Priestley (1894-1984) English author, dramatist [John Boyne Priestley]
(Attributed)
And thou wilt give thyself relief if thou doest every act of thy life as if it were the last, laying aside all carelessness and passionate aversion from the commands of reason, and all hypocrisy, and self-love, and discontent with the portion which has been given to thee.
Marcus Aurelius (AD 121-180) Roman emperor (161-180), Stoic philosopher
Meditations, Book 2, #5 [tr. Long (1862)]
(Source)
Usually modernized, "And you will give yourself relief, if you do every act of your life as if it were the last, laying aside all carelessness and passionate aversion from the commands of reason, and all hypocrisy, and self-love, and discontent with the portion which has been given to you," and the source of the more common (and mixed-message) reduction of this aphorism, "Do every act of your life as if it were your last."
Alternate translations:Go about every action as thy last action, free from all vanity, all passionate and wilful aberration from reason, and from all hypocrisy, and self-love, and dislike of those things, which by the fates or appointment of God have happened unto thee.
[tr. Casaubon (1634), #2]Perform every action as if it were your last; if your appetites and passions do not cross upon your reason; if you keep clear of rashness, and have nothing of insincerity and self-love to infect you, and do not complain of your destiny.
[tr. Zimmern (1887)]Do each act as though it were your last, freed from every random aim, from wilful turning away from the directing Reason, from pretence, self-love and displeasure with what is allotted to you.
[tr. Farquharson (1944)]Approach each action as though it were your last, dismissing the wayward thought, the emotional recoil from the commands of reason, the desire to create an impression, the admiration of self, the discontent with your lot.
[tr. Staniforth (1964)]Perform every action in your life as if it were your last, putting aside all aimlessness and emotional resistance to the choices of reason, and all pretense, selfishness, and discontent with what has been allotted to you.
[tr. Needleman/Piazza (2008)]
No object is mysterious; the mystery is in your eye.
Elizabeth Bowen (1899-1973) Irish author
The House in Paris (1935)
The man of honor thinks of his character, the inferior man of his position. The man of honor desires justice, the inferior man favor.
[君子懷德、小人懷土、君子懷刑、小人懷惠。]
Confucius (c. 551- c. 479 BC) Chinese philosopher, sage, politician [孔夫子 (Kǒng Fūzǐ, K'ung Fu-tzu, K'ung Fu Tse), 孔子 (Kǒngzǐ, Chungni), 孔丘 (Kǒng Qiū, K'ung Ch'iu)]
The Analects [論語, 论语, Lúnyǔ], Book 4, verse 11 (4.11) (6th C. BC – AD 3rd C.) [tr. Soothill (1910)]
(Source)
(Source (Chinese)). Alternate translations:The superior man thinks of virtue; the small man thinks of comfort. The superior man thinks of the sanctions of law; the small man thinks of favours which he may receive.
[tr. Legge (1861)]The masterly man has an eye to virtue, the common man, to earthly things; the former has an eye to penalties (for error), the latter, to favour.
[tr. Jennings (1895)]A wise man regards the moral worth of a man; a fool, only his position. A wise man expects justice; a fool expects favours.
[tr. Ku Hung-Ming (1898)]The proper man is concerned with examining his consciousness and acting on it, the small man is concerned about land; the superior man about legality, the small man about favors.
[tr. Pound (1933)]Where gentlemen set their hearts upon moral force (tê), the commoners set theirs upon the soil. Where gentlemen think only of punishments, the commoners think only of exceptions.
[tr. Waley (1938)]The perfect gentleman cherishes high moral conduct; the mean man, well-being. The perfect gentleman cherishes the penal code; the mean man, ex¬ emptions therefrom.
[tr. Ware (1950)]While the gentleman cherishes benign rule, the small man cherishes his native land. While the gentleman cherishes a respect for the law, the small man cherishes generous treatment.
[tr. Lau (1979)]The gentleman cherishes virtue, but the small man cherishes the soil; the gentleman cherishes the rigors of the law, but the small man cherishes leniency.
[tr. Dawson (1993)]A gentleman seeks virtue; a small man seeks land. A gentleman seeks justice; a small man seeks favors.
[tr. Leys (1997)]The gentleman cherishes virtue; the small man cherishes land. The gentleman cherishes institutions; the small man cherishes favors.
[tr. Huang (1997)]The gentlemen are concerned about the virtuousness; the mean persons are concerned about the land. The gentlemen are concerned about the status; the mean persons are concerned about the benefit.
[tr. Cai/Yu (1998), #77]Exemplary persons (junzi) cherish their excellence; petty persons cherish their land. Exemplary persons cherish fairness; petty persons cherish the thought of gain.
[tr. Ames/Rosemont (1998)]The gentleman likes virtue; the little man likes partiality. The gentleman likes justice; the little man likes mercy.
[tr. Brooks/Brooks (1998)]while the noble-minded cherish integrity, little people cherish territory. And while the noble-minded cherish laws, little people cherish privilege.
[tr. Hinton (1998)]The gentleman cherishes virtue, whereas the petty person cherishes physical possessions. The gentleman thinks about punishments, whereas the petty person thinks about exemptions.
[tr. Slingerland (2003)]The gentleman has his mind fixed on virtue; the petty man has his mind fixed on land. The gentleman has his mind fixed on penalties; the petty man has his mind fixed on bounty.
[tr. Watson (2007)]The gentleman [junzi] worries about the condition of his moral character, while the common man [xiaoren] worries about [whether he can hold on to] his land. The gentleman is conscious of [not breaking] the law, while the common man is conscious of what benefits he might reap [from the state].
[tr. Chin (2014)]A Jun Zi cares about virtuous and righteous principles, whereas a Xiao Ren cares about worldly matters. A Jun Zi cares about rules and discipline, whereas a Xiao Ren cares about benefits.
[tr. Li (2020)]The superior man seeks what is right; the inferior one, what is profitable.
[Source]
ISABELLA:O, it is excellent
To have a giant’s strength, but it is tyrannous
To use it like a giant.William Shakespeare (1564-1616) English dramatist and poet
Measure for Measure, Act 2, sc. 2, l. 135ff (2.2.135-137) (1604)
(Source)
IAGO: Our bodies are our gardens, to the which our wills are gardeners.
William Shakespeare (1564-1616) English dramatist and poet
Othello, Act 1, sc. 3, l. 362ff (1.3.362-363) (1603)
(Source)
To have some deep feeling about Buddhism is not the point; we just do what we should do, like eating supper and going to bed. This is Buddhism.
Shunryū Suzuki (1905-1971) Japanese Zen Buddhist master
Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind (1973)
We think in generalities, but we live in detail.
Alfred North Whitehead (1861-1947) English mathematician and philosopher
(Attributed)
The angry man will defeat himself in battle as well as in life.
(Other Authors and Sources)
Samurai saying
I do want to get rich but I never what to do what there is to do to get rich.
Gertrude Stein (1874-1946) American expatriate author, feminist
Everybody’s Autobiography, ch. 3 (1937)
He who knows the Truth is not equal to him who loves it, and he who loves it is not equal to him who delights in it.
[知之者、不如好之者、好之者、不如樂之者]
Confucius (c. 551- c. 479 BC) Chinese philosopher, sage, politician [孔夫子 (Kǒng Fūzǐ, K'ung Fu-tzu, K'ung Fu Tse), 孔子 (Kǒngzǐ, Chungni), 孔丘 (Kǒng Qiū, K'ung Ch'iu)]
The Analects [論語, 论语, Lúnyǔ], Book 6, verse 20 (6.20) (6th C. BC – 3rd C. AD) [tr. Soothill (1910), 6.18]
(Source)
Earlier translations use Legge's verse numbering, 6.18. The source material uses 之 (zhi, "it") without a clear antecedent. Soothill suggests it may refer to Truth, Virtue, or the Right. Some translations provide what they think is the reference; others leave it ambiguous or footnote it, as shown below.
(Source (Chinese)). Alternate translations:They who know the truth are not equal to those who love it, and they who love it are not equal to those who delight in it.
[tr. Legge (1861), 6.18]They who know it are not as those who love it, nor they who love it as those who rejoice in it.
[tr. Jennings (1895), 6.18]Those who know it are not as those who love it; those who love it are not as those who find their joy in it.
[tr. Ku Hung-Ming (1898), 6.18]Those who know aren't up to those who love; nor those who love, to those who delight in.
[tr. Pound (1933), 6.18]To prefer it is better than only to know it. To delight in it is better than merely to prefer it.
[tr. Waley (1938), 6.18; "the Way"]The man who loves truth (or learning) is better than the man who knows it, and the man who finds happiness in it is better than the man who loves it.
[tr. Lin Yutang (1938)]Being fond of The Right Way is better than just knowing it; and taking one’s delight in it is better than just being fond of it.
[tr. Ware (1950)]To be fond of something is better than merely to know it, and to find joy in it is better than merely to be fond of it.
[tr. Lau (1979), 6.20]Those who understand a thing are not equal to those who are fond of it, and those who are fond of it are not equal to those who delight in it.
[tr. Dawson (1993), 6.20]To know something is not as good as loving it; to love something is not as good as rejoicing in it.
[tr. Leys (1997), 6.20]Those who know it are not comparable to those who love it; those who love it are not comparable to thsoe who delight in it.
[tr. Huang (1997)]The persons who know something are not better than the persons who favor something; The persons who favor something are not better than the persons who enjoy something.
[tr. Cai/Yu (1998), 6.20, #140]To truly love it is better than just to understand it, and to enjoy it is better than simply to love it.
[tr. Ames/Rosemont (1998), 6.20; "knowledge and learning"]Knowing it is not as good as loving it; loving it is not as good as taking delight in it.
[tr. Brooks/Brooks (1998), 6.20; virtue]To understand something is nothing like loving it. And to love something is nothing like delighting in it.
[tr. Hinton (1998), 6.19]To know it is not as good as to approve it. To approve it is not as good as to find joy in it.
[tr. Watson (2007), 6.20]To know something is not as good as to have a love for it. To have a love for something is not as good as to find joy in it.
[tr. Annping Chin (2014), 6.20; learning, cf. 6.11 and 7.19]Learned people are inferior to those who are eager to learn. Those who are eager to learn are inferior to those who enjoy learning.
[tr. Li (2020), 6.20]Better than the one who knows what is right is he who loves what is right.
[Common English translation]
There is no room for God in him who is full of himself.
(Other Authors and Sources)
Hasidic saying
What is meant … By the term “illusion” is that phenomena do not exist independently of other phenomena, that their appearance of independent existence is illusory. This is all that is meant by “illusion,” not that something is not really there.
The Dalai Lama (b. 1935) Tibetan Buddhist spiritual leader [The 14th Dalai Lama; a/k/a Lhama Thondup / Lhama Dhondrub; b. Tenzin Gyatso]
Worlds in Harmony (1992)
A happy woman is one who has no cares at all; a cheerful woman is one who has cares but doesn’t let them get her down.
Beverly Sills (1929-2007) American opera singer [b. Belle Silverman]
(Attributed)
MONK: I have just entered the monastery; please give me some guidance.
MASTER: Have you eaten your rice gruel?
MONK: Yes, I’ve eaten.
MASTER: Then go wash your bowl.(Other Authors and Sources)
Zen koan
Formerly, when religion was strong and science weak, men mistook magic for medicine; now, when science is strong and religion weak, men mistake medicine for magic.
Thomas Szasz (1920-2012) Hungarian-American psychiatrist, educator
“Science and Scientism,” The Second Sin (1973)
You have to accept whatever comes and the only important thing is that you meet it with courage and with the best you have to give.
Eleanor Roosevelt (1884-1962) First Lady of the US (1933-45), politician, diplomat, activist
In Edward P. Morgan (ed.) This I Believe … (1952)
The mind is everything; what you think, you become.
Buddha (c.563-483 BC) Indian mystic, philosopher [b. Siddharta Gautama]
(Attributed)
Chi-lu asked how the spirits of the dead and the gods should be served. The Master said, “You are not able even to serve man. How can you serve the spirits?”
[季路問事鬼神。子曰、未能事人、焉能事鬼。]
Confucius (c. 551- c. 479 BC) Chinese philosopher, sage, politician [孔夫子 (Kǒng Fūzǐ, K'ung Fu-tzu, K'ung Fu Tse), 孔子 (Kǒngzǐ, Chungni), 孔丘 (Kǒng Qiū, K'ung Ch'iu)]
The Analects [論語, 论语, Lúnyǔ], Book 11, verse 12 (11.12) (6th C. BC – AD 3rd C.) [tr. Lau (1979)]
(Source)
Brooks (below) suggests that this passage was interpolated into Book 11 around the time of Book 16. This analect was originally numbered 11.11 by Legge and other early translators (as noted below). (Source (Chinese)). Alternate translations:Chi Lu asked about serving the spirits of the dead. The Master said, "While you are not able to serve men, how can you serve their spirits?"
[tr. Legge (1861), 11.11]Tszlu propounded a question about ministering to the spirits ((of the departed). The Master replied, "Where there is scarcely the ability to minister to living men, how shall there be ability to minister to the spirits?"
[tr. Jennings (1895), 11.11]A disciple (the intrepid Chung Yu) enquired how one should behave towards the spirits of dead men. Confucius answered, "We cannot as yet do our duties to living men; why should we enquire about our duties to dead men?"
[tr. Ku Hung-Ming (1898), 11.11]When Chi Lu asked about his duty to the spirits the Master replied: "While still unable to do your duty to the living, how can you do your duty to the dead?"
[tr. Soothill (1910), 11.11]Chi Lu asked about the service for ghosts and spirits. Confucius said, You cannot be useful to the living, how can you be useful to (serve) ghosts?
[tr. Pound (1933), 11.11]Tsu-lu asked how one should serve ghosts and spirits. The master said, Till you have learnt to serve men, how can you serve ghosts?
[tr. Waley (1938), 11.11]You can’t treat spirits and divinities properly before you are able to treat your fellow men properly.
[tr. Ware (1950)]Zilu asked about serving ghosts and spirits. The Master said: "If one is not yet capable of serving men, how can one serve ghosts?"
[tr. Dawson (1993)]Zilu asked how to serve the spirits and gods. The Master said: "You are not yet able to serve men, how could you serve the spirits?"
[tr. Leys (1997)]When Ji-lu asked how to serve the spirits and gods, the Master said, "You cannot serve men yet; how can you serve the spirits?"
[tr. Huang (1997)]Jilu asked how to service the gods, Confucius said: "One could not service the human beings yet, how could one service the gods?"
[tr. Cai/Yu (1998), #272]Zilu asked how to serve the spirits and the gods. The master replied, "Not yet being able to serve other people, how would you be able to serve the spirits?"
[tr. Ames/Rosemont (1998)]Jì-Lì asked about serving ghosts and spirits. The Master said, You cannot yet serve men, how could you serve ghosts?
[tr. Brooks/Brooks (1998)]When Adept Lu asked about serving ghosts and spirits, the Master said, "You haven't learned to serve the living, so how could you serve ghosts?"
[tr. Hinton (1998)]Zilu asked about serving ghosts and spirits. The Master said, “You are not yet able to serve people -- how could you be able to serve ghosts and spirits?”
[tr. Slingerland (2003)]Jilu asked how one should serve the gods and spirits. The Master said, "When you don't yet know how to serve human beings, how can you serve the spirits?"
[tr. Watson (2007)]Jilu [Zilu] asked about how to serve the spirits of the dead and the gods. The Master said, "You can't even serve men properly, how can you serve the spirits?"
[tr. Annping Chin (2014)]Ji Lu asked about how to serve and worship gods and spirits. Confucius said, "You still have not served men well. Why do you bother serving gods and spirits?"
[tr. Li (2020)]If you don't know how to serve men, why worry about serving the gods?
[Common translation]
The only thing better than singing is more singing.
Ella Fitzgerald (1917-1996) American jazz singer
(1954)
CALVIN: I still can’t believe it. What a miscarriage of justice! This contest was a joke! Obviously the judges were biased against us from the start!
HOBBES: Well, the important thing is that we tried our best.
CALVIN: The important thing is that we lost!
HOBBES: Oops, I always forget the purpose of competition is to divide people into winners and losers.
CALVIN: What’s the point of trying if you can’t be a winner?Bill Watterson (b. 1958) American cartoonist
Calvin & Hobbes
Memory is a giggling sprite and will not be tamed. She takes flight the moment the present becomes the past.
Gordon Atkinson (contemp.) American minister, writer [a.k.a. Real Live Preacher]
Real Live Preacher, “In the Meantime I Tell Stories” (29 April 2004)
Full text.
CALVIN: I’m at peace with the world. I’m completely serene.
HOBBES: Why is that?
CALVIN: I’ve discoved my purpose in life. I know why I was put here and why everything exists.
HOBBES: Oh, really?
CALVIN: Yes. I am here so everybody can do what I want.
HOBBES: It’s nice to have that cleared up.
CALVIN: Once everyone accepts it, they’ll be serene, too.Bill Watterson (b. 1958) American cartoonist
Calvin & Hobbes (1990)
First they came for the Jews. I was silent. I was not a Jew. Then they came for the Communists. I was silent. I was not a Communist. Then they came for the trade unionists. I was silent. I was not a trade unionist. Then they came for me. There was no one left to speak for me.
Martin Niemöller (1892-1984) German theologian and pastor
(Attributed)
Whoever wants peace must want to live together with their opponents. We have to risk trusting each other. There stop the arms race.
[Wer den Frieden will, muß mit dem Gegner gemeinsam leben wollen. Wir müssen vertrauen wagen. Darum Schluss mit dem Rüsten.]
Martin Niemöller (1892-1984) German theologian and pastor
1980s anti-war poster
Friendship, like the immortality of the soul, is too good to be believed.
Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882) American essayist, lecturer, poet
“Compensation,” Essays: First Series (1841)
War is not the best way of settling differences; it is the only way of preventing their being settled for you.
Gilbert Keith Chesterton (1874-1936) English journalist and writer
Illustrated London News, column (24 Jul. 1915)
A player who makes a team great is better than a great player.
John Wooden (1910-2010) American basketball player and coach
“The Prodigy” (2003)
(Source)
IBM Linux commercial.
Toleration is not merely a generous byproduct of the American system: it is its essential principle.
Walter Lippmann (1889-1974) American journalist and author
(Attributed)
Although reason is common to all, the many act as if each had a private source of truth.
Heraclitus of Ephesus (c.540-c.480 BC) Greek philosopher [Ἡράκλειτος, Herákleitos, Heracleitus]
(Attributed)
To hell with them. When history is written they will be the sons of bitches — not I.
Harry S Truman (1884-1972) US President (1945-1953)
Diary (1952-12-06)
Usually, I’m not really asking advice. I’m asking approval.
Graham Ericsson (b. 1947) American writer, aphorist
Tangled Web (2004)
STUPENDOUS MAN’s supendous knowledge lets him complete the test with stupendous speed! 1492! The Battle of Lexington! Trotsky! The Cotton Gin! Another triumph for virtue and right! And now, with a whoosh, STUPENDOUS MAN is off into the sky! So long kids! Always brush your teeth! KAPWINGGG!
Bill Watterson (b. 1958) American cartoonist
Calvin & Hobbes
Forget Viagra or Cialis. Like most dads, what I need is a pill that, when you take it, causes a babysitter to appear.
Glenn Reynolds (b. 1960) American law professor, blogger
InstaPundit (3 Mar 2004)
These reasonings are unconnected: “I am richer than you, therefore I am better”; “I am more eloquent than you, therefore I am better.” The connection is rather this: “I am richer than you, therefore my property is greater than yours;” “I am more eloquent than you, therefore my style is better than yours.” But you, after all, are neither property nor style.
Epictetus (c.55-c.135) Greek (Phrygian) Stoic philosopher
The Enchiridion (c. 135)
I am here to represent humanity: it is by no means necessary that I should live, but it is by all means necessary that I should act rightly.
Incorporated into “Essential Principles of Religion,” Lecture, Congregational Society, Boston (16 Mar 1862).
Next to the originator of a good sentence is the first quoter of it.
Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882) American essayist, lecturer, poet
“Quotation and Originality,” Letters and Social Aims (1876)
I confess I am a little cynical on some topics, and when a whole nation is roaring Patriotism at the top of its voice, I am fain to explore the cleanness of its hands and purity of its heart.
I want to be perfectly clear, I have no sympathy for those who desecrate the flag. But the appropriate way to deal with someone who desecrates the flag might be a punch in the nose as opposed to evisceration of the First Amendment.
Mitch McConnell (b. 1942) American politician, US Senator (R-Ky) [Addison Mitchell McConnell, Jr.]
(Attributed)
This is the way the world ends
Not with a bang but a whimper.T. S. Eliot (1888-1965) American-British poet, critic, playwright [Thomas Stearns Eliot]
“The Hollow Men” (1925)
Nutritional science is half sensible wisdom and half alimentary feng-shui, if you ask me. I know too many guys in their late 70s who ate pancakes and steaks all their lives to believe that sugar is Nature’s Plutonium.
The final battle against intolerance is to be fought — not in the chambers of any legislature — but in the hearts of men
Dwight David Eisenhower (1890-1969) American general, US President (1953-61)
Campaign speech, Los Angeles (19 Oct. 1956)
I tell this story to illustrate the truth of the statement I heard long ago in the Army: Plans are worthless, but planning is everything. There is a very great distinction because when you are planning for an emergency you must start with this one thing: the very definition of ’emergency’ is that it is unexpected, therefore it is not going to happen the way you are planning.
Dwight David Eisenhower (1890-1969) American general, US President (1953-61)
Speech, National Defense Executive Reserve Conference, Washington, DC (14 Nov. 1957)
No easy problems ever come to the President of the United States. If they are easy to solve, somebody else has solved them.
Dwight David Eisenhower (1890-1969) American general, US President (1953-61)
Parade (1962)
Great spirits have always encountered violent opposition from mediocre minds. The mediocre mind is incapable of understanding the man who refuses to bow blindly to conventional prejudices and chooses instead to express his opinions courageously and honestly.
Albert Einstein (1879-1955) German-American physicist
Letter to Morris Raphael Cohen (19 Mar 1940)
Einstein was writing to Cohen, professor emeritus of philosophy at the College of the City of New York, defending the appointment of Bertrand Russell to a teaching post.
My religion consists of a humble admiration of the illimitable superior spirit who reveals himself in the slight details we are able to perceive with our frail and feeble minds. That deep emotional conviction of the presence of a superior reasoning power, which is revealed in the incomprehensible universe, forms my idea of God.
Albert Einstein (1879-1955) German-American physicist
Interview with Peter Bucky
Quoted in Einstein's obituary, New York Times (18 Apr 1955) and in Barnett, The Universe and Dr. Einstein (1953)
Science can only be created by those who are thoroughly imbued with the aspiration toward truth and understanding. This source of feeling, however, springs from the sphere of religion … The situation may be expressed by an image: science without religion is lame, religion without science is blind
Albert Einstein (1879-1955) German-American physicist
Paper, Symposium on Science, Philosophy and Religion, New York (9 Sep. 1940)
You didn’t have a choice about the parents you inherited, but you do have a choice about the kind of parent you will be.
Marian Wright Edelman (b. 1939) American social reformer, lawyer, author
The Measure of Our Success, ch. IV (1992)
Lest Arab governments be tempted out of sheer routine to rush into impulsive rejection, let me suggest that tragedy is not what men suffer but what they miss.
Abba Eban (1915-2002) Israeli politician and diplomat [b. Aubrey Solomon Eban]
Speech, UN General Assembly (9 Oct. 1968)
We recognize that there are no trivial occurrences in life if we get the right focus on them.
Mark Twain (1835-1910) American writer [pseud. of Samuel Clemens]
The Autobiography of Mark Twain, Vol. 1 (2010)
(Source)
Consensus is what many people say in chorus but do not believe as individuals.
Abba Eban (1915-2002) Israeli politician and diplomat [b. Aubrey Solomon Eban]
(Attributed)
Quoted in "The New Yorker" (April 23, 1990); http://www.bartleby.com/66/92/18392.html
I used to believe that marriage would diminish me, reduce my options. That you had to be someone less to live with someone else when, of course, you have to be someone more.
Candice Bergen (b. 1946) American actress
Knock Wood (1985)
Administrivia: Updates to A-D
Finally got the “D” page updated, and so uploaded the most recent “A-C” pages as well (since, as I go, sometimes things get added).
Most interesting feature of “D” (that I can recall over four months) was discovering there were two Will Durants I was quoting.
Civilization is a stream with banks. The stream is sometimes filled with blood from people killing, stealing, shouting and doing things historians usually record, while on the banks, unnoticed, people build homes, make love, raise children, sing songs, write poetry, and even whittle statues. The story of civilization is the story of what happened on the banks. Historians are pessimists because they ignore the banks for the river.
William James (Will) Durant (1885-1981) American historian, teacher, philosopher
Quoted in Jim Hicks, “Spry Old Team Does It Again,” Life (18 Oct 1963)
(Source)
Durant says this is what he came up with when asked to sum up civilization in a half-hour ("I did it in less than a minute, this way").
This source is Durant recounting the passage in a Life magazine interview, which is often mis-cited as the origin. The quote is also sometimes vaguely attributed to his and Ariel Durant's The Story of Civilization, their 11-volume work (1935-75) (the Life article was on the publication of Vol. 8, The Age of Louis XIV (1963)), but I cannot find it in any of the volumes to that date.
In my youth I stressed freedom, and in my old age I stress order. I have made the great discovery that liberty is a product of order.
William James (Will) Durant (1885-1981) American historian, teacher, philosopher
Time (13 Aug. 1965)
When people ask me to compare the 20th century to older civilizations, I always say the same thing: “The situation is normal.”
William James (Will) Durant (1885-1981) American historian, teacher, philosopher
New York Times (7 May 1968)
On winning the Pullitzer Prize
The soul of a civilization is its religion, and it dies with its faith.
William James (Will) Durant (1885-1981) American historian, teacher, philosopher
The Age of Reason Begins (1961)
(with Ariel Durant)
The reverse side has also its reverse side.
(Other Authors and Sources)
Japanese proverb
No snowflake ever falls in the wrong place.
(Other Authors and Sources)
Zen proverb
We shape clay into a pot, but it is the emptiness inside that holds whatever we want.
(Other Authors and Sources)
Tao te Ching
De gustibus non disputandum.
[There’s no accounting for taste.](Other Authors and Sources)
Latin maxim
There are three truths: my truth, your truth, and the truth.
(Other Authors and Sources)
Chinese proverb
“Don’t worry — it’s only kinky the first time.”
Sig Lines
~
BART: Why do we need church shoes? Jesus wore sandals.
HOMER: Well, if he’d had proper arch support, maybe they might not have caught him.(Other Authors and Sources)
The Simpsons
APU: I used to think karma was baloney, but now I’m not so sure.
HOMER: Mmmmm … caramel baloney!(Other Authors and Sources)
The Simpsons