WIST Quotations

Greenwood, Kerry -- Phryne Fisher, Book 13, The Castlemaine Murders, ch. 8 (2003)

Dave — Thu, 30 Apr 2026 22:15:23 +0000

“Very well, Uncle,” said Lin. “I bow to your wisdom.”
“Good thing, too. What is the use of wisdom if it is not bowed to?”

Kerry Greenwood (b. 1954) Australian author and lawyer
Phryne Fisher, Book 13, The Castlemaine Murders, ch. 8 (2003)
(Source)

McLaughlin, Mignon -- The Neurotic’s Notebook, ch. 4 (1963)

Dave — Wed, 05 Jun 2024 15:57:28 +0000

It does not undo harm to acknowledge that we have done it; but it undoes us not to acknowledge it.

Mignon McLaughlin (1913-1983) American journalist and author
The Neurotic’s Notebook, ch. 4 (1963)
(Source)

Carlyle, Thomas -- “Goethe,” Foreign Review No. 3 (1828-08)

Dave — Thu, 30 Nov 2023 17:10:33 +0000

We are firm believers in the maxim that for all right judgment of any man or thing it is useful, nay, essential, to see his good qualities before pronouncing on his bad.

Thomas Carlyle (1795-1881) Scottish essayist and historian
“Goethe,” Foreign Review No. 3 (1828-08)
(Source)

Reviewing Goethe's Sämmtliche Werke, Vollständige Ausgabe Letzter Hand (1827). Reprinted in Carlyle, Critical and Miscellaneous Essays (1845).

Serling, Rod -- Patterns, Introduction (1957)

Dave — Tue, 30 Aug 2022 19:09:39 +0000

No matter what a man or a woman does for a living, it is part of the human mechanism to expect and need recognition of some sort. Beyond the security and the paycheck is the palpable hunger of a person to have an identity of his own.

Rod Serling (1924-1975) American screenwriter, playwright, television producer, narrator
Patterns, Introduction (1957)
(Source)

Mamet, David -- Faustus (2004)

Dave — Wed, 07 Jul 2021 18:03:39 +0000

FAUSTUS: Blasphemy and prayer are one. Both assert the existence of a superior power. The first, however, with conviction.

David Mamet (b. 1947) American writer, playwright, director
Faustus (2004)
(Source)

Repplier, Agnes -- “The Grocer’s Cat,” Americans and Others (1912)

Dave — Tue, 09 Feb 2021 22:58:32 +0000

The vanity of man revolts from the serene indifference of the cat.

Agnes Repplier (1855-1950) American writer
“The Grocer’s Cat,” Americans and Others (1912)
(Source)

Viorst, Judith -- Yes, Married (1972)

Dave — Wed, 27 Jan 2021 18:07:44 +0000

Not listening is probably the commonest unkindness of married life, and one that creates — more devastatingly than an eternity of forgotten birthdays and misguided Christmas gifts — an atmosphere of not loving and not caring.

Judith Viorst (b. 1931) American writer, journalist, psychoanalysis researcher
Yes, Married (1972)

Kasl, Charlotte -- If the Buddha Dated: A Handbook for Finding Love on a Spiritual Path (1999)

Dave — Mon, 28 Oct 2019 21:21:56 +0000

Apologies rebuild the bridge that gets severed when we hurt someone else, either intentionally or by accident. Apologies don’t require us to grovel or wallow in guilt. We simply acknowledge that our actions were insensitive, unkind, or harmful and say we are sorry.

Charlotte Kasl (d. 2021) American psychologist and author
If the Buddha Dated: A Handbook for Finding Love on a Spiritual Path (1999)
(Source)

Adams, John -- Essay (1790), “Discourses on Davila: A Series of Papers on Political History,” No. 4, Gazette of the United States

Dave — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 09:44:12 +0000

There is none among them more essential or remarkable, than the passion for distinction. A desire to be observed, considered, esteemed, praised, beloved, and admired by his fellows, is one of the earliest, as well as keenest dispositions discovered in the heart of men. […] Wherever men, women, or children, are to be found, whether they be old or young — rich or poor — high or low — wise or foolish — ignorant or learned — every individual is seen to be strongly actuated by a desire to be seen, heard, talked of, approved and respected, by the people about him, and within his knowledge.

John Adams (1735–1826) American lawyer, Founding Father, statesman, US President (1797–1801)
Essay (1790), “Discourses on Davila: A Series of Papers on Political History,” No. 4, Gazette of the United States
(Source)

~Other -- Richard Moss

Dave — Sun, 01 Feb 2004 16:00:00 +0000

The greatest gift you can give another is the purity of your attention.

(Other Authors and Sources)
Richard Moss