WIST Quotations

Parker, Dorothy -- “Interior,” st. 3, Sunset Gun (1928)

Dave — Thu, 12 Sep 2024 14:02:26 +0000

Her mind lives tidily, apart
From cold and noise and pain,
And bolts the door against her heart,
Out wailing in the rain.

Dorothy Parker (1893–1967) American writer, poet, wit
“Interior,” st. 3, Sunset Gun (1928)

Macdonald, Ross -- The Chill, ch. 8 (Lew Archer) (1963)

Dave — Mon, 03 Jun 2024 14:55:08 +0000

The walls of books around me, dense with the past, formed a kind of insulation against the present world and its dangers. I hated to get up.

Ross Macdonald (1915–1983) American-Canadian author [pseud. of Kenneth Millar]
The Chill, ch. 8 (Lew Archer) (1963)

Often misquoted in the third person ("The walls of books around him ...")

Diamond, Jared -- “The Ends of the World as We Know Them,” New York Times (1 Jan 2005)

Dave — Tue, 21 Jun 2022 17:16:25 +0000

Why weren’t these problems obvious to the Maya kings, who could surely see their forests vanishing and their hills becoming eroded? Part of the reason was that the kings were able to insulate themselves from problems afflicting the rest of society. By extracting wealth from commoners, they could remain well fed while everyone else was slowly starving. What’s more, the kings were occupied with their own power struggles. They had to concentrate on fighting one another and keeping up their images through ostentatious displays of wealth. By insulating themselves in the short run from the problems of society, the elite merely bought themselves the privilege of being among the last to starve.

Jared Diamond (b. 1937) American geographer, historian, ornithologist, author
“The Ends of the World as We Know Them,” New York Times (1 Jan 2005)

Diamond, Jared -- “Choosing Success,” interview by Catherine Sepp, National Review (30 Jun 2005)

Dave — Wed, 15 Jun 2022 18:48:31 +0000

A blueprint for disaster in any society is when the elite are capable of insulating themselves.

Jared Diamond (b. 1937) American geographer, historian, ornithologist, author
“Choosing Success,” interview by Catherine Sepp, National Review (30 Jun 2005)