WIST Quotations

Mencken, H. L. -- A Little Book in C Major, ch. 7, § 11 (1916)

Dave — Thu, 16 Jan 2025 17:34:53 +0000

Theology is an effort to explain the unknowable by putting it into terms of the not worth knowing.

H. L. Mencken (1880-1956) American writer and journalist [Henry Lewis Mencken]
A Little Book in C Major, ch. 7, § 11 (1916)
(Source)

Variants:

THEOLOGY. An effort to explain the unknowable by putting it into terms of the not worth knowing.
[A Book of Burlesques, "The Jazz Webster" (1924)]

Theology -- An effort to explain the unknowable by putting it into terms of the not worth knowing.
[Chrestomathy, ch. 30 "Sententiae" (1949)]

Doctor Who (2005) -- 03×10 “Blink” (2007-06-09) [w. Steven Moffat]

Dave — Fri, 11 Oct 2024 20:52:00 +0000

THE DOCTOR: People assume that time is a strict progression of cause to effect, but actually, from a non-linear, non-subjective viewpoint, it’s more like a big ball of wibbly-wobbly … timey-wimey … stuff.

Doctor Who (2005-Present) British science fiction television series, revival (BBC)
03×10 “Blink” (2007-06-09) [w. Steven Moffat]
(Source)

(Source (Video); dialog verified)

Chesterfield (Lord) -- Letter to his son, #167 (29 Oct 1748)

Dave — Thu, 04 Mar 2021 18:29:41 +0000

Remember, that the wit, humor, and jokes of most mixed companies are local. They thrive in that particular soil, but will not often bear transplanting. Every company is differently circumstanced, has its particular cant, and jargon; which may give occasion to wit and mirth, within that circle, but would seem flat and insipid in any other, and therefore will not bear repeating.

Lord Chesterfield (1694-1773) English statesman, wit [Philip Dormer Stanhope]
Letter to his son, #167 (29 Oct 1748)
(Source)

Stross, Charles -- The Apocalypse Codex (2012)

Dave — Tue, 28 Mar 2017 21:33:19 +0000

I’m thinking on the fly, here. (Although now that I’m in middle management I think I’m supposed to call it “refactoring the strategic value proposition in real time with agile implementation,” or, if I’m being honest, “making it up as I go along.”)

Charles "Charlie" Stross (b. 1964) British writer
The Apocalypse Codex (2012)

Brewster, Kingman -- Speech, British Institute of Management (13 Dec 1977)

Dave — Mon, 23 Sep 2013 13:28:55 +0000

Incomprehensible jargon is the hallmark of a profession.

Kingman Brewster, Jr. (1919-1988) American educator, diplomat
Speech, British Institute of Management (13 Dec 1977)

Watterson, Bill -- Calvin and Hobbes (1993-02-11)

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

CALVIN: I used to hate writing assignments, but now I enjoy them. I realized that the purpose of writing is to inflate weak ideas, obscure poor reasoning, and inhibit clarity. With a little practice, writing can be an intimidating and impenetrable fog!

Bill Watterson (b. 1958) American cartoonist
Calvin and Hobbes (1993-02-11)
(Source)