WIST Quotations

L'Engle, Madeleine -- Speech (1983-11-16), “Dare To Be Creative,” Lecture, Library of Congress, Washington, DC

Dave — Wed, 04 Mar 2026 23:04:03 +0000

We all practice some form of censorship. I practiced it simply by the books I had in the house when my children were little. If I am given a budget of $500 I will be practicing a form of censorship by the books I choose to buy with that limited amount of money, and the books I choose not to buy. But nobody said we were not allowed to have points of view. The exercise of personal taste is not the same thing as imposing personal opinion.

Madeleine L'Engle (1918-2007) American writer
Speech (1983-11-16), “Dare To Be Creative,” Lecture, Library of Congress, Washington, DC
(Source)

Adams, Douglas -- The Salmon of Doubt, “The Salmon of Doubt,” ch. 4 (2002) [ed. Peter Guzzardi]

Dave — Wed, 26 Nov 2025 18:33:07 +0000

He was constantly reminded of how startlingly different a place the world was when viewed from a point only three feet to the left.

Douglas Adams (1952-2001) English author, humorist, screenwriter
The Salmon of Doubt, “The Salmon of Doubt,” ch. 4 (2002) [ed. Peter Guzzardi]
(Source)

McLuhan, Marshall -- The Gutenberg Galaxy, “Typographic man can express but is helpless to read the configurations of print technology” (1962)

Dave — Fri, 06 Jun 2025 16:08:50 +0000

A point of view can be a dangerous luxury when substituted for insight and understanding.

Marshall McLuhan (1911-1980) Canadian philosopher, communication theorist, educator
The Gutenberg Galaxy, “Typographic man can express but is helpless to read the configurations of print technology” (1962)
(Source)

Russell, Bertrand -- Autobiography, Vol 2: 1914-1944, ch. 6 “America, 1938-1944” (1968)

Dave — Tue, 23 May 2023 20:13:30 +0000

To my mind, a man without a bias cannot write interesting history — if, indeed, such a man exists. I regard it as mere humbug to pretend to a lack of bias.

Bertrand Russell (1872-1970) English mathematician and philosopher
Autobiography, Vol 2: 1914-1944, ch. 6 “America, 1938-1944” (1968)
(Source)

Adams, Douglas -- Hitchhiker’s Guide No. 5, Mostly Harmless, ch. 15 (1992)

Dave — Thu, 04 Mar 2021 00:32:51 +0000

It can be very dangerous to see things from somebody else’s point of view without the proper training.

Douglas Adams (1952-2001) English author, humorist, screenwriter
Hitchhiker’s Guide No. 5, Mostly Harmless, ch. 15 (1992)
(Source)