WIST Quotations

Russell, Bertrand -- Conquest of Happiness, Part 2, ch. 15 “Impersonal Interests” (1930)

Dave — Wed, 07 Jan 2026 17:23:45 +0000

To ignore our opportunities for knowledge, imperfect as they are, is like going to the theatre and not listening to the play. The world is full of things that are tragic or comic, heroic or bizarre or surprising, and those who fail to be interested in the spectacle that it offers are forgoing one of the privileges that life has to offer.

Bertrand Russell (1872–1970) English mathematician and philosopher
Conquest of Happiness, Part 2, ch. 15 “Impersonal Interests” (1930)

Child, Julia -- “What I’ve Learned: Julia Child,” interview by Mike Sager, Esquire (2001-06)

Dave — Thu, 16 Mar 2023 15:43:32 +0000

Drama is very important in life: You have to come on with a bang. You never want to go out with a whimper. Everything can have drama if it’s done right. Even a pancake.

Julia Child (1912–2004) American chef and writer
“What I’ve Learned: Julia Child,” interview by Mike Sager, Esquire (2001-06)

Reprinted in Brendan Vaughan, Esquire: The Meaning of Life (2004).

Stanley, Jason -- How Fascism Works: The Politics of Us and Them, ch. 4 (2018)

Dave — Thu, 07 Jul 2022 15:38:55 +0000

What happens when conspiracy theories become the coin of politics, and mainstream media and educational institutions are discredited, is that citizens no longer have a common reality that can serve as background for democratic deliberation. In such a situation, citizens have no choice but to look for markers to follow other than truth or reliability. What happens in such cases, as we see across the world, is that citizens look to politics for tribal identifications, for addressing personal grievances, and for entertainment. When news becomes sports, the strongman achieves a certain measure of popularity. Fascist politics transforms the news from a conduit of information and reasoned debate into a spectacle with the strongman as the star.

Jason Stanley (b. 1969) American philosopher, epistemologist, academic
How Fascism Works: The Politics of Us and Them, ch. 4 (2018)

Inge, William Ralph -- “Roman Catholic Modernism” (1909), Outspoken Essays: First Series (1911)

Dave — Mon, 11 May 2020 15:07:57 +0000

The craving for signs and wonders — that broad road which attracts so many converts and wins so rapid a success — leads religion at last to its destruction, as Christ seems to have warned His own disciples.

William Ralph Inge (1860–1954) English prelate [Dean Inge]
“Roman Catholic Modernism” (1909), Outspoken Essays: First Series (1911)

Adams, John -- Letter (1793-02-27) to Abigail Adams

Dave — Thu, 05 Jan 2017 01:36:40 +0000

I am weary of reading Newspapers. The Times are so full of Events, the whole Drama of the World is such a Tragedy that I am weary of the Spectacle.

John Adams (1735–1826) American lawyer, Founder, statesman; US President (1797–1801)
Letter (1793-02-27) to Abigail Adams

Aaronovitch, Ben -- Broken Homes (2013)

Dave — Wed, 27 Jan 2016 16:13:31 +0000

It’s a sad fact of modern life that sooner or later you will end up on YouTube doing something stupid. The trick, according to my dad, is to make a fool of yourself to the best of your ability.

Ben Aaronovitch (b. 1964) British author
Broken Homes (2013)