A collection of quotes on various topics. The sentence in bold face is a plain statement of the quote that follows.
Movies and Books
The movie version halted the sales of the book.
Movies and books 117 “Myra Breckinridge,”[ Gore Vidal’s transsexual satire], West’s 1970 return to the screen…mutilated to a point of toneless X-rated incomprehensibility: Vidal declared it the first time a movie had entirely halted the sales of a book. Pierpont, Claudia Roth. “A Critic at Large: The Strong Woman.” The New Yorker (Nov. 11, 1996), pp. 106-118.
Mozart
Mozart was interested in the drama of human relationships.
Mozart 241 Mozart…a passionate interest in human beings, and in the drama of human relationships.
Multimedia
I am convinced that a combination of media extends human experience in a way that words alone cannot do.
Multimedia xv I am convinced that a combination of words and music, color and movement can extend human experience in a way that words alone cannot do. Clark, Civilization.
Murder
If someone is intent on killing you, would you stop and ask if he is your father?
Murder 128 Oedipus: Let me ask you this one simple thing: If at this moment someone should step up to murder you, would you, godly creature that you are, stop and say: “Excuse me, sir, are you my father?” Sophocles. Oedipus at Colonus.
I didn’t kill him, but I accept the punishment because I intended to kill him.
Murder 561 But listen, for the last time, I am not guilty of my father’s blood…I accept my punishment not because I killed him but because I meant to kill him…. Dostoevsky, The Brothers Karamazov.
Mysticism
Today a mystic is one who is capable of wonder.
Mystic wonder wisdom 272 The convenient label “mystic” is, in our day, readily applied to men who pause for simple wonder. Eiseley, The Star Thrower
He had a sense of the wholeness of things, saw how everything was related.
Mysticism 325 But yet there was reigning in his soul a sense of the wholeness of things…. Dostoevsky, The Brothers Karamazov.
His soul seemed to be linked by threads to innumerable worlds.
Mysticism 328 There seemed to be threads from all those innumerable worlds of God, linking his soul to them. Dostoevsky, The Brothers Karamazov.
I cease to live and just begin to be.
Mysticism 188 Thoreau: “Sometimes as I drift idly on Walden Pond, I cease to live and begin to be.” Will Durant, The Story of Philosophy, Spinoza.
Mysticism is removal from one’s body to become pure thought.
Mysticism 663 The ancients called it [mysticism] ecstasy or absence,--getting out of their bodies to think. Emerson, Representative Men: Swedenborg, or The Mystic.
Myth
Political myths: Fascism, an imperial past; Communism, a utopian future; National Socialism, racial superiority.
Myth 9 Political myth: …in the case of Fascism, the myth is of an imperial past; in the case of Communism, of a socialist-utopian future; and in the case of National Socialism, of racial superiority. Bracher, The German Dictatorship.
Myths are stories that seem to be different but they are really the same story.
Myth 121 Myths: The stories seem to be different stories, but the underlying structure is always the same, in any part of the world, at any time. L. Thomas, Lives of a Cell.
The “myths” of American foreign policy: inherently bad nations; punishment by withholding diplomatic recognition and the belief that democracy will inevitably win against an alien power.
Myths 574 As a Senator in 1954, he [Kennedy] had assailed in a magazine article the “myths” which “surrounded …American foreign policy,” including “…the existence of inherently good, bad or backward nations…the impairment of an aggressor’s military power by refusing…our diplomatic recognition…that the democratic way of life…will inevitably be the victor in any struggle with an alien power….” Sorenson, Kennedy
Tuesday, August 14, 2007
Monday, August 13, 2007
Quotes: Morning. Motherhood. Motivation.
A collection of quotes on various topics. The sentence in bold face is a plain statement of the quote that follows.
Morning
On a pleasant morning, men’s sins are forgiven.
Morning 573 In a pleasant spring morning all men’s sins are forgiven. Thoreau, Walden.
Let me breathe the morning air.
Morning 432 …let me have a draught of undiluted morning air…. Thoreau, Walden.
Motherhood
The mother knows she has brought forth this spirit, but does not have the power to control it.
Motherhood 197 The mother felt like one who has evoked a spirit, but, by some irregularity in the process of conjuration, has failed to win the master-word that should control this new and incomprehensible intelligence. Hawthorne, The Scarlet Letter.
As long as you have a mother, you will never stop being a child.
Mothers 405 Mrs. Todd: There, you never get over bein’ a child long’s you have a mother to go to. Jewett, The country of the Pointed Firs.
She remembers him before he was born and now sees him as a strong, brave man.
Mothers and Sons 272 Just as twenty years before she could not believe that the little creature that was lying somewhere under her heart would one day wail and suck her breast and begin to talk, so now it was incredible that that little creature could be this strong, brave man, the paragon of sons and men, that judging by this letter he was now. Tolstoi, War and Peace.
Motivation
His motivation was to be indispensable to others.
Motivation 241 He found something that he wanted…not to be admired…not to be loved…but to be necessary to people, to be indispensable…. Fitzgerald, This Side of Paradise.
Revulsion at one’s unwanted self motivates losing individuality and merging into a collective whole.
Motivation 62 The revulsion from an unwanted self, and the impulse to forget it, mask it, slough it off and lose it, produce both a readiness to sacrifice the self and a willingness to dissolve it by losing one’s individual distinctness in a compact collective whole. Hoffer, The True Believer
We see in others the faults in ourselves.
Motivation 128 We usually strive to reveal in others the blemishes we hide in ourselves. Hoffer, The True Believer
My interest in DNA came from my interest in learning what a gene was.
Motivation 21 My interest in DNA had grown out of a desire, first picked up while a senior in college, to learn what a gene was. Watson, The Double Helix.
We don’t understand our motivations.
Motivation 519 …even the best of us have trouble understanding our motivations. Irving Stone, The Passions of the Mind (Life of Freud).
The basic motivations are ambition, power and pleasure.
Motivation 138 Faulkner: Life is motion, and motion is concerned with what makes man move--which is ambition, power, pleasure. Cowley, ed., Writers at Work.
I act to imitate.
Motivation 700 Montaigne: Most of my actions are guided by example, not choice. Emerson, Representative Men: Montaigne, or The Skeptic.
In seeking to do something we are seeking to escape from life.
Motivation 636 And it seemed to Pierre that all men were…seeking refuge from life: some in ambition, some in cards, some in framing laws, some in women, some in playthings, some in horses, some in politics, some in sport, some in wine, and some in government service. Tolstoi, War and Peace.
One’s spirit is the basic motivation.
Motivation 165 …men are motivated by their spirits. Sevareid, Not So Wild a Dream.
We take satisfaction in doing something because it is not a common experience.
Motive 577 In a small way we were the same sort of simpletons as those who climb unnecessarily the perilous peaks of Mont Blanc and the Matterhorn and derive no pleasure from it except the reflection that it isn’t a common experience. Twain, Roughing It
Hawthorne was concerned with the unspoken motives of heart and mind.
Motives 8 With his [Hawthorne] instinct for the unspoken motives of the heart and mind.... Mellow, Hawthorne in His Times.
Morning
On a pleasant morning, men’s sins are forgiven.
Morning 573 In a pleasant spring morning all men’s sins are forgiven. Thoreau, Walden.
Let me breathe the morning air.
Morning 432 …let me have a draught of undiluted morning air…. Thoreau, Walden.
Motherhood
The mother knows she has brought forth this spirit, but does not have the power to control it.
Motherhood 197 The mother felt like one who has evoked a spirit, but, by some irregularity in the process of conjuration, has failed to win the master-word that should control this new and incomprehensible intelligence. Hawthorne, The Scarlet Letter.
As long as you have a mother, you will never stop being a child.
Mothers 405 Mrs. Todd: There, you never get over bein’ a child long’s you have a mother to go to. Jewett, The country of the Pointed Firs.
She remembers him before he was born and now sees him as a strong, brave man.
Mothers and Sons 272 Just as twenty years before she could not believe that the little creature that was lying somewhere under her heart would one day wail and suck her breast and begin to talk, so now it was incredible that that little creature could be this strong, brave man, the paragon of sons and men, that judging by this letter he was now. Tolstoi, War and Peace.
Motivation
His motivation was to be indispensable to others.
Motivation 241 He found something that he wanted…not to be admired…not to be loved…but to be necessary to people, to be indispensable…. Fitzgerald, This Side of Paradise.
Revulsion at one’s unwanted self motivates losing individuality and merging into a collective whole.
Motivation 62 The revulsion from an unwanted self, and the impulse to forget it, mask it, slough it off and lose it, produce both a readiness to sacrifice the self and a willingness to dissolve it by losing one’s individual distinctness in a compact collective whole. Hoffer, The True Believer
We see in others the faults in ourselves.
Motivation 128 We usually strive to reveal in others the blemishes we hide in ourselves. Hoffer, The True Believer
My interest in DNA came from my interest in learning what a gene was.
Motivation 21 My interest in DNA had grown out of a desire, first picked up while a senior in college, to learn what a gene was. Watson, The Double Helix.
We don’t understand our motivations.
Motivation 519 …even the best of us have trouble understanding our motivations. Irving Stone, The Passions of the Mind (Life of Freud).
The basic motivations are ambition, power and pleasure.
Motivation 138 Faulkner: Life is motion, and motion is concerned with what makes man move--which is ambition, power, pleasure. Cowley, ed., Writers at Work.
I act to imitate.
Motivation 700 Montaigne: Most of my actions are guided by example, not choice. Emerson, Representative Men: Montaigne, or The Skeptic.
In seeking to do something we are seeking to escape from life.
Motivation 636 And it seemed to Pierre that all men were…seeking refuge from life: some in ambition, some in cards, some in framing laws, some in women, some in playthings, some in horses, some in politics, some in sport, some in wine, and some in government service. Tolstoi, War and Peace.
One’s spirit is the basic motivation.
Motivation 165 …men are motivated by their spirits. Sevareid, Not So Wild a Dream.
We take satisfaction in doing something because it is not a common experience.
Motive 577 In a small way we were the same sort of simpletons as those who climb unnecessarily the perilous peaks of Mont Blanc and the Matterhorn and derive no pleasure from it except the reflection that it isn’t a common experience. Twain, Roughing It
Hawthorne was concerned with the unspoken motives of heart and mind.
Motives 8 With his [Hawthorne] instinct for the unspoken motives of the heart and mind.... Mellow, Hawthorne in His Times.
Friday, August 10, 2007
Quotes: Moral Responsibility. Moral Victory. Morality.
A collection of quotes on various topics. The sentence in bold face is a plain statement of the quote that follows.
Moral Responsibility
McCarthy’s strength was not in him personally, but in the acquiescence of those who should have known better.
Moral Responsibility 119 The real strength of McCarthy was not his own force or brilliance; it was the acquiescence of those who should have known better. Halberstam, The Best and the Brightest.
Moral Victory
A moral victory recognizes the moral superiority of his opponent.
Moral victory 973 …a moral victory, the kind of victory which compels the enemy to recognize the moral superiority of his opponent and his own impotence. Tolstoi, War and Peace
Morality
The SS morality was victory over all scruples.
Morality 421 SS “morality” sought the heroic victory over the self as the victory over all moral and religious scruples. Bracher, The German Dictatorship
It is harder to resist mercy in holding down captured peoples than it is to be in battle.
Morality 422 Himmler to the leaders of the SS: “In many cases it is considerably easier to lead a company into battle than to command a company responsible for some area where it has to hold down a hostile population, probably one with a long history, to carry out executions, to deport people, to remove shrieking, weeping women…to do this unseen duty…to be always consistent, always uncompromising—that is in many cases far harder.” Bracher, The German Dictatorship.
Should people resist when resistance is futile?
Morality xi The problem of power: Has anyone any ‘right’ to resist the stronger when resistance is likely to be ineffective? Warner, Euripides.
Don’t do things because you are able, but because you ought.
Morality 235 Arthur: I don’t think things ought to be done because you are able to do them; I think they should be done because you ought to do them. T. H. White, The Once and Future King.
King Arthur: “Might for Right.”
Morality 353 King Arthur’s slogan: “Might for right.” T. H. White, The Once and Future King.
When people are determined to do right all the time, they will find themselves in a tangle that even an angel can’t get out of.
Morality 432 Lionel: Give me a moral man who insists on doing the right thing all the time, and I will show you a tangle which an angel couldn’t get out of. T. H. White, The Once and Future King.
People need to foresee the distant results of their actions.
Morality 8 If men could be taught to see clearly their real interests, to see afar the distant results of their deeds…. Will Durant, The Story of Philosophy, Plato.
The individual must at times sacrifice individuality for the common good.
Morality 40 Morality: …life in society requires the concession of some part of the individual’s sovereignty to the common order. Will Durant, The Story of Philosophy, Plato.
The only unqualified good: to do right regardless of profit or loss for ourselves.
Morality 276 Kant: the only unqualifiedly good in this world is…the will to follow the moral law, regardless of profit or loss for ourselves. Will Durant, The Story of Philosophy, Kant.
Never treat people as a means.
Morality 277 Kant: …treat humanity, whether in thine own person or in that of another, in every case as an end, never only as a means. Will Durant, The Story of Philosophy, Kant.
People will respect you more if you give them money rather than a lecture on morality.
Morality 272 Johnson on morality vs. money: Go into the street, and give one man a lecture on morality, and another a shilling, and see which will respect you most. Boswell, Life of Johnson, Vol. 1.
People worry about others cheating them; one day they will worry that they might cheat others.
Morality 1062 Every man takes care that his neighbor shall not cheat him…but a day comes when he begins to care that he do not cheat his neighbor. Emerson, The Conduct of Life: Worship.
If you do wrong, you will suffer wrong.
Morality 294 You cannot do wrong without suffering wrong. Emerson, Compensation.
Intention is important in deciding right or wrong.
Morality 671 But of course intention was everything in the question of right and wrong. George Eliot, Middlemarch.
In deciding what to do, choose that which has more good than evil.
Morality 141 Lincoln: The true rule, in determining to embrace, or reject anything, is not whether it have any evil in it; but whether it have more of evil, than of good. Sandburg, Abraham Lincoln: The Prairie Years
Conscience is an inescapable feeling that we are doing right or wrong.
Morality, conscience 276 Kant: Now the most astounding reality in all our experience is precisely our moral sense, our inescapable feeling, in the face of temptation, that this or that is wrong…the categorical imperative in us, the unconditional command of our conscience…. Will Durant, The Story of Philosophy, Kant.
We must avoid behavior that if all men engaged in it, social life would be impossible.
Morality, conscience 276 Kant: We know, not by reasoning, but by vivid and immediate feelings, that we must avoid behavior which, if adopted by all men, would render social life impossible. Will Durant, The Story of Philosophy, Kant.
Conscience legislates a priori that what we are doing is right or wrong.
Morality, conscience 276 Kant: An action is good not because it has good results, or because it is wise, but because it is done in obedience to this inner sense of duty, this moral law that does not come from our personal experience, but legislates imperiously and a priori for all our behavior, past, present, and future. Will Durant, The Story of Philosophy, Kant.
Moral Responsibility
McCarthy’s strength was not in him personally, but in the acquiescence of those who should have known better.
Moral Responsibility 119 The real strength of McCarthy was not his own force or brilliance; it was the acquiescence of those who should have known better. Halberstam, The Best and the Brightest.
Moral Victory
A moral victory recognizes the moral superiority of his opponent.
Moral victory 973 …a moral victory, the kind of victory which compels the enemy to recognize the moral superiority of his opponent and his own impotence. Tolstoi, War and Peace
Morality
The SS morality was victory over all scruples.
Morality 421 SS “morality” sought the heroic victory over the self as the victory over all moral and religious scruples. Bracher, The German Dictatorship
It is harder to resist mercy in holding down captured peoples than it is to be in battle.
Morality 422 Himmler to the leaders of the SS: “In many cases it is considerably easier to lead a company into battle than to command a company responsible for some area where it has to hold down a hostile population, probably one with a long history, to carry out executions, to deport people, to remove shrieking, weeping women…to do this unseen duty…to be always consistent, always uncompromising—that is in many cases far harder.” Bracher, The German Dictatorship.
Should people resist when resistance is futile?
Morality xi The problem of power: Has anyone any ‘right’ to resist the stronger when resistance is likely to be ineffective? Warner, Euripides.
Don’t do things because you are able, but because you ought.
Morality 235 Arthur: I don’t think things ought to be done because you are able to do them; I think they should be done because you ought to do them. T. H. White, The Once and Future King.
King Arthur: “Might for Right.”
Morality 353 King Arthur’s slogan: “Might for right.” T. H. White, The Once and Future King.
When people are determined to do right all the time, they will find themselves in a tangle that even an angel can’t get out of.
Morality 432 Lionel: Give me a moral man who insists on doing the right thing all the time, and I will show you a tangle which an angel couldn’t get out of. T. H. White, The Once and Future King.
People need to foresee the distant results of their actions.
Morality 8 If men could be taught to see clearly their real interests, to see afar the distant results of their deeds…. Will Durant, The Story of Philosophy, Plato.
The individual must at times sacrifice individuality for the common good.
Morality 40 Morality: …life in society requires the concession of some part of the individual’s sovereignty to the common order. Will Durant, The Story of Philosophy, Plato.
The only unqualified good: to do right regardless of profit or loss for ourselves.
Morality 276 Kant: the only unqualifiedly good in this world is…the will to follow the moral law, regardless of profit or loss for ourselves. Will Durant, The Story of Philosophy, Kant.
Never treat people as a means.
Morality 277 Kant: …treat humanity, whether in thine own person or in that of another, in every case as an end, never only as a means. Will Durant, The Story of Philosophy, Kant.
People will respect you more if you give them money rather than a lecture on morality.
Morality 272 Johnson on morality vs. money: Go into the street, and give one man a lecture on morality, and another a shilling, and see which will respect you most. Boswell, Life of Johnson, Vol. 1.
People worry about others cheating them; one day they will worry that they might cheat others.
Morality 1062 Every man takes care that his neighbor shall not cheat him…but a day comes when he begins to care that he do not cheat his neighbor. Emerson, The Conduct of Life: Worship.
If you do wrong, you will suffer wrong.
Morality 294 You cannot do wrong without suffering wrong. Emerson, Compensation.
Intention is important in deciding right or wrong.
Morality 671 But of course intention was everything in the question of right and wrong. George Eliot, Middlemarch.
In deciding what to do, choose that which has more good than evil.
Morality 141 Lincoln: The true rule, in determining to embrace, or reject anything, is not whether it have any evil in it; but whether it have more of evil, than of good. Sandburg, Abraham Lincoln: The Prairie Years
Conscience is an inescapable feeling that we are doing right or wrong.
Morality, conscience 276 Kant: Now the most astounding reality in all our experience is precisely our moral sense, our inescapable feeling, in the face of temptation, that this or that is wrong…the categorical imperative in us, the unconditional command of our conscience…. Will Durant, The Story of Philosophy, Kant.
We must avoid behavior that if all men engaged in it, social life would be impossible.
Morality, conscience 276 Kant: We know, not by reasoning, but by vivid and immediate feelings, that we must avoid behavior which, if adopted by all men, would render social life impossible. Will Durant, The Story of Philosophy, Kant.
Conscience legislates a priori that what we are doing is right or wrong.
Morality, conscience 276 Kant: An action is good not because it has good results, or because it is wise, but because it is done in obedience to this inner sense of duty, this moral law that does not come from our personal experience, but legislates imperiously and a priori for all our behavior, past, present, and future. Will Durant, The Story of Philosophy, Kant.
Thursday, August 9, 2007
Quotes: Mood
A collection of quotes on various topics. The sentence in bold face is a plain statement of the quote that follows.
Mood
It was as if all joy had vanished from the world.
Mood 210 …it seemed as if all joy had vanished from the world, never to be restored. E. Brontë, Wuthering Heights.
He threw all the books on the fire to offer sacrifice to his spleen.
Mood 369 He [Hareton] afterwards gathered the books and hurled them on the fire…I read in his countenance what anguish it was to offer that sacrifice to spleen. E. Brontë, Wuthering Heights.
I have so little interest in my daily life that I hardly remember to eat and drink.
Mood 390 Heathcliff: I take so little interest in my daily life, that I hardly remember to eat and drink. . E. Brontë, Wuthering Heights.
I have to remind myself to breathe and remind my heart to beat.
Mood 392 Heathcliff: I have to remind myself to breathe—almost to remind my heart to beat. . E. Brontë, Wuthering Heights.
She anticipated some event to interrupt her composed and tranquil state.
Mood 315 [Emma] felt as if the spring would not pass without bringing a crisis, an event, a something to alter her present composed and tranquil state. Austen, Emma
In her present mood the only solace came from her resolution to behave better.
Mood 423 When it came to such a pitch as this, she was not able to refrain from a start, or a heavy sigh, or even from walking about the room for a few seconds—and the only source whence anything like consolation or composure could be drawn, was in the resolution of her own better conduct…. Austen, Emma
He went to London to learn how to be indifferent.
Mood 432 He [Mr. Knightley] had gone [to London] to learn to be indifferent. Austen, Emma
The castle was too full of night and winter.
Mood 601 For both women the castle was suddenly too dark, too empty, too lonely, too northerly, too full of night and winter. T. H. White, The Once and Future King.
She had gained ideas that disposed her to be courteous and kind to everyone and to pity everyone whom she thought to be less happy than she.
Mood 184 She had received ideas which disposed her to be courteous and kind to all, and to pity everyone, as being less happy than herself. Austen, Persuasion.
I sat in the rocking chair and felt that it was a place of peace.
Mood 470 I sat in the rocking-chair…the heart of the old house on Green Island…and felt that it was a place of peace, the little brown bedroom, and the quiet outlook upon field and sea and sky. Jewett, The country of the Pointed Firs.
She said, “She’s really gone” to impress the sad fact upon her mind.
Mood 425 "So she's really gone, and the funeral was up to Lynn!" repeated Mrs. Todd, as if to impress the sad fact upon her mind. Jewett, The country of the Pointed Firs.
I have patience, but no hope.
Mood 439 "I have come to know what it is to have patience, but I have lost hope." Jewett, The country of the Pointed Firs.
A day like this gives beauty to people with the plainest faces.
Mood 457 Such a day as this has transfiguring powers, and easily makes friends of those who have been cold-hearted, and gives to those who are dumb their chance to speak, and lends some beauty to the plainest face. Jewett, The country of the Pointed Firs.
I wished again for days in which nothing happened but herbs growing and the course of the sun.
Mood 484 I wished to have one of my first weeks back again, with those long hours when nothing happened except the growth of herbs and the course of the sun. Jewett, The country of the Pointed Firs.
I was so beset by ennui that I almost was asphyxiated.
Mood 53 Flaubert on Rouen, France: At sunset yesterday the walls [of Rouen] were oozing such ennui that I was almost asphyxiated as I passed. Hull, ed. The Writer’s Book.
My own cheerfulness made everything around me cheerful.
Mood 1039 …when I brought my own cheerfulness into the saloon, these frescoes looked cheerful too. Hawthorne, The Marble Faun.
Dreariness magnifies and multiplies.
Mood 1123 …where all that is dreary in domestic life seems magnified and multiplied…. Hawthorne, The Marble Faun.
Mood
It was as if all joy had vanished from the world.
Mood 210 …it seemed as if all joy had vanished from the world, never to be restored. E. Brontë, Wuthering Heights.
He threw all the books on the fire to offer sacrifice to his spleen.
Mood 369 He [Hareton] afterwards gathered the books and hurled them on the fire…I read in his countenance what anguish it was to offer that sacrifice to spleen. E. Brontë, Wuthering Heights.
I have so little interest in my daily life that I hardly remember to eat and drink.
Mood 390 Heathcliff: I take so little interest in my daily life, that I hardly remember to eat and drink. . E. Brontë, Wuthering Heights.
I have to remind myself to breathe and remind my heart to beat.
Mood 392 Heathcliff: I have to remind myself to breathe—almost to remind my heart to beat. . E. Brontë, Wuthering Heights.
She anticipated some event to interrupt her composed and tranquil state.
Mood 315 [Emma] felt as if the spring would not pass without bringing a crisis, an event, a something to alter her present composed and tranquil state. Austen, Emma
In her present mood the only solace came from her resolution to behave better.
Mood 423 When it came to such a pitch as this, she was not able to refrain from a start, or a heavy sigh, or even from walking about the room for a few seconds—and the only source whence anything like consolation or composure could be drawn, was in the resolution of her own better conduct…. Austen, Emma
He went to London to learn how to be indifferent.
Mood 432 He [Mr. Knightley] had gone [to London] to learn to be indifferent. Austen, Emma
The castle was too full of night and winter.
Mood 601 For both women the castle was suddenly too dark, too empty, too lonely, too northerly, too full of night and winter. T. H. White, The Once and Future King.
She had gained ideas that disposed her to be courteous and kind to everyone and to pity everyone whom she thought to be less happy than she.
Mood 184 She had received ideas which disposed her to be courteous and kind to all, and to pity everyone, as being less happy than herself. Austen, Persuasion.
I sat in the rocking chair and felt that it was a place of peace.
Mood 470 I sat in the rocking-chair…the heart of the old house on Green Island…and felt that it was a place of peace, the little brown bedroom, and the quiet outlook upon field and sea and sky. Jewett, The country of the Pointed Firs.
She said, “She’s really gone” to impress the sad fact upon her mind.
Mood 425 "So she's really gone, and the funeral was up to Lynn!" repeated Mrs. Todd, as if to impress the sad fact upon her mind. Jewett, The country of the Pointed Firs.
I have patience, but no hope.
Mood 439 "I have come to know what it is to have patience, but I have lost hope." Jewett, The country of the Pointed Firs.
A day like this gives beauty to people with the plainest faces.
Mood 457 Such a day as this has transfiguring powers, and easily makes friends of those who have been cold-hearted, and gives to those who are dumb their chance to speak, and lends some beauty to the plainest face. Jewett, The country of the Pointed Firs.
I wished again for days in which nothing happened but herbs growing and the course of the sun.
Mood 484 I wished to have one of my first weeks back again, with those long hours when nothing happened except the growth of herbs and the course of the sun. Jewett, The country of the Pointed Firs.
I was so beset by ennui that I almost was asphyxiated.
Mood 53 Flaubert on Rouen, France: At sunset yesterday the walls [of Rouen] were oozing such ennui that I was almost asphyxiated as I passed. Hull, ed. The Writer’s Book.
My own cheerfulness made everything around me cheerful.
Mood 1039 …when I brought my own cheerfulness into the saloon, these frescoes looked cheerful too. Hawthorne, The Marble Faun.
Dreariness magnifies and multiplies.
Mood 1123 …where all that is dreary in domestic life seems magnified and multiplied…. Hawthorne, The Marble Faun.
Wednesday, August 8, 2007
Quotes: Mind. Miracle. Misanthrope. Misfit. Mobs. Moderation. Modern. Monarch.
A collection of quotes on various topics. The sentence in bold face is a plain statement of the quote that follows.
Mind
One part of my mind watched the other part.
Mind 79 And then sat watching myself, watching one part of my mind with another. Finney, From Time to Time.
The history of mind has been concealing it.
Mind 118 The history of men’s minds has been the concealing of them…. F. Scott Fitzgerald on Writing.
Only the mind of man remains unmeasured.
Mind man 174 …there is little or nothing that remains unmeasured: Nothing, that is, but the mind of man. Eiseley, The Star Thrower
Miracle
A miracle appears and disappears within the natural order, a definition that also includes each individual human being.
Miracle 57 The only thing that characterizes a miracle, to my mind, is its sudden appearance and disappearance within the natural order, although, strangely, this loose definition would include each individual person. Eiseley, The Star Thrower
Misanthrope
People are selfish, mean, cowardly and treacherous.
Misanthrope 120 Johnson: Convinced by time of the selfishness, the meanness, the cowardice, the treachery of men. Boswell, Life of Johnson, Vol. 1.
I hate people; I’m one of the best and I know how bad I am.
Misanthrope 315 Boswell, quoting a certain man: “I hate mankind, for I think myself one of the best of them, and I know how bad I am.” Boswell, Life of Johnson, Vol. 1.
Misfit
The permanent misfit cannot do the one thing he craves to accomplish.
Misfit 49 The permanent misfits are those who because of a lack of talent or some irreparable defect in body or mind cannot do the one thing for which their whole being craves. Hoffer, The True Believer
Mobs
Men in crowds are more foolish, violent and cruel than men separate and alone.
Mobs 8 …is it not universally seen that men in crowds are more foolish and more violent and more cruel than men separate and alone? Will Durant, The Story of Philosophy, Plato.
In crowds, we lose our humanity.
Mobs 110 …we haven’t yet learned how to stay human when assembled in masses. L. Thomas, Lives of a Cell.
Moderation
Moderation is rarer than patience.
Moderation 200 …the virtue of moderation is more rare than that of patience. Montaigne, Selected Essays.
Modern
The modern mind disregards what is good in its age and focuses on what is wrong. Modern 254 [The modern mind]: What is good in the age they live in they do not regard; their eyes are fixed on what is wrong. E. Hamilton. The Greek Way.
On passing the iron works, he scratched these lines: We didn’t come to view your works in hopes to be more wise, but only if we go to hell, it will be no surprise.
Modern society 321 And Burns, passing the Carron Iron Works in 1787, scratched these lines on a window-pane: We cam na here to view your warks,/ In hopes to be mair wise,/ But only, lest we gang to Hell,/ It may be nae surprise. Clark, Civilization.
Monarch
Absolute monarchs: cruelty, sorrow, age, pride, selfishness, loneliness.
Monarch 44 …a face which had been ravaged by all the passions of an absolute monarch—by cruelty, sorrow, age, pride, selfishness, loneliness and thoughts too strong for individual brains. T. H. White, The Once and Future King.
Mind
One part of my mind watched the other part.
Mind 79 And then sat watching myself, watching one part of my mind with another. Finney, From Time to Time.
The history of mind has been concealing it.
Mind 118 The history of men’s minds has been the concealing of them…. F. Scott Fitzgerald on Writing.
Only the mind of man remains unmeasured.
Mind man 174 …there is little or nothing that remains unmeasured: Nothing, that is, but the mind of man. Eiseley, The Star Thrower
Miracle
A miracle appears and disappears within the natural order, a definition that also includes each individual human being.
Miracle 57 The only thing that characterizes a miracle, to my mind, is its sudden appearance and disappearance within the natural order, although, strangely, this loose definition would include each individual person. Eiseley, The Star Thrower
Misanthrope
People are selfish, mean, cowardly and treacherous.
Misanthrope 120 Johnson: Convinced by time of the selfishness, the meanness, the cowardice, the treachery of men. Boswell, Life of Johnson, Vol. 1.
I hate people; I’m one of the best and I know how bad I am.
Misanthrope 315 Boswell, quoting a certain man: “I hate mankind, for I think myself one of the best of them, and I know how bad I am.” Boswell, Life of Johnson, Vol. 1.
Misfit
The permanent misfit cannot do the one thing he craves to accomplish.
Misfit 49 The permanent misfits are those who because of a lack of talent or some irreparable defect in body or mind cannot do the one thing for which their whole being craves. Hoffer, The True Believer
Mobs
Men in crowds are more foolish, violent and cruel than men separate and alone.
Mobs 8 …is it not universally seen that men in crowds are more foolish and more violent and more cruel than men separate and alone? Will Durant, The Story of Philosophy, Plato.
In crowds, we lose our humanity.
Mobs 110 …we haven’t yet learned how to stay human when assembled in masses. L. Thomas, Lives of a Cell.
Moderation
Moderation is rarer than patience.
Moderation 200 …the virtue of moderation is more rare than that of patience. Montaigne, Selected Essays.
Modern
The modern mind disregards what is good in its age and focuses on what is wrong. Modern 254 [The modern mind]: What is good in the age they live in they do not regard; their eyes are fixed on what is wrong. E. Hamilton. The Greek Way.
On passing the iron works, he scratched these lines: We didn’t come to view your works in hopes to be more wise, but only if we go to hell, it will be no surprise.
Modern society 321 And Burns, passing the Carron Iron Works in 1787, scratched these lines on a window-pane: We cam na here to view your warks,/ In hopes to be mair wise,/ But only, lest we gang to Hell,/ It may be nae surprise. Clark, Civilization.
Monarch
Absolute monarchs: cruelty, sorrow, age, pride, selfishness, loneliness.
Monarch 44 …a face which had been ravaged by all the passions of an absolute monarch—by cruelty, sorrow, age, pride, selfishness, loneliness and thoughts too strong for individual brains. T. H. White, The Once and Future King.
Tuesday, August 7, 2007
Quotes: Military
A collection of quotes on various topics. The sentence in bold face is a plain statement of the quote that follows.
Military
In the military there is no turmoil such as occurs in the outside world as we exercise free will.
Military 462 Here [in the Regiment] was none of that turmoil of the world at large in which he found himself out of his element and made mistakes in exercising his free will. Tolstoi, War and Peace.
In war the cruel and incompetent have power over the helpless and the sensitive.
Military 83 …the armed services in the protest novels of the war gave to the cruel and the incompetent power over the lives of the helpless and the sensitive. [military] Blum, V Was for Victory
Even the presentiment of dread was dulled by the drab military routine.
Military 36 …even the dull presentiment of dread, like the first hint of a toothache—with which the day began, was utterly stifled, deadened by drab army routine. [military] Childers, Wings of Morning
Hitler’s party was military not merely militant.
Military 149 The main attribute of the “new party” was its military, not merely militant, character. Bracher, The German Dictatorship.
Out of the army, a man longs for certitude, camaraderie, freedom from individual responsibility different from the competitive free society.
Military 47 He [the man just out of the army] longs for certitude, camaraderie, freedom from individual responsibility, and a vision of something altogether different from the competitive free society around him…. Hoffer, The True Believer
Uniforms, flags, emblems, parades, music and elaborate etiquette are designed to remove the sense of individuality and mask the reality of death.
Military 70 Their [the army’s] uniforms, flags, emblems, parades, music, and elaborate etiquette and ritual are designed to separate the soldier from his flesh-and-blood self and mask the overwhelming reality of life and death. Hoffer, The True Believer
Mass movements and armies are collective bodies, strip the individual of his separateness and distinctness, demand self-sacrifice and unquestioning obedience and are a refuge for the frustrated who cannot endure an autonomous existence.
Military 91 The similarities [between armies and mass movements] are many: both mass movements and armies are collective bodies; both strip the individual of his separateness and distinctness; both demand self-sacrifice, unquestioning obedience and single hearted allegiance; both make extensive use of make-believe to promote daring and united action; and both can serve as a refuge for the frustrated who cannot endure an autonomous existence. Hoffer, The True Believer
Unlike mass movements, armies are not to achieve salvation but an instrument for the preservation of established order.
Military 92 …the differences [between armies and mass movements] are fundamental: an army…is not a road to salvation…mainly an instrument devised for the preservation of an established order. Hoffer, The True Believer
Armies are designed to protect the present.
Military 92 The army is an instrument for bolstering, protecting, and expanding the present. Hoffer, The True Believer
JFK: The U.S. will never strike the first blow.
Military 681 JFK: “Our arms will never be used to strike the first blow in any attack.” Sorenson, Kennedy
The military must always be subject to civilian control.
Military 682 “Our arms must be subject to ultimate civilian control and command at all times, in war as well as peace. Sorenson, Kennedy
Military conflicts need more than military solutions.
Military 715 Military conflicts required more than military solutions…the Communists exploited genuine noncommunist grievances. Sorenson, Kennedy
War pricks the democratic bubble: People go from being citizens with equal rights to slaves of the military.
Military 150 One of the most amusing by-products of war is its pricking of the fundamental democratic delusion…Homo boobus…flapping his wings over his God-given rights, his inalienable freedom, his sublime equality to his masters…of a sudden he is thrust into a training camp, and discovers that he is a slave after all--that even his life is not his own.
Mencken, Minority Report.
We need a professional military just as we need businessmen, scientists, clergymen and scholars.
Military 481 Maxwell Taylor: We must perhaps progress further toward maturity before there will be a whole hearted acceptance at home of the continuing need for a large and respected military profession in the United States in the same way as there is a need for a class of businessmen, professional men, scientists, clergymen and scholars. Halberstam, The Best and the Brightest.
Our business is to fight, not to think.
Military 489 Our business is to do our duty, to fight, and not to think! Tolstoi, War and Peace.
Marching leads to a feeling of being part of an irresistible force.
Military 59 …when marching…I had a thrilling feeling of being part of a living, irresistible force…. Sevareid, Not So Wild a Dream.
The military uniform was a convict suit for a prison of the human spirit.
Military 63 We regarded the uniform as a convict suit, worn by inmates of the prison house of the human spirit….
The true test of an army is its spirit.
Military 203 I clung to my intuitive belief that the true test of any army is a matter of the spirits of men, which alone could not be improvised by American ingenuity or purchased by American wealth. Sevareid, Not So Wild a Dream.
The myth that the military was a melting pot.
Military 377 The popular belief that army life was melting all Americans from whatever social strata, of whatever personal interests, into one common amalgam was pure legend. Sevareid, Not So Wild a Dream.
In the crisis of battle, men became as one, but battles are brief and men return to making life as much like normal as possible.
Military 377 It is true that in the crisis of battle men became as one, but battles are of brief duration, and meanwhile life goes on—each man making it as nearly like the life he had left as he possibly could. Sevareid, Not So Wild a Dream.
Military
In the military there is no turmoil such as occurs in the outside world as we exercise free will.
Military 462 Here [in the Regiment] was none of that turmoil of the world at large in which he found himself out of his element and made mistakes in exercising his free will. Tolstoi, War and Peace.
In war the cruel and incompetent have power over the helpless and the sensitive.
Military 83 …the armed services in the protest novels of the war gave to the cruel and the incompetent power over the lives of the helpless and the sensitive. [military] Blum, V Was for Victory
Even the presentiment of dread was dulled by the drab military routine.
Military 36 …even the dull presentiment of dread, like the first hint of a toothache—with which the day began, was utterly stifled, deadened by drab army routine. [military] Childers, Wings of Morning
Hitler’s party was military not merely militant.
Military 149 The main attribute of the “new party” was its military, not merely militant, character. Bracher, The German Dictatorship.
Out of the army, a man longs for certitude, camaraderie, freedom from individual responsibility different from the competitive free society.
Military 47 He [the man just out of the army] longs for certitude, camaraderie, freedom from individual responsibility, and a vision of something altogether different from the competitive free society around him…. Hoffer, The True Believer
Uniforms, flags, emblems, parades, music and elaborate etiquette are designed to remove the sense of individuality and mask the reality of death.
Military 70 Their [the army’s] uniforms, flags, emblems, parades, music, and elaborate etiquette and ritual are designed to separate the soldier from his flesh-and-blood self and mask the overwhelming reality of life and death. Hoffer, The True Believer
Mass movements and armies are collective bodies, strip the individual of his separateness and distinctness, demand self-sacrifice and unquestioning obedience and are a refuge for the frustrated who cannot endure an autonomous existence.
Military 91 The similarities [between armies and mass movements] are many: both mass movements and armies are collective bodies; both strip the individual of his separateness and distinctness; both demand self-sacrifice, unquestioning obedience and single hearted allegiance; both make extensive use of make-believe to promote daring and united action; and both can serve as a refuge for the frustrated who cannot endure an autonomous existence. Hoffer, The True Believer
Unlike mass movements, armies are not to achieve salvation but an instrument for the preservation of established order.
Military 92 …the differences [between armies and mass movements] are fundamental: an army…is not a road to salvation…mainly an instrument devised for the preservation of an established order. Hoffer, The True Believer
Armies are designed to protect the present.
Military 92 The army is an instrument for bolstering, protecting, and expanding the present. Hoffer, The True Believer
JFK: The U.S. will never strike the first blow.
Military 681 JFK: “Our arms will never be used to strike the first blow in any attack.” Sorenson, Kennedy
The military must always be subject to civilian control.
Military 682 “Our arms must be subject to ultimate civilian control and command at all times, in war as well as peace. Sorenson, Kennedy
Military conflicts need more than military solutions.
Military 715 Military conflicts required more than military solutions…the Communists exploited genuine noncommunist grievances. Sorenson, Kennedy
War pricks the democratic bubble: People go from being citizens with equal rights to slaves of the military.
Military 150 One of the most amusing by-products of war is its pricking of the fundamental democratic delusion…Homo boobus…flapping his wings over his God-given rights, his inalienable freedom, his sublime equality to his masters…of a sudden he is thrust into a training camp, and discovers that he is a slave after all--that even his life is not his own.
Mencken, Minority Report.
We need a professional military just as we need businessmen, scientists, clergymen and scholars.
Military 481 Maxwell Taylor: We must perhaps progress further toward maturity before there will be a whole hearted acceptance at home of the continuing need for a large and respected military profession in the United States in the same way as there is a need for a class of businessmen, professional men, scientists, clergymen and scholars. Halberstam, The Best and the Brightest.
Our business is to fight, not to think.
Military 489 Our business is to do our duty, to fight, and not to think! Tolstoi, War and Peace.
Marching leads to a feeling of being part of an irresistible force.
Military 59 …when marching…I had a thrilling feeling of being part of a living, irresistible force…. Sevareid, Not So Wild a Dream.
The military uniform was a convict suit for a prison of the human spirit.
Military 63 We regarded the uniform as a convict suit, worn by inmates of the prison house of the human spirit….
The true test of an army is its spirit.
Military 203 I clung to my intuitive belief that the true test of any army is a matter of the spirits of men, which alone could not be improvised by American ingenuity or purchased by American wealth. Sevareid, Not So Wild a Dream.
The myth that the military was a melting pot.
Military 377 The popular belief that army life was melting all Americans from whatever social strata, of whatever personal interests, into one common amalgam was pure legend. Sevareid, Not So Wild a Dream.
In the crisis of battle, men became as one, but battles are brief and men return to making life as much like normal as possible.
Military 377 It is true that in the crisis of battle men became as one, but battles are of brief duration, and meanwhile life goes on—each man making it as nearly like the life he had left as he possibly could. Sevareid, Not So Wild a Dream.
Monday, August 6, 2007
Quotes: Metaphysics. Middle Age. Middle ages. Middle Class. Midwest. Might.
A collection of quotes on various topics. The sentence in bold face is a plain statement of the quote that follows.
Metaphysics
Metaphysics meant discovering the essential nature of reality.
Metaphysics 351 …metaphysics had meant, throughout the history of thought, an attempt to discover the ultimate nature of reality. Will Durant, The Story of Philosophy, Herbert Spencer.
Middle Age
Middle-aged people can believe in God while breaking all his commandments.
Middle-age 368 Middle-aged people can balance between believing in God and breaking all the Commandments, without difficulty. T. H. White, The Once and Future King.
Middle-aged men are tired looking.
Middle-aged men 165 [Men aged forty-five]: …they know life and are so adorably tired looking. Fitzgerald, This Side of Paradise.
Middle Ages
The initial letters of their manuscripts were so illuminated that it was impossible to read the first page.
Middle Ages 414 In the abbeys all the monks were illuminating the initial letters of their manuscripts with such a riot of invention that it was impossible to read the first page at all. T. H. White, The Once and Future King.
Now that the guns have come, the Round Table is over.
Middle Ages 613 “Now that the guns have come,” said Arthur, “the Table is over.” T. H. White, The Once and Future King.
Middle Class
Average people do the work and are manipulated by minorities at either end, the best and the worst.
Middle class 25 The decent, average people who do the nation’s work in cities and on the land are worked upon and shaped by minorities at both ends—the best and the worst. Hoffer, The True Believer
The great periods of culture were not produced by the aristocracy but by the bourgeoisie.
Middle class vs. aristocracy 444 It is a common delusion that the great periods of culture have been ages of hereditary aristocracy: on the contrary, the efflorescent periods of Pericles and the Medici and Elizabeth and the Romantic Age were nourished with the wealth of a rising bourgeoisie; and the creative work in literature and art was done not by aristocratic families but by the offspring of the middle class--by such men as Socrates, who was the son of a midwife, and Voltaire, who was the son of an attorney, and Shakespeare, who was the son of a butcher. Will Durant, The Story of Philosophy, Nietzsche.
Midwest
Memories of growing up in the Midwest.
Midwest 177 That’s my Middle West—not the wheat or the prairies or the lost Swede towns, but the thrilling returning trains of my youth, and the street lamps and sleigh bells in the frosty dark and the shadows of holly wreaths thrown by lighted windows on the snow. Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby.
Might
Might unfortunately is right.
Might 167 Ismene: For might unfortunately is right and makes us bow to things like this and worse. Sophocles. Antigone.
When might is right there is no right.
Might right 194 Chorus: Where might is right/ There is no right. Sophocles. Antigone.
Metaphysics
Metaphysics meant discovering the essential nature of reality.
Metaphysics 351 …metaphysics had meant, throughout the history of thought, an attempt to discover the ultimate nature of reality. Will Durant, The Story of Philosophy, Herbert Spencer.
Middle Age
Middle-aged people can believe in God while breaking all his commandments.
Middle-age 368 Middle-aged people can balance between believing in God and breaking all the Commandments, without difficulty. T. H. White, The Once and Future King.
Middle-aged men are tired looking.
Middle-aged men 165 [Men aged forty-five]: …they know life and are so adorably tired looking. Fitzgerald, This Side of Paradise.
Middle Ages
The initial letters of their manuscripts were so illuminated that it was impossible to read the first page.
Middle Ages 414 In the abbeys all the monks were illuminating the initial letters of their manuscripts with such a riot of invention that it was impossible to read the first page at all. T. H. White, The Once and Future King.
Now that the guns have come, the Round Table is over.
Middle Ages 613 “Now that the guns have come,” said Arthur, “the Table is over.” T. H. White, The Once and Future King.
Middle Class
Average people do the work and are manipulated by minorities at either end, the best and the worst.
Middle class 25 The decent, average people who do the nation’s work in cities and on the land are worked upon and shaped by minorities at both ends—the best and the worst. Hoffer, The True Believer
The great periods of culture were not produced by the aristocracy but by the bourgeoisie.
Middle class vs. aristocracy 444 It is a common delusion that the great periods of culture have been ages of hereditary aristocracy: on the contrary, the efflorescent periods of Pericles and the Medici and Elizabeth and the Romantic Age were nourished with the wealth of a rising bourgeoisie; and the creative work in literature and art was done not by aristocratic families but by the offspring of the middle class--by such men as Socrates, who was the son of a midwife, and Voltaire, who was the son of an attorney, and Shakespeare, who was the son of a butcher. Will Durant, The Story of Philosophy, Nietzsche.
Midwest
Memories of growing up in the Midwest.
Midwest 177 That’s my Middle West—not the wheat or the prairies or the lost Swede towns, but the thrilling returning trains of my youth, and the street lamps and sleigh bells in the frosty dark and the shadows of holly wreaths thrown by lighted windows on the snow. Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby.
Might
Might unfortunately is right.
Might 167 Ismene: For might unfortunately is right and makes us bow to things like this and worse. Sophocles. Antigone.
When might is right there is no right.
Might right 194 Chorus: Where might is right/ There is no right. Sophocles. Antigone.
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