Great Quotes III: Source and Context are Key

[Mouthwash]

"I'm not sure quite how much solidarity I'm compelled to have with someone, just because they've also noticed that we're not going to see out the millennium with physical substrates identical to those we've had for the last 200,000 years." -Greg Egan on transhumanism

 

[SS-18 ICBM]

I believe the Chinese also have Internet phenomena that express political dissidence.
"So, just remember: For every 3,000 awful, unfunny memes we suffer, we get something like this. It almost makes 'Condescending Wonka' worth it."
-on the reaction to Majid Tavakoli's forced cross-dressing, Pat Carnell, 6 Works of Propaganda That Backfired in Hilarious Ways

 

[Kyriakos]

A few by Heraklitos of Ephesos:

Λιμός κόρον εποίησε, κάματος ανάπαυσιν.
"Famine (later on) enabled a full meal, being tired (enabled) a rest".

Οδός άνω και κάτω μία.
"The road going upwards and downwards is the same one".

Τα πάντα ρει και ουδέν μένει
"Everything flows and nothing remains".

Τα ανθρώπων δοξάσματα παίδων αθύρματα.
"The opinions of men are (like) children's toys".

Χρόνος παις εστι παίζων πεττεύων. Παιδός η βασιλεία.
"Time (Chronos) is a child playing with (toy)pieces. The kingship is by (of) a child".

 

[madviking]

By winning the World Cup, we didn’t change the world, we didn’t bring down the price of bread. It was a lovely thought that football players can solve people’s problems; I wish we could. We’d all be better off.

 

[Thorvald of Lym]

"Nobody ever outsourced anything for quality."

- Darn Tough Vermont factory floor slogan

 

[gay_Aleks]

For a long time to come people will write mighty books to prove that this or that or the other person brought about the war. The Socialists will publish volumes in which they will accuse the "capitalists" of having brought about the war for "commercial gain." The capitalists will answer that they lost infinitely more through the war than they made—that their children were among the first to go and fight and be killed—and they will show how in every country the bankers tried their very best to avert the outbreak of hostilities. French historians will go through the register of German sins from the days of Charlemagne until the days of William of Hohenzollern and German historians will return the compliment and will go through the list of French horrors from the days of Charlemagne until the days of President Poincare. And then they will establish to their own satisfaction that the other fellow was guilty of "causing the war." Statesmen, dead and not yet dead, in all countries will take to their typewriters and they will explain how they tried to avert hostilities and how their wicked opponents forced them into it.

The historian, a hundred years hence, will not bother about these apologies and vindications. He will understand the real nature of the underlying causes and he will know that personal ambitions and personal wickedness and personal greed had very little to do with the final outburst. The original mistake, which was responsible for all this misery, was committed when our scientists began to create a new world of steel and iron and chemistry and electricity and forgot that the human mind is slower than the proverbial turtle, is lazier than the well-known sloth, and marches from one hundred to three hundred years behind the small group of courageous leaders.

A Zulu in a frock coat is still a Zulu. A dog trained to ride a bicycle and smoke a pipe is still a dog. And a human being with the mind of a sixteenth century tradesman driving a 1921 Rolls-Royce is still a human being with the mind of a sixteenth century tradesman.

If you do not understand this at first, read it again. It will become clearer to you in a moment and it will explain many things that have happened these last six years.

Hendrick Willem van Loon, Story of Mankind.

 

[Tee Kay]

"Aaaaaaugh! I need my blanket! I admit it! Look at all of you! Who among you doesn't have an insecurity? Who among you doesn't depend on someone, or something, to get through the day? Who among you can cast the first stone? How about you, Sally? You with your endless "Sweet Babboos"? Or you, Schroeder? You with your Beethoven, Beethoven, Beethoven?! And you, Lucy, never leaving Schroeder alone, obsessing over someone who doesn't care if he ever sees you again? What do you want?! Do you want to see me unhappy? Do you want to see me insecure? Do you want to see me end up like Charlie Brown?! Even your crazy dog, Charlie Brown. Suppertime, suppertime, suppertime! Nothing but suppertime 24 hours a day! ARE ANY OF YOU SECURE?!"

source

 

[Borachio]

DECLARATION OF SENTIMENTS ADOPTED BY PEACE CONVENTION.
"Boston, 1838.

"We the undersigned, regard it as due to ourselves, to the cause which we love, to the country in which we live, to publish a declaration expressive of the purposes we aim to accomplish and the measures we shall adopt to carry forward the work of peaceful universal reformation.

"We do not acknowledge allegiance to any human government. We recognize but one King and Lawgiver, one Judge and Ruler of mankind. Our country is the world, our countrymen are all mankind. We love the land of our nativity only as we love all other lands. The interests and rights of American citizens are not dearer to us than those of the whole human race. Hence we can allow no appeal to patriotism to revenge any national insult or injury…

"We conceive that a nation has no right to defend itself against foreign enemies or to punish its invaders, and no individual possesses that right in his own case, and the unit cannot be of greater importance than the aggregate. If soldiers thronging from abroad with intent to commit rapine and destroy life may not be resisted by the people or the magistracy, then ought no resistance to be offered to domestic troublers of the public peace or of private security.

"The dogma that all the governments of the world are approvingly ordained of God, and that the powers that be in the United States, in Russia, in Turkey, are in accordance with his will, is no less absurd than impious. It makes the impartial Author of our existence unequal and tyrannical. It cannot be affirmed that the powers that be in any nation are actuated by the spirit or guided by the example of Christ in the treatment of enemies; therefore they cannot be agreeable to the will of God, and therefore their overthrow by a spiritual regeneration of their subjects is inevitable.

"We regard as unchristian and unlawful not only all wars, whether offensive or defensive, but all preparations for war; every naval ship, every arsenal, every fortification, we regard as unchristian and unlawful; the existence of any kind of standing army, all military chieftains, all monuments commemorative of victory over a fallen foe, all trophies won in battle, all celebrations in honor of military exploits, all appropriations for defense by arms; we regard as unchristian and unlawful every edict of government requiring of its subjects military service.

"Hence we deem it unlawful to bear arms, and we cannot hold any office which imposes on its incumbent the obligation to compel men to do right on pain of imprisonment or death. We therefore voluntarily exclude ourselves from every legislative and judicial body, and repudiate all human politics, worldly honors, and stations of authority. If we cannot occupy a seat in the legislature or on the bench, neither can we elect others to act as our substitutes in any such capacity. It follows that we cannot sue any man at law to force him to return anything he may have wrongly taken from us; if he has seized our coat, we shall surrender him our cloak also rather than subject him to punishment.

"We believe that the penal code of the old covenant—an eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth—has been abrogated by Jesus Christ, and that under the new covenant the forgiveness instead of the punishment of enemies has been enjoined on all his disciples in all cases whatsoever. To extort money from enemies, cast them into prison, exile or execute them, is obviously not to forgive but to take retribution.

"The history of mankind is crowded with evidences proving that physical coercion is not adapted to moral regeneration, and that the sinful dispositions of men can be subdued only by love; that evil can be exterminated only by good; that it is not safe to rely upon the strength of an arm to preserve us from harm; that there is great security in being gentle, long-suffering, and abundant in mercy; that it is only the meek who shall inherit the earth; for those who take up the sword shall perish by the sword.

"Hence as a measure of sound policy—of safety to property, life, and liberty—of public quietude and private enjoyment—as well as on the ground of allegiance to Him who is King of kings and Lord of lords, we cordially adopt the non-resistance principle, being confident that it provides for all possible consequences, is armed with omnipotent power, and must ultimately triumph over every assailing force.

"We advocate no Jacobinical doctrines. The spirit of Jacobinism is the spirit of retaliation, violence, and murder. It neither fears God nor regards man. We would be filled with the spirit of Christ. If we abide evil by our fundamental principle of not opposing evil by evil we cannot participate in sedition, treason, or violence. We shall submit to every ordinance and every requirement of government, except such as are contrary to the commands of the Gospel, and in no case resist the operation of law, except by meekly submitting to the penalty of disobedience.

"But while we shall adhere to the doctrine of non-resistance and passive submission to enemies, we purpose, in a moral and spiritual sense, to assail iniquity in high places and in low places, to apply our principles to all existing evil, political, legal, and ecclesiastical institutions, and to hasten the time when the kingdoms of this world will have become the kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ. It appears to us a self-evident truth that whatever the Gospel is designed to destroy at any period of the world, being contrary to it, ought now to be abandoned. If, then, the time is predicted when swords shall be beaten into plowshares and spears into pruning hooks, and men shall not learn the art of war any more, it follows that all who manufacture, sell, or wield these deadly weapons do thus array themselves against the peaceful dominion of the Son of God on earth.

"Having thus stated our principles, we proceed to specify the measures we propose to adopt in carrying our object into effect.

"We expect to prevail through the Foolishness of Preaching. We shall endeavor to promulgate our views among all persons, to whatever nation, sect, or grade of society they may belong. Hence we shall organize public lectures, circulate tracts and publications, form societies, and petition every governing body. It will be our leading object to devise ways and means for effecting a radical change in the views, feelings, and practices of society respecting the sinfulness of war and the treatment of enemies.

"In entering upon the great work before us, we are not unmindful that in its prosecution we may be called to test our sincerity even as in a fiery ordeal. It may subject us to insult, outrage, suffering, yea, even death itself. We anticipate no small amount of misconception, misrepresentation, and calumny. Tumults may arise against us. The proud and pharisaical, the ambitious and tyrannical, principalities and powers, may combine to crush us. So they treated the Messiah whose example we are humbly striving to imitate. We shall not be afraid of their terror. Our confidence is in the Lord Almighty and not in man. Having withdrawn from human protection, what can sustain us but that faith which overcomes the world? We shall not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try us, but rejoice inasmuch as we are partakers of Christ's sufferings.

"Wherefore we commit the keeping of our souls to God. For every one that forsakes houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands for Christ's sake, shall receive a hundredfold, and shall inherit everlasting life.

"Firmly relying upon the certain and universal triumph of the sentiments contained in this declaration, however formidable may be the opposition arrayed against them, we hereby affix our signatures to it; commending it to the reason and conscience of mankind, and resolving, in the strength of the Lord God, to calmly and meekly abide the issue."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_England_Non-Resistance_Society

 

[Borachio]

There are but two "sins": doing harm to yourself, and doing harm to others.

Bindra

 

[Phrossack]

,,In Walde fur Magdeborgk, Alda Ist vnser haubtman, fur eine schannse todt, nebhen Ihrer viel, geschossen worden. [..] den 20 Meige, haben wir mit ernst angesedtzet vndt gesturmet vndt auch erobert, da bin Ich mit sturmer handt ohn allen schaden, In die stadt kommen. Aber in die stadt am neistadter tohr bin Ich 2 Mal durch den leieb geschossen worden das Ist meine beute gewesen. [..] Nachher bin Ich In das leger gefuhret worden, verbunden, den einmal, bin Ich durch den bauch, forne durch geschossen, zum andern durch beide agslen, dass die Kugel, Ist In das hembte gelehgen, Also hat mir der feldtscher, die hende auff den Rugken gebunden, das er hat können Meissel, einbringen, Also bin Ich In meiner hudten gebracht worden, halb todt. [..] wie Ich nun verbunden bin, Ist mein weieb In die Stadt gegangen, da sie doch vber all gebrunnen hat [..] Auff den Abendt sindt nun meine gespan kommen, hat mir ein leder edtwas verehret, einen tall oder halben tall."

"In the woods of Magedeburg, there our captain was shot dead for one of the entrenchments of the many there were. [..] on the 20th of may we earnestly engaged and stormed and also seized, there I came into town with storming hand without scathe. But in the town at the Neustadt Gate I was shot two times in the body as this was my loot. [..] Later I was lead into the camp, bandaged, for one I was shot in the stomach, and for the other through both axels that the bullet laid in the shirt. So the feldscher (army surgeon) bound my hands on the back so that he could insert the chisel (forceps). As that I was brought back to my shelter half dead. [..] As I was bandaged, my wife went into the town even that it was burning all over. [..] In the evening (it was that) my companions came and each of them bestowed me something, a thaler or half a thaler."

-Diary of Peter Hagendorf, mercenary during the Thirty Years' War

 

[Cheezy the Wiz]

"It is a little bit humiliating when I have to say that Chou En-lai to me appears as the most superior brain I have so far met in the field of foreign politics... so much more dangerous than you imagine because he is so much better a man than you have ever admitted." - Dag Hammarskjöld

"Mao dominated any gathering; Zhou suffused it. Mao's passion strove to overwhelm opposition; Zhou's intellect would seek to persuade or outmaneuver it. Mao was sardonic; Zhou penetrating. Mao thought of himself as a philosopher; Zhou saw his role as an administrator or a negotiator. Mao was eager to accelerate history; Zhou was content to exploit its currents." - Henry Kissinger

Both quotes about Zhou Enlai.

 

[cybrxkhan]

"Your mom doesn't smoke dope, she smokes incense."
- My father, concerning my mother's (rather annoying) constant desire to light incense all the time

Good one dad.

 

[Borachio]

Conflict causes pain in the mind...
Because of it, the whole world is in bondage.

Tripura Rahasya

 

[Hygro]

"Your mom doesn't smoke dope, she smokes incense."
- My father, concerning my mother's (rather annoying) constant desire to light incense all the time

Good one dad.

Free pass for you to call it a sativa incense.

 

[Borachio]

In reality, consciousness is everything. All that is seen here, there, and everywhere, in all forms, is... Consciousness.

Tripura Rahasya

 

[Kyriakos]

"Pigs rather prefer bathing in mud than with clean water"
Heraklitos the Misanthrope

 

[Oruc]

"Heroic values are not those of the merchant, for they value not success, but principles"
Ernst Jünger

 

[BenitoChavez]

He who fights and runs away can run away another day.

-Mel Gibson as Maverick

 

[carmen510]

"Politics is not the art of imposing the best solutions, but of blocking the worst."

-Nicolás Gómez Dávila

 

[Borachio]