Topic: Insights, Snippets, Quotes, Epiphanies & All That Sort of Things

[Geo Dude]

Yes, indeed. It vaguely recalls me this paragraph of Cioran:

A work is finished when we can no longer improve it, though we know it to be inadequate and incomplete. We are so over taxed by it that we no longer have the power to add a single comma, however indispensable. What determines the degree to which a work is done is not a requirement of art or of truth, it is exhaustion and, even more, disgust.

Anyway, I think Cioran writes more "nausea" or "repugnance" than simply "disgust".

This quote is excellent.  I picked up a short story I wrote a while back and decided it was done simply on those grounds.  Making a few edits made me feel depressed and sick so it was finished. (Fortunately it was pretty well polished prior to that.)



This one is for you, Florestan :

"Democracy is the theory that the common people know what they want, and deserve to get it good and hard."
 -- H. L. Mencken

[Florestan]

This one is for you, Florestan :

"Democracy is the theory that the common people know what they want, and deserve to get it good and hard."
 -- H. L. Mencken

Thanks for reminding it to me. I think this one from the same source is even better:

Democracy is a pathetic belief in the collective wisdom of individual ignorance.  

[Gordo]

Thanks for reminding it to me. I think this one from the same source is even better:

Democracy is a pathetic belief in the collective wisdom of individual ignorance.  

I totally agree with this if you write "realistic" rather than "pathetic".

[Ten thumbs]

Consistency is a human word but it certainly expresses nothing human.
L. E. L

[k a rl h e nn i ng]

Consistency is a human word . . . .

As distinct from . . . what other sort of word? . . .

[Florestan]

As distinct from . . . what other sort of word? . . .

Human, as distinct from menschlich, methinks. 

[k a rl h e nn i ng]

Could be a Vulcan word, I reckon . . . .

[Geo Dude]

As distinct from . . . what other sort of word? . . .

Good one.

[Ten thumbs]

As distinct from . . . what other sort of word? . . .

If such a simple concept puzzles you, stick to simple fiction.

[DavidRoss]

Consistency is a human word but it certainly expresses nothing human.
L. E. L

Apparently L.E.L. never met anyone with severe O.C.D.

[Daverz]

I recall one of my oldest ideas. The Czar is the leader and spiritual father of a hundred and fifty million men. An atrocious responsibility which is only apparent. Perhaps he is not responsible to God, but rather to a few human beings. If the poor of his empire are oppressed during his reign, if immense catastrophes result from that reign, who knows if the servant charged with shining his boots is not the real and sole person guilty? In the mysterious dispositions of the Profundity, who is really Czar, who is king, who can boast of being a mere servant?

–- Léon Bloy

Traudl Junge: History's greatest monster.

[Gordo]

–- Léon Bloy


Traudl Junge: History's greatest monster.

"... who knows if..." 

[Gordo]

Let me share a few suggestions ... after all, it’s Yom Kippur, and what is this holy day without a suggestion or two for self-improvement?

    Give people more than they expect and do it cheerfully.
    Don't believe all you hear, spend all you have, or sleep all you want.
    When you say, "I love you", mean it.
    When you say, "I'm sorry," look the person in the eye.
    Believe in love. Not just romantic love, but love for causes, friends, and country. Be informed and be passionate about your ideals and values. You might get hurt, but it's the only way to live life completely.
    Never laugh at anyone else's dreams. People who don't have dreams don't have much.
    In disagreements, fight fairly. Stick to the issues; don’t get personal.
    Don't judge people by their relatives. We all have our genetic baggage to carry.
    Talk slowly but think quickly.
    When someone asks you a question you don't want to answer, smile and ask, "Why do you want to know?"
    Remember that great achievements involve great effort.
    Say "bless you" when you hear someone sneeze. It returns their soul to them. It also removes their embarrassment.
    When you lose, don't lose the lesson.
    Remember the three R's: Respect for self; Respect for others; Responsibility for all your actions.
    Don't let a little dispute injure a great friendship.
    When you realize you've made a mistake, take immediate steps to correct it. Never lie to get out of a tricky situation. It only compounds the error. Presidents Nixon and Clinton found this out the hard way.
    Smile when picking up the phone. The caller will hear it in your voice.
    Spend a little time alone.
    Pray as if God cares; care as if God needs you to be the best you.

In the new year, may we all live as if what we do and what we say and how we act can change the world for the better. Perhaps it will efsher? Perhaps it will.

Amen

-- Rabbi Zwerin's Sermon Kol Nidre

http://web.archive.org/web/20030118221508/http://americanet.com/Sinai/resources/sermons/Zwerin_YKKN02.html

[Ten thumbs]

Apparently L.E.L. never met anyone with severe O.C.D.

Probably not. Anyway, I was being quizzical and meant no disrespect. On reflection, I sure that Karl can see that anyone who takes things so literally will find poetry a closed book, so I don't believe he does. Miss Landon was primarily a poet and prone to writing poetically.
I will now answer the question: in those days the word of God was very much alive for most people.
Incidentally, she was also a critic and thus examined language externally. As a novelist, she explored the purpose of the novel and in so doing examined language internally.
She could equally have said 'People speak of consistency but cannot but it into action'. However, her meaning is quite clear.   

[Gordo]

Ronald (Wilson) Reagan, 40th President of the United States, born in Illinois on February 6, 1911.

Well, here there is a lot to choose. I have selected just two:

[in the 1980 campaign] Recession is when your neighbor loses his job. Depression is when you lose yours. Recovery is when Jimmy Carter loses his.

 

Status quo, you know is Latin for "the mess we're in".

 

[Florestan]

From Reagan I especially like these 2:

I have left orders to be awakened at any time in case of national emergency, even if I'm in a cabinet meeting.

How do you tell a Communist? Well, it's someone who reads Marx and Lenin. And how do you tell an anti-Communist? It's someone who understands Marx and Lenin.

[k a rl h e nn i ng]

He had a good sense of humor, and a becoming manner of self-deprecation.

And that latter quote is Reagan in top form : )

[Brian]

He had a good sense of humor, and a becoming manner of self-deprecation.

And that latter quote is Reagan in top form : )

Reagan had a fondness for addressing attorneys by telling them lawyer jokes, which suggests a certain cheekiness you can't help but admire.

[Mirror Image]

A few by Bill Clinton I like:

"Frankly, I'm fed up with politicians in Washington lecturing the rest of us about family values. Our families have values. But our government doesn’t."

"For too long we've been told about "us" and "them." Each and every election we see a new slate of arguments and ads telling us that "they" are the problem, not "us." But there can be no "them" in America. There's only us."

“There is nothing wrong with America that cannot be cured by what is right with America.”

“Being President is like being the groundskeeper in a cemetery: there are a lot of people under you, but none of them are listening.”

[Gordo]

How do you tell a Communist? Well, it's someone who reads Marx and Lenin. And how do you tell an anti-Communist? It's someone who understands Marx and Lenin.

Anyway, this is quite a sophism because, in my experience, NOBODY reads Marx.