“the sort of story in which Jane is just like Tarzan, but with cleavage.”
J. Budziszewski in the Underground Thomist May 5, 2025 [https://www.undergroundthomist.org/in-defense-of-a-stereotype].
“Never in human history were there writers who so sacrificed their humour and human dignity and hope of heaven, in order to be shocking. And never, in human history, were there readers who were so little shocked. There is no time or space for any shock to take effect.”
G.K. Chesterton in G.K.’s Weekly August 22, 1935, quoted in “Chesterton for Today” in Gilbert: the Magazine of the Society of G.K. Chesterton Vol. 28 #3 (Jan./Feb. 2025)
“Pilot, you’ll never get anywhere in this life if you only do what is wise.”
Lt.-Cmdr. Ninian Scott-Elliot, who had a distinguished wartime career with the Royal Navy (and uttered this phrase when warned that his plane was pursuing a U-boat too close to shore) before moving to the Solomons where he died age 86, quoted in the Ottawa Citizen April 19, 1998
“The worst kind of depression is not when we see bad things and hate them; the worst kind of depression, the hell below hell, is when we see good things and do not love them.”
G.K. Chesterton in London Opinion April 2, 1904, quoted in “Chesterton for Today” in Gilbert: the Magazine of the Society of G.K. Chesterton Vol. 28 #4 (March/April 2025)
“Allah did not create man so that he could have fun. The aim of creation was for mankind to be put to the test through hardship and prayer. An Islamic regime must be serious in every field. There are no jokes in Islam. There is no humor in Islam. There is no fun in Islam. There can be no fun and joy in whatever is serious. Islam does not allow swimming in the sea and is opposed to radio and television serials. Islam, however, allows marksmanship, horseback riding and competition ...”
Ayatollah Khomeini “Meeting in Qom "Broadcast by radio Iran from Qom on 20 August 1979." quoted in The Spirit of Allah: Khomeini and the Islamic Revolution (1986), by Amir Taheri, Adler & Adler, p. 259” according to Wikipedia article on “Khomeinism”, “Sternness and austerity” section [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Khomeinism#Sternness_and_austerity] as of 23/6/25.
“Sing while you fight”
Me on the desirability of being a happy warrior in public policy, both for tactical reasons and because life is both too short and too marvelous an adventure to go around being sour about its difficulties, June 25, 2025
“A baby is God’s opinion that the world should go on.”
Carl Sandburg, quoted in a C2C email teaser June 27, 2025 to an article that did not actually contain that quotation [https://c2cjournal.ca/2025/06/restoring-canada-special-seriespart-vi-the-desperate-need-for-a-baby-bump/].
“Those pairs could only have been made by one who saw before him the Soul of Boot…”
John Galsworthy regarding a particular bootmaker’s samples in William Bennett The Book of Virtues