“He’s so morally bankrupt they repossessed his conscience.”
Another of my would-be witticisms, from November 1, 1991
“Let the cymbals of popularity tinkle still. Let the butterflies of fame glitter with their wings. I shall envy neither their music nor their colors.”
John Adams, quoted without further attribution in Epoch Times email newsletter 23 November 2021
“‘What we anticipate seldom occurs; what we least expected generally happens.”
Benjamin Disraeli, quoted as “Thought du jour” in “Social Studies” in Globe & Mail September 1, 2005
“Liberty underlies the entire enterprise; it’s not just one more vector in an indifference curve.”
Walter Block in Michael A. Walker, ed. Freedom Democracy and Economic Welfare: Proceedings of an International Symposium
“Variety is the spice of life – but monotony buys the groceries.”
D.P. Diffiné, “The 1993 American Incentive System Almanac”
“In the first place, divest yourself of all bias in favor of novelty and singularity of opinion. Indulge them in any other subject rather than that of religion. It is too important, and the consequences of error may be too serious. On the other hand, shake off all the fears and servile prejudices, under which weak minds are servilely crouched. Fix reason firmly in her seat, and call to her tribunal every fact, every opinion. Question with boldness even the existence of a God; because, if there be one, he must more approve of the homage of reason, than that of blindfolded fear.”
Thomas Jefferson, in a 1787 letter to his orphan nephew Peter Carr, quoted in William Bennett The Book of Virtues
“He never told the truth when a lie would serve”.
Douglas MacArthur on FDR, quoted in Chronicles magazine September 1993
“Curiosity is only vanity. We usually only want to know something so that we can talk about it; in other words, we would never travel by sea if it meant never talking about it, and for the sheer pleasure of seeing things we could never hope to describe to others.”
Blaise Pascal Pensées