My BTS quote project, I urge you all to participate!

reply to post by Kram09


Good quotes, thought I'd keep up and add some more Confucius ones...

“Life is really simple, but we insist on making it complicated.” ~Confucius

“Learn as though you would never be able to master it; Hold it as though you would be in fear of losing it” ~Confucius

“You can only push someone too far until they’re up against the wall – at that point you can either hand them a pickaxe or bash their head into the wall albeit they will most likely end up dead before you get your point through.”

“The media insist that crime is the major concern of the American public today. In this connection they generally push the point that a disarmed society would be a crime-free society. They will not accept the truth that if you take all the guns off the street you still will have a crime problem, whereas if you take the criminals off the street you cannot have a gun problem.” ~ Jeff Cooper

"Don’t be a deer caught in the headlights of the Kenworth of life!" ~ Clint Smith

Doubt, the essential preliminary of all improvement and discovery, must accompany the stages of man's onward progress. The faculty of doubting and questioning, without which those of comparison and judgment would be useless, is itself a divine prerogative of the reason. ~ Albert Pike

You can do anything, but not everything. -David Allen

The trouble with the rat race is that even if you win, you’re still a rat. -Lily Tomlin

A wise man gets more use from his enemies than a fool from his friends. -Baltasar Gracian

The person who reads too much and uses his brain too little will fall into lazy habits of thinking. -Albert Einstein

Don’t ever wrestle with a pig. You’ll both get dirty, but the pig will enjoy it. -Cale Yarborough

Originally posted by Tobree
You can do anything, but not everything. -David Allen

The trouble with the rat race is that even if you win, you’re still a rat. -Lily Tomlin

A wise man gets more use from his enemies than a fool from his friends. -Baltasar Gracian

The person who reads too much and uses his brain too little will fall into lazy habits of thinking. -Albert Einstein

Don’t ever wrestle with a pig. You’ll both get dirty, but the pig will enjoy it. -Cale Yarborough

Good quotes - especially the Einstein one - seems I may be falling into the category he was speaking of.

“The wise man does not expose himself needlessly to danger, since there are few things for which he cares sufficiently; but he is willing, in great crises, to give even his life - knowing that under certain conditions it is not worth-while to live." ~Aristotle

“Solitude is impractical and yet society is fatal.” ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

“The energy of the mind is the essence of life.” ~Aristotle

“We are here plunged in politics funnier than words can express. Very great issues are involved... But the amusing thing is that no one talks about real interests. By common consent they agree to let these alone. We are afraid to discuss them. Instead of this the press is engaged in a most amusing dispute whether Mr. Cleveland had an illegitimate child and did or did not live with more than one mistress.” – Henry Adams (literary commentator) on the election of 1884

“Our democracy is but a name. We vote? What does that mean? It means that we choose between two bodies of real, though not avowed, autocrats. We choose between Tweedledum and Tweedledee.. . .You ask for votes for women. What good can votes do when ten-elevenths of the land of Great Britain belongs to 200,000 and only one-eleventh to the rest of the 40,000,000? Have your men with their millions of votes freed themselves from this injustice?” – Helen Keller (1911)

“The whole aim of practical politics is to keep the populace alarmed (and hence clamorous to be led to safety) by an endless series of hobgoblins, most of them imaginary.” – H. L Mencken

“We should support whatever the enemy opposes and oppose whatever the enemy supports."” – Mao Zedong

“After all manner of professors have done their best for us, the place we are to get knowledge is in books. The true university of these days is a collection of books.” – Albert Camus

“The things I want to know are in books; my best friend is the man who'll get me a book I ain't read.” – Abraham Lincoln

“Honesty is the first chapter in the book of wisdom.” – Thomas Jefferson

“I find television very educating. Every time somebody turns on the set, I go into the other room and read a book.” – Groucho Marx

“Study history, study history. In history lie all the secrets of statecraft.” - Winston Churchill

“History repeats itself, first as tragedy, second as farce.” – Karl Marx

“Scepticism is a virtue in history as well as in philosophy.” – Napoleon Bonaparte

“The very concept of objective truth is fading out of the world. Lies will pass into history.” – George Orwell

“There is nothing new in the world except the history you do not know.” – Harry Truman

“Some people see things that are and ask, why? Some people dream of things that never were and ask, Why not? Some people have to go to work and don't have time for all that.” – George Carlin

“Yes, America is gigantic, but a gigantic mistake.” – Sigmund Freud

“Here in America we are descended in blood and in spirit from revolutionists and rebels - men and women who dare to dissent from accepted doctrine. As their heirs, may we never confuse honest dissent with disloyal subversion.” – Dwight D. Eisenhower

“You don’t know the horrible aspects of war. I’ve been through two wars and I know. I’ve seen cities and homes in ashes. I’ve seen thousands of men lying on the ground, their dead faces looking up at the skies. I tell you, war is Hell!” – William Tecumseh Sherman

“A man who does not think for himself does not think at all.” – Oscar Wilde

“Thinking is the greatest torture in the world for most people.” – Luther Burbank

“Rarely do we find men who willingly engage in hard, solid thinking. There is an almost universal quest for easy answers and half-baked solutions. Nothing pains some people more than having to think.” – Martin Luther King

“Science may have found a cure for most evils; but it has found no remedy for the worst of them all - the apathy of human beings.” – Helen Keller

"Education is the manifestation of the perfection already in man." ~Swami Vivekananda

“Take up one idea. Make that one idea your life - think of it, dream of it, live on that idea. Let the brain, muscles, nerves, every part of your body, be full of that idea, and just leave every other idea alone. This is the way to success, that is way great spiritual giants are produced.” ~Swami Vivekananda

“We are responsible for what we are, and whatever we wish ourselves to be, we have the power to make ourselves. If what we are now has been the result of our own past actions, it certainly follows that whatever we wish to be in future can be produced by our present actions; so we have to know how to act.” ~Swami Vivekananda

“Throughout history, it has been the inaction of those who could have acted; the indifference of those who should have known better; the silence of the voice of justice when it mattered most; that has made it possible for evil to triumph.” – Haile Selassie

“One cannot refuse to eat just because there is a chance of being choked.” – Chinese Proverb

“The person, who risks nothing, does nothing, has nothing, is nothing, and becomes nothing. He may avoid suffering and sorrow, but he simply cannot learn and feel and change and grow and love and live.” – Leo Buscaglia

“If you aren't good at loving yourself, you will have a difficult time loving anyone, since you'll resent the time and energy you give another person that you aren't even giving to yourself.” – Babara De Angelis

“To wish you were someone else is to waste the person you are.”

“Be yourself, don't take anyone's #, and never let them take you alive.”

“I'm not the greatest; I'm the double greatest. Not only do I knock 'em out, I pick the round.” – Muhammad Ali

“He is his own best friend who takes delight in privacy whereas the man of no virtue or ability is his own worst enemy and is afraid of solitude” – Aristotle

“A good sword is the one left in its scabbard.” – Japanese proverb

“Getting money is like digging with a needle. Spending it is like water soaking into the sand.” – Japanese proverb

“Outside noisy, inside empty” – Chinese Proverb

“Kissing is like drinking salted water: you drink and your thirst increases” – Chinese Proverb

“Do not anxiously hope for that which is not yet come; do not vainly regret what is already past” – Chinese Proverb

“To listen well, is as powerful a means of influence as to talk well, and is as essential to all true conversation” – Chinese Proverb

“When you fall into a pit, you either die or get out” - Chinese Proverb

“The inarticulate speak longest” – Japanese Proverb

“If you wish to know the mind of a man, listen to his words.” - Chinese Proverb

“The one who understands does not speak; the one who speaks does not understand” – Chinese Proverb"

It is the first responsibility of every citizen to question authority" – Benjamin Franklin

"Over grown military establishments are under any form of government inauspicious to liberty, and are to be regarded as particularly hostile to republican liberty." – George Washington

"Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the judgement that something else is more important than fear.”
Ambrose Redmoon

"The relief of avoidance is no match for the joy of accomplishment."
MikeNice81

"Ironically, avoiding suffering just causes many of us to suffer all the more. Obesity. Ignorance. Heart conditions. Diabetes. Depression. Millions of Americans suffer needlessly because they don’t have the right formula for success. These are not stupid people; they just don’t know how to work for what they want. Somewhere along the way they (wrongly) learned that the good things in life come from playing the lottery, having affairs, manipulating the truth, risking quick-fix surgeries, or riding somebody else’s coat tales whenever they have to deal with something important.

I call this misguided method the Pleasure from Pleasure Technique. It’s a short-term, shortsighted shortcut strategy that is ultimately short on results. Furthermore, it inevitably backfires. The end result is mental, physical, and emotional pain with no real pleasure in sight."
Tony Horton

"Authentic joy and happiness comes from treating ourselves and others with respect and civility. Adult toys (cars, homes, jewelry, etc), prestige, money and looks are usually a means to short term pleasures. These things feed the ego. The ego isn't real. It's your desire to create a false you to present to the world. Nothing but smoke and mirrors to make you feel better than someone else. Yuck! "
Tony Horton

Lazarus Short sez:

Trepanation? I need that like I need a hole in the head.



Over many years I have written down "The Sayings of Lazarus Short" and recently got them all in a computer file. I may just post them all here later.

Edit: There is this wonderful book I first read about in the "Whole Earth Catalog." It was published in Africa, and titled Not Even God is Ripe Enough (to Catch a Woman in Love) the chapter titles read like a list of proverbs, and the stories are rich with earthy wisdom. Two examples:

A youth can have fine robes like an elder, but a youth can never have rags like an elder.

What an elder can see sitting down, a youth can not see standing up.

I may post more of those, too.

Then, I have a book The Writings of Ivan Panin which contains over 3000 aphorisms. Whew!

I only have two quotes,ok, three, as one popped out at me as I was typing,ok ,four, another one popped out to me. One is by me, one is by Buddah ,and one may come from a book, I am not sure, but it has been instrumental in my day to day life:
(actually all of these quotes to me have very seriously deep meaning and understanding.)

If love goes in, Peace comes out- Me

It is not what happens, but how you react that counts~ Said to me many years ago, and it still applies today. Do not remember who said it, may have come from a book.

Negative attention is better than no attention at all~Pete Borgren, My Jr High Principal. He may have taken it from somewhere else, I do not know, but when I understood it, it changed much of my life.

My signature holds Buddah's quote, which I will never change. It means more in today's world than it did ever before, even though it is universal. (applies at all times)

From my own "Quotes" file:

The trouble with the Balkans is that they produce more history than they can consume locally. -H. H. Munro

What every culture must eventually decide, actively debate and decide, is what of all that surrounds it, tangible and intangible, it will dismantle and turn into material wealth. And what of its cultural wealth, from the tradition of finding peace in the vision of an undisturbed hillside to a knowledge of how to finance a corporate merger, it will fight to preserve. - Barry Lopez

It seems a law of history for successful movements and empires to resist further change after the needs that had motivated them into promoting change had been satisfied. - James P. Hogan

We've spent too long tinking about our inner child. We ought to start thinking about our inner geezer!
- Robert Bly

A husband is what is left of a lover, after the nerve has been extracted. - Helen Rowland

Here's page one of my sayings:

THE SAYINGS OF LAZARUS SHORT [Lazarus Shorts]
by Dennis Dibben

The second-place finisher is subject to humiliation and frustration – he lost, and unlike the following pack, his failure is obvious for all to see. Someone who is second-in-command is in a similar position in regards to any lack or failure. Mutiny often comes from that direction. If you have a need for such a person, a second, choose someone you really, really trust. If possible, it should be someone bound to you by a blood oath.

Consider Schrodinger’s Cat from the cat’s point of view. Until the box is opened, aren’t we also just a fog of probabilities?

When the ship lifts, all debts are not paid, from the creditors’ point of view. If your debt is too large, you may expect to meet a collector on the landing bay at your next port of call. Consider filing one flight plan and flying another.

Most any problem, even a critical one, if put off long enough, can be eventually ignored for good – if you have that much time – for the problem and its consequences will at last disappear. However, do not let that be an excuse for procrastination! Besides all of the usual reasons for solving problems, such as cutting financial losses, consider doing it for your own personal development.

If you ever have it out with an enemy, never leave him “for dead.” Be certain! People have been known to recover from horrible wounds and injuries. A final shot or blow, preferably to the base of the skull, will help you sleep easier, and may prevent an unpleasant surprise at some future date.

In dealing with corporations, always remember that the main purpose of such organizations is to avoid personal responsibility on the part of those who run them. Typical excuses run like, “We’re just looking out for the interests of the stockholders,” or “We’re responsible for making a profit for the stockholders – nothing more.”

“I find capitalism repugnant. It is filthy, it is gross, it is alienating... because it causes war, hypocrisy and competition.” – Fidel Castro

“My idea, as the whole world knows, is that the capitalist system now doesn't work either for the United States or the world, driving it from crisis to crisis, which are each time more serious.” – Fidel Castro

“This is my wish for you: Comfort on difficult days, smiles when sadness intrudes, rainbows to follow the clouds, laughter to kiss your lips, sunsets to warm your heart, hugs when spirits sag, beauty for your eyes to see, friendships to brighten your being, faith so that you can believe, confidence for when you doubt, courage to know yourself, patience to accept the truth, Love to complete your life.” - Unknown

“It is impossible for capitalism to survive, primarily because the system of capitalism needs some blood to suck. Capitalism used to be like an eagle, but now it's more like a vulture. It used to be strong enough to go and suck anybody's blood whether they were strong or not. But now it has become more cowardly, like the vulture, and it can only suck the blood of the helpless. As the nations of the world free themselves, the capitalism has less victims, less to suck, and it becomes weaker and weaker. It's only a matter of time in my opinion before it will collapse completely.” – Malcolm X

“My alma mater was books, a good library - I could spend the rest of my life reading, just satisfying my curiosity” – Malcolm X

“Don't be in a hurry to condemn because he doesn't do what you do, or think as you think, or as fast. There was a time when you didn't know what you know today.” – Malcolm X

“I have often reflected upon the new vistas that reading opened to me. I knew right there in prison that reading had changed forever the course of my life. As I see it today, the ability to read awoke in me some long dormant craving to be mentally alive.” – Malcolm X

“Wise men speak because they have something to say; fools because they have to say something.” – Plato

Sometimes I lie awake at night, and ask, "Where have I gone wrong?" Then a voice says to me, "This is going to take more than one night."

“The basic thing nobody asks is why do people take drugs of any sort? Why do we have these accessories to normal living to live? I mean, is there something wrong with society that's making us so pressurized, that we cannot live without guarding ourselves against it?” – John Lennon

“Democracy means simply the bludgeoning of the people by the people for the people.” – Oscar Wilde

“The best argument against democracy is a five minute conversation with the average voter.” – Winston Churchill

“The forces in a capitalist society, if left unchecked, tend to make the rich richer and the poor poorer.” – Jawaharlal Nehru

“We should all be obliged to appear before a board every five years and justify our existence...on pain of liquidation.” – George Bernard Shaw

“The things most people want to know about are usually none of their business.” – George Bernard Shaw

“The trouble with her is that she lacks the power of conversation but not the power of speech.” – George Bernard Shaw

“I would like to take you seriously, but to do so would be an affront to your intelligence.” – George Bernard Shaw

“Two percent of the people think; three percent of the people think they think; and ninety-five percent of the people would rather die than think.” – George Bernard Shaw

“I don't know if there are men on the moon, but if there are they must be using the earth as their lunatic asylum” – George Bernard Shaw

“The world is populated in the main by people who should not exist” – George Bernard Shaw

“When liberty comes with hands dabbled in blood it is hard to shake hands with her.” – Oscar Wilde

“Conversation about the weather is the last refuge of the unimaginative.” – Oscar Wilde

“The world is a stage, but the play is badly cast.” – Oscar Wilde

“Keep love in your heart. A life without it is like a sunless garden when the flowers are dead.” - Oscar Wilde

“Expecting the world to treat you fairly because you are a good person is a little like expecting a bull not to attack you because you are a vegetarian” – Dennis Wholey

“The whole history of the world is summed up in the fact that, when nations are strong, they are not always just, and when they wish to be just, they are no longer strong.” – Winston Churchill

“When people speak to you about a preventive war, you tell them to go and fight it. After my experience, I have come to hate war. War settles nothing.” – Dwight Eisenhower

“I confess, without shame, that I am sick and tired of fighting — its glory is all moonshine; even success the most brilliant is over dead and mangled bodies, with the anguish and lamentations of distant families, appealing to me for sons, husbands, and fathers ... it is only those who have never heard a shot, never heard the shriek and groans of the wounded and lacerated ... that cry aloud for more blood, more vengeance, more desolation.” – William Tecumseh Sherman

“The most difficult thing in life is to know yourself.” – Thales

“He that will not reflect is a ruined man.” – Asian Proverb

“Fear less, hope more, eat less, chew more, whine less, breathe more, talk less, say more, hate less, love more, and good things will be yours.” – Swedish Proverb

“The most difficult thing is the decision to act, the rest is merely tenacity. The fears are paper tigers. You can do anything you decide to do. You can act to change and control your life; and the procedure, the process is its own reward.” – Amelia Earhart

“An election cannot give a country a firm sense of direction if it has two or more national parties which merely have different names but are as alike in their principles and aims as two peas in the same pod.” –Franklin D. Roosevelt

“One of the delightful things about Americans is that they have absolutely no historical memory.” - Chou En-Lai

“A cynic is a man who, when he smells flowers, looks around for a coffin.” – H. L. Mencken

“Democracy is the theory that the common people know what they want and deserve to get it good and hard.” – H. L. Mencken

“Love: The delusion that one woman differs from another” – H. L. Mencken

“A good politician is quite as unthinkable as an honest burglar” – H. L. Mencken