"There is a theory which states that if ever anyone
discovers exactly what the universe is for and why it is
here, it will instantly disappear and be replaced by
something even more bizarre and inexplicable.
There is another that states that this has already
happened."
"Anything that happens, happens"
"Anything, in happening, causes something else to
happen, causes something else to happen."
"Anything that, in happening, causes itself to happen again, happens again."
"It doesn't necessarily do it in chronological order,
though."
Robert A. Heinlein from "Stanger in a Strange Land", and "Time Enough for Love"
"Man is the animal that laughs."
"A desire not to butt into other people's business is at least eighty percent of all human wisdom . . . and the other twenty percent isn't very important."
"Democracy is a poor system of government at best; the only thing that can honestly be said in its favor is that it is about eight times as good as any other method the human race has ever tried. Democracy's worst fault is that its leaders are likely to reflect the faults and virtues of their constituents--a depressingly low level, but what else can you expect?"
Always listen to experts. They'll tell you what can't be done, and why. Then do it.
If it can't be expressed in figures, it is not science; it is opinion.
A generation which ignores history has no past and no future.
An elephant is a mouse built to government specifications.
Any government will work if authority and responsibility are equal and coordinate. This does not insure "good" government; it simply insures that it will work. But such governments are rare, most people want to run things but want no part of the blame. This used to be called the "backseat driver syndrome."
Everything in excess! To enjoy the flavor of life, take big bites. Moderation is for monks.
Moving parts in rubbing contact require lubrication to avoid excessive wear. Honorifics and formal politeness provide lubrication where people rub together. Often the very young, the untraveled, the naive, the unsophisticated deplore these formalities as "empty," "meaningless," or "dishonest," and scorn to use them. No matter how "pure" their motives, they thereby throw sand into machinery that does not work too well at best.
A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion, butcher a hog, conn a ship, design a building, write a sonnet, balance accounts, build a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying, take orders, give orders, cooperate, act alone, solve equations, analyze a new problem, pitch manure, program a computer, cook a tasty meal, fight efficiently, die gallantly. Specialization is for insects.
Money is the sincerest of all flattery. Women love to be flattered. So do men.
Stupidity cannot be cured with money, or through education, or by legislation. Stupidity is not a sin, the victim can't help being stupid. But stupidity is the only universal capital crime; the sentence is death, there is no appeal, and execution is carried out automatically and without pity.
The two highest achievements of the human mind are the twin concepts of "loyalty" and "duty." Whenever these two concepts fall into disrepute, get out of there fast! You may possibly save yourself, but it is too late to save that society. It is doomed.
Anyone who cannot cope with mathematics is not fully human. At best he is a tolerable subhuman who has learned to wear shoes, bathe, and not make messes in the house.
Never try to outstubborn a cat.
If "everybody knows" such-and-such, then it ain't so, by at least ten thousand to one.
Do not confuse "duty" with what other people expect of you; they are utterly different. Duty is a debt you owe to yourself to fulfill obligations you have assumed voluntarily. Paying that debt can entail anything from years of patient work to instant willingness to die. Difficult it may be, but the reward is self-respect.
But there is no reward at all for doing what
other people expect of you, and to do so is not
merely difficult, but impossible. It is easier to
deal with a footpad than it is with the leech
who wants "just a few minutes of your time,
please, this won't take long." Time is your
total capital, and the minutes of your life are
painfully few. If you allow yourself to fall into
the vice of agreeing to such requests, they
quickly snowball to the point where these
parasites will use up 100 percent of your time,
and squawk for more!
So learn to say NO, and to be rude about it
when necessary.
Otherwise you will not have time to carry out
your duty, or to do your own work, and
certainly no time for love and happiness. The
termites will nibble away your life and leave
none of it for you.
This rule does not mean that YOU must not
do a favor for a friend, or even a stranger. But
let the cboice be yours. Don't do it because it
is "expected" of you.
Animals can be driven crazy by placing too many in too small a pen. Homo sapiens is the only animal that voluntarily does this to himself.
When in danger or in doubt, run in circles, scream and shout.
"If only I had known. I would have been a locksmith."
- Albert Einstein -
"I think there is a world market for maybe five computers."
- Thomas Watson - IBM Chairman, 1943
"640K ought to be enough for anybody."
- Bill Gates - 1981
"When you're arguing with a fool, make sure he isn't doing the same thing."
"Experience is somthing you don't get until just after you need it."
"76.4% of all statistics are meaningless."
All the people like us are we,
And everyone else is They.
Rudyard Kipling
You can not bring about prosperity by discouraging thrift. You cannot strengthen the weak by weakening the strong. You cannot help the wage earner by pulling down the wage payer. You cannot further brotherhood by encouraging class hatred. You cannot establish sound security by spending more than you earn. You cannot build character and courage by taking away man's initiative and independence.
- Abraham Lincoln
2000 B.C. - Here, eat this root.
1000 A.D. - That root is heathen. Here, say this prayer.
1850 A.D. - That prayer is superstition. Here, drink this potion.
1940 A.D. - That potion is snake oil. Here, swallow this pill.
1985 A.D. - That pill is ineffective. Here, take this antibiotic.
2000 A.D. - That antibiotic is artificial. Here, eat this root.
All I ask for is the opportunity to prove that money doesn't buy happiness.
America is the only country in the world where the poor have a parking problem.
Children are natural mimics. They act like their parents in spite of every attempt to teach them good manners.