Appeasement only makes the aggressor more aggressive. Henry Strozier as Dean Rusk, Thirteen Days
On Loving Others
If you judge people, you have no time to love them. Mother Mary Teresa Bojaxhiu
On Blindness
So, you mock my blindness? Let me tell you this. You with your precious eyes, you’re blind to the corruption of your life, to the house you live in, those you live with—who are your parents? Do you know? All unknowing you are the scourge of your own flesh and blood… Sophocles, Oedipus Rex
Three Types of Denizens
It would seem that there are three types of people: cowards who run from risk, fools who ignore risk, and agents who accept risk. Vox
On Studying
Much study is a weariness of the flesh. Ecclesiastes 12:12
Sobre Rencor
Tu invidia es mi progreso lema peruano
On Judgment and Experience
Good judgment comes from experience which mostly comes from bad judgment. Jason Statham as Arthur Bishop in The Mechanic
On Sharing Happiness
Thousands of candles can be lit from a single candle, and the life of the candle will not be shortened. Happiness never decreases by being shared. Buddha
On Food, Drink, and Work
Even so, I have noticed one thing, at least, that is good. It is good for people to eat well, drink a good glass of wine, and enjoy their work. Ecclesiastes 5:18
On Trusting God
I don’t understand this, but I understand you. Vox
On STFU/GFY
Self-governance on the basis of imagined external opinion is self-bondage.VoxContinue Reading
On the Difficulty of Forgiving
It is easier to forgive an enemy than to forgive a friend. William Blake
On Peace and Conflict
On Vanity
Age-defiance vanity is underrated. Vox
When Right ≠ Legal
there have been times throughout American history where what is right is not the same as what is legal. Sometimes to do the right thing you have to break a law. Edward Snowden
The Gods of Other Nations
“Do not worship the gods of these other nations or serve them in any way, and never follow their evil example.” (EX 23:24 NLT) How many ways do we, the modern followers of the one true God, serve the gods of the lands in which we dwell? Hollywood? Wealth? Fame?
On Knowledge and Ignorance
America has (de)evolved to a point where ignorance of law is no excuse and knowledge of law is no defense! Vox
On The Price of Victory
If you believe in yourself and have dedication and pride and never quit, you’ll be a winner. The price of victory is high but so are the rewards. Paul “Bear” Bryant
Angles and Perspectives
Wrong or right, stop being acutely obtuse.Vox
On Discovering Truth
[T]ruth is best discovered by powerful statements on both sides of the question. Sir Francis Bacon (1561-1626)
N.B. Though often attributed to Lord John Scott Eldon (1751-1838), Eldon was, in fact, quoting Bacon.On Achieving
If you want the things you’ve never had,
Stop doing the things you’ve always done. Vox
In Gloriam Dei
Sive ergo manducatis sive bibitis vel aliud quid facitis, omnia. in gloriam Dei facite. AD Corinthios I 10:31
On Simplification
Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler. Albert Einstein
On Magical Solutions
On Eating Shit
If you must eat shit and die…be grateful that you received a last meal. Vox
On Taking Hasty Action
Haste is the enemy of Prudence. Vox
On Perception
The further back you can look, the further forward you can see. unknown
N.B. Often attributed to Winston Churchill, but never confirmed.On Never Quitting
Never quit. Set a goal and don’t quit until you attain it. When you do attain it, set another goal, and don’t quit until you reach it. Never quit. Paul “Bear” Bryant
On Righteous Boundaries
We made too many compromises already, too many retreats. They invade our space, and we fall back. They assimilate entire worlds, and we fall back. Not again. The line must be drawn here! This far, no farther! Sir Patrick Stewart as Jean-Luc Picard in Star Trek VIII
Which calls to mind this other memorable performance from the TV series.
Sobre humildad
El Omnipotente eligió hablar por medio del asno. El hecho de que Él también habla por medio de ti sólo afirma que vales el burro. Vox
On Clear Communication
I guess I should warn you, if I turn out to be particularly clear, you’ve probably misunderstood what I’ve said. Alan Greenspan
I know you think you understand what you thought I said but I’m not sure you realize that what you heard is not what I meant. Alan GreenspanOn Hope and Misery
Extreme hopes are born from extreme misery. Bertrand Russell
On Arrogant and Undisciplined Youth
I would rather die as the man I was than live the life I just saw. Sir Patrick Stewart as Jean-Luc Picard, Star Trek TNG S6E15
On Justice, Fairness, & Finances
“There can be no equal justice where the kind of trial a man gets depends on the amount of money he has.” Griffin v. Illinois, 351 U. S. 12, 19 (1956) (plurality opinion).
On Experience
Experience is something you don’t have until just after you need it. Vox
On Understanding Truth
All truths are easy to understand once they are discovered; the point is to discover them. Galileo Galilei
On Plan A and Plan B
There is no Plan B. You have Plan A, and you keep working at it until it happens. There is no Plan B. Zac Baker, 60 Days In
Plan B gets in the way of Plan A. Ashleigh Baker, 60 Days InOn Capitalism & Socialism
The inherent vice of capitalism is the unequal sharing of blessings; the inherent virtue of socialism is the equal sharing of miseries. Winston Churchill
On Logic
Entia non sunt multiplicanda praeter necessitatem. William of Ockham
On Faith
Be it unto me according my faith and be my faith unto me according to your faithfulness. Vox
Some Things Are Better Left Silent
I don’t need to hear what you don’t need to say.Diana Muldaur as Katherine Pulaski, Star Trek TNG S2E14
On the Operation of Justice
The operation of justice, when it works injustice, is always unjust. Vox
On Precedent
Everything is unprecedented until it happens for the first time. Tom Hanks as Chelsey Sullenberger in Sully
On Telling Stories
An honest tale speeds best being plainly told. Shakespeare, Richard III
On Passionate Living
And the truth about me is not that I’m really volatile and I’m unstable, but that I’m really vibrant, and the color of my sorrow is just as bright as the stripes of my delight.Jenny Slate
On Mistreatment
The biggest difference between Christ and most Christians is that Christ didn’t mistreat people. George Carneal
On Emotion & Action
Deliberate minds examine matters to determine whether negative emotion impedes positive action. Vox
On Losing
Losing doesn’t make me want to quit. It makes me want to fight that much harder. Paul “Bear” Bryant
On Beauty
Beauty is truth, truth beauty–that is all ye know on earth, and all ye need to know. John Keats, Ode on a Grecian Urn
Unobtainable
Never stop seeking what seems unattainable. Stephanie Niznik as The Wraith, ST Enterprise, “Rogue Planet” S1E18
On Building Foundations
If you have built castles in the air, your work need not be lost; that is where they should be. Now put the foundations under them. Henry David Thoreau
Beating a Dead Horse Led to Water
I led the horse to water. I made the horse drink. The horse drowned in the process. I beat the dead horse until its flesh fully macerated and its bones completely pulverized. The currents carried away the horse. The horse is no longer my problem. Vox
On Reclaiming One’s Life
No one can give you your life back, so you have to take your life back. Charlie Cox as Matt Murdock in The Defenders
On Personal Growth
In any given moment we have two options: to step forward into growth or to step back into safety. Abraham Maslow
One can choose to go back toward safety or forward toward growth. Growth must be chosen again and again; fear must be overcome again and again. Abraham MaslowOn Brokenness
Maybe sometimes it’s better to be broken than to be hardened. David Kaczynski
On Envisioning the Future
I never thought of the possibility of failing, only of the fame and glory I was going to get when I won. I could see it. I could almost feel it. When I proclaimed that I was the greatest of all time, I believed in myself, and I still do. Mohammed Ali
On Control and Influence
Just because something is out of our control does not mean that it is outside of our influence. Vox
On Belief and Justice
On my first day of law school, my professor says two things. First was: “From this day forward, when your mother tells you she loves you – get a second opinion. If you want justice, go to a whorehouse; if you want to get fucked, go to court.” Richard Gere as Martin Vail, Primal Fear
Incapable of Incompetence
You are incapable of that level of incompetence. Jonathan Frakes as Cmdr William Riker, Star Trek TNG S4E8
On Opposing Evil
The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing. Edmund Burke [disputed]
On Fearful Living
Those who live fearfully cannot live fully; they are slaves unto themselves. Vox
On Opposition
O LORD, oppose those who oppose me. Declare war on those who are attacking me. PSALM 35:1 NLT