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Post by Tamrin on Dec 13, 2013 6:47:58 GMT 10
Our movement is of the working people, for the working people, by the working people
The man who has his millions will want everything he can lay his hands on and then raise his voice against the poor devil who wants ten cents more a day
What does labor want? We want more schoolhouses and less jails; more books and less arsenals; more learning and less vice; more leisure and less greed; more justice and less revenge; in fact, more of the opportunities to cultivate our better natures
Time is the most valuable thing on earth: time to think, time to act, time to extend our fraternal relations, time to become better men, time to become better women, time to become better and more independent citizens
Where trade unions are most firmly organized, there are the rights of the people most respected
There is not a right too long denied to which we do not aspire in order to achieve; there is not a wrong too long endured that we are not determined to abolish
Show me the country that has no strikes and I'll show you the country in which there is no libertySamuel GompersUnion organizer ( American Federation of Labor) (Died this day 1924) The worst crime against working people is a company which fails to operate at a profit
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Post by Tamrin on Dec 13, 2013 6:50:13 GMT 10
The search for justice and security, the struggle for equality of opportunity, the quest for tolerance and harmony, the pursuit of human dignity – these are moral imperatives which we must work towards and think about on a daily basis
If our animosities are born out of fear, then confident generosity is born out of hope. One of the central lessons I have learned after a half century of working in the developing world is that the replacement of fear by hope is probably the single most powerful trampoline of progress
There are those ... who enter the world in such poverty that they are deprived of both the means and the motivation to improve their lot. Unless these unfortunates can be touched with the spark which ignites the spirit of individual enterprise and determination, they will only sink back into renewed apathy, degradation and despair. It is for us, who are more fortunate, to provide that spark
Pluralist societies are not accidents of history. They are a product of enlightened education and continuous investment by governments and all of civil society in recognizing and celebrating the diversity of the world’s peoples
There are many interpretations of Islam within the wider Islamic community, but gener- ally we are instructed to leave the world a better place than it was when we came into it
If we judge from Islamic history, there is much to encourage us. For century after century, the Arabs, the Persians, the Turks and many other Islamic societies achieved powerful leader- ship roles in the world — not only politically and economically but also intellectually
The Muslim world, with its history and cultures, and indeed its different interpretations of Islam, is still little known in the West … The two worlds, Muslim and non-Muslim, Eastern and Western, must, as a matter of urgency, make a real effort to get to know one another, for I fear that what we have is not a clash of civilisations, but a clash of ignorance on both sidesHis Highness Prince Karīm al-Ḥussaynī Āgā Khān IV, KBE CC GCC49 th hereditary Imam (spiritual leader) of the Ismaili Muslims (Born this day 1936) We cannot make the world safe for democracy unless we also make the world safe for diversity
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Post by Tamrin on Dec 13, 2013 6:50:57 GMT 10
The freedom of each individual can only be the freedom of all
Before anything else, we need a new age of Enlightenment. Our present political systems must relinquish their claims on truth, justice and freedom and have to replace them with the search for truth, justice, freedom and reason
The rightful claim to dissent is an existential right of the individual
Everything that is necessary is also easy. You just have to accept it. And the most necessary, the most natural matter on this planet is death
A state always calls itself fatherland when it is ready for murder
For people who have no critical acumen, a state is a mythical entity, for those who think critically it is a rational fiction, created by man in order to facilitate human coexistence
Without tolerance, our world turns into hellFriedrich DürrenmattSwiss author and dramatist (Died this day 1990) Truth is always a delusion
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Post by Tamrin on Dec 13, 2013 6:55:01 GMT 10
Patriotism is the last refuge of a scoundrel
Bro. Samuel Johnson In Dr. Johnson's famous dictionary, patriotism is defined as the last resort of a scoundrel. With all due respect to an enlightened but inferior lexicographer, I beg to submit it is the first
Ambrose Bierce, The Devil's Dictionary (1911)
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Post by Tamrin on Dec 14, 2013 6:22:46 GMT 10
Saturday’s Quotes:I had determined to go as far as declaring in abstruse and puzzling utterances the future causes of the "common advent", even those truly cogent ones that I have fore- seen. Yet lest whatever human changes may be to come should scandalize delicate ears, the whole thing is written in nebulous form, rather than as a clear prophecy of any kind
Nothing in the world can one imagine beforehand, not the least thing, everything is made up of so many unique particulars that cannot be foreseen
Perfect knowledge of such things cannot be acquired without divine inspiration, given that all prophetic inspiration derives its initial origin from God Almighty, then from chance and nature. Since all these portents are produced impartially, prophecy comes to pass partly as predicted. For understanding created by the intellect cannot be acquired by means of the occult, only by the aid of the zodiac, bringing forth that small flame by whose light part of the future may be discerned
Sitting alone at night in secret study; it is placed on the brass tripod. A slight flame comes out of the emptiness and makes successful that which should not be believed in vain
If I have eschewed the word prophet, I do not wish to attribute to myself such lofty title at the present time, for whoever is called a prophet now was once called a seer; since a prophet, my son, is properly speaking one who sees distant things through a natural know- ledge of all creatures. And it can happen that the prophet bringing about the perfect light of prophecy may make manifest things both human and divine, because this cannot be done otherwise, given that the effects of predicting the future extend far off into time
So many evils by Satan's prince will be committed that almost the entire world will find itself undone and desolated. Before these events, many rare birds will cry in the air, 'Now! Now!" and sometime later will vanish
When twenty years of the Moon's reign have passed another will take up his reign for seven thousand years. When the exhausted Sun takes up his cycle then my prophecy and threats will be accomplishedNostradamus (Michel de Notredame)French physician, astrologer and occultist (Born this day 1503) Tomorrow, I shall no longer be here(last words)
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Post by Tamrin on Dec 14, 2013 6:24:36 GMT 10
Those who study the stars have God for a teacher
For those [observations] that I made in Leipzig in my youth and up to my 21st year, I usually call childish and of doubtful value. Those that I took later until my 28th year [i.e., until 1574] I call juvenile and fairly serviceable. The third group, however, which I made at Uraniborg during approximately the last 21 years with the greatest care and with very accurate instruments at a more mature age, until I was fifty years of age, those I call the observations of my manhood, completely valid and absolutely certain, and this is my opinion of them
Because the region of the Celestial World is of so great and such incredible magni- tude as aforesaid, and since in what has gone before it was at least generally demon- strated that this comet continued within the limits of the space of the Aether, it seems that the complete explanation of the whole matter is not given unless we are also informed within narrower limits in what part of the widest Aether, and next to which orbs of the Planets [the comet] traces its path, and by what course it accomplishes this
That the machine of Heaven is not a hard and impervious body full of various real spheres, as up to now has been believed by most people. It will be proved that it extends everywhere, most fluid and simple, and nowhere presents obstacles as was formerly held, the circuits of the Planets being wholly free and without the labour and whirling round of any real spheres at all, being divinely governed under a given law
There really are not any spheres in the heavens ... Those which have been devised by the experts to save the appearances exist only in the imagination, for the purpose of enabling the mind to conceive the motion which the heavenly bodies trace in their course and, by the aid of geometry, to determine the motion numerically through the use of arithmetic
When I had satisfied myself that no star of that kind [supernova] had ever shone before, I was led into such perplexity by the unbeliev- ability of the thing that I began to doubt the faith of my own eyes
And when statesmen or others worry him [the scientist] too much, then he should leave with his possessions. With a firm and steadfast mind one should hold under all conditions, that every- where the earth is below and the sky above and to the energetic man, every region is his fatherlandTycho BraheDanish mathematician, astronomer and alchemist (Born this day 1546) So Mathematical Truth prefers simple words since the language of Truth is itself simple
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Post by Tamrin on Dec 14, 2013 6:25:50 GMT 10
Labor to keep alive in your breast that little spark of celestial fire, called conscience
I hope I shall possess firmness and virtue enough to maintain what I consider the most enviable of all titles, the character of an honest man
Associate with men of good quality if you esteem your own reputation; for it is better to be alone than in bad company
Be courteous to all, but intimate with few, and let those few be well tried before you give them your confidence
If the freedom of speech is taken away then dumb and silent we may be led, like sheep to the slaughter
The foolish and wicked practice of profane cursing and swearing is a vice so mean and low that every person of sense and character detests and despises it
It is better to offer no excuse than a bad oneBro. George Washington1st President USA (1789-97) (Died this day 1799) Truth will ultimately prevail where there is pains to bring it to light
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Post by Tamrin on Dec 14, 2013 6:26:52 GMT 10
The study of Nature is intercourse with the Highest Mind. You should never trifle with Nature
Philosophers and theologians have yet to learn that a physical fact is as sacred as a moral principle. Our own nature demands from us this double allegiance
Facts are stupid until brought into connection with some general law
In-depth studies have an influence on general ideas, whereas theories, in turn, in order to maintain themselves, push their spectators to search for new evidence. The mind's activity that is maintained by the debates about these works, is probably the source of the greatest joys given to man to experience on Earth
Embryology furnishes… the best measure of true affinities existing between animals
I cannot afford to waste my time making money
Study nature, not booksLouis AgassizSwiss geologist and paleo-biologist (Died this day 1873) Every scientific truth goes through three states: First, people say it conflicts with the Bible; next, they say it has been discovered before; lastly, they say they always believed it
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Post by Tamrin on Dec 14, 2013 6:27:53 GMT 10
I felt the universe suddenly quake, and that a golden spirit sprang up from the ground, veiled my body, and changed my body into a golden one. At the same time my body became light. I was able to understand the whispering of the birds, and was clearly aware of the mind of God, the creator of the universe. At that moment I was enlightened: the source of Budo is God's love — the spirit of loving protection for all beings … Budo is not the felling of an opponent by force; nor is it a tool to lead the world to destruction with arms. True Budo is to accept the spirit of the universe, keep the peace of the world, correctly produce, protect and cultivate all beings in nature
Instructors can impart only a fraction of the teaching. It is through your own devoted practice that the mysteries of the Art of Peace are brought to life
True Budo is to accept the spirit of the universe, keep the peace of the world, correctly produce, protect and cultivate all beings in nature
The Way of the Warrior has been misunderstood. It is not a means to kill and destroy others. Those who seek to compete and better one another are making a terrible mis- take. To smash, injure, or destroy is the worst thing a human being can do. The real Way of a Warrior is to prevent such slaughter — it is the Art of Peace, the power of love
Depending on the circumstance, you should be: hard as a diamond, flexible as a willow, smooth-flowing like water, or as empty as space
Move like a beam of light; Fly like lightning, strike like thunder, whirl in circles around a stable center
Aiki is not a technique to fight with or defeat an enemy. It is the way to reconcile the world and make human beings one familyMorihei UeshibaJapanese martial artist (Aikido) (Born this day 1883) Each and every master, regardless of the era or the place, heard the call and attained harmony with heaven and earth. There are many paths leading to the top of Mount Fuji, but there is only one summit — love
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Post by Tamrin on Dec 14, 2013 6:28:53 GMT 10
Every human being is entitled to courtesy and consideration. Constructive criticism is not only to be expected but sought
When people keep telling you that you can't do a thing, you kind of like to try it
Moral cowardice that keeps us from speaking our minds is as dangerous to this country as irresponsible talk. The right way is not always the popular and easy way. Standing for right when it is unpopular is a true test of moral character
Smears are not only to be expected but fought. Honor is to be earned, not bought
Public service must be more than doing a job efficiently and honestly. It must be a complete dedication to the people and to the nation
Greatness is not manifested by unlimited pragmatism, which places such a high premium on the end justifying any means and any methods
One of the basic causes for all the trouble in the world today is that people talk too much and think too little. They act impulsively without thinkingMargaret Chase SmithAmerican politician (Presidential nominee) (Born this day 1897) I always try to think before I talk
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