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Post by Tamrin on Dec 20, 2013 7:03:58 GMT 10
You may call for peace as loudly as you wish, but where there is no brotherhood there can in the end be no peace
When evil acts in the world it always manages to find instru- ments who believe that what they do is not evil but honorable
In our rich consumers' civilization we spin cocoons around ourselves and get possessed by our possessions
The problem of freedom in America is that of maintaining a competition of ideas, and you do not achieve that by silencing one brand of idea
A President is best judged by the enemies he makes when he has really hit his stride
The so-called lessons of history are for the most part the ration- alizations of the victors. History is written by the survivors
The turning point in the process of growing up is when you discover the core of strength within you that survives all hurtMax Lerner, US educator and journalist (Born this day 1902) Either men will learn to live like brothers, or they will die like beasts
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Post by Tamrin on Dec 20, 2013 7:05:49 GMT 10
I was guilty of judging capitalism by its operations and socialism by its hopes and aspirations; capitalism by its works and socialism by its literature
Idealism, alas, does not protect one from ignorance, dogmatism, and foolishness
Tolerance always has limits — it cannot tolerate what is itself actively intolerant
Philosophy, most broadly viewed, is the critical survey of existence from the standpoint of value
Wisdom is a kind of knowledge. It is knowledge of the nature, career, and consequences of human values
Students rarely disappoint teachers who assure them in advance that they are doomed to failure
Before impugning an opponent's motives, even when they legitimately may be impugned, answer his argumentsSidney Hook, US philosopher (Pragmatism) (Born this day 1902) To silence criticism is to silence freedom
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Post by Tamrin on Dec 20, 2013 7:07:02 GMT 10
I would say that in my scientific and philosophical work, my main concern has been with under- standing the nature of reality in general and of consciousness in particular as a coherent whole, which is never static or complete but which is an unending process of movement and unfoldment
The ability to perceive or think differently is more important than the knowledge gained
We have reversed the usual classical notion that the independent "elementary parts" of the world are the fundamental reality, and that the various systems are merely particular contingent forms and arrangements of these parts. Rather, we say that inseparable quantum interconnectedness of the whole universe is the fundamental reality, and that relatively independent behaving parts are merely particular and contingent forms within this whole
In our modern culture men and women are able to interact with one another in many ways: they can sing, dance, or play together with little difficulty, but their ability to talk together about subjects that matter deeply to them seems invariably to lead to dispute, division, and often to violence. In our view this condition points to a deep and pervasive defect in the process of human thought
Culture is shared meaning. Suppose we were able to share meanings freely with- out a compulsive urge to impose our view or conform to those of others and without distortion and self-deception. Would this not constitute a real revolution in culture?
Deep down the consciousness of mankind is one. This is a virtual certainty because even in the vacuum matter is one; and if we don't see this, it's because we are blinding ourselves to it
Ego-centeredness is not individuality at allDavid BohmAmerican-born British physicist ( Changing Consciousness) (Born this day 1917) Individuality is only possible if it unfolds from wholeness
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Post by Tamrin on Dec 20, 2013 7:07:55 GMT 10
A virtue never tested is no virtue at all
A patriot is someone who cares what happens in their country
My theory is this; I'm not a political songwriter. I'm an honest songwriter
The most important thing for anyone, I think, is to be engaged, whether you're an artist or a journalist is to be engaged in the process at some level
That's what I'm about — getting engaged. Too many people don't wade in the mud with the politicians
The temptation to take the precious things we have apart to see how they work must be resisted for they never fit together again
Freedom is merely privilege extended, unless enjoyed by one and allBilly BraggEnglish musician (folk, punk-rock and protest music) (Born this day 1957) So that sense of optimism and humanity ... which 20 years ago I would have called socialism but now I'll call compassion ... You know, that idea is still out there and alive and if you can plug into that and encourage that it makes it all worthwhile
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Post by Tamrin on Dec 20, 2013 7:09:12 GMT 10
No man really knows about other human beings. The best he can do is to suppose that they are like himself
The discipline of the written word punishes both stupidity and dishonesty
It is a common experience that a problem difficult at night is resolved in the morning after the committee of sleep has worked on it
I've seen a look in dogs' eyes, a quickly vanishing look of amazed contempt, and I am convinced that basically dogs think humans are nuts
It is true that we are weak and sick and ugly and quarrelsome but if that is all we ever were, we would millenniums ago have disappeared from the face of the earth
Man, unlike anything organic or inorganic in the universe, grows beyond his work, walks up the stairs of his concepts, emerges ahead of his accomplishments
If you're in trouble, or hurt or need — go to the poor people. They're the only ones that'll help — the only onesJohn SteinbeckUS Pulitzer Prize-winning author (Died this day 1968) In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage
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Post by Tamrin on Dec 20, 2013 7:10:15 GMT 10
Each individual possesses a conscience which to a greater or lesser degree serves to restrain the unimpeded flow of impulses destructive to others. But when he merges his person into an organiz- ational structure, a new creature replaces autonomous man, unhindered by the limitations of individual morality, freed of humane inhibition, mindful only of the sanctions of authority
The disappearance of a sense of responsibility is the most far-reaching consequence of submission to authority
Ordinary people, simply doing their jobs, and without any particular hostility on their part, can become agents in a terrible destructive process. Moreover, even when the destructive effects of their work become patently clear, and they are asked to carry out actions incompatible with fundamental standards of morality, relatively few people have the resources needed to resist authority
With numbing regularity, good people were seen to knuckle under the demands of authority and perform actions that were callous and severe
The case touched on a fundamental issue of the human condition, our primordial nightmare. If we need help, will those around us stand around and let us be destroyed or will they come to our aid? Are those other creatures there to help us sustain our life and values or are we individual flecks of dust just floating around in a vacuum?
The soldier does not wish to appear a coward, disloyal, or un-American. The situation has been so defined that he can see himself as patriotic, courageous, and manly only through compliance
The social psychology of this century reveals a major lesson: often it is not so much the kind of person a man is as the kind of situation in which he finds himself that determines how he will actStanley MilgramAmerican social psychologist (Milgram Experiment & Six Degrees of Seperation) (Died this day 1984) It may be that we are puppets — Puppets controlled by the strings of society. But at least we are puppets with perception, with awareness. And perhaps our awareness is the first step to our liberation
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Post by Tamrin on Dec 20, 2013 7:10:55 GMT 10
All anyone asks for is a chance to work with pride
If you can't describe what you are doing as a process, you don't know what you're doing
Whenever there is fear, you will get wrong figures
It is not enough to do your best; you must know what to do, and then do your best
Any manager can do well in an expanding market
The result of long-term relationships is better and better quality, and lower and lower costs
When a system is stable, telling the worker about mistakes is only tamperingW Edwards DemingUS economist (helped Japan after WWII) (Died this day 1993) You should not ask questions without knowledge
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Post by Tamrin on Dec 20, 2013 7:11:49 GMT 10
Human beings have a demonstrated talent for self-deception when their emotions are stirred
It seems to me what is called for is an exquisite balance between two conflicting needs: the most skeptical scrutiny of all hypotheses that are served up to us and at the same time a great openness to new ideas
The major religions on the Earth contradict each other left and right. You can't all be correct. And what if all of you are wrong? It's a possibility, you know. You must care about the truth, right? Well, the way to winnow through all the differing contentions is to be skeptical. I'm not any more skeptical about your religious beliefs than I am about every new scientific idea I hear about. But in my line of work, they're called hypotheses, not inspiration and not revelation
I do not consider myself a religious person in the usual sense, but there is a religious aspect to some highs. The heightened sensitivity in all areas gives me a feeling of communion with my surroundings, both animate and inanimate. Sometimes a kind of existential perception of the absurd comes over me and I see with awful certainty the hypocrisies and posturing of myself and my fellow men
How is it that hardly any major religion has looked at science and concluded, 'This is better than we thought! The Universe is much bigger than our prophets said, grander, more subtle, more elegant?' Instead they say, 'No, no, no! My god is a little god, and I want him to stay that way.' A religion old or new, that stressed the magnificence of the universe as revealed by modern science, might be able to draw forth reserves of reverence and awe hardly tapped by the conventional faiths. Sooner or later, such a religion will emerge
A new consciousness is developing which sees the earth as a single organism and recog- nizes that an organism at war with itself is doomed. We are one planet. One of the great revelations of the age of space exploration is the image of the earth finite and lonely, some- how vulnerable, bearing the entire human species through the oceans of space and time
The fact that some geniuses were laughed at does not imply that all who are laughed at are geniusesCarl Sagan, US astronomer and novelist (Contact) (Died this day 1996) Other things being equal, it is better to be smart than to be stupid
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Post by Tamrin on Dec 21, 2013 7:16:08 GMT 10
Saturday’s Quotes:Men's consciences ought in no sort to be violated, urged, or constrained
God needeth not the help of a material sword of steel to assist the sword of the Spirit in the affairs of conscience
Enforced uniformity confounds civil and religious liberty and denies the principles of Christianity and civility
No man shall be required to worship or maintain a worship against his will
I was persuaded and am, that God's way is first to turn a soul from its idols, both of heart, worship, and conversation, before it is capable of worship to the true and living God
There is no regularly constituted church of Christ on earth, nor any person qualified to administer any church ordinances; nor can there be until new apostles are sent by the Great Head of the Church for whose coming I am seeking
God requireth not a uniformity of religionRoger WilliamsAnglo-American clergyman (Rhode Island colony) (Born this day 1603) The Controversy and Debate Between Roger Williams and John CottonReligion cannot be true which needs such instruments of violence to uphold it so
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Post by Tamrin on Dec 21, 2013 7:16:58 GMT 10
In a progressive country change is constant; change is inevitable
A Conservative Government is an organized hypocrisy
Conservatism discards Prescription, shrinks from Principle, disavows Progress; having rejected all respect for antiquity, it offers no redress for the present, and makes no preparation for the future
I have been ever of opinion that revolutions are not to be evaded
Action may not always bring happiness; but there is no happiness without action
Next to knowing when to seize an opportunity, the most important thing in life is to know when to forego an advantage
Life is too short to be little. Man is never so manly as when he feels deeply, acts boldly, and expresses himself with frankness and with fervorBenjamin Disraeli, , KG, PC, FRSUK PM (1874 - 1880) and novelist (Born this day 1845) Two nations between whom there is no intercourse and no sympathy; who are as ignorant of each other's habits, thoughts and feelings, as if they were dwellers in different zones, or inhabitants of different planets; who are formed by a different breeding, are fed by a different food, are ordered by different manners, and are governed by the same laws. I speak of the rich and the poor
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