Truth

Posted on 17 February 2010, 6:30 | 2 comments

“I am a firm believer in the people. If given the truth, they can be depended upon to meet any national crises. The great point is to bring them the real facts.”
~ Abraham Lincoln, 1809 – 1865

For the most part, this is still true today, but there are always people who prefer to believe a comfortable lie that reinforces their dearly held prejudices than to hear a truth, recognize it, and proceed from there.

On the other hand:

“You can fool some of the people all of the time, and all of the people some of the time, but you can not fool all of the people all of the time.”
~ Abraham Lincoln, 1809 – 1865 (or possibly P.T. Barnum, 1810 – 1891)

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Thoughts on Cats . . .

Posted on 16 February 2010, 6:30 | 1 comment

“Both ardent lovers and austere scholars, when once they come to the years of discretion, love cats, so strong and gentle, the pride of the household, who like them are sensitive to the cold, and sedentary.”
~ Charles Baudelaire, 1821 – 1867

“The purpose of a liberal arts education is to learn that a person can like both cats and dogs!”
~ Sonjay Anand (from Rand Lindsly’s Quotations)

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From Lao-Tzu . . .

Posted on 15 February 2010, 6:30 | 1 comment

44

“Fame or integrity: which is more important?
“Money or happiness: which is more valuable?
“Success or failure: which is more destructive?”

“If you look to others for fulfillment,
“you will never truly be fulfilled.
“If your happiness depends on money,
“you will never be happy with yourself.”

“Be content with what you have;
“rejoice in the way things are.
“When you realize there is nothing lacking,
“the whole world belongs to you.”

~ Lao-Tzu, Tao Te Ching (trans. Stephen Mitchell)

Gōng xǐ fā cái!
Happy New Year!

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Valentine’s Day, it’s all about . . .

Posted on 14 February 2010, 6:00 | 4 comments

Love . . .

“Immature love says: ‘I love you because I need you.’ Mature love says: ‘I need you because I love you.’”

~ Erich Fromm, 1900 – 1980

~*~

“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.”

~ The New Testament, 1 Corinthians 13:4-8

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The Apostrophist, “Apostrophistica”

Posted on 13 February 2010, 11:02 | Leave a comment

apostrophe
a variety of personification in which the dead, absent, or inanimate are addressed as if present. — apostrophic, adj.

apostrophism
a manner of speech in which the speaker continually interrupts his train of thought and continuity of subject by interjecting subordinate ideas and comments. — apostrophist, n.

~ * ~

The Web seems to me an ideal medium for apostrophe, and a blog the perfect place for a rambling apostrophist.

Over the course of days and weeks, there may be some recurrent themes and, if you squint, you may detect some vague organization of ideas, but in general, here you’ll encounter sundry ephemera, such as quotations for the moment, observations about some of the syntactical oddities of the English language, and other linguistic miscellanea, as well as just your basic blather.

Off to ramble elsewhere!

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Posted in Definition, Rhetoric

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