A good while back, I started a file collecting quotes from various sources which struck me as interesting in some way. This was just a collection, mind you, with no real logic or organization, just stuff that people had said, or written, which struck me as interesting in some way. My idea, as I remembered it, was that some of them might, someday, be of some use for one of these posts.
Then, not too long ago, I ran across a reference to the famous quote from the novel, and the later movie, of Love Story by Erich Segal. I’m sure everyone likely to read this has heard it, "Love means never having to say you're sorry.” Yes, I know that for many people it brings back thoughts of beauty, romance, young love, and great loss. On the other hand, when I ran across that reference, the first thing that occurred to me was “That’s REALLY stupid!”
Now, I won’t pretend that I’m so unromantic as to accept that I don’t understand that the INTENT of that phrase was to suggest that true love forgives all without question, etc., etc., tear-jerker, etc. On the other hand, it also seems to suggest that, if you really LOVE someone, that fact in some way excuses you, from even desiring/ requesting their forgiveness, if you have done something which has, in some way, hurt that person.
Personally, I suspect that this notion would go a long way towards explaining a great many divorces, and, perhaps, murders and suicides, as well. It seems to me that, when one becomes conscious of the idea that they might have done something which has injured or upset their beloved, the simple concept of actual love should REQUIRE one to take whatever steps are necessary to prove that they understand they have done wrong, are sorry to have done so, and desire forgiveness for having hurt their loved one.
Anyway, thinking about that quote reminded me of my “Quotes” file, so I thought I’d look it over and see if I could do a post built on quotes I like, or don’t. While there isn’t any real connection to the ideas discussed here (other than all deriving from quotes) The result struck me as interesting because it allowed me to let my mind wander, and comment, on a number of issues which I’ve been thinking about recently. So, don’t expect this to have some serious “theme, or something, it’s pretty random, even for me, but maybe at least some of it might be of interest to others. So, for whatever it’s worth, here goes!
Certainly, one quote which I am EXTREMELY fond of comes from The Holy Bible, Matthew, Chap. 6. Actually, I like ALL of Chapter 6, but this part ( 6.6-8) I am especially fond of. Perhaps you know it already, but it’s worth repeating:
Then, not too long ago, I ran across a reference to the famous quote from the novel, and the later movie, of Love Story by Erich Segal. I’m sure everyone likely to read this has heard it, "Love means never having to say you're sorry.” Yes, I know that for many people it brings back thoughts of beauty, romance, young love, and great loss. On the other hand, when I ran across that reference, the first thing that occurred to me was “That’s REALLY stupid!”
Now, I won’t pretend that I’m so unromantic as to accept that I don’t understand that the INTENT of that phrase was to suggest that true love forgives all without question, etc., etc., tear-jerker, etc. On the other hand, it also seems to suggest that, if you really LOVE someone, that fact in some way excuses you, from even desiring/ requesting their forgiveness, if you have done something which has, in some way, hurt that person.
Personally, I suspect that this notion would go a long way towards explaining a great many divorces, and, perhaps, murders and suicides, as well. It seems to me that, when one becomes conscious of the idea that they might have done something which has injured or upset their beloved, the simple concept of actual love should REQUIRE one to take whatever steps are necessary to prove that they understand they have done wrong, are sorry to have done so, and desire forgiveness for having hurt their loved one.
Anyway, thinking about that quote reminded me of my “Quotes” file, so I thought I’d look it over and see if I could do a post built on quotes I like, or don’t. While there isn’t any real connection to the ideas discussed here (other than all deriving from quotes) The result struck me as interesting because it allowed me to let my mind wander, and comment, on a number of issues which I’ve been thinking about recently. So, don’t expect this to have some serious “theme, or something, it’s pretty random, even for me, but maybe at least some of it might be of interest to others. So, for whatever it’s worth, here goes!
Certainly, one quote which I am EXTREMELY fond of comes from The Holy Bible, Matthew, Chap. 6. Actually, I like ALL of Chapter 6, but this part ( 6.6-8) I am especially fond of. Perhaps you know it already, but it’s worth repeating:
I confess that it seems to me that there are far too many people who SAY that they believe in (and practice) the ideas of Jesus and the Bible, but don’t seem to actually behave in the ways suggested by him as appropriate. The particular behavior discussed above seems among the most widely ignored, at least to me. I was taught that one should work to develop a PERSONAL/PRIVATE relationship with the Divine (In THIS case the reference is to the “Father” as described by Jesus.) and the point is NOT “showiness,” public display, or repetition, but actual sincerity in word and deed. But I’m only one of those “Internet-ordained” ministers of the Universal Life Church, so what do I know?
A different (and unrelated) quote I find interesting is a passage from Robert A. Heinlein’s Starship Troopers which comments on the oft-repeated statement that “Violence never settles anything!” Now while I am not fond of violent actions and I certainly do NOT advocate their use except as a seriously considered last resort, I have to agree that there is at least a good deal of truth when one of Heinlein’s character’s (a former soldier, now a teacher) says:
A different (and unrelated) quote I find interesting is a passage from Robert A. Heinlein’s Starship Troopers which comments on the oft-repeated statement that “Violence never settles anything!” Now while I am not fond of violent actions and I certainly do NOT advocate their use except as a seriously considered last resort, I have to agree that there is at least a good deal of truth when one of Heinlein’s character’s (a former soldier, now a teacher) says:
It seems to me that one can’t argue with the fact that violence HAS (in fact) “settled” a good number of things, not always for the better. Just ask the Indigenous Peoples of what has become the United States (and in numerous other areas around the world). Their lands, religions, languages, and cultures have often been, in fact, devastated as a result of violent invasions by better-armed and more violence-prone “others” who conquered their lands mostly by the force of violence. That’s worth thinking about, although I do NOT suggest it as being the most desirable choice for action except under the most extreme circumstances..
Slightly related, perhaps, is the reminder that people CAN, in fact, correctly insist that they are VERY careful to never behave in a fashion which might be construed as being impolite, yet still make a somewhat censorious point. It IS true that some others might disagree with such an assertion, but it is also POSSIBLE that they could be incorrect in their belief. All things considered, I like to think that I at least TRY to follow in Lady Violet’s tracks.
Slightly related, perhaps, is the reminder that people CAN, in fact, correctly insist that they are VERY careful to never behave in a fashion which might be construed as being impolite, yet still make a somewhat censorious point. It IS true that some others might disagree with such an assertion, but it is also POSSIBLE that they could be incorrect in their belief. All things considered, I like to think that I at least TRY to follow in Lady Violet’s tracks.
Certainly one of my favorite authors is Issac Asimov, author of science fiction, detective stories, and (they tell me) a pretty damn good biochemist (and Professor of such). In the vast course of his various writings, he has created characters who have touched on a HUGE number of topics, almost always with something interesting to say about them and usually quite thought provoking. This, quote, however, is (I believe) from Asimov, personally. I think it’s especially worth consideration in these times.
Now it may be nice to think that all statements by any person should be seriously considered as being of value. However, as Asimov suggests (and I agree with) that’s not a very reasonable notion. To the suggestion that we should give equal consideration to ideas expressed by ANYONE who chooses to open his/her mouth on ANY topic, he is clearly saying “Poppycock!” I agree with Asimov, and would go so far as to suggest that beliefs like that are not only unreasonable, they are dangerous. After all, if EVERYTHING is TRUE, then NOTHING is FALSE, which means that TRUTH also has NO meaning.
That’s worth thinking about because it makes society, politics, finance, virtually ALL HUMAN ENDEAVOR, IMPOSSIBLE! Somehow, THAT doesn’t seem like a good idea. I certainly wish that the old, academic idea of actually obtaining evidence based on fact and expert opinion, then giving that information reasonable consideration based on careful consideration of sources, methodology, etc., is much more likely to lead to better results than just believing in something because “That’s what I saw on the internet!”, for example.
I really didn’t set out to delve into religious sorts of ideas, but there are so many wonderful quotes which have come out of various people’s thinking about religious-related topics that I just can’t resist a couple more.
I mentioned Issac Asimov a bit ago. I really love this story which he is quoted as having told:
That’s worth thinking about because it makes society, politics, finance, virtually ALL HUMAN ENDEAVOR, IMPOSSIBLE! Somehow, THAT doesn’t seem like a good idea. I certainly wish that the old, academic idea of actually obtaining evidence based on fact and expert opinion, then giving that information reasonable consideration based on careful consideration of sources, methodology, etc., is much more likely to lead to better results than just believing in something because “That’s what I saw on the internet!”, for example.
I really didn’t set out to delve into religious sorts of ideas, but there are so many wonderful quotes which have come out of various people’s thinking about religious-related topics that I just can’t resist a couple more.
I mentioned Issac Asimov a bit ago. I really love this story which he is quoted as having told:
The next time someone gets you REALLY annoyed (okay, “pissed off”), it wouldn’t hurt to remember Asimov’s comment. His suggestion seems to me to simply suggest that civilized behavior should be the desired end, even when we disagree about something.
All, things taken as equal, I think Thomas Jefferson (most of us have heard of, and many admire, him) spoke rather wise words when he suggested:
All, things taken as equal, I think Thomas Jefferson (most of us have heard of, and many admire, him) spoke rather wise words when he suggested:
Charles M. Schulz, the creator of the Peanuts comic strip, commented on this sort of thing in person, but, if you think about it, I think this sort of idea showed up quite frequently in his cartoons. I do like this statement of his quite a lot.
These quotes reminded me of a favorite of mine from Fred Rogers, in which he seems to sort of refer back to the idea of the nature of love which started me on this whole, rambling discussion.
Mr. Rogers was, of course, a Presbyterian minister, as well as the television personality that many of us trusted to help raise our children (and, probably, weren’t hurt by occasionally watching his show, ourselves). In any event, I think his take on the nature of love is worthy of serious consideration (and probably should be a part of every person’s thinking most of the time). I like it a LOT! It’s worth at LEAST a second, maybe even a THIRD, look!
Mr. Rogers was, of course, a Presbyterian minister, as well as the television personality that many of us trusted to help raise our children (and, probably, weren’t hurt by occasionally watching his show, ourselves). In any event, I think his take on the nature of love is worthy of serious consideration (and probably should be a part of every person’s thinking most of the time). I like it a LOT! It’s worth at LEAST a second, maybe even a THIRD, look!
I think that’s probably quite enough contemplation of “serious” quotes for one post, and I do NOT plan to engage in this sort of thing too often, but I won’t apologize for indulging in such ramblings on occasion, although I do try to keep them fairly rare. I have a strong suspicion that it doesn’t hurt any of us to occasionally take ourselves out and take a look at ourselves. We just MIGHT come up with some things worthy of some thought.
To put this to a close, clever sounding quotes are, I suspect, much enjoyed, especially by those who create them, which probably includes authors of all types, those who think of themselves as “Wits,” and, unfortunately, a good many political figures. It seems to me that it MIGHT be wise, however, when thinking about how smart we are, to give some serious consideration to this, quite famous, quote; “You fell victim to one of the classic blunders! The most famous of which is, ‘never get involved in a land war in Asia,’ but only slightly less well-known is this: ‘never go in against a Sicilian when death is on the line!’"
Now, I will NOT suggest that those ideas MIGHT, normally, not be bad advice. But, as Vinzzini was about to discover, in The Princess Bride, there is always the possibility that your opponent just might be playing the game of life by somewhat different rules. That’s the catch that, just MIGHT, separate the wit from the half-wit!
Well, there you go, some things you might want to think about for the next couple of weeks. At that point, I expect I will return with something else which has amused, puzzled, or bothered me to ramble on about for a few pages.
I hope you’ll come back to find out what I come up with. In the meantime,
🖖🏼 LLAP,
Dr. B
To put this to a close, clever sounding quotes are, I suspect, much enjoyed, especially by those who create them, which probably includes authors of all types, those who think of themselves as “Wits,” and, unfortunately, a good many political figures. It seems to me that it MIGHT be wise, however, when thinking about how smart we are, to give some serious consideration to this, quite famous, quote; “You fell victim to one of the classic blunders! The most famous of which is, ‘never get involved in a land war in Asia,’ but only slightly less well-known is this: ‘never go in against a Sicilian when death is on the line!’"
Now, I will NOT suggest that those ideas MIGHT, normally, not be bad advice. But, as Vinzzini was about to discover, in The Princess Bride, there is always the possibility that your opponent just might be playing the game of life by somewhat different rules. That’s the catch that, just MIGHT, separate the wit from the half-wit!
Well, there you go, some things you might want to think about for the next couple of weeks. At that point, I expect I will return with something else which has amused, puzzled, or bothered me to ramble on about for a few pages.
I hope you’ll come back to find out what I come up with. In the meantime,
🖖🏼 LLAP,
Dr. B
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