Even better if you can provide your own understanding of its meaning.
Mine would be :
“Nothing kills a man as much as being forced to represent a country” (and err considering the context, I must stress it has nothing to do with the current US shitshow), by a WW1 soldier, illustrator and writer named Jacques Vaché.
For me it just means being forced into representing a group (national, of course, but maybe also social, racial, sexual, professional, any kind of group) or defining one’s identity only by reference to a group is to be avoided at all costs.
Note : Its not the same, imho, as engaging in a collective struggle or defense against a common oppression.
How about you?
Work smarter, not harder.
Scrooge Mc Duck“Pride is not the opposite of shame, but its source” - Iroh
And
“Curiously enough, the only thing that went through the mind of the bowl of petunias as it fell was Oh no, not again. Many people have speculated that if we knew exactly why the bowl of petunias had thought that we would know a lot more about the nature of the universe than we do now.” - Hitchhikers Guide
Dont think about things too much. Just accept it, and change accordingly with a response
Also from H2G2, behold the majestic : " -Perhaps I’m old and tired, but I think that the chances of finding out what’s actually going on are so absurdly remote that the only thing to do is to say, “Hang the sense of it,” and keep yourself busy. I’d far rather be happy than right any day.
-And are you?
-Ah. No. Well that’s where it all falls down, of course "
I like it even better in the movie, Bill Nighy embodies this sentence perfectly.
Came for the second, stayed for the first
Men are scared that women will laugh at them , women are scared that men will kill them.
“Don’t follow people - follow ideas” which seems more relevant today than ever before it seems.
I think there is a quote somewhere from someone that says people talk about people, smarter people talk about facts and even smarter people talk about ideas. I am probably murdering the quote, but it was something like that.
It makes sense though, talking about other people doesn’t really provide much direction in life. Facts do provide more direction in life, but ideas really function as a pointer in a lot of situations when may not know what to do otherwise.
Sadly, pretty much all struggles against a common oppressor take on heavy identity characteristics and have the accompanying problems. It’s the main reason they don’t work immediately.
Anyway, probably “What I cannot build, I don’t understand”, by Richard Feynman (although the exact wording varies by source). If I write a book that’s probably going to take up the first page.
“Everything you want in life has teeth”, by the writer Jonathan Carroll. I believe it means that everything you pursue will hurt you in some way.
The worst decisions make the best stories. - Unknown
You are under no obligation to be the same person you were five minutes ago. - Alan Watts
Never tie your identity to something that can be taken away. Re: job title, salary, perceived status. Your self perceived identity should have a much more stable foundation.
Pirate Softeware?
I would rather have questions that cannot be answered than answers that cannot be questioned.
Richard Feynman
The woods would be very silent if no birds sang except those who sang best
“Sometimes the smallest things take up the most room in your heart.” - Winnie-the-Pooh
I didn’t read Winnie-the-Pooh till I was an adult and when I read this it felt like reading a universal truth everyone should know. It nearly brought me to tears.
Never half-ass two things. Whole-ass one thing.
Creative minds are uneven, and the best of fabrics have their dull spots.
H.P. Lovecraft
Given his political leanings, very appropriate.
TBH his writing style was a bit adjective-y too, although the world he built is fascinating. (I know less about his many letters and journals)
Yeah…I try to not dwell on his questionable (very wrong and racist) ideas he had, and focus on the cosmic horror. 100 % adjective-y (never really thought about his work like that, but it’s too true haha).
I just liked the quote disregarding his ideas. I even used it on the cover page of my thesis.
I do quite like the memes of HP’s most nightmarish situation being in an elevator with a Welsh person, or having AC. They’re pretty spot on.
Anyways, I just wanted to make sure no one thought I agree with his views, I just like the cosmic horror.
Yeah, sorry, didn’t mean to put you on the spot. I see how I did that now.
To give another example illustrating the quote, Tolkien called himself an anarcho-monarchist and meant it. His explanation did not make it clearer what that means.
No worries. I just wanted to make sure people knew I don’t agree with his ideas. I just love his writing and mythos he started haha.
Interesting Tolkien quote, I’ll have to look up his explanation, but I have no clue how anyone would define that.
