James Thurber

"It is better to know some of the questions than all of the answers." -- James Thurber

I can't say whether it really is better or not, but at least it is possible!

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Aldous Huxley

To be able to destroy with good conscience, to be able to behave badly and call your bad behavior "righteous indignation" -- this is the height of psychological luxury, the most delicious of moral treats. -Aldous Huxley, novelist (1894-1963)

A typical muddled usage. What do the words mean when an action is done with "good conscience" and yet is named "bad behavior"? (This "most delicious of moral treats" makes me think of the witch's magic candy in The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe.) There are two possible scenarios. Society calls my destructive action "bad behavior," but I know it is actually good, so I do it in good conscience. This cannot be what Huxley has in mind, or he wouldn't have called it "the most delicious of moral treats." The other scenario is that the action really is bad behavior, but I excuse myself by calling it "righteous indignation."

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James Kern Feibleman

That some good can be derived from every event is a better proposition than that everything happens for the best, which it assuredly does not. –James Kern Feibleman, philosopher and psychiatrist (1904-1987)

I agree. To say that everything happens for the best seems to deny the reality of sin. One must say that a hug is better than a knife in the back, for the giver if not for the receiver, even though, in the view from eternity, God can bring good out of both.

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Sir William Osler

"Look wise, say nothing, and grunt. Speech was given to conceal thought." -- Sir William Osler

I'm a bit puzzled by this epigram. The first sentence is advice that says "Be silent." The second sentence, however, seems to imply that one should rather speak in order to obscure your views. I have seen the first applied in numerous meetings, where one or more participants are attentive and give the appearance of being quite sagacious by not putting their thoughts out where others can criticize them. As I think about it, I remember other meetings in which the second was, no doubt, in play. Perhaps the great physician's intent is to give guidance for participating in meetings where the greatest need is to be on guard: Keep your own counsel, and don't be deceived by the contributions of others.

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Tom Clancy on winning

"We cannot fail to win unless we fail to try."-- Tom Clancy
Clancy must have a different definition of "win" than most people, especially most sports writers. I am sure the Colorado Rockies tried to win the World Series, but everything I read said they failed.

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Elbert Hubbard on friendship

Friendship, like credit, is highest where it is not used. -Elbert Hubbard, author, editor, printer (1856-1915)
This reflects a rather cynical view of friendship, a view that considers friendship as simply what someone is willing to do for me; the less I call on a friend's help, the stronger the friendship. Here is a richer perspective: Friendship is a living thing that lasts only as long as it is nourished with kindness, empathy and understanding. (Author unknown)

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Sam Harris

Imagine a world in which generations of human beings come to believe that certain films were made by God or that specific software was coded by him. Imagine a future in which millions of our descendants murder each other over rival interpretations of Star Wars or Windows 98. Could anything -- anything -- be more ridiculous? And yet, this would be no more ridiculous than the world we are living in. -Sam Harris, author (1967- )
This is outrageously false! It equates the Bible and Christian tradition with Star Wars and Windows 98. It is, however, a pretty fair summary of Harris main point in his new book, The End of Faith. Unfortunately the book is likely to pretty influential.