Lao Tzu

"If you do not change direction, you may end up where you are heading." -- Lao Tzu

The question is, of course, am I currently going in the right direction?

Joseph Joubert, essayist (1754-1824)

Never cut what you can untie. -Joseph Joubert, essayist (1754-1824)


Excellent!

Charlie Chaplin, actor, director, and composer (1889-1977)

Life is a tragedy when seen in close-up, but a comedy in long-shot. -Charlie Chaplin, actor, director, and composer (1889-1977)

Viewed from the end, an individual’s life might be either, depending on one’s eternal home. But from God’s perspective, seeing all lives of all men from end to end, human history must be a comedy, unless it transcends those categories.

Antoine de Saint-Exupery, author and aviator (1900-1945)

And the fox said to the little prince: men have forgotten this truth, but you must not forget it. You become responsible, forever, for what you have tamed. -Antoine de Saint-Exupery, author and aviator (1900-1945)

For what sense of tame is this true? I would agree with this understanding:  if I change a living thing so that it can no longer live as it once did, then I have a responsibility to enable it to in its new state. I would say that George and Joy Adamson fulfilled this responsibility in regard to the lioness Elsa when they enabled her to survive in the wild after being raised in captivity. They tamed Elsa, perhaps without realizing what was happening, but then took great efforts to enable her to live on her own, and not just survive but in fact flourish.

John Leonard, critic (1939-2008)

To be capable of embarrassment is the beginning of moral consciousness. Honor grows from qualms. -John Leonard, critic (1939-2008)

I would agree with this, but would add that embarrassment is the lowest level of moral consciousness, and that to grow to higher levels, such as remorse, is certainly not automatic.

Emily Dickinson, poet (1830-1886)

Anger as soon as fed is dead- / 'Tis starving makes it fat. -Emily Dickinson, poet (1830-1886)

I think not. One’s anger may dissipate after being expressed, but it isn’t the venting that causes it to fade but rather a mental turn that follows. Expressing anger may in fact lead to increasing rage in some people some times. On the other hand, nursing one’s anger silently will indeed make it grow, but truly starving it will kill it.

Josh Billings, columnist and humorist (1818-1885)

Reason often makes mistakes, but conscience never does. -Josh Billings, columnist and humorist (1818-1885)

Billings must have a different definition of conscience, or perhaps of reason, because conscience is simply reason properly formed and applied to moral issues, and therefore is prone to mistakes as reason is when applied to other matters.