...reserved for

The hottest places in hell are reserved for those who, in time of great moral crisis, maintain their neutrality. 

-Dante Alighieri, poet (c. May 1265-1321)

...past is never

The past is never where you think you left it. 

-Katherine Anne Porter, writer and activist (1890-1980)

...primary duties

As a general truth, communities prosper and flourish, or droop and decline, in just the degree that they practise or neglect to practise the primary duties of justice and humanity. 

-William Henry Seward, Secretary of State, Governor, and Senator (1801-1872)

this life flies...

Oh, threats of hell and hopes of paradise! 

One thing at least is certain -- this life flies; 

One thing is certain, and the rest is lies; 

The flower that once has blown forever dies. 

-Omar Khayyam, poet, mathematician, philosopher, astronomer, and physician (1048-1131)

Listening vs talking

"Wisdom is the reward you get for a lifetime of listening when you'd have preferred to talk."

~ Doug Larson

Kindness is a...

"Kindness to me is not a duty or responsibility; it's a unique feeling which makes you happier as you share it."

~ Aashish Jagini

Other man's

You can only protect your liberties in this world by protecting the other man's freedom. You can only be free if I am free. 

-Clarence Darrow, lawyer and author (1857-1938)

Indifferent to suffering

It is a glorious thing to be indifferent to suffering, but only to one's own suffering. 

-Robert Lynd, writer (1879-1949)

...hear reason

Neither great poverty nor great riches will hear reason. 

-Henry Fielding, author (1707-1754)

...defending our inalienable rights

On this 4th [of July], look beyond fireworks, parades, and pretentious patriots. Instead, celebrate whistleblowers and lamplighters who warn the people, speak truth to power -- risking their lives and fortunes defending our inalienable rights and independence against those who take our liberties away. 

-Thomas Drake, veteran and whistleblower (b. 22 Apr 1957)

Proud man... an angry ape

But man, proud man,

Drest in a little brief authority,

Most ignorant of what he's most assured,
His glassy essence, like an angry ape,
Plays such fantastic tricks before high heaven
As make the angels weep. 

-William Shakespeare, playwright and poet (1564-1616)

...the only enjoyment

The habit of reading is the only enjoyment in which there is no alloy; it lasts when all other pleasures fade. 

-Anthony Trollope, novelist (1815-1882)

Love & Relationship

Red roses for young lovers. French beans for longstanding relationships. 

-Ruskin Bond, author (b. 19 May 1934)

10% destroying 90%

I learn that ten percent of all the world's species are parasitic insects. It is hard to believe. What if you were an inventor, and you made ten percent of your inventions in such a way that they could only work by harnessing, disfiguring, or totally destroying the other ninety percent? 

-Annie Dillard, author (b. 30 Apr 1945)

...for humanity

Be ashamed to die until you have won some victory for humanity. 

-Horace Mann, educational reformer (1796-1859)

Wrong rulers in power

When a clown moves into a palace, he doesn't become a king. The palace turns into a circus.
-Turkish Proverb

..gather the beauty?

By plucking her petals, you do not gather the beauty of the flower. 

-Rabindranath Tagore, poet, philosopher, author, songwriter, painter, educator, composer, Nobel laureate (1861-1941)

...small matters & the large

In the small matters trust the mind, in the large ones the heart. 

-Sigmund Freud, neurologist, founder of psychoanalysis (1856-1939)

Wrong Train & Wait Time

..like to help

I'm sorry but I don't want to be an emperor. 

That's not my business. I don't want to rule or conquer anyone. 

I should like to help everyone if possible; Jew, gentile, black man, white. 

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

Listen & empower...

"The key to successful people management is listening to your team and empowering them to solve problems together."
– Dennis Muilenburg, former CEO of Boeing, a leader in aerospace manufacturing.

...create an environment

"You don't manage people; you lead them by creating an environment where they can thrive and contribute their best."
– Indra Nooyi, former CEO of PepsiCo, a manufacturing-driven company.

...essentials to happiness

Three grand essentials to happiness in this life are something to do, something to love, and something to hope for. 

-Joseph Addison, writer (1672-1719)

Terrorize a whole nation?

No one can terrorize a whole nation, unless we are all his accomplices. 

-Edward R. Murrow, journalist (25 Apr 1908-1965)

3 kinds of Nations

This world is divided roughly into three kinds of nations: those that spend lots of money to keep their weight down; those whose people eat to live; and those whose people don't know where their next meal is coming from.
-David S. Landes, author, professor of economics and history (1924-2013)

Cost nothing

"Compliments cost nothing, yet many pay dear for them."
~ Thomas Fuller

S A L T

The cure for anything is salt water -- sweat, tears, or the sea. 

-Isak Dinesen (pen name of Karen Blixen), author (1885-1962)

Courage vs intelligence

Clear thinking requires courage rather than intelligence.
-Thomas Szasz, author, professor of psychiatry (1920-2012)

...kindle fires

"If the world seems cold to you, kindle fires to warm it."

~ Lucy Larcom

Good & Happiness

"Seek to do good, and you will find that happiness will run after you."

~ James Freeman Clarke

Different perspective

Artificial intelligence and aristocracy

There is also an artificial aristocracy founded on wealth and birth, without either virtue or talents... The artificial aristocracy is a mischievous ingredient in government, and provisions should be made to prevent its ascendancy. 

-Thomas Jefferson, third US president, architect, and author (1743-1826)