April 9 Quotations

Quotes of the day from previous years:

2004

The soul would have no rainbow had the eyes no tears. ~ John Vance Cheney

selected by Kalki

2005

Science is the belief in the ignorance of experts. ~ Richard Feynman

selected by Kalki

2006

I'm sure we all agree that we ought to love one another, and I know there are people in the world who do not love their fellow human beings — and I hate people like that! ~ Tom Lehrer (born 9 April 1928)

selected by Kalki

2007

It is at once by way of poetry and through poetry, as with music, that the soul glimpses splendors from beyond the tomb; and when an exquisite poem brings one’s eyes to the point of tears, those tears are not evidence of an excess of joy, they are witness far more to an exacerbated melancholy, a disposition of the nerves, a nature exiled among imperfect things, which would like to possess, without delay, a paradise revealed on this very same earth. ~ Charles Baudelaire (born 9 April 1821)

proposed by InvisibleSun

2008

Imagination is the queen of truth, and possibility is one of the regions of truth. She is positively akin to infinity. ~ Charles Baudelaire

proposed by InvisibleSun

2009

These tall and handsome ships, swaying imperceptibly on tranquil waters, these sturdy ships, with their inactive, nostalgic appearance, don’t they say to us in a speechless tongue: When do we cast off for happiness? ~ Charles Baudelaire

proposed by InvisibleSun

2010

Suggestions

To be wicked is never excusable, but there is some merit in knowing that you are; the most irreparable of vices is to do evil from stupidity. ~ Charles Baudelaire

3 InvisibleSun 02:28, 8 April 2007 (UTC)
2 Zarbon 23:32, 22 April 2008 (UTC)
2 Arjen Dijksman 13:44, 5 April 2009 (UTC)
2 Kalki 14:25, 5 April 2009 (UTC)

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It is necessary to work, if not from inclination, at least from despair. As it turns out, work is less boring than amusing oneself. ~ Charles Baudelaire

3 InvisibleSun 02:28, 8 April 2007 (UTC)
2 Zarbon 23:32, 22 April 2008 (UTC)
2 Arjen Dijksman 13:44, 5 April 2009 (UTC)
2 Kalki 14:25, 5 April 2009 (UTC)

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An artist is only an artist thanks to his exquisite sense of beauty — a sense which provides him with intoxicating delights, but at the same time implying and including a sense, equally exquisite, of all deformity and disproportion. ~ Charles Baudelaire

3 InvisibleSun 02:28, 8 April 2007 (UTC)
3 Kalki 04:32, 8 April 2007 (UTC) with a lean toward 4.
1 Zarbon 23:32, 22 April 2008 (UTC)
3 Arjen Dijksman 13:44, 5 April 2009 (UTC)

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There is in a word, in a verb, something sacred which forbids us from using it recklessly. To handle a language cunningly is to practice a kind of evocative sorcery. ~ Charles Baudelaire

3 InvisibleSun 02:28, 8 April 2007 (UTC)
3 Kalki 04:32, 8 April 2007 (UTC) with a strong lean toward 4.
1 Zarbon 23:32, 22 April 2008 (UTC)
3 Arjen Dijksman 13:44, 5 April 2009 (UTC)

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A field marshal is born, not made! ~ Erich Ludendorff (born April 9)

3 and lean toward 4 because this is true. You cannot create the great character in a person, he must have it within. I love this militant mindset. Zarbon 06:42, 21 April 2008 (UTC)
- SOURCE: World War I: A Student Encyclopedia - Page 1137 by Spencer Tucker, Priscilla Mary Roberts - History - 2005
2 Arjen Dijksman 13:44, 5 April 2009 (UTC)
2 Kalki 14:25, 5 April 2009 (UTC)

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How shall I be able to rule over others, that have not full power and command of myself? ~ François Rabelais (date of death/date of birth unknown)

4 Zarbon 15:48, 6 April 2009 (UTC)
2 Kalki 21:44, 6 April 2009 (UTC) but ONLY IF extended to include:

He would never take upon him the charge nor government of monks. For how shall I be able, said he, to rule over others, that have not full power and command of myself: l If you think I have done you, or may hereafter do you any acceptable service, give me leave to found an abbey after my own mind and fancy.

OTHERWISE, only 0, as the snippet quoted easily can be taken to imply a desire to rule over others, which the wise monk is wisely rejecting — as it is only those who least have power and command of themselves who most desire to rule over others, and those with most ability and wisdom wish it least.

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I have nothing, owe a great deal, and the rest I leave to the poor. ~ François Rabelais (date of death/date of birth unknown)

3 Zarbon 15:48, 6 April 2009 (UTC)
2 Kalki 21:44, 6 April 2009 (UTC)

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I never follow the clock: hours were made for man, not man for hours. ~ François Rabelais

3 Zarbon 15:48, 6 April 2009 (UTC)
3 Kalki 21:44, 6 April 2009 (UTC) with a lean toward 4.

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Men are not in hell because God is angry with them. They are in wrath and darkness because they have done to the light, which infinitely flows forth from God, as that man does to the light who puts out his own eyes. ~ William Law (date of death/date of birth unknown)

3 Zarbon 15:48, 6 April 2009 (UTC)
3 Kalki 21:44, 6 April 2009 (UTC)

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You can have no greater sign of confirmed pride than when you think you are humble enough. ~ William Law

3 Zarbon 15:48, 6 April 2009 (UTC)
3 Kalki 21:44, 6 April 2009 (UTC) The wise have long observed that those who think themselves too humble and kind towards others and do "too much" for them are among the least kindly and humble of all, and often seek reasons or excuses to be even less so, while the wisest are usually quite humbly disposed to be as kind as honorably possible (without being even more unkind to others), even to those least deserving of kindness.

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The continued existence of wildlife and wilderness is important to the quality of life of humans. Our challenge for the future is that we realize we are very much a part of the earth's ecosystem, and we must learn to respect and live according to the basic biological laws of nature. ~ Jim Fowler

2 Zarbon 15:48, 6 April 2009 (UTC)
2 Kalki 21:44, 6 April 2009 (UTC)

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Almost all of the social tragedies occurring around the world today are caused by ignoring the basic biological laws of nature ... The quicker we humans learn that saving open space and wildlife is critical to our welfare and quality of life, maybe we'll start thinking of doing something about it. ~ Jim Fowler

2 Zarbon 15:48, 6 April 2009 (UTC)
2 Kalki 21:44, 6 April 2009 (UTC)

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Against this background, the jealousy of the protagonist becomes more credible, the blows to his pride more understandable, the final collapse of his personal, individual world more inevitable. But beyond the personal tragedy, the terrible agony of Othello, the irretrievability of his world, the complete destruction of all his trusted and sacred values — all these suggest the shattering of a universe. ~ Paul Robeson

3 Zarbon 15:48, 6 April 2009 (UTC)
2 Kalki 21:44, 6 April 2009 (UTC) This is clearly lacking context as quoted here, but would give it a 3 if either cut to:

Beyond the personal tragedy, the terrible agony of Othello, the irretrievability of his world, the complete destruction of all his trusted and sacred values — all these suggest the shattering of a universe.

OR, perhaps extended to:

It was deeply fascinating to watch how strikingly contemporary American audiences from coast to coast found Shakespeare's Othello — painfully immediate in its unfolding of evil, innocence, passion, dignity and nobility, and contemporary in its overtones of a clash of cultures, of the partial acceptance of and consequent effect upon one of a minority group. Against this background, the jealousy of the protagonist becomes more credible, the blows to his pride more understandable, the final collapse of his personal, individual world more inevitable. But beyond the personal tragedy, the terrible agony of Othello, the irretrievability of his world, the complete destruction of all his trusted and sacred values — all these suggest the shattering of a universe.

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One does not need a very long racial memory to loose on oneself in such a part...As I act, civilization falls away from me. My plight becomes real, the horrors terrible facts. I feel the terror of the slave mart, the degradation of man bought and sold into slavery. Well, I am the son of an emancipated slave and the stories of old father are vivid on the tablets of my memory. ~ Paul Robeson

3 Zarbon 15:48, 6 April 2009 (UTC)
2 Kalki 21:44, 6 April 2009 (UTC)

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Pale hands I loved beside the Shalimar.
Where are you now? Who lies beneath your spell?
Whom do you lead on Rapture's roadway, far,
Before you agonise them in farewell? ~ Laurence Hope

3 Zarbon 15:48, 6 April 2009 (UTC)
1 Kalki 21:44, 6 April 2009 (UTC)

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I would have rather felt you round my throat
Crushing out life, than waving me farewell! ~ Laurence Hope

3 Zarbon 15:48, 6 April 2009 (UTC)
1 Kalki 21:44, 6 April 2009 (UTC)

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It's the things that aren't accepted as conventionally beautiful that I find more attractive. ~ Marc Jacobs

3 Zarbon 15:48, 6 April 2009 (UTC)
2 Kalki 21:44, 6 April 2009 (UTC)

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A painting grows like a plant. Use all colours, all shapes. Everything that attracts and excites me is a part of me. Painting is about proportions, relationships which breathe life. Painting is a harmony which runs parallel to nature. ~ Stefan Szczesny

2 Zarbon 15:48, 6 April 2009 (UTC)
3 Kalki 21:44, 6 April 2009 (UTC)

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Light, colour, love - let me come under your spell. Life can be represented only by a lively kind of painting. There is clarity in passion. ~ Stefan Szczesny

2 Zarbon 15:48, 6 April 2009 (UTC)
3 Kalki 21:44, 6 April 2009 (UTC)

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What is the secret behind the emotional effect of great works of painting? What laws govern their beauty? Delacroix said that being a feast for the eyes is the prime merit of a good painting. I seek the timeless, the quintessential in painting. ~ Stefan Szczesny

2 Zarbon 15:48, 6 April 2009 (UTC)
3 Kalki 21:44, 6 April 2009 (UTC)

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There are two Americas. One is the America of Lincoln and Adlai Stevenson; the other is the America of Teddy Roosevelt and the modern superpatriots. One is generous and humane, the other narrowly egotistical; one is self-critical, the other self-righteous; one is sensible, the other romantic; one is good-humored, the other solemn; one is inquiring, the other pontificating; one is moderate, the other filled with passionate intensity; one is judicious and the other arrogant in the use of great power. ~ J. William Fulbright

3 Zarbon 15:48, 6 April 2009 (UTC)
2 Kalki 21:44, 6 April 2009 (UTC)

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A pre-emptive war in 'defense' of freedom would surely destroy freedom, because one simply cannot engage in barbarous action without becoming a barbarian, because one cannot defend human values by calculated and unprovoked violence without doing mortal damage to the values one is trying to defend. ~ J. William Fulbright

3 Zarbon 15:48, 6 April 2009 (UTC)
3 Kalki 21:44, 6 April 2009 (UTC)

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Wisdom entereth not into a malicious mind, and science without conscience is but the ruin of the soul. ~ François Rabelais

3 Kalki 21:44, 6 April 2009 (UTC) with a lean toward 4.
2 Zarbon 04:16, 7 April 2009 (UTC)

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He that has patience may compass anything. ~ François Rabelais

3 Kalki 21:44, 6 April 2009 (UTC) with a lean toward 4.
2 Zarbon 04:16, 7 April 2009 (UTC)

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Come, pluck up a good heart; speak the truth and shame the devil. ~ François Rabelais

3 Kalki 21:44, 6 April 2009 (UTC) with a lean toward 4.
1 Zarbon 04:16, 7 April 2009 (UTC)

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In all their rule, and strictest tie of their order, there was but this one clause to be observed,

DO WHAT THOU WILT.

Because men that are free, well-born, well-bred, and conversant in honest companies, have naturally an instinct and spur that prompteth them unto virtuous actions, and withdraws them from vice, which is called honour.
~ François Rabelais ~

4 Kalki 21:44, 6 April 2009 (UTC) I think this is sufficient as quoted, but have also considered extending it to begin with:

All their life was spent not in laws, statutes, or rules, but according to their own free will and pleasure. They rose out of their beds when they thought good: they did eat, drink, labour, sleep, when they had a mind to it, and were disposed for it. None did awake them, none did offer to constrain them to eat, drink, nor to do any other thing; for so had Gargantua established it.

AND/OR ending with:

Those same men, when by base subjection and constraint they are brought under and kept down, turn aside from that noble disposition, by which they formerly were inclined to virtue, to shake off and break that bond of servitude, wherein they are so tyrannously enslaved; for it is agreeable with the nature of man to long after things forbidden, and to desire what is denied us.

1 Zarbon 04:16, 7 April 2009 (UTC)

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All the world seems in tune
On a spring afternoon,
When we're poisoning pigeons in the park.
Every Sunday you'll see
My sweetheart and me,
As we poison the pigeons in the park.

~ Tom Lehrer, "Poisoning Pigeons in the Park"

0 Zarbon 16:08, 8 April 2009 (UTC)
1 Kalki 18:02, 8 April 2009 (UTC)

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The monuments of wit survive the monuments of power.

~Francis Bacon, "Essex's Device" (1595)

1 Zarbon 16:08, 8 April 2009 (UTC)
3 Kalki 18:02, 8 April 2009 (UTC)

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Nam et ipsa scientia potestas est. (Knowledge is power.)

~Francis Bacon, Meditationes Sacræ [Sacred Meditations] (1597) "De Hæresibus" [Of Heresies]

0 and please sign your name and vote accordingly if you wish to participate. Zarbon 16:08, 8 April 2009 (UTC)
3 Kalki 18:02, 8 April 2009 (UTC)

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Nil terribile nisi ipse timor. (Nothing is terrible except fear itself.)

~Francis Bacon, De Augmentis Scientiarum, Book II, Fortitudo (1623)

1 seems like the usual phrase "fear nothing but fear itself. Zarbon 16:08, 8 April 2009 (UTC)
3 Kalki 18:02, 8 April 2009 (UTC)

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Israel's Exodus from Egypt will forever stay the spring of the whole world. (original hebrew: "יציאת ישראל ממצרים תישאר לעד האביב של כל העולם כולו.")

~Rabbi Kook. original quote appears here and Rabbi Kook's page is here

0 Zarbon 16:08, 8 April 2009 (UTC)
1 Kalki 18:02, 8 April 2009 (UTC)

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Quoternity