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?
Something my grandpa said, sometime around 2006-2007 I think.
“The next world war, will be between the rich and and the poor, and the rich will win before the poor knows there’s a war.”
i mean that’s been every war to date except some revolutions 😂
“True terror is to wake up one morning and discover that your high school class is running the country.” ~ Kurt Vonnegut
The opposite of love is not hate, but apathy.
Truly hating something takes passion, energy and time out of your day. It also taught me that for masters of personal interest, if you truly need to end a relationship with someone, you simply stop responding. It’s far more effective than loudly proclaiming what you feel they do wrong. That will take far more away from you than if you cut ties.
the opposite of 2 is not 0
“Hurt people hurt people”
Ever since I heard this, I became relatively more compassionate towards people, even if they piss me off.
“If they knew better, they’d do better.”
This makes a song I’ve been listening to make more sense. “Gary” by Dave Hause. I was interpreting the line as “Hurt People. Hurt people…” Instead of “Hurt people hurt people”. Thanks!
“When you do things right, people won’t be sure you’ve done anything at all.” -A clump of talking stars in Futurama I look at it like being a good custodian or someone who takes pride in the smallest details of their work, regardless of whether or not you receive recognition for them. Most people don’t notice the effort being put in when things are running smoothly. The work of the people behind the scenes is directly responsible for successes in the spotlight.
“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.
It sounds like you might like “The Tao of Pooh”.
“Feelings are like children, you can’t let them drive, but you can’t put them in the trunk.”
But I feel that one has a ¨spiritual parent¨:
“Educate a child so you don’t have to reprimand an adult.”
and a ¨spiritual sibling¨:
“If your only tool is a Hammer then every problem looks like a Nail.”
That’ll do Donkey… That’ll do.
Edit. I mean it. That calming way shrek says it. The idea that enough has been done, and that everything is OK. That I’m ok. It’s a lovely, and powerful moment in the film that translates to so many day to day situations.
That’s so lovely!
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
The less you know about your history, the easier it is to imagine you’d always be on the right side of it.
"They say, ‘Evil prevails when good men fail to act.’ What they ought to say is, ‘Evil prevails.’
Bleak quote from Lord of War that has stuck with me. Reminds me of Sophie Scholl.
I am reminded of: “The law cannot protect anyone unless it binds everyone; and it cannot bind anyone unless it protects everyone.”
The lesser known conclusion to Wilhoits Law.
https://crookedtimber.org/2018/03/21/liberals-against-progressives/
"Conservatism consists of exactly one proposition, to wit:
There must be in-groups whom the law protectes but does not bind, alongside out-groups whom the law binds but does not protect."
You are under no obligation to be the same person you were five minutes ago. - Alan Watts
Not so much a quote as a poem, but it’s brief so here’s the whole thing:
They fuck you up, your mum and dad. They may not mean to, but they do. They fill you with the faults they had And add some extra, just for you.
But they were fucked up in their turn By fools in old-style hats and coats, Who half the time were soppy-stern And half at one another’s throats.
Man hands on misery to man, It deepens like a coastal shelf. Get out as early as you can, And don’t have any kids yourself.
- “This Be the Verse” by Philip Larkin
As for what it means to me, I think it speaks for itself. It’s bleak and devastating, yet beautiful. I love the elegance and simplicity of the writing. It’s the only poem I have memorized because it’s so aesthetically pleasing and emotionally resonant. It has stuck with me since I first heard it over 10 years ago.
It’s beautiful and I can understand why it sticks… Thanks for letting us know!!
“Who’s ‘we’, paleface?”
It’s from a silly joke, so it’s not meant to be taken seriously. But I remember it every time some politician or Internet dweller or anything in between uses “we” to describe a position, an opinion, etc. Who’s ‘we’? Do you dream to speak for others, for me? In my stead?
Love this one. Used to teach students in political science about the horrible thing that “political ventiloquism” is.
