"Never mind the odds against you. If you doubled your effort, what would the odds against you do -- send for reinforcements?"
"I know this about myself -- that the most lasting triumphs of my life have been triumphs of acceptance, and the happiest triumph a willing surrender."
"Then, too, if you don't take the Bible literally, you have to wonder why it was written in letters."
"A chance here, a circumstance there, pretty soon you're talking a destiny."
"The only argument against a loving God is our stubborn insistence that He created the planet Earth."
"Someday scientists will know everything -- and wonder why it doesn't explain everything."
"Often, in consoling a child, you try to get to the fact of the matter, only to realize that the matter doesn't have any fact."
"You become more knowledgable as you learn. The great mystery is how you become more ignorant."
"The thing we have in common with the ancients is that they didn't know they were living in biblical times, either."
You think you know someone, and then at their memorial service, a stranger comes in, sits for ten minutes alone, speaks to no one, and quietly leaves."
T-Shirts, Bumper Stickers and Road Signs
"Beginning Ponzi schemes, suitable for ages 2 to 4.
"The Family Ponzi Game -- Send granny to the poorhouse."
"Road fines doubled next 36 miles. Various reasons."
"Mel's honing pigeons. Knives, cutlery sharpened."
"Speed monitored by radar-equipped humming birds."
"MINE BLACK HOLES. Ad paid for by International Papeweight and Doorstop."
"Caution: This car decelerates in the passing lane."
~~ Robert Brault
18 comments:
"Often, in consoling a child, you try to get to the fact of the matter, only to realize that the matter doesn't have any fact."
For me, this works even better as:
"Often you try to get to the fact of the matter, only to realize that the matter doesn't have any fact."
Kavey,
Thanks for the comment. I considered it, of course, in your version, but it seemed merely glib. If you have tried to console a child, you know that the missing fact of the matter is most poignantly relevant to a child's view of the world.
smiles,
rb
"Never mind the odds against you. If you doubled your effort, what would the odds against you do -- send for reinforcements?"
I like this one. It kinda fits with my post today.
=)
Sue,
Indeed it does. Congratulations to your son Todd on his entering medical school.
smiles,
rb
Fair point, but I kind of like the simplicity and all encompassing truth of the cut version! :)
Sounds a bit like Simon and Garfunkel. dk
I'm nowhere near solving the mystery of "how I become more ignorant"...which I do become in the technical sphere... a bit more almost daily!
Hmmm...that quiet stranger has broken some illusions I've had about 'knowing' someone...
Kavey,
Okay, we'll go your way for posterity; we'll leave it my way for the parents reading this blog.
Anon/Don,
As I once said, "People ask me how I think up my thoughts. I think up most of them while reading the lyrics of Paul Simon."
khushi,
It's kinda not fair -- the way they keep coming up with more things to be ignorant of.
smiles all,
rb
The scientists along with the ignorance quotes were/are exceptional, but the one that confirms you as a unique observer...you think you know someone. I've had such an experience and never imagined anyone to put it so well in words.
Congratulations with the calendar. They hang horse thieves and murderers and now we'll soon have the privilege of hanging Robert Brault:)
Ken, thanks for the 147th time for your thoughtful comments. You may not want to "hang" Robert Brault. The calendar will highlight American holidays, and you'll probably have to pay triple to cover shipping and UK duties. This is one where I'd better say, "It's the thought that counts."
smiles, friend,
rb
Dear Robert,
I like so much the first two (the odds and the surrender) that I cannot help connecting them and share some experience with you.
I would say that whenever we fight (consciously or not) against ourselves, the battle is so fierce and we surrender so rarely, partially because whenever we double our efforts, the damn odds do the same...
Georgina,
I could sit here a thousand years and not think of that angle. Sometimes the comments on this blog put the posts to shame.
smiles,
rb
It is only a matter of perception. There is no such a thing as a wise saying that can be applicable to all possible situation. If taken out of the proper context, it may sound sily or plain wrong. But this is the beauty of playing with words - the alternatives are infinite.
I honestly believe that words are the most deceitful of all communications means ever invented by humans. But they are so irresistable at the same time...
Here is a piece about the power of perception, hope you enjoy it:
http://egooutpeters.blogspot.com/2011/01/tthe-power-of-perception-by-georgina.html
"I know this about myself -- that the most lasting triumphs of my life have been triumphs of acceptance, and the happiest triumph a willing surrender."
Oh, I have to find the perfect photo for this quote...look at you being awesome again....ヅ
The more I ignore you..the sooner you show up here again ღ
Go R☮bert !
Ariana,
Thanks, old friend. If you find a photo awesome enough, maybe we can use it for next year's calendar.
smiles,
rb
Georgina,
Your essay (on the distinction between the phrase "everything is all right" and the phrase "nothing is wrong" as well-meaning consolations) has me pretty much in a state of despair over the use of language as a means of communication. It's a shame. I once had high hopes for the lexical user interface. But you are right, words, though deceitful, are irresistable, and there is something about hunt-and-peck that engages the human mind more naturally than point-and-click.
Cool! Short scentences says it all.
Zamboozee,
Love your movie list (Glad to see someone else remembers "King Rat"), and our resident cynic applauds your "Revised Dictionary." I encourage all Ambrose Bierce fans to click on your name for a real treat.
smiles,
rb
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