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| QUOTATIONS 1854-1897 |
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| 1854. Before modern science and medicine have discovered the radical means of preventing the mass death from various plagues and famines, which have been continuously afflicting humanity from the times immemorial, the survival of the fittest, both socially and biologically meant just that – the literal physical survival of the few while many were condemned to the untimely death. But what the advances in modern science and medicine also did was to disconnect social and biological survival, for they made it possible for one to die socially, i.e. to be marginalized to the point of irreversible unemployment and homelessness and yet to continue to exist physically. And so, society had to find the ways to deal with the ever increasing numbers of those who were no longer part of it as the producers and yet "refuse to die" and thus remain the consumers. The modern welfare system, after many and painful trials and errors, after decades (or even centuries) of refusal by "the winners of the struggle to survive" to deal or even acknowledge it, as born as the only rational response to this challenge, and not out of some charitable impulses. For the so-called "winners" learned the hard way that if they don't help "the losers" sooner or later they will be forced "by the invisible hand of market" to join them. 1855. Most of the people throughout history led, and present material prosperity notwithstanding, lead unhappy, unfulfilled lives. Hence the suicidal tendency almost all of us experience (some more, others less frequently.) But one doesn't want to die alone. Misery loves company. If I go, so the rest should go with me. And this, in my opinion, is the underlying psychological urge expressed collectively in the forms of apocalyptic myths and "end of the days" longing of humanity since times immemorial. 1856. Women buy love with sex, men –sex with love. But, as in other transactions, buyer beware what you bargain for. 1857. Those Europeans who condemn Israel and question its legitimacy have only look in the mirror to find out who is ultimately responsible for Israel existence. 1858. There must be a special place in Hell reserved for the modest and humble, some obscure, dark corner where they are condemned to lament for eternity the lost opportunities and unfulfilled ambitions. 1859. Though being above average has its considerable personal and public rewards, it is not without some unpleasant drawbacks, namely, the annoying propensity of the average to bite at the heels of those above them. 1860. While we may admire those superior to us in abilities and status, the ones we truly like are those who make us feel larger than we thought we were. 1861. If debate is the surest way to arrive at truth (or at least some reasonable approximation thereof) even the imaginative one, contained and run in one's head, would do when the real one is not, as experience of many would confirm, available. 1862. To be a writer one has to believe in having something in common with one's fellow human beings (or at least with some of them) and that what one finds interesting enough to write about shall therefore be interesting to others as well to read it because of this hoped for commonality. For if one think of himself as absolutely unique and different from anyone else what would be a point in writing, since because of its uniqueness no one else will find it of the slightest interest and relevant to their lives. 1863. Alas, it is almost unheard of in human affairs for a famous person to acknowledge that something of a value may come from the totally unknown one. 1864. Most of the books on socio-economic subjects could be greatly improved if their authors confined themselves to introduction and conclusion and dispense with what is traditionally in between –the bulk of data and its analysis supposed to connect in logical sequence the first with the last. The reason being that those interested, to begin with, in the subject matter either are or should be familiar with the basic facts if they expect to benefit from their analysis. And all they really want to know is what it is all about. And if a writer couldn't do it without dragging a reader through several hundred pages he has nobody to blame but himself if such a book is abandoned somewhere in the middle by the exhausted public. 1865. Though men, in general, are considered to be more competitive than women, there is one kind of competition at which women could be as aggressive, as vicious and as uncompromising –a competition (or rather a fight) over a man. I have witnessed it at close quarters and it is not a pretty picture. 1866. The true business is totally apolitical and completely amoral. It knows no friends but gains, and no enemies but losses. 1867. When the late 19th-century Jewish intellectuals looked down upon the various manifestations of European ethnic nationalisms of French, Germans, Russians, etc. with their obsessions with "blood and spirit," and espoused instead the cosmopolitan universalism and brotherhood of all men, little did they know that in fifty years time their grandchildren would embrace the similar nationalistic creed and for the same purpose –to keep the newly created nation of Israel united. 1868. The shortest and the simplest definition of a good life I can think of would be: "doing what one likes and liking what one does." But, no man being an island, there must be included in this definition the recognition of the others' right to a good life as well. Keeping this in mind the updated definition of a good life would sound like this: "A good life is doing what one like and liking what one does, provided it does not interfere with the ability of the others to act likewise and have a good life as well." 1869. Paradoxically, those who promise too much and then deliver very little elicit more gratitude than those who always fulfill their promises. The second are taken for granted, but as in the case of the first when you finally expect nothing even the crumbs assume the disproportionate dimensions. 1870. The enormous proliferation recently of children's books (at times it seems as if everyone is writing them) could make one believe that reading is a childish thing. 1871. People who never reveal anything of importance about themselves, namely, what they feel or think about this or that, or any personal details of their lives, past or present, are like a women who wear a lot of baggy clothes which makes it impossible to discern the shape of her body. One can only assume that in both cases what is concealed is not very attractive and that one who does concealing must be so ashamed of what is hidden that he would do anything for the others not to see it. 1872. As the number of people suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder keep expanding at an alarming pace, perhaps the entire group of people, nay, the whole nation should be added to the list of the sufferers – the Jews. But in their case the acronym PTSD should be extended (to reflect the historic truth) to PPFTSD –Post, Present, Future Traumatic Stress Disorder. 1873. Love! What does it mean for a generation when having multiple sexual partners before one settles into semi-permanent relationship is not just a norm but a prerequisite? What dose it mean to those for whom sex is not a forbidden fruit but one of many, easily available forms of recreation? And how many people at all times are capable of selfless, passionate, truly romantic Love, of are objects of it? Precious few. The rest have to do with various surrogates and substitutes. Life is an art of compromises, of settling for second best, forever getting all the rest instead of coveted few prizes. 1874. One of the unexpected byproducts of the Internet Revolution has been the replacement of "love at the first sight" by "love at the first e-mail." 1875.The truly American game of baseball may serve as a perfect key to understanding American way of life. On the surface it is universally accessible to everyone, regardless of skills and abilities, to play it. But under the closer scrutiny it is obvious that only very few can actually play it well enough to become the professionals earning huge incomes. And so is the American life which seems very egalitarian, providing equal opportunity to all. In reality however only few ever succeed to become rich and famous, while the rest are forever condemned to try to figure out why they didn't when everything appeared so attainable, so close to reach and take it. 1876. I am not willing to purchase with the quite real physical suffering in the form of surgeries the few more years of ultimately finite existence. 1877. As one approaches the end of life it helps, in order to except this inevitability, to be fed up with whatever life may still offer. 1878. As far as talking is concerned some enjoy it because they know what they are talking about, the others because they're blissfully unaware that they don't. And then there are those who on a contrary are painfully aware that every time they tried to say something it didn't make too much sense even to themselves. And so, they chose, as much as possible, to remain silent. 1879. As those who say they don't believe in love are often told they just haven't met the right person yet, so are those who gave up on reading works of fiction(as more and more members of educated classes do nowadays) should be told repeatedly that they just haven't come across the right book yet. 1880. While everyone seems to be aware about China's notorious disregard for copy-rights on such popular consumer items as software, latest Hollywood movies, motorcycles, etc., etc., yet it pales in comparison with the fact of China taking "for free" science and technology developed by Western civilization during 3000years of its existence, from Sumer to Silicon Valley. Combined with a culture which for 4000 years was devoted to sheer physical survival, at any cost, at any level it produced a modern industrial machine nobody can or would be able to compte with in a foreseeable future. 1881. The religious education in the form of Bible, Talmud, Koran, etc., studies provides one aspiring to a career in politics with indispensable for this calling well practiced ability of saying with a straight face and ostensible display of strong held convictions the things one knows perfectly well are not true. And to the lesser extent such an ability could be quite useful in doing almost anything else. 1882. Even the most obsessive organizers and meticulous planners are no better than the rest of us in determining a time and a manner of their death. Unless they are willing to commit suicide. 1883. I wonder what made the ancient Greeks to discover a virtue of moderation, of "golden middle." Perhaps drinking too much wine, they were so famous for, has something to do with it. 1884.The widespread myth embraced by many and an occasional realization by the lucky few of socio-economic upward mobility is the main obstacle to the acceptance of redistribution of wealth/socialism in America. A man is much more reluctant to support sharing, even in principle, when he expects any moment (or at least hopes in not too distant future) to become the one who would have to share his just acquired wealth. A certain amount of socio-economic upward mobility exists in every post-feudal society. But while people in the rest of the world know that chances for an average person in this regard are very slim, in America the possibility (or even inevitability) for everyone to rise above his present circumstances is accepted as the self-evident truth. More than that, it is an article of faith in a religion called Americanism. Another important reason for Americans' lukewarm commitment to and often downright rejection of the idea of redistribution of wealth is a racial one. For several centuries even the poorest of America's "whites" regarded themselves as superior to "blacks." Tragically, as far as their socio-economic status is concerned , the majority of America's "blacks" are still at the bottom of American society. Which means that any meaningful redistribution of wealth would entail taking it from "whites" and giving it to "blacks" and thus making them more equal. It clearly doesn't sits well with the racist white majority who see it as unfair economically and demeaning politically. Both welfare and affirmative actions would have been much acceptable to the "whites" if the beneficiaries of these equalizing measure where people of their own color. This explains, by the way, why racially homogeneous European countries are so much more enthusiastic than United States about redistribution of wealth/socialism. The real test, however, of the strength of their commitment to equality will come when ever increasing numbers of non-white migrants will continuously dilute their present homogeneity, the process which is unfolding right now and would only accelerate in the future. 1885. What nourishes conservatism is a universal human tendency to have a selective memory. Thus a conservative is usually one who is naturally predisposed to remembering the good and forgetting the bad of the past. Also, conservatism feeds on quite reasonable apprehension of the future which would inevitably contain the generous mixture of both. 1886. Show me a thinking person and I'll show you one cursed by less than perfect health. 1887. Whenever one criticizes or analyzes the deeds and words of government officials it could be helpful, in order to understand them better, to put oneself into their place and ask oneself: what would I have said or done if I was in their position. And if one is a typical representative of the majority in a truly democratic society, like Canada or England, for example, the honest answer would be: I would have done and said essentially the same thing. For whether we like to admit it or not, the people in position of power in any true democratic society are be and large the embodiment of population at large – otherwise they would have never been elected. And so, as Tony Blair speaks for the majority of the British people, so does Paul Martin for the majority of Canadians. When people in such countries lament during the election time the lack of choice between the parties which seems to differ only in the names, they fail to appreciate the fact that this is a sign of mature democracy which is ruled by the widest possible consensus among universally enfranchised citizens on what they want their government to do for them. And any party which doesn't listen is doomed to failure. 1888. The people whom we found exciting and stimulating when we were young later in life became annoying and tiresome. Likewise, those who were obliging and comforting became boring and irritating. The question is: "Is it about them or about us?" 1889. More than a 100 years ago, William James, one of the fathers of the modern psychology called this emerging science –"elaboration of the obvious." The same could be said today about almost anything one hear on radio and TV, or read in the newspapers and even in the big books by professors . There are no new discoveries, new insights, new truths in political or economic analyses of the current events offered by specialist and pundits. A well informed average person seems to know as much as respectable "talking heads," syndicated columnists and regular commentators. Everything emanating from all of them had been heard many times before and some of the so-called "man on the street" have said exactly the same things many years ago. 1890. The people most eager to dispense good advices are usually the ones who find again and again how hard it is to follow them themselves. 1891. The New Testament – a bible of Christianity – is the most poetic, most profound, most mind and spirit altering, most mesmerizing, most euphoric, most compassionate, most overwhelming, most insidious paean to Intolerance. It preaches love, and promotes hate. It preaches brotherhood and promotes divisiveness, it preaches humility and promotes pride. It preaches peace and promotes war. It has a face of an angel and face of a devil combined in one. It raises a man to the highest of the High, and plunges him to the deepest of the Deep. It is a paradise and hell occupying the same space. It is creation of God and Satan, or of the One who is both. 1892. After Montaigne no French writer could have any excuse to write badly. The clarity of thoughts and exquisite usage of French language to express them exhibited in Essais established such an indisputable standard that anyone not capable to live up to it had nobody to blame but himself. 1893. If , as they say, a man is what he eats, then a woman is what she wears. 1894. Doing good to the others, day after day, is not easy. For most of the people, most of the times do not return the favor, which may be very discouraging to even the most dedicated do-gooder. There is also much stronger urge in all of us to retaliate rather reciprocate, and not to do unto others what they refuse to do unto us. Thus doing good consistently requires continuous effort to overcome a natural human tendency "to pay back" and therefore must be considered unnatural. 1895. Never compare yourself unfavorably with the people you see on the screen. Never envy them, no matter how ideal they seems to be and how glamorous the life they lead. For they aren't real, while you are. Remember, they are only two-dimensional and therefor simplified symbols of your complex, multi-dimensional self which cinematic art by its very nature is incapable to reproduce. For you to try to emulate them is like for the nightingale trying to imitate a mechanical singing bird in Anderson's tale Swineherd. Never forget that you are more perfect as a real human being than they who are but the shades lacking in depth and truth. 1896. No matter how definitive the previous speaker was, it seldom prevents the next one from hoping to contribute something new to the conversation. Otherwise, no work of philosophy would have been written after Aristotle. 1897. People who tend to over-evaluate their importance and exaggerate their accomplishments are often doing it to compensate for the total lack of public recognition of who they are and what they do. One who is not accepted as a member of a club has no choice but to believe and to declare, to save his dignity and self-respect, that he is to good for that club to begin with. Giving such people even a minimum of what is their due would most of the time turn them into realistic, even modest assessors of their talents and achievements and safe the rest of us a lot of aggravation. If the world had only recognized Hitler as a competent artist he would have never reached the state of the insane bitterness which led to irrational proclamation of being the greatest leader of all times with the horrific consequences. This is just one, the most famous and the most obvious case, and there are many, many more. Yet, there is a very little reason to believe that this world populated largely by those who while obsequious to the few are obnoxious to the many, would ever stop worshiping heroes and give recognition to people who look like themselves. To fulfil my fate without fail I've turned life into the endless scroll Sung a song that was more like a wail And then sunk in slumber of a soul. |
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