Notable quotes, excerpts, and profound lines.

[WT Sharpe]

.....There is no method of reasoning more common, and yet none more blamable, than in philosophical disputes to endeavor the refutation of any hypothesis by a pretense of its dangerous consequences to religion and morality. When any opinion leads to absurdities it is certainly false, but it is not certain that an opinion is false because it is of dangerous consequence.
..........— David Hume (1711-1776), Scottish philosopher. An Inquiry Concerning Human Understanding, Section VIII: Of Liberty And Necessity, Part II.

[BenG]

"The dispute that goes on between Macbeth and his wife about the murder of Duncan is almost word for word a dispute which goes on at any suburban breakfast table about something else. It is merely a matter of changing 'Infirm of purpose, give me the daggers' into 'Infirm of purpose, give me the postage stamps.'"
Chesterton on Shakespeare, G.K. Chesterton

[WT Sharpe]

.....Listen to me, ye who strive in the senses
.....And think through the senses only:
.....Immortality is not a gift,
.....Immortality is an achievement;
.....And only those who strive mightily
.....Shall possess it.
..........— Edgar Lee Masters (1868-1950), American poet. "The Village Atheist" from Spoon River Anthology (1916).

[WT Sharpe]

.....But I had formerly been a great lover of fish, and, when this came hot out of the frying-pan, it smelt admirably well. I balanc'd some time between principle and inclination, till I recollected that, when the fish were opened, I saw smaller fish taken out of their stomachs; then thought I, "If you eat one another, I don't see why we mayn't eat you." So I din'd upon cod very heartily, and continued to eat with other people, returning only now and then occasionally to a vegetable diet. So convenient a thing it is to be a reasonable creature, since it enables one to find or make a reason for everything one has a mind to do.
..........— Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790), American scientist, diplomat, publisher. The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin (published posthumously).

[Notre Dame]

"One should plunge into a book as into water. Poverty awaits him who does not go there." Old Pharonic proverb
http://chrisscottwilson.co.uk

[kennyc]

Nice!

[Stitchawl]

Time is but the stream I go a-fishing in. I drink at it; but while I drink I see the sandy bottom and detect how shallow it is. Its thin current slides away, but eternity remains.
-- "Walden'" Theoreau


Stitchawl

[kennyc]

Originally Posted by Stitchawl

Time is but the stream I go a-fishing in. I drink at it; but while I drink I see the sandy bottom and detect how shallow it is. Its thin current slides away, but eternity remains.
-- "Walden'" Theoreau


Stitchawl

Wonderful!

[Stitchawl]

'Walden' is the one book that I have, that I often re-read because of its incredibly rich humor, (yes, it's an absolute riot!) where almost every page has several underlined passages. Perhaps next to Shakespear, it's one of the most often quoted without folks even realizing where the quotes are from!

Stitchawl

[WT Sharpe]

.....What does democracy come down to? The persuasive power of slogans invented by wily self-seeking politicians.
..........— W(illiam) Somerset Maugham (1874-1965), British writer. Christmas Holidays (1939).

[Stitchawl]

"Every exit is an entry to somewhere else."

(No idea who said this one, but I've always liked it!)

Stitchawl

[gmw]

Originally Posted by WT Sharpe

...
Immortality is an achievement;
And only those who strive mightily
Shall possess it.
— Edgar Lee Masters ...

I saw that and thought: I intend to live forever or die trying.

I've seen it attributed to Groucho Marx but don't know if that's true.

[WT Sharpe]

Originally Posted by gmw

I saw that and thought: I intend to live forever or die trying.

I've seen it attributed to Groucho Marx but don't know if that's true.

Glad you liked it. If Groucho said it, he was quoting Masters, who wrote the poem—if memory serves me correctly—in 1915 (the book was published in 1916). The original can be viewed here.

I don't doubt you've seen it attributed to Marx; probably on one of those ubiquitous "quotations" sites with which the World Wide Web is infested, who rarely give sources, and whose "fact-checking" bears no more resemblance to reality than a Willie Nelson 1040 Form.

[WT Sharpe]

.....According to Sports Illustrated, a journalist visiting the Oak-land Raiders' training camp in Santa Rosa, California, had just come from the nearby Jack London Home State Historic Monument. He read the following sample of London's prose to quarterback Ken Stabler:
....." 'I would rather be ashes than dust! I would rather that my spark should burn out in a brilliant blaze than it should be stifled by dry rot.
....." 'I would rather be a superb meteor, every atom of me in magnificent glow, than a sleepy and permanent planet. The proper function of man is to live, not to exist. I shall not waste my days in trying to prolong them. I shall use my time.' "
....."What does that mean to you?" the newspaperman asked.
....."Throw deep," said Stabler.
..........— Steve Allen (1921 – 2000), American comedian, humanist, musician, actor, composer, author. Steve Allen's Private Joke File (2000).

[gmw]

Originally Posted by WT Sharpe

Glad you liked it. If Groucho said it, he was quoting Masters, who wrote the poem—if memory serves me correctly—in 1915 (the book was published in 1916). The original can be viewed here ...

Thanks for that. Google wont let me view the book (not being in the US).

The Groucho reference was related to the small quote I posted ("I intend to live forever or die trying"), but yes the reference was from online which is why I have my doubts about the origin. These days the line gets used a lot, there's even a music album with the title "live forever or die trying".