“They tell me there’s a lot of grafting going on in this precinct. They tell me that you fellows are the fiercest ever on graft. Now that’s going to stop! If there’s any grafting to be done, I’ll do it. Leave it to me.”
– William “Big Bill” Devery (1854–1919), first police chief of New York City, appointed in 1898
“His remark was not intended to be a factual statement.”
– The office of Senate Minority Whip Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.), after their boss stated on April 8, 2011, that abortion was “well over 90 percent of what Planned Parenthood does,” when in fact the actual figure is 3 percent.
“These days, continually fuddled by drink, I fail to satisfy the appetites of the soul. But seeing all men behaving like drunkards, how can I remain sober?”
– Wang Chi, 700 A.D.
“There is a strange duality in the human which makes for an ethical paradox. We have definitions of good qualities and of bad; not changing things, but generally considered good and bad throughout the ages and throughout the species. Of the good, we think always of wisdom, tolerance, kindliness, generosity, humility; and the qualities of cruelty, greed, self-interest, graspingness, and rapacity are universally considered undesirable.
“And yet in our structure of society, the so-called and considered good qualities are invariable concomitants of failure, while the bad ones are the cornerstones of success. A man — a viewing-point man — while he will love the abstract good qualities and detest the abstract bad, will nevertheless envy and admire the person who though possessing the bad qualities has succeeded economically and socially, and will hold in contempt that person whose good qualities have caused failure. When such a viewing-point man thinks of Jesus or St. Augustine or Socrates he regards them with love because they are the symbols of the good he admires, and he hates the symbols of the bad.
“But actually he would rather be successful than good. In an animal other than man we would replace the term “good” with “weak survival quotient” and the term “bad” with “strong survival quotient.” Thus, man in his thinking or reverie status admires the progression toward extinction, but in the unthinking stimulus which really activates him he tends toward survival. Perhaps no other animal is so torn between alternatives.”
– John Steinbeck in The Log from the Sea of Cortez (1941)
“How great a forest is set ablaze by a small fire! And the tongue is a fire. The tongue is placed among our members as a world of iniquity; it stains the whole body, sets on fire the cycle of nature, and is itself set on fire by hell. For every species of beast and bird, of reptile and sea creature, can be tamed and has been tamed by the human species, but no one can tame the tongue–a restless evil, full of deadly poison. With it we bless the Lord and Father, and with it we curse those who are made in the likeness of God.”
– The Bible, James 3:5-9
“You get the feeling that even though he knows the right answers — work hard, persevere — the universe is asking different questions.”
– Jeff MacGregor in his profile of Mixed Martial Arts fighter Shannon “The Cannon” Ritch (43 wins/68 losses), “Making the Best of Bad,” in ESPN Magazine, September 21, 2009
“It’s almost easier to steal an identity today than to shed your own. Investigators can utilize crosslinked government and private databases, easy public distribution of information via the Internet and television, and data tucked away in corporate files to track you without leaving their desks. Even the most clever disappearing act is easily undone. One poorly considered email or oversharing tweet and there will be a knock at your door. As missing-person investigators like to say, they can make a thousand mistakes. You only have to make one.”
– “Gone” by Evan Ratliff in the September 2009 issue of Wired
“I’m learning to love and appreciate each thing for what it is. In the end, be careful to do what you are best at doing and wait for the wheel to turn to you.”
Yesterday, Dick Cheney noted that if the Guantanamo detainees are moved to American soil, U.S. taxpayers will have to support them. Until that moment, I had no idea that Cuba has been footing the bill for the past seven years.
While jarring my memory with my senior year high school yearbook, the Kenitorial of 1964, I came across this parting endearment: “Good Lord, am I glad you’re not going to be in my classes next year.”
My thanks to Ronald L. Kern, who made me laugh in 1964 and again in 2009. Good material, Ron, wherever you are.
