Fridge for Thought

Weekly Entries for October 5, 2009

2009-10-05T19:38:00.004-04:00

Fridge for Thought is still settling in after are Summer vacation. We now hope to keep you informed, enlightened, and entertained on a bi-weekly basis.

Entry 1

Oh, somewhere in this favored land the sun is shining bright,
The band is playing somewhere, and somewhere hearts are light,
And somewhere men are laughing, and little children shout;
But there is no joy in Mudville — mighty Casey has struck out.

Stanza from Casey at the Bat -- Ernest Lawrence Thayer

Entry 2

Question authority, but raise your hand first

-Unknown

Entry 3

There are strange things done in the midnight sun
By the men who moil for gold;
The Arctic trails have their secret tales
That would make your blood run cold;
The Northern Lights have seen queer sights,
But the queerest they ever did see
Was that night on the marge of Lake Lebarge
I cremated Sam McGee.

Cremation of Sam McGee by Robert W. Service

Entry 4

No problem can be solved from the same level of consciousness that created it.

Albert Einstein

Weekly Winner: September 27, 2009

2009-09-29T22:44:00.001-04:00

Back after a long Summer

2009-09-20T22:50:00.003-04:00

Fall is here, hear the yell
Back to school, ring the bell
Brand new shoes, walking blues
Climb the fence, books and pens
I can tell that we are going to be friends
Yes I can tell that we are going to be friends

(“We’re Going to be Friends” written by Jack White, sung by Jack Johnson)

We're happy to announce the Fall kick-off of Fridge for Thought. Join us weekly and be cultured, or at least amused. Then vote for your favorite entry that we will hang on our fridge the following week. Spread the word.

Weekly Entries for Week of September 21-27

2009-09-20T22:46:00.002-04:00

Entry 1

This is the sort of English up with which I will not put.

Exclamation by Winston Churchill after an editor clumsily rearranged one of his sentences to avoid ending in a preposition.

Entry 2

Television has done much for psychiatry by spreading information about it, as well as contributing to the need for it.

Alfred Hitchcock

Entry 3

We want great men who, when fortune frowns, will not be discouraged.

Colonel Henry Knox as quoted by David McCullough in 1776

Entry 4

The wisest were just the poor and simple people. They knew the war to be a misfortune, whereas those who were better off, and should have been able to see more clearly what the consequences would be, were beside themselves with joy. Katczinsky said that was a result of their upbringing. It made them stupid. And what Kat said, he had thought about.

- Erich Maria Remarque, All Quiet On The Western Front

Weekly Entries for Week of May 25-31, 2009

2009-05-19T23:28:00.003-04:00

After a week off (we voted to blame it on Mike's Disneyland vacation), we're back!

Entry 1

If we wait for the moment when everything, absolutely everything is ready, we shall never begin.

Virgin Soil
Ivan Turgenev

Entry 2

This will be a bit long, and may not win, but I'm including this passage to introduce everyone to this great short story by Tolkien, "Leaf by Niggle". It has nothing to do with "Middle Earth," so it's not that kind of Tolkien, but it is still one of my favorites.

Exceprt from "Leaf by Niggle" by J.R.R. Tolkien (1945)

...There seemed to be a Medical Board, or perhaps a Court of Inquiry, going on close at hand, in an adjoining room with the door open, possibly, though he could not see any light.

"Now the Niggle case," said a Voice, a severe voice, more severe than the doctor's.

"What was the matter with him?" said a Second Voice, a voice that you might have called gentle, though it was not soft-it was a voice of authority, and sounded at once hopeful and sad. "What was the matter with Niggle? His heart was in the right place."

"Yes, but it did not function properly," said the First Voice. "And his head was not screwed on tight enough: he hardly ever thought at all. Look at the time he wasted, not even amusing himself! He never got ready for his journey. He was moderately well-off, and yet he arrived here almost destitute, and had to be put in the paupers' wing. A bad case, I am afraid. I think he should stay some time yet."

"It would not do him any harm, perhaps," said the Second Voice. "But, of course, he is only a little man. He was never meant to be anything very much; and he was never very strong. Let us look at the Records. Yes. There are some favourable points, you know."

"Perhaps," said the First Voice; "but very few that will really bear examination."

"Well," said the Second Voice, "there are these. He was a painter by nature. In a minor way, of course; still, a Leaf by Niggle has a charm of its own. He took a great deal of pains with leaves, just for their own sake. But he never thought that that made him important. There is no note in the Records of his pretending, even to himself, that it excused his neglect of things ordered by the law."

"Then he should not have neglected so many," said the First Voice.

"All the same, he did answer a good many Calls."

"A small percentage, mostly of the easier sort, and he called those Interruptions. The Records are full of the word, together with a lot of complaints and silly imprecations."

"True; but they looked like interruptions to him, of course, poor little man. And there is this: he never expected any Return, as so many of his sort call it. There is the Parish case, the one that came in later. He was Niggle's neighbour, never did a stroke for him, and seldom showed any gratitude at all. But there is no note in the Records that Niggle expected Parish's gratitude; he does not seem to have thought about it."

"Yes, that is a point," said the First Voice; "but rather small. I think you will find Niggle often merely forgot. Things he had to do for Parish he put out of his mind as a nuisance he had done with."

"Still, there is this last report," said the Second Voice, "that wet bicycle-ride. I rather lay stress on that. It seems plain that this was a genuine sacrifice: Niggle guessed that he was throwing away his last chance with his picture, and he guessed, too, that Parish was worrying unnecessarily."

"I think you put it too strongly," said the First Voice. "But you have the last word. It is your task, of course, to put the best interpretation on the facts. Sometimes they will bear it. What do you propose?"

"I think it is a case for a little gentle treatment now," said the Second Voice.

Niggle thought that he had never heard anything so generous as that Voice. It made Gentle Treatment sound like a load of rich gifts, and the summons to a King's feast. Then suddenly Niggle felt ashamed. To hear that he was considered a case for Gentle Treatment overwhelmed him, and made him blush in the dark. It was like being publicly praised, when you and all the audience knew that the praise was not deserved. Niggle hid his blushes in the rough blanket.

...

Well, that's just a taste. If you look hard enough you can find the full text online (may or may not be legal), or you can find it at the library or in your favorite bookstore in The Tolkien Reader which also contains some other good work including Tolkien’s essay "On Fairy-Stories", the short story "Farmer Giles of Ham", and a collection of poems known as "The Adventures of Tom Bombadil."

Entry 3

Just remember that the things you put into your head are there forever, he said. You might want to think about that.

You forget some things, don't you?

Yes. You forget what you want to remember and you remember what you want to forget.

Cormac McCarthy - The Road

Entry 4

And woman is the same as horses: two wills act in opposition inside her. With one will she wants to subject herself utterly. With the other she wants to bolt, and pitch her rider to perdition.

D. H. Lawrence "Women in Love"

Weekly Winner: May 10, 2009

2009-05-13T22:01:00.000-04:00

Once you can accept the universe as matter expanding into nothing that is something, wearing stripes with plaid comes easy.

-Albert Einstein

Submitted by Mike

Weekly Entries for Week of May 11-16, 2009

2009-05-07T22:44:00.001-04:00

Entry 1

Once you can accept the universe as matter expanding into nothing that is something, wearing stripes with plaid comes easy.

-Albert Einstein

Entry 2

Sweater, n.: garment worn by child when its mother is feeling chilly.

Ambrose Bierce

Entry 3

Absence makes the heart grow fonder.

Maid Marion, Disney's Robin Hood

Entry 4

Recently mentioned in a talk many of us might have heard (suggested abbreviated title: "To the Rescue"):

"Lifeboat and Manby Apparatus going off to a stranded vessel making signal of distress"
Joseph Mallord William Turner, 1831

"Amidst the storms of life, danger lurks; and men, like boats, find themselves stranded and facing destruction. Who will man the lifeboats, leaving behind the comforts of home and family, and go to the rescue?" Thomas S. Monson

Weekly Winner: May 3, 2009

2009-05-05T21:29:00.002-04:00

"There are no genuine philosophical problems, philosophy is simply a byproduct of misunderstanding language."

Ludwig Wittgenstein (1889-1951) from Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus.

Submitted by John

Weekly Entries for Week of May 4-10, 2009

2009-04-30T23:57:00.010-04:00

Entry 1

"There are no genuine philosophical problems, philosophy is simply a byproduct of misunderstanding language."

Ludwig Wittgenstein (1889-1951) from Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus.

What's great about this quote is that it is a true mid-week discovery.

Entry 2

There is no limit to what a man can accomplish or where he can go if he doesn't mind who gets the credit.

Ronald Reagan

Entry 3

FFT is supposed to be about classic literature, art, and other such things. Calvin and Hobbes by Bill Watterson , is about as classic as it comes in terms of comic

Entry 4
To close out poetry month, here's one of my favorites:

ITHACA

C.P. Cavafy
translated from modern Greek by Rae Dalven

When you start on your journey to Ithaca,
then pray that the road is long,
full of adventure, full of knowledge.
Do not fear the Lestrygonians
and the Cyclopes and the angry Poseidon.
You will never meet such as these on your path,
if your thoughts remain lofty, if a fine
emotion touches your body and your spirit.
You will never meet the Lestrygonians,
the Cyclopes and the fierce Poseidon,
if you do not carry them within your soul,
if your soul does not raise them up before you.

Then pray that the road is long.
That the summer mornings are many,
that you will enter ports seen for the first time
with such pleasure, with such joy!
Stop at Phoenician markets,
and purchase fine merchandise,
mother-of-pearl and corals, amber and ebony,
and pleasurable perfumes of all kinds,
buy as many pleasurable perfumes as you can;
visit hosts of Egyptian cities,
to learn and learn from those who have knowledge.

Always keep Ithaca fixed in your mind.
To arrive there is your ultimate goal.
But do not hurry the voyage at all.
It is better to let it last for long years;
and even to anchor at the isle when you are old,
rich with all that you have gained on the way,
not expecting that Ithaca will offer you riches.

Ithaca has given you the beautiful voyage.
Without her you would never have taken the road.
But she has nothing more to give you.

And if you find her poor, Ithaca has not defrauded you.
With the great wisdom you have gained, with so much experience,
you must surely have understood by then what Ithacas mean.

Weekly Winner: April 26, 2009

2009-04-28T20:30:00.001-04:00

I have noticed even people who claim everything is predestined, and that we can do nothing to change it, look before they cross the road.

Stephen Hawking

Submitted by Adam

Weekly Entries for Week of April 27-May 3, 2009

2009-04-25T18:28:00.005-04:00

Better late than never.... Right?

Entry 1

"You can't keep the birds of sadness from flying over your head, but you can keep them from nesting in your hair."

Sharon Creech, from Walk Two Moons

Entry 2

A bit of dialog from Forrest Gump. (note: some minor modifications have been made to this quote in consideration of FFT's family-friendly standards)

Drill Sergeant: GUMP! What's your sole purpose in this army?!

Forrest Gump: To do whatever you tell me, drill sergeant!

Drill Sergeant: Gump! You're a genius! That's the most outstanding answer I have ever heard! You must have an I.Q. of 160! You are gifted, Private Gump! Listen up, people...

Forrest Gump: [narrating] Now for some reason I fit in the army like one of them round pegs. It's not really hard. You just make your bed real neat and remember to stand up straight and always answer every question with "Yes, drill sergeant!"

Drill Sergeant: This is one very intelligent individual! You lock your scuzzy bodies up behind that private and do exactly what he does, and you will go far in this man's army! Is that clear?!

Forrest Gump, Recruits: YES, DRILL SERGEANT!

Entry 3

I have noticed even people who claim everything is predestined, and that we can do nothing to change it, look before they cross the road.

Stephen Hawking

In case you hadn't heard, Dr. Hawking was hospitilzed this week but should recover

Entry 4

Where the Sidewalk Ends, by Shel Silverstein

There is a place where the sidewalk ends
And before the street begins,
And there the grass grows soft and white,
And there the sun burns crimson bright,
And there the moon-bird rests from his flight
To cool in the peppermint wind.

Let us leave this place where the smoke blows black
And the dark street winds and bends.
Past the pits where the asphalt flowers grow
We shall walk with a walk that is measured and slow,
And watch where the chalk-white arrows go
To the place where the sidewalk ends.

Yes we'll walk with a walk that is measured and slow,
And we'll go where the chalk-white arrows go,
For the children, they mark, and the children, they know
The place where the sidewalk ends.

In honor of National Poetry Month, this poem (and the Raven, which was already quote by John) are the earliest poems I remember from my life. I remember seeing a book of Shel Silverstein's poems called Where the Sidewalk Ends sometime in elementary school. It had a funny picture on the cover.

Weekly Winner: April 19, 2009

2009-04-22T23:00:00.003-04:00

"I think it would seem a little easier if the memories were shared. You and I wouldn't have to bear so much by ourselves, if everyone took a part." The Giver sighed, "You're right," he said, "But then everyone would be burdened and pained. They don't want that...They selected me-and you-to lift that burden from themselves

....The worst part of holding the memories is not the pain. It's the loneliness of it. Memories need to be shared.

The Giver, by Lois Lowry

Submitted by Mike

Weekly Entries for Week of April 20-26, 2009

2009-04-14T22:15:00.003-04:00

Entry 1

In honor of tax day...

Friends, says he, and neighbors, the taxes are indeed very heavy, and if those laid on by the government were the only ones we had to pay, we might more easily discharge them; but we have many others, and much more grievous to some of us. We are taxed twice as much by our idleness, three times as much by our pride, and four times as much by our folly, and from these taxes the commissioners cannot ease or deliver us by allowing an abatement. However let us hearken to good advice, and something may be done for us; God helps them that help themselves, as Poor Richard says, in his almanac of 1733.

Benjamin Franklin -- from "The Way to Wealth"

Entry 2

Love your enemy. It will scare the hell out of them.

Mark Twain

Entry 3

I'm a great believer in luck, and I find the harder I work the more I have of it.

Thomas Jefferson

A friend told me that luck was completely random. This quote was my rebuttal.

Entry 4

"I think it would seem a little easier if the memories were shared. You and I wouldn't have to bear so much by ourselves, if everyone took a part." The Giver sighed, "You're right," he said, "But then everyone would be burdened and pained. They don't want that...They selected me-and you-to lift that burden from themselves.

...The worst part of holding the memories is not the pain. It's the loneliness of it. Memories need to be shared.

The Giver, by Lois Lowry (FFT's first quote by a woman!)

Weekly Winner: April 12, 2009

2009-04-13T23:05:00.001-04:00

Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go.

T.S. Eliot
Preface to Transit of Venus: Poems by Harry Crosby

Submitted by Jake

Introducing the New Fridge for Thought Logo

2009-04-09T01:21:00.004-04:00

Here's our new logo. Let us know what you think. At a future date, we may vote (in true fridge fashion) to keep or replace the logo. Stay tuned...

Weekly Entries for Week of April 13-19, 2009

2009-04-09T01:12:00.005-04:00

Entry 1

"Don Quijote, reading novels of chivalry" Engraving by Gustavo Doré

See more engravings from the Edoardo Perino Italian edition of the Quijote (Rome, 1888).

Entry 2

Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go.

T.S. Eliot

Preface to Transit of Venus: Poems by Harry Crosby

Entry 3

One never can see, or not till long afterwards, why any one was selected for any job. And when one does, it is usually some reason that leaves no room for vanity. Certainly, it is never for what the man himself would have regarded as his chief qualifications.

C.S. Lewis, Perelandra

Entry 4

"Take thy beak from out my heart, and take thy form from off my door!"

Quoth the Raven, "Nevermore".

from The Raven, by E. A. Poe

This is just a taste of a great poem that everyone should read again.

Weekly Winner: April 5, 2009

2009-04-07T00:21:00.001-04:00

“The difference between a lady and a flower girl is not how she behaves, but how she is treated. I shall always be a flower girl to Professor Higgins because he always treats me as a flower girl and always will. But I know that I shall always be a lady to Colonel Pickering because he always treats me as a lady, and always will.”

President Monson quoting Eliza Doolittle in My Fair Lady

Submitted by Adam

Another Fridge Off

2009-04-06T09:11:00.003-04:00

We have another tie in the voting. Please break the tie by voting for one of the two weekly finalists before the end of the day Monday.

Entry 1

"They do not love that do not show their love"

President Monson quoting William Shakespeare, Two Gentlemen of Verona, act 1, scene 2, line 31.

Entry 4

Eliza Doolittle, the pupil of Professor Henry Higgins in My Fair Lady, observes of Colonel Pickering her philosophy: “The difference between a lady and a flower girl is not how she behaves, but how she is treated. I shall always be a flower girl to Professor Higgins because he always treats me as a flower girl and always will. But I know that I shall always be a lady to Colonel Pickering because he always treats me as a lady, and always will.”

President Monson quoting My Fair Lady

Weekly Entries for Week of April 6-12, 2009

2009-03-31T23:55:00.004-04:00

Introduction to this week's theme:

We have intentionally avoided themes on Fridge for Thought so that the submissions can be driven by the unique interests and insights of the roommates and by the response of our adoring public. However, on occasion, we may choose a theme that seems appropriate for the current week. This week’s theme is inspired by the upcoming General Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (this Saturday and Sunday, April 4-5). President Thomas S. Monson is beloved for telling personal stories from his life; he also frequently quotes favorite poems, songs, and other quotations from literature or the stage. So this week, each submission will come from President Monson’s cultural reference library. Feel free to comment on our submissions or suggest your own favorites (but alas, we will still only let you vote on ours). We hope you enjoy the submissions, that you will have pleasant recollections of hearing these references from the mouth of President Monson, and that you will get excited about learning from the inspired counsel we will hear from President Monson and the other church leaders in the upcoming Conference.

Entry 1

"They do not love that do not show their love"

President Monson quoting William Shakespeare, Two Gentlemen of Verona, act 1, scene 2, line 31.

Entry 2

President Monson quoting the song "Bring Him Home" from the musical "Les Miserables"

God on high, hear my prayer;
In my need you have always been there.
He is young, he's afraid;
Let him rest, Heaven blessed.
Bring him home.

"Brethren, as we go forward as bearers of the priesthood of God, learning our duty and then reaching out to our brethren who stand in need of our help, let us look upward to our Heavenly Father. And within our hearts we will recognize His unspoken plea, Bring him home."

Entry 3

“You pile up enough tomorrows, and you’ll find you’ve collected a lot of empty yesterdays.”

President Monson quoting "The Music Man"

Entry 4

The first quote is my entry, but I will include the surrounding paragraphs for context and for further demonstration of President Monson’s references to classic musicals.

Eliza Doolittle, the pupil of Professor Henry Higgins in My Fair Lady, observes of Colonel Pickering her philosophy: “The difference between a lady and a flower girl is not how she behaves, but how she is treated. I shall always be a flower girl to Professor Higgins because he always treats me as a flower girl and always will. But I know that I shall always be a lady to Colonel Pickering because he always treats me as a lady, and always will.”

Here are the surrounding paragraphs:

"To merit this blessing, it is necessary for each of us to recall who is the Giver of every gift and the Provider of every blessing. “The worth of souls is great in the sight of God” is not an idle phrase but a heaven-sent declaration for our enlightenment and guidance. We must ever remember who we are and what God expects us to become. This pearl of philosophy is hidden away in the delightful musical Fiddler on the Roof, as the peasant father Tevye counsels his growing daughters. Other contemporary plays carry thoughts worthy of our consideration as we prepare for service.

"From the production Camelot comes the observation, “Violence is not strength, and compassion is not weakness.” From Shenandoah, “If we don’t try, we don’t do; and if we don’t do, then why are we here?” Eliza Doolittle, the pupil of Professor Henry Higgins in My Fair Lady, observes of Colonel Pickering her philosophy: “The difference between a lady and a flower girl is not how she behaves, but how she is treated. I shall always be a flower girl to Professor Higgins because he always treats me as a flower girl and always will. But I know that I shall always be a lady to Colonel Pickering because he always treats me as a lady, and always will.” Again from Camelot, King Arthur pleaded with Guinevere, “We must not let our passions destroy our dreams.” The list continues. In reality, each magnificent observation is but a paraphrase of the teachings of our Lord, Jesus Christ. He is our exemplar and our guide. It is in His footsteps we must walk to be successful in our priesthood callings."

Thomas S. Monson, “The Priesthood—A Sacred Trust,” Ensign, May 1994, 49

Weekly Winner: March 29, 2009

2009-03-30T09:30:00.000-04:00

I tell this story to illustrate the truth of the statement I heard long ago in the Army: Plans are worthless, but planning is everything. There is a very great distinction because when you are planning for an emergency you must start with this one thing: the very definition of 'emergency' is that it is unexpected, therefore it is not going to happen the way you are planning.

Dwight D Eisenhower

Submitted by Jake

Weekly Entries for Week of March 30 - April 5, 2009

2009-03-25T21:54:00.009-04:00

Entry 1

The heights by great men reached and kept
Were not attained by sudden flight,
But they, while their companions slept,
Were toiling upward in the night.

From The Ladder of St. Augustine (follow link to read complete poem)

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Entry 2

The Lonely Pine by George Inness (Great American landscape artist, 1825-1894).
Currently located at the Detroit Institute of Art

Entry 3

I tell this story to illustrate the truth of the statement I heard long ago in the Army: Plans are worthless, but planning is everything. There is a very great distinction because when you are planning for an emergency you must start with this one thing: the very definition of 'emergency' is that it is unexpected, therefore it is not going to happen the way you are planning.

Dwight D Eisenhower

Entry 4

There are 10^11 stars in the galaxy. That used to be a huge number. But it's only a hundred billion. It's less than the national deficit! We used to call them astronomical numbers. Now we should call them economical numbers.

Richard Feynman - US educator & physicist (1918 - 1988)

Weekly Winner: March 22, 2009

2009-03-23T00:21:00.000-04:00

A person without a sense of humour is like a wagon without springs. It's jolted by every pebble in the road.

Henry Ward Beecher
Submitted by Mike

Weekly Winner: March 15, 2009 (see below for new entries)

2009-03-18T00:11:00.003-04:00

The fact is that neither of us knows anything beautiful and good, but he thinks he does know when he doesn’t, and I don’t know and don’t think I do: so I am wiser than he is by only this trifle that what I do not know I don’t think I do.

Plato quoting Socrates in Apology (The Apology of Socrates)

Submitted by Adam

Weekly Entries for Week of March 23-29, 2009

2009-03-17T23:00:00.005-04:00

Entry 1

We are not here on this earth for long, we commit many bad deeds, and we say much that we should not. Therefore, let us all take advantage of any opportunity of social interaction to say a kind word to one another.

Fyodor Dostoevsky – The Karamazov Brothers

Entry 2

All mankind is of one author, and is one volume; when one man dies, one chapter is not torn out of the book, but translated into a better language; and every chapter must be so translated...As therefore the bell that rings to a sermon, calls not upon the preacher only, but upon the congregation to come: so this bell calls us all: but how much more me, who am brought so near the door by this sickness....No man is an island, entire of itself...any man's death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind; and therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee.

John Donne (1572-1631), Devotions Upon Emergent Occasions, Meditation XVII

Commentary from the submitter: "No man is an island" is such a profound statement. No man can limit the extent of his impact on mankind. Nor can a man remove himself from his loved ones and family completely. This man will remember who he is and hear that the bell tolls for him to come home.

Entry 3

Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.

Leo Tolstoy – Anna Karenina

Entry 4

A person without a sense of humour is like a wagon without springs. It's jolted by every pebble in the road.

Henry Ward Beecher

It's a fridge off

2009-03-16T22:49:00.005-04:00

So we have our first fridge tie. I'm not sure what we will do, but this week I propose a 24 hour fridge off. Please see the poll to vote for one of the two finalists this week. Entries for next week should also be up in the next 24 hours. We know you can't wait.

Entry 2

I walked a mile with Pleasure,
She chattered all the way;
But left me none the wiser,
for all she had to say.

I walked a mile with Sorrow
Ne'er a word said she;
But, oh, the things I learned from her
when Sorrow walked with me!

-Robert Browning Hamilton

Entry 4

The fact is that neither of us knows anything beautiful and good, but he thinks he does know when he doesn’t, and I don’t know and don’t think I do: so I am wiser than he is by only this trifle that what I do not know I don’t think I do.

Plato quoting Socrates in Apology (The Apology of Socrates)

Weekly Entries for Week of March 16-22, 2009

2009-03-12T00:00:00.009-04:00

Entry 1

Annual income twenty pounds, annual expenditure nineteen nineteen and six, result happiness. Annual income twenty pounds, annual expenditure twenty pounds ought and six, result misery.

Charles Dickens (David Copperfield)

Entry 2

I walked a mile with Pleasure,
She chattered all the way;
But left me none the wiser,
for all she had to say.

I walked a mile with Sorrow
Ne'er a word said she;
But, oh, the things I learned from her
when Sorrow walked with me!

-Robert Browning Hamilton

Entry 3

"Vox Matti, vox Diaboli" (The voice of Martin, the voice of the devil)

"[Martin van Buren] burnt the locks of his glory with the blaze of his folly"

Two quotes from "General Smith's Views of the Powers and Policy of the Government of the United States" in reference to Martin van Buren's blatant disregard for the redress of the saints.

Entry 4

The fact is that neither of us knows anything beautiful and good, but he thinks he does know when he doesn’t, and I don’t know and don’t think I do: so I am wiser than he is by only this trifle that what I do not know I don’t think I do.

Plato quoting Socrates in Apology (The Apology of Socrates)

Weekly Winner: March 8, 2009

2009-03-10T21:26:00.003-04:00

Reluctance

Out through the fields and the woods
And over the walls I have wended;
I have climbed the hills of view
And looked at the world, and descended;
I have come by the highway home,
And lo, it is ended.

The leaves are all dead on the ground,
Save those that the oak is keeping
To ravel them one by one
And let them go scraping and creeping
Out over the crusted snow,
When others are sleeping.

And the dead leaves lie huddled and still,
No longer blown hither and thither;
The last lone aster is gone;
The flowers of the witch hazel wither;
The heart is still aching to seek,
But the feet question "Whither?"

Ah, when to the heart of man
Was it ever less than a treason
To go with the drift of things,
To yield with a grace to reason,
And bow and accept the end
Of a love or a season?

Robert Frost
(Submitted by Mike)

Entries for week of March 16-22

2009-03-03T20:59:00.006-05:00

Entry 1

Excerpt from Reluctance by Robert Frost

Ah, when to the heart of man
Was it ever less than a treason
To go with the drift of things,
To yield with a grace to reason,
And bow and accept the end
Of a love or a season?

___________________________________________________

Entry 2

"Beware the ides of March."

Julius Caesar – Act I, Scene II, Line 17
William Shakespeare

___________________________________________________

Entry 3

God's Wheel by Shel Silverstein

GOD says to me with a kind
of smile, "Hey how would you like
to be God awhile And steer the world?"
"Okay," says I, "I'll give it a try.

Where do I set?
How much do I get?
What time is lunch?
When can I quit?"

"Gimme back that wheel," says GOD.
"I don't think you're quite ready YET."

__________________________________________________

Entry 4

Lucretius (c.99-c.55 BCE) "The way things are"

Never suppose the atoms had a plan,
Not with wise intelligence imposed
An order on themselves, nor in some pact
Agreed what movements each should generate.
No, it was all fortuitous...

Weekly Winner: March 1, 2009

2009-03-02T08:46:00.003-05:00

Entry 2 -- Passage from Les Miserables

Mankind is not a circle with a single center but an ellipse with two focal points of which facts are one and ideas the other.

Victor Hugo

Poll Results
Entry 1 -- 2 (15%)
Entry 2 -- 5 (38%)
Entry 3 -- 3 (23%)
Entry 4 -- 3 (23%)

Entry 4 -- Passage from Candide

2009-02-25T11:58:00.003-05:00

Pangloss used now and then to say to Candide:

"There is a concatenation of all events in the best of possible worlds; for, in short, had you not been kicked out of a fine castle for the love of Miss Cunegund; had you not been put into the Inquisition; had you not traveled over America on foot; had you not run the Baron through the body; and had you not lost all your sheep, which you brought from the good country of El Dorado, you would not have been here to eat preserved citrons and pistachio nuts."

"Excellently observed," answered Candide; "but let us cultivate our garden."

- Voltaire

Entry 3 -- Excerpt from Perelandra

2009-02-25T09:12:00.002-05:00

This was the first thing Mark had been asked to do which he himself, before he did it, clearly knew to be criminal. But the moment of his consent almost escaped his notice; certainly, there was no struggle, no sense of turning a corner. There may have been a time in the world's history when such moments fully revealed their gravity, with witches prophesying on a blasted heath or visible Rubicons to be crossed. But, for him, it all slipped past in a chatter of laughter, of that intimate laughter between fellow professionals, which of all earthly powers is strongest to make men do very bad things before they are yet, individually, very bad men.

C.S. Lewis

Entry 2 -- Passage from Les Miserables

2009-02-25T01:33:00.002-05:00

Mankind is not a circle with a single center but an ellipse with two focal points of which facts are one and ideas the other.

Victor Hugo

Entry 1 -- Passage from Rime of the Ancient Mariner

2009-02-24T10:16:00.001-05:00

Day after day, day after day,
We stuck, nor breath nor motion;
As idle as a painted ship
Upon a painted ocean.

Water, water, everywhere,
And all the boards did shrink;
Water, water, everywhere,
Nor any drop to drink

Samuel Taylor Coleridge