“Don’t worry about people stealing your ideas. If your ideas are any good, you’ll have to ram them down people’s throats.” – Howard Aiken

“It’s tough to make predictions, especially about the future.” – Yogi Berra

“Every day is a journey, and the journey itself is home.” – 17th century haiku master Matsuo Bashō

“Move towards the next thing, not away from the last thing. Same direction. Completely different energy.” – James Clear

“Those who lack the courage will always find a philosophy to justify it.” – Albert Camus

“Fight for the things that you care about. But do it in a way that will lead others to join you.” – Ruth Bader Ginsburg

“Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent.” – Calvin Coolidge

If You Have So Many Disagreeable Ideas, Why Write About Them? 

In response to either a personal email or something I wrote in this blog (as you know, I have no memory these days), AS sent me the following four quotes about writers and writing, saying “The one by Kingsley Amis was my favorite. And it made me think of you.”

I took that as a compliment. Here they are:

* “One reason the human race has such a low opinion of itself is that it gets so much of its wisdom from writers.” – Wilfrid Sheed

* “There are no dull subjects. There are only dull writers.” – H.L. Mencken

* “If you can’t annoy somebody, there’s little point in writing.” – Kingsley Amis

* “If I didn’t have writing, I’d be running down the street hurling grenades in people’s faces.” – Paul Fussell

AS’s list reminded me of another quote by Mencken that I like and wholeheartedly subscribe to:

* “The two main ideas that run through all of my writing, whether it be literary criticism or political polemic are these: I am strong in favor of liberty and I hate fraud.”

From AS: “Some fodder for your war on liberals”

AS is an old friend, independent thinker, and liberal-to-moderate on most issues, which makes these quips doubly appreciated. I thought it was particularly interesting that the great comedic philosophers Lenny Bruce and Dick Gregory are included.

“A liberal is a man who leaves a room when a fight begins.” – Heywood Broun

“The liberals can understand everything but people who don’t understand them.” – Lenny Bruce

“Liberal: a power worshiper without power.” – George Orwell

“A liberal is a person whose interests aren’t at stake at the moment.” – Willis Player

“A liberal is a man too broadminded to take his own side in a quarrel.” – Robert Frost

“Hell hath no fury like a liberal scorned.” – Dick Gregory

“Comedy is simply a funny way of being serious.” – Peter Ustinov