A New Batch of Quotes

Brought to you, as always, by the folks at A.Word.A.Day.

"Pride, like laudanum and other poisonous medicines, is beneficial in small, though injurious in large, quantities. No man who is not pleased with himself, even in a personal sense, can please others." -Frederick Saunders, librarian and essayist (1807-1902)

"They are happy men whose natures sort with their vocations." -Francis Bacon

"We have not passed that subtle line between childhood and adulthood until we move from the passive voice to the active voice—that is, until we have stopped saying 'It got lost,' and say, 'I lost it.'" -Sydney J. Harris, journalist (1917-1986)

"It is no measure of health to be well adjusted to a profoundly sick society." -J. Krishnamurti, author, speaker, and philosopher (1895-1986)

"Just praise is only a debt, but flattery is a present." -Samuel Johnson

"Myth: we have to save the earth. Frankly, the earth doesn't need to be saved. Nature doesn't give a hoot if human beings are here or not. The planet has survived cataclysmic and catastrophic changes for millions upon millions of years. Over that time, it is widely believed, 99 percent of all species have come and gone while the planet has remained. Saving the environment is really about saving our environment—making it safe for ourselves, our children, and the world as we know it. If more people saw the issue as one of saving themselves, we would probably see increased motivation and commitment to actually do so." -Robert M. Lilienfeld, management consultant and author (b. 1953) and William L. Rathje, archaeologist and author (b. 1945)

"Society is like a stew. If you don't keep it stirred up you get a lot of scum on the top." -Edward Abbey, naturalist and author (1927-1989)

"For money you can have everything it is said. No, that is not true. You can buy food, but not appetite; medicine, but not health; soft beds, but not sleep; knowledge but not intelligence; glitter, but not comfort; fun, but not pleasure; acquaintances, but not friendship; servants, but not faithfulness; grey hair, but not honor; quiet days, but not peace. The shell of all things you can get for money. But not the kernel. That cannot be had for money." -Arne Garborg, writer (1851-1924)

"To be nobody but myself—in a world which is doing its best, night and day, to make you everybody else—means to fight the hardest battle which any human being can fight, and never stop fighting." -e e cummings, poet (1894-1962)

"In politics, absurdity is not a handicap." -Napoleon Bonaparte

"What can be added to the happiness of a man who is in health, out of debt, and has a clear conscience?" -Adam Smith, economist (1723-1790)

"Democracy, to me, is liberty plus economic security." -Maury Maverick, attorney and congressman (1895-1954)