All Posts

Hard times create strong men. Strong men create good times. Good times create weak men. And, weak men create hard times. G. Michael Hopf, Those Who Remain

Sapere aude. Unknown

When you make diplomacy impossible, you make war inevitable. Tim Kaine

Entia non sunt multiplicanda praeter necessitatem. William of Ockham

When bad men combine, the good must associate; else they will fall, one by one, an unpitied sacrifice in a contemptible struggle. Edmund Burke (1770)

All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women merely players; They have their exits and their entrances; And one man in his time plays many parts. William Shakespeare, As You Like It, Act II Scene VII

Disobedience is the true foundation of liberty. The obedient must be slaves. Henry David Thoreau

And the truth about me is not that I’m really volatile and I’m unstable, but that I’m really vibrant, and the color of my sorrow is just as bright as the stripes of my delight. Jenny Slate on All Things Considered

And you just float through it all as innocent as a newborn kitten. Are you really that stupid Mr. Radford, or do you think we are? Sam Waterston as A.D.A. Jack McCoy in Law & Order S9E24 (“Refuge”)

You can accomplish anything if you’re never in a hurry. Tom Hanks as Chelsey Sullenberger in Sully

The bee does not waste time convincing the fly that honey is better than shit Unknown

When the wolf tells the story, the sheep and shepherds are always the enemy. Unk

I hope you didn’t snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. Sam Waterston as Jack McCoy in Law & Order S19E4

Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler. Albert Einstein

Always do right. This will gratify some people and astonish the rest. Mark Twain

No man ever steps in the same river twice, for it’s not the same river and he’s not the same man. Heraclitus

It is easier to forgive an enemy than to forgive a friend. William Blake

Know where you stand and stand there. Daniel Berrigan, SJ

Napoleon went forth to seek Virtue, but, since she was not to be found, he got Power. Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

It’s so easy to hurt others when you can’t feel pain. Hall & Oates, “Rich Girl”

Well there you have it—one thing is perfectly clear: people are not perfectly clear. Doug Batchelor

Never stop seeking what seems unattainable. Stephanie Niznik as The Wraith in Star Trek: Enterprise S1E18 (“Rogue Planet”)

No one can give you your life back, so you have to take your life back. Charlie Cox as Matt Murdock in The Defenders

Thousands of candles can be lit from a single candle, and the life of the candle will not be shortened. Happiness never decreases by being shared. Buddha

Good judgment comes from experience which mostly comes from bad judgment. Jason Statham as Arthur Bishop in The Mechanic

The best cure for melancholy is industry. ‍Sarah Polley as Maren Hontvedt in The Weight of Water

Our rights don’t end where your fear begins. Freedom is scary. Deal with it. John Bryan

Always play the fox. John Noble as Matthew Ashbaugh in The Good Wife S5E10

Knowledge has to be improved, challenged, and increased constantly, or it vanishes. Peter F. Drucker

The easiest way to learn to forgive is to surround yourself with and read about people who have learned to forgive. Their stories will impart the ability. Hillary Rodham Clinton

I remember someone smarter than me once said, ‘your mental delusions, or your cognitive biases, or any defects in your thinking, are as smart as you.’ Solomon Anderson

Who cares about the cussing? Who cares about the optics? I care about the Constitution. I care about the fact that no one bothered to point out the real problem here. […] Even if it wasn’t an autistic kid, if it was an unsympathetic criminal, it is just as serious. John H. Bryan, Esq.

The inherent vice of capitalism is the unequal sharing of blessings; the inherent virtue of socialism is the equal sharing of miseries. Winston Churchill

There is no Plan B. You have Plan A, and you keep working at it until it happens. There is no Plan B. Zac Baker, 60 Days In

Plan B gets in the way of Plan A. Ashleigh Baker, 60 Days In

I wouldn’t take offense; not every species has motives that can be understood in human terms. Jolene Blalock as Sub-Cmdr. T’Pol in Star Trek: Enterprise S1E12 (“Silent Enemy”)

You don’t need to boil the ocean to make a cup of coffee. unk

For 42 years, I’ve been making small, regular deposits in this bank of experience, education and training. And on January 15, the balance was sufficient so that I could make a very large withdrawal. Capt. Chelsey “Sully” Sullenberger

When you see the world through a duck shaped lens, everything looks vaguely like a duck. anonymous

It is only in death that we are truly cured of the sickness of life. Socrates

I don’t step on toes. I step on necks. Chuck Norris

Wonderful. Last time I looked, Utopia is a small town upstate, different zip code. Steven Hill as DA Adam Schiff in Law & Order S2E8 (“Out of Control”)

Nothing unreal exists. Leonard Nimoy as Spock in Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home

ὁ δὲ ἀνεξέταστος βίος οὐ βιωτὸς ἀνθρώπῳ (ho dè anexétastos bíos ou biōtòs anthrṓpōi). The unexamined life is not worth living. Socrates

The further back you can look, the further forward you can see. Unknown (often attributed to Winston Churchill, never confirmed)

Extreme hopes are born from extreme misery. Bertrand Russell

I think you all know that I’ve always felt the nine most terrifying words in the English language are: I’m from the Government, and I’m here to help. Ronald Reagan

Let us redefine ‘progress’ to mean that just because we can do a thing, it does not necessarily follow that we must do that thing. Kurtwood Smith as Federation President in Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country

What you are stands over you the while, and thunders so that I cannot hear what you say to the contrary. Ralph Waldo Emerson

And if all you ever really do is the best you can, well, you did it man. That’s something to be proud of. That’s a life you can hang your hat on. Montgomery Gentry, “Something to Be Proud Of”

Our rights don’t end where your fear begins. Freedom is scary. Deal with it. John H. Bryan

Le mieux est l’ennemi du bien. The perfect is the enemy of the good. Voltaire

Perfection is the enemy of progress. Winston Churchill

[T]ruth is best discovered by powerful statements on both sides of the question. Lord John Scott Eldon (1751-1838) quoting Sir Francis Bacon (1561-1626)

The good fighters of old first put themselves beyond the possibility of defeat, and then waited for an opportunity of defeating the enemy. To secure ourselves against defeat lies in our own hands, but the opportunity of defeating the enemy is provided by the enemy himself. Thus the good fighter is able to secure himself against defeat, but cannot make certain of defeating the enemy. Hence the saying: One may know how to conquer without being able to do it. ‍孫子 (Sun Tzu), The Art of War

There’s so much in life you can’t quit: you can’t quit your family, you can’t quit your body, you can’t quit your brain. So if there is something you have agency over, have agency over it. Lena Dunham

You need to know this if you don’t already: I am politically insensitive, I am culturally controversial. That is what I do, okay. I am not politically correct and I wear that with pride. Ralphie May

I have never let my schooling interfere with my education. Mark Twain (Samuel Clemens)

Yes, many problems, but that’s because the name of our country is America, not Utopia, and the appropriate comparison isn’t to the Eden you might imagine, it’s to every other place on earth. Bill Maher

I can’t tell you what I don’t know! Dominic Keating as Malcolm Reed in Star Trek: Enterprise S4E16 (“Divergence”)

We’ve all heard about the computer simulations and now we are watching actual sims. But I can’t quite believe you still have not taken into account the human factor. Tom Hanks as Chelsey Sullenberger in Sully

The most frail cottage in the kingdom is absolutely entitled to the same guarantees of privacy as the most majestic mansion. Florida v. Jimeno,
500 U.S. 248, 254 (1991)

One impossible thing at a time. Patrick Stewart as Jean-Luc Picard in Star Trek: Picard S1E4, (“Absolute Candor”)

Never quit. Set a goal and don’t quit until you attain it. When you do attain it, set another goal, and don’t quit until you reach it. Never quit. Paul “Bear” Bryant

If you have built castles in the air, your work need not be lost; that is where they should be. Now put the foundations under them. Henry David Thoreau

In any given moment we have two options: to step forward into growth or to step back into safety. Abraham Maslow

One can choose to go back toward safety or forward toward growth. Growth must be chosen again and again; fear must be overcome again and again. Abraham Maslow

Appeasers believe that if you keep on throwing steaks to a tiger, the tiger will turn vegetarian. Heywood Broun

I never thought of the possibility of failing, only of the fame and glory I was going to get when I won. I could see it. I could almost feel it. When I proclaimed that I was the greatest of all time, I believed in myself, and I still do. Mohammed Ali

The biggest difference between Christ and most Christians is that Christ didn’t mistreat people. George Carneal

Would you punch yourself in a street fight? Then don’t punch yourself in a word fight. Denzel Washington as Melvin Tolson in The Great Debaters

Some people think the future means the end of history. Well, we haven’t run out of history quite yet. Your father called the future ‘the undiscovered county.’ People can be very frightened of change. William Shatner as Capt. James T. Kirk in Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country

Don’t be an inverted iceberg where more is seen than unseen. Lori

Do not seek blame. Michael Dorn as Worf in Star Trek: Picard S3E2 (“Disengage”)

If things were different, they wouldn’t be the same. Michael Zaslow as Willard Tappan in Law & Order S5E9

I’m not satisfied living in yesterday’s hour. I’m not satisfied to have the form but not power. “Believe” (Hillsong)

When a man cannot choose he ceases to be a man. Anthony Burgess, A Clockwork Orange

Maybe sometimes it’s better to be broken than to be hardened. David Kaczynski

How great it would be if ignorance of danger was all it took to keep it away from the people we love. Jonathan Frakes as Cmdr William Riker in Star Trek: Picard S1E7 (“Nepenthe”)

Fear is the tool of a tyrant. Maurene Comey

We will not live on our knees, and you shouldn’t either. James Comey

If you believe in yourself and have dedication and pride and never quit, you’ll be a winner. The price of victory is high but so are the rewards. Paul “Bear” Bryant

That sounds like a tomorrow problem. Let’s get out of here. Mark Valley as Christopher Chance in Human Target S1E3

There is a difference between keeping an open mind and believing something because you want it to be true. Jolene Blalock as Sub-Cmdr. T’Pol in Star Trek: Enterprise S1E11 (“Cold Front”)

Fortuna est quae fit cum praeparatio in occasionem incidit. Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity. Seneca

Success occurs when opportunity meets preparation. Zig Ziglar

Like I always say, there’s no I in team; there’s a me, though, if you jumble it up. Hugh Laurie as Dr. Gregory House in House S1E9

If you judge people, you have no time to love them. Mother Mary Teresa Bojaxhiu

The greatest way to live with honor in this world is to be what we pretend to be. Socrates

One of the great challenges in this world is knowing enough about a subject to think you’re right, but not enough about the subject to know you’re wrong. Neil deGrasse Tyson

Why did you come here? We were so happy. We didn’t know that there was anything missing in our lives. Jennifer Gatti as Ba’el in Star Trek: The Next Generation S6E17 (“Birthright”)

So live, that when thy summons comes to join the innumerable caravan, which moves to that mysterious realm, where each shall take his chamber in the silent halls of death, thou go not, like the quarry-slave at night, scourged to his dungeon, but, sustained and soothed by an unfaltering trust, approach thy grave. William Cullen Bryant, “Thanatopsis”

It is never too late to be what you might have been. George Eliot (Mary Ann Evans)

All truths are easy to understand once they are discovered; the point is to discover them. Galileo Galilei