JustThinking.us

Absolute faith corrupts as absolutely as absolute power.

Power corrupts the few, while weakness corrupts the many.

Rudeness is the weak man’s imitation of strength.

It still holds true that man is most uniquely human when he turns obstacles into opportunities.

Retribution often means that we eventually do to ourselves what we have done unto others.

The opposite of the religious fanatic is not the fanatical atheist but the gentle cynic who cares not whether there is a god or not.

We are told that talent creates its own opportunities. But it sometimes seems that intense desire creates not only its own opportunities, but its own talents.

We lie the loudest when we lie to ourselves.

When people are free to do as they please, they usually imitate each other.

You can discover what your enemy fears most by observing the means he uses to frighten you.

It is when power is wedded to chronic fear that it becomes formidable.

We feel free when we escape—even if it be but from the frying pan to the fire.

In a time of drastic change it is the learners who inherit the future. The learned usually find themselves equipped to live in a world that no longer exists.

Passionate hatred can give meaning and purpose to an empty life.

People who bite the hand that feeds them usually lick the boot that kicks them.” 

Irrationality often manifests itself in upholding the word against the evidence of the eyes. 

Every great cause begins as a movement, becomes a business, and eventually degenerates into a racket.” 

Nonconformists travel as a rule in bunches. You rarely find a nonconformist who goes it alone. And woe to him inside a nonconformist clique who does not conform with nonconformity.” 

It is the individual only who is timeless. Societies, cultures, and civilizations -- past and present -- are often incomprehensible to outsiders, but the individual's hungers, anxieties, dreams, and preoccupations have remained unchanged through the millennia.

Far more crucial than what we know or do not know is what we do not want to know.

A man is likely to mind his own business when it is worth minding. When it is not, he takes his mind off his own meaningless affairs by minding other people's business.

An empty head is not really empty; it is stuffed with rubbish. Hence the difficulty of forcing anything into an empty head.

You can never get enough of what you don't need to make you happy.

The greatest weariness comes from work not done.

The hardest arithmetic to master is that which enables us to count our blessings.

Since we were already on the subject.

Our favorite Lombardi quote however, remains unchanged.

So useful under so many sets of circumstances.

Particularly if one happens to be raising children.

When the Nazis came for the communists, 
I did not speak out; 
As I was not a communist.

When they locked up the social democrats, 
I did not speak out; 
I was not a social democrat.

When they came for the trade unionists, 
I did not speak out;
 As I was not a trade unionist.

When they came for the Jews, 
I did not speak out;
 As I was not a Jew.

When they came for me,
 there was no one left to speak out.

It's starting to feel like it's about time to break this old chestnut back out.

A house is just a place to keep your stuff while you go out and get more stuff.

The very existence of flamethrowers proves that sometime, somewhere, someone said to themselves, “You know, I want to set those people over there on fire, but I’m just not close enough to get the job done.”

I knew a transsexual guy whose only ambition is to eat, drink, and be Mary.

I put a dollar in a change machine. Nothing changed.

By and large, language is a tool for concealing the truth.

Ever notice that anyone going slower than you is an idiot, but anyone going faster is a maniac?

Isn’t it a bit unnerving that doctors call what they do “practice”?

When you’re born you get a ticket to the freak show. When you’re born in America, you get a front-row seat.

The future will soon be a thing of the past.

Atheism is a non-prophet organization.

Cloud nine gets all the publicity, but cloud eight actually is cheaper, less crowded, and has a better view.

I’m always relieved when someone is delivering a eulogy and I realize I’m listening to it.

Most people with low self-esteem have earned it.

Most people work just hard enough not to get fired and get paid just enough money not to quit.

When you think about it, attention-deficit disorder makes a lot of sense. In this country there isn’t a lot worth paying attention to.

What was the best thing before sliced bread?

May the forces of evil become confused on the way to your house.