My Thoughts - Quotes to Live By
It does not matter if a quote is by a Christian, a Muslim, a Jew or Buddhist, if it is an ancient Chinese proverb, a Native American or African proverb, if it is an ancient Irish saying or anything else - what matters most is the message.
Knowledge, Wisdom and Success
"I have come to believe over and over again that what is most important to me must be spoken, made verbal and shared, even at the risk of having it bruised or misunderstood." - Audre Lorde
"People seem not to see that their opinion of the world is also a confession of character" -Ralph Waldo Emerson
“Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” - Nelson Mandela
“If knowledge can create problems, it is not through ignorance that we can solve them.” - Dr. Isaac Asimov
"Everyone who is successful must have dreamed of something." - Native American, Maricopa
"One who does not use his intelligence will not succeed and one who does not use his knowledge will have no intellect. One who understands will attain nobility and excellence, and one who is tolerant will triumph. Knowledge is a shield (against evil), truth begets honour and ignorance disgrace, understanding is distinction, generosity is salvation and good manners command love and respect." --Imam Ja'far al-Sadiq
"Leaders need to operate on facts, not on wishful thinking." - Margaret Thatcher
“All the hundreds of millions of people who, in their time, believed the Earth was flat never succeeded in unrounding it by an inch.” - Dr. Isaac Asimov
"Tell me and I'll forget. Show me, and I may not remember. Involve me, and I'll understand." - Native American, tribe unknown
"When you were born, you cried and the world rejoiced. Live your life so that when you die, the world cries and you rejoice." - Native American, Cherokee
"We will be known forever by the tracks we leave" - Native American, Dakota
"Seek wisdom, not knowledge. Knowledge is of the past, Wisdom is of the future." - Native American, Lumbee
"Take only what you need and leave the land as you found it." - Native American, Arapaho
"You may be highly intelligent, but that means nothing without the pursuit of knowledge. I can educate you about anything, but you must learn it, verify it, and figure out how to apply it to and integrate it with other concepts and be able to use it to predict outcomes. Intelligence effects your ability to evaluate information and synthesize new concepts, education can determine how much information you are working with." - Me (Discussing the statement "do not mistake education for intelligence.")
“The young specialist in English Lit, ... lectured me severely on the fact that in every century people have thought they understood the Universe at last, and in every century they were proved to be wrong. It follows that the one thing we can say about our modern 'knowledge' is that it is wrong. ... My answer to him was, "... when people thought the Earth was flat, they were wrong. When people thought the Earth was spherical they were wrong. But if you think that thinking the Earth is spherical is just as wrong as thinking the Earth is flat, then your view is wronger than both of them put together.""- Dr. Isaac Asimov (The Earth is not perfectly round, the act of spinning around an axis means it bulges out at the Equator and is smushed in at the poles, the distance from the center to sea level is ~13 miles (21km) greater at the Equator than at the poles. It is also bumpy because of uneven mass distribution http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=earth-is-not-round)
When debating ALWAYS remember: "facts" are only FACTS if they are actually true, opinions and anecdotes should not be treated with same importance as actual peer-reviewed research and data, and facts do not belong to either side. If your argument is refuted by facts and statistics it does not make those facts "biased," it makes you wrong.
"People seem not to see that their opinion of the world is also a confession of character" -Ralph Waldo Emerson
“Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” - Nelson Mandela
“If knowledge can create problems, it is not through ignorance that we can solve them.” - Dr. Isaac Asimov
"Everyone who is successful must have dreamed of something." - Native American, Maricopa
"One who does not use his intelligence will not succeed and one who does not use his knowledge will have no intellect. One who understands will attain nobility and excellence, and one who is tolerant will triumph. Knowledge is a shield (against evil), truth begets honour and ignorance disgrace, understanding is distinction, generosity is salvation and good manners command love and respect." --Imam Ja'far al-Sadiq
"Leaders need to operate on facts, not on wishful thinking." - Margaret Thatcher
“All the hundreds of millions of people who, in their time, believed the Earth was flat never succeeded in unrounding it by an inch.” - Dr. Isaac Asimov
"Tell me and I'll forget. Show me, and I may not remember. Involve me, and I'll understand." - Native American, tribe unknown
"When you were born, you cried and the world rejoiced. Live your life so that when you die, the world cries and you rejoice." - Native American, Cherokee
"We will be known forever by the tracks we leave" - Native American, Dakota
"Seek wisdom, not knowledge. Knowledge is of the past, Wisdom is of the future." - Native American, Lumbee
"Take only what you need and leave the land as you found it." - Native American, Arapaho
"You may be highly intelligent, but that means nothing without the pursuit of knowledge. I can educate you about anything, but you must learn it, verify it, and figure out how to apply it to and integrate it with other concepts and be able to use it to predict outcomes. Intelligence effects your ability to evaluate information and synthesize new concepts, education can determine how much information you are working with." - Me (Discussing the statement "do not mistake education for intelligence.")
“The young specialist in English Lit, ... lectured me severely on the fact that in every century people have thought they understood the Universe at last, and in every century they were proved to be wrong. It follows that the one thing we can say about our modern 'knowledge' is that it is wrong. ... My answer to him was, "... when people thought the Earth was flat, they were wrong. When people thought the Earth was spherical they were wrong. But if you think that thinking the Earth is spherical is just as wrong as thinking the Earth is flat, then your view is wronger than both of them put together.""- Dr. Isaac Asimov (The Earth is not perfectly round, the act of spinning around an axis means it bulges out at the Equator and is smushed in at the poles, the distance from the center to sea level is ~13 miles (21km) greater at the Equator than at the poles. It is also bumpy because of uneven mass distribution http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=earth-is-not-round)
When debating ALWAYS remember: "facts" are only FACTS if they are actually true, opinions and anecdotes should not be treated with same importance as actual peer-reviewed research and data, and facts do not belong to either side. If your argument is refuted by facts and statistics it does not make those facts "biased," it makes you wrong.
Innovation and Motivation
"The most exciting phrase to hear in science, the one that heralds new discoveries, isn't 'Eureka!' but rather 'hmm....that's funny.'" - Dr. Isaac Asimov
"Nature is full of solutions to our technical problems. We just have to figure out how to look in the right place, and ask the right questions." - Christopher Viney, biomimicry researcher at the University of California, Merced
"I used to believe, I still do, that if you give something your all it doesn't matter if you win or lose, as long as you've risked everything put everything out there. And I've done that." - For Love of the Game (1999)
“I am not going to sit on my ass as the events that affect me unfold to determine the course of my life. I’m going to take a stand. I’m going to defend it. Right or wrong, I’m going to defend it.” – Ferris Bueller’s Day Off
“[A]ll knowledge is one. When a light brightens and illuminates a corner of a room, it adds to the general illumination of the entire room. Over and over again, scientific discoveries have provided answers to problems that had no apparent connection with the phenomena that gave rise to the discovery.” - Dr Isaac Asimov, Atom: Journey Across the Subatomic Cosmos
"Nature is full of solutions to our technical problems. We just have to figure out how to look in the right place, and ask the right questions." - Christopher Viney, biomimicry researcher at the University of California, Merced
"I used to believe, I still do, that if you give something your all it doesn't matter if you win or lose, as long as you've risked everything put everything out there. And I've done that." - For Love of the Game (1999)
“I am not going to sit on my ass as the events that affect me unfold to determine the course of my life. I’m going to take a stand. I’m going to defend it. Right or wrong, I’m going to defend it.” – Ferris Bueller’s Day Off
“[A]ll knowledge is one. When a light brightens and illuminates a corner of a room, it adds to the general illumination of the entire room. Over and over again, scientific discoveries have provided answers to problems that had no apparent connection with the phenomena that gave rise to the discovery.” - Dr Isaac Asimov, Atom: Journey Across the Subatomic Cosmos
Ecology, Conservation, and the Future
"Treat the Earth well, it was not given to you by your parents, it was loaned to you by your children. We do not inherit the Earth from our Ancestors, we borrow it from our Children." - Native American, tribe unknown
“Creationists make it sound as though a 'theory' is something you dreamt up after being drunk all night.” - Dr. Isaac Asimov
"When a man moves away from nature his heart becomes hard." - Native American, Lakota
"Every animal knows more than you do." - Native American, Nez Perce
"To touch the earth is to have harmony with nature." - Native American, Oglala Sioux
"The frog does not drink up the pond in which he lives." - Native American, Sioux
"The time will soon be here when my grandchild will long for the cry of a loon, the flash of a salmon, the whisper of spruce needles, or the screech of an eagle. But he will not make friends with any of these creatures and when his heart aches with longing he will curse me. Have I done all to keep the air fresh? Have I cared enough about the water? Have I left the eagle to soar in freedom? Have I done everything I could to earn my grandchild’s fondness?" - Chief Dan George
“Isn't it sad that you can tell people that the ozone layer is being depleted, the forests are being cut down, the deserts are advancing steadily, that the greenhouse effect will raise the sea level 200 feet, that overpopulation is choking us, that pollution is killing us, that nuclear war may destroy us - and they yawn and settle back for a comfortable nap. But tell them that the Martians are landing, and they scream and run.” - Dr. Isaac Asimov, The Secret of the Universe
“Creationists make it sound as though a 'theory' is something you dreamt up after being drunk all night.” - Dr. Isaac Asimov
"When a man moves away from nature his heart becomes hard." - Native American, Lakota
"Every animal knows more than you do." - Native American, Nez Perce
"To touch the earth is to have harmony with nature." - Native American, Oglala Sioux
"The frog does not drink up the pond in which he lives." - Native American, Sioux
"The time will soon be here when my grandchild will long for the cry of a loon, the flash of a salmon, the whisper of spruce needles, or the screech of an eagle. But he will not make friends with any of these creatures and when his heart aches with longing he will curse me. Have I done all to keep the air fresh? Have I cared enough about the water? Have I left the eagle to soar in freedom? Have I done everything I could to earn my grandchild’s fondness?" - Chief Dan George
“Isn't it sad that you can tell people that the ozone layer is being depleted, the forests are being cut down, the deserts are advancing steadily, that the greenhouse effect will raise the sea level 200 feet, that overpopulation is choking us, that pollution is killing us, that nuclear war may destroy us - and they yawn and settle back for a comfortable nap. But tell them that the Martians are landing, and they scream and run.” - Dr. Isaac Asimov, The Secret of the Universe
Power and Governing
“There is a cult of ignorance in the United States, and there has always been. The strain of anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread winding its way through our political and cultural life, nurtured by the false notion that democracy means that "my ignorance is just as good as your knowledge.” - Dr. Isaac Asimov
"There is no school of thought that can save us from the simple fact that hard decisions are best made by good people, and that the best people can only be shaped by hard experience." - Eric Greitens
"If a man is as wise as a serpent, he can afford to be as harmless as a dove." - Native American, Cheyenne
"A danger foreseen is half-avoided." - Native American, Cheyenne
"The person who has nothing for which he is willing to fight, nothing which is more important than his own personal safety, is a miserable creature." - John Stuart Mill
"It is easy to be brave from a distance." - Native American, Omaha
"I am a believer in the people. If given the truth, they can be depended upon to meet any crises. The great point is to bring them the real facts." -Abraham Lincoln
"I suppose, indeed, that in public life, a man whose political principles have any decided character and who has energy enough to give them effect must always expect to encounter political hostility from those of adverse principles." -Thomas Jefferson (letter to Richard M. Johnson, 1808)
"There is no school of thought that can save us from the simple fact that hard decisions are best made by good people, and that the best people can only be shaped by hard experience." - Eric Greitens
"If a man is as wise as a serpent, he can afford to be as harmless as a dove." - Native American, Cheyenne
"A danger foreseen is half-avoided." - Native American, Cheyenne
"The person who has nothing for which he is willing to fight, nothing which is more important than his own personal safety, is a miserable creature." - John Stuart Mill
"It is easy to be brave from a distance." - Native American, Omaha
"I am a believer in the people. If given the truth, they can be depended upon to meet any crises. The great point is to bring them the real facts." -Abraham Lincoln
"I suppose, indeed, that in public life, a man whose political principles have any decided character and who has energy enough to give them effect must always expect to encounter political hostility from those of adverse principles." -Thomas Jefferson (letter to Richard M. Johnson, 1808)
Parenting
"Life doesn't count for much unless you're willing to do your small part to leave our children—all of our children—a better world." - President Obama
"Remember that your children are not your own, but are lent to you by the Creator." - Native American, Mohawk
"If you are not ready to put your child's needs and happiness before your own, then you should not have one." - Caitlin Kempski
"Remember that your children are not your own, but are lent to you by the Creator." - Native American, Mohawk
"If you are not ready to put your child's needs and happiness before your own, then you should not have one." - Caitlin Kempski
Treating Others
"Sharing and giving are the ways of God." - Native American, Sauk
"If you see no reason for giving thanks, the fault lies in yourself." - Native American, Minquass
"Do not wrong or hate your neighbor for it is not he that you wrong but yourself." - Native American, Pima
"Fear is the path to the dark side. Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering.” – Star Wars Episode I
"With all things and in all things, we are relatives." - Native American, Sioux
"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres." - Corinthians
It is important to always remember that what a person is isn't the same as who a person is, nor does it automatically determine what they do or why they do it.
"If you see no reason for giving thanks, the fault lies in yourself." - Native American, Minquass
"Do not wrong or hate your neighbor for it is not he that you wrong but yourself." - Native American, Pima
"Fear is the path to the dark side. Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering.” – Star Wars Episode I
"With all things and in all things, we are relatives." - Native American, Sioux
"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres." - Corinthians
It is important to always remember that what a person is isn't the same as who a person is, nor does it automatically determine what they do or why they do it.
Thought Provoking
“Jokes of the proper kind, properly told, can do more to enlighten questions of politics, philosophy, and literature than any number of dull arguments.” - Dr. Isaac Asimov
“I really don't know why it is that all of us are so committed to the sea, except I think it is because in addition to the fact that the sea changes and the light changes, and ships change, it is because we all came from the sea. And it is an interesting biological fact that all of us have, in our veins the exact same percentage of salt in our blood that exists in the ocean, and, therefore, we have salt in our blood, in our sweat, in our tears. We are tied to the ocean. And when we go back to the sea, whether it is to sail or to watch it we are going back from whence we came” - John F. Kennedy
“When a man believes upon grossly insufficient evidence, it is an index into his desires -- desires of which he himself is often unconscious. If a man is offered a fact which goes against his instincts, he will scrutinize it closely, and unless the evidence is overwhelming, he will refuse to believe it. If, on the other hand, he is offered something which affords a reason for acting in accordance to his instincts, he will accept it even on the slightest evidence. The origin of myths is explained in this way." - Bertrand Russell
"Think of an experience from your childhood. Something you remember clearly, something you can see, feel, maybe even smell, as if you were really there. After all, you really were there at the time, weren't you? How else would you remember it? But here is the bombshell: you weren't there. Not a single atom that is in your body today was there when that event took place. Every bit of you has been replaced many times over (which is why you eat, of course). You are not even the same shape as you were then. The point is that you are like a cloud: something that persists over long periods, while simultaneously being in flux. Matter flows from place to place and momentarily comes together to be you. Whatever you are, therefore, you are not the stuff of which you are made. If that doesn't make the hair stand up on the back of your neck, read it again until it does, because it is important." - Steve Grand (Creation: Life and How To Make It)
“I really don't know why it is that all of us are so committed to the sea, except I think it is because in addition to the fact that the sea changes and the light changes, and ships change, it is because we all came from the sea. And it is an interesting biological fact that all of us have, in our veins the exact same percentage of salt in our blood that exists in the ocean, and, therefore, we have salt in our blood, in our sweat, in our tears. We are tied to the ocean. And when we go back to the sea, whether it is to sail or to watch it we are going back from whence we came” - John F. Kennedy
“When a man believes upon grossly insufficient evidence, it is an index into his desires -- desires of which he himself is often unconscious. If a man is offered a fact which goes against his instincts, he will scrutinize it closely, and unless the evidence is overwhelming, he will refuse to believe it. If, on the other hand, he is offered something which affords a reason for acting in accordance to his instincts, he will accept it even on the slightest evidence. The origin of myths is explained in this way." - Bertrand Russell
"Think of an experience from your childhood. Something you remember clearly, something you can see, feel, maybe even smell, as if you were really there. After all, you really were there at the time, weren't you? How else would you remember it? But here is the bombshell: you weren't there. Not a single atom that is in your body today was there when that event took place. Every bit of you has been replaced many times over (which is why you eat, of course). You are not even the same shape as you were then. The point is that you are like a cloud: something that persists over long periods, while simultaneously being in flux. Matter flows from place to place and momentarily comes together to be you. Whatever you are, therefore, you are not the stuff of which you are made. If that doesn't make the hair stand up on the back of your neck, read it again until it does, because it is important." - Steve Grand (Creation: Life and How To Make It)
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- For those of you unfamiliar with Steve Grand; he works with robotics and artificial intelligence, created a robot orangutan designed to learn and grow as a child would, and has written many books. His website can be found here. “Steve Grand is the creator of what I think is the nearest approach to artificial life so far, and his first book, Creation: Life and How to Make It, is as interesting as you would expect. But he illuminates more than just the properties of life: his originality extends to matter itself and the very nature of reality. Not since David Deutsch’s The Fabric of Reality have I encountered such a compelling invitation to think everything out afresh, from the bottom up.” - Richard Dawkins |
A Higher Power
"...The conclusion of the one sense animal, and the conclusion of the five sense animal, stand upon the same authority. There may be more and other senses than those which we have. There may be senses suited to the perception of the powers, properties, and substance of spirits. These may belong to higher orders of rational agents; for there is not the smallest reason for supposing that we are the highest, or that the scale of creation stops with us." - William Paley
"Perhaps God did create all organisms, including human beings, in finished form, in one stroke, and maybe it all happened several thousand years ago. But if that is true, He also salted the earth with false evidence in such endless and exquisite detail, and so thoroughly from pole to pole, as to make us conclude first that life evolved, and second that the process took billions of years. Surely Scripture tells us He would not do that. The Prime Mover of the Old and New Testaments is variously loving, magisterial, denying, thunderously angry, and mysterious, but never tricky." - E.O. Wilson in Consilience: The Unity of Knowledge
"If I break my leg I believe it happened for a reason. I believe God wanted me to break my leg. I ALSO believe He wants me to put a cast on it." - House
"Regard Heaven as your father, Earth as your Mother and all things as your Brothers and Sisters." - Tribe Unknown
"Perhaps God did create all organisms, including human beings, in finished form, in one stroke, and maybe it all happened several thousand years ago. But if that is true, He also salted the earth with false evidence in such endless and exquisite detail, and so thoroughly from pole to pole, as to make us conclude first that life evolved, and second that the process took billions of years. Surely Scripture tells us He would not do that. The Prime Mover of the Old and New Testaments is variously loving, magisterial, denying, thunderously angry, and mysterious, but never tricky." - E.O. Wilson in Consilience: The Unity of Knowledge
"If I break my leg I believe it happened for a reason. I believe God wanted me to break my leg. I ALSO believe He wants me to put a cast on it." - House
"Regard Heaven as your father, Earth as your Mother and all things as your Brothers and Sisters." - Tribe Unknown
Personal
"You're true to your heart and that's what makes you real and awesome." - Alexis Blondrage
"If you will be embarrassed if someone discovers what you are doing, then don't do it." - Caitlin Kempski
"If you will be embarrassed if someone discovers what you are doing, then don't do it." - Caitlin Kempski