Favorite (not necessarily political) quotes?

[motivez]

A couple of mine


Knowledge will forever govern ignorance; and a people who mean to be their own governors must arm themselves with the power which knowledge gives.
—James Madison


He who fights with monsters might take care lest he thereby become a monster. And if you gaze for long into an abyss, the abyss gazes also into you.
—Nietzsche

I used to have a bunch more saved in a text file but I lost it during a format

[kinggovernor]

It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.

[Schrödinger's Cat]

On Science, Religion, etc:

"It is not 'scientism' to concede the objectivity and precision of good science, any more than it is history worship to concede that Napoleon did once rule in France and the Holocaust actually happened. Those who fear the facts will forever try to discredit the fact-finders." - Daniel Dennett

"Who is more humble? The scientist who looks at the universe with an open mind and accepts whatever the universe has to teach us, or somebody who says everything in this book must be considered the literal truth and never mind the fallibility of all the human beings involved?" - Carl Sagan

"God was invented to explain mystery. God is always invented to explain those things that you do not understand. Now, when you finally discover how something works, you get some laws which you're taking away from God; you don't need him anymore. But you need him for the other mysteries. So therefore you leave him to create the universe because we haven't figured that out yet; you need him for understanding those things which you don't believe the laws will explain, such as consciousness, or why you only live to a certain length of time — life and death — stuff like that. God is always associated with those things that you do not understand. Therefore I don't think that the laws can be considered to be like God because they have been figured out. " - Richard Feynman

"Generally speaking, the errors in religion are dangerous; those in philosophy only ridiculous." - David Hume

I got a couple in my signature too.

[Angus_Aboot]

To be governed is to be watched, inspected, spied upon, directed, law-driven, numbered, regulated, enrolled, indoctrinated, preached at, controlled, checked, estimated, valued, censured, commanded, by creatures who have neither the right nor the wisdom nor the virtue to do so. To be governed is to be at every operation, at every transaction noted, registered, counted, taxed, stamped, measured, numbered, assessed, licensed, authorized, admonished, prevented, forbidden, reformed, corrected, punished. It is, under pretext of public utility, and in the name of the general interest, to be place(d) under contribution, drilled, fleeced, exploited, monopolized, extorted from, squeezed, hoaxed, robbed; then, at the slightest resistance, the first word of complaint, to be repressed, fined, vilified, harassed, hunted down, abused, clubbed, disarmed, bound, choked, imprisoned, judged, condemned, shot, deported, sacrificed, sold, betrayed; and to crown all, mocked, ridiculed, derided, outraged, dishonored. That is government; that is its justice; that is its morality.
-Proudhon

[Stylerod]

God not only plays dice. He sometimes throws the dice where they cannot be seen. - Stephen Hawking

[David Octavius]

Although all men are born free, and all nations might be so, yet too true it is, that slavery has been the general lot of the human race. Ignorant — they have been cheated; asleep — they have been surprized; divided — the yoke has been forced upon them. But what is the lesson? That because the people may betray themselves, they ought to give themselves up, blindfold, to those who have an interest in betraying them? Rather conclude that the people ought to be enlightened, to be awakened, to be united, that after establishing a government they should watch over it, as well as obey it.

-- James Madison

But every difference of opinion is not a difference of principle. We have called by different names brethren of the same principle. We are all Republicans, we are all Federalists. If there be any among us who would wish to dissolve this Union or to change its republican form, let them stand undisturbed as monuments of the safety with which error of opinion may be tolerated where reason is left free to combat it.

-- Thomas Jefferson

I know, indeed, that some honest men fear that a republican government can not be strong, that this Government is not strong enough; but would the honest patriot, in the full tide of successful experiment, abandon a government which has so far kept us free and firm on the theoretic and visionary fear that this Government, the world's best hope, may by possibility want energy to preserve itself? I trust not. I believe this, on the contrary, the strongest Government on earth.

-- Thomas Jefferson

[jimeigh]

The sleep of reason produces monsters.
- Francisco de Goya

christianity is the weird one. such an odd religion. the whole image is that eternal suffering awaits anyone who questions god's infinite love. believe or die. ah, thank you forgiving lord, for all those options
- Bill Hicks

There is a level of cowardice lower than that of the conformist: the fashionable non-conformist.
-Ayn Rand

I find that the truth is the most offensive thing in the world. This is why i am not tolerated, because i can't be bothered to tell a lie.
- Johnny Rotten

[kinggovernor]

Originally Posted by jimeigh

There is a level of cowardice lower than that of the conformist: the fashionable non-conformist.
-Ayn Rand

I like that one, it describes many people who discuss politics on the internet well.

[Joe Castro]

"Our every action is a battle cry against imperialism, and a battle hymn for the people's unity against the great enemy of mankind: the United States of America. Wherever death may surprise us, let it be welcome, provided that this, our battle cry, may have reached some receptive ear, that another hand may be extended to wield our weapons, and that other men be ready to intone our funeral dirge with the staccato singing of the machine guns and new battle cries of war and victory" - Che

"Some Imperialists ask why we were helping the Angolans, what our interest is. They assume that countries only act out of a desire for petrol, copper, diamonds or some other resource. No. We have no material interest. Of course the imperilists don't understand this. They would only do it for jingoistic selfish reasons. We are fulfilling an elementary internationalist duty in helping the people of Angola" - Fidel

[WickedLou9]

This isn't necesarily my favorite quote, but I think in this particular position it's a good one.

A major source of objection to a free economy is precisely that it ... gives people what they want instead of what a particular group thinks they ought to want. Underlying most arguments against the free market is a lack of belief in freedom itself.
- Milton Friedman

[David Octavius]

Originally Posted by WickedLou9

This isn't necesarily my favorite quote, but I think in this particular position it's a good one.

A major source of objection to a free economy is precisely that it ... gives people what they want instead of what a particular group thinks they ought to want. Underlying most arguments against the free market is a lack of belief in freedom itself.
- Milton Friedman

I think the premise of that quote is bullshit, first he loads it with "if you don't believe what I believe then you don't believe in Freedom", second is the ASSumption that the free market always equals some intangible object called freedom.

I believe that markets ought to (relatively) be free as it does gain for us an independent power from government but to the same end, runaway unchecked markets, like unchecked democracy, unchecked monarchy, unchecked whatever will take away most of the so called freedoms we gained from it in the first place.

Its disingenuous to call it the "free market" anyway, Friedman himself was not opposed to some regulations (insofar it acts as a referee as he as stated in one of his books), but because people still do call it that takes on a tone of a more extreme nature as total free markets which would be total oppression like any other economic or government arrangement in excess.

[jimeigh]

Originally Posted by David Octavius

ASSumption

OH snAP!

[Scrum]

"In order to make an apple pie from scratch, you must first create the universe." - Sagan


"Facts are stubborn things, but statistics are more pliable." - Twain


"I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ." - Gandhi

[WickedLou9]

Originally Posted by David Octavius

I think the premise of that quote is bullshit, first he loads it with "if you don't believe what I believe then you don't believe in Freedom", second is the ASSumption that the free market always equals some intangible object called freedom.

I believe that markets ought to (relatively) be free as it does gain for us an independent power from government but to the same end, runaway unchecked markets, like unchecked democracy, unchecked monarchy, unchecked whatever will take away most of the so called freedoms we gained from it in the first place.

Its disingenuous to call it the "free market" anyway, Friedman himself was not opposed to some regulations (insofar it acts as a referee as he as stated in one of his books), but because people still do call it that takes on a tone of a more extreme nature as total free markets which would be total oppression like any other economic or government arrangement in excess.

yes I think it was said in contrast to a planned economy where people have no choice and others decide for them ( no freedom to choose)

[Dispatcher]

Shit happens (unknown author)

[7960]

sometimes in order to be heard, one must be silent.

stanislaw lec.

[C4Casey]

"Though I walk through the Valley of the Shadow of Death, I shall fear no evil ... because I am the meanest mother fucker in the whole damn valley."

-Patton

"War is an ugly thing, but not the ugliest of things. The decayed and degraded state of moral and patriotic feeling which thinks that nothing is worth war is much worse. 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 and has no chance of being free unless made and kept so by the exertions of better men than himself."

-John Stuart Mill

[Stylerod]

Originally Posted by C4Casey

"War is an ugly thing, but not the ugliest of things. The decayed and degraded state of moral and patriotic feeling which thinks that nothing is worth war is much worse. 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 and has no chance of being free unless made and kept so by the exertions of better men than himself."

-John Stuart Mill

Motherfuckin

[kinggovernor]

Originally Posted by C4Casey

"Though I walk through the Valley of the Shadow of Death, I shall fear no evil ... because I am the meanest mother fucker in the whole damn valley."

-Patton

I am pretty sure Patton didn't come up that, I think it came out of Vietnam

[David Octavius]

“Conservatives are not necessarily stupid, but most stupid people are conservatives.” - John Stuart Mill