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 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 … Continue reading Theodore Roosevelt (1858-1919), on Those Who Count ::
Tag: politics
Confucius (551 BC-479 BC), on Leadership ::
Lead the people with governmental measures and regulate them by law and punishment, and they will avoid wrongdoing but have no sense of honour and shame. Lead them with virtue and regulate them by the rules of propriety, and they will have a sense of shame and, moreover, set themselves right.
Han Feizi (280 BC-233 BC), on Fathers and Sons ::
[To] hold that rulers and ministers act toward each other like father and son and consequently there will necessarily be orderly government, is to imply that there are no disorderly fathers and sons.
Friedrich Nietszche (1844-1900), on Masters ::
Masters of the very first order can be recognised by the following characteristic: in all matters great and small they know with perfect assurance how to find the end, whether it be the end of a melody or the end of a thought, whether it be the fifth act of a tragedy or the end … Continue reading Friedrich Nietszche (1844-1900), on Masters ::
Vladimir Ilyich Lenin (1870-1924), on Music ::
I can't listen to music too often. It affects your nerves, makes you want to say stupid nice things, and stroke the heads of people who could create such beauty while living in this vile hell.
Why swim with elephants? ::
I've had three blogs prior to this one. None of them exist today. I designed them for specific purposes and named them accordingly. That was their death knell. When I became disinterested in that purpose or felt constrained, the blog went to the glue factory. So when I started 'Swimming with Elephants', my chief desire … Continue reading Why swim with elephants? ::
Fyodor Dostoevsky (1821-1881) ::
For man sometimes loves suffering terribly much, to the point of passion, and that is a fact. Here there's not even any need to consult world history; just ask yourself, if you're a human being and have had any life at all. As for my personal opinion, to love just well-being alone is even somehow … Continue reading Fyodor Dostoevsky (1821-1881) ::
Ernest Hemingway (1899-1961) ::
Never think that war, no matter how necessary or justifiable, is not a crime.
One hundred words on Palestine ::
Sir. The man had paid when the barista stopped him. Sir. She pointed to his cheek. You have a— He half-raised a hand and answered in vowels, Oh, I— She gestured with her hand. He hesitated. She gestured again. Here, she said. He leant forward and she lifted her finger, stroked it across his cheek … Continue reading One hundred words on Palestine ::
Ashley Thomson 