Maturity & Wisdom
When I was a boy of fourteen, my father was so ignorant I could hardly stand to have the old man around. But when I got to be twenty one, I was astonished at how much the old man had learned in seven years.
— Mark Twain
The human brain starts working the moment you are born and never stops until you stand up to speak in public.
The best evidence for the existence of intelligent life in the universe lies in the fact that they have steadfastly refused to contact us.
— Richard Boyd
I saw this quote as a letter-to-the-editor in one of the San Francisco Bay Area papers several years ago. I love the twisted logic and the inherent presumptions that it contains. Some attempts at logical arguments for the existence of God share these logical fallacies.
This time, like all times, is a very good one, if we but know what to do with it.
— Ralph Waldo Emerson
Better to write for yourself and have no public, than to write for the public and have no self.
Cyril Conolly died three decades before Twitter was conceived. And yet, I can’t help but think that he would have echoed the same sentiments today.
I have always been one to create my own reality. My mom has told me that, as a child, I would often raise my hand and say, “I reject that.”
I found this letter on the tubes today. Apparently this letter was never sent, but it makes me think as much as it makes me smile.
The truth knocks on the door and you say, “Go away, I’m looking for truth,” and so it goes away. Puzzling.
— Robert Pirsig, Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance
I actually sent this quote to an internal recruiter once. I had been through several interviews with the company and it seemed that I was progressing towards a job offer. I was excited about the company and it looked to me to be a very good fit.
And then came that one final interview with one of the partners. Within the first fifteen seconds of our conversation I knew that an offer would not be forthcoming. It was clear that she had already made up her mind before the call even began. When the recruiter called a few days later to say that the firm had decided to not move forward I was deeply puzzled.