Quote of the Day: 30 November 2021 #QotD

“I suggest you sit and write out what you want of life. No goals, no growth. No clarity, no change.” -Brenden Burchard
[Just in case you're already preparing to set some resolutions for the coming year.]

Quote of the Day: 29 November 2021 #QotD

“Body or mind, heart or soul, we’re all human, and we’re supposed to feel pain. You cut yourself off from it at your own risk.” -Harry Dresden, Small Favor
[Don't sever yourself from your humanity. You'll eventually come to regret it, and you will be horrified by the things you were willing to do to your fellow man.]

Quote of the Day: 28 November 2021 #QotD

“We need not hesitate to call upon God, even when we feel unworthy.” -D. Todd Christofferson

Quote of the Day: 27 November 2021 #QotD

“Family is absolutely everything. Politics will never love you back.” -Karol Markowicz
[That doesn't mean you shouldn't discuss politics, just that you shouldn't let it destory your happiness and relationships.]

Quote of the Day: 26 November 2021 #QotD

“You don’t need to act like you are paying attention if you are, in fact, paying attention.” -Kate Murphy
[This seems like something that shouldn't need to be said. Nevertheless, I have observed people attempting to seem as though they were paying attention when they weren't but really wanted to be. Probably had something to do with insufficient practice.]

Quote of the Day: 25 November 2021 #QotD

“Gracias, danke, merci—whatever language is spoken, ‘thank you’ frequently expressed will cheer your spirit, broaden your friendships, and lift your lives to a higher pathway as you journey toward perfection.” -Thomas S. Monson
[Happy Thanksgiving! I hope you enjoy your revelries.]

Quote of the Day: 24 November 2021 #QotD

“[W]hen the law, through the medium of its necessary agent—force—imposes a form of labor, a method or a subject of instruction, a creed, or a worship, it is no longer negative; it acts positively upon men. It substitutes the will of the legislator for their own will, the initiative of the legislator for their own initiative.” -Frédéric Bastiat
[A good reminder of something that should be obvious, but which too few seem to be aware.]

Quote of the Day: 23 November 2021 #QotD

“Play in the dirt; it’s cool, the dirt is awesome.” -David the Good
[And you learn things that you can learn in no other way. I have yet to find anyone with whom I agree completely, even my wife, but I am glad to glean knowledge from anyone. And David has plenty to impart.]

Quote of the Day: 22 November 2021 #QotD

“Having power and deciding not to use it can be what determines if someone with power is good.” -Austin Petersen
[Having power and without the compulsion to use it is a manifestation of the virtue of meekness. Or of caprice, or possibly some other reason. But whatever it is, it is preferable to having power and deciding to use it maliciously.]

Quote of the Day: 21 November 2021 #QotD

“Unlike you and me, Christ is capable of clearly seeing all facets of a given situation.” -Ulisses Soares

Quote of the Day: 20 November 2021 #QotD

“No matter how justified a killing, if it makes good news it will be broadcast and draw comments. If it excites more people to portray you as the villain then that is the way you will be portrayed.” -Rory Miller
[By 'good news' here, Mr. Miller means coverage that draws high ratings. That was the main factor in how decisions about portraying people involved in the news were made. I don't know that it remains the most important metric in this politically charged climate.]

Quote of the Day: 19 November 2021 #QotD

“Where neither the honesty of the general population nor the integrity of the legal system can be relied upon, economic activities are inhibited, if not stifled.” -Thomas Sowell
[I would argue that it is not only the economic activity that is affected but the entirety of human existence. And not for the better in any case.]

Quote of the Day: 18 November 2021 #QotD

“Sooner or later, every curse is a prayer.” -Anoia, Wintersmith
[Even if the utterer doesn't realize it.]

Quote of the Day: 17 November 2021 #QotD

“It is useless to meet revenge with revenge: it will heal nothing.” -Frodo, The Return of the King
[No reason for picking this. No reason at all.

No really, please believe me.]

Quote of the Day: 16 November 2021 #QotD

“We have the opportunity to nudge the change in opinion toward greater reliance on individual initiative and voluntary cooperation, rather than toward the other extreme of total collectivism.” -Milton Friedman
[Mr. Friedman passed from this life on this day fifteen years ago. He lived a long and productive life, and helped spread the message of individual liberty. Sadly, the importance of the message was less persuasive than the desire for safety and security.]

Quote of the Day: 15 November 2021 #QotD

“To introduce into philosophical discussions a sneer at a creed’s antiquity is like introducing a sneer at a lady’s age. It is caddish because it is irrelevant.” -G. K. Chesterton
[I've seen similar dismissals of arguments, or points of view for irrelevant reasons before, and I don't understand them. Somehow, the person thinks they have addressed the substance while merely faffing about with trivialities.]

Quote of the Day: 14 November 2021 #QotD

“The Lord wants us to be made over—but in His image, not in the image of the world, by receiving His image in our countenances.” -Susan W. Tanner

Quote of the Day: 13 November 2021 #QotD

“I made a sandwich out of things. I’m an American. We can eat anything as long as it’s between two pieces of bread.” -Harry Dresden, Small Favor
[I don't know that it is true of all Americans (myself, for one) but I've seen some people choke down some truly vile things in the form of a sandwich.]

Quote of the Day: 12 November 2021 #QotD

“Information is only as useful as how it’s collected and interpreted.” -Kate Murphy
[And you'd better be able to convey that interpretation to others, or it will have no use to them even if it does to you.
This seemed apropos considering the 'information' that has been presented in a certain legal proceeding.]

Quote of the Day: 11 November 2021 #QotD

“And this was, O so long ago! How they come back to me—dimly and brokenly, but with what a magic spell—those years of youth when I was soldiering!” -Ambrose Bierce
[It is Veterans Day here in the United States. Mr. Bierce was a soldier in the Army, but I expect that his reminiscing is as familiar to seamen, marines, airmen, and guardsmen as well. My thanks to all those who have served for their time spent in service to the nation, and have kept faith with their oath since then.] 

Quote of the Day: 10 November 2021 #QotD

“O'Brien, holding up 4 fingers & demanding Winston see 5, has nothing on our current media.” -Robb Allen
[Why do they continue to insist on following 1984 as though it were an instructional manual rather than as the warning it was intended to be? I really don't want to live in a dystopia. Or even someone else's view of what Utopia would be. Even that would be a tyranny for me.]

Quote of the Day: 9 November 2021 #QotD

“Tacos are for everyone.” -Owen Z. Pitt, Monster Hunter Bloodlines
[Tacos! Who doesn't love them? (Yeah, there's probably someone, but do they really matter if they don't like tacos?)]

Quote of the Day: 8 November 2021 #QotD

“Reckless conduct does not become less reckless simply because it's common.” -Andrew Branca
[A general truth stated specifically about the negligent shooting on the set of Rust. It is wise to remember in all circumstances, though.]

Quote of the Day: 7 November 2021 #QotD

“Contrary to the doubts of some, there really is such a thing as right and wrong. There really is absolute truth—eternal truth. One of the plagues of our day is that too few people know where to turn for truth.” -Russell M. Nelson

Quote of the Day: 6 November 2021 #QotD

“Often, the journey to greatness begins the moment our preferences for comfort and certainty are overruled by a greater purpose that requires challenge and contribution.” -Brenden Burchard
[In order to achieve greatness, you must reach for it. It doesn't happen by accident. We'll discuss later whether this is a sufficient condition, or if it is a necessary precursor that requires other elements to achieve realization.]

Quote of the Day: 5 November 2021 #QotD

“Nature, or rather God, has bestowed upon every one of us the right to defend his person, his liberty, and his property, since these are the three constituent or preserving elements of life[.]” -Frédéric Bastiat
[Not that you can get people who haven't spent any time thinking about it to agree with the statement. But it is entirely true.]

Quote of the Day: 4 November 2021 #QotD

“Your own brains ought to have the decency to be on your side!” -Terry Pratchett
[Not sure how many time I've had similar thoughts. Or had reason to. But it is rather disconcerting when it's not.]

Quote of the Day: 3 November 2021 #QotD

“It’s easy to forget how beautiful our world is. Have hope, and don’t take your freedom for granted.” -Matthew Marsden
[Please. And also please act to preserve it.]

Quote of the Day: 2 November 2021 #QotD

“When everything goes wrong, we call it a learning experience; when everything goes right, we call it a success.” -Steve Solomon
[Although originally about gardening, this applies to just about everything. Give yourself the right mindset, and you can recover from just about anything.]

Quote of the Day: 1 November 2021 #QotD

“Self-aggrandizement and bias against others has been too tragically pervasive throughout human history and among peoples around the world to make it a distinctive characteristic of a particular people or a particular era.” -Thomas Sowell
[But it is so easy to lazily apply stereotypes or one dimensional assessments of people rather than to view them as fully realized thinking people.]