Quote of the Day: 31 July 2023 #QotD

“It is our choices, Harry, that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities.” -Albus Dumbledore, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
[Our abilities merely outline what we are capable of. It is our choices about how to employ those abilities that determine our character. However, our choices also influence which abilities we develop.]

Quote of the Day: 30 July 2023 #QotD

“We must remember that whatever our best-but-imperfect offering is, the Savior can make it perfect. No matter how insignificant our efforts may seem, we must never underestimate the Savior’s power.” -Vern P. Stanfill

Quote of the Day: 29 July 2023 #QotD

“[M]aybe it was an affray, always a useful word because nobody is quite certain what it means, but it sounds dangerous.” -Commander Samuel Vimes, Snuff
[Word selection is an often overlooked art.]

Quote of the Day: 28 July 2023 #QotD

“It doesn’t matter how powerful a person is, if they believe they are slightly more powerful than they truly are, there’s room between those margins for big errors.” -Ulaam, Tress of the Emerald Sea

[We're seeing some evidence of this lately. And the errors appear to be massive.]
 

Quote of the Day: 27 July 2023 #QotD

“Everybody gets scared sometimes, May Belle. You don’t have to be ashamed.” -Jess Aarons, Bridge to Terabithia
[It's OK to experience fear. That is no reason to be ashamed. You might have to assess whether you give in to the fear, but that's a different question than merely experiencing fear.]

Quote of the Day: 26 July 2023 #QotD

“In comparing people with the ‘same’ education, to show what income differences remain as the effects of discrimination, the U. S. Commission on Civil Rights resolutely ignores vast qualitative differences in education that exist at every level.” -Thomas Sowell
[There's no true equivalence in human affairs. Some will excel in one thing or another, and others will lag behind.]

Quote of the Day: 25 July 2023 #QotD

“There are bad things in the world. There’s no getting away from that. But that doesn’t mean nothing can be done about them. You can’t abandon life just because it’s scary, and just because sometimes you get hurt.” -Harry Dresden, Turn Coat

[The existence of evil merely means we have something to work against. Not that our struggle is in vain.]
 

Quote of the Day: 24 July 2023 #QotD

“When kids … enjoy an entire childhood that’s virtually consequence-free, their behavioral maturity gets stunted and their internal compasses waver off-kilter.” -Amy McCready
[So, how do I effectively institute appropriate consequences for my children? They don't seem to respond to what I have been doing so far. I will have to keep working at it.]

Quote of the Day: 23 July 2023 #QotD

“Are we continually grateful for the incomparable Atonement of Jesus Christ? Do we feel its purifying power, right now? That is why Jesus Christ, the Author and Finisher of our salvation, went to Jerusalem, to save us all.” -Ronald A. Rasband

Quote of the Day: 22 July 2023 #QotD

“Hate alone will not sustain you.” -Ashok Vadal, Tower of Silence
[You need a constructive passion. Probably also someone in your life worth loving.]

Quote of the Day: 21 July 2023 #QotD

“[A] boy who gets a ‘C-minus’ in Appreciation of Television can’t be all bad.” -Maj. Weiss, Starship Troopers
[There's shared cultural touchstones, and then there's massive distraction.]

Quote of the Day: 20 July 2023 #QotD

“To get back my youth I would do anything in the world, except take exercise, get up early, or be respectable.” -Lord Henry Wotton, The Picture of Dorian Gray
[Some people can be so unreasonable.]

Quote of the Day: 19 July 2023 #QotD

“It is an act of faith to assert that our thoughts have any relation to reality at all.” -G. K. Chesterton
[Yet people will persist in thinking they have no faith, when it is merely placed in the wrong receptacle.]

Quote of the Day: 18 July 2023 #QotD

“There are people, fortunately very few, who truly suffer from gender dysphoria. But their existence should not lead us to reject the biological facts that irrevocably shape who we are.” -Gad Saad
[We should never fear to tell the truth. We don't have to be callous or rude about it, but the truth deserves more of us than the risk of offending someone does.]

Quote of the Day: 17 July 2023 #QotD

“I’m not sure that total self-indulgence is really a principle” -Hobbes, Calvin and Hobbes
[But it does have its own appeal, and several adherents.]

Quote of the Day: 16 July 2023 #QotD

“A choice to be part of a family requires commitment, love, patience, communication, and forgiveness.” -M. Russell Ballard

Quote of the Day: 15 July 2023 #QotD

“It is important that we know where we come from, because if you do not know where you come from, then you don’t know where you are, and if you don’t know where you are, then you don’t know where you’re going. And if you don’t know where you’re going, you’re probably going wrong.” -Terry Pratchett
[I doubt there's anything I can write that would improve this at all. And I'm sure that Mr. Pratchett would disagree with my understanding of where our conception of where we should be headed is.]

Quote of the Day: 14 July 2023 #QotD

“Turns out, even a coward can save the world. So long as you leave him with no other options.” -John West, The Frugal Wizard’s Handbook for Surviving Medieval England
[But it's probably a bad idea to rely on one if you have any other option.]

Quote of the Day: 13 July 2023 #QotD

“Government is unfit and incapable of providing for people, as history has shown time and again. It creates nothing. It only spends, and every dollar it spends is taken from others (and almost never from their free will).” -Jon Miltimore
[The purpose of government is not to provide for people anyway. And the sooner more of use realize this, the better off we will be.]

Quote of the Day: 12 July 2023 #QotD

“Cultural differences are real, and cannot be talked away by using pejorative terms such as ‘stereotypes’ or ‘racism.’” -Thomas Sowell
[So many seem to ignore the effects of culture, but want to address the results of those effects through social engineering.]

Quote of the Day: 11 July 2023 #QotD

“One can have only as much preparation as he has foresight.” -Sigrun Gard, Changes
[So, I find it a good practice to have a multitude of both formal and informal advisors.]

Quote of the Day: 10 July 2023 #QotD

“Facing consequences might not be enjoyable to us or to our kids but it’s one of the most effective ways to learn positive behavior.” -Amy McCready
[Finding appropriate consequences for behaviors that don't have naturally occurring consequences has been difficult. And, I haven't mastered it in the least. But I am trying.]

Quote of the Day: 9 July 2023 #QotD

“We are given the scriptures to direct our lives.” -Dallin H. Oaks

Quote of the Day: 8 July 2023 #QotD

“Everybody should concern themselves with where their supper comes from.” -Guru Dondrub, Tower of Silence
[If only for reasons of quality. But I like to be assured that supper is actually coming.]

Quote of the Day: 7 July 2023 #QotD

“There are no dangerous weapons; there are only dangerous men.” -Sgt. Zim, Starship Troopers
[Any weapon can sit inert, completely harmless until a man with intent picks it up.]

Quote of the Day: 6 July 2023 #QotD

“[The stars] could not help being amused every time another little human believed itself the center of its world, as each of us does.” -Neil Gaiman
[There is at least an amount of hubris and conceit in all of us. Some of us work to overcome it.]

Quote of the Day: 5 July 2023 #QotD

“It is obvious that tradition is only democracy extended through time. It is trusting to a consensus of common human voices rather than to some isolated or arbitrary record.” -G. K. Chesterton
[Turning away from tradition is a dangerous game. Not all traditions are worthy of continued observation, but the majority of them are.]

Quote of the Day: 4 July 2023 #QotD

“Treason is the reason for the season.” -@MattsIdeaShop
[Happy Independence Day!]

Quote of the Day: 3 July 2023 #QotD

“The only skills I have the patience to learn are those that have no real application in life.” -Calvin, Calvin and Hobbes
[I sometimes feel that way. But I'm sure I've learned several important things in my life.]

Quote of the Day: 2 July 2023 #QotD

“Charity is the spiritual gift that helps us to cast off the natural man, who is selfish, defensive, prideful, and jealous.” -Russell M. Nelson

Quote of the Day: 1 July 2023 #QotD

“Well, we live and learn, or perhaps more importantly, we learn and live.” -Commander Samuel Vimes (thought), Snuff
[The more you know the better chance you have of avoiding problems.]