Quote of the Day: 28 February 2025 #QotD

“Too much change is as destructive as too little.” -Ian Malcolm, The Lost World
[It can be a matter of what change you care for, and how destructive in what ways you are willing to accept.]

Quote of the Day: 27 February 2025 #QotD

“People can be good or bad one by one. Society is almost always awful.” -Master Yute, The Book That Wouldn’t Burn
[True. Sadly.]

Quote of the Day: 26 February 2025 #QotD

“Between an armed and an unarmed man no proportion holds, and it is contrary to reason to expect that the armed man should voluntarily submit to him who is unarmed, or that the unarmed man should stand secure among armed retainers.” -Niccolo Machiavelli
[Even in the 16th century it was known that armed men stood a better chance of living their lives how they wanted to than unarmed men. We really ought to be able to maintain our arms, and it shouldn't be controversial.]

Quote of the Day: 25 February 2025 #QotD

“The best leaders are those whom people want to follow.” -Yusuf al-Falah, The Anatomy of Peace
[Finding a leader worth following, though, can be difficult.]

Quote of the Day: 24 February 2025 #QotD

“If’n people do wrong things, well, why would they be surprised if bad things then happen to them?” -Nanny Ogg, The Shepherd’s Crown
[And yet they are. So much surprise. And then there's the blowback as the perpetrators of the current bad things get theirs.]

Quote of the Day: 23 February 2025 #QotD

“His hand will always be there for us, even if we cannot see it or feel it at first, because He was chosen by our Heavenly Father to be our Savior, the Redeemer of all humankind.” -Juan Pablo Villar

Quote of the Day: 22 February 2025 #QotD

“How blessed are some people, whose lives have no fears, no dreads; to whom sleep is a blessing that comes nightly, and brings nothing but sweet dreams.” -Lucy Westenra, Dracula
[I'm not sure any such people actually exist. But if they do, I would like to learn their secrets.]

Quote of the Day: 21 February 2025 #QotD

“In my eyes, refusing cake is an immoral act.” -George Cubbins, The Creeping Shadow
[I've seen folks who take this attitude to an unhealthy degree. Then again, cake can be quite enjoyable.]

Quote of the Day: 20 February 2025 #QotD

“Married life had taught Toran the futility of arguing with a female in a dark-brown mood.” -Isaac Asimov
[But it may be necessary to convince the spectators. There are reasons to fight beyond winning against a particular foe.]

Quote of the Day: 19 February 2025 #QotD

“If you can’t win by reason, go for volume.” -Calvin, Calvin and Hobbes
[An approach taken by many these days. To the consternation of all of the rest of us.]

Quote of the Day: 18 February 2025 #QotD

“[I]t is horrible being all alone.” -Bilbo Baggins, The Hobbit
[It surely is. I am of a more introverted bent than most and even I don't want to be all alone. I need other people in my life. I am convinced we all do.]

Quote of the Day: 17 February 2025 #QotD

“City folk, particularly politicians, were intimidated by small arms. They preferred to kill people with more modern weapons, like poverty and despair.” -Waxillium Ladrian, The Lost Metal
[That's why they're afraid of them. Particularly in the hands of the 'common folk'. Democratized violence is anathema to a certain variety of person. Well, I don't much care. I'll keep mine.]

Quote of the Day: 16 February 2025 #QotD

“Like salt can lose its essence, we can also lose our spiritual vitality if our faith in Jesus Christ becomes casual. We may look the same on the outside, but without a strong inner faith, we lose our ability to make a difference in the world and bring out the best in those around us.” -José A. Teixeira
 

Quote of the Day: 15 February 2025 #QotD

“Just a reminder- you don't have to rely on governments to do charity. You can directly send your money to the people you think deserve it.” -Robb Allen
[But that's hard and icky. Can't I just outsource it to someone else? Then I don't have to think about it, or care. Or actually be a good person.]

Quote of the Day: 14 February 2025 #QotD

“Love alters not with his brief hours and weeks, But bears it out even to the edge of doom.” -William Shakespeare
[Happy Valentine's Day!]

Quote of the Day: 13 February 2025 #QotD

“I suppose evil is at its most powerful when it wears a smile and smells of rose water.” -Zandrusa, The Silverblood Promise
[It will certainly go unopposed more easily if it presents inoffensively rather than overtly evil.]

Quote of the Day: 12 February 2025 #QotD

“[N]o community of any race is made better off with many adolescent males hanging around with nothing useful to do.” -Thomas Sowell
[For one thing, they're too prone to do stupid things, and too creative in what those dumb things might be. For another, they go around with a whole bunch of pent-up aggression.]

Quote of the Day: 11 February 2025 #QotD

“I feel blessed to have lived long enough to see the Golden Age of Imbecility[.]” -David Burge
[But have we, though? I am afraid that there may be loftier heights of imbecility yet to be dreamt of. And I live in apprehension of seeing that day.]

Quote of the Day: 10 February 2025 #QotD

“Why do people bother burning books if no one’s reading them?” -Rat, Pearls Before Swine
[Well, it's a worthwhile question. But I expect there are signaling reasons for it even if no one (or very few people) reads anymore.]

Quote of the Day: 9 February 2025 #QotD

“Please remember that the Lord Jesus Christ is your Savior and understands you personally.” -Gregorio E. Casillas

Quote of the Day: 8 February 2025 #QotD

“When a man really tells the truth, the first truth he tells is that he himself is a liar.” -G. K. Chesterton
[Confronting the brutal truth is the only way to address the world that is consistent with honesty. One of those truths is likely to be that you haven't done so in the past.]

Quote of the Day: 7 February 2025 #QotD

“Paranoia—because why should the conspiracy theorists get to have all the fun?” -Harry Dresden, Cold Days
[Heh. These days, the paranoia seems to be warranted, though.]

Quote of the Day: 6 February 2025 #QotD

“It was difficult being a free man. When he followed the Law, all the difficult decisions had been made for him. Freedom required conscience. That was a dangerous thing.” -Ashok Vadal (thought), Tower of Silence
[It is easy to delegate decision making to someone else. That, however, is also lazy, and can lead you to a poor understanding of the world.]

Quote of the Day: 5 February 2025 #QotD

“[S]adly, accidental rudeness occurs alarmingly often.” -Albus Dumbledore, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
[These days I question whether that rudeness is truly accidental, or if there are so many that intentionally inflict rudeness upon others. We could certainly benefit from a return to civility and decorum. There are, however, some things that supersede those as values.]

Quote of the Day: 4 February 2025 #QotD

“Kip, ‘good luck’ follows careful preparation; ‘bad luck’ comes from sloppiness.” -Prof. Reisfeld, Have Space Suit – Will Travel
[I'm not sure this fully captures everything that could happen to you, but there's certainly an argument to be made that too many things are dismissed as either good or bad luck that could have been the result of human effort.]

Quote of the Day: 3 February 2025 #QotD

“Of all human lamentations, without doubt the most common is, _If only I had known_. But we can’t know, and so days of death and fire so often begin no differently from those of love and warmth.” -Tom Clancy
[It is even possible for the day to contain periods of both. Such as several I have experienced in the past weekend.]

Quote of the Day: 2 February 2025 #QotD

“As we seek to understand and accept God’s will, it is helpful to remember that the boundaries between right and wrong are not for us to define. God has established these boundaries Himself, based on eternal truths for our benefit and blessing.” -David P. Homer

Quote of the Day: 1 February 2025 #QotD

“You can't outsource loving your neighbor to the government.” -Seth Dillon
[No matter how hard you, or anyone else, may try. It's your responsibility, and you cannot hand it to any other.]