Quote of the Day: 28 February 2026 #QotD

“The real fun of living wisely is that you get to be smug about it.” -Hobbes, Calvin and Hobbes
[Is anything worth doing if you can't be smug about it? I mean, really.]

Quote of the Day: 27 February 2026 #QotD

“The world of cognitive work lacks coherent ideas about how our efforts should be organized and measured.” -Cal Newport
[It is hard to know how best to organize mental effort and work when it is something that has been only relatively recently engaged in by a large portion of the population.]

Quote of the Day: 26 February 2026 #QotD

“Nightmares are a fluid terror. Once you get the briefest handle on one, it will change.” -Hoid, Yumi and the Nightmare Painter
[It's been a while since I've had a true nightmare. They are supremely unpleasant. I hope not to experience one again.]

Quote of the Day: 25 February 2026 #QotD

“Nothing takes the heart out of a man more than the expectation of failure.” -FitzChivalry Farseer, Assassin’s Apprentice
[It can be really disheartening to have no hope of success. It can even cause the failure and become a self-fulfilling sentiment. So, live bravely, full of audacity. What have you got to lose?]

Quote of the Day: 24 February 2026 #QotD

“You're either a man or a woman. Your body is geared to produce large or small gametes, that's it.

“You can't change that and it's insulting to me to be forced to say something I know is not true or otherwise bend over backwards to rephrase my words so that I don't end up disturbing someone's delusion.” -Robb Allen

[Truth is truth regardless of your insistence that things are otherwise, and falsity is still untrue irrespective of your feelings.]

Quote of the Day: 23 February 2026 #QotD

“Just the getting of money—that is really the be all and end all for most rich men. Plough it back into bigger enterprises, make more money still. But why? Do they ever stop to ask themselves why? They don’t know.” -Mr. Venables, The Pale Horse
[When you've lost track of the true meaning of life, and you view money as a method of keeping score between people it's easy to see how the accumulation of wealth can become the object of your existence. It's not mine, but I do try to increase my personal wealth with the aim to improving my life and having the ability to leave a legacy for my posterity. But I could be just as happy not to accumulate as much.]

Quote of the Day: 22 February 2026 #QotD

“When I kneel in prayer, I think on how I can give God my will.” -Jeremy R. Jaggi

Quote of the Day: 21 February 2026 #QotD

“[T]here is no foretelling what may come to seem, or even to be, ‘useful’, and ‘necessity’ was always ‘the tyrant’s plea.’” -C. S. Lewis
[Expediency will always be something those in charge of implementing policy want to achieve. Rarely will it be a good idea to let them have it.]

Quote of the Day: 20 February 2026 #QotD

“At Hampton I not only learned that it was not a disgrace to labour, but learned to love labour, not alone for its financial value, but for labour’s own sake and for the independence and self-reliance which the ability to do something which the world wants done brings.” -Booker T. Washington
[A man who knows how to work, and is willing to do so, will generally find something that he can do to contribute to society. There's good in that. You can walk with your head held high knowing you aren't a drain on the people around you.]

Quote of the Day: 19 February 2026 #QotD

“Everything fails by irrelevant standards.” -Thomas Sowell
[It is important to use the right measures as you seek to quantify things. If you end up measuring your ability to run fast when what you care about is your ability to think you'll get some very odd ideas about your abilities.]

Quote of the Day: 18 February 2026 #QotD

“They can dress me however they want; no matter what clothes I wear I’ll still be Sancho Panza.” -Sancho Panza, Don Quixote
[The clothes don't exactly make the man. They can reflect the man, or not, but the man in them is still whoever he is regardless.]

Quote of the Day: 17 February 2026 #QotD

“Apparently, you can’t patent assault.” -Rat, Pearls Before Swine
[More's the pity. Though, if you could it probably would have been by now.]

Quote of the Day: 16 February 2026 #QotD

“Both the characteristic modern parties believed in a government by the few; the only difference is whether it is the Conservative few or Progressive few.” -G. K. Chesterton
[People with principles are few and far between these days. Mostly, what we have are people who have formed teams and then just try to see that their team "wins."]

Quote of the Day: 15 February 2026 #QotD

“While our Heavenly Father consistently and lovingly reminds us that we are His children, the adversary will always try to label us by our weaknesses.” -Brik V. Eyre

Quote of the Day: 14 February 2026 #QotD

“My whole life I’d thought I’d wanted to kiss a girl. Turns out being kissed by one is infinitely better.” -Kellen, Spellslinger
[Happy Valentine's Day!

It turns out, being loved feels so much better than merely loving someone. Reciprocation is intoxicating.]

Quote of the Day: 13 February 2026 #QotD

“If we must ride intae the sunset, let it be one tae savor instead of fear.” -Al MacBharrais, Candle and Crow
[Optimism is always so much more pleasant than pessimism. But it does lead to disappointment from time to time.]

Quote of the Day: 12 February 2026 #QotD

“Can it really be that someday we will read the old Lubyanka archives? No, they will bum them. They already have.” -Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn
[Here we have an actual instance of what Orwell envisioned in 1984. Should we be at all surprised that it happens more than this?]

Quote of the Day: 11 February 2026 #QotD

“When a group comes together around something they love it changes things. It changes how they see one another. It becomes a community. Something greater than the sum of its parts.” -Harry Dresden, Battle Ground
[And it is so nice to be a part of a community. You form connections with people and that's something humans need to function as humans.]

Quote of the Day: 10 February 2026 #QotD

“Stop justifying your position to people who show no willingness to hear it. Stop trying to create understanding with those who appear determined to misunderstand. Stop chasing rational outcomes with irrational opponents.” -Sahil Bloom
[That isn't to say you don't engage. You can, but remember that you're not doing it to change your opponent's mind, but to persuade the audience.]

Quote of the Day: 9 February 2026 #QotD

“For centuries I have seen all that mankind can offer, from its noblest to its most despicable wretches. Of them, you represent the worst, most dangerous type of all. … The kind who truly believes if only he could deprive everyone else of their will, he could control the outcome of everything.” -Mother Dawn, Graveyard of Demons
[*Cough* *Cough* Communism *Cough*.]

Quote of the Day: 8 February 2026 #QotD

“A primary purpose of the Creation and of our mortal existence is to provide us the opportunity to act and become what the Lord invites us to become.” -David A. Bednar

Quote of the Day: 7 February 2026 #QotD

“[B]eing ashamed of your bad and immoral actions is good even if the shame is from universal mockery and not from a nagging conscience[.]” -@ingelramdecoucy
[Shame is not bad. And we ought to employ it more than we do.]

Quote of the Day: 6 February 2026 #QotD

“Everyone who has achieved exceptional performance has encountered terrible difficulties along the way. There are no exceptions. If you believe that doing the right kind of work can overcome the problems, then you have at least a chance of moving on to ever better performance.” -Geoff Colvin
[Setbacks and failures are a part of the human experience. There is no way to get around it. But you can put your efforts into things that will help you learn from those failures and setbacks.]

Quote of the Day: 5 February 2026 #QotD

“A man can face known danger. But the unknown frightens him.” -Bernardo de la Paz, The Moon is a Harsh Mistress
[Unknowns are a frightening prospect. It's hard to calibrate your risk assessment when you don't know, and can't know, what the risks are.]

Quote of the Day: 4 February 2026 #QotD

“To assert that trans women (biological males) should not be competing in athletic competitions with biological females does not make you a transphobe.” -Gad Saad
[Never mind what the chattering classes say. They make a lot of noise, but don't make any sense. Stand for truth and sanity in an uncertain world.]

Quote of the Day: 3 February 2026 #QotD

“When you aren't happy at home, your eyes will lie to you.” -@DrInsensitive
[It's easy to go looking for something ready-made to fulfill what you think is missing in your life rather than to work to fix what has gone wrong.]

Quote of the Day: 2 February 2026 #QotD

“One of the reasons Christianity focuses so heavily on forgiveness is the endless cycles of tit-for-tat violence destroys civilizations.” -@memeticsisyphus
[The possibility of redemption has to be available. Otherwise, as soon as one transgresses he may as well become a villain, as there is no other possibility for active involvement in events.]

Quote of the Day: 1 February 2026 #QotD

“Our Heavenly Father desires more than mechanical acts of obedience and service from His children. He wants us to do those things with real intent because we love Him with all our hearts. He wants us to desire to become like Him.” -Ronald M. Barcellos

Quote of the Day: 31 January 2026 #QotD

“A crisis is made by men, who enter into the crisis with their own prejudices, propensities, and predispositions. A crisis is the sum of intuition and blind spots, a blend of facts noted and facts ignored.” -Michael Crichton
[Crises are sometimes manufactured, sometimes blundered into. But in all cases, they have been instigated or precipitated by human agency.]

Quote of the Day: 30 January 2026 #QotD

“America's responsibility is to Americans, and if that responsibility is not being discharged, taken care of, thoroughly handled, then support of any other side quest, regardless of its merits, is dereliction of duty.” -Devon Eriksen
[Put the first things first and hang the nay sayers. They aren't actually interested in your wellbeing if they're telling you to do anything but what will actually bring you success and prosperity.]

Quote of the Day: 29 January 2026 #QotD

“[N]o conflict can be solved so long as all parties are convinced they are right. Solution is possible only when at least one party begins to consider how he might be wrong.” -Yusuf al-Falah, The Anatomy of Peace
[I'm not sure this is entirely correct. I think it might take two sides at least ceasing open hostility to give a chance for reflection so that a solution can be discovered. But, it is true that no solution will be found unless one is being searched for.]

Quote of the Day: 28 January 2026 #QotD

“If we scan the situation and conclude that we don’t have the wherewithal needed to handle things, that leads us to appraise the stress as a threat. If, on the other hand, we appraise the situation and determine that we have what it takes to respond adequately, then we think of it as a challenge.” -Ethan Kross
[Perception affecting reality once again. It matters more than we give it credit for.]

Quote of the Day: 27 January 2026 #QotD

“I’ll wait with you. As long as it takes.” -Kellen, Spellslinger
[This is the attitude that someone who is hurting really wants to experience. Maybe not in those words. But in that way.]

Quote of the Day: 26 January 2026 #QotD

“People might not understand—might make up stories. I don’t care. You do the job that is in front of you.” -Tiffany Aching, I Shall Wear Midnight
[There's definitely something to be said for putting your head down and getting the job done regardless of what goes on around you. People like that tend to make an impact on the world around them. Whether that's for good or ill, and large or small scale. They matter to the world in a way that most people just don't.]

Quote of the Day: 25 January 2026 #QotD

“So what if the answers to our prayers come in plain or convoluted ways? Are we willing to persevere, to keep trying to live Christ’s gospel no matter how much spit and clay it takes?” -Jeffrey R. Holland

Quote of the Day: 24 January 2026 #QotD

“People can learn skills and acquire knowledge, but they cannot learn the essential character traits that make them right for your organization.” -Jim Collins
[Getting people in the right place depends upon them being the right fit in both skills and character. It is a process but must be done to foster greatness.]

Quote of the Day: 23 January 2026 #QotD

“[O]ur kids really just want our time. The more the better.” -Ben Eisenhart
[Give them the time they need to feel your love. That may be more for some of them than others. It will make a difference, even if it is undetectable to you.]

Quote of the Day: 22 January 2026 #QotD

“I don’t believe in extraordinary concatenations of coincidence.” -Golan Trevize, Foundation’s Edge
[I mean, they can happen. It's just extremely unlikely that they would happen that way.]

Quote of the Day: 21 January 2026 #QotD

“Even though we’re both talking English, we’re not speaking the same language.” -Calvin, Calvin and Hobbes
[Communication requires so much more than just a shared language.]

Quote of the Day: 20 January 2026 #QotD

“Give yourself enough time to produce something great, but not unlimited time. Focus on creating something good enough to catch the attention of those whose taste you care about, but relieve yourself of the need to forge a masterpiece.” -Cal Newport
[There's something to be said for having appropriate limits imposed upon yourself. Don't expect perfection, but do strive for greatness. Allow it to take the time it needs, but don't let it sit in perpetual stagnation of barely perceptible incremental improvement. It's hard to achieve though.]

Quote of the Day: 19 January 2026 #QotD

“If we never had the power to do terrible things, then what heroism would it be to resist?” -Adolin Kholin, Wind and Truth
[Capacity to act is an important consideration in determining the morality of one's chosen course.]

Quote of the Day: 18 January 2026 #QotD

“He took upon Him the sins of the world. He bore our pains and our sorrows. He drank the bitter cup. He proved faithful in every moment.” -Henry B. Eyring

Quote of the Day: 17 January 2026 #QotD

“That is the trick of good government. To make folk desire to live in such a way that there is no need for its intervention.” -Chade, Assassin’s Apprentice
[Good government. Such a pipedream at this point that I'd settle for decent government. Or ineffective government even.]

Quote of the Day: 16 January 2026 #QotD

“People need to get more comfortable saying they were wrong. It doesn’t hurt. And for the lazy, it’s way less effort than digging in.” -@AmyA1A
[It also saves you from having to defend ridiculous positions or actions.]

Quote of the Day: 15 January 2026 #QotD

“Say what you like, trial by jury is a sound system.” -Col. Arbuthnot, Murder on the Orient Express
[At the very least, it is preferrable to trial by media or mob. I'd love to see a bit of restraint on the part of public figures to avoid more misinformation.]

Quote of the Day: 14 January 2026 #QotD

“Combatants always tend to imagine that the war is further on than it really is.” -C. S. Lewis
[A good thing to remember in our tumultuous times.]

Quote of the Day: 13 January 2026 #QotD

“No one but a woman can help a man when he is in trouble of the heart[.]” -Quincey Morris, Dracula
[Men and women are complementary, and we need each other. By and large. There are exceptions, but society as a whole is benefitted when we recognize men's and women's unique contributions to the world.]

Quote of the Day: 12 January 2026 #QotD

“There cannot be a law-abiding society if no one knows in advance what law they are to abide by, but must wait for judges to create ex post facto legal rulings based on ‘evolving standards’ rather than known rules.” -Thomas Sowell
[Order, trust, and cohesion all require that we are able to reliably predict what the outcomes of our actions will be. If there is tremendous uncertainty we cannot have a functioning society.]

Quote of the Day: 11 January 2026 #QotD

“[A]s families unite to strengthen one another, we should all remember that the sins and inevitable shortcomings all of us experience in mortality can be forgiven through repentance because of the glorious and saving Atonement of Jesus Christ.” -Dallin H. Oaks

Quote of the Day: 10 January 2026 #QotD

“[A]s the proverb says, at times the just must pay for sinners.” -Miguel de Cervantes
[When evil pervades society, those who try to live a good life will be paying the price for the choices of the evil people around them.]