Quote of the Day: 15 October 2026 #QotD

“When we ease up on the performance pressure, life is a lot more fun. Almost incidentally, a lot more gets done with less effort. It’s like magic.” -Kate Kelly and Peggy Ramundo
[It is a paradoxical phenomenon. However, it only sometimes applies.]

Quote of the Day: 14 October 2026 #QotD

“The lint in my pocket is worth more than a criminal’s life who's threatening me, for any reason.” -@ShamashAran
[When you steal from me you have stolen part of my life. Any part of my life you value enough to take from me is valuable enough for me to defend from that aggression. Lethally]

Quote of the Day: 13 October 2026 #QotD

“All history shows that we do not learn from the lessons of the past.” -Hari Seldon, Prelude to Foundation
[Collectively, maybe. Individuals learn the lessons of the past all the time. They are just left to watch the masses recreate the conditions of the past, powerless to stop them.]

Quote of the Day: 12 October 2026 #QotD

“It’s a hard, bitter, cruel world to have to grow up in, Hobbes.” -Calvin, Calvin and Hobbes
[We all tend to think we are hard done by, when the reality is that for most people we grew up in the best conditions the world had ever offered for common people (and better than most of the elite throughout history.)]

Quote of the Day: 11 October 2026 #QotD

“Agency, faith and repentance, and Jesus Christ’s Atonement make change and forgiveness possible. As we become new creatures in Jesus Christ, we sweeten our relationships.” -Gerrit W. Gong

Quote of the Day: 10 October 2026 #QotD

“Advice is one thing that is freely given away, but watch that you take only what is worth having.” -Algamish, The Richest Man in Babylon
[There is a lot of free advice that is worth precisely what you paid for it.]

Quote of the Day: 9 October 2026 #QotD

“The key to a successful marriage is letting things go. I've started with myself.” -Henpecked Hal
[A humorous look at the state of many marriages. Hopefully not mine. I continue to put effort into it. That effort just tends to go into keeping the kids occupied and progressing so we can get some time together, too.]

Quote of the Day: 8 October 2026 #QotD

“If we want to end the war for real, we have to change hearts, not maps.” -Renarin Kholin, Wind and Truth
[There are any number of ways a change of heart could end the war, but only if it resolves the conflict for all parties concerned.]

Quote of the Day: 7 October 2026 #QotD

“You have to assemble your life yourself—action by action.” -Marcus Aurelius
[It's a bit like the way your life passes before your eyes prior to your death. Bit by bit, as it happens.]

Quote of the Day: 6 October 2026 #QotD

“Killing is not nearly as easy as the innocent believe.” -Albus Dumbledore, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
[I don't know what to say about this. I believe it is true, but I have nothing to add to it.]

Quote of the Day: 5 October 2026 #QotD

“Christianity is a statement which, if false, is of no importance, and, if true, of infinite importance. The one thing it cannot be is moderately important.” -C. S. Lewis
[There are plenty who want the benefits of a Christian life without the sacrifice necessary to live a Christian life.]

Quote of the Day: 4 October 2026 #QotD

“Today I glory in our Redeemer. His arms of mercy are extended toward us. He sends an invitation to all, saying, ‘Repent, and I will receive you.’ We are engraved upon the palms of His hands. I rejoice in the gift of repentance and the promise of forgiveness.” -Aaron T. Hall

Quote of the Day: 3 October 2026 #QotD

“[T]hough it is better to be praised by a few wise men and mocked by many fools, I do not wish to subject myself to the confused judgment of the presumptuous mob[.]” -The Canon, Don Quixote
[There are any number of things that may be honorable actions and yet are not prudent. You do not have to let yourself me put in awkward or uncomfortable positions just because it would be better than some other action. The best option may be to avoid the situation altogether.]

Quote of the Day: 2 October 2026 #QotD

“It is true that there is a thing crudely called charity, which means charity to the deserving poor; but charity to the deserving is not charity at all, but justice.” -G. K. Chesterton
[I hadn't thought of it that way until reading this. But, it is, in essence, true. The charity I seek to have in my life is the true love of Christ and that is entirely undeserved.]

Quote of the Day: 1 October 2026 #QotD

“[W]hen you are imagining you might as well imagine something worth while[.]” -Anne Shirley, Anne of Green Gables
[You can use your imagination to add value to your life. Or you can use it to add misery. The choice is yours.]

Quote of the Day: 30 September 2026 #QotD

“Our pain can bitter us. It can make us self-focused. It can make us angry that others just don’t get it. It can frustrate us when they try to relate in ways we think cheapen what we’re going through. We can allow that to happen. Or we can accept that unique suffering is part of human existence until the day all things are made right.” -Michael Foster
[It really is our choice how we respond to things that determines how we perceive the challenges of our life.]

Quote of the Day: 29 September 2026 #QotD

“No amount of reassurance could completely neutralize an irrational fear.” -Corin Cadence, Sufficiently Advanced Magic
[I expect that no amount of reassurance will neutralize an irrational fear to any degree. It is an irrational fear, after all. It won't respond to reason.]

Quote of the Day: 28 September 2026 #QotD

“Home, like love, hate, war, and peace, is one of those words that is so important that it doesn’t need more than one syllable. Home is part of the fabric of who humans are.” -Harry Dresden, Peace Talks
[It is also amazing how a place can become home just by dint of being the place we spend the most time that isn't work.]

Quote of the Day: 27 September 2026 #QotD

“[N]o matter how dark your days are, please remember that Sunday will come if you faithfully keep the covenants that you made with the Lord.” -Thierry K. Mutombo

Quote of the Day: 26 September 2026 #QotD

“Some people aren't happy unless they're sad.” -Zuby
[These folks are often unpleasant to be around. At least, I haven't met one who is anything more that barely tolerable.]

Quote of the Day: 25 September 2026 #QotD

“Everywhere he went now there were laws stacked on top of other laws until there was a mountain of laws ready to collapse in a giant avalanche of meddling.” -Earl Harbinger (thought), Monster Hunter Alpha
[The really terrifying thing about it is that that avalanche will bury you mercilessly, throw you in prison or levy a fine against you for something you didn't even realize was illegal.]

Quote of the Day: 24 September 2026 #QotD

“Don't go into debt trying to buy a symbol of a great marriage. Build one instead.” -Dave Ramsey
[Or any symbol, really. If you want something great, make that thing great. Don't try to make something else represent it, and don't take on unnecessary risk through debt to get it.]

Quote of the Day: 23 September 2026 #QotD

“Top performers understand their field at a higher level than average performers do, and thus have a superior structure for remembering information about it.” -Geoff Colvin
[This phenomenon does a bit to help explain the Dunning-Kruger effect. Those who are intimately familiar with a topic not only know how much they still don't know, they have forgotten what the average person doesn't know.]

Quote of the Day: 22 September 2026 #QotD

“[N]ext time you’re tempted not to tell me something ‘for my own good,’ will you take a chance that I’m not wedded to my own ignorance?” -Clifford “Kip” Russell, Have Space Suit – Will Travel
[When we decide for another what they should or should not know we are taking on a role that is reserved for parents or the individual himself.]

Quote of the Day: 21 September 2026 #QotD

“I tell you, mister, he can’t write for shucks and his spelling’s something terrible. And it’s a downright pity. For he’s got a book to write.” -Larry Higgins, They Walked Like Men
[Almost everyone has a story to tell. Almost everyone is terrible at it as well, though.]

Quote of the Day: 20 September 2026 #QotD

“If we have a sincere desire, being meek and lowly in heart, we can come to know the true God the Father and gain eternal life through His Son, Jesus Christ, for the power is in us—in choosing to believe and deciding to act accordingly.” -Wan-Liang Wu

Quote of the Day: 19 September 2026 #QotD

“In the Gospels Jesus has to explain to the apostles that he is speaking in a metaphor, not literally, because they are dumb as stumps, and, boy, people have not gotten smarter in the intervening two millenia.” -Tucker Saglio
[Sometimes it is simply that they would prefer literal statements rather than metaphor because it makes it easier to deny what he obviously meant.]

Quote of the Day: 18 September 2026 #QotD

“Young bahss, you ’ave always been my friend.” -Timothy, The Cay
[The way we see others is not always how they see us. And sometimes they have a better idea of who we are than we do.]

Quote of the Day: 17 September 2026 #QotD

“It’s in the nature of humans to want to belong to a group, to want to be accepted, appreciated, and needed. What is most frightening about their kind are the sacrifices they are prepared to make in order to become part of such a tribe, clique, sect, sewing circle, cult, or book club. Reason and morality are often at the top of the list of what must be surrendered as part of the club fees. Truth becomes a collective property, an adaptable shield used to shelter the in-group from those outside. Dogs, on the other hand, are great.” -Barbara Timberhut, The Book That Wouldn’t Burn
[We are social beings. We are willing to put up with a whole ton of dreck just to belong, whether that belonging is to something useful and worthwhile or not.]

Quote of the Day: 16 September 2026 #QotD

“It’s sad when fraud is the less harmful option.” -Pig, Pearls Before Swine
[Realizations like this can be quite dispiriting. Then you can realize how much opportunity there is for someone who cares even a little bit.]

Quote of the Day: 15 September 2026 #QotD

“[S]cientific research was much like prospecting: you went out and you hunted, armed with your maps and your instruments, but in the end your preparations did not matter, or even your intuition. You needed your luck, and whatever benefits accrued to the diligent, through sheer, grinding hard work.” -Jeremy Stone, The Andromeda Strain
[Life has a way of rewarding those who give themselves more opportunities to have luck turn out well for them. The more chances you take, the better your odds of receiving something great. True of scientists and just about everyone else, too.]

Quote of the Day: 13 September 2026 #QotD

“You cannot share what you no longer possess.

“You cannot welcome the world when your own house is on fire.” -@japan_nobunaga

[This is true at every level. A person must be in a good state before being able to render assistance to others, a community before it can provide refuge, and a country before it can accept immigrants. Even then the state of things must be carefully guarded so as not to be lost.]

Quote of the Day: 13 September 2026 #QotD

“We must ensure that our discipleship reflects the Savior’s patience, His gentleness, and His perfect love.” -Taniela B. Wakolo

Quote of the Day: 12 September 2026 #QotD

“[P]roximity functions as a kind of connective drug. Get close, and our tendency to connect lights up.” -Daniel Coyle
[We tend to love or loathe those we spend time in close contact with. Largely dependent upon how we choose to view them.]

Quote of the Day: 11 September 2026 #QotD

“When you understand your own emotions and can respond to them the way you choose to, you have the power to take control of difficult situations, react nimbly to change, and take the initiative needed to achieve your goals.” -Travis Bradberry & Jean Greaves
[Anything that empowers you or helps you take agency in your life will give you a better chance of finding success in your life. However it is that you define that success.]

Quote of the Day: 10 September 2026 #QotD

“We are like Russian nesting dolls of mental conversations.” -Ethan Kross
[There are so many conversations going on each of our heads. How can we function with all this chatter going on?]

Quote of the Day: 9 September 2026 #QotD

“Not everybody hates you, kid. There are entire countries full of people who haven’t met you yet.” -Ferius Parfax, Charmcaster
[Sometimes it feels like that's all they're waiting for before deciding to hate me. Then I realize that there are plenty of people who don't hate me. Some of them even like having me around.]

Quote of the Day: 8 September 2026 #QotD

“You can’t inspire people with facts. They need a cause. They need a symbol.” -Simony, Small Gods
[You may be able to inspire an individual or two with facts, but a cause is far better at moving a people.]

Quote of the Day: 7 September 2026 #QotD

“The family is a microcosm of society. It includes individual and group rights, responsibilities and rules. It’s a system of multiple interpersonal relationships that need to be carefully managed.” -Kate Kelly and Peggy Ramundo
[While this is true, it is not true that the forms of society writ large are directly applicable to the family. In fact, if we try, we will find that measures that are necessary for society cause problems within the family. But it is a good way to begin to learn about societies.]

Quote of the Day: 6 September 2026 #QotD

“[W]hen we strive to follow the Savior, He will use us to bless others. Through our example and service to others, they will feel the Savior’s love for them.” -John U. Teh

Quote of the Day: 5 September 2026 #QotD

“It's disrespectful and dehumanizing to demand control of my tongue so you can force me to say things that aren't true. You will never guilt or bully me into that, no matter how hard you try.” -Seth Dillon
[My thoughts are my own, and my tongue ought to be as well.]

Quote of the Day: 4 September 2026 #QotD

“If all human beings understood history, they might cease making the same stupid mistakes over and over.” -Dors Venabili, Prelude to Foundation
[Sadly, those who do get to watch those same stupid mistakes made over and over again while being powerless to stop it.]

Quote of the Day: 3 September 2026 #QotD

“Isn’t it sad how some people’s grip on their lives is so precarious that they’ll embrace any preposterous delusion rather than face an occasional bleak truth?” -Calvin, Calvin and Hobbes
[Apropos of absolutely nothing topical at all. Just a funny observation from one who exhibited the same tendency.]

Quote of the Day: 2 September 2026 #QotD

“The desire to be lucky is universal. It was just as strong in the breasts of men four thousand years ago in ancient Babylon as it is in the hearts of men today. We all hope to be favored by the whimsical Goddess of Good Luck.” -George S. Clason
[Luck. Everyone wishes for good luck and to avoid bad luck. But it seems that luck favors those who are prepared to work once an opportunity presents itself.]

Quote of the Day: 1 September 2026 #QotD

“Very little worth knowing is taught by fear.” -Burrich, Assassin’s Apprentice
[There are a few things. Usually, things that aren't taught as a formal part of the instruction.]

Quote of the Day: 31 August 2026 #QotD

“His life had been about momentum. Problem was, it was all too easy to gather momentum in the wrong direction, and it became harder and harder to change course.” -Dalinar Kholin (thought), Wind and Truth
[How do you make sure you're headed in the right direction? It takes a lot of effort to change things the more momentum you get. So, you really ought to be checking as you go along so you don't have to expend too much effort making corrections after it's too late.]

Quote of the Day: 30 August 2026 #QotD

“Truly, Jesus Christ is the way to peace in this world and eternal life in the world to come. He knows and loves each of us perfectly and invites us to walk with Him, abide in Him, and follow His example of ministering to others one by one in charity and love.” -Dallin H. Oaks

Quote of the Day: 29 August 2026 #QotD

“Some of what now exists is already gone. Change and flux constantly remake the world, just as the incessant progression of time remakes eternity.” -Marcus Aurelius
[Change is inevitable. We cannot escape it, nor would it make sense if we could.]

Quote of the Day: 28 August 2026 #QotD

“Do not pity the dead, Harry. Pity the living, and, above all, those who live without love.” -Albus Dumbledore, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
[And live your life in such a way that you are giving love to those around you. Love is something that doesn't diminish as you give it away. It is instead multiplied.]

Quote of the Day: 26 April 2026 #QotD

“Hence the futility of many schemes for education. None can give to another what he does not possess himself.” -C. S. Lewis
[You can inspire someone to pursue knowledge you yourself do not possess. But that is not the same thing as Mr. Lewis is describing here.]