Quotes of the day
from previous years:
- 2004
- Men do not differ much about what things they will call evils; they differ enormously about what evils they will call excusable. ~
G. K. Chesterton
- 2005
- An avidity to punish is always dangerous to liberty. It leads men to stretch, to misinterpret, and to misapply even the best of laws. He that would make his own liberty secure must guard even his enemy from oppression; for if he violates this duty he establishes a precedent that will reach to himself. ~
Thomas Paine
- 2006
- So far as prejudice, or prepossession of opinion prevails over our minds, in the same proportion, reason is excluded from our theory or practice. Therefore if we would acquire useful knowledge, we must first divest ourselves of those impediments and sincerely endeavor to search out the truth: and draw our conclusions from reason and just argument, which will never conform to our inclination, interest or fancy but we must conform to that if we would judge rightly. ~
Ethan Allen
(born 21 January 1738)
- 2007
- A revelation, that may be supposed to be really of the institution of God, must also be supposed to be perfectly consistent or uniform, and to be able to stand the test of truth... Reason therefore must be the standard by which we determine the respective claims of revelation; for otherwise we may as well subscribe to the divinity of the one as of the other, or to the whole of them, or to none at all. ~
Ethan Allen
- 2008
- If the general government should persist in the measures now threatened, there must be war. It is painful enough to discover with what unconcern they speak of war and threaten it. They do not know its horrors. I have seen enough of it to make me look upon it as the sum of all evils. ~
Stonewall Jackson
- 2009
- Was a revelation to be made known to us, it must be accommodated to our external senses, and also to our reason, so that we could come at the perception and understanding of it, the same as we do to that of things in general. We must perceive by our senses, before we can reflect with the mind. ~
Ethan Allen
- 2010
- That which is above comprehension we cannot perceive to be contradictory, nor on the other hand can we perceive its rationality or consistency. ~
Ethan Allen
- 2011
- The gods of the valley are not the gods of the hills, and you shall understand it. ~
Ethan Allen
- 2012
- To suppose that
God
Almighty has confined his
goodness
to this
world
, to the exclusion of all others, is much similar to the idle fancies of some individuals in this world, that they, and those of their communion or
faith
, are the favorites of
heaven
exclusively; but these are narrow and
bigoted
conceptions, which are degrading to a rational
nature
, and utterly unworthy of God, of whom we should form the most exalted ideas. ~
Ethan Allen
- 2013
We
know
our
time
on this
Earth
is fleeting.
We know that we will each have our share of
pleasure
and
pain
, that even after we chase after some earthly goal, whether it’s
wealth
or
power
or
fame
or just simple
comfort
, we will, in some fashion, fall short of what we had hoped. We know that, no matter how
good
our intentions, we’ll all stumble sometimes in some way.
We’ll make
mistakes
, we’ll experience
hardships
and even when we’re trying to
do
the
right
thing, we know that much of our time will be spent groping through the
darkness
, so often unable to discern
God
’s
heavenly
plans.
There’s only one thing we can be
sure
of, and that is the
love
that we have for our
children
, for our
families
, for
each other
. The warmth of a small child’s embrace, that is
true
.
|
~
Barack Obama
~
|
- 2014
- 2015
- 2016
- 2017
- 2018
Though "none by
searching
can find out
God
, or the Almighty to
perfection
," yet I am persuaded, that if
mankind
would dare to exercise their
reason
as freely on those
divine
topics as they do in the common concerns of
life
, they would, in a great measure, rid themselves of their
blindness
and
superstition
, gain more exalted ideas of God and their
obligations
to him and one another, and be proportionally
delighted
and
blessed
with the views of his
moral
government
, make better members of
society
, and acquire, manly powerful incentives to the practice of
morality
, which is the last and greatest perfection that
human
nature
is capable of.
|
~
Ethan Allen
~
|
- 2019
Undoubtedly it is our
duty
, and for our best
good
, that we occupy and improve the faculties, with which our creator has endowed us, but so far as
prejudice
, or prepossession of
opinion
prevails over our
minds
, in the same proportion,
reason
is excluded from our
theory
or
practice
. Therefore if we would acquire useful
knowledge
, we
must
first divest ourselves of those impediments and
sincerely
endeavor
to search out the
truth
: and draw our
conclusions
from reason and
just
argument
, which will never
conform
to our inclination, interest or fancy but we must conform to that if we would
judge
rightly.
|
~
Ethan Allen
~
|
- 2020
Reason
spoiled, marred, or robbed of its
perfection
, ceaseth to be rational, and should not be called reason; inasmuch as it is premised to be depraved, or degenerated from a rational
nature
; and in consequence of the deprivation of its nature, should also be deprived of its
name
, and called
subterfuge
, or some such like name, which might better
define
its
real
character
.
Those who invalidate reason, ought seriously to consider, "whether they argue against reason, with or without reason; if with reason, then they establish the
principle
, that they are
laboring
to dethrone;" but if they argue without reason, (which, in order to be consistent with themselves, they must do,) they are out of the reach of rational
conviction
, nor do they
deserve
a rational
argument
.
|
~
Ethan Allen
~
|
- 2021
- 2022
- 2023
Ladies and gentlemen, this is a crucial
moment
.
Russia
is regrouping, recruiting, and trying to re-equip.
This is not a moment to slow down. It's a time to dig deeper.
The
Ukrainian
people are watching us. The Kremlin is watching us. And
history
is watching us.
So we won't let up.
And we won't waver in our
determination
to help Ukraine
defend
itself from Russia's imperial
aggression
.
|
~
Lloyd Austin
~
|
- proposed by
Kalki
; recent remarks on current events.
- 2024
- 2025
- Rank or add further suggestions…
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]
I am convinced that in times such as these, every man must be a soldier, in substance as well as in name. ~
Seishir? Itagaki
- 3
Zarbon
05:06, 19 June 2008 (UTC)
- 2
Kalki
10:55, 7 January 2009 (UTC) with a lean toward 3.
- 2
InvisibleSun
23:15, 20 January 2009 (UTC)
The time for war has not yet come, but it will come, and that soon; and when it does come, my advice is to draw the sword and throw away the scabbard. ~
Stonewall Jackson
God has fixed the time for my death. I do not concern myself about
that
, but to be always ready, no matter when it may overtake me. ~
Stonewall Jackson
War
makes men barbarous because, to take part in it, one must harden oneself against all regret, all appreciation of delicacy and sensitive values. One must live
as if those values did not exist
, and when the war is over one has lost the resilience to return to those values. ~
Cesare Pavese
- 2 because we've had other quotations on war lately.
Nemo
13:51, 18 January 2012 (UTC)
- This has now been used, in 2023, on his birthdate of
September 9
.
3
?
?
??
Kalki
·
†
·
?
⊙
??
?
18:03, 18 January 2012 (UTC)
- 2
?
?
?
??
Kalki
?
??
⊙
?
?
?
23:52, 20 January 2018 (UTC) but with a lean toward 1, because the context is not actually clear with just this attributed exclamation itself ? and it is often cited as a misattribution, or a replacement of his actual declaration in regard to his military action.
I have generally been denominated a Deist, the reality of which I never disputed, being conscious I am no Christian, except mere infant baptism make me one; and as to being a Deist, I know not, strictly speaking, whether I am one or not, for I have never read their writings; mine will therefore determine the matter; for I have not in the least disguised my sentiments, but have written freely without any conscious knowledge of prejudice for, or against any man, sectary or party whatever; but wish that good sense, truth and virtue may be promoted and flourish in the world, to the detection of delusion, superstition, and false religion; and therefore my errors in the succeeding treatise, which may be rationally pointed out, will be readily rescinded.
|
~
Ethan Allen
~
|
It appears that mankind in this life are not agents of trial for eternity, but that they will eternally remain agents of trial. To suppose that our eternal circumstances will be unalterably fixed in happiness or misery, in consequence of the agency or transactions of this temporary life, is inconsistent with the moral government of God, and the progressive and retrospective knowledge of the human mind. God has not put it into our power to plunge ourselves into eternal woe and perdition; human liberty is not so extensive, for the term of human life bears no proportion to eternity succeeding it; so that there could be no proportion between a momentary agency, (which is liberty of action,) or probation, and any supposed eternal consequences of happiness or misery resulting from it.
|
~
Ethan Allen
~
|
Princes may make laws and repeal them, but they can neither make nor destroy virtue, and how indeed should they be able to do what is impossible to the Deity himself? Virtue being as immutable in its nature as the divine will which is the ground of it.
|
~
Ethan Allen
~
|
It is altogether reasonable to conclude that the heavenly bodies, alias worlds, which move or are situate within the circle of our knowledge, as well all others throughout immensity, are each and every one of them possessed or inhabited by some intelligent agents or other, however different their sensations or manners of receiving or communicating their ideas may be from ours, or however different from each other. For why would it not have been as wise or as consistent with the perfections which we adore in God, to have neglected giving being to intelligence in this world as in those other worlds, interspersed with another of various qualities in his immense creation? And inasmuch as this world is thus replenished, we may, with the highest rational certainty infer, that as God has given us to rejoice, and adore him for our being, he has acted consistent with his goodness, in the display of his providence throughout the university of worlds.
|
~
Ethan Allen
~
|
As creation was the result of eternal and infinite wisdom, justice, goodness, and truth, and effected by infinite power, it is like its great author, mysterious to us. How it could be accomplished, or in what manner performed, can never be comprehended by any capacity.
Eternal, whether applied to duration, existence, action, or creation, is incomprehensible to us, but implies no contradiction in either of them; for that which is above comprehension we cannot perceive to be contradictory, nor on the other hand can we perceive its rationality or consistency.
|
~
Ethan Allen
~
|