Great quotations:Knowledge and ignorance

The Quote: 

The greatest enemy of knowledge is not ignorance, it is the illusion of knowledge.

Who said it: It is attributed to Stephen Hawking, but Hawking may never have said it.  Variations on this theme have been said by Daniel Boorstin. A homier version is:

It's not what you don't know that kills you, it's what you think you know that ain't so.

which appears to be from Mark Twain. 

There is an ancient variation from Epictetus:

It is impossible for a man to learn what he thinks he already knows.

Some thoughts: The problem that both these quotes identify is one that is remarkably easy to fall into: We think we know something, but we don't.  That not only stops us from learning the truth about what we "know" it can also stop us from learning many other things and can influence our action in ways that can harm us.

Great quotations: Pitt on freedom and necessity

The quotation: 

Necessity is the plea for every infringement of human freedom. It is the argument of tyrants and the creed of slaves.

Who said it: William Pitt the younger
Where and when it was said: Speech in the House of Commons (18 November, 1783)

Why it's a great quote: First, it expresses a truth. Second, it uses language precisely. In particular "plea", "argument" and "creed" are exactly correct in their place and would be less correct in other places. Their placement also implies that tyrants don't necessarily believe the statement but are just using it.

About the author: Pitt (1759 - 1806) was the youngest prime minister in the history of  Britain (he became PM for the first time in 1783).

 

Great quotations: Galileo on God and intelligence

The quote: 

I do not feel obliged to believe that the same God who has endowed us with sense, reason, and intellect has intended us to forgo their use and by some other means to give us knowledge which we can attain by them.

Who said it: Galileo Galilei (b. 1564, d. 1642)

Where he said it: Letter to the grand duchess Christina (1615)

Why it's a great quote: It's an argument for science from a believer. Some people think that you can't be a believer and be a scientist (there are both theists and atheists who think this).  They are wrong and there are many scientists who are theists - indeed, there are scientists of every religion. Galileo's quote shows one aspect of why you can be both: God (if such exists) endowed us (if a deity does such things) with reason.  Surely, we should use that reason or why do we have it? 

Great quotations: Terry Pratchett on the need for fantasy

This one is rather long for a quote, but it's so outstanding that I am including it.

It is a dialogue between DEATH (who is personified in Discworld and speaks in ALL CAPS and Susan, who is his granddaughter (DEATH adopted a child).

The Quote:

“All right," said Susan. "I'm not stupid. You're saying humans need... fantasies to make life bearable."

REALLY? AS IF IT WAS SOME KIND OF PINK PILL? NO. HUMANS NEED FANTASY TO BE HUMAN. TO BE THE PLACE WHERE THE FALLING ANGEL MEETS THE RISING APE.

"Tooth fairies? Hogfathers? Little—"

YES. AS PRACTICE. YOU HAVE TO START OUT LEARNING TO BELIEVE THE LITTLE LIES.

"So we can believe the big ones?"

YES. JUSTICE. MERCY. DUTY. THAT SORT OF THING.

"They're not the same at all!"

YOU THINK SO? THEN TAKE THE UNIVERSE AND GRIND IT DOWN TO THE FINEST POWDER AND SIEVE IT THROUGH THE FINEST SIEVE AND THEN SHOW ME ONE ATOM OF JUSTICE, ONE MOLECULE OF MERCY. AND YET—Death waved a hand. AND YET YOU ACT AS IF THERE IS SOME IDEAL ORDER IN THE WORLD, AS IF THERE IS SOME...SOME RIGHTNESS IN THE UNIVERSE BY WHICH IT MAY BE JUDGED.

"Yes, but people have got to believe that, or what's the point—"

MY POINT EXACTLY.” 

Who said it: Terry Pratchett in Hogfather

 

Great Quotations: The Military Industrial Complex

The quote:

Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired signifies, in the final sense, a theft from those who hunger and are not fed, those who are cold and are not clothed.

 
Who said this? Some left winger like Noam Chomsky? Nope.  Maybe it was a proponent of nonviolence, such as Gandhi or Martin Luther King? No again. A religious leader, perhaps one of the popes? No again.

This quotation comes from a man who had better knowledge than most about the costs of war; a man who had led the western allies to victory over Hitler in Europe. A man who was elected president by large majorities (and was the more conservative of the two people running).

If you haven't guessed yet, it was said by 5 star general Dwight David Eisenhower.

I disagree with Eisenhower about a lot and had I been a voter back then, I surely would have voted for Stevenson. But when it comes to the quote above, I can surely say "I like Ike".

The hungry should be fed and the cold should be clothed.

Eisenhower ran as a Republican against the much more liberal Adlai Stevenson. Yet where, today, are the people echoing Eisenhower's words? Where are the calls to house the homeless, feed the hungry and clothe the cold? Because those people are still here, even in America, the supposed richest country on Earth.

The 25 best things ever said

Happy new year!  Here are my favorite quotations of all time.  (Links go to my posts about  the individual quotes; I will write more in the new year).

If two men agree on everything, you may be sure that one of them is doing the thinking.

  -- Lyndon Baines Johnson (1908-1973)
   (I have seen this attributed to Truman, as well) (I would change "men" to "people").

It does me no injury for my neighbor to say there are twenty gods or no God. It neither picks my pocket nor breaks my leg.

  -- Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826) (quoting or paraphrasing John Locke)

I do not feel obliged to believe that the same God who has endowed us with sense, reason, and intellect has intended us to forgo their use.

--- Galileo Galilei (1564-1642)

 To give pleasure to a single heart by a single act is better than a thousand heads bowing in prayer.

  -- Mahatma Gandhi (1869-1948)

When I get a little money, I buy books; and if any is left, I buy food and clothes.

  -- Desiderius Erasmus (1465-1536)

It is impossible for a man to learn what he thinks he already knows.

  -- Epictetus (c.55-c.135)

He who joyfully marches to music in rank and file has already earned my contempt. He has been given a large brain by mistake, since for him the spinal cord would fully suffice.

  -- Albert Einstein (1879-1955)

An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind.

--  Mahatma Gandhi (1869-1948)

No man is an Island, entire of itself; every man is a piece of the Continent, a part of the main; if a clod be washed away by the sea, Europe is the less, as well as if a promontory were, as well as if a manor of thy friends or of thine own were; any man's death diminishes me, because I am involved in Mankind; And therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; It tolls for thee.

  -- John Donne (1572-1631), Meditation XVII

If we don't believe in freedom of expression for people we despise, we don't believe in it at all.

  -- Noam Chomsky (b. 1928)

My Country, right or wrong" is a thing no patriot would think of saying except in a desperate case. It is like saying, "My mother, drunk or sober"

  -- Gilbert Keith Chesterton (1874-1936)

I am not going to sit here and be an idle spectator to the diminution, the subversion, the destruction, of the Constitution.

  -- Barbara Jordan (1936-1996)

The gods are amused when the busy river condemns the idle clouds

  Rabindranath Tagore (1861-1941)

Prediction is very difficult, especially about the future.

  -- Niels Bohr (1885-1962)

Necessity is the plea for every infringement of human freedom. It is the argument of tyrants; it is the creed of slaves.

  -- William Pitt (1759-1806)

 Pain shared is lessened, joy shared, increased

  --- Spider Robinson (1948 - )

The good old days. I was there. Where was they?

  --- Moms Mabley (1894-1975)

All models are wrong but some are useful.

  -- George Box (1919 - 2013)

The most exciting phrase to hear in science, the one that heralds new discoveries, is not "Eureka!" but "That's funny..."

  -- Isaac Asimov (1920-1992)

That which is hateful to you, do not do to your fellow. That is the whole Torah; the rest is the explanation; go and learn.

  --- Hillel (c. 110 BCE - 10 CE)

If I am not for myself, who is for me?
If I am for myself alone, what am I?
If not now, when?

  --- Hillel (c. 110 BCE - 10 CE)

Those who would give up a little freedom to get a little security shall soon have neither

  --- Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790)

 If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer. Let each man march to his own rhythm, however measured, or far away.

  --- H. D. Thoreau (1817-1862)

There is nothing so horrible in nature as to see a beautiful theory murdered by an ugly gang of facts.

  --- Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790)

  and, my favorite

Most men worry about their own bellies, and other people's souls, when we all ought to be worried abut our own souls, and other people's bellies.

--  Rabbi Israel Salanter (1810-1883)

Great Quotations: Carl Sagan on "from scratch"

The quote:  "If you want to bake an apple pie from scratch, you must first invent the universe".

Source: Here is a YouTube of it.

Why I like this quote:  First of all, it's funny and I like funny.  But it also makes a relatively deep point: The universe contains a remarkable amount of order.  It took billions of years for it to get that order. When we say "from scratch" we still take huge advantage of the order put into the universe by evolution. 

Great quotations: Israel Salanter on morality

The quote:

Most people worry about their own bellies, and other people's souls, when we all ought to worry about our own souls and other people's bellies

Who  said it:  Israel Salanter
 
Source:

Thoughts on the quote: 

 Why do I, an atheist who doesn't even believe in souls, like this quote? I think we can take "soul" as a metaphor.  Salanter is saying that we should help others in material ways, and worry about ourselves in spiritual ways. This is,  as the quotation notes, too often the reverse of what people do. Many people seem concerned with how much stuff they have and how evil other people are being.
 
This quote and modern politics
To me, this quote could be the foundation of liberalism and progressivism. I think that the current definition of "conservative" often fits the "most people" and the current definition of "liberal" fits the "ought".  Conservatives are very worried about gay marriage, abortion, drug use, and all sorts of things that are really "other people's souls", while liberals tend to be more worried with making sure that other people have enough to eat and so on.

About the author: 
Israel Salanter (ne Lipkin) was a rabbi in Lithuania. He was born on November 3, 1810,
in  Zhagory and died on February 2, 1883 in Konigsberg. Israel Salanter was a noted Torah scholar and talmudist. A devoutly orthodox Jew, Salanter's views were, nevertheless,  outside the mainstream, and he stressed ethical and moral teachings, and also wrote about the role of the subconcious.

 

Great Quotations: Curly Howard on thinking

The quote:

I'm trying to think, but nothing happens

or, in dialect, "I'm tryin' ta tink, but nuttin' happens"

Who said it: Curly Howard of the Three Stooges. 

Source: Personal memory and the episode is available in many web sites

Thoughts (ahem) on the Quote:  This is just perfect so often.  I especially like it when I am doing badly at bridge in which game you often have to consider a great many different things at once, but it is useful in other situations as well.   

Great quotations: Isaac Asimov on discovery

The quotation:

The most exciting phrase to hear in science, the one that heralds new discoveries, is not “Eureka!” (I found it!) but “That’s funny …”

Who said it:  The quotation is widely attributed to Isaac Asimov, but no direct evidence of him saying it or writing it seems to exist.  Nevertheless, it does seem like he said it, according to the invaluable Quote Investigator.


Source:  See link above.

Thoughts on the quotation: 

When we notice something odd, something unexplained, we can ignore it.  Or we can attribute it to mysterious forces. Or we can say it's a miracle.  Or .... we can investigate.  And maybe discover something.  As my favorite professor in graduate school used to say:

If you're not surprised, you haven't learned anything

So, we should welcome the unexplained.  It might lead somewhere. 

Great quotations: Terry Pratchett on evil

The quotation

 Evil begins when you begin to treat people as things

Who said it

Terry Pratchett, the author of the Discworld series of comic fantasy novels.

Source

I Shall Wear Midnight 

Thoughts on the quote 

Is there a universal morality?  Many people think not.  I think there is.  For example, the Golden Rule and the Silver Rule have been around for 2,000 years, and there are variations in most other religions and philosophies.

In I Shall Wear Midnight (one of the great Tiffany Aching novels), Pratchett gives a definition of evil that could also be universal; it's another variation on the same theme as the two rules. But it is, in some ways, more explicit because it avoids the problems that different people like to be treated (or not treated) differently.  But no one should be treated as a thing.

Treating people as things is also what a lot of evil people get fundamentally wrong.  All people are people, all people deserve respect.  No one should be treated as an object.

In addition, learning that other people are people like you is one of the landmarks in growing up.

Great quotations: Thomas Jefferson on freedom of (and from) religion

Tbe quotation:

It does me no harm for my neighbor to believe in many Gods or no God. It neither robs my pocket nor breaks my leg.

Who said it:  Thomas Jefferson, the third president of the United States and principal author of the Declaration of Independence

Source:

Jefferson wrote this in Notes on the State of Virginia

Thoughts on the quote:
 
Many people, these days, accept religious freedom as the freedom to believe or not. But some do not accept it. This lack of acceptance comes from people of all faiths and no faith. To those of us who believe in freedom of religion, this belief may come naturally. If we are drawn into argument with those who do not agree, we need a reason for our belief in religious freedom. This quote from Thomas Jefferson supplies it.

In addition, it shows the limit of this acceptance: Harm. Physical or economic limits this acceptance. So, if fanatics have beliefs which require them to harm you (examples abound, from the Inquisition to 9/11) then you do have a right to limit those beliefs, but only to the extent that they actually harm you.

This Thomas Jefferson quote reminds me of a story my rabbi, S. Michael Gelber used to tell. It seems a guy was walking down the street, swinging his arms. Hie hits another fellow in the nose. The injured man says "What are you doing? You hit me in the nose!" The arm-swinger replies "It's a free country! I can swing my arms if I want!" To which the injured man replies: "Yes, but your freedom stops where my nose begins."

The Thomas Jefferson quote may then be thought of as a way of judging the lengths of people's noses (metaphorically speaking). Your "nose" includes physical and economic harm. Of course, this is not a full set of criteria, because it can sometimes be hard to judge what economic and physical harm are, and what causes them. But it is a good start.

A quotation for banned books week: Heinrich Heine on burning books

 It's banned books week (Sept 25-Oct 1) so here is a quote about burning books.

The quotation:

Where they begin by burning books, they will end by burning people.

Who said it? Heinrich Heine  (1797-1856).

Source:  Almansor: A Tragedy (1823)

Thoughts on the quote: The original is in German: Dort wo man Bücher verbrennt, verbrennt man auch am Ende Menschen and I don't speak German.  Wikiquote gives several alternate translations, but I forget where I read the exact one I have above.

In any translation, it speaks to the problem of the slippery slope of destroying freedom, step by step. The same sort of people who want to take away your right to read will, eventually, want to take away your right to breathe. Because the danger of reading is that it leads to thinking; but people will persist in thinking, even without books (books just make it a bit easier!)

So, celebrate banned books week by buying and reading some books, especially banned books.  It's not just your right to read. It's your right to breathe.

More about the author: Heine was (per Wikipedia) a German poet, journalist, essayist and literary critic. Many of his books were banned in Germany due to their satirical attacks on Germany's rulers. 

Great quotations: Moms Mabley on nostalgia

The quotation:  

The good old days. I was there. Where was they?

Who said it?  Moms Mabley

Source: Goodreads

Thoughts on the quote:  Certainly an African American living from the end of the 19th century well past the midpoint of the 20th saw major improvements. But the quotation doesn't just apply to Moms Mabley's own life - I think it applies much more generally. Whenever people hark back to some 'golden age' it is good to recall these words of Moms. It is easy to forget the bad parts of the "good old days", especially if you weren't in one of the groups for which they were really really bad. You know - Blacks, Asians, Latinos, Jews, Italians, Irish and so on .... and, of course, women. But even for others - the good old days had their problems.
  Here are some things that made life better during Moms Mabley's lifetime

• Penicillin was discovered in 1928 and saved millions of lives
• Radio, motion pictures and television transformed entertainment
• The car and the airplane changed transportation.
• The crossword puzzle started perplexing people
• Frozen foods made vegetables available all year
• Zoom lenses made big differences in photography.
• Ballpoint pens made it easier to make mistakes (but harder to correct them than with a pencil)
• Computers began, and the very early beginnings of the internet, as well.
• The slinky and silly putty and the Frisbee made for fun times
• Oral contraceptives changed sex forever
• In 1894 the average life expectancy was 42.5 for White men, 44.6 for White women, 32.5 for other men, and 35.0 for other women. By the time Moms Mabley died, these numbers were 67.9, 75.5, 61.0 and 69.0, respectively.

  So, when people start talking about the good old tells, quote Moms.

The good old days. I was there. Where was they?

Sources:

• Wikipedia on Mabley
• Agitation in moderation
• Inventors
• Life expectancy 

About the author:  Jackie "Moms" Mabley,  nee Loretta May Aiken, was an African American comedienne, born on March 19, 1894 in Brevard, NC. Moms Mabley worked in vaudeville, and later in TV, as a standup, and in film. She died on May 23, 1975, in White Plains NY.  Moms Mabley got her stage name from a former boyfriend, saying "he took so much from me, I took my name from him".

Moms made over 20 recordings, appeared in 7 films and 9 stage productions.  She tackled issues such
as racism, social justice, and so on long before they were popular, and yet, she must have made them funny, because audiences loved her, and she appeared in mainstream venues such as the Ed Sullivan Show.  She was married and had several children, but also had female lovers.

Great Quotations: Leibniz on music

The quotation:

Music is the pleasure that the human soul encounters from counting without knowing that it is counting. 

Who said it?   Gottfried Wilhelm von Leibniz

Source:  A letter to Christian Goldbach

Thoughts on the quote: People have many ideas about what music is.  It is not surprising that Leibniz, who was a mathematician, would emphasize the mathematical aspects of counting.  But, as a philosopher, he throws in the idea of the soul and also of doing something without knowing one is doing it.   The fact that Leibniz lived in the age when contrapuntal music (e.g. that of Johann Sebastian Bach) was at its height is not a coincidence. 

About the author: Leibniz  (1646-1714) was a polymathic genius who made huge contributions to mathematics (he and Newton invented calculus independently and pretty much simultaneously), philosophy (he was a radical optimist), computing (he invented several mechanical calculators), physics, probability theory, biology, medicine, geology and linguistics (he tried to invent a universal language), among other things.