We live in a society in which spurious realities are manufactured by the media, by governments, by big corporations, by religious groups, political groups. I ask, in my writing, "What is real?" Because unceasingly we are bombarded with pseudo realities manufactured by very sophisticated people using very sophisticated electronic mechanisms. I do not distrust their motives; I distrust their power. They have a lot of it. And it is an astonishing power, that of creating whole universes, universes of the mind. I ought to know. I do the same thing. ~Philip K. Dick
#quotes #philip-k-dick #society #government #media #religion
quotistTrade is the natural enemy of all violent passions because it loves moderation, delights in compromise an is most careful to avoid anger. ~Alexis de Tocqueville
#quotes #alexis-de-tocqueville #trade
The British soldier can stand up to anything except the British War Office. ~George Bernard Shaw
#quotes #george-bernard-shaw #war #soldier
Extremism can flourish only in an environment where basic governmental social responsibility for the welfare of the people is neglected. Political dictatorship and social hopelessness create the desperation that fuels religious extremism. ~Benazir Bhutto
#quotes #benazir-bhutto #extremism #government #society
Tear off the curtain of doubt by questions. ~Arabic Proverb
#proverbs #arabic-proverbs #questions
proverbiosNothing is more certain of destroying any good feeling that may be cherished towards us than to show distrust. To be suspected as an enemy is often enough to make a man become so; the whole matter is over, there is no farther use of guarding against it. On the contrary, confidence leads us naturally to act kindly, we are affected by the good opinion which others entertain of us, and we are not easily induced to lose it. ~Marie de Rabutin Chantal
#quotes #marquise-de-sevigne #marie-de-rabutin-chantal #feelings
But we'd never really seen eye to eye. Mostly 'cause he was much taller than I was. ~Darynda Jones
#quotes #darynda-jones
This arena is a special place. Everybody loves it. To be able to stand behind the bench and be a part of a great tournament for the '96 Elite is fun. The kids, having a chance to play in the building where the Penguins play, it's a special feeling for them. ~Mario Lemieux
#quotes #mario-lemieux #fun
The unexpected stalks a farm in big boots like a vagrant bent on havoc. Not every farmer is an inventor, but the good ones have the seeds of invention within them. Economy and efficiency move their relentless tinkering and yet the real motive often seems to be aesthetic. The mind that first designed a cutter bar is not far different from a mind that can take the intractable steel of an outsized sickle blade and make it hum in the end. The question is how to reduce the simplicity that constitutes a problem to the greater simplicity that constitutes a solution. ~Verlyn Klinkenborg
#quotes #verlyn-klinkenborg
Until you destroy your body, you don't learn to appreciate it. Treat the body like a temple because the body is so beautiful. If and when you understand your body then you will respect it. The body is like a bud, until the sun rises it will not bloom, until it blooms it will not be beautiful or give perfume. So respect it, take care of it. ~Bikram Choudhury
#quotes #bikram-choudhury #human #body
The worthiest man to be known, and for a pattern to be presented to the world, he is the man of whom we have most certain knowledge. He hath been declared and enlightened by the most clear-seeing men that ever were; the testimonies we have of him are in faithfulness and sufficiency most admirable. ~Michel de Montaigne
#quotes #michel-de-montaigne #society #world #wisdom
It is true that traditional Christianity is losing some of its appeal among Americans, but that is a religious, not political, matter. It is worth remembering that the Jeffersonian "wall of separation" between church and state has always been intended to protect the church from the state as much as the state from the church. ~Jon Meacham
#quotes #jon-meacham #religious #christianity #politics #united-states
Law represents the effort of man to organize society; governments, the efforts of selfishness to overthrow liberty. ~Henry Ward Beecher
#quotes #henry-ward-beecher #society #law #humanity #government
People say, "Don't you get tired of people coming up to you all the time?" But what's wrong with strangers saying they love you? ~John C. Reilly
#quotes #john-c-reilly #love #tired
In our changing world nothing changes more than geography. ~Pearl S. Buck
#quotes #pearl-s-buck #world #geography
Our whole social environment seems to us to be filled with forces which really exist only in our own minds. ~Emile Durkheim
#quotes #emile-durkheim #society #mind
I realized that even in a world of proliferating media venues, online and in print, and on TV and on countless cable channels, the idea that I could be considered an expert on chronic knee pain was I think troubling for society, but very exciting for me. ~John Hodgman
#quotes #john-hodgman #thinking #media
Authors are far closer to the truths enfolded in mystery than ordinary people, because of that very audacity of imagination which irritates their plodding critics. As only those who dare to make mistakes succeed greatly, only those who shake free the wings of their imagination brush, once in a way, the secrets of the great pale world. If such writers go wrong, it is not for the mere brains to tell them so ~Gertrude Atherton
#quotes #gertrude-atherton #writing #reality
There is a theory that creativity arises when individuals are out of sync with their environment. To put it simply, people who fit in with their communities have insufficient motivation to risk their psyches in creating something truly new, while those who are out of sync are driven by the constant need to prove their worth. ~Gary Taubes
#quotes #gary-taubes #motivation #creativity #science
Geez, I just played cricket because I loved the game. I never thought about it much, never really had any formal coaching. ~Steve Waugh
#quotes #steve-waugh #sports #games #cricket
To like and dislike the same things, that is indeed true friendship. ~Sallust
#quotes #sallust #friendship
Work hard, be patient, and be a sponge while learning your business. Learn how to take criticism. Follow your gut instincts and don't compromise. ~Simon Cowell
#quotes #simon-cowell #work #criticism #patience #instincts
There is a reason I moved to NYC, and if I listed all the musicians on my list you'd grow weary. ~Trevor Dunn
#quotes #trevor-dunn #entertainment #music #new-york
I don't pay a lot of attention, frankly, to what Barack Obama says. ~Dick Cheney
#quotes #dick-cheney #barack-obama #attention
If we stay aware and acknowledge the great mystery that is this life, we will see that we have been perfectly placed, in exactly the right position, to make all the difference in the world. ~James Redfield
#quotes #james-redfield #world #change