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Quirky Quotes For The Modern -- Or Post-Modern -- World!
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How could we continue stimulating conversation without suitable quotes?
Now, I know that I might upset some people by even thinking about this, never mind actually putting words online here. Well, as a sign of the times, I think it's now time for the signs to change to show more relevance for the masses... To that end, I'm now adding suitablly rejuvenated quotes below and, for the most part, I'll try to keep them humorous. For example, I'm sure that you're aware of all the efforts to distribute the wealth of the world more equitably. Trouble is, there seems to be so many barriers to achieving that end. Which brought to my mind a famous saying by Jane Austen...
And, when we're away from loved ones, the words of Thomas Bayly are quoted almost ad nauseam; a quick search online shows that it's very popular, with more page results than any of the others shown here. In our modern world, however, there's an Achilles heel to being away too much...because
Now, is class warfare dead yet? Well, that depends on whom you ask, as always. Some time back though, Sir Max Beerbohm -- an English satirist and cartoonist -- had a few words to say about that. As I was flipping through TV channels recently and getting nowhere, of course, it occurred to me that things have changed, very much, for the worse...
Come to think of it: Max's clever words are just as relevant today -- I wonder if Jay Leno and others know it? It's often wondrous what can be done with the addition of a single letter to a word. For example, add 's' to 'laughter' and we have 'slaughter' which is nothing to laugh about. Add the same letter to 'word' and we get 'sword', but the penned word is still mightier. It's sort of creepy, in a way, how the meaning can change so radically, with all the attendant connotations. So, when I saw a famous quote from Jacob Bronowski, the modern form just appeared -- like magic almost -- on the page before me. Considering current events and those of the last century, it seems appropriate...
And, where would the world be without business -- now more than ever, with the continuing advancement of globalization? It's a wealth generator, of course, and nobody's going to say: STOP! But, who's getting all the wealth, or the largest share of it? Well, things are changing but it's a slow, very slow, process as half the world knows. The nineteeth century saw great strides in business wars; the twentieth saw great business in the stride to wars, however. Perhaps with some whimsy, Calvin Coolidge -- president of United States 1923-1929 -- delivered a great line about business, in general. In today's world, however, I think there is a significant addendum...
Now, to be fair, that construction could have been used for any country. Being the only superpower left in the world now though, America's business is almost getting to be everybody's business. Allied with business is work -- that four letter word that many of us don't like. And, that delightful playwright and satirist, Noel Coward, had something to say about it. Today, however, it seems like that the work ethic, in some quarters, has all but been supplanted by something else...
However, you can't have fun all the time. Who'll pay your bills if you don't work to earn money? Well, that's just common sense, right? So that brings to mind a very famous quote -- a very witty one -- from one of the giants of philosophy, Rene Descartes, who had something to say about common sense. These days, however, there's a different slant -- and sound -- to the very idea of sense...
Well, if the ghost of Descartes is hanging around, I hope he sees the humour... Which brings me to the quote first attributed to Benjamin Disraeli -- statesman, novelist, British prime minister -- and probably used, at least once, by nearly every politician, business man, and academic since he uttered that pithy saying. So, while his quote is always relevant to the times, I've attempted to provide a variation which looks at the issue from a contemporary viewpoint...
Makes you wonder where it'll all end, eh? And, what about all that stress, one of the biggest causes of heart disease, neurosis, obesity and other ailments? Joseph Dryden -- poet laureate and dramatist -- may have been alluding to that stress when he penned his famous warning about the patient man. In today's world, with all of the problems that beset the healthcare systems in so many countries, I've thought of another facet of that concept... In fact, a recent Hollywood movie with Denzel Washington used it as its theme.
So, it's dangerous times, even in hospitals. And, things just seem to be getting worse in some parts of the world, what with Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere. It seems the Middle East has had more than its fair share of problems since the start of the 20th century. In the 1950s, Britain and France exchanged nasty things with Egypt over the status of the Suez Canal. During that crisis, Anthony Eden, then prime minister of UK, equivocated nicely about Britain's actions, as shown from his statement. Today, a certain president may have similar thoughts about Iraq...
Did I say dangerous times? Maybe it's always been dangerous times for humankind? Hmmm, before I get caught in any more general statements, it would be as well to recall the comment, from Alexandre Dumas, which, in turn, gave me cause (and pause) to think more about the real dangers...
And now -- and now -- for something absolutely completely...off the wall. Long time ago, Aristotle -- one of the first great philosophers -- coined a saying that's almost perfect (perfection is for the gods, and Aristotle knew that). His observation still stands, of course, but in our electronic world, it occurred to me that there is now a valid variation which is, arguably, relevant and accurate -- albeit with an obscure meaning...
Well, okay, in electronics, when electrons move to create current, they leave "holes" behind, a concept that helps to understand how it all works. Unless those holes are created, nothing works... Okay, I did warn you... Anyhow... Modern living gets to us in numerous ways: Emotional stress, financial worries, environmental concerns, doomsday scenarios -- you name it. Yeeech! No wonder Greta Garbo - that sultry actress from Classic Hollywood days - said it all when she disappeared from the public gaze, telling everybody to shove it. These days, however, a lot of people see things differently...
These days, it's just getting more difficult to get that loan, what with interest rates on the rise again. But, keep trying, and trying - to echo those hallowed words from William Edward Hickson, an educationist of the 19th century. And that brought to my mind some variations that you may want to think about and use appropriately...
Presidents, and Prime Ministers, are verbal gold mines, of course, and Herbert Hoover -- US President from 1929-1933 is quoted often. During a speech (where else?) he coined a well known phrase about American individualism. In today's world, however, there's been an iconic change that is, sadly, more fitting:
I was talking about globalization above, something that's very much a topic these days. Some hate it, others just love it. Long ago that idea existed as "empire" for a much smaller world, during Roman times, and was much praised by poets and writers of that time. One of them was Horace, a poet and satirist, who wrote a great line about dying for one's country. However, I tend to agree with General Patton's view on that issue; but, these days, I think a lot of modern types of raiders would have a new and cynical slant...
Note that you can substitute other words that rhyme with 'buy', as before e.g. 'lie','cry' and 'spy', for different contexts...but please don't send them to me, okay. Anyway, lots of people tend to get real angry when you're doing things for your country, often for no reason, it seems. And, once again, Horace had something to say about any road rage, and other types of fulminating that occurred around his time, calling it all a type of madness (maybe it is?). Trouble is, some people get a kick out of things like that...especially in high-stress combat zones.
Well, you have to control your anger or it controls you, eventually, right? And, a lot of other things, I guess... But, the routine of life goes on, and we keep going, as we must. Perhaps it was that tedium that prompted Elbert Hubbard (1856-1915; American printer, writer and editor) to leave us with us with his logical and witty take on life's progress? Whatever the case, it's timely to suggest a different perspective. I know my teenage sons and daughter would agree. Unhappily, there are more sinister situations today where the new perspective is getting worse...
Samuel Johnson, already quoted above, made an earlier remark about life, but took a more considered approach, and one that is still true today, in many ways. In today's globalized consumer world, however, I thought I should hone in on that aspect directly...
And that allows me to segue into a very well known mantra first spoken by Patrick Henry (1736-1799; US lawyer and statesman) and which, in numerous ways, epitomizes the American psyche -- and perhaps others also, these days. The growth of rampant capitalism and the consumer society, however, leads me to suggest another that is close to the heart of many capitalists and workers alike.
Given a choice, I'll take the property, every time. Some who take the other, however, often skate on the edge of ethical problems, in my opinion, not the least of which is the ultimate truth behind their financial shennanigans. Now, long ago, Sir walter Scott (1771-1832), a giant in romantic litertaure, poetry, short stories, history, drama - you name it - was the author of, arguably, the definitve saying about the dangers of lying. In today's world, however, have you noticed that nobody lies anymore - in the news, on the web, at the highest levels and so on? They simply believe, with nothing to back it up, like certain folks who believed that Iraq had WMD, with catastrophic results...
And that has resulted in the long, drawn-out mess in Iraq, much to everybody's displeasure. So, to push the point a mite further, I've twisted Hamlet's displeasure with Ophelia (Hamlet, Act III, Scene 2) to now encompass the general perspective of top brass towards the boots on the ground...
Wars have been with us for millenia, however; one of the few constants througout history, I guess. Long ago, Terence (190-159 BC; Carthaginian-born Roman comic and dramatist) might have been thinking of that when he penned his famous aphorism below. These days, with so much fuss and bother about the money to be won on Reality TV shows and the like, there's now a different slant, I think.
Talk about raving reminds me there's a lot of it going on right now, and it all just seems to be getting worse in Iraq, Pakistan, Iran, Turkey and so on. When will it end? If we don't know that, we do know where it began: back when Woodrow Wilson, Democratic President of USA 1913-1921, set the neo-cons on the march long ago with his simplistic view about the democratisation of the world. His point of view, of course, has been challenged by various extremists, Osama bin Laden being one...
Democracy, although flawed, is better than other forms of government, with one of the linchpins being freedom of expression - a point made well by Voltaire (1694-1778), French philosopher, historian, novelist and critic. Happily, democracy is still alive because everybody wants to be free, although there are different views about freedom. In a consuming world, for example, that means you can eat yourself to death, if you want. So today, that sense of Voltaire's aphorism can be applied in other domains...
Now...would you like try your hand at reworking a famous quote not here yet? Provided you keep it to what is normally acceptable (no porn or hate material), I'll consider it for publication here. If it is published here, you can choose any one of my publications for FREE. Here's how... Click on this link and send it to me here or fill in this form now, below:
P.S. Well, with Volume One and Volume Two of chiastic quotes already published, I thought "Is three a crowd"? What the hey — may as well go for broke, right? If you want to know the exact moment (in 2008) I unleash yet another beastly e-book that rips and tears at our language, then please do leave your name and email below:
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