Quotations Weblog

I have just finished watching the first season of Penn & Teller’s television show, Bullsh*t. Penn & Teller have made a living debunking magicians and other tricksters, but they have turned their discerning eyes on society and have found just as many charlatans in the world as they did on the stage. They attack many questionable things in our society, but there is one thing in common with them all: their language.

No matter whom Penn & Teller are questioning, the words are purposely used to cloud the issue. It doesn’t matter if they are talking about feng shui, alien abductions, psychic readings, penis enlargement or diet products. The one underlying thing with all of them is their language is very complicated and tries to make things less clear. I guess George Orwell was right.

Every grocery store has a pink and red ode to love along their promotional aisle right now. Cardstock perforated valentines are available in every design from Sponge Bob to Barbie. Chocolate and flowers and even chocolate flowers are available for the forgetful needing a last minute gift. I walk past that aisle and I somehow think that we’re missing the point.

Click here to see all the quotations about Love:

• Love Quotes – The Quotations Page

I was checking a quotation from Albert Einstein, when I noticed these two from him. It seems like these two quotations contradict each other.

Maybe we can conclude from this that success is not an important thing, or even THE important thing.

This comic from Sheldon is one of those rare comics that concentrates on quotations. Unfortunately, the quote from John Adams is a simplification.

I actually like the Sheldon version of the quotation better. It’s much more succinct and tells the story in a much briefer form.

Ten years ago, I was still reeling from the realization that I had wasted four years of my life getting a degree and training for a job I didn’t want. It had been three years since I got my BA in Mathematics and Teaching. I wasn’t teaching. I was working at a health insurance company. The work was simple enough and they didn’t mind if I listened to books on tape while I processed claims. Eventually, I ran out of music and books and I became bored.

I was such a different person back then. I still believed that I had to do everything with my husband to be a good wife. I still believed that I needed to work for someone else in order to be a contributing member of society. I even believed that I had to sacrifice my dreams for security. It was a long and scary road, but all of those beliefs have been tossed out the window within the span of these ten years.

If I saw the Laura Moncur from 1996, what would I tell her?

You can have private time and still be a good wife.

You can be self-employed and still be a good citizen.

You can be a writer and still be secure.

It’s all possible, you just need to work dilligently toward it every day and don’t get distracted by worries about money or whether other people will be proud of you.

Would I have listened? I don’t know.