Quotations Weblog

Kanye West is the rapper who aptly announced, “George Bush doesn’t care about black people.” He was the one who was brave enough to say what all of us were thinking. For the most recent cover of Rolling Stone, he posed as Jesus Christ for the cover and Muhammad Ali inside.

• CNN.com – … and Kanye West as Jesus Christ – Jan 24, 2006

He’s quoted as saying,

“If I was more complacent and I let things slide, my life would be easier, but you all wouldn’t be as entertained. My misery is your pleasure.”

“In America, they want you to accomplish these great feats, to pull off these David Copperfield-type stunts. You want me to be great, but you don’t ever want me to say I’m great?”

Yes, that’s true. We want you to prove yourself to us before you brag about it. In this world of mega-stars, not even Kanye West is considered successful enough to flaunt conceit. Give yourself a few more years, Kanye. If you’re still a star instead of a “Where Are They Now” story, then you can brag to your heart’s content.

Read all of Kanye West’s Quotations Here:

• Kanye West Quotes – The Quotations Page

Somewhere between these two quotes, lies the truth. Because of the recent tragedies, West Virginia has passed a mine safety bill.

• CNN.com – West Virginia passes mine-safety bill – Jan 23, 2006

I live somewhere in the middle of the two quotations above. I worked in a research lab for a couple of years as a Safety Officer. We had many rules in the laboratory to protect the workers, but it was a constant struggle to get the employees to follow the rules. We were working with hazardous and unknown substances. We were testing them to create the Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) that would tell you what sort of protective gear you needed to wear to keep yourself safe. Since we didn’t know how toxic these substances were, we had to wear full gear all the time. Unfortunately, it was difficult to get the lab workers to follow the rules.

Was it overkill? Sometimes. Was it enough? Sometimes not… There were times when we were working with chemicals so toxic that they killed the guinea pigs when just applied to the skin. I wonder if the technicians that worked with that chemical that day were wearing their full protective gear. I KNOW they were after that day.

Somewhere between being able to get the job done and perfect safety, there is a golden spot. I hope West Virginia has found that golden ratio because if their rules are too strict, they won’t be followed unless MSHA is visiting. If they’re not strict enough, there will be more deaths. It’s a very difficult balancing act and I wish them the best of luck.

Ah, Oscar Wilde! He says the things that seem so witty and funny, but the more I think about them, the more I realize that they are the truth laughing right along with me.

He’s right. I CAN survive everything except death. If I’m still alive, I’m going to be fighting it and going strong, even if I’m paraplegic, I’m going to be there just like Christopher Reeve. I’ll keep going until death slips its icy fingers around my throat. You can’t stop me.

“Live down everything except a good reputation.”

That idea is what I thought was the joke, but the more I thought about it, the more I realized that he was telling the truth. Once you’ve worked so hard to earn a good reputation, it IS difficult to live it down. You can make a lot of mistakes and still have a good reputation. It takes gross incompetency to live down a good reputation and even then, people will still believe in you.

So, when you’re making those important decisions in your life like whether you should do a little overtime at work or not, go with the choice that builds up your good reputation. Once you earn one, it will be hard to live it down.

I had a heartbreaking comment on Starling Fitness the other day:

i would like to know what jessica simpson did to look so good for the dukes of hazzard. i love her body. can you help me out

I don’t know if my response to her was the best. I told her that the article I was commenting on had said to eat less and exercise more, but more importantly she shouldn’t be so interested in trying to be a cheap Jessica Simpson rip off. I should have sent her these quotes instead.

I used to believe that bigger is better. A bigger house is better than a small house. I believed it so fully that I couldn’t fathom any other idea. The idea that a smaller house might be better for some people didn’t even cross my mind.

That’s why I grieved so much when we had to sell our 3500 square foot house.

After three or four months living in our new 873 square foot house, I was shocked to realize that I no longer felt grief. I felt relieved. The burden of cleaning and maintaining that huge house was suddenly off my shoulders. I could easily mow the lawn. I could easily clean this new tiny house. I could even hear my husband no matter where he was in the house when he called me. There was no need for an intercom, he was never more than a few feet away.

I couldn’t believe how easier life had become for me because I was forced to live in a smaller home. I have recently decided to see what else could make my life more blissful and I started by finding The Simple Living Guide at a used bookstore. I have found that bigger is not necessarily better and I’m eager to find out what else I believe might not be true.

For other quotations about Simplicity, click here:

• Simplicity Quotes – The Quotations Page