So often when one level of delusion goes away, another one more subtle comes in its place.
—Buddhist Teaching
We are but dreams, and dreams possess no life by their own right.
—Gene Wolfe (1931–2019) American Science Fiction Writer
Thus the freer the judgement of a man is in regard to a definite issue, with so much greater necessity will the substance of this judgement be determined.
—Friedrich Engels (1820–95) German Socialist Political Philosopher
Mystical explanations are considered deep. The truth is that they are not even superficial.
—Friedrich Nietzsche (1844–1900) German Philosopher, Scholar, Writer
Fear and lies fester in darkness. The truth may wound, but it cuts clean.
—Jacqueline Carey (b.1964) American Novelist, Author
There’s no such thing as a human who doesn’t commit sin. It’s not like the world is divided into sinners and the innocent. There are only people who can and who cannot atone for their sins.
—Unknown
The best part about math is that, if you have the right answer and someone disagrees with you, it really is because they’re stupid.
—Unknown
Philosophy is the art of asking the wrong questions.
—Unknown
If we are not empty, we become a block of matter.
We cannot breathe, we cannot think.
To be empty means to be alive, to breathe in and to breathe out.
We cannot be alive if we are not empty.
Emptiness is impermanence, it is change.
We should not complain about impermanence,
because without impermanence, nothing is possible.
—Thich Nhat Hanh (1926–2022) Vietnamese Buddhist Religious Leader, Teacher, Author, Peace Activist
The fact that we can become accustomed to anything, however disgusting at first, makes it necessary to examine carefully everything we have become accustomed to.
—George Bernard Shaw (1856–1950) Irish Playwright
There are really good and thoroughly bad people on each side in all wars.
—Tonbo
People want to think there is some huge conspiracy run by evil geniuses. The reality is actually much more horrifying. The people running the show aren’t evil geniuses. They are just as stupid as the rest of us.
—Unknown
If you’re capable of understanding the world, you have a moral obligation to become rational.
—Charlie Munger (b.1924) American Investor, Philanthropist
You know you’ve achieved perfection in design, not when you have nothing more to add, but when you have nothing more to take away.
—Antoine de Saint-Exupery (1900–44) French Novelist, Aviator
The longer I live the more I see that I am never wrong about anything, and that all the pains that I have so humbly taken to verify my notions have only wasted my time.
—George Bernard Shaw (1856–1950) Irish Playwright
Morality is objective within a given frame of reference.
—Unknown
Destiny always has been something that you tear open with your own hands.
—Unknown
You can only compromise your principles once. After then you don’t have any.
—Unknown
How many legs does a dog have, if you call the tail a leg? Four. Calling a tail a leg doesn’t make it a leg.
—Abraham Lincoln (1809–65) American Head of State
When I consider the short duration of my life, swallowed up in the eternity before and after, the little space which I fill and even can see, engulfed in the infinite immensity of spaces of which I am ignorant and which know me not, I am frightened and am astonished at being here rather than there; for there is no reason why here rather than there, why now rather than then… The eternal silence of these infinite spaces frightens me.
—Blaise Pascal (1623–62) French Mathematician, Physicist, Theologian
Nothing is more truly horrifying than the limits of human behavior.
—Tonbo
Lying to yourself about specific actions is easier than re-defining the bounds of your imagined identity… When I see once-ethical men devolve into moral grey, they still identify as upstanding.
—Ben Casnocha (b.1988) American Entrepreneur
Determined efforts are better than a miracle.
—Tonbo
Faith is Hope given too much credit.
—Unknown
We don’t have thoughts, we are thoughts. Thoughts are not responsible for the machinery that happens to think them.
—Unknown
I know of no law of logic demanding that every event have a cause.
—Unknown
Perfection is our goal, excellence will be tolerated.
—Unknown
I’ve met these people, the ones from the glossy magazines. I’ve walked among them. I have seen, firsthand, their callow, empty lives. I have watched them from the shadows when they thought themselves alone. And I can tell you this: I’m afraid there is not one of them who would swap lives with you at gunpoint.
—Neil Gaiman (b.1960) British Writer
A wizard may have subtle ways of telling the truth, and may keep the truth to himself, but if he says a thing the thing is as he says. For that is his mastery.
—Ursula K. Le Guin (b.1929) American Science Fiction and Fantasy Writer
Political or military commentators, like astrologers, can survive almost any mistake, because their more devoted followers do not look to them for an appraisal of the facts but for the stimulation of nationalistic loyalties.
—George Orwell (1903–50) English Novelist, Journalist