I’ve always been fascinated by the spectacle of Hannibal. A man who almost single-handedly tried and almost succeeded in reversing the whole order of the world. And it was all personal to him.
“I will either find a way or make one.”
Hannibal
Category: Quote of the Day
Aphorisms, proverbs, wise sayings and other witty, pithy stuff
04APR2018 – Quote of the Day
The premiere 70’s band of mental illness. I only quote from the best.
Time
…
So you run and you run to catch up with the sun but it’s sinking
Racing around to come up behind you again.
The sun is the same in a relative way but you’re older,
Shorter of breath and one day closer to death.
…
Pink Floyd
03APR2018 – Quote of the Day
A slightly later fragment from Paul Simon.
Paul Simon – The Boy In The Bubble –
….
It’s a turn-around jump shot
It’s everybody jump start
It’s every generation throws a hero up the pop charts
Medicine is magical and magical is art
The boy in the bubble
And the baby with the baboon heart
And I believe
These are the days of lasers in the jungle
Lasers in the jungle somewhere
Staccato signals of constant information
A loose affiliation of millionaires
And billionaires and baby
These are the days of miracle and wonder
This is the long distance call
The way the camera follows us in slo-mo
The way we look to us all, oh yeah
The way we look to a distant constellation
That’s dying in a corner of the sky
These are the days of miracle and wonder
And don’t cry baby, don’t cry
Don’t cry, don’t cry
02APR2018 – Quote of the Day
“There is nothing so ridiculous but some philosopher has said it.”
Cicero – De Diviniatione
1APR2018 – Quote of the Day
John 20:1-29 KJV
1 The first day of the week cometh Mary Magdalene early, when it was yet dark, unto the sepulchre, and seeth the stone taken away from the sepulchre.
2 Then she runneth, and cometh to Simon Peter, and to the other disciple, whom Jesus loved, and saith unto them, They have taken away the Lord out of the sepulchre, and we know not where they have laid him.
3 Peter therefore went forth, and that other disciple, and came to the sepulchre.
4 So they ran both together: and the other disciple did outrun* Peter, and came first to the sepulchre.
5 And he stooping down, and looking in, saw the linen clothes lying; yet went he not in.
6 Then cometh Simon Peter following him, and went into the sepulchre, and seeth the linen clothes lie,
7 And the napkin, that was about his head, not lying with the linen clothes, but wrapped together in a place by itself*.
8 Then went in also that other disciple, which came first to the sepulchre, and he saw, and believed.
9 For as yet they knew not the scripture, that he must rise again from the dead.
10 Then the disciples went away again unto their own home.
11 But Mary stood without at the sepulchre weeping: and as she wept, she stooped down, and looked into the sepulchre,
12 And seeth two angels in white sitting, the one at the head, and the other at the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain.
13 And they say unto her, Woman, why weepest thou? She saith unto them, Because they have taken away my Lord, and I know not where they have laid him.
14 And when she had thus said, she turned herself back, and saw Jesus standing, and knew not that it was Jesus.
15 Jesus saith unto her,Woman, why weepest thou? whom seekest thou? She, supposing* him to be the gardener, saith unto him, Sir, if thou have borne him hence, tell me where thou hast laid him, and I will take him away.
16 Jesus saith unto her,Mary. She turned herself, and saith unto him, Rabboni; which is to say, Master.
17 Jesus saith unto her,Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father: but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God.
18 Mary Magdalene came and told the disciples that she had seen the Lord, and that he had spoken these things unto her.
19 Then the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews, came Jesus and stood in the midst, and saith unto them,Peace be unto you.
20 And when he had so said, he shewed unto them his hands and his side. Then were the disciples glad, when they saw the Lord.
21 Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you.
22 And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto them,Receive ye the Holy Ghost:
23 Whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whose soever sins ye retain, they are retained.
24 But Thomas, one of the twelve, called Didymus, was not with them when Jesus came.
25 The other disciples therefore said unto him, We have seen the Lord. But he said unto them, Except I shall see in his hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into his side, I will not believe.
26 And after eight days again his disciples were within, and Thomas with them: then came Jesus, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said,Peace be unto you.
27 Then saith he to Thomas,Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side: and be not faithless, but believing.
28 And Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God.
29 Jesus saith unto him,Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.
31MAR2018 – Quote of the Day
The Holy Bible King James Version
The Gospel According to Saint Matthew
Matthew 27
27:1 When the morning was come, all the chief priests and
elders of the people took counsel against Jesus to put him to death:
27:2 And when they had bound him, they led him away,
and delivered him to Pontius Pilate the governor.
27:3 Then Judas, which had betrayed him, when he saw that he was condemned,
repented himself, and brought again the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders,
27:4 Saying, I have sinned in that I have betrayed the innocent blood.
And they said, What is that to us? see thou to that.
27:5 And he cast down the pieces of silver in the temple,
and departed, and went and hanged himself.
27:6 And the chief priests took the silver pieces, and said,
It is not lawful for to put them into the treasury, because it is the price of blood.
27:7 And they took counsel, and bought with them the potter’s field, to bury strangers in.
27:8 Wherefore that field was called, The field of blood, unto this day.
27:9 Then was fulfilled that which was spoken by Jeremy the prophet,
saying, And they took the thirty pieces of silver, the price of him
that was valued, whom they of the children of Israel did value;
27:10 And gave them for the potter’s field, as the Lord appointed me.
27:11 And Jesus stood before the governor:
and the governor asked him, saying, Art thou the King of the Jews?
And Jesus said unto him, Thou sayest.
27:12 And when he was accused of the chief priests and elders, he answered nothing.
27:13 Then said Pilate unto him,
Hearest thou not how many things they witness against thee?
27:14 And he answered him to never a word;
insomuch that the governor marvelled greatly.
27:15 Now at that feast the governor was wont to release unto the people a prisoner, whom they would.
27:16 And they had then a notable prisoner, called Barabbas.
27:17 Therefore when they were gathered together, Pilate said unto them,
Whom will ye that I release unto you? Barabbas, or Jesus which is called Christ?
27:18 For he knew that for envy they had delivered him.
27:19 When he was set down on the judgment seat, his wife sent unto him, saying,
Have thou nothing to do with that just man: for I have
suffered many things this day in a dream because of him.
27:20 But the chief priests and elders persuaded the multitude
that they should ask Barabbas, and destroy Jesus.
27:21 The governor answered and said unto them,
Whether of the twain will ye that I release unto you?
They said, Barabbas.
27:22 Pilate saith unto them,
What shall I do then with Jesus which is called Christ?
They all say unto him, Let him be crucified.
27:23 And the governor said, Why, what evil hath he done?
But they cried out the more, saying, Let him be crucified.
27:24 When Pilate saw that he could prevail nothing, but that rather a tumult was made,
he took water, and washed his hands before the multitude, saying,
I am innocent of the blood of this just person: see ye to it.
27:25 Then answered all the people, and said,
His blood be on us, and on our children.
27:26 Then released he Barabbas unto them:
and when he had scourged Jesus, he delivered him to be crucified.
27:27 Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the common hall,
and gathered unto him the whole band of soldiers.
27:28 And they stripped him, and put on him a scarlet robe.
27:29 And when they had platted a crown of thorns, they put it upon his head,
and a reed in his right hand: and they bowed the knee before him, and mocked him,
saying, Hail, King of the Jews!
27:30 And they spit upon him, and took the reed, and smote him on the head.
27:31 And after that they had mocked him, they took the robe off from him,
and put his own raiment on him, and led him away to crucify him.
27:32 And as they came out, they found a man of Cyrene,
Simon by name: him they compelled to bear his cross.
27:33 And when they were come unto a place called Golgotha, that is to say, a place of a skull,
27:34 They gave him vinegar to drink mingled with gall:
and when he had tasted thereof, he would not drink.
27:35 And they crucified him, and parted his garments, casting lots:
that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet,
They parted my garments among them, and upon my vesture did they cast lots.
27:36 And sitting down they watched him there;
27:37 And set up over his head his accusation written,
THIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS.
27:38 Then were there two thieves crucified with him,
one on the right hand, and another on the left.
27:39 And they that passed by reviled him, wagging their heads,
27:40 And saying,
Thou that destroyest the temple, and buildest it in three days,
save thyself. If thou be the Son of God, come down from the cross.
27:41 Likewise also the chief priests mocking him, with the scribes and elders, said,
27:42 He saved others; himself he cannot save.
If he be the King of Israel, let him now come down from the cross, and we will believe him.
27:43 He trusted in God; let him deliver him now, if he will have him:
for he said, I am the Son of God.
27:44 The thieves also, which were crucified with him, cast the same in his teeth.
27:45 Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land unto the ninth hour.
27:46 And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying,
Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?
27:47 Some of them that stood there,
when they heard that, said, This man calleth for Elias.
27:48 And straightway one of them ran, and took a spunge,
and filled it with vinegar, and put it on a reed, and gave him to drink.
27:49 The rest said,
Let be, let us see whether Elias will come to save him.
27:50 Jesus, when he had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the ghost.
27:51 And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom;
and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent;
27:52 And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose,
27:53 And came out of the graves after his resurrection,
and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many.
27:54 Now when the centurion, and they that were with him,
watching Jesus, saw the earthquake, and those things that were done,
they feared greatly, saying, Truly this was the Son of God.
27:55 And many women were there beholding afar off,
which followed Jesus from Galilee, ministering unto him:
27:56 Among which was Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James and Joses,
and the mother of Zebedees children.
27:57 When the even was come, there came a rich man of Arimathaea, named Joseph,
who also himself was Jesus’ disciple:
27:58 He went to Pilate, and begged the body of Jesus.
Then Pilate commanded the body to be delivered.
27:59 And when Joseph had taken the body, he wrapped it in a clean linen cloth,
27:60 And laid it in his own new tomb, which he had hewn out in the rock:
and he rolled a great stone to the door of the sepulchre, and departed.
27:61 And there was Mary Magdalene, and the other Mary, sitting over against the sepulchre.
27:62 Now the next day, that followed the day of the preparation,
the chief priests and Pharisees came together unto Pilate,
27:63 Saying,
Sir, we remember that that deceiver said, while he was yet alive, After three days I will rise again.
27:64 Command therefore that the sepulchre be made sure until the third day,
lest his disciples come by night, and steal him away, and say unto the people,
He is risen from the dead: so the last error shall be worse than the first.
27:65 Pilate said unto them, Ye have a watch: go your way, make it as sure as ye can.
27:66 So they went, and made the sepulchre sure, sealing the stone, and setting a watch.
30MAR2018 – Quote of the Day
I have a story for this quote source. In the summer of 1972 I was attending summer session at my high school. Being a hopeless nerd, I wanted to skip a grade in math so I was taking Geometry in the summer to allow me to go on to Trigonometry and Analysis in September. This was an all-boys Catholic High School and it was even worse than it sounds. But in summer school they had some girls from the local “sister schools” and so things were actually a little better than during the regular year. There was a girl in the class who liked theater and she proposed a trip to Manhattan to see Shakespeare in the Park (Central Park). Now she probably had no romantic intentions but I was a high school boy so I was willing to take the chance. Anyway, Shakespeare in the Park involved waiting in line on the Great Lawn (which was a shambles back then and hardly a lawn in anything but a geographic sense) for hours while eating a picnic lunch and talking to a rather pretty girl. What’s not to like? The park was overrun with aging dirty hippies selling incense and drug paraphernalia which even to my younger, less-conservative self felt creepy. But it seemed like a fun day at the time. When the show began after sunset I learned that the play was King Lear and the name of the actor playing the title role was James Earl Jones. The name was vaguely familiar (possibly from Dr. Strangelove) and I was interested to see how this spectacle would turn out. Jones did not disappoint. He threw everything but the kitchen sink into his Lear. He stuttered, roared and hissed at his tormentors and cried and moaned through his torment. And during the storm scene the weather proved cooperative. There were several very real cracks of thunder and even a few lightning flashes. Very cool indeed. And after the show we enjoyed the extra thrill of leaving Central Park late at night while somehow avoiding the very real threat of being robbed or worse. Of course, nothing ever panned out with the girl but nothing ventured, nothing gained as they say. And that’s the only time I’ve ever seen or read the play King Lear. But it did leave an impression.
Shakespeare, King Lear Act 5 Scene 3
Re-enter KING LEAR, with CORDELIA dead in his arms; EDGAR, Captain, and others following
KING LEAR
Howl, howl, howl, howl! O, you are men of stones:
Had I your tongues and eyes, I’ld use them so
That heaven’s vault should crack. She’s gone for ever!
I know when one is dead, and when one lives;
She’s dead as earth. Lend me a looking-glass;
If that her breath will mist or stain the stone,
Why, then she lives.
…
KING LEAR
A plague upon you, murderers, traitors all!
I might have saved her; now she’s gone for ever!
Cordelia, Cordelia! stay a little. Ha!
What is’t thou say’st? Her voice was ever soft,
Gentle, and low, an excellent thing in woman.
I kill’d the slave that was a-hanging thee.
Captain
‘Tis true, my lords, he did.
KING LEAR
Did I not, fellow?
I have seen the day, with my good biting falchion
I would have made them skip: I am old now,
And these same crosses spoil me. Who are you?
Mine eyes are not o’ the best: I’ll tell you straight.
…
KING LEAR
And my poor fool is hang’d! No, no, no life!
Why should a dog, a horse, a rat, have life,
And thou no breath at all? Thou’lt come no more,
Never, never, never, never, never!
Pray you, undo this button: thank you, sir.
Do you see this? Look on her, look, her lips,
Look there, look there!
Dies
EDGAR
He faints! My lord, my lord!
KENT
Break, heart; I prithee, break!
EDGAR
Look up, my lord.
KENT
Vex not his ghost: O, let him pass! he hates him much
That would upon the rack of this tough world
Stretch him out longer.
EDGAR
He is gone, indeed.
KENT
The wonder is, he hath endured so long:
He but usurp’d his life.
ALBANY
Bear them from hence. Our present business
Is general woe.
To KENT and EDGAR
Friends of my soul, you twain
Rule in this realm, and the gored state sustain.
KENT
I have a journey, sir, shortly to go;
My master calls me, I must not say no.
ALBANY
The weight of this sad time we must obey;
Speak what we feel, not what we ought to say.
The oldest hath borne most: we that are young
Shall never see so much, nor live so long.
Exeunt, with a dead march
29MAR2018 – Quote of the Day
Of late I’ve been looking forward to watching Mel Gibson’s Hamlet. I remember watching Branagh’s version in the theater and thinking it sterile. My plan is to watch them both on the same weekend and compare them. Maybe I’ll even throw in Olivier’s version for good measure.
Shakespeare, Hamlet Act 2, Scene 2
HAMLET
What a piece of work is a man! how noble in reason!
how infinite in faculty! in form and moving how
express and admirable! in action how like an angel!
in apprehension how like a god! the beauty of the
world! the paragon of animals! And yet, to me,
what is this quintessence of dust?
28MAR2018 – Quote of the Day
I must be in a grim mood.
Shakespeare
Macbeth. Act 5, Scene 5
SEYTON
The queen, my lord, is dead.
MACBETH
She should have died hereafter;
There would have been a time for such a word.
To-morrow, and to-morrow, and to-morrow,
Creeps in this petty pace from day to day
To the last syllable of recorded time,
And all our yesterdays have lighted fools
The way to dusty death. Out, out, brief candle!
Life’s but a walking shadow, a poor player
That struts and frets his hour upon the stage
And then is heard no more: it is a tale
Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,
Signifying nothing.
27MAR2018 – Quote of the Day
A little bitter but recognizable to all ages.
William Shakespeare
As You Like It. Act 2 Scene 7
JAQUES
All the world’s a stage,
And all the men and women merely players:
They have their exits and their entrances;
And one man in his time plays many parts,
His acts being seven ages. At first the infant,
Mewling and puking in the nurse’s arms.
And then the whining school-boy, with his satchel
And shining morning face, creeping like snail
Unwillingly to school. And then the lover,
Sighing like furnace, with a woeful ballad
Made to his mistress’ eyebrow. Then a soldier,
Full of strange oaths and bearded like the pard,
Jealous in honour, sudden and quick in quarrel,
Seeking the bubble reputation
Even in the cannon’s mouth. And then the justice,
In fair round belly with good capon lined,
With eyes severe and beard of formal cut,
Full of wise saws and modern instances;
And so he plays his part. The sixth age shifts
Into the lean and slipper’d pantaloon,
With spectacles on nose and pouch on side,
His youthful hose, well saved, a world too wide
For his shrunk shank; and his big manly voice,
Turning again toward childish treble, pipes
And whistles in his sound. Last scene of all,
That ends this strange eventful history,
Is second childishness and mere oblivion,
Sans teeth, sans eyes, sans taste, sans everything.