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Quotations – Momentous, Memorable, Meaningful

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A place to share the words of others (or your own!) which have been impactful in your life, whether they're serious, poignant, humorous, or just something worth noting.

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I have been a quote collector and quote monger for at least as long as I've been an atheist and probably a good deal longer. My admiration for those who enjoy reputations as wordsmiths extends even further back, whether we're talking about John F. Kennedy's assertion: "We choose to go to the moon," George Santayana's warning: "Those who do not remember the past are condemned to repeat it," or James T. Kirk's deft observation when faced with the dauntingly huge First Federation ship: "Not chess, Mr. Spock ... poker!"

The realm of atheist activism has had its own share of verbal craftsmen and women, from Madalyn Murray O'Hair's: "An atheist believes that a hospital should be built instead of a church." to Aron Ra's succinct: "If you can't show it, you don't know it."

Regardless of the topic, these are words which are capable of fomenting inspiration, reflection, and sometimes even action. They can educate and illuminate the human condition and allow us to better know ourselves. That said, here is an open invitation to share those words which have been particularly meaningful or impactful or timely or just special to you for one reason or another.

Let's share those words and have fun!

One bit of clerical business: please hold your quotes in the comment area below to 20 lines or 200 words. One comment should not so dominate the Home page of this group that no other comment is visible. That way, the briefer comments and quotes of all participants are more likely to be seen, read, and appreciated. If you have a long quote or commentary, create a post, please.

Discussion Forum

Basho

Started by Cane Kostovski. Last reply by Joan Denoo yesterday. 16 Replies 2 Likes

“Here, where a thousandCaptains swore grand conquest. . .TallGrass their monument.”― BashoWhat does this quote mean to you? To me it portrays deep deep effort that was for nothing. Deep Deep Wasted…Continue

Roy Moore Is Exactly What the Republican Party Is All About

Started by Joan Denoo. Last reply by Cane Kostovski Jan 23. 3 Replies 1 Like

"The religious right was not born out of opposition to Roe v. Wade. It was born out of opposition to Brown v. Board."~ …Continue

Tags: Roe, right, v., Wade, Board

Would you like your old "Quotation of the Day" quotes republished?

Started by Grinning Cat. Last reply by Chris Dec 18, 2017. 12 Replies 1 Like

I saved the comments from the previous quotations group the day before it was cleared and closed. Its creator feels strongly that people's comments (though they were posted publicly) shouldn't be…Continue

Tags: archived, opt in, opt-in, archive, republished

Air Force Academy leader delivers powerful speech on race after slurs found in dorms (CBS News)

Started by Loren Miller. Last reply by tom sarbeck Nov 2, 2017. 5 Replies 5 Likes

AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. -- The leader of the Air Force Academy delivered a poignant and stern message on race relations in a speech to thousands of cadets after someone wrote racial slurs on message…Continue

Tags: Silveria, Jay, Gen., , Air, Force, Academy", racism

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Comment by Loren Miller on March 22, 2018 at 6:42am: God is a gross answer, an indelicacy against us thinkers – at bottom, merely a gross prohibition for us: you shall not think!
-- Fredrick Wilhelm Nietzsche

Oh, you bet: "you shall not think" ... because if you do think, they and their bullshit both become transparent. Independent thought by them is a no-no, because in the long term, they can't survive it.

Comment by Patricia on March 21, 2018 at 2:23pm: Yes!

Comment by Loren Miller on March 21, 2018 at 2:04pm: You won't get an argument from me on that point, Patricia. That's the ultimate point of such a meme as what religion foists on its sheep.

Comment by Patricia on March 21, 2018 at 2:02pm: I still maintain its brainwashing.

Comment by Joan Denoo on March 21, 2018 at 10:09am: Maciej, an excellent quote. I especially like the line, "I had the more difficulty getting rid of Him [the Holy Ghost] in that He had installed Himself at the back of my head..."

The Holy Ghost installed himself at the back of my head. Yes, that is what happened, subtle shadows reappear when I feel most vulnerable.

Comment by Loren Miller on March 21, 2018 at 6:36am: Thank you, Maciej, and welcome to the group!

Comment by Loren Miller on March 21, 2018 at 5:37am: Isn't it interesting that religious thinking and psychosis are so closely related you can't tell them apart?
-- Dr. Gregory House

Ya know, Greg ... that IS interesting! [grin!] I suppose that's what comes of compartmentalization to avoid cognitive dissonance!

Comment by Bertold Brautigan on March 20, 2018 at 5:59pm: When it comes to how dangerous the smoke from the [Texas] plant is, local officials and FEMA have given statements that range from "non-toxic" to "the plume is incredibly dangerous."

--Star-Telegram

Comment by Loren Miller on March 20, 2018 at 5:48am: We owe a huge debt to Galileo for emancipating us all from the stupid belief in an Earth-centered or man-centered (let alone God-centered) system. He quite literally taught us our place and allowed us to go on to make extraordinary advances in knowledge.
― Christopher Hitchens

Considering the view of modern astronomy, the thought that we are literally at the center of it all isn't just absurd, it's demonstrably WRONG. Still, shepherds of men will continue to tell this to their sheep to feed their egos, before they stomp on them again with original sin.

Comment by Loren Miller on March 19, 2018 at 5:31am: The mind is not a vessel to be filled, but a fire to be lighted.
-- Plutarch

I heard this one yesterday while watching that excellent HBO series, From the Earth to the Moon, and it speaks directly to what we've been talking about here. To refuse to be restrained by religion is to light that figurative fire in oneself, creating a desire to grow and learn and progress as a result. It also means that absolutist teachings which cannot change, whether from the bible or the quran or whatever source, get relegated to the dustbin. Those "teachings" fail to adapt to the growth of human knowledge, never mind be willing to confront the fact that too many of them are simply WRONG ... and it's pretty hard to advance one's understanding of the world based on a lie.