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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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Latest Activity: 5 hours ago

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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

Truth

Started by Joan Denoo. Last reply by Alan Perlman on Tuesday. 12 Replies 2 Likes

"APHORISM XXV. He who begins by loving Christianity better than Truth, will proceed by loving his own sect or Church better than Christianity, and end loving himself better than all."~…Continue

Tags: Truth

Ideas

Started by Joan Denoo. Last reply by Joan Denoo Sep 14, 2018. 2 Replies 2 Likes

The word “Permaculture” is the combination of the two words “permanent” and “agriculture.” It is a method of agricultural philosophy that allows gardeners to create and sustain growing food in a way…Continue

Tags: production, shelter, food, permaculture, Mollison

On Emotion, Vulnerability, and a Flawed God

Started by Loren Miller. Last reply by Grinning Cat Sep 10, 2018. 5 Replies 5 Likes

On 31 May, 2018, Joan Denoo posted a most excellent quote from David Hume: That quote was well deserving of a response, which is the following:The most preposterous notion that H. sapiens has ever…Continue

Tags: flawed, vulnerable, emotion, god

Will McAvoy's Rant: "America Is NOT the World's Greatest Country"

Started by Loren Miller. Last reply by Joan Denoo Aug 25, 2018. 3 Replies 4 Likes

Aaron Sorkin has a habit of swinging for the fences when he writes political commentary as entertainment for television. This was first evinced in the network television series, The West Wing, and…Continue

Tags: The Newsroom, Will McAvoy, Aaron Sorkin

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Comment by Grinning Cat on January 7, 2019 at 8:59pm: Yes! And Whoopee's one tenet, given by its unapologetically nonexistent god, is strikingly similar to Atheism's One Commandment:

Now, this religion doesn’t require you to believe in it. It doesn’t require your money. It doesn’t require you to spend most of one day a week listening to someone in a funny costume talk about [how] much you suck. It doesn’t even require you to give up your bacon cheeseburgers.

No, this religion requires but one thing of you. But we’ll get to that in a moment. [...]

Don’t be an asshole.

[...] “My question is, ‘how do I know if I’m being an asshole?’”

Use your common sense. You have a mind. Use it.

-- from The Big Whoop Book: Chapter 1

Comment by Loren Miller on January 7, 2019 at 2:42pm: GC, that is HIGH-LARIOUS!

Comment by Grinning Cat on January 7, 2019 at 2:09pm: Big Whoop, of the religion of Whoopee ("a rather silly name. But religions are rather silly things, so it fits"), has an excellent excuse for not lifting a finger to defend "him"self:

Unlike all of the other deities out there, Big Whoop is honest enough to admit right up front that he does not, in fact, exist. [...]

Isn’t it kind of odd to follow a god that doesn’t exist?

That hasn’t stopped all of the other gods from building their own religions, so Big Whoop does not foresee this to be a problem for the most holy religion of Whoopee either.

Do you have any proof that Big Whoop doesn’t exist?

Yes. Unlike other deities, Big Whoop is not shy or timid about showing up in front of everybody and saying, “Hi there!” So you can rest assured that if Big Whoop did exist, you would damn well know it.

-- The Big Whoop Book: Chapter 2

Comment by Patricia on January 7, 2019 at 12:59pm: Odd, that.

Comment by Loren Miller on January 7, 2019 at 7:19am: Exactly so, Chris. Funny thing: gods always seem to need human to defend them, since they apparently can't be bothered to raise so much as a heavenly finger to argue for themselves!

WHYIZZAT?!?

Comment by Plinius on January 7, 2019 at 6:48am: You can only conclude that the gods are very sensitive about what you say about them AND that they're unable to defend themselves.

Comment by Loren Miller on January 7, 2019 at 5:49am: Of all the strange "crimes" that human beings have legislated out of nothing, "blasphemy" is the most amazing -- with "obscenity" and "indecent exposure" fighting it out for second and third place.
-- Robert A. Heinlein, The Notebooks of Lazarus Long

I don't know as there has ever been a commandment such as: "Thou shalt not blaspheme against the lord thy god," though there are plenty of believers who will get mightily bent out of shape if someone does in their presence. I played with this idea back when I first came to Atheist Nexus, and I'm sure the issue is still out there, yet it astonishes me that people continue to get so badly bent out of shape about WORDS. One would think that actions would be far more important.

Comment by Loren Miller on January 6, 2019 at 7:25am: Goodbye ... but remember this: the voters always get what they deserve. I wasn't the only chump in this city. It took a lot of you to elect me.
-- Former NY City Mayor Jimmy Walker

Those were Walker's parting words before exiting the milieu of New York politics. His was among the most corrupt of governments in its time, possibly rivaling the current situation in the White House, but with one important difference: Walker was fully aware of it and admitted to it in the end, something I doubt Dolt 45 will ever do.

Comment by Joan Denoo on January 5, 2019 at 11:43pm: Bertold, I read "The Age of the Imbecile: The World is Turning Catastrophically Stupid. Here’s How Not to Join It."

by umair haque

https://eand.co/the-age-of-the-imbecile-c52ee205d94c

It is a powerful statement of stupidity. It makes good sense to me.

The climate changes. Inequality spikes. Young people’s lives decline. The global economy brakes. Democracy fades, if not dies. "We live in deep, deep shit as a world, as a species, as human beings."
”The point isn’t to depress you. Sorry, you’re not that important. The point is that it isn’t about you. What isn’t? This. All of it. The planet. Society. Democracy. Life....
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EAND.CO

The Age of the Imbecile – Eudaimonia and Co

The World is Turning Catastrophically Stupid. Here’s How Not to Join It.

Comment by Bertold Brautigan on January 5, 2019 at 1:44pm: Sometimes in politics one must duel with skunks, but no one should be fool enough to allow skunks to choose the weapons.

~Joseph Cannon, Speaker of the House, 1910