Opus 2026-075: Immortal Quotes: Enquiring minds…

In contemplating all the doomsday scenarios that we are looking at I began wondering what it was that would help us to come out as individuals, families, communities the other side, moving forward and prosperous.  I am somewhat amused at the people who tell us to buy gold.  They don’t seem to have studied much in history.  As recently as FDR, we have had the government confiscating gold.  In order to make your goal worthless all it takes is the government to make it illegal.

The most recent advice I got was to invest in assets that would retain their value, don’t put all your money in cash.  Make sure you don’t put it all in the bank.  At all sounds very good.  Real estate is an asset that doesn’t go away, but it could be taken away.  All you have to do to wipe out someone’s real estate assets is to increase taxes to the point where they can’t be paid.  The same is true of almost anything.

That led me to think about what would help us to survive and the two things that came to mind were skills and flexibility.  In looking at skills, I could see that my children would be well placed to survive, but if I were younger and had to go out and get a job, I’m not sure that I have any skills that would find a place in a world coming out of chaos.  If I were younger, there might be a place for pastors, but even pastors often have to have a skill on the side.  My 29 years of teaching would be almost worthless.

I always get amused at people to think about teachers is being this elite group of highly trained professionals.  Not really.  Teachers main contribution is daycare.  They supervise people’s children while their parents are off, trying to earn enough money to keep up with their neighbors.  There is very little that is taught that most parents could not take care of.

The basics that are necessary for an education?  Go back to the three R’s.  Any adult who can read should be able to teach a child to read. If you can write a sentence, you should be able to teach your children to write a sentence and encourage them to put them together in a paragraph.  If you can balance your checkbook, you’re ahead of most Americans and you can teach your child the math that they need to survive in the future.  After that, it’s up to the child.

There might be some exceptions to this such as teaching microbiology or quantum physics, but that won’t be the issue for most of us.  In the world coming out of chaos there won’t be much demand for microbiologists or quantum physicists.  They well however, be a need for carpenters, bakers, welders, and hopefully we will be advanced enough to need electricians.

So that commercial phrase from the National Enquirer really should be one of our goals and focuses.  We need to create children with enquiring minds.  We need children with curiosity and the initiative to go out and look for answers.  What we need for the future are not more teachers, but more well stocked libraries

homo unius libri

Opus 2026-042: Immortal quotes: Character Counts

I have mixed emotions about pulling Maduro out of Venezuela.  I have mixed emotions about getting involved in the revolution going on in Iran.  I have no idea what’s going on in Ukraine.  There are certain times, more frequent than we want to admit, where we simply have to put our trust in the character of a leader.

Character has many different definitions and ways of looking at it.  Donald Trump does not have a good record in successful marriages.  At the same time he seems to have been able to raise well balance children.  Those ex-wives all get along with him.  I scratch my head over that one.  Other areas of character that we tend to ignore are probably more important in his current role.

He is a man who follows the rules.  He does that in the most legalistic manner.  If he didn’t, the Democrats would have put him in jail and impeached him long ago.  Keep in mind, not only have all the Democrats in Congress and many of the Republicans tried to destroy him, but they have weaponized the DOJ, FBI, administrative state, CIA and any other alphabet that you want to use.   In spite of nine years at least of searching, they’ve been able to find nothing that was truly illegal.

He is a man who does his homework.  As a real estate developer in New York he was very much involved in what he was working on.  I read his autobiography.  Much of it had to do with his business dealings.  He knew his market, he knew his contractors, he knew what could be done and what could not be done.  That didn’t come from reading the LA Times.  It came from doing real research.

He is a man who is willing to take risks.  Again, looking at the real estate market in New York, there are points where you have to take risks.  If you read his autobiography, you’ll find out that many of his risks were taken with other peoples money, but again that comes to doing his homework and knowing what the rules were.  He still took risks, but they were measured and thoughtful risks.

He got results.

When I look at Venezuela and Iran, my concern about getting involved is not that there is no American interest, but because I also believe that in the long run when you bail people out and they don’t have to fight it themselves, they end up not developing the character they need to be successful.  We removed the dictator from Venezuela.  OK.  That may have needed to be done.  The issue is that at some point the people of Venezuela need to stand up and step forward.  I understand that to do that before would have gotten you a bullet in the head.  Maybe now they can be free to do that and take the risk necessary for liberty and prosperity.  The same is true in Iran.  There may be small ways that the United States can help advance freedom, but the answer is not to send in the Marines and then hand everything over to someone who has not earned the position of leadership.

So far it seems that Trump is walking the thin line.  I pray that his wisdom will continue to get results.

homo unius libri

Opus 2025-062: Quote for the Day: Wesley Huff

Certain principles are very important when you try to understand the Bible.  One of the steps that you need to go through is to ask yourself first, to whom was this written? Then you need to ask yourself, “How did they understand it?”  After several different levels of thinking, you can finally come to the point where you seek to apply the truth to your own life.

And listening to apologist Wesley Huff, he made a statement which was not new but reminded me of something we need to understand.  I’m not sure in which order he had them, but the basic idea is this,

    “The Bible was not written to you, but it was written for you.”

For instance, when the Bible talks about the sword of the spirit you need to, in your own mind, translate that into a more modern metaphor.  We don’t use swords anymore, except in movies.  They are not something we apply to our daily life.  You might want to substitute your favorite firearm, or your favorite martial arts.  The fact that the Holy Spirit is active is the key point.

Keep your mind turned on.  Keep thinking.  Don’t be afraid to go there when someone brings up a controversial point.  Truth is on our side but sometimes it takes a bit of digging.  The person you disagree with might actually have an insight that will get you closer to genuine truth.

homo unius libri

Opus 2022-304: Immortal Quotes: The Most Famous Last Words

“You always have to have the last word.”

Have you ever had someone tell you that?  I find it an amusing statement.  Yesterday when I heard it I remained silent and listened.  After being told the fourth time that I had to have the last word, without making any comments in response, my mind drifted and I stopped counting.  Simple things amuse me but my simple mind has a hard time staying focused.

Generally such a statement is a tool of manipulation by people who want the last word and need to feel very righteous about it.

Drive them crazy.  Just smile and remain silent and start counting.  I would guess they will never get the irony.

homo unius libri

Opus 2022-165: Immortal Quotes: Eating Like a Bird

As I was waiting for the sun to show itself I noticed a bird hopping around in the grass.  My mind somehow went to that old bit of wisdom, “The early bird gets the worm.”  We have all heard the clever comebacks but my mind went in a more practical direction, the early bird seems to get more bugs than worms.

I am not writing to elevate the glory of worms or how common bugs are.  I have not accessed the nutritional label of either one so I don’t know what they have to offer.  To my knowledge I have never tasted a worm but I have tried a few kinds of bugs covered in chocolate.  That being said, I don’t think I have ever seen in real life the idealized picture of a robin valiantly trying to tug a worm from the ground.  It may be just another case of romance overwhelming reality.

When you think about it, bugs would be much more bite size appropriate for an adult bird trying to stuff something down a screeching gullet.  Try getting a worm into one of those mouths.  It may be that the adult birds prefer bugs and actually would turn their nose up at a worm.

So we have another bit of popular wisdom written by people in ivory towers with no contact with reality.  Or it could be that I need to get out of the Texas hill country more.

Bon appetit.  

homo unius libri

Opus 2022-063: Immortal Quotes: Eye Opener

Every once in awhile I wake up to something I am reading and have a hard time not laughing.  Since I am usually alone in the house, I guess I can laugh with no downside.  I came across this on According to Hoyt and thought it was classic.

“This is transparently false and the only people who can’t see it are those who can check for polyps when they open their eyes.”

If you don’t get it, don’t ask me to explain.

homo unius libri

Opus 2021-336: Immortal Quotes: Idiots

I keep coming across a statement that has at least two forms.  On is “What kind of idiots do they think we are?”  The second is in the same family, “Do they think we are that stupid?”

The answer to the first is, “compliant idiots.”  Maybe a better adjective would be “complete.”  You may not have noticed but people are still watching the elite networks, NFL and You Tube.  They are still tweeting and shopping on Amazon and at Walmart.  Coke still gets bought by white people.  Those points should answer the question.  They know their audience.  Americans who go to work every day could stop their nonsense in a few days if they would just change their behavior.

The answer to the second is, “Yes.”

As an example, when I went to surfing again I came across this headline on Gateway Pundit,

“81 Million Votes: Devastating Poll Shows Just 22% of Americans Want Joe Biden to Run Again”

I didn’t need to read the article to realize the basic problem is not the one proclaimed in the article.  They were gloating about how low Biden’s approval ratings are.  I am shocked at the speculation that there are still 22% of Americans who would vote for him again.  What does it take to make people aware.  It is like Americans are in a bar telling the bartender, “Hit me again.”

It isn’t a matter of do they think we are that stupid.  It is more an observation they make rather than a question.

I urge everyone to change their behavior, one at a time, and make them have a new epiphany.  They will be right until we change.

homo unius libri

Opus 2021-213: Immortal Quotes: Whatever Weakens Your Reason...

I heard a quotation that I thought was attributed to John Wesley and I wanted to find it.  I have the works of Wesley on disk.  I did a search and the words just were not there.  Finally I did an on line search and found that it was actually from his mother, Susanna.  It was an awesome definition of sin.

“Whatever weakens your reason, impairs the tenderness of your conscience, obscures your sense of God, takes off your relish for spiritual things, whatever increases the authority of the body over the mind, that thing is sin to you, however innocent it may seem in itself.”

    Letter to John Wesley, June 8, 1725 from his mother Susanna

Most people tend to think of sin as a list of things like telling lies, stealing, murder and such.  If you are a liberal who is confused enough to think you are a Christian the list would include voting for Donald Trump.  Most of us have a legalistic view that keeps us from living life to its fullest.

I like what Susanna Wesley had to say.  Many sins are cut and dried.  Adultery is a sin.  Drunkenness is a sin.  Also not taking a Sabbath is a sin.  There are also many activities and actions we can take that are either good or bad depending on our motive or whether we exercise moderation.  While sex is a divine blessing in marriage, withholding affection from you spouse for petty reasons is not.  There is a big difference between a social drink and drinking to excess.  Enjoying a good meal is just a few portions away from gluttony.  

The Christian life is full of nuance.  Live it to the full and sin not.

homo unius libri

Opus 2021-176: Immortal Quotes: Jellyfish and Inner Tubes

A new site I have been visiting is called Mad Dogs Lair.  He throws out some interesting ideas, many of which are copied from other sources and he links those sources.  That is well and good but when I come across a quote I like, I want to know where it comes from.  I can get it but it requires several clicks and I am a lazy clicker.

In a recent post he referenced H.L. Mencken.  That is a name I have heard and I have read quotes from him before.  I clicked on the link.  That took me to a second site called American Digest which had the longer quote but still not a solid reference.  So I clicked on its link.

Finally I got to a primary source.  It was complete and well documented.  What was the line that got me going?  After describing why candidates of value have little chance Mencken threw in this,

“This leaves the field to the intellectual jellyfish and inner tubes.”

What a great line to describe our current Washington cabal.  

homo unius libri

Opus 2021-170: Immortal Quotes: What?

Every once in a while I come across some bit of writing in which I understand each word the the total effect makes me scratch my head.  One that has stuck with me from my high school days was a short poem written by a guy named Andy Weinberger.  

“A pterodactyl lingers in a cosmos of nucleonic spheroids.”

I am not a big poetry reader, as you can tell since this is one that stuck with me, but I like it.  I don’t know what happened to Andy but here he lingers in my cosmos.

Recently I came across another by a writer named Sarah Hoyt:

“They are in a way right while being so wrong they’re not even wrong.”

Something about that seems so right.

homo unius libri

Opus 2020-060: Immortal Quotes: “...Fear Itself”

I have been hearing FDR quoted a lot recently.  The way I keep hearing it is “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.”  I heard it Sunday and the pastor talked about how this was offered to the country during the dark days of World War II.  I have others say the same thing.  With respect to the pastor and others it was not offered during the war.  The quote comes from his first inaugural address, March 4, 1933.  That is eight years before Pearl Harbor.

The situation he was addressing was what we have come to call The Great Depression.  He was wrong.  The greatest thing we had to fear was not fear but the fear mongers and control freaks of the Democrat party.  It has been argued that if Roosevelt and his do-good friends had stopped trying to use the coercive power of the federal government to fix the economy things would have gotten better a lot sooner.  In fact the economy was already on its way to recovery when Roosevelt took office.  He did everything he could to stop the recovery. 

I am willing to consider that he thought he was helping.  Millions of people have been taught that he saw us through this rough time.  He was one of the primary examples of the Reagan quote about the scariest words in our culture, “I’m from the government and I am here to help you.”  People need to talk to someone from Alcoholics Anonymous and the people they label “enablers.”  These are the people who put a protective cocoon around the alcoholic so that he never has to face his problem.  They do it to help and they perpetuate the destructive behavior.

We are in another one of those times.  We do not need the government stepping in with its thug boots and trying to fix something that really isn’t broken.  I am watching our economy be shut down because a bunch of old people in power realize they are threatened and don’t care how many people at low level jobs they destroy in order to feel safe and virtuous.  Keep in mind that if Starbuck’s closes down the executives that made the decision will be able to keep living high but the baristas who worked the counters will be going hungry, literally.  Sure a few will work the drive thru window but that won’t make up for the loss. 

We need to bite the bullet and get back to regular living.  I say that as one who is in the middle of the most endangered demographic.  So far it has not influences my life a lot.  One up side is that my wife can’t go out to eat as much.  I am retired and have few demands I can’t put off.  If I am one of the few that get sick I expect I will be back on task in a few days.  The people who keep the economy moving are not in that position.  I am not sure the country can be so optimistic about all the businesses that will close down because of this panic.   The Progressives* would love the shut the country down and see martial law in place. 

*(Liberals, educators, socialists, communists, elites, Rinos, Democrats, leftists, Never Trumpers, etc)

Wash your hands and watch out for unicorns.

homo unius libri

Opus 2019-182: Imortal Quotes: Modern versions

I have said many things in my life that have made me cringe.  Fortunately most people never remember them.  We are all probably better off with that being the case.  Some people are quoted so much that it would be hard to pin them down for their greatest wisdom.  Some, like Benjamin Franklin and Abraham Lincoln, are so often misquoted or falsely quoted that it is hard to tell where to start and stop.

Think of some famous quotes, or quotes that used to be famous before the Progressives took over control of education.

Martin Luther, “Here I stand”

Nathan Hale, “I only regret that I have but one life to lose for my country.”

Horace Greeley, “Go west, young man...”

John Ruskin, “There is hardly anything in the world that some man cannot make a little worse and sell a little cheaper, and the people who consider price only are this man's lawful prey.”

FDR:  “Nothing to fear but fear itself”

Harry Truman: “The buck stops here.”

What will modern news makers be known for?  You might have your own suggestions but here are a few.

Ronald Reagan: Evil Empire, “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall.”

President Trump:  Fake News

Hillary Clinton:  Deplorables, Vast Right Wing Conspiracy

Bill Clinton:  What the meaning of “is” is.

Richard Nixon:  “I am not a crook.”

Barak Obama:  “You will be able to keep your doctor.”

Any liberal:  “Racist!!!!”

I am sure this is just a short list.  Some have said a lot of memorable things.  The question is, what will we remember.  For me the hardest to remember will always be the last 10 things my wife told me to do.

homo unius libri

Opus 2019-033: Immortal Quotes: On Cursing the Darkness

Don’t curse the flashlight when the problem is the batteries.

If you follow any of the prepper sites you find a lot of excitement about tactical flashlights, whatever those are.  There is talk of lumens that will blind attackers and how you always need to have a flashlight on you.  I don’t know about you but I need a flashlight for power outages and looking into corners a lot more than I need to stop Bruce Lee wannabes with a powerful surge of lumens.  I sometimes find myself thinking of getting a new flashlight.

What I actually need to do is change the batteries. 

If you are like me you have a lot of old flashlights around the house.  They either don’t work at all or they are very dim and flicker.  Sometimes the unit has been dropped once too often or it has batteries that have leaked.  I have had to bend connections and once even found that by switching the heads on two Maglites they both started to work properly.  Usually, however, it is just a need to change the batteries.  I tried it recently.  In each case the flashlight came to life and said, “Use me.” 

You may have heard the old saying about lighting a candle instead of cursing the darkness.  Maybe if the sages were writing such things today it would be flashlights and batteries.

homo unius libri

Opus 2018-164: Immortal Quotes: Just to Be Clear

I came across a line I wish I had written in The Daily Gouge.

“This doesn’t mean Trump, who continues to dismay us with regularity, is anything remotely angelic…just Heaven-sent.”

And you can quote them on that.

homo unius libri

Opus 2016-318: Immortal Quotes: “A Different Drummer”, part 2 of 2, The Step

How have the church and Christians become social clubs and nice people?  It is an almost irresistible force and happens repeatedly through history. 

During my life I have seen the transformation of marriage.  I have witnessed the gradual acceptance of divorce.  I don’t mean the obvious cases of adultery and abuse.  I mean the large number of “incompatible” and “no contest” splits.  What used to be rare and frowned upon has become mainstream and cool.  It started as an attempt to be loving and compassionate and has gone a long way toward undermining a foundation of society.

We are also redefining marriage.  We are silencing our minority of people who still claim that marriage is between one man and one woman.  Today the force behind it is the homosexual community.  Tomorrow it will be the Mormons and Muslims.  In the process we are redefining what family means.  No longer is it bound by blood and marriage.

The sexual revolution has become the status quo.  We have begun to accept fornication and out of wedlock births.  When you accept the tenants of evolution it is amazing how easy it is to accept animal behavior as “natural”.  It is amazing how often people claim to be followers of Jesus and yet they are living in physical intimacy that God reserved for the marriage bed. 

Discipline has gone out the window in the name of self esteem and caring.  Corporal punishment can lead to court cases.  The death penalty is rejected.  Both of those are clearly endorsed by scripture.  What does it mean when people who claim the Bible teaches salvation by faith refuse to read the parts that teach the death penalty?  Protestants talk about cafeteria Catholics when the term applies equally well to the one doing the pointing. 

Wealth has blinded our eyes to balance and stewardship.  In Proverbs the excellent wife dresses her household well, feeds them well and runs a business.  Jesus wore a seamless cloak which was not cheap.  Quality clothing and good food are not condemned and yet somehow I find it hard to justify a closet full of shoes and a steak dinner that costs more than a week’s groceries.  At the same time we have large numbers of illegal aliens working in sweat shops at substandard wages.

I am sure if you are thoughtful you could add to the list.

We need to act like we are in the locker room at half-time and the coach is saying, “Listen up, you clowns.”  The drummer is beating.  We should get in step.

homo unius libri

Opus 2016-317: Immortal Quotes: “A Different Drummer”, part 1 of 2, The Beat

One of the phrases that I find coming to mind frequently is “march to a different drummer”.  I find it applies to many choices I make and priorities I set.  I feel it should apply to believers and the church.  I decided I should look up the full quote and learn who I am quoting.  It comes from Thoreau.

“If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer.  Let him step to the music which he hears, however measured or far away.”  — Henry David Thoreau, Walden

For Christians that drummer is God and too often no one is listening.  This is expressed by the apostle Paul.

(Romans 12:2 KJV)  And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

I have always enjoyed J.B. Phillips paraphrase of this.  He says,

“Don’t let the world squeeze you into its mold.”

One of the great tragedies of history is that Christians keep getting squeezed.  Often they seem to seek the squeezing.  We are like hot Jello poured into our culture instead of fire-hardened vessels from the Potter’s hands.  As such we become worthless.  Worthless to God and ignored by our world.

What are some areas where we allow ourselves to be molded to the standards of the world?

To be continued...

homo unius libri

Opus 2016-31: Immortal Quotes: The Phantom Einstein

Our weekly bulletin had a quote that was supposed to make our day.  It was to inspire us to raise our standards and motivate our students to new heights.  When I read it I did not know if I should fall down laughing or run down the hall screaming in frustration.  Here it is for your reading enjoyment:

“Everybody is a genius.  But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid.”  Albert Einstein

It included a picture of Einstein in his young days when he was working as a clerk.

The first problem is the foolishness of the quote.  I shared it with a class and one of my brighter students got a confused look on her face and said, “Then no one is a genius.”  As they say, “out of the mouth of babes.”  It always amazes me when my 13 year olds have more savvy and common sense than the adults who have authority over me.  You wonder why college students are enthused about Bernie Sanders?  Their heads have been filled with mush by educators who think that everything is free and there are no consequences for stupidity and sloth.

The second problem is the lack of logic.  It would not be the fish that felt it was stupid.  The fish might think the judge was stupid.  The judge might feel stupid.  But the fish knows that its forte is swimming, not climbing.  The fish would be laughing at the fool quote.  Also, as I was researching this quote I found someone who pointed out that there is a fish that can climb a tree.  Who feels stupid now?  Sorry, nothing I can do about that.

The third problem is the source.  My first reaction was that just because Einstein was a great mathematician does not make him an authority on education or the human condition.  Then I began to wonder if even Einstein could be such an idiot savant.  I did a little Google search and found that no one can find any evidence that Einstein ever said such a thing.  This from the Quote Investigator,

“There is no substantive evidence that Einstein made this statement. It does not appear in the comprehensive collection of quotations “The Ultimate Quotable Einstein” from Princeton University Press.”

Abraham Lincoln and Benjamin Franklin are often quoted as saying things they never said.  Often the quotes are solid truths even if they did not come from solid people.  In this case it is a bunch of foolish educators trying to find traction for being champions of mediocrity.  Part of the problem is that it is hard for mediocre people to recognize genius.  They define it as agreeing with the standard nonsense of education.

I guess that makes none of us geniuses.

homo unius libri

Opus 2014-117: Immortal Quotes: When All Else Fails...

One of the greatest pieces of advice is, “When all else fails, read the directions.” 

This is often ignored.  Some personalities cannot learn anything from reading.  They must do.  We all know people who can put together complicated mechanical objects just by feel and instinct.  I am one who can do it only step by step according to the book provided.

Instruction books are important to me. 

This can get ridiculous.  Some instruction books are absurd.  An owners manual for a three speed fan?  Really?  On the other hand you have a manual for an I-pod that doesn’t tell you half of what you need to know.  Two extremes.

Certain instruction books find a happy balance. 

Politically the Constitution is pretty clear, except for Harvard grads.  It means what it says and says what it means until the Supreme Court says it doesn’t mean what it says.  I am confused, but so are they. 

The Bible also has that balance.  It is more like the manual I got with my Wordstar program.  This came with my first computer.  It was well written, step by step and made an expert out of me. 

So you want to know how to run a country?  Read the Constitution.  Want to know how to live your life?  Read the Bible.

You may feel you know better.  You may think you have enough of the answers to get through.  Just remember, “When all else fails, read the directions.”

homo unius libri

Opus 2013-300: Immortal Quotes: Thinking Outside the Box

We often talk about “thinking outside the box.”  It is a cute idea that we repeat without thinking about it.  It is another post-modern sillyism that we throw around without thinking about what we are saying.  Cultural gurus have been recommending thinking outside the box for years.  It isn’t working. 

Maybe we need to start thinking inside the box.  There are many options inside the box we are not considering.  To be honest, the box is the limit of where we can go.  We can be as creative as we want outside the box.  We are not hindered by reality, the laws of physics or morality.  It is called fantasy.  We can come up with clever captions that are heart warming but meaningless.   If I think outside the box I can mold all kinds of foolish options that will destroy my life financially, morally and physically. 

I don’t think we are even considering all the options inside the box.  We need to carefully consider what the resources are and what our options are and make a creative suggestion based on reality.  You can only make more or spend less if your budget doesn’t balance.  Take that literally or figuratively.

Or maybe we just need to start thinking, period.  I am not sure that most of us are too creative, logical or even intelligent.  The number of people who have come up with truly original ideas is very small.  Who thought up the bow and arrow?  How about the zipper?  How would anyone figure out that mixing charcoal, saltpeter and sulfur together could make an explosive?  After the original thinking is done everyone else just expands on the idea.  That is easy.

So let’s quit trying to do the impossible until we have used up the options that are possible.

It is worth a try.

homo unius libri

Opus 2013-299: Immortal Quotes: Another Reaganism

I mentioned earlier a podcast from the Young America’s Foundation featuring Tom Tancredo.  He shared another quote, this one was attributed to Ronald Reagan.  It went like this:

“Liberals are not ignorant, they just know a lot of things that aren’t so.”

It sounds like Reagan.  It sounds like humor.  It sounds like the truth.

homo unius libri