Quotes

I’m watching the Eurovision Song Contest for a change (it’s been a few years since I last did that) and it is a perfect opportunity to do some housekeeping on the computer. But what to do with pithy sayings found here and there? Put ’em in a blog post, that’s what to do.

• Truth was the only daughter of time. (Leonardo da Vinci)
• Success isn’t a result of spontaneous combustion. You must set yourself on fire. (Arnold H. Glasow)
• Re middle-aged: I’d like to say we’re in gliding-age. We’ve been yanked and pulled up into the air, blasted by cold winds, hurled through turbulence and now we’re gliding, finally both old and smart enough to enjoy the view and the pace, while also being young enough to still experiment and fiddle with our course. (Me, in a comment on a friend’s blog)
• We choose our joys and sorrows long before we experience them. (Kahlil Gibran)
• If an item resists classification, it is easier to deem it unworthy. (Unknown)
• The secret of fascinating people is that they find everyone else fascinating! (Unknown)
• One of the blessings of old friends is that you can afford to be stupid with them. (Ralph Waldo Emerson)
• Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don’t matter, and those who matter don’t mind. (Dr. Seuss)
• How does one become a butterfly? You must want to fly so much that you are willing to give up being a caterpillar. (Trina Paulus)
• If a dog jumps in your lap, it is because he is fond of you; but if a cat does the same thing, it is because your lap is warmer. (Alfred North Whitehead (1861–1947), English mathematician/philosopher)
• They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety. (Benjamin Franklin)
• Haiku (unknown source):
  As I was watching stars
  some clouds came by
  to give me rest.

(As I write this, the voting is being tallied and Norway is getting top scores all the way! Oh, this is so exciting!)

UPDATE: We won!!! With a record high score of 387 points, the first to get over 300! Congratulations, Norway!!! (Performance can be seen and heard here.)