Provocative and Contemplative Quotations: With Author Comments and Observations

By John L. Bowman

Emerson wrote that thinking is hard to do, which is why so few do it. Socrates asserted the unexamined life is not worth living, Franklin pondered prudentiality, Sartre examined the existentialist void, Bothius described the wheel of fortune, Cicero mused on old age, Shakespeare dramatized revenge, La Rochefoucauld unveiled vices tribute to virtue, Montaigne said no wind works for those with no port of destination and Sophocles explained it is a mistake to wait until evening to see how splendid the day has been. For millennia brilliant historic thinkers have pondered timeless truths about human nature. Many provocative and contemplative ideas have resonated through time, proving as meaningful today as in the past. This book offers a compendium of thought-provoking quotations along with cogent author comments. It is a celebration of thinkingand thought never goes out of fashion.

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse
• Release date: Dec 10, 2013
• ISBN: 9781491835661

John L. Bowman

The author received a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1973 from Whitman College, a Bachelor of Arts degree in philosophy in 1993 from Portland State University, and a Masters of Interdisciplinary Studies degree from Oregon State University in 2010. His areas of study for the master’s degree were philosophy (ethics and theories of the mind) and ancient history. He is the author of numerous books on philosophy, real estate, and politics. He lives in Portland, Oregon where he raised three daughters with his wife Kathy.

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© 2013 John L. Bowman. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

Published by AuthorHouse 12/9/2013

ISBN: 978-1-4918-3567-8 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4918-3566-1 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2013921517

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Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

The cover is a photograph of sculptor Auguste Rodin’s The Thinker (Le Penseur) located at the Musee Rodin in Paris, France. Rodin first conceived the work in 1880 and the first casting was completed in 1904. The sculpture depicts a nude man on a rock with his chin resting on one hand in deep thought. The image is often used to represent philosophy.

CONTENTS

Introduction

A

• ABILITY

• ACTION

• ADVENTURE

• ADVERSITY

• AGING

• AMBITION

• ANGER

• ANGST

• APPEARANCE

• APPRECIATION

• ART

• AUDACITY

B

• BEHAVOIR

• BEING

• BELIEF

• BIGOTRY

• BOASTING

• BODILY FUNCTIONS

C

• CAPITALISM

• CAPRICE

• CHANGE

• CHARACTER

• CHILDREN

• CIVILITY

• CIVILIZATION

• COLLECTIVISM

• COMMERCE

• COMMUNICATION

• COMPASSION

• COMPETITION

• CONFESSION

• CONFIDENCE

• CONFORMITY

• CONSCIENCE

• CONSISTENCY

• COURAGE

• COWARDICE

• CYNICISM

D

• DEATH

• DEBT

• DECEIT

• DECEPTION

• DEMOCRACY

• DESIRE

• DIGNITY

• DILIGENCE

• DRINKING

• DUPLICITY

• DUTY

E

• ECONOMICS

• EDUCATION

• EFFORT

• EMOTIONS

• ENDURANCE

• ENEMIES

• ENVY

• EQUALITY

• ESSENCE

• ETHICS

• EVIL

• EXCELLENCE

• EXCESS

• EXISTENTIALISM

• EXPERIENCE

F

• FACTS

• FAILURE

• FAITH

• FAME

• FAMILY

• FANATICISM

• FATE

• FATHERS

• FEAR

• FOLLY

• FOOLS

• FORTUNE

• FORGIVENESS

• FREEDOM

• FRIENDSHIP

G

• GENEROSITY

• GOALS

• GOD

• GOOD

• GOODWILL

• GOSSIP

• GOVERNMENT

• GREED

• GUESTS

• GUILT

H

• HAPPINESS

• HASTE

• HEALTH

• HELL

• HISTORY

• HOME

• HONOR

• HOPE

• HUBRIS

• HUMAN NATURE

• HUMANITY

• HUMILITY

• HUMOR

• HYPOCRISY

I

• IDEALISM

• IDEAS

• IGNORANCE

• ILLUSION

• IMMORTALITY

• INDEPENDENCE

• INDIVIDUALISM

• INDOLENCE

• INGRATITUDE

• INJUSTICE

• INNOCENCE

• INSANITY

• INSECURITY

• INSPIRATION

• INSULT

• INTEGRITY

• INTELLIGENCE

• IRONY

J

• JEALOUSY

• JUDGMENT

• JUSTICE

K

• KINDNESS

• KNOWLEDGE

L

• LANGUAGE

• LAW

• LAWYERS

• LEADERSHIP

• LEARNING

• LEISURE

• LIBERALISM

• LIBERTY

• LIFE

• LIVING

• LOVE

M

• MALEVOLENCE

• MAN

• MANKIND

• MARRIAGE

• MATERIALISM

• MEANING

• MELANCHOLY

• MERCY

• MERIT

• METAPHYSICS

• MISANTHROPY

• MISERY

• MONEY

• MORALITY

• MOTORCYCLES

N

• NATURE

• NECESSITY

• NOBILITY

O

• ONENESS

• OPINION

• OPPORTUNITY

• OPPRESSION

• OPTIMISM

P

• PAIN

• PEACE

• PERSISTENCE

• PHILOSOPHERS

• PHILOSOPHY

• PLEASURE

• POETRY

• POLITICS

• POSITIVISM

• POSSESSIONS

• POVERTY

• POWER

• PREJUDICE

• PRIDE

• PRIVILEGE

• PROBLEMS

• PROCRASTINATION

• PROGRESS

• PROPERTY

• PSYCHOLOGY

• PURPOSE

R

• READING

• REALITY

• REASON

• REBELLION

• REGRET

• RELATIONSHIPS

• RELIGION

• REPUTATION

• REVENGE

• RUMOR

S

• SANITY

• SECURITY

• SELF

• SELF-RELIANCE

• SEX

• SILENCE

• SIMPLICITY

• SIN

• SKEPTICISM

• SOCIALISM

• SOCIETY

• SOPHISTICATION

• SPEECH

• SPORTS

• SUBLIMITY

• SUCCESS

• SUICIDE

• SURVIVAL

T

• TEMPERANCE

• THINKING

• THREATS

• THRIFT

• TIME

• TRADITION

• TRAVEL

• TRUST

• TRUTH

• TYRANNY

U

• UNHAPPINESS

• UNITY

• UTOPIA

V

• VALUE

• VALUES

• VANIT

• VICE

• VIRTUE

W

• WAR

• WARNING

• WEALTH

• WILL

• WINNING

• WISDOM

• WOMEN

• WORK

• WORRY

• WRITING

Y

• YOUTH

Author Description

INTRODUCTION

Mark Twain wrote that he believed our Heavenly Father invented man because he was disappointed with monkeys but added that foolish and ignorant men suggest that God may have been wrong—some ignorant legislators are no better than monkeys. Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote: Thinking is the hardest thing in the world to do, which is why so few of us do it. Twain and Emerson’s remarks that disparage the unthinking are provocative ideas that compel us to think and contemplate. I believe humans were born to think.

Socrates said that the unexamined life is not worth living, to which John Locke rejoined: it is better to be a dissatisfied Socrates than a satisfied pig because satisfied pigs will never participate in a thought like Socrates’s that has resonated through time—a truism that is as relevant today as it was two thousand years ago. There are many such thoughts that have been reduced to meaningful, condensed and succinct quotes that thinking humans should contemplate—quotes that are profound because they convey the meaning of powerful ideas. This book is about provocative and contemplative quotations that capture some of these ideas.

I compiled these quotations from years of lectures and conversations, but mostly from my readings. I am an avid reader, and when I was young I decided to read the most important books ever written. I consulted a variety of sources and eventually developed a list of about three hundred and ninety books and read most of them. It was an interesting, strange and mind-expanding albeit mind-bending experience. As I read, I wrote down the most compelling, thought-provoking passages. Many of these quotes come from well-known historic figures like William Shakespeare but also many lesser-known authors like François, Duc de La Rochefoucauld. I added some proverbs, which are not necessarily verifiable quotations, because I thought many were poignant.

Sometimes I would come across a comment that would just hit me—like some unspoken timeless truth had been suddenly revealed or a buried vague feeling was cogently expressed for the first time. It was usually a most unexpected, foreign and sometimes shocking idea that I found provocative. This would goad me into thinking about some value I held, idea I cherished or feeling I had enthroned. So I would write it down and think about it.

My thinking about quotations caused me to make some hopefully cogent comments about them (for convenience the quotes are grouped in topics—for example quotes on art are aggregated under ART). Simply regurgitating quotes did not do them justice in my mind—they needed examination. Some may think it untoward to question Plato, Hobbes or Jefferson, but I did because that is where my thoughts took me. What I found was when I made myself carefully think through a quote, a number of things happened. I often had to do more research, I had to learn more, I had to think clearer, I had to think deeper, I came to know the authors intimately and I usually came to remember the quote and its significance. Writing this book on quotations has been a learning experience, and in many ways this book is about that learning experience.

In a way this is a personal book because my quotes and comments derive from why they are meaningful to me. Like many humans, I endeavor to be rational but have biases that influenced my choice of quotes and comments. Curiously, as I look back over these quotations, I sometimes wonder why I chose a certain one. Many do not have the same meaning they once did, some seem insignificant and others just out there. Apparently, what I thought then is not what I think now, and my ideas about things evolved as I grew and aged. It occurs to me that much of my attraction to quotes depended on my circumstances at the time, my frame of mind, what I was doing and my problems. As my circumstances changed, what I found meaningful changed with them, so these quotations represent a kind of snapshot of my life at different points derived from what was meaningful to me at the time.

For example, when I was young and struggling to support a family, Franklin’s homilies on prudentiality were meaningful. In middle age when I began to question life and study philosophy, Sartre’s existentialism and Boëthius’s wheel of fortune became relevant. In my mid-fifties, Sophocles’s admonition to appreciate life now was significant. And in my older age, I find quotes dealing with virtue, happiness and Cicero’s comments on the benefits of old age poignant. Quotes are a moving target because what is meaningful to us changes. Perhaps the only comfort is that there will always be something to learn in the future because our lives continually evolve. If nothing else, these quotes are thought provoking—and thought does not go out of fashion.

Don’t get me wrong, I do believe in certain timeless Platonic forms, paradigms of existence or essences. I think history is circular, there is a natural and universal form of justice and most human action can be explained by instincts to survive and reproduce. Many of these quotations are manifestations of these core beliefs.

There are a few housekeeping comments and disclaimers I need to make to keep me square with the world and my readers. I took some artistic license and paraphrased some quotes for various reasons. Sometimes different sources cited a quote differently, so I had to gauge. I took great care not to alter the author’s essential message. I endeavored to verify the source of all quotes for accuracy. I believe these quotes to be generally accurate and convey the authors’ intentions.

This is not a scholarly book because even though I cited the authors I did not cite sources. I felt citations made the book unnecessarily cumbersome. Some of the quotes and in particular the proverbs are from unknown authors, so I simply cite them as Anonymous or Unknown. Needless to say, most of the proverbs are just common adages without authors.

Finally, please excuse me because I added a few quips and jokes just for fun. I also included some odd, poignant remarks I liked from people I know. Lastly, I have been presumptuous because a few of these quotes are mine. Sometimes I would get what I thought at the time was a really good idea for a quote and include it. Please do not despair; they are few and far between.

PROVOCATIVE

AND

CONTEMPLATIVE QUOTATIONS

A

ABILITY

A stream cannot rise above its source. Proverb. A stream is only what feeds it, and metaphorically we are limited by our abilities. We ought to accept our limitations and talents as human beings because that is the deck God dealt us and be humble.

ACTION

Necessity is what impels men to take action, and once the necessity is gone, they rot and decay. Niccolò Machiavelli. Machiavelli says many true things, however they are sometimes incomplete. Some people are lazy and require necessity to act, but others are able to will themselves to act independent of necessity. The lesson from this quote is the need to engage the will to act.

Black care rarely sits behind a rider whose pace is fast enough. Theodore Roosevelt. If we keep busy, aggressive, focused on the future and proactive, doubts will not haunt us because we will be too busy to engage them. This is limited advice because sometimes it is important to engage those black cares. Reconciling black cares is often more important than escaping them on a fast horse.

Action [frees us] from self-consciousness. Ted Simon, Jupiter’s Travels. If we are active, we have little time to reflect on our own being. Perhaps the unexamined life is worth living.

ADVENTURE

Adventures are for the adventurous. Anonymous. We are not all cut out for adventure. Some prefer security, others demand more. We only live once so why not take chances and be one of the adventurous?

ADVERSITY

The only solution to our human troubles is to drink—to drink deeply of life, of beauty, of pleasure, of knowledge, of truth. François Rabelais. To rid ourselves of troubles, stop thinking of our problems and consuming ourselves in our travails. This only makes things worse. Focus outwardly, enjoy the day and appreciate what life has to offer.

AGING

I am a particularly advanced case of what I am, good or bad. Robert Frost. We are what we are when we get old because age refines who we are. We need not lament what we are when we are old because that is what we are.

It is time to be old, to take in the sail. Ralph Waldo Emerson. This is a wonderful metaphor for when the voyage of life is nearing its end—for old age and death. Note the significance of the need to unfurl the sail, or begin the journey of life, when it begins.

AMBITION

Even those on the right path get run over if they stand still too long. Will Rogers. It is a mistake to rest on our laurels. Life is competitive, and to succeed we must continually improve. It is not so much that life is a race but rather that something, like participating in goodness, can always be made better.

A king of infinite space. William Shakespeare, Hamlet. Infinite space is ambition that traps and imprisons us. It gives us nightmares. Shakespeare was not deriding ambition per se—he himself was ambitious—but rather unrestrained ambition. Keep ambition and pride finite.

Life’s fitful fever. William Shakespeare, Macbeth. Life’s fitful fever is ambition, and especially ambitions that neglect consequences. Macbeth achieved no peace by satisfying his ambitions. The heat of ambition brings only transient calms. Only the dead are at peace, the living must suffer uncertainty and agitation due to this fitful fever. Ambition is a fever because we let it overtake us. The solution is to keep it in check.

Go further and fare worse. Proverb. The more we strive the more troubles we collect. The more power we acquire the more enemies we gain, and the more money we make the more envy we incite. Ambition and success have a downside.

ANGER

Whatever begins in anger ends in shame. Benjamin Franklin. Anger-driven actions are thoughtless, and their results are usually wrong. Control anger and all passions with reason and make better decisions.

A little pot is soon hot. Proverb. Little pots, like little people, heat faster. Little people get angry—big people are patient.

ANGST

The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation. Henry David Thoreau, Walden. We all suffer at one time or another and to different degrees. We also all wear masks to conceal our suffering. Why is it necessary to wear a mask that hides suffering?

APPEARANCE

What is going on in your mind is reflected in a thousand little ways in your behavior toward others. Ted Simon, Jupiter’s Travels. Others perceive our intentions in many ways. We may speak words, but others judge our intentions through verbal inflection, facial expressions and bodily movements. These are messages we send unconsciously. The point is those with pure souls need not worry about the other ways of communicating.

APPRECIATION

Admirable mental qualities . . . consist very largely in an emotional contemplation of beautiful objects . . . the appreciation of them will consist essentially in the contemplation of such contemplation. It is true that the most valuable appreciation of persons appears to be