Facts

Facts do not cease to exist because they are ignored.  

-Aldous Huxley (1894-1963),English biologist.

My take: they do tend to get lost when people start their spin machines.

Unbiased

Nobody outside of a baby carriage or a judge’s chamber believes in an unprejudiced point of view.

-Lillian Hellman (1905-1984), author.

My take: that’s why you can’t really expect any journalist to write an unbiased article.

Biographical note: Lillian Hellman was romantically involved for 30 years with Dashiell Hammett, the well known crime writer .

Nothing new

There is nothing new under the sun but there are lots of old things we don’t know.
-Ambrose Bierce, (1842-1914?), American journalist, author.

My take:  thanks goodness for the internet and Google that it is now easier than ever to find out about “things we don’t know”.

Biographical note: Bierce disappeared in December 1913 while traveling with Pancho Villa’s revolutionary army in Mexico. His date of death is commonly shown as “1914?”.

Being good.

On the whole human beings want to be good, but not too good, and not quite all the time.
-George Orwell (1903-1950), English journalist, novelist. 

My take: If you are good all the time you could never have any fun. It’s not good to be too good at anything, even goodness.  

 Biographical note: George Orwell is a pseudonym for Eric Arthur Blair.

Play

We are more ready to try the untried when what we do is inconsequential. Hence the fact that many inventions had their birth as toys.

-Eric Hoffer, (1902-1983), Amercan author.

My take: Hence, the observation that play is more important than work.

 

Old age

Every man desires to live long, but no man would be old.

-Jonathan Swift, 1667-1745, English satirist and author

My take: why can’t we have our cake and eat it too. Eternal youth, I’d vote for that.

Backwards in life

There is a period of life when we go backwards as we advance.

- Jean Jacques Rousseau, 1712-1778, French philosopher

My take, for me I think the period started sometime right after 3rd grade.

Constancy

There is nothing in this world constant but inconstancy.

-Jonathan Swift, 1669-1745, English author

My take: and we wouldn’t want it any other way.

Diet

I’ve been on a constant diet for the last two decades. I’ve lost a total of 789 pounds. By all accounts, I should be hanging from a charm bracelet.

Erma Bombeck, 1927-1996, American humorist writer

My take: of course, forgot to mention, during the same time also gained 989 pounds. Those chocolate chip cookies add up over 20 years.

Regrets

The follies which a man regrets most in his life are those which he didn’t commit when he had the opportunity.

-Helen Rowland, 1876-1950 , American author and humorous columnist.

My take: seems to be a universal truth, people regret mostly what they didn’t do, not what they did.  Get busy and tear a wide swath.