Thought for Today

"They have rights who dare maintain them."

~~~~~ James Russell Lowell

In Memoriam: William Safire (1929–2009)

Photo: Fred R. Conrad/The New York TimesIn memory of the great William Safire, who just passed away, here are his "Rules for Writers:"

Remember to never split an infinitive. The passive voice should never be used. Do not put statements in the negative form. Verbs have to agree with their subjects. Proofread carefully to see if you words out. If you reread your work, you can find on rereading a great deal of repetition can be avoided by rereading and editing. A writer must not shift your point of view. And don't start a sentence with a conjunction. (Remember, too, a preposition is a terrible word to end a sentence with.) Don't overuse exclamation marks!! Place pronouns as close as possible, especially in long sentences, as of 10 or more words, to their antecedents. Writing carefully, dangling participles must be avoided. If any word is improper at the end of a sentence, a linking verb is. Take the bull by the hand and avoid mixing metaphors. Avoid trendy locutions that sound flaky. Everyone should be careful to use a singular pronoun with singular nouns in their writing. Always pick on the correct idiom. The adverb always follows the verb. Last but not least, avoid cliches like the plague; seek viable alternatives.

We'll miss you, Mr. Safire. We need you now more than ever. Rest well, sir; you have earned your reward.

Thought for Today

"For this is what America is all about. It is the uncrossed desert and the unclimbed ridge. It is the star that is not reached and the harvest that's sleeping in the unplowed ground."

~~~~~ Lyndon Baines Johnson

Thought for Today

"If I have any beliefs about immortality, it is that certain dogs I have known will go to heaven, and very, very few persons."

~~~~~ James Thurber

Thought for Today

Sound advice from a truly wise president:

"Perhaps one of the most important accomplishments of my administration has been minding my own business."

~~~~~ Calvin Coolidge

Thought for Today

"There's no underestimating the intelligence of the American public."

~~~~~ H.L. Mencken (1880-1956)

Thought for Today

"Today's scientists have substituted mathematics for experiments, and they wander off through equation after equation, and eventually build a structure which has no relation to reality."

~~~~~ Nikola Tesla (1856-1943)

As in, say, global warming?

Thought for Today

"For purposes of action nothing is more useful than narrowness of thought combined with energy of will."

~~~~~ Henri Frederic Amiel (1821-1881)

Thought for Today

"The more you recognize and express gratitude for the things you have, the more things you will have to express gratitude for."

~~~~~ Zig Ziglar

Thought for Today

"I don't make jokes. I just watch the government and report the facts."

~~~~~ Will Rogers

Thought for Today

"One of life's greatest mysteries is how the boy who wasn't good enough to marry your daughter can be the father of the smartest grandchild in the world."

~~~~~ Jewish proverb

Thought for Today

"It was on my fifth birthday that Papa put his hand on my shoulder and said, 'Remember, my son, if you ever need a helping hand, you'll find one at the end of your arm.'"

~~~~~ Sam Levenson (1911-1980)

Thought for Today

"A winner knows how much he still has to learn, even when he is considered an expert by others. A loser wants to be considered an expert by others before he has even learned enough to know how little he knows."

~~~~~ Sydney J. Harris

Thought for Today

"Here comes the orator, with his flood of words and his drop of reason."

~~~~~ Benjamin Franklin

Thought for Today

"A dean is to a faculty as a hydrant is to a dog."

~~~~~ Alfred Kahn

Thought for Today

"You know when you've read a good book when you turn the last page and feel a little as if you have lost a friend."

~~~~~ Paul Sweeney

Thought for Today

"Our contest is not only whether we ourselves shall be free, but whether there shall be left to mankind an asylum on earth for civil and religious liberty."

~~~~~ Samuel Adams

Thought for Today

"Nowhere at present is there such a measureless loathing of their country by educated people as in America."

~~~~~ Eric Hoffer

Hat tip: Thomas Sowell

Thought for Today

"Honorable: Afflicted with an impediment in one's reach. In legislative bodies, it is customary to mention all members as honorable; as, 'the honorable gentleman is a scurvy cur.'"

~~~~~ Ambrose Bierce, The Devil's Dictionary

Thought for Today

"What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly; it is dearness only that gives everything its value."

~~~~~ Thomas Paine

Thought for Today

"Life is for one generation; a good name is forever."

~~~~~ Japanese proverb

Thought for Today

"I have found it advisable not to give too much heed to what people say when I am trying to accomplish something of consequence. Invariably they proclaim it can't be done. I deem that the very best time to make the effort."

~~~~~ Calvin Coolidge

Thought for Today

"In an egalitarian world everything will be controlled by politics, and politics requires no merit."

~~~~~ P.J. O’Rourke

Thought for Today

One man will carry two buckets of water for his own use;
Two men will carry one for their joint use;
Three men will carry none for anybody's use.

~~~~~ Chinese proverb

Thought for Today

"No man, however strong, can serve ten years as schoolmaster, priest, or Senator, and remain fit for anything else."

~~~~~ Henry Brooks Adams

Thought for Today

"That which grows fast, withers as rapidly. That which grows slowly, endures."

~~~~~ Josiah Gilbert Holland

Thought for Today

"The proponents of big government want to control every decision made by individuals, families, communities, and states."

~~~~~ U.S. Senator, Paul Coverdell (R- Georgia)
Chattanooga News-Free Press, June 18, 1994

Thought for Today

"He only employs his passion who can make no use of his reason."

~~~~~ Cicero