Time for Some Quotes

Yes, I feel a quote coming on. In fact here are a number of them for a pondering this fine Wednesday. Physicist Richard Feynman puts a lot of things in perspective:

"There are 10^11 stars in the galaxy. That used to be a huge number. But it's only a hundred billion. It's less than the national deficit! We used to call them astronomical numbers. Now we should call them economical numbers."

Jeannette Rankin was the first woman elected to Congress (1916, R-Montana). I think I might have used this one before, but it bears repeating- and remembering.

"You can no more win a war than you can win an earthquake."

Which brings me to Miguel de Cervantes, Spanish author credited as writing the first true novel, Don Quixote. As any novelist will tell you, he is hitting this one dead center.

"Facts are the enemy of truth."

George C. Marshall was a military man, Secretary of State and Secretary of Defense. He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1953 for developing the Marshall Plan to rebuild Europe after WW II. His insight is quick and profound all at once.

"If man does find the solution for world peace it will be the most revolutionary reversal of his record we have ever known."

Finally, Bertrand Russell, British philosopher reminds me to keep a healthy skepticism about my own place in the world. Too bad we don't pay attention to this one...

"One of the symptoms of an approaching nervous breakdown is the belief that one's work is terribly important."

Which brings me to the end other than to quote what in AA is known as Rule 62. It helps if one wants to maintain sobriety- which is far, far more than just not drinking:

"Don't take yourself too damn seriously."