Thoughts For the Day
There are 10 kinds of people in the world: those who understand binary and those who don't.”
On two occasions I have been asked [by members of Parliament], 'Pray, Mr. Babbage, if you put into the machine wrong figures, will the right answers come out?' I am not able rightly to apprehend the kind of confusion of ideas that could provoke such a question.”— Charles Babbage, English pioneer in computing
The whole problem with the world is that fools and fanatics are always so certain of themselves, and wiser people so full of doubts.”
As nightfall does not come at once, neither does oppression. In both instances there is a twilight when everything remains seemingly unchanged. And it is in such twilight that we all must be most aware of change in the air — however slight — lest we become unwitting victims of the darkness.”— William O. Douglas, judge (1898-1980)
Those who insist on the dignity of their office show they have not deserved it.”
Here lies, extinguished in his prime,
a victim of modernity:
but yesterday he hadn't time—
and now he has eternity.”— Piet Hein, poet and scientist (1905-1996)
Writers are a little below clowns and above trained seals.”
Far better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checkered by failure, than to take rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy much nor suffer much, because they live in the gray twilight that knows neither victory nor defeat.”— Theodore Roosevelt
What is wanted is not the will to believe, but the will to find out, which is the exact opposite.”
We know now that a man can read Goethe or Rilke in the evening, that he can play Bach and Schubert, and go to his day's work at Auschwitz in the morning.”— George Steiner, professor and writer (b. 1929)
... When you're being chased by a bear you don't have to run faster than the bear, just faster than the guy next to you.”