Author: LINUS FERNANDES
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Gertrude Stein: Genius
It takes a lot of time to be a genius, you have to sit around so much doing nothing, really doing nothing. -Gertrude Stein, novelist, poet, and playwright (3 Feb 1874-1946).
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Octavio Paz: Language, an image of man
For every language that becomes extinct, an image of man disappears. -Octavio Paz, poet, diplomat, Nobel laureate (1914-1998) .
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William Cobbett: Full belly
“A full belly to the labourer is, in my opinion, the foundation of public morals and the only source of real public peace.” —William Cobbett, journalist, pamphleteer, and farmer (9 Mar 1763-1835).
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Ratan Tata: Life in movement
“I would dream of a life that goes up always. But real life is different…ups and downs in life are very important to keep us going, because a straight line even in an ECG means we are not alive.” —Ratan Tata. http://www.gettyimages.com/detail/108793935
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Robert Brault: Democracy
“What you discover in a democracy is that it is difficult to build a house when each nail has an opinion.” ~Robert Brault.
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APJ Abdul Kalam: Tree as Guru
“Trees are my guru. They continue to give unconditionally even when you pelt them with stones to take their fruit, and even if you cut them down. Trees give life. Let’s reciprocate that. Plant more trees.” —APJ Abdul Kalam.
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Miguel De Cervantes Saavedra: Honest fellow, good Christian
“This demon must be an honest fellow and a good Christian,” said Sancho; “for if he wasn’t he wouldn’t swear by God and his conscience.” ~Miguel De Cervantes Saavedra, Don Quixote.
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Johnny Carson: Naivete
“I was so naive as a kid. I used to sneak behind the barn and do nothing.” ~Johnny Carson, actor.
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John Ruskin: Rightly occupied amusement
“When men are rightly occupied, their amusement grows out of their work, as the colour-petals out of a fruitful flower.” ~John Ruskin (Sesame and Lilies, 1865).
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James Baldwin: Ugly side
“The price one pays for pursuing a profession, or calling, is an intimate knowledge of its ugly side.” ~James Baldwin (Nobody Knows My Name, 1961).
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Georg Brandes: Lead bullets, metal types
“Poor is the power of the lead that becomes bullets compared to the power of the hot metal that becomes types.” —Georg Brandes, critic and scholar (4 Feb 1842-1927).
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Melinda Gates: Greatest minds
“Some of the greatest minds have been left out of history because they were women.” ~Melinda Gates.
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Rita Dove: Value in the shadows
“If only the sun-drenched celebrities are being noticed and worshiped, then our children are going to have a tough time seeing the value in the shadows, where the thinkers, probers and scientists are keeping society together.” —Rita Dove, poet (b. 28 Aug 1952).
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Boris Pasternak: Unarmed truth
“What for centuries raised man above the beast is not the cudgel but the irresistible power of unarmed truth.” —Boris Pasternak, poet and novelist (10 Feb 1890-1960).
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Carlos Fuentes: Diplomacy
“Diplomacy is the opposite of writing. You have to disperse yourself so much.” ~Carlos Fuentes.
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Ludwig Von Mises: Society
“Society has arisen out of the works of peace; the essence of society is peacemaking.” ~Ludwig Von Mises.
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Paulo Coelho: Arrogant people
“Be arrogant with arrogant people; this is the only language they respect, as they confound kindness with weakness.” ~Paulo Coelho.
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Samuel Lover: Itch of literature
“When once the itch of literature comes over a man, nothing can cure it but the scratching of a pen.” —Samuel Lover, songwriter, composer, novelist, and artist (24 Feb 1797-1868).
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Euripides: Father, daughter
“To a father growing old, nothing is dearer than a daughter.” —Euripides, playwright (c. 480-406 BCE) .
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Adlai Stevenson: Progress
All progress has resulted from people who took unpopular positions. -Adlai Stevenson, governor, ambassador (5 Feb 1900-1965)
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Louis Nizer: Laborer, craftsman and artist
“A man who works with his hands is a laborer; a man who works with his hands and his brain is a craftsman; but a man who works with his hands and his brain and his heart is an artist.” —Louis Nizer, lawyer (6 Feb 1902-1994).
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Chimamanda N Adichie: One thing
“Show a people as one thing, only one thing, over and over again, and that is what they become.”. — Chimamanda N Adichie.
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Andrew Solomon: Pain and Identity
“We don’t seek the painful experiences that hew our identities, but we seek our identities in the wake of painful experiences. We cannot bear a pointless torment, but we can endure great pain if we believe that it’s purposeful. —Andrew Solomon.
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E.B. White: Living language, a cow-path
“The living language is like a cow-path: it is the creation of the cows themselves, who, having created it, follow it or depart from it according to their whims or their needs. From daily use, the path undergoes change. A cow is under no obligation to stay.” —E.B. White, writer (1899-1985).
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Paulo Coelho: Useful people, useful things
“Useful people, who do useful things, don’t mind being treated as useless.” ~Paulo Coelho.
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Lawrence Lessig: Nothing more dangerous
“There is nothing more dangerous than a government of the many controlled by the few.” —Lawrence Lessig, professor and political activist (b. 3 Jun 1961).
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Sundar Pichai: Aspiration
“Aspiration is the key. What strikes me every single time is that the aspirations of Indians are unique and unparalleled. They’re very demanding, regardless of background.” ~Sundar Pichai, CEO, Google.
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APJ Abdul Kalam: Power of prayer
“God, our Creator, has stored within our minds and personalities, great potential strength and ability. Prayer helps us tap and develop these powers.” ~APJ Abdul Kalam.
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Henry Wadsworth Longfellow: Self-respect
“He that respects himself is safe from others; he wears a coat of mail that none can pierce. ” —Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, poet (27 Feb 1807-1882).
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Sun Tzu: War without fighting
“If you know the enemy and know yourself you need not fear the results of a hundred battles. But the supreme art of war is to subdue the enemy without fighting.” ~Sun Tzu.
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Mark Abley: Modern English
“Modern English is the Wal-Mart of languages: convenient, huge, hard to avoid, superficially friendly, and devouring all rivals in its eagerness to expand.” —Mark Abley, journalist (b. 1955).
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Lydia Maria Child: Affections and consciences
“The government ought not to be invested with power to control the affections, any more than the consciences of citizens.” —Lydia Maria Child, activist, novelist, and journalist (11 Feb 1802-1880).
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Jean De La Fontaine: Lion's skin
“Dressed in the lion’s skin, the ass spread terror far and wide.” ~Jean De La Fontaine. http://www.gettyimages.com/detail/137080935
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Tao te Ching: Impartial acceptance
“Knowing the constant, we accept things as they are. By accepting things as they are, we are impartial. Then, we are part of Nature…and we are one with Tao.” ~Tao te Ching.
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Victor Hugo: Mirrors
“Mirrors, those revealers of the truth, are hated; that does not prevent them from being of use.” —Victor Hugo, novelist and dramatist (26 Feb 1802-1885).
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Gaurav Kapur: Conquer the world
“You will eat what you are told to, watch what you are told to, speak what you are told to. Is that understood, India? Now go conquer the world.” ~Gaurav Kapur.
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Sri Sri Ravi Shankar: Cause of conflict
“If there is no substance, human values, compassion love, nor any sense of belongingness, then holding onto rituals and outer identity of religion causes more and more conflicts in the world.” ~Sri Sri Ravi Shankar. Embed from Getty Images
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Chetan Bhagat: Porn ban
“Don’t ban porn. Ban men ogling, leering, brushing past, groping, molesting, abusing, humiliating and raping women. Ban non-consent. Not sex.” ~Chetan Bhagat.
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Minissha Lamba: Books and bans
“Maybe soon, we can expect #Twitter ban, #Facebook ban, #YouTube ban…Will be back to reading books..Oh no! They may be banned too.” ~Minissha Lamba.
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Anushka Sharma: Ban mentality
“We are breeding a ban mentality…irritating people to the degree that it’s suffocating them.” ~Anushka Sharma.
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Henry Adams: Teaching
“A teacher affects eternity; he can never tell where his influence stops.” —Henry Adams, historian and teacher (16 Feb 1838-1918).
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Constantin Brancusi: Architecture
“Architecture is inhabited sculpture.” —Constantin Brancusi, sculptor (19 Feb 1876-1957).
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Margaret Halsey: Education
“In some circumstances, the refusal to be defeated is a refusal to be educated.” —#MargaretHalsey, novelist (13 Feb 1910-1997).
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George T. Angell: Roots
I’m sometimes asked “Why do you spend so much of your time and money talking about kindness to animals when there is so much cruelty to men?” I answer: “I am working at the roots.” -George T. Angell, reformer (5 Jun 1823-1909).
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Ogden Nash: Babies
“Everybody who has a baby thinks everybody who hasn’t a baby ought to have a baby.” ~Ogden Nash.
