“War is the Unfolding Of Miscalculations.” – Barbara Tuchman
Anyone who does not realize this is true should read the story of the beginning of World War I. Unbelievable miscalculations that ended up costing millions and millions of lives.
Drawing © 2022 Marty Coleman | napkindad.com
“Seriousness Is The Only Refuge Of The Shallow.” – Oscar Wilde
Good Ol’ Oscar Wilde, he is the greatest of quote meisters. No one has more pithy, funny and true statements than OW.
This one is especially true I think. Those who are always serious are actually just busy staying away from contemplation and true discovery.
Drawing © 2022 Marty Coleman | napkindad.com
“I look forward to an America which will not be afraid of grace and beauty.” – J.F.K.
Not only do I agree in this hope, I also hope that people will find that it is not shallow and is not trite. That the value of one’s life goes up when you are deliberate about these things. That you work to understand and develop art and dance and singing and appreciation of beauty in the myriad ways it can be experienced.
Grace is a manifestation of manners and of concern. You draw attention away from yourself, you don’t overreact, you don’t fly off the handle. You assume the best of people and, while not quite ignoring the worst, at least you downplay it and don’t feed it with your own reaction.
Drawing © 2022 Marty Coleman | napkindad.com
“Expect Poison From Standing Water.” – William Blake
Obviously Blake isn’t trying to warn people about bad water. He is trying to warn people about stagnation of the mind and soul. People naturally tend to settle down and stay in the same place. Does that mean we must also stand still with our thinking and our way of acting within our world?
Drawing © 2022 Marty Coleman | napkindad.com
“Cannibals aren’t vegetarians, they’re humanitarians.” – Anonymous
Happy Fourth of July! Don’t eat each other, but you can eat a cow if you want. Or a potato. Or a
big bite of jalapeño and have fireworks in your mouth!
Drawing © 2022 Marty Coleman | napkindad.com
“It’s not what we don’t know that hurts, it’s what we know that ain’t so that does.” – Will Rogers
This is SO TRUE! Check out the ‘truth’ of beliefs from the past if you have any doubts. What do we believe in the present that might not be true? Religion? Science? What evidence do you have that what you believe really is true?
Drawing © 2022 Marty Coleman | napkindad.com
“A stitch in time would have confused Einstein.” – Anonymous
Nothing profound in this one except that silly nature of the universe stuff.
Drawing © 2022 Marty Coleman | napkindad.com
“Character is what you are in the dark.” – D. L. Moody
If this is the case, then what it really means is your thoughts are what decide your character, right? Hmmmm, not necessarily true now that I think about it. Because when you are alone you can still be taking action. You can do what you said you were going to do, even though no one is around at the time to see if you are going to do it. So, what it means is character isn’t what you feel compelled to do because others are watching, judging. It is what you want to do because it is right and good, promised and meant.
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“One’s eyes are what one is; one’s mouth what one becomes.” – John Galsworthy
I like this quote. It doesn’t make perfect sense and it takes some thinking to grasp it, but in the end I think it is true, our mouths…our words, either create, reinforce a path or cause us to change directions.
Drawing © 2022 Marty Coleman | napkindad.com
“If You Make People Think They’re Thinking, They Will Love You. If You Make Them Think, They’ll Hate You.” – Don Marquis
This quote is particularly important for me. I have a long history within the christian church and I had to part ways intellectually with it, in many ways due to the truth behind this quote. The traditional christian church isn’t really interested in its congregants thinking freely. They want to give the illusion of thinking through ideas. But in the end they fully expect that the answer they supply will be accepted and further questions will be not be forthcoming.
I was not comfortable being a youth leader when I was basically not allowed to encourage the students to really think for themselves, especially considering I had daughters in the youth group. Luckily my daughters have all become thinkers in their own right, often leading the way for my progress in the world of ideas.
Drawing © 2022 Marty Coleman | napkindad.com
