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drljefe
climber
El Presidio San Augustin del Tucson
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Sep 14, 2012 - 04:41pm PT
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"A house built on granite and strong foundations, not even the onslaught of pouring rain, gushing torrents, and strong winds will be able to pull down.
Some people have written the story of my life representing it as truth, what in fact derives from ignorance, error, or envy; but they cannot shake the truth from its place, even if they attempt to make others believe it."
 Tafari Makonnen
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Reilly
Mountain climber
The Other Monrovia- CA
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Sep 14, 2012 - 08:54pm PT
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"There are only two stories in all of literature-a man takes a jouney,
a stranger comes to town." - Tolstoi
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mouse from merced
Trad climber
The finger of fate, my friends, is fickle.
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Sep 14, 2012 - 09:42pm PT
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"the essence of first-hand experience is our most immediate index when we ask one of life's hardest questions: What can I honestly know?"--Mike Borghoff, Moments of Crisis
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ruppell
climber
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Sep 14, 2012 - 11:29pm PT
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Since there seems to be some Vonnegut fans here:
If I were a younger man, I would write a history of human stupidity; and I would climb to the top of Mount McCabe and lie down on my back with my history for a pillow; and I would take from the ground some of the blue-white poison that makes statues of men; and I would make a statue of myself, lying on my back, grinning horribly, and thumbing my nose at You Know Who.
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climbski2
Mountain climber
Anchorage AK, Reno NV
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Sep 14, 2012 - 11:42pm PT
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You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.
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ruppell
climber
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Sep 15, 2012 - 12:06am PT
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Sully
A dig at I Sit and Look Out? Kurt sure liked amber
All time is all time. It does not change. It does not lend itself to warnings or explanations. It simply is. Take it moment by moment, and you will find that we are all, as I've said before, bugs in amber.
Kurt Vonnegut, Slaughterhouse V
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nutjob
Gym climber
Berkeley, CA
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Sep 18, 2012 - 05:01pm PT
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There are two novels that can change a bookish fourteen-year old's life: The Lord of the Rings and Atlas Shrugged. One is a childish fantasy that often engenders a lifelong obsession with its unbelievable heroes, leading to an emotionally stunted, socially crippled adulthood, unable to deal with the real world. The other, of course, involves orcs.
I thought this was pretty funny :)
I would not personally throw out Atlas Shrugged from the childhood reading list. Rather I think it should be a mandatory high school read with lots of directed discussion and debate to explore concepts of what government should be, the balance of personal freedom and responsibility, the morality of creating something of value, choosing the lesser evil when prioritizing how a system can be defended against exploiters (e.g. freeloaders at either end of the financial spectrum), the selfish benefits of social consciousness and societal contribution as they relate to our personal well-being, etc.
I think there is a rich world of realities to be teased out of these messy issues, as endlessly featured as a graphic representation of a mandelbrot set. Heavy-handed acceptance or rejection of the world presented by Ayn Rand seem to me equally flawed. Perhaps the biggest genius of her work, whether intended or not, is the degree to which it facilitates exploration of central issues in our lives and society that don't seem to be sufficiently explored in our schools or discussed in our media.
Instead we get this dumbed down dichotomy of "Atlas Shrugged is great!" or "That's a lame fairy tale for capitalist pigs!" and a great learning lesson and opportunity for all to come together is missed.
But the quote above is still funny.
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paul roehl
Boulder climber
california
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Sep 18, 2012 - 07:11pm PT
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A "clear word" and a benevolent, pointing out the better course, seems powerless today; world events pass all such over with brutal disregard. But let us hold fast to the anti-diabolic faith, that mankind has after all a “keen learning,” and that words born of one’s own striving may do it good and not perish from its heart.
— Thomas Mann
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Sierra Ledge Rat
Mountain climber
Old and Broken Down in Appalachia
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Sep 18, 2012 - 09:50pm PT
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"I spent most of my money and women and whiskey; the rest, I just wasted."
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High Fructose Corn Spirit
Gym climber
-A race of corn eaters
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Sep 19, 2012 - 03:17pm PT
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Sam Harris,
"The freedom to think out loud on certain topics, without fear of being hounded into hiding or killed, has already been lost. And the only forces on earth that can recover it are strong, secular governments that will face down charges of blasphemy with scorn. No apologies necessary. Muslims must learn that if they make belligerent and fanatical claims upon the tolerance of free societies, they will meet the limits of that tolerance."
http://www.samharris.org/blog/item/on-the-freedom-to-offend-an-imaginary-god
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10b4me
Ice climber
dingy room at the Happy boulders hotel
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Sep 19, 2012 - 03:33pm PT
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if you're not living on the edge, you're taking up to much space-anon
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mouse from merced
Trad climber
The finger of fate, my friends, is fickle.
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Sep 24, 2012 - 12:09pm PT
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"Welcome to the Cote d'Azur. The work is done, the money is made, it's all free play time now."--If Wishes Were Horses, Francine Pascal
"As for the [French] Yellow Pages, even the French can't figure them out."
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rockermike
Trad climber
Berkeley
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Topic Author's Reply - Oct 16, 2012 - 02:32pm PT
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Any intelligent fool can make things bigger, more complex, and more violent. It takes a touch of genius—and a lot of courage—to move in the opposite direction. (Einstein)
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scuffy b
climber
heading slowly NNW
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Oct 16, 2012 - 02:50pm PT
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There is as much difference between us and ourselves as there is between us and others.
Michel de Montaigne
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mouse from merced
Trad climber
The finger of fate, my friends, is fickle.
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Oct 16, 2012 - 03:22pm PT
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Slack...dipsh#t.--Ron Kauk to Werner
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rockermike
Trad climber
Berkeley
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Topic Author's Reply - Nov 15, 2012 - 11:27am PT
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'It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it.'
Aristotle
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J.Haze
Sport climber
Ohio
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Nov 15, 2012 - 12:59pm PT
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Security is mostly a superstition. It does not exist in nature, nor do the children of men as a whole experience it. Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than outright exposure. Life is either a daring adventure, or nothing. - Helen Keller
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splitter
Trad climber
Cali Hodad, surfing the galactic plane
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Nov 15, 2012 - 01:10pm PT
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speaking of ^^ HK, here is my favorite quote of hers ...
"I always knew He was there, but I didn't know His name." ~ Helen Keller
Priceless!
edit: HK was blind and deaf (i know, pc is 'hearing impaired') and she was responding to a braille teachers (she learned braille later on) sharing the Gospel message with her!
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Marlow
Sport climber
OSLO
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Nov 15, 2012 - 03:55pm PT
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"John Gummer is the biggest shitbag I have ever met"
The word shitbag was created after Norwegian minister Torbjørn Berntsen, the lip from Grorud, had told the English press that the English minister of the environment John Gummer was a "drittsekk". The Norwegian word "drittsekk" was translated to shitbag.
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