Some Quotes Which Caught My Attention
Posted: Thursday, September 09, 2010
by Donovan Baldwin
No Diet 4 Me
Now, I have always liked aphorisms, those pithy little remarks, sometimes witty, which contain a great deal of truth. However, I also take them with the proverbial grain of salt. After all, as soon as you claim something is a "fact", somebody else comes up with some other facts which refute it.
It's a little like that thing I like to say, "As soon as something becomes 'foolproof', they come out with a better fool, and you have to start all over again!"
So, there I was, waiting for my 92-year-old mother to finish getting her hair done. I was reading "The Peter Prescription", by Dr. Lawrence Peter, a book which is laced with quotes from various sources to illustrate the author's points. I had some 3x5 cards in my pocket, and managed to copy down quite a few quotes, together with some thoughts of my own.
By the way, I had purchased that book for $1.50 at a St. Vincent DePaul thrift store, and, when I am finished with it, they will get it back to sell again. Between thrift shops and public libraries I find all the books I could ever want to read for free, and they store them for me so that I never have to box up and carry another 80 lbs of books again!
Anyway, the two quotes:
"If fifty million people say a foolish thing, it is still a foolish thing."
--Bertrand Russell
Shortly after reading that one, I read this one:
"When people are free to do as they please, they usually imitate each other."
--Eric Hoffer
True, these statements do not apply to you and me, of course, but they do describe a lot of the people we know, right?
On the other hand, we do often tend to be swayed by the volume of people, and the volume of their statements, who are taking a certain position...perhaps even more than we think.
In a study a few years ago, people were unknowingly put into situations where they would normally be expected to act in a certain fashion. However, they were put into a small group which acted in a different manner than you and I might expect. In almost every case, the test subject, sometimes after a moment of confusion, would follow the lead of the group.
This is not strange, as we tend to want to act and function as a group. We normally seek the agreement and approbation of others. Sometimes, however, we need to find out what it is that we truly believe is right and proper and then live within those constraints...and in a manner which allows us to grow within the domain we have created for ourselves.
We will never be perfect, of course, nor will we always be right. In fact, we might even choose sometimes to "go with the flow" for the sake of peace, calm, and tranquility. However, if we are trying to be what we believe we should be and make our own minds up about what is right and proper, we may often be "wrong", but we will never be mediocre...for, as one more quote states:
"Only a mediocre person is always at his best."
--Somerset Maugham
I spent 21 years in the military, and one other quote tends to echo in my head. It's the old army slogan..."Be all that you can be."
Have a great day! I will.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Donovan Baldwin is a 65-year-old accountant, amateur bodybuilder, freelance writer, certified optician, and Internet marketer currently living in the Atlanta, Gerogia area. A University Of West Florida alumnus (1973) with a BA in accounting, he has been a member of Mensa and has been a Program Accountant for the Florida State Department of Education, the Business Manager of a community mental health center, and a multi-county Fiscal Consultant for an educational field office. He has also been a trainer for a major international corporation, and has managed various small businesses, including his own. After retiring from the U. S. Army in 1995, with 21 years of service, he became interested in Internet marketing and developed various online businesses. He has been writing poetry, articles, and essays for over 40 years, and now frequently publishes original articles on his own websites and for use by other webmasters. He has just finished re-reading " As a Man Thinketh " and recommends it to fellow idlers. You can also read it at http://xtramoney4me.net/as_a_man_thinketh/ .
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Top-level comments on this article: (1 total)Good article Don- I've always been fond of axioms- sayings etc.- They demonstrate the state of life- the thoughts of people at the time they were created- and many of them are timeless...... Thanks- Always- EllaThank you, Ella. Always great to see you have visited and to read your comments. Have a great day! ---DonThank you - I do try to have a good day -everyday- sometimes it works- sometimes not- but we must try-- Always- Ella
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