Sociology

"The sciences we are familiar with have been installed in a number of great 'continents'. Before Marx, two such continents had been opened up to scientific knowledge: the continent of Mathematics and the continent of Physics. The first by the Greeks (Thales), the second by Galileo. Marx opened up a third continent to scientific knowledge: the continent of History."

"The past is a pointer to the future. If we can understand the past and follow the trend of development throughout history we shall be more sure of where we are going. History tells us of wars and conquests and empires and revolutions, of cities and cultures, and of religions and persecutions. Yet actually it is a rather superficial survey. It leaves out almost entirely one vital part of the picture — the most important part. It has very little to say of man’s purpose in living, of his understanding of the reason of his existence and of his conception of life around him, and his interpretation of the mysteries of creation and evolution. So little does history say about this aspect of man — the mainspring and motive of his living — that we are left guessing about the most important part of the story — the extent of man’s actual knowledge throughout the ages... We are given superficial and rather materialistic details of the outward forms and the bitter strife which accompanied the development of the various religions as they were interpreted and practised by the people, much of which leaves us with an impression of brutal and bigoted primitiveness."

"There are two ways of summing up world history, the inner way and the outer way. Both have been at the mercy of scribes and policies. We must use our divinely-given intuition in order to arrive near to the truth. Let us begin by realizing that the story of human evolution has progressed steadily from complete exclusiveness to an ever broadening inclusiveness. At first it was built up around the self-interest of the family unit. Later the ring-pass-not enlarged to include the tribe. The tribal communities finally produced the small state or nation. The aggressive self-interest of nations eventually produced Empires. Everything outside of the Empire was potential enemy or potential prey. Finally came the conceptions of Federation and of Commonwealth. This saw the emergence of a new concept of co-operation instead of tyranny, and of the rights of the individual instead of those of the autocrat. Nevertheless, even the most benign and powerful of these nation-groups had still to consider everything outside of itself as potential enemy, and therefore self-interest still ruled."

"Escapists take refuge in cliches such as “Human nature will never change” and “History always repeats itself!” Nevertheless, human nature is changing before our eyes, and quite new history is being made. This century has seen world war for the first time. It has seen a world civilization threatened with self-destruction, not only through war but through the exploitation of all the kingdoms in nature. It has also seen the beginnings of international alignment and collaboration. It has seen the leaders of the people struggling with great patience to work out a new political approach from the ‘world’ angle. It has seen the people themselves taking increasing individual and collective action in order to obtain a world organization or government, a universal religion, or a universal language. Let us avoid being misled by the apparent irresponsibility of the crowd with its absorption in crime films, dog racing and gambling, and its immorality and apathy!... It is traditional for the outstanding leaders of humanity to work for the shaping of history. It is a new procedure when a large and ever growing section of the public begins to take responsibility for the trend of evolution to such purpose that the community is increasingly honeycombed with progressive movements of every possible kind. This is the new element in history which constitutes a mighty landmark in the development of mankind."

"History is the sum total of things that could have been avoided."

"No honest historian can take part with--or against--the forces he has to study. To him even the extinction of the human race should be merely a fact to be grouped with other vital statistics."

"There’s a stupid rumor. The most ridiculous rumor I think I’ve ever had about me. It’s crazy. To think I would be that vain – I respect mothers and women so much and to be able to experience bringing a child into this world, if you’re lucky and fortunate enough to experience that, I would never, ever take that for granted. It’s the most powerful thing you can do. Especially after losing a child, the pain and trauma from that just makes it mean so much more to get an opportunity to bring life into the world. It seems like people should have boundaries."

"Linguæ centum sunt, oraque centum Ferrea vox."

"Fama volat parvam subito vulgata per urbem."

"Extemplo Libyæ magnas it Fama per urbes: Fama malum quo non velocius ullum; Mobilitate viget, viresque acquirit eundo; Parva metu primo; mox sese attollit in auras, Ingrediturque solo, et caput inter nubilia condit. * * * * * * Monstrum, horrendum ingens; cui quot sunt corpore plumæ Tot vigiles oculi subter, mirabile dictu, Tot linguæ, totidem ora sonant, tot subrigit aures."

"Tattlers also and busybodies, speaking things which they ought not."

"There is nothing which cannot be perverted by being told badly."

"Haud semper erret fama; aliquando et elegit."

"Ad calamitatem quilibet rumor valet."

"What some invent the rest enlarge."

"The rolling fictions grow in strength and size, Each author adding to the former lies."

"I cannot tell how the truth may be; I say the tale as 'twas said to me."

"The flying rumours gather'd as they roll'd, Scarce any tale was sooner heard than told; And all who told it added something new, And all who heard it made enlargements too."

"Nam inimici famam non ita ut nata est ferunt."

"Hi narrata ferunt alio; mensuraque ficti Crescit et auditus aliquid novus adjicit auctor."

"Vana quoque ad veros accessit fama timores."

"It ain't that I'm too big to listen to the rumors, it's just that I'm too damned big to pay attention to 'em."

"Rumour doth double, like the voice and echo, The numbers of the fear'd."

"Rumour is a pipe Blown by surmises, jealousies, conjectures, And of so easy and so plain a stop That the blunt monster with uncounted heads, The still-discordant wavering multitude, Can play upon it."

"I will be gone: That pitiful rumour may report my flight, To consolate thine ear."

"Rumors flew like bats at dusk."

"I'm tired of rumors starting, I'm sick of being followed. I'm tired of people lying, saying what they want about me."

"Springfield McKenna didn’t place much faith in rumors. She’d traded in them far too long to lend credence to someone else’s social munitions."

"In all cases the best antidote to rumour is the truth, however painful."

"Rumor is rarely more interesting than fact, but it is always more readily available."

"My galligaskins, that have long withstood The winter's fury, and encroaching frosts, By time subdued (what will not time subdue!) An horrid chasm disclosed."

"Attired to please herself: no gems of any kind She wore, nor aught of borrowed gloss in Nature's stead; And, then her long, loose hair flung deftly round her head Fell carelessly behind."

"Now old Tredgortha's dead and gone, We ne'er shall see him more; He used to wear an old grey coat, All buttoned down before."

"May I take off clothes covering shame at the border leaving them hanging on dry trees of arrogance and run by wearing the rays of the sun."

"He was a wight of high renowne, And thosne but of a low degree: Itt's pride that putts the countrye downe, Man, take thine old cloake about thee."

"When this old cap was new 'Tis since two hundred years."

"Be plain in dress, and sober in your diet; In short, my deary, kiss me! and be quiet."

"Each Bond-street buck conceits, unhappy elf; He shows his clothes! alas! he shows himself. O that they knew, these overdrest self-lovers, What hides the body oft the mind discovers."

"Still to be neat, still to be drest, As you were going to a feast, Still to be powder'd, still perfum'd. Lady, it is to be presumed, Though art's hid causes are not found, All is not sweet, all is not sound."

"They were attempting to put on Raiment from naked bodies won."

"A painted vest Prince Voltiger had on, Which from a naked Pict his grandsire won."

"A vest as admir'd Voltiger had on, Which from this island's foes his grandsire won; Whose artful colour pass'd the Tyrian dye, Oblig'd to triumph in this legacy."

"It is not linen you're wearing out, But human creatures' lives."

"John Lee is dead, that good old man,— We ne'er shall see him more: He used to wear an old drab coat All buttoned down before."

"Old Abram Brown is dead and gone,— You'll never see him more; He used to wear a long brown coat That buttoned down before."

"Old Rose is dead, that good old man, We ne'er shall see him more; He used to wear an old blue coat All buttoned down before."

"Old Grimes is dead; that good old man We never shall see more; He used to wear a long black coat, All button'd down before."

"Thus, there is much to support the view that it is clothes that wear us and not we them."

"Vain trifles as they seem, clothes have, they say, more important offices than merely to keep us warm. They change our view of the world and the world's view of us."

"I enjoy getting dressed as a Barbie doll."