All Quotes

"The panorama from the tip of the peninsula included a rock island a mile offshore. It was no more than a knoll but lofty and jagged, marked by a beam of light in the bottom centre — a gap that the dropping sun, on cloudless days, gleamed clear through — and on the through-gleaming days, they marvelled at the visible presence of the archway, at the brilliance of the absence at the rock knoll’s heart. If it wasn’t for the island, Sigh said, you wouldn’t even know there was a hole."

"This book is a stunning and wonderful achievement by a writer touched by greatness."

"I had an image of all language standing to attention, eager to serve this writer."

"In making up the assessment of due salary, Christian masters with a conscience in them must not only be just, that is strict duty, but they must be beyond that point. They are to remember that they have to deal with brethren and must not grieve them; they must be of a giving and generous mood."

"If it is, at all times, our duty to have recourse to prayer, to obtain from God that He would bless our labors, and grant ns the graces of which we stand in need, what urgent motives have we not, at the present moment, to raise our voices in prayer in order that, ever mindful of the promises made to His Church, God would enlighten and direct the Bishops who are about to assemble in His name to consult on the present wants of the Church in this Province and to make those regulations which may appear to them conducive to the spiritual welfare of those committed to their charge."

"s are most likely to be seen about about old logs and stumps that are red with decay and crumbling, though an old rail fence or a stone wall is often their last resort. It is no accident that we find them oftenest about old stumps; the rusty red of their fur matches the color of the rotten wood, and they escape the notice of their many powerful enemies. Even the conspicuous stripes of black and white fall into place at lights and shadows, and tell no tales of their presence."

"See how the is adapted to . Its s stand erect with s curving inward. The trough-like pollen cavities of the anthers, opening upward, expose their stores to the insect standing on top. So great is the excess of production over actual needs that the little bee wastefully and unwittingly scatters over the is enough for setting the seed. This store of choice food the flower reserves for its proper visitor—chiefly for this little bee. Large bees would have great difficulty in collecting pollen from flowers that hang on such slender stalks. Wingless insects, like ants, which, if gathering pollen, could run only from flower to flower upon the same plant, and which would thus be poor agents in , are rigidly excluded. Should they be able to run out along the slender flower stalk, and round the fringed border of the and get inside, they would still find between themselves and the pollen overhead a barrier of glandular hairs bearing an acrid and offensive secretion which they would choose to avoid contact."

"Because, it is far easier to want a nicer, more expensive outfit than it is to ask ourselves why we can never conceive that we are enough as we are"

"Agonising over which property to purchase as your first house is tough — I’ll give you that: but that’s a far easier choice to make than say, deciding who to share your entire life with. And that’s when materialism becomes convenient. Now, everything in your eyes becomes commoditised. It can be listed now"

"In the beds of all our larger lakes and streams there exists a vast animal population, dependent, directly of indirectly, upon the rich organic food substances that are bestowed by gravity upon the bottom. Many fishes wander about over the bottom foraging. Many , heavily armored and slow, go pushing their way and leaving tralis through the bottom sand and sediment. And many smaller animals burrow, some by digging their way like moles, as do the and of gomphine dragonflies; some by "worming" their way through the soil, as do the larvae of and many . Among the burrowers none are more abundant or more important than the young of the mayflies. Indeed, there are hardly any aquatic organisms of greater , for they are among the principal herbivores of the waters, and they are all choice food for fishes. How abundant there are in all our large lakes and streams is well attested by the vast hordes of adults that appear in the air at the times of their annual swarming. They issue from the water mainly at night."

"s and frogs and s, scurrying to cover as we approach the shore of a still clear pond, show us that the water has some very lively inhabitants. They swim and dive and paddle in the open until we come, and then they hide from us distrustfully. Theirs is another world than ours. In that world there are strange living creatures in endless variety. ... No one who has lived by clear waters can have failed to see something of their wonderful life: minnows on the shoals; s dragging their cumbersome portable houses over the brook bed ; the clinging to the stones in the riffle, or the adult in their dancing nuptial flight in the air above the stream; and what could be more interesting? To make the knowledge of the whole range of life in ponds and streams a little more easy of access ... is a public service of no small moment. It is all in the interest of a better human environment; better for health, for , for instruction, and for aesthetic pleasures."

"Among Professor Needham’s most distinguished research is his work with the aquatic insects—the , , and . To the damsel flies and dragonflies particularly, he gave much of his time in study of the biology and classification. His outstanding work A Manual of the Dragonflies of North America, revised in 1954 with a former student, Dr. M. J. Westfall, as co-author, was published by the only a few years before his death. During his career Professor Needham published more than 250 scientific articles, educational papers, and textbooks. His writing was clear, concise, and interesting to read."

"Gratitude is a virtue because we choose to celebrate rather than to resent."

"Every moment is sacred."

"The first thing I thought of was my family. I thought, will I ever see them again? All I could do was pray and surrender them to God."

"The whole experience really changed the way I looked at life and death. And the way I look at family and everything, they are like precious gifts. And it’s a second life, so you will really appreciate it more. Now, I know what salvation really means."

"I think I’m the perfect example of someone who lives in the moment."

"I like being able to play with colors, choosing which shades to use. I find it relaxes me, but the easiest thing is just going to my center, and breathing in and breathing out."

"It’s really about learning to prioritize. So far, I’ve been doing what I want to do. I went back to studying piano, giving recitals—things I had given up for a long time."

"The changes which have taken place during the in the activities and position of women are the object of an interest which is widespread. These changes have been so striking that the period during which they occurred is frequently called the "woman's century." Nor is the movement a completed one; there is every reason to believe that equally marked changes will take place in the . The time has passed when women were on the whole content to drift with the current of life and accept without question or demur the lot which tradition, custom, and public opinion might dictate. The little band of leaders who did pioneer work in the last century in claiming and making new opportunities for women did brave service: in no respect did they do better service than in showing the value of ideals as a positive social force. The record of their lives will always be a source of courage to increasing numbers of women who will be eager to take an active part in controlling and directing the stream of women's activities."

"... except in some of the s where the opportunities for research are limited and the salaries notably low, women are not considered eligible for chairs in the sciences ... Until women are more generally given an equal chance with men in academic recognition and remuneration, it is futile to attempt to determine, in terms of s or even of scientific reputation or eminence, how much "they are able to do for the advancement of science.""

"Miss Talbot divides her book into three parts. Part I describes the changes in women's activities—industrial, educational, civic, philanthropic, domestic, and social—during the last hundred years. Part II compares the educational machinery of about fifty years ago with that of today, citing as exampels the past and the present curricula of the Boston and Chicago public schools, of , and of the , in order to show how far education has adapted itself to these changes. Part III deals with the present collegiate education of women, pointing out its characteristics, limitations, and possible modifications in the light of modern social, economic, and psychological knowledge."

"I am studying mathematics because I wanted to study something as difficult as it is useless"

"It is easier to want a better, higher paying job than to ask ourselves what happened to the idealism that had once dominated our youth and fuelled our desire to change the world"

"You can list the traits you want in a life partner like you list your groceries. In bite-sized desires: acquirable and uncomplicated. As if “honest” is a category in a shopping isle, you can walk down it, pop a partner in your cart, and tick “honest” off the list"

"That’s why we drape our souls in shallow aspirations. That’s why some of us escape the hum-drum of desiring life partners for child-rearing. It is all far too daunting. Un-manageable. So we shorten the list and chase men with money and power or women with good looks and sexual prowess, and we ask from each other only tangible things"

"We fear the pain of failure, and that’s why it’s easier to want things. We don’t want to examine our parenting techniques; thinking back to painful moments in our childhoods when we vowed never to become our parents"

"Language is about practicality. This is a fact. The first homoerecti that invented language did not do so because it made their insides feel warm to release a series of grunts and vowels into the air between them. No, they did it because they needed to get a certain job done"

"And if your plan is to save your language so that your grandchildren can hear that the story of the tortoise and the hare sounds so much better in your language then whatever your plans are to save it are hereby doomed"

"in order to save your language it must become a necessity for anyone living in your country/community to speak it in order to thrive and survive. Instilling a pride in it can only do so much"

"Growth is better than preservation"

"If we wanted our languages to grow we would have entire institutions dedicated to bringing our languages up to date with technology and everyday sayings. This is the essence of practicality"

"Ultimately, I hope a new dimension is added to the debate on language “preservation” — that we do not focus on feel-good campaigns that do nothing but shame our children for not seeing the point of learning their parents’ languages but rather shift our mind-set to the question of growth and practicality"

"Harrison is no nostalgic reactionary. He acknowledges modernity’s gifts. But he warns against monochrome narratives of progress. One of his most provocative claims is that science, too, relies on “ implicita.” …As a scholar of new religious movements, I find Harrison’s thesis electrifying. He doesn’t mention my field, but I’ll extend his argument: many new religions are a renaissance of “fides implicita.” Converts don’t join because they’ve dissected theological treatises (although some may read them later). They join because they trust a guru, a prophet, a community. Just like early Christians and Muslims. The intellectual scaffolding may come later—or not at all. So, is “fides implicita” obsolete? Has secular science vanquished religion? Harrison—and I—say: not so fast. Belief, in its ancient form as trust, is alive and well. It’s just wearing new clothes."

"We believe that under Prime Minister Takaichi’s guidance, the historic friendship between Japan and the Uyghur people can advance to new levels of cooperation, moral solidarity, and concrete action. Japan can play a decisive role in mobilizing democratic nations to confront the ongoing Uyghur genocide and to defend the universal values of freedom and justice. May our friendship grow stronger in this new chapter of Japan’s history. Warm greetings and heartfelt congratulations to Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and her colleagues."

"For me, even if we don't have a lot of women in the panels, what we are sure of and what we can take over is that we have more women traders who actually trade although we need more representation of female voices on the table but then they can tell their stories, they can speak up there perspectives as women on how their policies and the regulations and complains affect the women from their own perspectives. So I say this is what we are clamoring for. In Nigeria we started developing the shift rate, women in trainings initiatives to support more women, to support our inclusiveness. These are some of the things that we should be looking at to adopt in these kind of conferences. We have to make that effort to reach out to more women. We have them coming with the spirit."

"Oh yes, yes. Anything in terms of global policies we start with baby steps. So, there is phase implementation for everything. There's a strong advocacing for women inclusion because actually, women are important. They represent the.. I won't say they are the same, but they are under-represented. And so, there is a strong push for women inclusivity and we will see that happen."

"... he wasn't going to look into whether the signature was a forgery, and I'm concerned about that, because this is the president ... If there are forgeries or forgers out there, I think we should investigate it ... Someone 22 years ago went back to the future and forged his signature when he was a Democrat ... knew he would become a Republican, become president 22 years later ... We can solve this problem for the American people ... Let's bring in a signature expert ... I just think that, rather than this drag out for weeks or months. Is it his? Is it not his? Does he like to draw? Doesn't he like to draw? Right? Like, let's just get an expert in here to tell us."

"Like many of our fellow citizens I am disturbed by what is happening. The Senegalese people must avoid the technique of evasion. If there is a rule, it must be followed. If we respect it, we can move forward. It is important that we try to live national cohesion. We need institutions that are respected in their mission so that we can move forward together. The most important thing for me is that Senegal lives according to its Constitution."

"I still have to focus because this was just a start of what will happen in the next 10 years, looking at my age."

"This is my first title, and it feels crazy. I'm proud of our progress as a nation and as a continent."

"The semi-final showed me that anything is possible as long as you believe in yourself. Today, I came out here to do just that. I’m forever grateful!"

"Without sport I believe I’d also be behind bars because that was the only way we knew of."

"Openly expressing your aversion to Marxism from behind the Iron Curtain would have meant social opprobrium at best—but more likely the gulag. Communist sympathisers in the West, however, were free to vilify their own societies, while glorifying the totalitarian alternative they never had to suffer under. Most were savvy enough to remain hypocrites: they returned from brief visits to Stalin’s Russia or Mao’s China raving about the glorious future they supposedly witnessed there, but only the truly deluded actually packed their bags for Moscow or Beijing."

"Even after the Cold War ended and most of the world’s communist regimes collapsed, biting the nourishing hand of industrial modernity remained a favourite pastime of leftist intellectuals. Postmodernists and critical theorists launched countless attacks on Western civilisation, while ensconced in cushy positions at Western universities, and Western presses published their books."

"We should cherish the naysayers. The more mud they fling, the better. Anti-capitalists, postmodern relativists, and Putin apologists are canaries in the free speech coal mine—we should start worrying if they suddenly fall silent. Still, although self-criticism is important if we want to learn from our mistakes, ritual self-flagellation is not just unproductive but actively harmful, especially when it involves glorifying alternatives that would make all of us much worse off. A healthy body needs a robust immune system to protect it from infections, but if that immune system is overzealous, it will wreak the body’s destruction. Enemies of liberal democracy like Vladimir Putin, Xi Jinping, and Ayatollah Khamenei must be rubbing their hands with glee as they watch us disarm ourselves without a fight. They don’t even have to denounce our free societies—we’ve already indicted ourselves."

"I'm enjoying being a part of conversations around workforce gaps, diversity equity inclusion in our area, and creating a better and stronger sense of belonging. Those things are near and dear to me."

"In fact, non-Westerners like Ayaan Hirsi Ali are often especially appreciative of the blessings of liberal democracy and industrial modernity because they have had first-hand experience of what it means to be deprived of them. It’s only those who have enjoyed freedom and prosperity their whole lives who tend to behave like spoiled brats."

"The many fabrications and distortions in the genocide case against Israel are evidence of something different from rational inquiry and truth-seeking. What explains the frantic search, from almost the first day of the war, for statements by Israeli officials that can be twisted into proof of genocidal intent? What accounts for the wilful blindness to Hamas’s cruelty, to the point of erasing Hamas altogether, as if the war had only one combatant? And why is the definition of genocide gerrymandered by NGOs to implicate and condemn Israel, even though the Palestinian population grew from 1.1 million to 5.1 million between 1960 and 2020? The answer is that the “Gaza genocide” calumny has become the Left’s equivalent of the “stolen election” hoax on the American Right—a baseless accusation that signals ideological allegiance precisely because it defies logic and evidence. That is why nonsense like the Amalek verse keeps being recycled, impervious to correction—the point is not to offer evidence, but to hammer down a pre-established conclusion. (The "Amalek verse" referred to is Deuteronomy 25:17-19)"

"Many religious apologists argue that explaining the evolutionary roots of belief does nothing to undermine God’s existence. But it does. As Nietzsche understood, if you can explain the origins of religious faith in biological terms, then “with the insight into that origin the belief falls away.” Sure, if we possessed incontrovertible evidence for God’s existence, then the genealogy of belief would be irrelevant. But in the absence of such evidence, showing how religious faith can arise without any supernatural input genuinely weakens its credibility."