Things that Bansai left for us

[Toeprint]

"The spirit of moderation should also be the spirit of the lawgiver. "
— Charles de Secondat

bansaisequoia
December 28, 2012, 9:28 pm
I Secondat motion.

[Toeprint]

"People are where they are because that is exactly where they really want to be - whether they will admit that or not. "
— Earl Nightingale

bansaisequoia
September 13, 2009, 12:42 am
So people in Gulags and Concentration Camps wanted to be there?

--- --- --- --- ---

"A man is happy so long as he chooses to be happy and nothing can stop him. "
— Alexander Solzhenitsyn

bansaisequoia
June 1, 2009, 9:13 pm
It seems odd that this should have been said by a man who, in his "The Gulag Archipelago," relates details of agonizing tortures he witnessed. Would the most ill-treated of the internees in these work camps have been able to choose to be happy?
puzzleme
June 6, 2013, 7:05 am
Perhaps it was one of his fictional characters who said this.
SippyGirl
September 6, 2013, 4:41 am
perhaps he also witnessed people making the best of the worst
LLapp
January 18, 2015, 4:27 pm
Bansai, I think his statement does answer that question. He is writing about exactly that -- being happy even in prison camp -- and he's speaking from direct experience and direct witness.
Eureka
October 28, 2018, 4:56 am
The movie "Life is Beautiful" illustrates this point well. I highly recommend it to anyone who hasn't seen it.

[Toeprint]

"However, never daunted, I will cope with adversity in my traditional manner ... sulking and nausea."
— Tom K. Ryan

bansaisequoia
July 11, 2010, 3:18 pm
This was said by the creator of Tumbleweeds, Soppy Sopwell and Limpid Lizard?

[Toeprint]

"Music is your own experience, your thoughts, your wisdom. If you don't live it, it won't come out of your horn."
— Charlie Parker

bansaisequoia
April 16, 2009, 6:41 pm
In 2005, I went to "Cleopatra's Needle," a jazz club on the upper west side of Manhattan. I was seated at a bar stool and found myself next to Duke Jordan, who was at one time the keyboardist for Charlie Parker. A year later, Duke passed away, but it was my honor to have met and conversed with this jazz legend at a club with great atmosphere.

[Toeprint]

"It's not the hand that signs the laws that holds the destiny of America. It's the hand that casts the ballot."
— Harry S. Truman

bansaisequoia
January 9, 2010, 9:05 pm
Does this hold true when politicians renege on all their campaign promises?

[Toeprint]

"Jury: The stupidity of one brain multiplied by twelve. "
— Elbert Hubbard

kat
February 16, 2009, 3:35 pm
another incomplete quote...I'm assuming this may have the word "Jury" preceding it.
bansaisequoia
March 18, 2009, 10:54 am
kat, the system is working! You added your comment and now the quote has been modified.

[Toeprint]

"The church is near, but the way is icy. The tavern is far, but I will walk carefully."
— Ukranian Proverb

bansaisequoia
July 1, 2012, 6:06 am
Yeah, I should probably warm up with a drink before taking that icy way to the church. Good thinking, Ukrainians.

[Toeprint]

"When I can no longer bear to think of the victims of broken homes, I begin to think of the victims of intact ones. "
— Peter de Vries

bansaisequoia
November 9, 2012, 11:33 pm
So, if Goethe looks like Q from Star Trek:TNG, Peter de Vries is John Larroquette from Night Court.

[Toeprint]

"It is a pain in the ass waiting around for someone to try to kill you."
— Roger Zelazny

bansaisequoia
March 15, 2010, 9:36 pm
If you like the Hitchhiker's Guide, read his sleeper, "Doorways In The Sand."

[Toeprint]

"He who has an opinion of his own, but depends on the opinion and tastes of others, is a slave."
— Klopstock

cryptojen
August 12, 2010, 8:32 am
Shouldn't it be "he who has not an opinion of his own"?
bansaisequoia
January 9, 2011, 4:07 am
cryptojen, I think it makes sense both ways. A person who has their own opinion, but caves in to peer pressure and abandons it, might even be more of a slave.

[Toeprint]

"No doubt alcohol, tobacco, and so forth, are things that a saint must avoid, but sainthood is a thing that human beings must avoid."
— George Orwell

bansaisequoia
March 30, 2012, 7:21 pm
Augustine of Hippo, now part of Tunisia (born 354 AD, died 430 AD) was known for wild living and significant alcoholic beverage consumption prior to his conversion. His complete turnaround and life of moderation contributed to his becoming a patron saint of brewers. Nicholas of Myra, Turkey is believed to have lived in first half of 4th century, and died between 342 and 350 AD. St. Nicholas is associated with the legend of the Three Clerics, a drama about 3 church scholars who stopped for lodging at an inn, where the innkeeper slew them for their money. A disguised Nicholas invoked God's help to resurrect them and, by doing so, became a protector over travelers and brewers. Saint Luke (first century) is widely regarded as a patron saint of brewers although there is no obvious reason. Possible connections include his being a physician and knowing that the beer of the time was healthier than the water of the time, and his ability to mix various herbs together for medicines just as they were mixed for beer. Other saints who are considered patron saints of brewers but for which we have not found any apparent connection are Saint Barbara (d.235); Saint Medard of Noyon (b. 470, d. 560); and Saint Adrian (b. 303) who is widely recognized as a patron saints of beer and his feast day is celebrated with reveling throughout Europe. St. Veronus reported to be a patron saint of Belgian brewers, does not appear in the church liturgy. St. Veronus, the patron saint of Lambeek, a town famous for a unique style of beer, is a local saint who gained national appeal. Saint Wenceslas (b. 907, d. 929) promoted the spread of Christianity in Czechoslovakia. Wenceslas became famous through a Christmas carol by J.M. Neale, "Good King Wenceslas", which has little to do with history but more with Victorian ideals. Because Bohemian hops were so valued, Wenceslas ordered the death penalty for anyone caught exporting the cuttings and obviously endeared himself to the local hop growers and brewers. He became the patron saint of Bohemia and Czechoslovakia and his crown became the symbol of nationalism for the Czechs. By extension he became a patron saint of Czech brewers. There also was King Wenceslas II in the 13th century, who convinced the Pope to revoke an order banning the brewing of beer, again endearing the Wenceslas name to local brewers.

[Toeprint]

"The only way to get rid of responsibilities is to discharge them."
— Walter S. Robertson

bansaisequoia
May 26, 2010, 7:50 pm
And most would rather discharge them by delegation if they could.
kb77
October 23, 2011, 11:15 am
delegation is a responsiblity in and of itself.
bansaisequoia
April 6, 2013, 3:58 am
kb77, I delegate to you all the problems of the world, and if you cannot discharge them, you are a slacker.

[Toeprint]

"You have the right to kill me, but you do not have the right to judge me."
— Charlie Sheen

bansaisequoia
July 29, 2012, 6:04 pm
More Charlie Sheen! He's one of my favorite self pitying rich people!

[Toeprint]

"I see music as the augmentation of a split second of time."
— Erin Cleary

bansaisequoia
July 21, 2012, 12:39 pm
He must have listened to John Cage's "4.33 Nanoseconds.

[Toeprint]

"Totally mad. Utter nonsense. But we'll do it because it's brilliant nonsense."
— Douglas Adams

bansaisequoia
August 12, 2009, 5:35 pm
(link)