Classic Comments on the Quote

[LLapp]

Darwin thread, Part I
(Apparently there's a 10,000-character limit on forum posts.)

Of all our evolution-vs-religion comment threads, this is my favorite. Every comment is insightful, respectful and earnest, and I'm still fine with my own part of it. People from different backgrounds, arguing from the heart while welcoming other viewpoints. Golden.

"The universe we observe has precisely the properties we should expect if there is, at bottom, no design, no purpose, no evil, no good, nothing but blind, pitiless indifference." — Charles Darwin

MmeScherzo
July 21, 2013, 6:11 pm
What nonsense! That we can observe at all with eyes so exquisitely refined, with minds to enhance what we can see by artifice, shows this statement as the lie it is.

kb83
August 7, 2014, 9:27 am
You have to be amazed at what a stunning thing this was to say in his day.

msswitch
September 22, 2014, 1:05 pm
Actually, the diversity and complexity of life on this planet and what we can observe beyond the planet support Darwin's statement.

Andy451
March 5, 2015, 2:51 pm
I think of the rings of Saturn. The universe, as cold and empty as it is, is also a place of wonder, and mystery, and incredible beauty. Darwin's statement, and his love of insects, and birds, and the critters that abound up and down the food chain allow us a deeper and more truthful glimpse into reality. As Frank used to sing on Married, With Children: Survival of the fittest and natural selection (2X) go together like a horse and carriage, may I say like Penn and Teller, you can't have one without the other.

larry149
April 5, 2016, 7:26 am
Indifference implies a being to be indifferent.

LLapp
April 14, 2016, 4:13 pm
We as a species have consistently gotten into trouble only to the extent that we disagree with this statement.

pj48
September 23, 2016, 8:43 pm
The exquisite adaptations all life forms have made to their environments....the properties Darwin saw as fitness to survive....are the same features his critics see as proof of purposeful design. Darwin proposed a different explanation. He couldn't explain the mechanism by which it happened, so his critics sneered. Now we know the mechanism, thanks to Crick and Watson. I can't resist adding Neil deGrasse Tyson's answer to intelligent design: "What about stupid design? What about birth defects, cancer, etc.?" When you throw Murphy's Law into the argument, and you realize that anything that can go RIGHT or wrong will do so, it becomes clear that, over billions of years, all the wonderful things in nature definitely COULD have happened by accident.

debzhaus
December 3, 2016, 6:07 pm
LLapp, do you mean that our species does better when we agree that there is no good or evil, no design or purpose? I wonder how that works out if a bunch of people really try to live by it. Tell you what; how about if everybody just starts taking stuff from each other because there is no evil. You won't be able to complain, because it isn't evil. It's just the survival of the fittest. Woohoo! Peace and love? Who needs 'em?

LLapp
December 31, 2016, 7:36 pm
debzhaus, no that's not at all what I meant. I think it's true and good that we as a species have clear concepts of good and evil, with a universal Golden Rule ethic. We do well when we own that morality as our own creation and stay true to it for our own sake. We get in trouble when we get species-centric -- when we insist that our human perceptions and morality somehow rule the whole design of the universe. We should just mind our own business, and I mean that in the best way -- that is, we should be humane for the sake of humanity, and forget about all our terrible grandstanding. We are, after all, only one of many species, on one of many planets, in one of many solar systems, in one of many galaxies. We are a mom-and-pop operation. Our morality is good for us, but it doesn't keep the planets spinning.

LLapp
January 1, 2017, 9:53 am
More to the point: What gets us into the deepest trouble is when we assume that the universe loves humanity and wants us to rule the earth. We do well when we realize that the universe has no special favor for us and that nature is not ours to conquer. That is what I meant.

Persephone59
January 2, 2017, 2:18 am
The Golden Rule is my principle, and the only one I need.

darkyr
February 16, 2017, 8:38 am
I prefer the Platinum rule.

tavi5280
February 27, 2017, 6:32 am
This is the second double page I've come across today. Hot button topics!

kb83
February 28, 2017, 8:51 am
Wonderful comments.

marnita
March 8, 2017, 2:54 pm
I love the philosophy you have expounded, LLapp.

Persephone59
June 4, 2017, 10:16 am
Does the Platinum rule have zero percent interest for at least 18 months? If so, I'm in.

YorkiesRule
September 26, 2017, 2:31 am
I agree with your philosophy, LLapp, and if I may add, it would also be good if America adopted it as a country. As in, realize that it's just one culture among many cultures, and stop trying to force its values on others.

[LLapp]

"I was once thrown out of a mental hospital for depressing the other patients." — Oscar Levant

matarisa
June 19, 2011, 6:08 pm
He was well known for his self-deprecating humor.

JenDiaz72
October 3, 2014, 7:08 am
Oh... so like another Rodney Dangerfield

maradnu
March 2, 2015, 9:31 am
Wittier than Rodney.

abra
March 18, 2016, 5:30 pm
He was more sophisticated, than Rodney Dangerfield.

badbob
September 23, 2019, 3:11 am
again Rodney gets no respect

[LLapp]

An Essay on Rock 'n' Roll History...

"Fools rush in where angels fear to tread." — Alexander Pope

dovid1946
March 12, 2015, 12:55 pm
I believe this quote should be attributed to Alexander Pope

LLapp
June 11, 2015, 6:05 pm
ERROR: Per david1946's comment, please change the attribution to Alexander Pope. This is one of Pope's most famous lines! (To verify, note this quote even has its own Wikipedia page: (link) )

LurkerSmurf
April 17, 2016, 12:44 pm
And one of the few that is easy to understand.

LLapp
March 14, 2017, 6:30 pm
Wise men say . . . only fools rush in . . .

darkyr
September 27, 2017, 8:57 am
Call me a fool...

kb83
February 25, 2018, 3:23 pm
Or at least attribute it to Elvis.

abra
June 20, 2018, 1:54 pm
I think of Rick Nelson when I hear Fools Rush In, even though Elvis did it too.

abra
May 4, 2020, 4:19 pm
Different songs both used ''Fools Rush In''.

abra
May 4, 2020, 4:20 pm
Rick Nelson's said ''where angels fear to tread''. The one I'm thinking of by Elvis was Can't Help Falling in Love. Did he do the other one too?

Eureka
July 28, 2020, 12:07 pm
I believe Elvis recorded both songs, abra.

imsoeasy
March 1, 2021, 8:34 pm
But Pope recorded it first.

[Eureka]

Sometimes Unattributed comes up with a winner...

"The difference between a smart man and a wise man is that a smart man knows what to say, a wise man knows whether or not to say it."
— Frank M. Garafola

killdozer
January 23, 2016, 5:32 pm
So what's the difference between a smart ass and a wise ass?

Unattributed
July 28, 2016, 9:52 am
A smart ass knows what to bray, a wise ass knows whether or not to bray it.

munchlet
February 3, 2017, 6:53 am
Unattributed's finest moment, folks. Could that be added to the official cryptograms on this site?

[LLapp]

"The difference between stupidity and genius is that genius has its limits." — Albert Einstein

dovid1946
May 29, 2015, 9:58 am
Al moonlighted as a standup comedian at the Kit Kat Klub in Ulm.

kb83
August 26, 2015, 3:58 am
Thanks, dovid1946! I thought this statement was a riot.

maradnu
July 14, 2016, 3:11 pm
But this was funnier in the original German.

opallady
January 28, 2018, 9:50 am
Al mondlicht als auftehen Komiker bee der Kit Katzenklub in Ulm.

[LLapp]

"The child is not to be educated for the present, but for the remote future, and often in opposition to the immediate future." — Jean Paul Richter

ferrigodmother
August 5, 2009, 1:41 pm
This quote is very confusing because our present society including our teachers & professors have no idea what remains in the remote future; therefore, how can they possibly teach our children what lies in the remote future?

montyb
January 4, 2014, 10:29 am
Teach the kid to work the remote.

[LLapp]

"Yes, I will go. I would rather grieve over your absence than over you." — Antonio Porchia

antonio-porchia.jpg

RustySkipper
March 26, 2017, 7:26 am
"zzzzzzzzzzz"-- Antonio Porchia

[Toeprint]

"A three-year-old child is a being who gets almost as much fun out of a fifty-six dollar set of swings as it does out of finding a small green worm."
— Bill Vaughan

MarcusAurelius
September 17, 2011, 11:32 am
I wonder where I could find a fifty-six dollar set of swings.
Peachy..Keen
July 15, 2012, 4:38 pm
Does that mean that I'm still a three-year-old child, at heart?
Barnabas
August 17, 2012, 5:59 pm
...and occasionally the 3-year-old child gets a little more nutrition out of the worm than he/she does out of the swing.
Allen
February 2, 2013, 3:50 pm
How 'bout a fifty-six dollar small green worm?
opallady
June 3, 2013, 6:08 pm
Or the box the swing set came in.
mmfs83
June 14, 2016, 8:56 am
The box that contained our grandfather clock served as a coffin for many Halloweens to come.
Persephone59
June 16, 2018, 12:09 pm
The swing set box should be given to cats. My two love it when I get a package, because I immediately give them the box to play with: sit on, in, hide in. Cat toys, bah!
MamaB
April 18, 2019, 12:41 pm
You can find a $56 swing in 1956, I bet.

[oddcouple]

"Youth is a perpetual intoxication; it is a fever of the mind."
— Francois de la Rochefoucauld


fishbum
June 3, 2014, 5:45 pm
Try the 'X' stupid.
LLapp
May 7, 2015, 4:43 pm
JJ20paws
January 26, 2016, 4:23 am
I've got the fever
Capy
September 14, 2016, 11:56 pm
I wrote Mouth
Spellbinder44
January 25, 2017, 2:46 am
I had " It is a (n)ever o(n) the mind". Then, I cheated by Googling it.
darkyr
October 17, 2018, 8:42 am
Excessive Googling is a symptom of something, I forget what. Wait, let me google it.
LLapp
October 5, 2019, 4:53 am
I wonder what I wanted to say nearly 4 and a half years ago when I was young and drunk with fever.
kh.aotic
April 18, 2020, 12:09 am
I had "fever of the king" rip
Synonymous
January 27, 2021, 5:20 pm
fishbum made me laugh. I did the same.
Wordigo
September 20, 2021, 2:15 pm
Not really perpetual. How can I get that fever again?

[oddcouple]

My wife says I never listen to her. At least I think that's what she said."
— Unattributed


Queethebean
May 10, 2012, 10:50 pm
This isn't unattributed--my husband said it. Mr. QueeTheBean
bansaisequoia
August 9, 2012, 3:48 am
Is he a drone or a worker?
wvwoman
March 5, 2013, 4:38 pm
a worker bean?!
Barnabas
April 5, 2014, 11:35 am
What?
nancypoo
October 4, 2014, 1:44 pm
It's a play on bees. Queen, drone, worker...
abra
January 5, 2015, 11:59 am
Except she's not a bee, she's a bean.
dovid1946
May 7, 2015, 8:07 am
what is his first name? string? lima? fava?
gryhnd51
October 7, 2015, 6:52 pm
Queen, I'm sure you must be mistaken. I'm absolutely sure that MY husband said this.
Barnabas
April 21, 2016, 5:11 am
Huh?
maradnu
June 14, 2016, 2:45 am
My wife often accuses me of not listening to her - then gets quite irritated when I repeat what she said back to her verbatim.
marnita
July 12, 2016, 4:55 am
If anything is worse than not being listened to, it is being heard and ignored.
louploup
September 26, 2016, 12:40 am
maradnu, she's probably irritated because of what marnita said....d'yathink!!
badbob
August 29, 2017, 8:51 pm
what about when you're doing cryptos?
lertsek
March 27, 2018, 3:58 pm
...I'll ask her at halftime.
xlr8r
July 24, 2018, 9:02 am
I have a T-shirt that says "My wife says I never listen - I think"
kahvecowgirl
September 30, 2018, 4:07 pm
There's a difference between listening and having a good echoic memory.
oddcouple
March 9, 2019, 11:34 pm
My wife just said this to me a half hour ago.
jbb33054
April 13, 2019, 12:47 pm
108
badbob
July 4, 2019, 9:04 am
i have a hearing aid with volume control
MissKitty
November 30, 2019, 2:43 pm
HEY KILROY WHAT DID YOU SAY SO TRUE IN OUR MARRIAGE. HA BEAT YOU AGAIN
kb83
July 7, 2021, 1:51 pm
It sounds like something Henny Youngman or Rodney Dangerfield would have said.
jnoodles
December 19, 2021, 11:52 am
Projection. Not agreeing with or indulging someone, doesn't mean you aren't listening. It's hard to be 100% aware and have perfect recall for everything someone who never shuts up says. Also, arguing with someone who has no idea what you say/said, but who insists they have perfect recall and gaslights you can be frustrating. This is ended easily with recordings. Then you have to fight about why you were recording. Better to just kick them out or leave yourself.

[oddcouple]

"A plan is just a tangent vector on the manifold of reality."
— Scratch Garrison

montyb
August 1, 2013, 9:47 pm
Oooooh! Getting into topological spaces are we?
abra
September 13, 2014, 2:59 pm
I'm shocked that I got this one, more shocked that I ended up (just barely) in the average column.
marnita
November 30, 2014, 10:25 am
71 seconds! I am so proud of myself!
wvwoman
December 1, 2014, 6:11 pm
i'm proud of my "fast" time!
abra
December 22, 2014, 6:15 am
Ha! This time I'm right on the line. "Half-Fast".
fishbum
October 20, 2015, 9:13 am
Don't start vast projects with half-vast ideas.
LLapp
May 13, 2016, 11:18 am
abra, you are not half-ast!
marnita
July 12, 2016, 12:20 pm
86 seconds this time, but still not bad for a person who has no idea what a tangent vector or a manifold is.
abra
October 23, 2016, 9:41 am
This time I'm watching the replay of the Cubs game, you know when they became the NL champions. I'm putting that in there for posterity. Anyway, I didn't realize I'd stopped so long to watch and I got 447 seconds. Oops.
lainecap
November 11, 2016, 2:55 pm
wasn't watching the Cubs, ab, and got 419.
MamaB
July 11, 2017, 6:48 am
Same experience, marnita!
Annamariah
November 11, 2017, 10:16 pm
I'm really surprised I got this in 24 seconds o_O
kb83
November 17, 2017, 9:12 am
"Tangent, Secant, Cosine, Sine. 3.14159"
ruxpin66
May 14, 2018, 3:01 pm
42 seconds. "Very fast." I have no idea. Somehow, it just typed itself.
Fudi
November 18, 2019, 9:53 pm
Who the heck is Scratch Garrison? I'm itchin' to find out. (I can't find anything on him/her except the attribution of this quote.)
puffybob
May 13, 2020, 2:32 am
Apparently he was a parachuting champion: (link)
jbb33054
November 7, 2021, 8:05 am
189

[oddcouple]

"There is a fine line between serendipity and stalking."
— David Coleman

badbob
September 27, 2019, 3:38 am
just because you follow somebody around for a month or two, ......
blueladyblue
June 5, 2020, 4:28 pm
Fancy meeting you here...

[oddcouple]

"Example moves the world more than doctrine. The great exemplars are the poets of action, and it makes little difference whether they be forces for good or forces for evil. "
— Henry Miller


jalexica
April 6, 2012, 6:36 am
monkey see...
Allen
December 28, 2012, 8:59 pm
Monkey? Si!
montyb
March 1, 2014, 11:48 am
Monkey Sea.
JD_1947
November 16, 2014, 12:14 pm
So, in other words they void each other out and don't really set an example one way or the other . .
LLapp
February 26, 2015, 2:04 pm
That photo of Henry looks a little like a monkey -- see?
phthelen
August 23, 2017, 2:42 pm
Do.
oddcouple
December 22, 2017, 11:51 pm
monkey si
Persephone59
March 21, 2018, 12:43 am
I had some sea monkeys at one time. Also Magic Rocks.
maradnu
June 7, 2018, 2:53 pm
Monk E? Si.
lertsek
June 12, 2018, 9:57 pm
Ah, sea monkeys. Marketing at its finest.
imsoeasy
November 3, 2018, 11:58 pm
Aside from all the monkey's, this is a perceptive quote.
Wordigo
June 9, 2020, 11:46 am
Poets of actions are dancers. Let’s rock and roll around the world.
abra
May 28, 2021, 10:25 pm
Every little kid who read comic books, wanted sea monkeys. Well, at least I did. They would have been a huge disappointment. I wanted the little family that played together, not the ones that look like fish food..

[LLapp]

"If you don't have a teacher you can't have a disciple." — Dallas Willard

Eureka
April 22, 2019, 2:44 pm
Why did the teacher cross the street?

Eureka
May 1, 2020, 3:23 pm
And by street, I meant road.

Eureka
January 3, 2021, 12:05 pm
Okay, by road, I meant eyes. Why did the teacher cross his eyes? Because he couldn't control his pupils.

hrossa
May 24, 2021, 8:20 pm
LOL Eureka. I'm you're disciple on this one!

[montyb]

"I may be president of the United States, but my private life is nobody's damned business."
— Chester A. Arthur

nedzeppelin1453
May 11, 2019, 12:38 am
I suspect he was a bit defensive about the 80 pairs of pants.

skeeter
August 4, 2019, 1:07 pm
Those were his Chester drawers.

xenia
September 16, 2021, 7:49 pm
Thanks Skeeter! I needed a corny joke tonight .