Classic Comments on the Quote

[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

[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]

"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.

[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]

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.

[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]

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]

Darwin thread, Part II
(Continued from previous post)

montyb
November 11, 2017, 3:30 am
The human eye actually has some major design flaws which interfere with its efficiency. The retina is backwards with the light-sensitive parts of the rod and cone cells toward the back of the retina such that light has to pass through the nerve fibers exiting these cells and also the entire length of the the cell before the optic pigments can capture what light energy makes it through this mess. Also, the nerve fibers group together and exit the eye to form the optic nerve at a point perilously close to the area of the retina that provides the sharpest vision. This is the "blind spot" that interferes with our vision.

blueladyblue
June 6, 2018, 9:44 am
Well said, LLapp and monty! Natural selection has produced a lot of errors, which tends to prove Darwin's theory. If it was a case of Perfect Design with a "Plan," why would the Designer create imperfection and flawed results? I know people who believe in a deity will answer that it's all part of the "Plan," that their god has a "Purpose." But with this type of logic, ALL things can be explained, i.e., that there is some secret reason for ... (whatever it is). Go ahead and Believe, but you can't say that the existence of a deity is "Proven" by all other existence.

Deanna48
October 12, 2018, 4:50 am
"The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands."---Psalm 19:1

abra
November 15, 2018, 7:24 am
She's not just lightening fast ^.

darkyr
March 4, 2019, 6:27 pm
The platinum rule is : "Do unto others as they would have you do unto them, not as you would have them do unto you."

Persephone59
June 24, 2019, 12:03 am
Are you going to give them a long questionnaire?

imsoeasy
July 10, 2019, 12:29 am
"Yesterday, I discovered That we are infinitely insignificant and that time, as we know it, is an illusion. Yesterday, I wondered, "What is left?" This morning, I awoke to hear birds voices in the trees, in the cool fresh air. The dog stretched and yawned in the new morning sun." - My Shadow

zengard
September 9, 2019, 3:13 pm
I am always amazed that 2 people can get back to the same puzzle to carry on a good discussion.

killdozer
October 9, 2019, 9:58 pm
Darwin was essentially saying the universe looks exactly the way we would expect it to if there was no God. And he is correct. Morality is a biological property. As a social species, humans are selected or traits which facilitate the survival an stability of a population. We are hardwired for things like nurturing of young (even if they are not our own biological offspring), pair-bonding, group-bonding, empathy, altruism, etc. We inherit those traits genetically. We can't get rid of them even if we want to. If you have kids, did anybody have to tell you to love them or did you just love them instantly, automatically and permanently? That is inherited. That is evolution. That doesn't make it any less beautiful. Knowing why something tastes good to you on a biological level doesn't stop it from tasting good or make the experience less meaningful, even if it is ultimately subjective. You might ask about individuals who seem to clearly lack empathy or other of those "moral" traits I was talking about. We call those people "sociopaths." The empathic response, which is not yet developed at birth, begins to develop in early childhood, around three or four. For some people, it never happens. A lot of research shows a correlation with early trauma, especially if it involves witnessing violence against others. A child who sees a parent consistently abuse siblings or the other parent will begin to suppress the empathic response as an emotional survival mechanism. Unfortunately, once it's shut down, it appears to shut down permanently and stop developing. It's like an emotional blindness. They don't feel emotions about other people. They do not have feelings of guilt or remorse. They are not necessarily violent or abusive (the difference between a sociopath and a psychopath is impulse control), but they are. in a sense, emotionally handicapped. The wiring for empathic response is genetic, but that part o the brain can still be stunted or damaged in its development. Evolution does not require that every member of a species share a given trait, just that more of them do than don't. Time does the rest. Over time, the ones who have the beneficial trait will produce more descendants than the ones that don't (that is pretty much the definition of a "beneficial" trait). After enough generations, the entire population will have the trait or at least get the gene. It's a statistical, mathematical certainty. The house always wins. There are always imperfect duplications of genes (that's what "mutations" are). so you can always get somebody born without something, or have it damaged, etc. but it doesn't affect the overall gene pool. There are people who are born colorblind, for example, but that doesn't mean the ability to see color is not a biological trait of the species.

oddcouple
October 21, 2019, 4:18 am
Another essay from killdozer. Too long for anyone to read if they want to move on to the next puzzle.

LLapp
November 1, 2019, 2:37 am
I read it -- it flowed pretty well and wasn't hard to read. Killdozer's point, I think, was that traits of caring and compassion are hardwired into humanity through genetics, and that these traits support our survival as a species.

Persephone59
November 25, 2019, 12:33 am
So, survival of the fittest doesn't have to be a cruel, violent thing... it can occur over many generations to create subtle differences in behaviors, etc, in the majority, enhancing our ability to prosper and survive. Let's hope that climate change becomes more of a genetic fear...

SOLLUVVER
February 22, 2021, 11:18 am
Through my imperfect eyes, with my imperfect vision, I "pity the fool" whose blind ignorance leads them to believe in evolution! "I'm not going to let evolution make a monkey out of me!"

LLapp
June 18, 2021, 5:19 am
After studying the mechanisms of biological evolution and learning the biochemical nuts and bolts of genetic reproduction and mutation, and seeing clear evidence of what I learned taking place all around me, everywhere, it did not take me long at all to be awe-struck by the wonders of biochemistry in the natural world. It was not until well into my adulthood, maybe in my thirties, that I met anyone who claimed not to "believe" in evolution, and I am still baffled by this claim. This is like not believing in arithmetic. The mechanisms of evolution are as plain as day, in physical reality.

montyb
July 28, 2021, 11:37 pm
Not blind ignorance, Solluvver, but an overwhelming preponderance of supporting evidence from many different disciplines of science that all lead to the same explanation — evolution is real. In fact, the world has been dealing with a real-life case of “rapid” evolution of the COVID-19 virus and its many variants for nearly two years now. Maybe if more people properly learned and accepted (not blindly “believed” in the sense you use the term), we might not be suffering from multiple waves of infections and so many mutated variants.

hrossa
August 3, 2021, 5:18 pm
I'm a believer in God who enjoys studying the evidence - I don't see why creation could not have been accomplished through evolution. The fossil record is rich. Either way, does no one else find danger in this statement? Not from Darwin himself, but by extension from the thought that "survival of the fittest" is a logical way for the "fit" to treat "inferiors" in a universe of "blind, pitiless indifference".

rasbury
December 31, 2021, 1:14 am
That does not follow at all. "Fittest" is not a synonym for "superior" in any sense other than more likely to survive. Eugenics is based on a very faulty interpretation of evolution, just as the Crusades and the Inquisition were based on a very unfortunate interpretation of the Gospels, and neither provides a good argument for rejecting their core beliefs. Basically, we're an ignorant species who have no idea how the universe got here or what it's like beyond the still limited part we are able to observe, so some people put the name God on what we don't understand, some deny there is anything beyond what science has discovered, and some of us accept that we have learned a lot through science but that there is a whole lot more we simply don't know.

jnoodles
February 6, 2022, 1:30 pm
100% correct. Easy.

[LLapp]

"The impossible can always be broken down into possibilities." — Unattributed

CCCookie
October 31, 2018, 10:52 am
So, if I want to live on the surface of the sun that can somehow be done if I just break the problem down into small enough pieces? Somehow I can't buy into that.

DaveR
October 22, 2019, 3:32 pm
Easier to live on the surface of the sun at night time.

[LLapp]

This is why I love this website!

"In human life there is constant change of fortune; and it is unreasonable to expect an exemption from the common fate. Life itself decays, and all things are daily changing." — Plutarch

skoogie2
January 24, 2014, 1:56 am
to everything, turn, turn, turn

montyb
February 23, 2014, 2:18 pm
...there is a season, turn, turn, turn...

wordfairy
September 28, 2014, 8:41 pm
...and a time for every purpose under heaven...

abra
August 17, 2015, 10:59 am
A time to be born, and a time to die A time to plant, and a time to reap...

opallady
September 26, 2015, 11:33 am
A time to kill, a time to heal. A time to laugh, a time to weep.

wvwoman
October 31, 2015, 1:53 pm
a time to build up, a time to break down a time to dance, a time to mourn...

LizardLeap
January 23, 2016, 9:52 am
a time to cast away stones, a time to gather stones together...

emtonsti
August 4, 2016, 10:34 am
to everything turn, turn, turn

wvwoman
October 17, 2016, 10:30 am
a time of love, a time of hate a time of war, a time of peace a time you may embrace, a time to refrain from embracing...

LLapp
September 21, 2017, 1:44 pm
A time to gain, a time to lose, a time to rend, a time to sow, a time for love, a time for hate...

Jalapenoman
September 26, 2017, 1:37 pm
A time for peace, I swear it's not too late!

Persephone59
August 9, 2018, 4:04 pm
Stop it, aging hippies! Stop it! lol

Eureka
January 12, 2019, 3:51 am
True then and true now.

oddcouple
October 28, 2019, 9:17 am
Ah, yes, The Byrds back in the 60s. And the Bible a few thousand years before that.

Jrdad
October 22, 2020, 10:44 am
That was a real Kumbaya moment. See, we can do it!

[oddcouple]

"I dream of wayward gulls and all landless lovers, rare moments of winter sun, peace, privacy, for everyone."
— William Claire


abra
July 19, 2014, 8:19 am
I first thought he was dreaming of wayward bulls, and that didn't seem particularly soothing, to me.
Dagaz
September 1, 2014, 12:58 am
Abra -- me, too! haha
abra
October 8, 2014, 2:46 pm
Did it again.
dovid1946
March 10, 2015, 11:43 am
I thought the quote was about the running of the wayward bulls in Spain
LLapp
August 12, 2015, 10:52 pm
How am I supposed to get peace and privacy with all these wayward gulls and landless lovers on my front lawn?
tclcac
January 19, 2018, 7:16 pm
I set a new "very slow" record for this one.
lertsek
June 12, 2018, 10:08 pm
I dream of lost birds and renters. Snow blindness and isolation.
bigfatted
September 12, 2018, 1:44 am
I also dreamt of peaceful wayward bulls.
jbb33054
October 22, 2018, 7:59 am
116
pickleball
December 22, 2019, 10:05 pm
i dream of jeannie
LLapp
August 15, 2020, 3:21 am
Wayward bulls!! RUN!!!
MadDoctor
March 1, 2021, 2:04 pm
Wayward gulls are a nightmare, not a dream.
hrossa
August 28, 2021, 12:09 pm
Plus it's just bad poetry.

[LLapp]

"We need to attend diligently to the state of our soul, and to deal fervently and effectively with God about it." — John Owen

ednak
October 13, 2011, 9:27 am
This is true because we are to work out our own salvation.

jnoodles
July 30, 2013, 1:46 am
Which God?

Allen
August 22, 2014, 11:58 am
The one on the left.

LLapp
May 18, 2016, 5:57 pm
No, not that one. Here, check out my new iGod. It's awesome.

skeeter
November 6, 2017, 11:12 am
Good one, Allen.

MamaB
February 7, 2018, 1:06 pm
Good one, LLapp.

skeeter
March 22, 2019, 10:13 pm
Good one, MamaB.

skeeter
April 30, 2019, 3:46 pm
Good one, skeeter.

NotTooOld
May 28, 2019, 9:57 pm
Good one ednak.

badbob
January 23, 2020, 12:45 pm
good one, badbob

Elephino
April 10, 2020, 1:44 pm
good one John Owen

pickleball
April 18, 2020, 7:23 pm
good one, god

Wilbur
July 13, 2020, 8:32 pm
Good god

Wordigo
July 17, 2020, 11:30 am
Good.

Persephone59
March 20, 2022, 3:27 am
You sound like some deranged Walton family! Goodnight, John Boy.

[oddcouple]

"It would not be better if things happened to men just as they wish. "
— Heraclitus


kat
February 21, 2009, 6:46 pm
24 sec.
montyb
March 20, 2012, 4:20 pm
Not even once?
universalmom
May 4, 2016, 10:45 am
Hmmmmm, maybe once...
NotTooOld
March 3, 2017, 6:25 am
Three wishes.
toddcmz
March 9, 2017, 5:23 am
"There are many hungers it is better to deny than to feed..."
oddcouple
August 29, 2017, 11:20 pm
A man walks along a beach where he finds an old bottle Remembering the story of Aladdin, he rubs it. Sure enough a genie appears and offers him three wishes in gratitude. The man asks for a brand new sports car. Poof! There it is. Then he wishes for the trunk of the car to be filled with $100 bills. Poof! There it is. He can't think what he wants for his third wish, so he decides to wait until later. He decides to got touring in his car and starts listening to the radio. The jingle comes on "I wish I were an Oscar Mayer wiener." and he starts singing along. Poof! There it is.
Persephone59
November 15, 2017, 9:31 pm
And they wondered why they found a crashed sports car with only a wienie in it.

[oddcouple]

"How people treat you is their karma; how you react is yours. "
— Wayne Dyer

drebosy4eto
March 9, 2015, 9:51 am
Damn... I always thought that "karma" is written with "c" in English. I would have been so much faster if I knew it... Oh, well...
montyb
May 1, 2016, 11:26 am
Karma's a bitkh, man.
killdozer
August 15, 2016, 7:06 pm
My dogma got run over by my karma.
maradnu
May 10, 2017, 2:41 pm
Karma is such a chameleon
pickleball
November 2, 2021, 9:31 pm
hahaha
blueladyblue
February 12, 2022, 5:58 pm
LOL monty. You've kome a long way as a komedian.

[Eureka]

(Sometimes an author's name elicits some pretty funny comments, too! )

"Keep some souvenirs of your past, or how will you ever prove it wasn't all a dream?"

— Ashleigh Brilliant

kb83
January 16, 2017, 5:49 am
He had siblings Oddleigh, Naturalleigh, and Simpleigh.

SippyGurl
March 3, 2017, 7:14 pm
...and the runt of the litter, hardleigh