Allan Pearce > Allan's Quotes

“Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter, and those who matter don't mind.”
― Bernard M. Baruch

“Be yourself; everyone else is already taken.”
― Oscar Wilde

“Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I'm not sure about the universe.”
― Albert Einstein

“So many books, so little time.”
― Frank Zappa

“A room without books is like a body without a soul.”
― Marcus Tullius Cicero

“If you want to know what a man's like, take a good look at how he treats his inferiors, not his equals.”
― J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

“To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment.”
― Ralph Waldo Emerson

“Here's to the crazy ones. The misfits. The rebels. The troublemakers. The round pegs in the square holes. The ones who see things differently. They're not fond of rules. And they have no respect for the status quo. You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them. About the only thing you can't do is ignore them. Because they change things. They push the human race forward. And while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius. Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do.”
― Steve Jobs

“Something is profoundly wrong with the way we live today. For thirty years we have made a virtue out of the pursuit of material self-interest: indeed, this very pursuit now constitutes whatever remains of our sense of collective purpose. We know what things cost but have no idea what they are worth. We no longer ask of a judicial ruling or a legislative act: Is it good? Is it fair? Is it just? Is it right? Will it help bring about a better society or a better world? Those used to be the political questions, even if they invited no easy answers. We must learn once again to pose them.

The materialistic and selfish quality of contemporary life is not inherent in the human condition. Much of what appears "natural" today dates from the 1980s: the obsession with wealth creation, the cult of privatization and the private sector, the growing disparities of rich and poor. And above all, the rhetoric that accompanies these: uncritical admiration for unfettered markets, disdain for the public sector, the delusion of endless growth.

We cannot go on living like this. The little crash of 2008 was a reminder that unregulated capitalism is its own worst enemy: sooner or later it must fall prey to its own excesses and turn again to the state for rescue. But if we do no more than pick up the pieces and carry on as before, we can look forward to greater upheavals in years to come.”
― Tony Judt, Ill Fares the Land

“And now here is my secret, a very simple secret: It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye.”
― Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, The Little Prince

“Until the War, we claimed to be equal; simpletons, some say, but equal man to man.”
― Allan Dare Pearce, Paris in April

“Manners count. Be polite and seek out the common ground, not just the high ground.”
― Allan Dare Pearce, Paris in April

“There is, you will concede, a limit to the niceties a man is obliged to fulfill when his wife is dead and not yet cold.”
― Allan Dare Pearce, Paris in April

“A black suit always goes well at a funeral.”
― Allan Dare Pearce, Paris in April

“Here is a sermon for you, Reverend: Everything not dead dies. Just like those little fellows scooting around beside that dead mamma goose, little downy fellas who are gonna meet a hungry weasel or vicious farm dog before nightfall, their world stands in chaos, and not of their own doing.”
― Allan Dare Pearce, Paris in April

“To the extent a man can control chaos, he should put his testicles on the line and do so, but when a man can't, he should just step aside, or someone in the lineup behind him is gonna bite his ass.”
― Allan Dare Pearce, Paris in April

“Because this is Upper Canada, after all, and 'caning' sounds more English than 'having ass whipped to death with hickory stick.”
― Allan Dare Pearce, Paris in April

“When you reach voting age, we will take your opinion under consideration.”
― Allan Dare Pearce, Paris in April

“Son of a bitch! Even dead people are after my ass today.”
― Allan Dare Pearce, Paris in April

“Everyone loves a girl who can rise to a crisis.”
― Allan Dare Pearce, Paris in April

“Humble' is another way or saying 'simple' or 'poor' like we can't have fun; we can't roll up the rugs and dance, or tap the sap, or make decorations for a tree. It's pious and is just the sort of thing that lectures a room or depresses it, and you have to have a wall hanging because the old biddies say so, but you don't like it and you wish you didn't need it. In fact, you absolutely hate it.”
― Allan Dare Pearce, Paris in April

“If they die, we bury them; if they don't, we won't.”
― Allan Dare Pearce, Paris in April

“She placed her hands, one on each of his shoulders, stood on her toes and kissed him on the lips. He waited, enjoying the moment like none before.”
― Allan Dare Pearce, Paris in April

“He gives tap dancing lessons to dolts, and you've been recommended by those in the know.”
― Allan Dare Pearce, Paris in April

“Only one person can own any plate at a time. It belongs to the pitcher, or it belongs to the batter, Aiken, but not to both. You understand.”
― Allan Dare Pearce, Paris in April

“What does it hurt to be sociable?”
― Allan Dare Pearce, Paris in April

“And he took the slap like a man. No whining. What else do you want from a fella?”
― Allan Dare Pearce, Paris in April

“Don't harp on things. People will think you're addled.”
― Allan Dare Pearce, Paris in April

“But, ladies and gentlemen, we will also be asked to make sacrifices in matters that are not our affair and that do not concern us, sacrifices that would leave our people bleeding or wounded, or even dead, from battle. There is no equality for us in this lifetime.”
― Allan Dare Pearce, Paris in April

“We are free, but we are not equal. We are free, but not as free as other people in this land are free.”
― Allan Dare Pearce, Paris in April