The Man of Legends Quotes

“He declared that ignorance was the parent of fear, that knowledge was power.”
― Kenneth C. Johnson, The Man of Legends

“I quickly realized that the press was a double-edged sword because of what instantly became the world’s most popular book: it was the Bible. With mounting frustration I saw that while some people were eager to absorb history, poetry, science, and philosophy from printed pages, the great majority of unwashed masses wanted only to embrace the biblical writings that validated their lifelong indoctrination of religious dogma. Strident”
― Kenneth C. Johnson, The Man of Legends

“Just like they took over and distorted ancient pagan traditions to Christianize them: celebrations of the winter solstice were co-opted to become Christmas.”
― Kenneth C. Johnson, The Man of Legends

“The pagan mythologists had gods for everything, so the Christian mythologists created saints for everything.”
― Kenneth C. Johnson, The Man of Legends

“And of course Jesu never wrote anything down. All of what he supposedly spoke was written by ardent, mostly overly ardent, disciples, often secondhand or thirdhand, and decades or even centuries after his death.”
― Kenneth C. Johnson, The Man of Legends

“I thought of the Indians who called themselves Manhattoes paddling their birch-bark canoes downstream past that very spot in 1626, en route to making a very bad real estate deal.”
― Kenneth C. Johnson, The Man of Legends

“you’ve got to plumb the depths of your own soul’s unique experience”
― Kenneth C. Johnson, The Man of Legends

“And whatever you practice is what you get better at.”
― Kenneth C. Johnson, The Man of Legends

“most ideal results coming when people treat others ethically, with respect.”
― Kenneth C. Johnson, The Man of Legends

“that wonderful puppy breath?”
― Kenneth C. Johnson, The Man of Legends

“Those who’ve fallen . . . usually want . . . to get back up.”
― Kenneth C. Johnson, The Man of Legends

“Her voice was barely audible as she murmured, “. . . There is . . . A Larger Plan . . .”
― Kenneth C. Johnson, The Man of Legends

“You can love a person dear to you with a human love . . . like we’ve shared, Will.” Her blue eyes grew sharper. “But an enemy . . . an enemy can only be loved . . . with divine love. Like Gandhi . . . or Jesu had . . . in spades. That special sort of love . . . is the very essence of the soul.”
― Kenneth C. Johnson, The Man of Legends

“That Christianity should never have been a religion. What it should be is an ethic: a way of living right.”
― Kenneth C. Johnson, The Man of Legends

“I stared at the patient, remembering. “Bottadeo,” I murmured. “Who strikes God.”
― Kenneth C. Johnson, The Man of Legends

“The coffee took on the light-brown color of the Capuchin monk robes I had often worn.”
― Kenneth C. Johnson, The Man of Legends

“Even when they desired education, the strains of daily survival made it near impossible.”
― Kenneth C. Johnson, The Man of Legends

“The more that humanity can understand and harness the powers of nature,” Bacon insisted, “the more they will understand the nature of God. And the more opportunity they will gain for personal contemplation that will evolve them to higher wisdom, empathy, and compassion.”
― Kenneth C. Johnson, The Man of Legends

“I saw the unjust trials, the condemnations for alleged witchcraft, the guiltless people, usually women, hanged or burned alive.”
― Kenneth C. Johnson, The Man of Legends

“when Casey died last week it was . . . I dunno, it was so different. I really came apart. Sobbing”
― Kenneth C. Johnson, The Man of Legends

“Woody Guthrie always said you’ve got to plumb the depths of your own soul’s unique experience.”
― Kenneth C. Johnson, The Man of Legends

“Age is a question of mind over matter. If you don’t mind, it don’t matter.” But my very favorite of his has to be “How old would you be if you didn’t know how old you was?”
― Kenneth C. Johnson, The Man of Legends

“: “Amazing . . . what a little blood of One Good Man can accomplish.”
― Kenneth C. Johnson, The Man of Legends

“a good person is a sty in the devil’s eye”
― Kenneth C. Johnson, The Man of Legends

“That Christianity should never have been a religion. What it should be is an ethic: a way of living right.” Hanna paused to let that sink in. And I processed it, puzzling over it. “A way of living right. An ethic . . . Where have I . . . ?” “You probably read Thoreau.”
― Kenneth C. Johnson, The Man of Legends

“drive the world forward technologically and give everyday people a better destiny”
― Kenneth C. Johnson, The Man of Legends

“It vas callt serge de Nîmes,” Jacob explained, proffering some stiff blue britches for my examination. “But now everyone iss only callink it denim,” Levi said, smiling. “Vee don’t care vat zey call it, zo long as zey buy it. Come! Look!”
― Kenneth C. Johnson, The Man of Legends

“Bruno was certain that there were eternal, inviolable laws, which governed all of nature. He felt that learning the secret of that supreme unity was the goal of all science and philosophy.”
― Kenneth C. Johnson, The Man of Legends

“One foot in the grave and the other on a bar of soap, as my grandmother used to say.”
― Kenneth C. Johnson, The Man of Legends

“I was, however, determined to bloom where I was planted”
― Kenneth C. Johnson, The Man of Legends