“The organ of the Impressionist is a… seismograph which registers the quietest movement. He is drawn to the still, the scarcely audible, therefore mysterious. His curiosity is stimulated to taste what has never been tried. It is the tendency of the seeker to find the unheard of… in this sense, every great artist is an Impressionist: his refined reaction to the faintest impulse reveals to him the unheard of, the new.”
-Arnold Schoenberg, “Theory of Harmony”
What counts is the capacity to hear oneself, to look deep inside oneself… Inside where the man of instinct begins, there, fortunately all theory breaks down."
…- Arnold Schoenberg, “The Book of the Hanging Gardens”
EDIT:
and Rilke!!!
“No great art has ever been made without the artist having known danger”.
Rainer Maria Rilke
“Perhaps all the dragons of our lives are princesses who are only waiting to see us once beautiful and brave”.
Rainer Maria Rilke
“The purpose of life is to be defeated by greater and greater things”.
Rainer Maria Rilke
“Profundity cannot be expressed in isolated blurbs” – Elston
We don’t see things as they are, we see things as we are.
Anais Nin
dp
“The world does not speak. Only we do. The world can, once we have programmed ourselves with a language, cause us to hold beliefs. But it cannot propose a language for us to speak. Only other human beings can do that.”—Richard Rorty
I hate the word “language” because it can mean so many things.
im saying that
“Finishing a book is like you took a child out in the back yard and shot it.” – Truman Capote
“Fight smart, not hard.”
Not a direct quote, but very Tsun Zu. I live by it.
The reason I don’t join cults and churches is because you can’t disagree.
I say that
“You can be in my dream, if I can be in yours.” – Bob Dylan said that
“Get it in writing”
“Nobody knows anything”.
“Never pass up the opportunity to have sex or appear on television’” – Gore Vidal
God, Vidal has some good ones. Couldn’t we just make this “Vidal’s Wisest Thoughts?” heh
“Andy Warhol is the only genius I’ve ever known with an IQ of 60.”
“Any American who is prepared to run for president should automatically, by definition, be disqualified from ever doing so.”
“I’m all for bringing back the birch, but only between consenting adults.”
And my personal favourite …
“It is the spirit of the age to believe that any fact, no matter how suspect, is superior to any imaginative exercise, no matter how true.”
If prospective employers reject your Kapiolani Medical Center birth certificate because they doubt its authenticity..don’t ask for help from a president also born there. He has troubles of his own. ~ Nohea
Stretch out your mind to humanity. How many tomorrows can you see? – Straberry alarm clock
I find it unfortunate how many people’s “wisest thoughts” on these threads are other people’s quotes.
Says me.
—PolarisDiB
“Jacking off at the speed of light would cause your past self to sneeze” -Albert Einstein
Anyone can come up with their own aphorisms. Sure they are closer to poetry by nature, and often highly theoretical, but they can be effective. Besides, you can make these up in seconds:
“He who sleeps, is better off.”
“If no one smiles at your funeral, you’re a surrender.”
“Things are worse than you expect but better than you fear.”
Using other people’s words is better than reinventing the wheel.
ha ha
a garlic a day keeps the doctor away
don’t bother quoting others; think for yourselves, we are all individuals
@Polaris:
Maybe I’m just unoriginal and creatively void, but none of my own “quotes” could rival that of, Gore Vidal for instance, or Rilke. In fact, I believe few would. And why waste people’s time with uninspired drivel? Just sayin’.
Something ironic that I like to say:
Feelings are real, thinking is the fake stuff.
I know nothing
I may wake up to find i’m a multi-eyed pink and purple tentacled jelly like blob on the planet Zarg (like this morning when i looked in the mirror).
Science serves dangerous exploiters as well as progress.
There is no such thing as evil.
Thank Winter for Spring and Summer.
Look for opportunity in your misfortune.
It is one thing to die for your country, another to kill.
Avoid deathbed regrets at what you didn’t do.
Spend time with nature.
War is the mass murder we too often glorify.
Psychologists need their heads examining.
Those who find faults are often most faulty.
A wondrous destiny should await us; today’s humans, tomorrow’s aliens.
The nuclear timebomb is always ticking.
History is merely distortion.
The News is merely propaganda.
It’s not shameful to admit racism, but shameful not to fight it.
Power corrupts.
Don’t trust politicians.
Beware being part of a bigoted majority.
Treat others as you would wish to be treated (unless you’re an incurable masochist)
Christ’s message was of forgiveness, love and peace.
Christ did not condemn homosexuality but said “judge not lest ye be judged”.
In a saner world, public nudity would not be a crime.
There is more than enough food, money and space in the world for everyone.
“Political correctness” is the name often given to challenging political correctness.
TV is the opium of the people.
Money and fashion are false gods.
Schools should aim for future fulfilment more than social regimentation.
Salaries and government spending show we respect the making of money and weapons far more than caring for others.
Beware false modesty- deceitful pride, seeking admiration.
Our apparently unselfish acts are often motivated by selfishness.
Baying mobs mean guilty till proven innocent.
We may seem responsible for our actions yet our actions are all destined and inevitable.
We often respect Royalty for the wealth and stately houses that we despise in disliked dictators.
We question too little of what we are used to.
Oppressive groups often seek the appearance of somehow being oppressed.
Trust the faults the colonised find with their colonisers rather than vice-versa.
There is no such thing as “the free world”. “Democracy” is usually anything but.
Variety is to be encouraged.
National boundaries are false boundaries. We are all one.
The world belongs to us all.
The media is owned by rich exploiters. The media scapegoat the weak and powerless, rather than rich exploiters.
Deterrence is better than punishment. Prevention is better than cure. Many organisations have a vested interest in cure not prevention.
Travel rewards open minds but confirms the prejudices of closed ones.
Not for nothing are dogs called “man’s best friend”. If we had tails like dogs deceit might come less easy.
If politicians cared for our future welfare more than re-election, we would not be headed for environmental catastrophe.
TV and the film industry censor loving sex but glorify violence. Kill isn’t a swear word.
Question your possessions; they may often constrain you.
Today’s freedom fighter, tomorrow’s terrorist. Today’s terrorist, tomorrow’s respectable politician.
Don’t let grudges fester. (Bump the bastards off before they really get to you?)
Better an idealist than a cynic.
The oppression of black people is widely underestimated.
Men and women are equal and complementary. Both face artificial disadvantages.
Racism involves power as well as prejudice.
Many claim to know what death has in store- and despise and kill those who claim otherwise.
Poetry is a neglected source of pleasure.
Waste less, recycle more.
Trust in your nagging inner voice or gut instinct.
Hours on the net is not the best way to keep fit
We live in a world of foolish lists and decimal tyranny
Christ was misheard; it was “blessed are the listmakers”
All of the above is utter nonsense, balderdash and piffle. Feel and think for yourself.
If no one has anything else original to add, it might be time for “the” song…
badly acquainted, badly considered
Paula Caine
This thread is an attempt to gather as much wisdom as possible, be it from the field of philosophy, art, science etc.
Profound thoughts, by you and whoever. Intellectual tour-de-force. Let us enlighten one another and share. Cause that’s what internet is at its best: a social wilderness that widens your horizons. Let’s pursuit that and try to make ourselves feel better as humans.
“The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new lands but seeing with new eyes.”
Marcel Proust