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The Doubter's Companion: A Dictionary of Aggressive Common Sense

Book by John Ralston Saul · 28 quotes · Given, Humans, Ifs

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The Doubter's Companion: A Dictionary of Aggressive Common Sense Quotes

“Venereal: From Venus, the goddess of love, this word refers to the reality of desire. With the rise of Protestantism and science, the word disease was tacked on in a revealing combination of categorization and moralizing. Which disease? The disease of love.”

RealityDesireDiseaseCombinationGoddessRevealingVenusProtestantismCategorizationMoralizing
Book:The Doubter's Companion: A Dictionary of Aggressive Common Sense
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“Happy family: The existence and maintenance of [this] is thought to make a politician fit for public office. According to this theory, the public are less concerned by whether or not they are effectively represented than by the need to be assured that the penises and vaginas of public officials are only used in legally sanctioned circumstances.”

NeedsUsedExistenceTheoryPoliticianFitCircumstancesOfficeConcernedOfficialsAssuredMaintenancePublic OfficeHappy FamilyPublic Officials
Book:The Doubter's Companion: A Dictionary of Aggressive Common Sense
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“Panic: A highly underrated capacity thanks to which individuals are able to indicate clearly that something is wrong. Given their head, most humans panic with great dignity and imagination. This can be called democratic expression or practical common sense.”

HumansAbleIndividualGivenImaginationCommonExpressionCapacityDignityDemocraticPracticalsCommon SenseThanksPanicUnderrated
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“World class is a phrase used by provincial cities and second-rate entertainment events, as well as a wide variety of insecure individuals, to assert that they are not provincial or second-rate, thereby confirming that they are.”

WorldWellsUsedIndividualCitiesClassEventsRateEntertainmentWideVarietyPhrasesInsecureWorld ClassSecond Rate
Book:The Doubter's Companion: A Dictionary of Aggressive Common Sense
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“Born in elevators and supermarkets, Muzak has spread to restaurants, hotels, airplanes, telephone hold services, and waiting rooms. The public-relations experts believe that human beings fear silence - that is, the absence of constantly imposed direction. It is further believed that if we can be relieved of our fears, we will gain enough self-confidence to buy, eat, vote, fly, or simply go on living.”

IfsBelieveHumansSelfEnoughWaitingBornHuman BeingsRoomsSilenceGoes OnGainsVoteRelationSpreadAbsenceSelf ConfidenceExpertsRestaurantsHotelAirplaneTelephonesRelievedElevatorsPublic RelationsSupermarketsWaiting Rooms
Book:The Doubter's Companion: A Dictionary of Aggressive Common Sense
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