“The noble Robespierre dreams his enchanting dreams of power ... he is not content to direct the will of the masses: he wants to dominate men to their marrowbones, to transform every individual by force into his paper ideal — every country abounds in such bloody Christ-like maniacs. But I, my child, know human nature. Instead of senselessly fighting it, I pamper it. That's the secret of my power. It is enough for me to speak three wisely chosen words, and whole crowds follow me, listen to me, and adore me. — And he — at the price of horrible effort sometimes forces the people to submission ... for a short while, after which there is a reaction: ever greater fear and deadly hidden hate.”
Source: The Danton Case and Thermidor: Two Plays
“I only mean that people find what they wish to find, and remember what they wish to remember, regardless of the evidence presented to them," Margaret said.”
Source: A Guide for the Perplexed
“Alas, we are what we are, and we need the stories, we need the public transportation, the anxiety meds, the television shows by the dozens, the music in bars and restaurants saving us from the terror of silence, the everlasting promise of brown liquor, the bathrooms in national parks, and the political catchphrases we can all shout and stick to our bumpers.”
Source: Spaceman of Bohemia
“Most people just do not give a crap. Especially about you. It is not because you're crap. Mostly it is so because they are. So, you're better than them. Yeah! Now, give a crap!”
“Clover is incapable of not nurturing. It can’t do anything but nurture. Shakyamuni is capable of not nurturing. With a poisonous thought, he is a poisonous person. With an enlightened thought, he is an enlightened person. With his great realization, he is unlikely to slip back into poisonous ways, but he could, for he is human.”
Source: The Mind of Clover: Essays in Zen Buddhist Ethics
“Adolescence feeds on drama, it is most happy when living in extremis, and Ferguson was no less vulnerable to the lure of high emotion and extravagant unreason than any other boy his age, which meant the appeal of a girl like Anne-Marie was fuelled precisely by her unhappiness, and the greater the storms she engulfed him in, the more he wanted her.”
Source: 4 3 2 1
“True diligence runs contrary to human nature.”
Source: The Richest Man Who Ever Lived: King Solomon's Secrets to Success, Wealth, and Happiness
“In the society of humans, what is normal and what is not, is defined by not the reality or the truth whatsoever. It is defined by the society's innate knacks and beliefs.”
Source: Either Civilized or Phobic: A Treatise on Homosexuality
“Beyond that closed door, make a conscious choice to respond to the call of God. Let Him open doors you have never heard of.”
Source: Beyond the Closed Door: Unique Keys to Unlock Destinies
“Hvor grotesk er ikke et vesen som føler avsky for sin egen person, som blir nedtrykt av sine gleder og ser på seg selv som en ulykke!”
Source: The Complete Essays