“[In response to Alfred Tennyson's poem "Vision of Sin," which included the line "Every moment dies a man, every moment one is born."] If this were true, the population of the world would be at a stand-still. In truth, the rate of birth is slightly in excess of death. I would suggest that the next edition of your poem should read: "Every moment dies a man, every moment 1 [and] 1/16 is born." Strictly speaking, the actual figure is so long I cannot get it into a line, but I believe the figure 1 [and] 1/16 will be sufficiently accurate for poetry.” IfsMenWorldShouldBelieveLongStillsMomentsWould BeDiesNextI BelieveBornLinesSinVisionFiguresBirthResponseRatePopulationExcessAccurateTennyson Author:Charles Babbage
“Fish in the water represent pure potential. If the water is not clear, we do not know if they exist at all. To get them to bite something connected to a line and pull them into our world is managing a birth that brings these creatures from the realm of mysytery into the world of reality. It is a kind of creation.” IfsKnowsWorldKindRealityWaterLinesClearSeaCreationBirthPureCreaturesRiversFishesConnectedBoatRealmsLakesFishingOur WorldBites Author:Howell Raines
“The absolute bedrock of our independence is having control over our own bodies. You cannot be independent if the government or someone else says whether or not you can use birth control. Unless you're in charge of your body, you're not in charge of anything. I think that's really the bottom line of feminism.” IfsThinkingUseBodyGovernmentLinesFeminismBirthAbsolutesIndependentIndependenceBottomYour BodyBottom LineBirth ControlBedrock Author:Erica Jong
“Some of the best indicators of a country developing along the right lines are healthy mothers giving birth to healthy children who are assured of good care and a sound education that will enable them to face the challenges of a changing world.” WorldGivingChildrenCountryCareFacesMotherSoundChallengesLinesBirthHealthyDevelopingAssuredGiving BirthIndicatorsHealthy Children Book:Letters From Burma: Source: Letters From Burma:
“Through its prohibition on birth control, the Church has suggested that the only right way to have children is through biological reproduction: a kind of forced labor culminating in the production of another soul for God. What kind of a God stands like Lee Iacocca at the end of an assembly line, driving his workers with a greedy 'More! More!' while the automobiles pile up in showrooms and on freeways and in used-car lots and finally junkyards, his only satisfaction the gross production figures at the end of every quarter?” WayKindChildrenSoulEndsUsedGrowthChurchLinesCarFiguresBirthLaborWorkersSatisfactionProductionsDrivingQuartersRight WayGreedyGrossAutomobileAssemblyProhibitionReproductionBirth ControlFreewaysPopulation GrowthAssembly LineUsed CarJunkyardShowroom Author:Nancy Mairs
“My grandmother gave birth to 13 children and I come from a long line of women who gave birth in their 40s.” ChildrenLongLinesBirthGrandmotherMy GrandmotherLong Lines Author:Debra Winger
“The Reproductions of the living Ens From sires to sons, unknown to sex, commence... Unknown to sex the pregnant oyster swells, And coral-insects build their radiate shells... Birth after birth the line unchanging runs, And fathers live transmitted in their sons; Each passing year beholds the unvarying kinds, The same their manners, and the same their minds.” YearsMindKindRunningFatherSexLinesSonBirthPassingPassingsMannersPregnantShellsInsectsReproductionOystersUnchanging Author:Erasmus Darwin
“When you try to be true to the script, changes occur. A script is there to show us a certain direction. But when you actually have the actors in and you start shooting the movie, you have the actor say a line and it doesn't sound right so you change it and make it different. It's the script that gives birth to these changes and the more you try to stay true to the script, the more that happens.” GivingTryingDifferentShowsHappensCertainActorsSoundLinesBirthScriptsBeing TrueShootingStay True Author:Takashi Miike
“Birth of the Cool' became a collector's item, I think, out of a reaction to Bird and Dizzy's music. Bird and Diz played this hip, real fast thing, and if you weren't a fast listener, you couldn't catch the humor or the feeling in their music. Their musical sound wasn't sweet, and it didn't have harmonic lines that you could easily hum out on the street with your girlfriend trying to get over with a kiss.” IfsThinkingTryingRealFeelingsSoundLinesStreetsSweetBirthKissingBirdMusicalReactionsHipsGirlfriendListenersGet OverItemsCollectorsDizzyYour Girlfriend Book:Miles, the autobiography Source: Miles, the autobiography
“Is it possible Hanukkah doesn't inspire folksy songs? Plot lines may be a part. The Christmas story has a lot of material to work with. There's Jesus and his birth, the wise men, their gifts and tons of frankincense.” MenMayStoriesSongJesusLinesWiseInspireMaterialsBirthPlotHanukkahPlot LinesFrankincense Author:Matisyahu
“The dead do walk and haunt and crawl into your bed at night. Ghosts sneak into your head when you're not looking. Stars line up and volcanoes birth out bits of glass that foretell the future. Poison berries make girls stronger, but sometimes kill them. If you howl at the moon and swear on your blood, anything you desire will be yours. Be careful what you wish for. There's always a catch.” IfsSometimesDesireNightGirlWishStarsBitsLinesWalksBloodBirthBedMoonStrongerGlassesCarefulGhostPoisonBe CarefulSwearSneakHowlBerriesVolcanoesCareful What You Wish For Book:Wintergirls Source: Wintergirls
“Wherein lies a poet's claim to originality? That he invents his incidents? No. That he was present when his episodes had their birth? No. That he was first to repeat them? No. None of these things has any value. He confers on them their only originality that has any value, and that is his way of telling them." Mark Twain "...every literature, in its main lines, reflects the chief characteristics of the people for whom, and about whom, it is written.” PeopleWayFirstsLyingValuesLiteratureLinesWrittenPoetBirthClaimsMarkChiefsCharacteristicsRepeatsOriginalityEpisodesIncidents Author:Edith Wharton