“The psychical condition of men's minds may be compared with a set of bells close together, and so arranged that in the ordinary man a bell rings only when one beside it sounds, and the vibration lasts only a moment. In the genius, when a bell sounds it vibrates so strongly that it sets in action the whole series, and remains in action throughout life. The latter kind of movement often gives rise to extraordinary conditions and absurd impulses, that may last for weeks together and that form the basis of the supposed kinship of genius with insanity.” MenGivingMindKindMayWholeMomentsActionTogetherLastsFormSoundWeekConditionsMovementGeniusOrdinaryBasesRemainsSeriesExtraordinaryRingsAbsurdImpulseInsanityLatterBellsVibrationsKinshipOrdinary ManVibrate Author:Otto Weininger
“The present age has witnessed an extraordinary increase of a thinking public, by the facilities afforded to the diffusion of reading; the former happy resignation to ignorance begins to make way for a state of half-enlightenment, and few persons are willing to remain in the condition in which their birth has placed then.” ThinkingWayPersonsStatesAgeReadingHalfConditionsIgnoranceWillingBirthEnlightenmentIncreaseExtraordinaryFormerFacilityResignationDiffusion Book:The Works of Frederick Schiller: Top Classic of German Source: The Works of Frederick Schiller: Top Classic of German
“The two basic maxims of the so-called historical criticism are the postulate of the common and the axiom of the ordinary. Postulate of the common: everything really great, good, and beautiful, is improbable, since it is extraordinary and therefore at least suspect. Axiom of the ordinary: our conditions and environment must have existed everywhere, for they are really so natural.” TwoBeautifulNaturalCommonHistoryEnvironmentConditionsOrdinaryCriticismHistoricalExtraordinarySuspectsReally GreatMaximsAxiomsImprobable Author:Karl Wilhelm Friedrich Schlegel
“Worldwide, the twentieth century has seen the rise of extraordinary concentrations of economic and political power - evoking the people as the source of power while simultaneously privatizing its most meaningful exercise. Democracy always seems to be at least slightly elusive under such conditions.” PeopleSeemsPoliticalDemocracyEconomicConditionsCenturySourceExerciseExtraordinaryMeaningfulConcentrationTwentieth CenturyElusivePolitical PowerMost Meaningful Author:Thomas L. Dumm