“There is no man ... however wise, who has not at some period of his youth said things, or lived a life, the memory of which is so unpleasant to him that he would gladly expunge it. And yet he ought not entirely to regret it, because he cannot be certain that he has indeed become a wise man -- so far as it is possible for any of us to be wise -- unless he has passed through all the fatuous or unwholesome incarnations by which that ultimate stage must be preceded.” MenSaidWisdomCertainMemoriesWiseStageYouthRegretOughtPeriodsUltimateIncarnationBeing Wise Book:In the Shadow of Young Girls in Flower: In Search of Lost Time Source: In the Shadow of Young Girls in Flower: In Search of Lost Time
“Story-telling is subject to two unavoidable defects,--frequent repetition and being soon exhausted; so that, whoever values this gift in himself, has need of a good memory, and ought frequently to shift his company.” NeedsTwoStoriesValuesMemoriesCompanySubjectsOughtExhaustedRepetitionDefectsGood Memories Author:Jonathan Swift
“A liar did ought to have a good memory.” LyingMemoriesOughtLiarsGood Memories Book:Lark Rise to Candleford Source: Lark Rise to Candleford
“Our great mistake in education is ... the worship of book-learning-the confusion of instruction and education. We strain the memory instead of cultivating the mind. ... We ought to follow exactly the opposite course with children-to give them a wholesome variety of mental food, and endeavour to cultivate their tastes, rather than to fill their minds with dry facts.” GivingMindChildrenBookFactsScienceCoursesMemoriesMistakeEducationOughtTasteWorshipOppositesConfusionVarietyDryInstructionStrainEndeavourCultivatingGreat MistakesBook Learning Author:John Lubbock
“Men ought to find the difference between saltiness and bitterness. Certainly, he that hath a satirical vein, as he maketh others afraid of his wit, so he had need be afraid of others' memory.” MenNeedsHumorDifferencesMemoriesOughtWitBitternessVeinsSatirical Book:Works Source: Works
“...the idea of a spiritual part of our nature that survives death, the notion of an afterlife, ought to be easy for religions and nations to sell. This is not an issue of which we might anticipate widespread skepticism. People will want to believe it, even if the evidence is meager to nil... compelling testimony ... provides that our personality, character, memory ... resides in the matter of the brain, it is easy not to focus on it, to find ways to evade the weight of the evidence.” PeopleIfsWayWantBelieveIdeasMatterCharacterMightSpiritualNationsEasyMemoriesBrainIssuesFocusPersonalityOughtEvidenceWeightSellsNotionAfterlifeCompellingSkepticismTestimonyAnticipate Author:Carl Sagan