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Nonsense Quotes

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Nonsense Quotes

“We are, by our human natures, foolish. We engage in all manner of nonsense and create all sorts of problems for ourselves—some of them quite serious. There may be times in our lives when we find our world crumbling around us and see that we are losing that which we value most. In these circumstances, when the voices of our forthright friends are urgent, it would be more prudent to consider their warnings than complain about the tone of their voices or assert that they are not diplomatic. Real friends serve us best when they call out dangers that we cannot perceive. Plainspoken friends, particularly those who may have experienced the things we now suffer, may see and understand more than we can see and understand ourselves. It would be wise to listen to their counsel, even—perhaps especially—when our first instinct is to insist that our circumstances are different, that they do not understand us, or that they have hurt our feelings. Forthright friends are rare. If you have such friends, listen humbly and keep them close: you have discovered treasure.”

FeelingsHuman NatureHumilityFriendsNonsenseProblemsFoolishnessPlainness
Author:Jean-Michel Hansen
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“Nonsense can be an ingenious architect of sense, as it may turn things upside down and, so doing, sharpen our perception, stir our imagination, clear our mind and refine our judgment. Like poetry might interlock with science, and emotion with intellect, so are sense and nonsense relentlessly interacting and this interplay enriches the filigree of our thinking pattern. (“Drunken ship” )”

ImaginationEmotionPerceptionNonsenseSenseInteractingThinking PatternInterplayDrunken ShipFiigree
Author:Erik Pevernagie
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“What I'd like to read is a scientific review, by a scientific psychologist--if any exists--of 'A Scientific Man and the Bible'. By what route do otherwise sane men come to believe such palpable nonsense? How is it possible for a human brain to be divided into two insulated halves, one functioning normally, naturally and even brilliantly, and the other capable only of such ghastly balderdash which issues from the minds of Baptist evangelists? Such balderdash takes various forms, but it is at its worst when it is religious. Why should this be so? What is there in religion that completely flabbergasts the wits of those who believe in it? I see no logical necessity for that flabbergasting. Religion, after all, is nothing but an hypothesis framed to account for what is evidentially unaccounted for. In other fields such hypotheses are common, and yet they do no apparent damage to those who incline to them. But in the religious field they quickly rush the believer to the intellectual Bad Lands. He not only becomes anaesthetic to objective fact; he becomes a violent enemy of objective fact. It annoys and irritates him. He sweeps it away as something somehow evil...”

FactsHumorFunnyScienceReligionBeliefReligiousBrainEnemyPsychologyViolenceEvidenceLogicWitDamageNonsenseSanityHypothesisPsychologistSuperstitionBaptistsUnknownSuperstitiousEvangelistsNecessityScientificEvangelicalsBaptistGod Of The GapsBadlandsBalderdashA Scientific Man And The BibleScientific Review
Book:American Mercury
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“They climbed the wide stairways. Their footsteps echoed and echoed through the house. "What on earth will you be doing with something so large?" said Mum. "I shall live in it with my servants, of course," said Mina. "Or I shall establish a school." "A school, my lady?" "Yes. A school for the writing of nonsense and the pursuit of extraordinary activities.”

DreamSchoolHouseFunEducationLearningChildhoodNonsenseUnusualChildInheritanceWeird
Book:My Name is Mina
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“Whether it be because the Fall has really brought men nearer to less desirable neighbours in the spiritual world, or whether it is merely that the mood of men eager or greedy finds it easier to imagine evil, I believe that the black magic of witchcraft has been much more practical and much less poetical than the white magic of mythology. I fancy the garden of the witch has been kept much more carefully than the woodland of the nymph. I fancy the evil field has even been more fruitful than the good. To start with, some impulse, perhaps a sort of desperate impulse, drove men to the darker powers when dealing with practical problems. There was a sort of secret and perverse feeling that the darker powers would really do things; that they had no nonsense about them. And indeed that popular phase exactly expresses the point. The gods of mere mythology had a great deal of nonsense about them. They had a great deal of good nonsense about them; in the happy and hilarious sense in which we talk of the nonsense of Jabberwocky or the Land where Jumblies live. But the man consulting a demon felt as many a man has felt in consulting a detective, especially a private detective; that it was dirty work but the work would really be done. A man did not exactly go into the wood to meet a nymph; he rather went with the hope of meeting a nymph. It was an adventure rather than an assignation. But the devil really kept his appointments and even in one sense kept his promises; even if a man sometimes wished afterwards, like Macbeth, that he had broken them.”

EvilMagicDevilGoodNonsenseWitchPracticalityNymph
Book:The Everlasting Man
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“Thus, since an individual cannot lawfully use force against the person, liberty, or property of another individual, then the common force — for the same reason — cannot lawfully be used to destroy the person, liberty, or property of individuals or groups.”

GovernmentTruthEvilFreedomLibertyDemocracyViolenceSocietyRespectAbuseTradeLibertarianSocialismCommunismNonsenseAnarchyFreeTaxationFree MarketTheftCoercionStatismVoluntaryismLaissez FaireNon Aggression PrincipleAncapAnarcho Capitalism
Author:Bastiat, Frederick
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“[Obituary of atheist philosopher Richard Robinson] An Atheist's Values is one of the best short accounts of liberalism (a term Robinson accepted) and humanism (a term he ignored) produced during the present century, all the more powerful for its lucidity and moderation, its wit and wisdom. It may now seem old-fashioned, but during those confused alarms of struggle and fight between the ignorant armies of left and right, thousands of readers must have taken inspiration from Richard Robinson's rational defence of rationalism. It is a pity that it is now out of print, when there is still so much nonsense and so little sense in the world.”

WorldReasonWisdomStruggleAtheismAtheistHumanismWitIgnorantLiberalismNonsenseModerationSenseRationalismObituaryAn Atheist S ValuesRichard Robinson
Author:Nicolas Walter
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“It's futile to point the finger of condemnation and say, "Men... this" or "Women... that". Truth is, we are all guilty and innocent of many of life's trials.”

MenLifeRealityTruthWomenLife And LivingArgumentInnocentGuiltyManWomanJudgementQuotes To Live ByNonsenseFutilityCondemnationJudgementalBickeringFutileCondemnSenselessSillynessOpposite SexBickering WomenBicker
Book:From Within I Rise: Spiritual Triumph over Death and Conscious Encounters With the Divine Presence
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“Weird how I can feel so frail and tiny sometimes, and other times so brave and bold and reckless and free, and . . . Does everybody feel the same? When people get grown-up, do they always feel grown-up and sensible and sorted out and . . . And do I want to feel grown-up? Do I want to stop feeling . . . paradoxical, nonsensical? Do I want to stop being crackers? Do I want to be destrangified? O yes, sometimes I want nothing more - but it only lasts a moment, then O I want to be the strangest and crakerest of everybody.”

AgeGrowing UpChildhoodStrangeNormalMadnessMadInsanityNonsenseWeirdNormality
Book:My Name is Mina
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“If you have feelings for someone, let them know. It doesn’t matter if they can be in your life or not. Maybe, it is just enough for both of you to release the truth, so healing can occur. The opposite is true, as well. If you don’t have feelings for someone then never let another person suggest that you do. Protect your reputation and be responsible for the wrong information spread about you. Never allow anyone to live with a false belief or unfounded hope about you. An honorable person sets the record straight, so that person can move on with their life.”

TruthWomenRelationshipsAnswersWifeCommunicationHusbandBehaviorConfusionManWomanNonsenseSistersSpouseSiblingsFamily MembersClosureRumorsClarificationGentlemenCrushesStalkersGood Life QuotesJealous WomenMixed SignalsAngry MenInconsistent BehaviorSeeking Closure
Author:Shannon L. Alder
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“It was badly received by the generation to which it was first addressed, and the outpouring of angry nonsense to which it gave rise is sad to think upon. But the present generation will probably behave just as badly if another Darwin should arise, and inflict upon them that which the generality of mankind most hate—the necessity of revising their convictions. Let them, then, be charitable to us ancients; and if they behave no better than the men of my day to some new benefactor, let them recollect that, after all, our wrath did not come to much, and vented itself chiefly in the bad language of sanctimonious scolds. Let them as speedily perform a strategic right-about-face, and follow the truth wherever it leads.”

TruthScienceEvolutionHatredAngerStrategyNonsenseBiologyWrathCharitableRevisionGenerationReceptionDarwinConvictionsCharles DarwinAncientsBenefactorSanctimonyScolds
Author:Thomas Henry Huxley
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“Because, of course, the real world needs some Nonsense, sometimes," Alice had said to Katz at the Samovar, when originally revealing her plan. "Not all the time and not never. Just enough to remind us when real things things get too ridiculous to be borne. And sometimes we have to create that Nonsense ourselves." What the real world needs is an Alice," Katz had said back to her. "And Wonderland, too." That was the first time he had kissed her.”

True LoveNonsenseFirst KissAliceKatz
Book:Unbirthday
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“Twas brillig, and the slithy toves Did gyre and gimble in the wabe; All mimsy were the borogoves, And the mome raths outgrabe. "Beware the Jabberwock, my son The jaws that bite, the claws that catch! Beware the Jubjub bird, and shun The frumious Bandersnatch!" He took his vorpal sword in hand; Long time the manxome foe he sought— So rested he by the Tumtum tree, And stood awhile in thought. And, as in uffish thought he stood, The Jabberwock, with eyes of flame, Came whiffling through the tulgey wood, And burbled as it came! One, two! One, two! And through and through The vorpal blade went snicker-snack! He left it dead, and with its head He went galumphing back. "And hast thou slain the Jabberwock? Come to my arms, my beamish boy! O frabjous day! Callooh! Callay!" He chortled in his joy. 'Twas brillig, and the slithy toves Did gyre and gimble in the wabe; All mimsy were the borogoves, And the mome raths outgrabe.”

PoetryNonsenseLewis CarrollJabberwocky
Author:Lewis Carroll
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“For every nonsense that is written, there is a sense behind the ‘non’. Not until we go behind the ‘non’, we shall least see the sense. If we stand in front of the nonsense, the ‘non’ shall always face us. It may only take a step taking to go behind the 'non' to see the sense the ‘non’ is obstructing. There are so many people who quit so quickly just because they look at the non in front of the sense and they conclude that sense can never come after ‘non’.”

ThoughtCommon SenseNonsenseDon T Give UpAttitude QuotesFacing ChallengesTenacity QuotesBetter Days AheadRight AttitudeGo The Extra MileFacing DifficultiesFacing RealitiesLook Beyond What You LookThe Right Actions For Your Goals
Author:Ernest Agyemang Yeboah
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“Focus your attention on the quality of your words, and not the quantity, because few sensible talks attracts millions of listeners more than a thousand gibberish.”

AttentionBrainQualityTalkingKnowledgeAudienceFocusCommunicationListeningSpeechWordsIntellectDiscussionNonsenseSense Of HumorQuantityListenersSensibilityShut UpWordListenTalkSpeakingMichael Bassey JohnsonMouthBrainsFewCheapSermonBe WiseGibberishTalksMouth To MouthMouth Control
Author:Michael Bassey Johnson
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“I haven’t sold Spinning Death Kicks Disguised As Reading A Book Quietly since my third grade teacher confiscated all my camouflage material. She also snatched away my Duck Quacks In A Can (with 50% more flavor).”

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Book:Music is fluid, and my saxophone overflows when my ducks slosh in the sounds I make in elevators.
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“La baronessa fece chiamare la sua vettura. Nel frattempo estrasse dal corsetto le mammelle e quando arrivò il cocchiere le fece sbattere ironicamente in aria, come due colombe d'argento, trattenendole con le mani perché non pigliassero il volo. -Fossero almeno tre- disse con voce roca il cocchiere, stringendo la frusta. Con una risatina, anch'essa d'argento, la baronessa salì sulla vettura e il cocchiere se la portò via, verso un altro romanzo, di successo.”

HumorNonsenseItaly
Author:WILCOCK J. Rodolfo -
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“Birdle Burble I went out of mind and then came to my senses By meeting a magpie who mixed up his tenses, Who muddled distinctions of nouns and of verbs, And insisted that logic is bad for the birds. With a poo-wee cluck and a chit, chit-chit; The grammar and meaning don't matter a bit. The stars in their courses have no destination; The train of events will arrive at no station; The inmost and ultimate Self of us all Is dancing on nothing and having a ball. So with a chat for chit and with tat for tit, This will be that, and that will be It! (poem for James Broughton)”

PoemPhilosopherNonsenseAlan WattsJames Broughton
Author:Alan Watts
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“Rhyia leaned over and pushed a fallen strand of his hair back over one of his ears. 'Take it.' 'You want me to have it?' he asked, just to be sure. He wondered what he'd done that was worthy of being commemorated with a present. 'I thought you could use a little nonsense,' she told him, which worried him a little.”

WorriedNonsenseHolly BlackPresentThe Folk Of The AirCardan GreenbriarCardanSiblingsRhyia Greenbriar
Book:How the King of Elfhame Learned to Hate Stories
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“Arendt's laughter was the laughter of incongruence, the laughter that erupts when facing absurdity, a pause to catch one's breath. We happen upon something that makes no sense, we laugh, and respond with wit. For while laughter is a re-action, irony and wit are (spoken or written) actions. Irony expresses the unwillingness or the inability to put up with nonsense. Wit arises when people can easily and quickly see similarities between dissimilar things.”

LaughterWitIronyNonsense
Book:Unlearning with Hannah Arendt
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