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Purpose Quotes

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Purpose Quotes

“When common sense sees a puzzling phenomenon it looks for a causal agent. When it sees organization it looks for an organizer. This works amazingly well for purposes ranging from the diagnosis of diseases to the creation of governments. But it cannot account for emergence ... the appearance of complex phenomena not predictable from the basic elements and processes alone.”

WellsLooksGovernmentPurposeProcessCommonCreationDiseaseElementsOrganizationAccountsComplexesAppearanceCommon SenseAgentsPhenomenonPredictableDiagnosisEmergenceOrganizerPuzzling
Book:Education and Mind in the Knowledge Age
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“Faith just doesn't have anything to do with what I'm doing as a scientist. It's nice if you can believe in God, because then you see more of a purpose in things. Even if you don't, though, it doesn't mean that there's no purpose. It doesn't mean that there's no goodness. I think that there's a virtue in being good in and of itself. I think that one can work with the world we have.”

IfsThinkingWorldBelieveMeanPurposeFaithVirtueNiceGoodnessScientistBe GoodBelieve In GodHave Faith
Author:Lisa Randall
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“Maybe the growth of "God" signifies the existence of God. That is: if history naturally pushes people toward moral improvement, toward moral growth, and their God, as they conceive their God, grows accordingly, becoming morally richer, then maybe this growth is evidence of some higher purpose, and maybe - conceivably - the source of that purpose is worthy of the name divinity.”

PeopleIfsPurposeNamesGrowsGrowthExistenceMoralSourceBecomingHigherEvidenceWorthyImprovementDivinityExistence Of GodHigher PurposeMoral Growth
Book:The Evolution Of God: The origins of our beliefs
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“In thermodynamics as well as in other branches of molecular physics , the laws of phenomena have to a certain extent been anticipated, and their investigation facilitated, by the aid of hypotheses as to occult molecular structures and motions with which such phenomena are assumed to be connected. The hypothesis which has answered that purpose in the case of thermodynamics, is called that of "molecular vortices," or otherwise, the "centrifugal theory of elasticity.”

WellsLawPurposeCertainCasesTheoryStructureConnectedAidsPhysicsBranchesPhenomenonInvestigationHypothesisOccultThermodynamicsElasticity
Book:A Manual of the Steam Engine and Other Prime Movers by William John Macquorn Rankine
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“Up and down the the still sparsely settled coast of British North America, groups of men-intellectuals and farmers, scholars and merchants, the learned and the ignorant-gathered for the purpose of constructing enlightened governments.”

MenStillsGovernmentAmericaPurposeGroupsBritishIgnorantEnlightenedFarmersScholarCoastUp And DownMerchantsNorth America
Book:The Ideological Origins of the American Revolution
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“The truths which are represented in England and Western countries generally, are those which refer to force of character, earnestness of purpose, conscientious strictness, noble charity, practical duty, whilst the truths which I find peculiarly developed in India - developed to a greater extent than anywhere else, - and in the Eastern countries generally, are those which have reference to sweetness of communion, sweetness of temper, meekness and resignation unto God.”

CountryCharacterPurposeForceGreaterDutyIndiaEnglandCharityWesternNoblePracticalsTemperCommunionSweetnessEasternResignationMeeknessEarnestness
Author:Keshub Chandra Sen
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“I will never forget that the only reason I'm standing here today is because somebody, somewhere stood up for me when it was risky. Stood up when it was hard. Stood up when it wasn't popular. And because that somebody stood up, a few more stood up. And then a few thousand stood up. And then a few million stood up. And standing up, with courage and clear purpose, they somehow managed to change the world.”

WorldHardReasonTodayPurposeForgetMillionsCourageClearThousandStandingChanging The WorldNever ForgetStood Up
Author:Barack Obama
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“If he who employs coercion against me could mould me to his purposes by argument, no doubt he would. He pretends to punish me because his argument is strong; but he really punishes me because his argument is weak.”

IfsPurposeStrongDoubtArgumentWeakNo DoubtCoercionMould
Book:Enquiry Concerning Political Justice, and Its Influence on Morals and Happiness: By William Godwin
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“What does purpose mean? It means the deepest desire for our short lives to mean something. . . . To speak a language of purpose is to return to first principles and to be able to answer, in plain English, the plain questions of Why? Why should we chip in to help someone else? Why should we defer gratification? Why should we care about the long term? Why should we trust anyone who seems to be limiting our ability to do what we want?”

WantShouldFirstsMeanLongDoeHelpingSeemsCareAbleDesirePurposeSpeakLanguageTermAbilityAnswersPrinciplesReturnIntentionLong TermChipsGratificationShort LifePlain English
Author:Eric Liu
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“In the 'in-itself' there is nothing of 'causal connections', of 'necessity', or of 'psychological non-freedom'; there the effect does not follow the cause, there is no rule or 'law'. It is we alone who have devised cause, sequence, for-each-other, relativity, constraint, number, law, freedom, motive, and purpose; and when we project and mix this symbol world into things as if it existed 'in itself', we act once more as we have always acted- mythologically.”

IfsWorldDoeLawPurposeCausesNumbersEffectsProjectsConnectionsPsychologicalSymbolsMotiveRationalitySequenceConstraintsRelativity
Author:Friedrich Nietzsche
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“Respect is not fear and awe; it...[is]the ability to see a person as he is, to be aware of his unique individuality. Respect, thus, implies the absence of exploitation. I want the loved person to grow and unfold for his own sake, and in his own ways, and not for the purpose of serving me.”

WayWantPersonsPurposeGrowsAbilityUniqueRespectSakeIndividualityAbsenceAweServingExploitationAbility To See
Book:The Art of Loving: The Centennial Edition
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“The problem of restoring integration and co-operation between man's beliefs about the world in which he lives and his beliefs about values and purposes that should direct his conduct is the deepest problem modern life. It is the problem of any philosophy that is not isolated from life.”

MenWorldShouldPhilosophyProblemWisdomPurposeValuesBeliefModernDirectOperationsIsolatedIntegrationModern LifeRestoring
Book:The Later Works, 1925-1953: 1929
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“I believe that space travel will one day become as common as airline travel is today. I'm convinced, however, that the true future of space travel does not lie with government agencies -- NASA is still obsessed with the idea that the primary purpose of the space program is science -- but real progress will come from private companies competing to provide the ultimate adventure ride, and NASA will receive the trickle-down benefits.”

BelieveDoeStillsIdeasRealGovernmentTodayLyingPurposeI BelieveSpaceCommonCompanyProgressAdventureOne DayBenefitsProgramUltimateConvincedPrimariesObsessedAgencyCompetingAirlineNasaSpace TravelSpace ProgramTrickle DownGovernment Agencies
Book:Magnificent Desolation: The Long Journey Home from the Moon
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“Hell was not part of the original creation. Hell is God's fall-back position. Hell is something God was forced to make because people chose to rebel against him and turn against what was best for them and the purpose for which they were created.”

PeoplePurposeTurnsFallHellCreationPositionOriginalsRebelFall Back
Book:The Case for Faith: A Journalist Investigates the Toughest Objections to Christianity
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“If the Almighty in his mercy allows us to settle peace among the christian leaders, we shall press on not only to destroy completely the bad seeds, but also to expand the territories of Christ, and, supported by these achievements, we shall go forward, with God favouring his own purposes, to the most holy expedition against the infidels, the desire for which is deeply fixed in our heart.”

IfsHeartChristianDesirePurposeChristLeaderHolyAchievementMercyPressesSeedsSettlingFixedTerritoryAlmightyInfidelExpeditionsChristian LeadersBad Seed
Author:Pope Leo X
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“And so the blasts of calumny, howl they ever so fiercely over the good man's head, contribute to his juster appreciation and to his wider fame. Preserve only a good conscience toward God, and a loving purpose toward your fellow men, and you need not wince nor tremble, though the pack of the spaniel-hearted hounds snarl at your heels.”

MenNeedsPurposeFameConscienceFellowsAppreciationPreservesGood ManHeelsPacksFellow ManHeartedBlastHowlHoundsCalumnyWinceSpaniels
Book:Lectures and Sermons
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“Is the purpose of theoretical physics to be no more than a cataloging of all the things that can happen when particles interact with each other and seperate? Or is it to be an understanding at a deeper level in which there are things that are not directly observable (as the underlying quantized fields are) but in terms of which we shall have a more fundamental understanding?”

HappensPurposeUnderstandingTermLevelsFieldsFundamentalsDeeperPhysicsParticlesTheoreticalTheoretical Physics
Book:Quantum Mechanics: Symbolism of Atomic Measurements
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“The left's obsession with corporations as a spawn of evil is pathological paranoia. A corporation is just one form of organizing a private business enterprise for purposes of limiting personal liability, issuing stock, filing financial reports and paying taxes. Other forms include partnerships and sole proprietorships. Are they less evil? You buy your groceries from corporations, your cars, newspapers, cellphones, clothing and exercise equipment. Your parents and children work for corporations. Are they evil?”

ChildrenFormPurposeEvilLeftParentCarExerciseTaxesFinancialNewspapersObsessionCorporationsJust OneEnterpriseReportsClothingsSolePartnershipEquipmentGroceriesParanoiaLiabilityChildren And ParentsSpawnFilingCellphonePaying Taxes
Author:Mike Rosen
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