tragically unhip | quotes

“Make no little plans. They have no magic to stir men’s blood and probably themselves will not be realized. Make big plans; aim high in hope and work, remembering that a noble, logical diagram once recorded will never die, but long after we are gone will be a living thing, asserting itself with ever-growing insistence. Remember that our sons and grandsons are going to do things that would stagger us. Let your watchword be order and your beacon beauty. Think big.” - Daniel Burnham , Chicago architect

'it is isolation that is critical to war. you can't be abusive when you realize your connectedness." ~David Kadlec

"the only thing that sustains one through life is the consciousness of the immense inferiority of everybody else." ~Oscar Wilde

"many of life's failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up." ~Thomas A. Edison

"I always try to believe the best of everybody -- it saves so much trouble." ~ Rudyard Kipling

"The trick is what one emphasizes. We either make ourselves miserable or we make ourselves happy. The amount of work is the same." ~ C.Castaneda

"If one oversteps the bounds of moderation, the greatest pleasures cease to please." ~ Epictetus

We must be willing to get rid of the life we've planned, so as to have the life that is waiting for us. ~ Joseph Campbell

"Don't be afraid to take a big step. You can't cross a chasm in two small jumps." -David Lloyd George

Fish, to taste right, must swim three times- in water, in butter and in wine. ~Polish proverb

"An inordinate passion for pleasure is the secret of remaining young." - Oscar Wilde

“I have never killed a man, but i have read many obituaries with a lot of pleasure." ~ Clarence Darrow

" Do not let your fire go out, spark by irreplaceable spark, in the hopeless swamp of the approximate, the not-quite, not-yet, the not-at-all." ~Ayn Rand [via Sven ]

"For the first time, the main sermon was delivered by a woman, the Rev. Sharon E. Watkins, general minister and president of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). She related an oft-told Cherokee tale about a grandfather who explains to his grandson that within every person are two wolves fighting — one the wolf of anger, resentment and fear, the other of compassion, hope and love. The grandson asks which wolf wins, and the grandfather answers, 'The one you feed.' ” [ via ]

"At a certain point in your life, you realize that your habits aren't really habits, they're who you are. There's a horrible realization that you're an adult now, and that all the quirks that you thought would change as you grow older aren't going to. A lot of these songs come from that feeling of growing up and wanting to leave certain things behind, while others are about making sense of your relationship." ~ Teddy Thompson

"if we listened to our intellect, we'd never have a love affair. we'd never have a friendship. we'd never go into business, because we'd be too cynical. well, that's nonsense. you've got to jump off cliffs all the time and build your wings on the way down." ~ Annie Dillard

"Suburbia is where the developer bulldozes out the trees, then names the streets after them." ~ Bill Vaughn

There are only two things to worry about Either you are well or you are sick, If you are well, Then there is nothing to worry about. But if you are sick, there are two things to worry about. Either you will get well or you will die. If you get well, there is nothing to worry about. If you die, there are only two things to worry about. Either you will go to heaven or hell. If you go to heaven there is nothing to worry about. But if you go to hell, you'll be so damn busy shaking hands with friends you won't have time to worry!

"i don't know the key to success, but the key to failure is trying to please everybody." ~Bill Cosby

"the cure for anything is salt water: sweat, tears or the sea." ~ Isak Dinesen