De Jasay Quotes & Sayings

All higher motives, ideals, conceptions, sentiments in a man are of no account if they do not come forward to strengthen him for the better discharge of the duties which devolve upon him in the ordinary affairs of life. — Henry Ward Beecher

Karl Popper once advised a student that if he wanted to reap intellectual fame, he should write endless pages of obscure, high-flown prose that would leave the reader puzzled and cowed. He should then here and there smuggle in a few sensible, straightforward sentences all could understand. The reader would feel that since he has grasped this part, he must have also grasped the rest. He would then congratulate himself and praise the author. — Anthony De Jasay

It is the dance between chaos and order that is truly creative. — Harrison Owen

The smaller the domain where choices among alternatives are made collectively, the smaller will be the probability that any individual's preference gets overruled. — Anthony De Jasay

Leash the anger on purpose.
Unleash it when falling apart. — Toba Beta

I love the tragic side. I don't do 'happy' onstage. I like the dark, the disturbed. — Sondra Radvanovsky

Mankind owns four things
That are no good at sea:
Rudder, anchor, oars,
And the fear of going down. — Antonio Machado

People who live in states have as a rule never experienced the state of nature and vice-versa, and have no practical possibility of moving from the one to the other ... On what grounds, then, do people form hypotheses about the relative merits of state and state of nature? ... My contention here is that preferences for political arrangements of society are to a large extent produced by these very arrangements, so that political institutions are either addictive like some drugs, or allergy-inducing like some others, or both, for they may be one thing for some people and the other for others. — Anthony De Jasay

It's time, my children
When the waves rise high
When the waters run deep
When the clock strikes midnight
You'll feel the mark of Zero Hour
And you'll never be the same again — Lisa Mangum

Writing the songs at the cabin, I couldn't help but be drawn to the boom-chicka rhythms as much as I tried to fight it. But when I fought it, the creative process was interrupted, so I ended up going with it. If I'm ever accused of being derivative of my heroes then I would take that as a compliment. I like staying close to the roots of my influences. — Dale Watson

Writers are great lovers. They fall in love with other writers. That's how they learn to write. They take on a writer, read everything by him or her, read it over again until they understand how the writer moves, pauses, and sees. That's what being a lover is: stepping out of yourself, stepping into someone else's skin. — Natalie Goldberg

Having gathered all power to itself, [the State] has become the sole focus of all conflict, and it must construct totalitarian defences to match its total exposure. — Anthony De Jasay

Good. It's better if my DNA isn't passed on." "Why? You're smart, beautiful, powerful." "I'm also mentally unstable and may have tendencies toward criminal insanity. — Nalini Singh

I'd love to be in a feature film, and I don't just mean in a starring role - it could be a small part. And I would like to act in television, to do comedy and drama. — Barbara Mandrell

Self-imposed limits on sovereign power can disarm mistrust, but provide no guarantee of liberty and property beyond those afforded by the balance between state and private force. — Anthony De Jasay

The stage is a training ground and it's where you learn what's funny and what's successful. — Matthew Lillard

In the process of helping some (perhaps most) people to more utility and justice, the state imposes on civil society a system of interdictions and commands. — Anthony De Jasay

Robertson Ay was sitting in the garden busily doing nothing. — P.L. Travers

And lips say God be pitiful, who never said, God be praised. — Elizabeth Barrett Browning