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Uncertain Principles

Thoughts on physics, politics, and pop culture, by a physics professor at a small liberal arts college, plus occasional conversations with his dog.

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"Uncertain Principles" features the miscellaneous ramblings of a physicist at a small liberal arts college. Physics, politics, pop culture, and occasional conversations with his dog.

Chad Orzel "Prof. Orzel gives the impression of an everyday guy who just happens to have a vast but hidden knowledge of physics." (anonymous student evaluation comment)

Emmy, the Queen of Niskayuna Emmy is a German Shepherd mix, and the Queen of Niskayuna. She likes treats, walks, chasing bunnies, and quantum physics.

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« links for 2008-05-25 | Main | Built On Facts »

Random Quotes

Category: Blogs
Posted on: May 25, 2008 9:09 AM, by Chad Orzel

Via Lara, a "meme" calling for the posting of random quotes. Because why not?

"We are an impossibility in an impossible universe. "
Ray Bradbury (1920 - )

"Few things are harder to put up with than the annoyance of a good example. "
Mark Twain (1835 - 1910), Pudd'nhead Wilson (1894)

"Progress isn't made by early risers. It's made by lazy men trying to find easier ways to do something. "
Robert Heinlein (1907 - 1988), Time Enough For Love

"Wisdom is what's left after we've run out of personal opinions. "
Cullen Hightower

"When the character of a man is not clear to you, look at his friends. "
Japanese Proverb

I have no idea who Cullen Hightower is or in what context that was said, but I like it.

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Comments

1

The Seven Dreadful Sins: stupidity, insanity, fetish, religiosity, malice, irresponsibility, and mandated charity.

When an Enviro-whiner feels threatened it excretes a foul exudate forming a protective layer of disingenuous stupidity to deflect dissonant facts and beliefs damaging to said Enviro-whiner's tender underbelly of pure ignorance.

Faith is God dictating your thoughts. Philosophy is logic setting the rules. Science is observed fact being observably factual.

Sometimes tolerences average - that's freedom. Sometimes tolerences multiply - that's management.

Posted by: Uncle Al | May 25, 2008 2:15 PM

2

Among the quotes that random quote site served up for me was the following gem:

"A quotation, like a pun, should come unsought, and then be welcomed only for some propriety of felicity justifying the intrusion."--Robert Chapman

Posted by: Eric Lund | May 25, 2008 2:27 PM

3

The Robert Heinlein quote is brilliant. I'm going to have to remember that one.

Posted by: asad | May 25, 2008 6:19 PM

4

"Progress isn't made by early risers. It's made by lazy men trying to find easier ways to do something. "
Robert Heinlein (1907 - 1988), Time Enough For Love

If one examines the demographics, there are more lazy early risers than industrious early risers. Early risers want to find easier ways of doing things so they can get things done and out of the way of late risers who think that early risers should stay around and help them. The trick is to get things doen and away before the late risers have their coffee.

Posted by: Simple Country Physicist | May 26, 2008 8:42 AM

5
I have no idea who Cullen Hightower is or in what context that was said, but I like it.

I have a favourite quote like that myself. No idea who Robert Brault is (other than he seems to be a software developer), but I like this:

Today I bent the truth to be kind, and I have no regret, for I am far surer of what is kind than I am of what is true. -- Robert Brault

I like a different Heinlein quote, too:

When faced with a problem you do not understand, do any part of it you do understand, then look at it again. -- Robert A. Heinlein,(The Moon is a Harsh Mistress)

And in the vein of Mark Twain:

'Whom are you?' he asked, for he had attended business college. -- George Ade, "The Steel Box", 1898

Posted by: Wilson Fowlie | May 26, 2008 2:27 PM

6
American salesman and sales trainer. Hightower served in the army during WWII and then began a 30-year career in sales and sales training. Upon retiring in Florida, he began publishing the quips and advice he had been writing for himself most of his life. They appeared in a popular newspaper feature called Salty Sally and often in Forbes, Reader's Digest and other magazines and publications. He later published a collection of them in a book entitled Cullen Hightower's Wit Kit.

- http://www.conservativeforum.org/authquot.asp?ID=1599

Posted by: Kevin W. Parker | May 27, 2008 3:49 PM

7

Regarding, "Today I bent the truth to be kind and I have no regret, for I am far surer of what is kind than I am of what is true."

This is one of about 300 items I wrote for National Enquirer between 1973 and 1987. At the time the Enquirer used quips and anecdotes as column fillers.

I did it strictly as an avocation and had no motive except the $20 I received for each item. Due to some glitch in my brain circuitry, I found that I could sit in front of a typewriter for two hours on a Sunday afternoon and easily come up with a page of original thoughts.

It now appears, thanks to the Internet, that I am quoted on 50,000 or more sites by people who have idea who I am and would be most disappointed to find out. I find, whenever I quote myself, that people will accept wisdom from the famous or the anonymous but not from the fellow next door.

Posted by: Robert Brault | June 1, 2008 11:36 AM

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