MishMash

More Martial

Why do strong arms fatigue themselves with frivolous dumbbells? To dig a vineyard is worthier exercise for men. [The Quotations Page]

Ta, Pete.

IT is a social disease. [Patrick Logan]

(Er, that's IT, as in Information Technology)

What constitutes a happy life?

Dad recently had an operation on his pancreas, and is by all accounts recovering very well indeed. I'll see for myself in the next few days, when I finally make it down there. He's found a lovely summary of his feelings after having cause to consider his mortality.

Update: Pete inadvertently drew my attention to the fact that I didn't have the faintest idea who Martial was. I do now.

Example is always more efficacious than precept.

Samuel Johnson

From here. There is an online collection of Samuel Johnson quotes.

Joel Spolsky

"All non-trivial abstractions, to some degree, are leaky."

[Joel on Software]

Putt's Law

"Technology is dominated by two types of people: those who understand what they do not manage, and those who manage what they do not understand."

[Quotes of the Day]

Sydney Smith

"Have the courage to be ignorant of a great number of things, in order to avoid the calamity of being ignorant of everything."

The near-perfect republic

Dennis J. Kucinich, presidential candidate hopeful, writing on Lessig's weblog, brings out another good (if perhaps a little big headed?) Jefferson quote:

"Yes, we did produce a near-perfect republic. But will they keep it? Or will they, in the enjoyment of plenty, lose the memory of freedom?" -- Thomas Jefferson in a letter to John Adams