"Rod, one of the things I love about you is you're excited by
everything."
Ted Faber,
11/1996.
"Rod does not have a normal capability for acquiring textiles like most people ...
... having never actually purchased any clothing from a store.
All clothes having either been purchased by someone else, or by
Rod from some convention table, event booth, or mail order."
Steve Hotz, 11/12/1996
That's the opening paragraph of Basho's "The Narrow Road to the Deep North," (Oku no Hosomichi), in Nobuyuki Yuasa's translation. Basho (1644-1694) is considered to be the pinnacle of haiku writers, but I'm a fan of his prose. He wrote those words as he departed for a long trip "late" in life (at the age of 44).
"The prime fact is that all humans are puffed up by their extreme self-satisfaction with their own brute power. Unless some creature more powerful than people arrives on earth to bully them, there's just no knowing to what dire lengths their fool presumptiousness will eventually carry them." Natsume Soseki, I am a Cat, 1905
"Of course the people don't want war. But after all, it's the leaders of the country who determine the policy, and it's always a simple matter to drag the people along whether it's a democracy, a fascist dictatorship, or a parliament, or a communist dictatorship. Voice or no voice, the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is tell them they are being attacked, and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism, and exposing the country to greater danger." Hermann Goering at the Nuremberg trials (Quoted in George Carlin's When Will Jesus Bring the Pork Chops? which is a weird place to be cribbing WWII history from, I admit; if anyone can confirm or deny the authenticity of the quote, I'm interested.)
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