Quotations

[D.o.S.]

One more from Real Genius (which is a goddamn goldmine)

"Have you ever seen a body like this before in your life?"
"She happens to be my daughter."
"Oh. Then I guess you have."

And a "real" one:

There are these two young fish swimming along and they happen to meet an older fish swimming the other way, who nods at them and says "Morning, boys. How's the water?" And the two young fish swim on for a bit, and then
eventually one of them looks over at the other and goes "What the hell is water?"

This is a standard requirement of US commencement speeches, the deployment of didactic little parable-ish stories. The story ["thing"] turns out to be one of the better, less bullshitty conventions of the genre, but if you're worried that I plan to present myself here as the wise, older fish explaining what water is to you younger fish, please don't be. I am not the wise old fish. The point of the fish story is merely that the most obvious, important realities are often the ones that are hardest to see and talk about. Stated as an English sentence, of course, this is just a banal platitude, but the fact is that in the day to day trenches of adult existence, banal platitudes can have a life or death importance, or so I wish to suggest to you on this dry and lovely morning.
-David Foster Wallace.

[Gozu]

"to be free is to not mearly cast of ones chains but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others" nelson mandella

[CBA]

"If you understand - things are such as they are.
If you do not understand - things are such as they are."

"If you understand, things are just as they are; if you do not understand, things are just as they are."

Word.

C

[jfrey]

"You know why our lives suck? Because the people that always exercise their right to free speech are idiots. They should just shut up, and stop ruining it for the rest of us."

- A friend of mine, yesterday during our lunch break

[jrmy]

One more from Real Genius (which is a goddamn goldmine)

"Have you ever seen a body like this before in your life?"
"She happens to be my daughter."
"Oh. Then I guess you have."

And a "real" one:

There are these two young fish swimming along and they happen to meet an older fish swimming the other way, who nods at them and says "Morning, boys. How's the water?" And the two young fish swim on for a bit, and then
eventually one of them looks over at the other and goes "What the hell is water?"

This is a standard requirement of US commencement speeches, the deployment of didactic little parable-ish stories. The story ["thing"] turns out to be one of the better, less bullshitty conventions of the genre, but if you're worried that I plan to present myself here as the wise, older fish explaining what water is to you younger fish, please don't be. I am not the wise old fish. The point of the fish story is merely that the most obvious, important realities are often the ones that are hardest to see and talk about. Stated as an English sentence, of course, this is just a banal platitude, but the fact is that in the day to day trenches of adult existence, banal platitudes can have a life or death importance, or so I wish to suggest to you on this dry and lovely morning.
-David Foster Wallace.

You appreciate Real Genius, quote DFW and love loud music. You and me? We should totally hang out.

[CBA]

One more from Real Genius (which is a goddamn goldmine)

"Have you ever seen a body like this before in your life?"
"She happens to be my daughter."
"Oh. Then I guess you have."

And a "real" one:

There are these two young fish swimming along and they happen to meet an older fish swimming the other way, who nods at them and says "Morning, boys. How's the water?" And the two young fish swim on for a bit, and then
eventually one of them looks over at the other and goes "What the hell is water?"

This is a standard requirement of US commencement speeches, the deployment of didactic little parable-ish stories. The story ["thing"] turns out to be one of the better, less bullshitty conventions of the genre, but if you're worried that I plan to present myself here as the wise, older fish explaining what water is to you younger fish, please don't be. I am not the wise old fish. The point of the fish story is merely that the most obvious, important realities are often the ones that are hardest to see and talk about. Stated as an English sentence, of course, this is just a banal platitude, but the fact is that in the day to day trenches of adult existence, banal platitudes can have a life or death importance, or so I wish to suggest to you on this dry and lovely morning.
-David Foster Wallace.

You appreciate Real Genius, quote DFW and love loud music. You and me? We should totally hang out.

DFW FTW!

1/4 of the way through "The Pale King" and almost done with "A Supposedly Fun Thing...". Have "Infinite Jest" and "Brief Interviews" under my belt.

<3 <3 <3

C

[snipelfritz]

There are these two young fish swimming along and they happen to meet an older fish swimming the other way, who nods at them and says "Morning, boys. How's the water?" And the two young fish swim on for a bit, and then
eventually one of them looks over at the other and goes "What the hell is water?"

This is a standard requirement of US commencement speeches, the deployment of didactic little parable-ish stories. The story ["thing"] turns out to be one of the better, less bullshitty conventions of the genre, but if you're worried that I plan to present myself here as the wise, older fish explaining what water is to you younger fish, please don't be. I am not the wise old fish. The point of the fish story is merely that the most obvious, important realities are often the ones that are hardest to see and talk about. Stated as an English sentence, of course, this is just a banal platitude, but the fact is that in the day to day trenches of adult existence, banal platitudes can have a life or death importance, or so I wish to suggest to you on this dry and lovely morning.
-David Foster Wallace.

A meteorologist would slap the shit out of that guy.

But Ive heard great things about his writing. Should get around to it some day.

"Having had to encounter single-handed during his period of eclipse many physical dangers, he was well aware of the most dangerous element common to them all: of the crushing, paralysing sense of human littleness, which is what really defeats a human struggling with natural forces, alone, far from the eyes of his fellows."
-Joseph Conrad

"I was a total bad-ass"
-Joseph Conrad

[devnulljp]

Everything is the way it is because it got that way
---D'Arcy Thompson

[Big Mon]

"Do you know what she did? Your cunting daughter?"

[D.o.S.]

You appreciate Real Genius, quote DFW and love loud music. You and me? We should totally hang out.

Agreed.

Also, the more times I read that D'arcy Thompson quote, the more I appreciate it.

[Big Mon]

Sailin' hardships through/ broken harbors/ out on the waves in the night
Still a searcher must/ ride a dark horse/ racing along in his fright-
Neil fuckin' Young

[Chumley]

I don't suppose I can quote Camus without sounding like a pompous jackass

And even if I could I can't exactly post the entire text of The Fall, so it's hardly worth it.

[D.o.S.]

DFW FTW!

1/4 of the way through "The Pale King" and almost done with "A Supposedly Fun Thing...". Have "Infinite Jest" and "Brief Interviews" under my belt.

<3 <3 <3

C

Brief Interviews is great, as is Infinite Jest. Haven't had time to get to The Broom Of The system yet.

"It's a shame that the only thing a man can do for eight hours a day is work. He can't eat for eight hours; he can't drink for eight hours; he can't make love for eight hours. The only thing a man can do for eight hours is work."
William Faulkner

[snipelfritz]

I don't suppose I can quote Camus without sounding like a pompous jackass

And even if I could I can't exactly post the entire text of The Fall, so it's hardly worth it.

Yeah, but to me, being a pompous jackass is a good thing.

The Stranger is probably the greatest novel that you can read in a single day, but of course it's better just to take your time. I always read the chapter where he's looking out his window multiple times in a row.

[DuoSonicII]

"It's a shame that the only thing a man can do for eight hours a day is work. He can't eat for eight hours; he can't drink for eight hours; he can't make love for eight hours. The only thing a man can do for eight hours is work."
William Faulkner

Apparently Faulkner wasn't trying hard enough.