Quotes of the day from previous years:
This enemy attacked not just our people, but all freedom-loving people everywhere in the world. The United States of America will use all our resources to conquer this enemy. We will rally the world. We will be patient, we will be focused, and we will be steadfast in our determination.… we will not allow this enemy to win the war by changing our way of life or restricting our freedoms. ~George W. Bush ~
OnSeptember 11, 2001, in our time of grief, the American people came together. We offered our neighbors a hand, and we offered the wounded our blood. We reaffirmed our ties to each other, and our love of community and country. On that day, no matter where we came from, what God we prayed to, or what race or ethnicity we were, we were united as one American family.
We were also united in our resolve to protect our nation and to bring those who committed this vicious attack to justice. … The cause of securing our country is not complete. But tonight, we are once again reminded that America can do whatever we set our mind to. That is the story of our history, whether it’s the pursuit of prosperity for our people, or the struggle for equality for all our citizens; our commitment to stand up for our values abroad, and our sacrifices to make the world a safer place.
Let us remember that we can do these things not just because of wealth or power, but because of who we are: one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. ~Barack Obama ~
| In many ways, thework of acritic is easy. We risk very little, yet enjoy a position over those who offer up their work and their selves to ourjudgment. We thrive on negative criticism, which isfun towrite and toread. But the bittertruth we critics must face, is that in the grand scheme of things, the average piece of junk is probably more meaningful than our criticism designating it so. But there are times when a critic truly risks something, and that is in the discovery and defense of the new. Theworld is often unkind to new talents, new creations. The new needsfriends. Last night, I experienced something new; an extraordinary meal from a singularly unexpected source. To say that both the meal and its maker have challenged my preconceptions about fine cooking, is a gross understatement. They have rocked me to mycore. In the past, I have made nosecret of my disdain for Chef Gusteau's famous motto, "Anyone can cook". But I realize — only now do I truly understand what he meant. Not everyone can become agreatartist, but a great artist can come fromanywhere. It is difficult toimagine more humble origins than those of thegenius now cooking at Gusteau's, who is, in this critic's opinion, nothing less than the finest chef inFrance. I will be returning to Gusteau's soon,hungry for more. |
| ~Brad Bird ~ in ~Ratatouille ~ |
| The magnificent here andnow oflife in the flesh is ours, and ours alone, and ours only for atime. We ought todance withrapture that we should be alive and in the flesh, and part of the living, incarnatecosmos. I am part of thesun as myeye is part of me. That I am part of theearth myfeetknowperfectly, and myblood is part of thesea. Mysoul knows that I am part of thehuman race, my soul is an organic part of the greathuman soul, as my spirit is part of mynation. In my own veryself, I am part of myfamily. There isnothing of me that isalone and absolute except mymind, and we shall find that the mind has no existence by itself, it is only the glitter of thesun on the surface of the waters. |
| ~D. H. Lawrence ~ |
| Do not flinch fromexperiences that mightdestroy yourbeliefs. Thethought you cannot thinkcontrols you more than thoughts youspeak aloud. Submit yourself to ordeals andtest yourself infire. Relinquish theemotion which rests upon a mistaken belief, and seek tofeel fully thatemotion which fits thefacts. If theiron approaches yourface, and you believe it ishot, and it iscool,the Way opposes yourfear. If the iron approaches your face, and you believe it is cool, and it is hot,the Way opposes yourcalm. Evaluate your beliefs first and then arrive at your emotions. Let yourself say: “If the iron is hot, Idesire to believe it is hot, and if it is cool, I desire to believe it is cool.” |
| ~Eliezer Yudkowsky ~ |
| The fundamentalist seeks to bring down a great deal more than buildings. Such people are against, to offer just a brief list,freedom of speech, a multi-partypoliticalsystem, universal adultsuffrage,accountablegovernment,Jews,homosexuals,women’srights,pluralism,secularism, short skirts,dancing, beardlessness,evolution theory,sex. These aretyrants, notMuslims. … The fundamentalistbelieves that we believe innothing. In hisworldview, he has hisabsolutecertainties, while we are sunk insybaritic indulgences. Toprove himwrong, we must firstknow that he is wrong. We must agree on what matters:kissing in public places, bacon sandwiches, disagreement, cutting-edgefashion,literature,generosity,water, a more equitable distribution of theworld’s resources,movies,music,freedom ofthought,beauty,love. These will be ourweapons. Not by makingwar but by the unafraid way wechoose to live shall we defeat them. How to defeatterrorism? Don't be terrorized. Don't letfearrule yourlife. |
| ~Salman Rushdie ~ |
| Terrorists will never be able todefeat theUnited States. Their only hope is to terrorize us into changing who we are or our way oflife. That’s why we Americans will never give in tofear. And it’s why this weekend we remember thetruespirit of9/11. We’re still the America ofheroes who ran into harm’s way; of ordinary folks who took down the hijackers; of families who turned theirpain intohope. We are still the America that looks out for one another, bound by our sharedbelief thatI am my brother’s keeper, I am my sister’s keeper. In the face of terrorism, how we respond matters. We cannot give in to those who would divide us. We cannot react in ways that erode the fabric of oursociety. Because it’s ourdiversity, our welcoming ofall talent, our treating of everybodyfairly — no matter theirrace,gender, ethnicity, orfaith — that’s part of what makes our countrygreat. It’s what makes us resilient. And if we stay true to thosevalues, we’ll uphold the legacy of those we’ve lost, and keep ournationstrong andfree. Godbless you, and God bless the United States of America. |
| ~Barack Obama ~ |
| I'm amazed that there is such misunderstanding of whatour country is about, thatpeople wouldhate us. I am like most Americans. I just can'tbelieve it, because Iknow howgood we are, and we've got to do a better job of making our case. We've got to do a better job ofexplaining to the people in theMiddle East, for example, that we don't fight awar againstIslam orMuslims. We don't hold anyreligion accountable. We'refightingevil. And thesemurderers have hijacked agreat religion in order to justifytheir evil deeds. And we cannot let it stand. |
| ~George W. Bush ~ |
| SinceSeptember 11, an entire generation of youngAmericans has gained newunderstanding of thevalue offreedom and itscost andduty and itssacrifice. Thebattle is now joined on many fronts. We will not waiver, we will not tire, we will not falter, and we will not fail.Peace and freedom will prevail. Thank you. MayGod continue toblessAmerica. |
| ~George W. Bush ~ |
| Ours isessentially atragic age, so we refuse to take it tragically. The cataclysm has happened, we are among theruins, we start to build up new little habitats, to have new littlehopes. It is rather hardwork: there isnow no smooth road into thefuture: but we go round, or scramble over the obstacles. We’ve got tolive, no matter how manyskies have fallen. |
| ~D.H. Lawrence ~ |
| Not very long ago some oneinvented the assertion that there were only "Four Hundred" people inNew York City who were reallyworth noticing. But awiser man has arisen — the census taker — and his larger estimate ofhuman interest has been preferred in marking out the field of these littlestories ofthe "Four Million". |
| ~O. Henry ~ |
| On a day when buildings fell,heroes rose: Pentagon employees ran into smoke-filled corridors to guide theirfriends tosafety. Firefighters rushed up the stairs of the World Trade Center as the towers neared collapse. Passengers aboardFlight 93 charged the cockpit and laid down theirlives to spare countless others. One of the worst days inAmerica'shistory saw some of thebravest acts in Americans' history. We'll alwayshonor the heroes of 9/11. |
| ~George W. Bush ~ |
| Augustine said thatGod created theuniverse new everyday: and to the living,emotionalsoul, this istrue. Everydawn dawns upon an entirely new universe, everyEaster lights up an entirely newglory of a newworld opening in utterly new flower. And the soul ofman and the soul ofwoman is new in the same way, with theinfinitedelight oflife and the ever-newness of life. So a man and a woman are new to one another throughout a life-time, in the rhythm ofmarriage that matches the rhythm of theyear. |
| ~D. H. Lawrence ~ |
| We are today, ashumanbeings,evolved and cultured far beyond thetaboos which are inherent in ourculture. This is a veryimportantfact torealise. |
| ~D. H. Lawrence ~ |
| This is a day when all Americans from every walk of lifeunite in ourresolve forjustice andpeace.America has stood downenemies before, and we will do so this time. None of us will ever forgetthis day. Yet, we go forward to defendfreedom and all that isgood and just in ourworld. |
| ~George W. Bush ~ |
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We have been the cowards lobbing cruise missiles from 2,000 miles away. That's cowardly. Staying in the airplane when it hits the building, say what you want about it, it's not cowardly. Stupid maybe, but not cowardly. -Bill Maher on calling the terrorists cowards.
Men! The only animal in the world to fear! ~D. H. Lawrence (born 11 September 1885, and a somewhat relevant statement in regard to 11 September 2001)
I was reminded as I was reviewing my life, that I have been in too many conflicts, too many wars, political battles, military battles, civil strifes in government. And always one lesson stands out and that is, those whom you fight most passionately often turn out to be your best friends. ~Ferdinand Marcos (born September 11)
Leadership is the other side of the coin of loneliness, and he who is a leader must always act alone. And in acting alone, accept everything alone. ~Ferdinand Marcos (born September 11)
There are many things we do not want in this world. Let us not just mourn them; let us change them. ~Ferdinand Marcos (born September 11)
We cannot and we will not negotiate with terrorists. We have nothing but contempt for them. To conciliate differences with these people without them changing their objectives is to condemn our Republic to ultimate strangulation and death. ~Ferdinand Marcos (born September 11)
Terrorism has no motherland and terrorists have no nationality. ~Karen Demirchyan
We don't know when this madness will end but I do know that god is speaking. I have to believe that in my heart, and I have to know that god will use even this tragedy, to shake up the world. ~ Unknown, (quoted from a video on 9/11)
The attacks of September 11 were intended to break our spirit, instead we have emerged stronger and more unified. We feel renewed devotion to the principles of political, economic and religious freedom, the rule of law and respect for human life. We are more determined than every to live our lives in freedom. ~Rudy Giuliani
A story with a moral appended is like the bill of a mosquito. It bores you, and then injects a stinging drop to irritate your conscience. ~O. Henry
I'm not afraid of loving my enemies
Turning the other cheek
Blessing those that would curse me
I honestly want peace with you
But when you come against my country
When you come against my family
You try to destroy my people
I can't just stand by
There's no way that I can stand by
This time, I will not stand by
I am coming, and if I come, then pain is coming with me
I'm coming, and pain will be with me
~Kevin Young, frontman of the bandDisciple
I returned to see under the sun that the swift do not have the race, nor the mighty ones the battle, nor do the wise also have the food, nor do the understanding ones also have the riches, nor do even those having knowledge have the favor; because time and unforeseen occurrence befall them all. ~ECCLESIASTES 9:11
It’s the end of the world. I was excited by the whole situation. Well, if everybody is going to die, die hard, shit, but what do I know. Is this an atomic bomb—the end of the world—the end of the millennium? No more fear of being fired—for typos or tardiness—digressions or recessions—and what a way of being fired—bursting into flames—without two weeks notice—and without six months of unemployment—and without sick leave, vacation, or comp time—without a word of what was to come—on a glorious morning—when nature ran indifferent to the course of man—there came a point when that sunny sky turned into a hellhole of a night—with papers, computers, windows, bricks, bodies falling, and people running and screaming. ~ Giannina Braschi in "United States of Banana"http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p5UdS8DI-ks
I know you. I have heard of you all my life. I know now what a scourge you have been to your country. Instead of killing fools you have been murdering the youth and genius that are necessary to make a people live and grow great. You are a fool yourself...O. Henry
We have come upon a phase of our history when ideals are only a veneer for greed and power, (in public and private affairs) when devotion to duty and dedication to a public trust are to be weighted at all times against private advantages and personal gain, and when loyalties can be traded.Ferdinand Marcos
Patriotism, a willingness to kill and be killed for trivial reasons. ~Bertrand Russell
| Thegreatnecessity is that we should act according to our thoughts, and think according to our acts. But while we are in thought we cannot really act, and while we are in action we cannot really think. The two conditions, of thought and action, are mutually exclusive. Yet they should be related inharmony. |
| ~D. H. Lawrence ~ |
| Marriage is the clue to human life, but there is no marriage apart from the wheeling sun and the nodding earth, from the straying of the planets and the magnificance of the fixed stars. Is not a man different, utterly different, at dawn from what he is at sunset? And a woman too? And does not the changing harmony and discord of their variation make the secretmusic of life? |
| ~D. H. Lawrence ~ |