Favourite Quotes - Wit & Wisdom

A very similar quote from another German military man:

Jonathan Haidt is an American psychologist whose book The Righteous Mind I read recently.


“Two people feel strongly about an issue, their feelings come first, and their reasons are invented on the fly, to throw at each other. When you refute a person’s argument, does she generally change her mind and agree with you? Of course not, because the argument you defeated was not the cause of her position; it was made up after the judgment was already made.”


“If we could just erase the borders and boundaries that divide us, then the world would 'be as one'. It's a vision of heaven for liberals, but conservatives believe it would quickly descend into hell . . . If you destroy all groups and dissolve all internal structure, you destroy your moral capital.”


“Societies that forgo the exoskeleton of religion should reflect carefully on what will happen to them over several generations. We don’t really know, because the first atheistic societies have only emerged in Europe in the last few decades. They are the least efficient societies ever known at turning resources (of which they have a lot) into offspring (of which they have few).”


“life is much like a movie we walk into well after its opening scene, and we will have to step out long before most of the story lines reach their conclusions.”

“The modern world is not evil; in some ways the modern world is far too good. It is full of wild and wasted virtues. When a religious scheme is shattered (as Christianity was shattered at the Reformation), it is not merely the vices that are let loose. The vices are, indeed, let loose, and they wander and do damage. But the virtues are let loose also; and the virtues wander more wildly, and the virtues do more terrible damage. The modern world is full of the old Christian virtues gone mad. The virtues have gone mad because they have been isolated from each other and are wandering alone. Thus some scientists care for truth; and their truth is pitiless. Thus some humanitarians only care for pity; and their pity (I am sorry to say) is often untruthful.”

G.K. Chesterton

“When you do something noble and beautiful and no one notices, don't be sad. Sunrise is a beautiful spectacle but without a doubt the greater part of the audience is still asleep.” ― John Lennon