The Great Quotes thread

[Frankie Pancakes]

..........

[Kryztian]

"Democracy remains healthy, however, only when rooted in the moral law and a true vision of the human person. Lacking this foundation, it risks becoming either a majoritarian tyranny or a mask for the dominance of economic and technological elites."

- - Robert Francis Prevost a.k.a. Pope Leo XIV, in a message to participants in the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences, April 14, 2026

[grapevine]

"We are just a slightly advanced breed of monkeys on a minor planet orbiting an average star. But we can understand the universe, and that makes us something very special."

- Stephen Hawking told Der Spiegel in 1988 -

[Raskolnikov]

"Just as Hitler was stopped by the alliance of humanity 70 years ago, Netanyahu and his murder network must be stopped by the alliance of humanity."

Turkish President Erdogan speaking at the 79th Session of the UN General Assembly

[Kryztian]

When people are in the thrall of poisonous ideology, it's really not all about deliberate ill will or lack of intelligence. It's about the unbelievable destructiveness and staying power of bad ideas. And the more of us who are willing to reach out, to disagree without demonizing, the more likely we are to change hearts and minds, to heal divisions, and to create a better society for all of us in the process.

- - - Megan Phelps-Roper

[Ewan]

AI would be the biggest event in human history. Unfortunately it might also be the last. ~Elon Musk

The development of full artificial intelligence could spell the end of the human race. ~Stephen Hawking

Google will fulfill its mission only when its search engine is AI-Complete. ~Larry Page CEO and co-founder of Google

If you invent artificial intelligence that's the last invention you'll ever have to invent. ~D. Scott Phoenix co-founder of Vicarious

I don't understand why some people are not concerned. ~Bill Gates

[Raskolnikov]

"I plan on LIVING. Not suicidal at all. Just concerned about what happens when you prove God is real."

David Wilcock

[rgray222]

The Pope was speaking to all of humanity, not just world leaders.

"Peace is not merely the absence of war but a personal and interior effort. True peace begins with humility, forgiveness and mindful communication — not just political treaties"
Pope Leo XIV

.

“Peace is built in the heart and from the heart, by eliminating pride and vindictiveness and carefully choosing our words.”
Pope Leo XIV

[Raskolnikov]

"The evil was not in the bread and circuses, per se, but in the willingness of the people to sell their rights as free men for full bellies and the excitement of the games which would serve to distract them from the other human hungers which bread and circuses can never appease."

"1. The poor, work and work.
2. The rich, exploit the poor.
3. The soldier, protects both.
4. The taxpayer, pays for all three.
5. The wanderer, rests for all four.
6. The drunk, drinks for all five.
7. The banker, robs all six.
8. The lawyer, misleads all seven.
9. The doctor, bills all eight.
10. The undertaker, buries all nine.
11. The politician lives happily on account of all ten."

Cicero

[Eva2]

Brighten, oh glory of being,
Reach into the power of becoming,
And weave the thread of life
Through worlds imbued with being,
In mindful revelation,
Into radiant life-awareness.
Oh glory of being, appear!

Rudolph Steiner, Twelve Moods

[Kryztian]

“The line separating good and evil passes not through states, nor between classes, nor between political parties either -- but right through every human heart -- and through all human hearts. This line shifts. Inside us, it oscillates with the years. And even within hearts overwhelmed by evil, one small bridgehead of good is retained”

― Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, The Gulag Archipelago 1918–1956

[Raskolnikov]

"It ain't about black or white 'cause we're human."

Tupac

[grapevine]

"Time changes everything except something within us which is always surprised by change."

- Thomas Hardy

[Raskolnikov]

A bit long, but a couple wise quotes within...

Midnight encounter on a freight train in India

“How did you become a wandering holy man,” I asked.

“In India, we have certain traditions,” he said. His face was weathered and kind. His eyes shone beneath bushy eyebrows. “According to Hindu tradition, there are four major periods of a man’s life. The first is as son and student. In this period we learn the basics of life. The second phase is as worker-businessman earning a living and learning about economics in a practical, involvemental way. The third phase is as husband and father. The last, and most important phase, is as a ‘Sadhu.’ One gives up his job, his wife, his family, and his worldly goods, and travels about, wandering from temple to temple, living off the land; his life becomes an extended pilgrimage. It is time, now that his children are adults and his wife is no longer interested in sex, that he discover the subtleties that lie beneath the surface of the wither and why of existence.”

“Wow, that’s great,” I exclaimed. “It’s funny, but lately in Western countries, the young people, after getting out of high school, instead of going onto the business-worker phase of life, are going into the “wandering pilgrim” phase. I seem to be in that phase myself.” I then went on to tell him about my recent experiences. As I related them, I became depressed again, the physical and mental aches came back. I moved into my “Why me?” attitude.

“You are filled with self-pity,” said the pilgrim. His eyes seemed as if they were on fire, or perhaps it was just the reflection of the moon outside. John stirred around and moaned once on the bench. “You are in fact an incredibly lucky person! Open your eyes and look around you! Can you see the suffering of people around you? Not just that of the beggars and unfortunates, but also that of the businessmen and wealthy materialists. Most people live their lives in a living hell. Their greed and self-pity is truly a shame. They can never be happy. They are ignorant. They do not know the simple secret of life. Know yourself. Love yourself. Love all persons. Love God. Love is everything. See yourself as all persons. In God, there is Unity. If you see yourself in all things, what sorrow, what self-pity can there be? You own nothing, therefore you cannot lose something you do not have. You are from nowhere, therefore you are at home everywhere. When you are one with all mankind, how can there be hate and bitterness? When everywhere you look you see goodness and love, then you will know your heart is right.”

We were silent for a while. What he said made a great impact on me, and affected me strongly. He was so right. I was incredibly lucky, and I had no right to feel sorry for myself. “Besides,” he went on, “you are responsible for the things that happen to you in your life. There is no such thing as an accident. Everything that has happened to you, you have earned or have brought into your environment in order to learn an important lesson from. Keep your eyes open and your heart full of love and you will learn many things in this life. It is the purpose of creation, that mankind learn about himself. We are all striving towards perfection, whether we know it or not. Some, unfortunately, though they are striving for perfection underneath, are on a downward spiral into the depths of despair. They are caught by the evil ones who would destroy all that is good. Be wary, and protect yourself with Love.”

-Lost Cities of China, Central Asia & India, David Hatcher Childress (p. 90-91)