Category: Wisdom (Page 5 of 13)

Brigadier General Caesar Rodney commanded the Delaware militia during the American Revolution. He was a signer of the Declaration of Independence who would go on to be President of Delaware from December, 1777, to November, 1781.

Like Paul Revere, Caesar Rodney is famous for a midnight ride. Rodney’s ride ended up at the doorstep of Independence Hall where he cast the decisive Delaware vote for Independence. On June 30, a motion for Independence had been put forward with nine colonies voting for independence, two voting against, New York abstaining while the Delaware delegates had split their vote. Delaware delegate Thomas McKean was in favor of independence, while George Read voted against. Rodney, also a delegate from Delaware was absent during this vote. While there was technically enough support to carry the motion, the Continental Congress didn’t want to go forward and declare independence without unanimous support. His famous ride of 80 miles at night and during a thunderstorm helped to change the course of history.

Rodney had been away from Congress because of his role as a Brigadier General in the Delaware militia. He was forced back to Delaware to squelch a Loyalist riot. When Rodney got word that his vote for independence was desperately needed in Congress, Rodney rode all night through a thunderstorm. He covered 80 miles and arrived at Independence Hall’s doorstep in time to cast his decisive vote. Years later Thomas McKean remembered meeting Rodney at the door “in his boots and spurs.” Rodney’s vote decided the matter. Delaware was going to war.

John Adams described Rodney as “…the oddest looking man in the world; he is tall, thin and slender as a reed, pale; his face is not bigger than a large apple, yet there is sense and fire, spirit, wit and humor in this countenance.” It was not an appearance to quicken the heart of a woman, however, and it is said that Rodney remained a bachelor because Molly Vining, the woman he loved, married a rector — and soon after died. Caesar Rodney died a few months after the signing of the Treaty of Paris, the official end of the American Revolution. He lived to see his dream of a new and free country come to fruition.

“Now one was either Tory or Whig; it was either dependence or independence.”

Ronald Reagan was born February 6, 1911 in Tampico, Illinois. He is best known for being the 40th President of the United States, from 1981 to 1989. Ronald Reagan was a conservative, always optimist and a foe of communism.

Reagan began his career as a sports announcer on radio, then moved to Hollywood and became a movie star. He made over fifty movies both as a supporting actor and as a leading man. Politics called and he served as the governor of California from 1967 to 1975. In 1980 Reagan defeated Democrat Jimmy Carter to become the 40th U.S. president. He advocated lower taxes and higher defense spending, and aggressively challenged the Soviet Union

Reagan married the actress Nancy Davis on 4 March 1952. He he previously had been married to actress Jane Wyman from 1941 to 1948. Reagan had four children, Maureen and Michael (with Wyman) and Patricia and Ron Jr. (with Nancy Reagan).

In March of 1981, Reagan was shot and wounded by John Hinckley, Jr. In 1994 he revealed that he had Alzheimer disease. He died June 5, 2004.

“Here’s my strategy on the Cold War: We win, they lose.”

“The most terrifying words in the English language are: I’m from the government and I’m here to help.”

“Of the four wars in my lifetime, none came about because the U.S. was too strong.”

“I have wondered at times about what the Ten Commandments would have looked like if Moses had run them through the U.S. Congress.”

“The taxpayer: That’s someone who works for the federal government but doesn’t have to take the civil service examination.”

“Government is like a baby: An alimentary canal with a big appetite at one end and no sense of responsibility at the other.”

“The nearest thing to eternal life we will ever see on this earth is a government program.”

“It has been said that politics is the second oldest profession. I have learned that it bears a striking resemblance to the first.”

“Government’s view of the economy could be summed up in a few short phrases: If it moves, tax it. If it keeps moving, regulate it. And if it stops moving, subsidize it”

“Politics is not a bad profession. If you succeed, there are many rewards; if you disgrace yourself, you can always write a book.”

“No arsenal, or no weapon in the arsenals of the world, is as formidable as the will and moral courage of free men and women.”

“If we ever forget that we’re one nation under God, then we will be a nation gone under.”

Alexander Pope was born on May 21, 1688. His father, Alexander Pope, was a linen merchant married to his second wife and Pope’s mother, Edith Turner Pope.

As a child Alexander had many troubles. He survived being trampled on by a cow and also struggled with Potts’ Disease, tuberculosis of the spine (which deformed and stunted his growth. He never grew beyond 4ft. 6in. tall and suffered from crippling headaches throughout his life.

After King James II was abdicated, Protestant William and Mary became the royal leaders of Britain outlawing openly practicing Catholic religeon and barring Catholics from living within ten miles of London. Pope was educated mostly at home, partly due to laws upholding the Church of England. He began writing at the age of twelve.

His first publication, An Essay on Criticism came in 1711, when he was 23. Alexander Pope wrote many popular poems in his life. From 1715 to 1720, he worked on translating Homer’s lliad. Then along with William Broome and Elijah Fenton, Pope translated Odyssey between 1725 and 1726. With that, Pope became the first English poet to ever live off the sales of his works alone.

Pope brought out an edition of Shakespeare, which “regularized” his meter and verse in several places. This led other scholars to attack Pope’s edition only encouraging him further to write moral and satiric poems. Pope’s other major contributions were Moral Essays (1731-1735), Imitations of Horace (1733-1738), Epistle to Arbuthnot (1735) and Essay on Man (1734). Alexander Pope died on May 30, 1744.

“Fools rush in where angels fear to tread.”

“A man should never be ashamed to own he has been in the wrong, which is but saying, in other words, that he is wiser today than he was yesterday. ”

“An honest man’s the noblest work of God. ”

“Blessed is the man who expects nothing, for he shall never be disappointed was the ninth beatitude. ”

“Nature and nature’s laws lay hid in the night. God said, Let Newton be! and all was light! ”

“Order is heaven’s first law. ”

“Satan is wiser now than before, and tempts by making rich instead of poor. ”

“The greatest magnifying glasses in the world are a man’s own eyes when they look upon his own person. ”

“To err is human; to forgive, divine. “

Polybius was an Achaean nobleman, who was detained and taken to Rome as a hostage in 167 BC after the third Macedonian war. He was fortunate enough to have become acquainted with Aemilius Paullus, and become a tutor and close friend to his two sons. This association gave him unique and strong connections into the world of Roman politics and excellent sources of information on Roman history.

Polybius was invited by the Romans to participate in the aborted peace negotiations with Carthage in 149 BC, was eyewitness at the destruction of Carthage, and was given authority by the Romans to handle the settlement of Greece after Greek revolt of 146 BC. He performed this job so well that several Greek cities raised statues to honor him. He traveled extensively throughout the Mediterranean world, as well as having traveled on expeditions along Africa’s Atlantic coast. However, he is most famous for his work on “The Histories”, a ‘universal history’ of the period 220 BC down to 146 BC. Only fragments of the work survive, but along with Livy’s “History of Rome”, the books of Polybius provide the most important, as well as the most reliable source of the history of this period.

In addition to his access to the family records and private letters of both Scipio Africanus and Aemilius Paullus, he also personally met and interviewed eyewitnesses of the events of the Second Punic war, including Gaius Laelius and Masinissa, the King of Numidia.

“There is no witness so dreadful, no accuser so terrible as the conscience that dwells in the heart of every man.”

“Those who know how to win are much more numerous than those who know how to make proper use of their victories.”

“A strong mind always hopes, and has always cause to hope.”

Plato (428 B.C. to 347 B.C.) was a student of Socrates. He wrote many philosophical works in the form of dialogues between Socrates and others representing different strata of Greek society. Plato’s subject matter discussed a wide range of metaphysical and ethical questions. His views of virtue, harmony between the state and the individual, and nature itself help us expand our own knowledge of the universe.

“Astronomy compels the soul to look upwards and leads us from this world to another.”

“A society that mocks virtue prepares its own collapse.”

“Not one of them who took up in his youth with this opinion that there are no gods, ever continued until old age faithful to his conviction.”

“He best keeps from anger who remembers that God is always looking upon him.”

“The only thing worse than suffering an injustice is committing an injustice.”

“Good people do not need laws to tell them to act responsibly, while bad people will find a way around the laws.”

“One of the penalties for refusing to participate in politics is that you end up being governed by your inferiors.”

Norman Vincent Peale died on Christmas Eve, 1993, at the age of 95. He was one of the most popular preachers of the twentieth century. His famous book The Power of Positive Thinking has sold almost 20 million copies in 41 languages. It was on the United States best-seller list for a full year following its publication in 1952. Peale pastored the Marble Collegiate Church, a Reformed Church in America congregation in New York City, from 1932 until 1984. At the time of his retirement the church had 5,000 members, and tourists lined up around the block to hear Peale preach. For 54 years Peale’s weekly radio program, “The Art of Living,” was broadcast on NBC. His sermons were mailed to 750,000 people a month. His popular Guidepost magazine has a circulation of more than 4.5 million, the largest for any religious publication. His life was the subject of a movie in 1964 entitled One Man’s Way.

“Change your thoughts and you change the world.”

“Empty pockets never held anyone back. Only empty heads and empty hearts can do that.”

“There is a real magic in enthusiasm. It spells the difference between mediocrity and accomplishment.”

“Become a possibilitarian. No matter how dark things seem to be or actually are, raise your sights and see possibilities — always see them, for they’re always there.”

“The Gateway to Christianity is not through an intricate labyrinth of dogma, but by a simple belief in the person of Christ.”

“Every problem has in it the seeds of its own solution. If you don’t have any problems, you don’t get any seeds.”

General George Smith Patton, Jr. was born November 11, 1885 in San Gabriel, California. He was known for carrying ivory pistols and his intemperate manner, and is regarded as one of the most successful United States field commanders of any war. He continually strove to train his troops to the highest standard of excellence.

Patton decided during childhood that his goal in life was to become a hero. His ancestors had fought in the Revolutionary War, the Mexican War and the Civil War, and he grew up listening to stories of their brave and successful endeavors. He attended the Virginia Military Institute for one year and went on to graduate from the United States Military Academy at West Point on June 11, 1909.

Patton’s first real exposure to battle occurred when he served as a member of legendary General John J. Pershing’s staff during the expedition to Mexico. In 1915, Patton was sent to Fort Bliss along the Mexican border where he led routine cavalry patrols. A year later, he accompanied Pershing as an aide on his expedition against Francisco “Pancho” Villa into Mexico. Patton gained recognition from the press for his attacks on several of Villa’s men. Pershing promoted him to Captain and asked him to command his Headquarters.

With the onset of World War I in 1914, tanks were not being widely used. In 1917, however, Patton became the first member of the newly established United States Tank Corps. Patton’s first action was with his brigade of American-crewed French Renault tanks on September 12th, 1918. The US Tanks Corps saw limited action during the war, and was eventually disbanded in 1920.

When the German Blitzkrieg began on Europe, Patton finally convinced Congress that the United States needed a more powerful armored striking force. With the formation of the Armored Force in 1940, he was transferred to the Second Armored Division at Fort Benning, Georgia and named Commanding General on April 11, 1941. By November 8, 1942, Patton was commanding the Western Task Force, the only all-American force landing for Operation Torch, the Allied invasion of North Africa. After succeeding there, Patton commanded the Seventh Army during the invasion of Sicily in July 1943, and in conjunction with the British Eighth Army restored Sicily to its citizens.

Patton commanded the Seventh Army until March 1944, when he was given command of the Third Army in France. Patton and his troops dashed across Europe after the battle of Normandy and exploited German weaknesses, covering the 600 miles across France, Belgium, Luxembourg, Germany, Austria and Czechoslovakia. When the Third Army liberated the Buchenwald concentration camp, Patton slowed his pace. He instituted a policy, later adopted by other commanders, of making local German civilians tour the camps. By the time WWII was over, the Third Army had liberated or conquered 81,522 square miles of territory.

In October 1945, Patton assumed command of the Fifteenth Army in American-occupied Germany. On December 9, he suffered injuries as the result of an automobile accident. He died 12 days later, on December 21, 1945 and is buried among the soldiers who died in the Battle of the Bulge in Hamm, Luxembourg. Remembered for his fierce determination and ability to lead soldiers, Patton is now considered one of the greatest military figures in history.

“A good plan, violently executed now, is better than a perfect plan next week.”

“If a man does his best, what else is there?”

A good solution applied with vigor now is better than a perfect solution applied ten minutes later.

A pint of sweat will save a gallon of blood.

By perseverance, study, and eternal desire, any man can become great.

Do everything you ask of those you command.

Do more than is required of you.

Good tactics can save even the worst strategy. Bad tactics will destroy even the best strategy.

If everybody is thinking alike, then somebody isn’t thinking.

Its the unconquerable soul of man, not the nature of the weapon he uses, that insures victory.

Lead me, follow me, or get out of my way.

Moral courage is the most valuable and usually the most absent characteristic in men.

No good decision was ever made in a swivel chair.

Say what you mean and mean what you say.

Success is how you bounce on the bottom.

You’re never beaten until you admit it.

You shouldn’t underestimate an enemy, but it is just as fatal to overestimate him.

“A man must know his destiny if he does not recognize it, then he is lost. By this I mean, once, twice, or at the very most, three times, fate will reach out and tap a man on the shoulder if he has the imagination, he will turn around and fate will point out to him what fork in the road he should take, if he has the guts, he will take it.”

“Never tell people how to do things. Tell them what to do and they will surprise you with their ingenuity.”

As a mathematician and philosopher, Pascal defended the intellectual soundness of the pursuit of faith. His wisdom is a remarkable blend of the logic of a scientist and the struggling faith of an ordinary person.

“Other religions, as the pagan, are more popular, for they consist in externals. But they are not for educated people. A purely intellectual religion would be more suited to the learned, but it would be of no use to the common people. The Christian religion alone is adapted to all, being composed of externals and internals. It raises the common people to the internal, and humbles the proud to the external; it is not perfect without the two, for the people must understand the spirit of the letter, and the learned must submit their spirit to the letter.”

“For, in fact, what is man in nature? A Nothing in comparison with the Infinite, an All in comparison with the Nothing, a mean between nothing and everything. Since he is infinitely removed from comprehending the extremes, the end of things and their beginning are hopelessly hidden from him in an impenetrable secret; he is equally incapable of seeing the Nothing from which he was made, and the Infinite in which he is swallowed up.”

“If we do not know ourselves to be full of pride, ambition, lust, weakness, misery, and injustice, we are indeed blind. And if, knowing this, we do not desire deliverance, what can we say of a man…?”

“The knowledge of God without that of man’s misery causes pride. The knowledge of man’s misery without that of God causes despair. The knowledge of Jesus Christ constitutes the middle course, because in Him we find both God and our misery.”

“I see many contradictory religions, and consequently all false save one. Each wants to be believed on its own authority, and threatens unbelievers. I do not therefore believe them. Every one can say this; every one can call himself a prophet. But I see that Christian religion wherein prophecies are fulfilled; and that is what every one cannot do.”

“Truth is so obscure in these times, and falsehood so established, that, unless we love the truth, we cannot know it.”

“That we must love one God only is a thing so evident that it does not require miracles to prove it.”

“Truth is so obscure in these times, and falsehood so established, that, unless we love the truth, we cannot know it.”

“Men despise religion; they hate it and fear it is true. To remedy this, we must begin by showing that religion is not contrary to reason; that it is venerable, to inspire respect for it; then we must make it lovable, to make good men hope it is true; finally, we must prove it is true.”

“Faith is different from proof; the latter is human, the former is a Gift from God.”

“What reason have they for saying that we cannot rise from the dead? What is more difficult, to be born or to rise again; that what has never been should be, or that what has been should be again? Is it more difficult to come into existence than to return to it? Habit makes the one appear easy to us; want of habit makes the other impossible. A popular way of thinking!

William Paley (1743-1805) was an English theologian, born at Peterborough near Northampton . In 1758 Paley entered Christ College, Cambridge. He was ordained in 1767 and lectured on moral philosophy. Paley was an intimate friend of John Law and lectured successfully on metaphysics, morals, and the Greek Testament.

Paley was made a prebendary of the cathedral church of Carlisle in 1780, he became archdeacon of the diocese in 1782, and chancellor in 1785, the year he published Principles of Moral and Political Philosophy. He wrote Horae Paulinae (1790), in proof that the New Testament is not a cunningly devised fable, and A View of the Evidences of Christianity (1794), for which he is celebrated. Natural Theology; or, Evidences of the Existence and Attributes of the Deity (1802) achieved great popularity. In 1825 a complete edition of his writings was published by his son, Edmund Paley. He died at Lincoln May 25, 1805.

William Paley may be most noted for his “parable of Paley,” a logical view offering proof that God exists. It is noted below.

“In crossing a heath, suppose I pitched my foot against a stone, and were asked how the stone came to be there: I might possibly answer, that, for anything I knew to the contrary, it had lain there for ever; nor would it perhaps be very easy to show the absurdity of this answer. But suppose I had found a watch upon the ground, and it should be inquired how the watch happened to be in that place; I should hardly think of the answer which I had before given, e.g. that, for any thing I knew, the watch might have always been there. Yet why should not this answer serve for the watch as well as for the stone? Why is it not as admissible in the second case, as in the first? For this reason, and for no other, viz. that when we come to inspect the watch, we perceive (what we could not discover in the stone) that its several parts are framed and put together for a purpose, e.g. that they are so formed and adjusted as to produce motion, and that motion so regulated as to point out the hour of the day; …This mechanism being observed (it requires indeed an examination of the instrument, and perhaps some previous knowledge of the subject, to perceive and understand it; but being once, as we have said, observed and understood), the inference we think is inevitable, that the watch must have had a maker: that there must have existed, at some time, and at some place or other, an artificer who formed it for the purpose which we find it actually to answer: who comprehended its construction, and designed its use.” (Paley, 1807)”

“A large part of virtue consists in good habits.”

Anais Nin (1903 – 1977) was born in Paris, France. She was a child of a Spanish father and French-Danish mother. She and her mother moved to New York City in 1914 where she attended Catholic schools. Anais Nin left school when she was sixteen and worked as a model, studied dance, and returned to Europe in 1923. In 1923 she married a New York banker, Hugh Guiler. Although he would later illustrate some of her novels under the name “Ian Hugo,” little is known of how long this marriage survived.

During the mid thirties, Anais Nin investigated psychoanalysis under Otto Rank, and briefly practiced the discipline under his supervision and on her own in New York City. She returned to France in 1935 and helped establish a publishing house, Siana Editions, because no one would publish her erotically charged works. In 1935, she returned to New York City and continued writing but it would be the 1960s before she began to be discovered by the literary world at large.

Anais Nin would eventually become best-known for her series of intensely personal journals begun in 1931, The Diary of Anais Nin (10 vols. 1966–83); additional journals have since been published. She is also known for her intimate relationships with Henry Miller and Lawrence Durrell, among many others described in her writings. She also wrote novels, short stories, and erotica, all clearly drawing on the contents of her journals. While Anais Nin’s lifestyle and personal choices may not have modeled those expected of someone who grew up as a Christian child, she still can offer us a sense of witness and worldly wisdom having been where we should never go.

“The important thing is this: To be able at any moment to sacrifice what we are for what we could become.”

“We do not grow absolutely, chronologically. We grow sometimes in one dimension, and not in another; unevenly. We grow partially. We are relative. We are mature in one realm, childish in another. The past, present, and future mingle and pull us backward, forward, or fix us in the present. We are made up of layers, cells, constellations.”

“Each contact with a human being is so rare, so precious, one should preserve it.”

“Good things happen to those who hustle.”

“If all of us acted in unison as I act individually there would be no wars and no poverty. I have made myself personally responsible for the fate of every human being who has come my way.”

“Life is truly known only to those who suffer, lose, endure adversity and stumble from defeat to defeat.”

“Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one’s courage.”

“There came a time when the risk to remain tight in the bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom.”

“We don’t see things as they are, we see them as we are.”

“When you make a world tolerable for yourself, you make a world tolerable for others.”