What's a quote that has stuck with you for your whole life?
I always loved browsing such posts on reddit, so thought I should make one on lemmy too
Edit: Usually these kind of posts only used to have excerpts from books or ancient proverbs, but now I am seeing a lot more quotes from shows/movies/games are also resonating with people. It’s pretty cool to see.
My dad said this offhanded joking remark to me 30 years ago and it lives rent free in my head. It’s a privileged view point for sure but I took it to mean save and be prepared but don’t be frugal toa detriment. Spend on things you love and spend away on things you hate. Don’t waste time if you can afford not to.
This one stuck with me and resurfaces in my mind every now and then, particularly nowadays:
“We’ve arranged a global civilization in which the most crucial elements profoundly depend on science and technology. We have also arranged things so that almost no one understands science and technology. This is a prescription for disaster.” ~ Carl Sagan
“Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart." - Steve Jobs
As a young child I interpreted this as acknowledging all of the people involved in:
Mining and transporting coal
Running the powerplant
Installing and maintaining the powerlines
Wiring the house
Manufacturing the lightswitch, light socket, light bulb, etc
All so I can flick a switch and turn on a light in my house. It really shows that all the small things we take for granted rely on a well functioning society.
Then when I was around 10 or so someone used it in a context where it’s usual interpretation was the only one that made sense.
“One should respect public opinion insofar as is necessary to avoid starvation and keep out of prison, but anything that goes beyond this is voluntary submission to an unnecessary tyranny.”
Except it doesn’t, “the eye for an eye” is a restriction on the amount of revenge.
“…a person who has injured another person is to be penalized to a similar degree by the injured party. In softer interpretations, it means the victim receives the [estimated] value of the injury in compensation. The intent behind the principle was to restrict compensation to the value of the loss.”
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