Category: Thought

The English language was created by poets, a five-hundred year enterprise of emotion and metaphor, the richest dialogue in world literature. French rhetorical models are too narrow for the English tradition. Most pernicious of French imports is the notion that there is no person behind a text. Is there anything more affected, aggressive, and relentlessly concrete than a Parisian intellectual behind his/her turgid text? The Parisian is a provincial when he pretends to speak for the universe.

Camille Paglia, Sexual Personae: Art and Decadence from Nefertiti to Emily Dickinson, p. 34.

All the genres of philosophy, science, high art, athletics and politics were invented by men. But by the Promethean law of conflict and capture, woman has a right to seize what she will and vie with man on her own terms.

Camille Paglia, Sexual Personae: Art and Decadence from Nefertiti to Emily Dickinson, p. 9.

Law is order, and good law is good order.

Aristotle, Politics, Book VII, 1326a.29.

Modern liberalism suffers unresolved contradictions. It exalts individualism and freedom and, on its radical wing, condemns social orders as oppressive. On the other hand, it expects governments to provide materially for all, a feat manageable only by an expansion of authority and a swollen bureaucracy. In other words, liberalism defines government as tyrant father but demands it behave as nurturant mother. Feminism has inherited these contradictions.

Camille Paglia, Sexual Personae: Art and Decadence from Nefertiti to Emily Dickinson, p. 3.

That judges of important causes should hold office for life is a disputable thing, for the mind grows old as well as the body.

Aristotle, Politics, Book II, 1270b.39.

You can only be young once. But you can always be immature.

Anybody can become angry, that is easy; but to be angry with the right person, and to the right degree, and at the right time, for the right purpose, and in the right way, that is not within everybody’s power and is not easy.

Gravity is contributing factor in 73 percent of all accidents involving falling objects.

Levity from Dave Barry

Both oligarch and tyrant mistrust the people, and therefore deprive them of their arms.

“America is full of politicians but few statesmen. If you think this is a recent problem, think again. It has been discussed since the founding.

“Americans have also grown fond of political dynasties: Clinton, Bush, Gore, etc. Even if the last election appeared to repudiate that trend, don’t get too comfortable. Modern politicians are like cockroaches. You can exterminate a few, but there will always be more.”

Brion McClanahan, daily email letter of The Brion McClanahan Show, March 29, 2017.