(My thanks to my creative brother-in-law (hint: the youngest one) for the bookmark design and the message thereon. Have a great life!)Most speakers, at least the successful ones, like to sprinkle their talks with quotes, which are concise word gems distilled from life-long experiences of astute personalities. While collections of quotes have been published, a ready source of quotes is perhaps Quotable Quotes in Reader’s Digest.
However, these verbal gems can spring up in many places. A dialogue line in a movie. A commercial over the radio. A car bumper sticker. Even a graffiti on a wall, not to mention the kind found at the most private public places: the toilet wall.
Some induce a chuckle. Some evoke a nod of understanding. Some make us ponder, perhaps mull for days to come. Some make us jot them down on any writing material we can lay our hand on, like me, lest we forget and agonize over the lost opportunity. After numerous such memory lapses, I now carry a pocket-sized book wherever I go. And here I would like to share with you some of my chanced encounters, in no particular order chronologically, by media, by category, by importance, etc. random order:
“You show people the future, then they have no future.” The movie “Paycheck” by Ben Affleck’s character
“Principles only mean something if you stick by them when they are not convenient.” Definitely in a movie, but don’t recall the name nor the setting. (Let me know if you recall). [My wife just told me that this is from the movie "The Contender" by Jeff Bridges' character]
“Journalism is literature in a hurry.” The movie “Runaway Bride” by Richard Gere’s character
“Courage is not the absence of fear but rather the judgment that something else is more important than fear. The braves may not live forever but the cautious do not live at all.” The movie “Princess Diary”, the King of Genovia writing to her daughter on her 16th Birthday
“The only true failure is when you stop trying.” The movie “The Haunted Mansion”, Gypsy lady to Eddie Murphy’s character
“Marriage is a three-ring circus: engagement ring, wedding ring, and suffering.” The movie “A Flash of Pink”
“You measure democracy by how much freedom it gives to its dissidents, and NOT to its assimilated conformists.” On a car bumper sticker
“Action is the enemy of thought.” The movie “The Human Stain” by Nicole Kidman’s character
“The only thing necessary for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing.” The movie “Tears of the Sun” by Bruce Willis’s character (but I think he is quoting Edward Burke)
“Memory is a wonderful thing if you don’t have to deal with the past.” The movie “Before Sunset” by Ethan Hawk’s character
“Obesity is a medical condition, not a moral failing.” Radio commercial
“Stand on the shoulders of giants” Google Scholar Beta webpage
As you can see, there is a preponderance of quotes from movies. But then again I'm a movie buff. So next time when you are watching a movie, be it in a cinema or at the cool comfort of home from a DVD, or watching TV in a pub, lazing at an outdoor café watching life passing by; or listening to a radio station while driving solo, be sure to catch one of these so that you could share with your friend, or the blogging community. But be sure to park at a safe place first if you’re driving. Safety always comes first.
Oh yeah, the title of this blog is a quote from a speech by President Reagan.
2 comments:
“You show people the future, then they have no future. 'Cos they are there already.”
“Journalism is literature in a hurry,
while hurry is the boss in journalism.”
My favourite:
“The only true failure is when you stop trying.”
I like this, by Mr Goh Siok Boon (Da Jiu):
The only way to expedite success is to expedite failure.
“Memory is a wonderful thing if you don’t have to deal with the past.”
Agreed, and memory is how long you lived.
hehe... Daniel
Getting witty on me, eh?
Memory is how long you lived applies only if it's yours; otherwise it's an eternity.
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