Mark Twain's amazing insight into human nature

Tom said to himself that it was not such a hollow world after all. He had discovered the great law of human action, without knowing it -- namely that in order to make a man or a boy covet a thing, it is only necessary to make the thing difficult to attain. If he had been a great and wise philosopher, like the writer of this book, he would now have comprehended that Work consists of whatever a body is obliged to do, and that Play consists of whatever a body is not obliged to do.

(via Facebook)

Philosophy Friday: Do we have free will?

The following thought-provoking clip is from the film Waking Life:

Lost fortune cookie

Something tells me this isn't going to be a good week.

Embrace nothingness

You're Good Enough, You're Smart Enough, and Doggone It, People Like You

A word of encouragement for the new year from Stuart Smalley, The Secret, and, of course, Joel Osteen...

Nietzsche Finds His Niche...

...in the Keane household, of all places.

This humorous little web site "pairs a randomized Family Circus cartoon with a randomized Friedrich Nietzsche quote."

Come on. A cheery, family-friendly cartoon merged with the dark, disturbing musings of a German philosopher? How could that not be funny?

Wisdom of a Useful Sort

Feeling a little badly, 24 hours later, for saying mean things about the usefulness and coolness of this blog, I've decided to post some practical words of wisdom from some of the cooler books ever written: the Winnie the Pooh books by A.A.Milne.

1. “If the person you are talking to doesn't appear to be listening, be patient. It may simply be that he has a small piece of fluff in his ear.”
2. “People who don't Think probably don't have Brains; rather, they have grey fluff that's blown into their heads by mistake.”
3. “Nobody can be uncheered with a balloon”
4. “A bear, however hard he tries, grows tubby without exercise.”
5. “"Well," said Pooh, "what I like best -- " and then he had to stop and think. Because although Eating Honey was a very good thing to do, there was a moment just before you began to eat it which was better than when you were, but he didn't know what it was called”
6. “Those who are clever, who have a Brain, never understand anything.”
7. “Before beginning a Hunt, it is wise to ask someone what you are looking for before you begin looking for it.”
8. “Poetry and Hums aren't things which you get, they're things which get you. And all you can do is go where they can find you.”
9. “Always watch where you are going. Otherwise, you may step on a piece of the Forest that was left out by mistake.”
10. “It gets you nowhere if the other person's tail is only just in sight for the second half of the conversation.”
11. “Don't underestimate the value of Doing Nothing, of just going along, listening to all the things you can't hear, and not bothering.”
12. “When late morning rolls around and you're feeling a bit out of sorts, don't worry; you're probably just a little eleven o'clockish.”
13. “Rivers know this: there is no hurry. We shall get there some day.”
14. “We can't all, and some just don't. That's all there is to it.”
15. “Organizing is what you do before you do something, so that when you do it, it is not all mixed up.”
16. “You can't stay in your corner of the Forest waiting for others to come to you. You have to go to them sometimes.”
17. “Tiggers don't like honey.”
18. “When you are a Bear of Very Little Brain, and you Think of Things, you find sometimes that a Thing which seemed very Thingish inside you is quite different when it gets out into the open and has other people looking at it.”
19. “'Supposing a tree fell down, Pooh, when we were underneath it?' 'Supposing it didn't,' said Pooh. After careful thought Piglet was comforted by this.”
20. “It is more fun to talk with someone who doesn't use long, difficult words but rather short, easy words like "What about lunch?"”
21. “"When you wake up in the morning, Pooh," said Piglet at last, "what's the first thing you say to yourself?"
    "What's for breakfast?" said Pooh. "What do you say, Piglet?"
    "I say, I wonder what's going to happen exciting today?" said Piglet.
    Pooh nodded thoughtfully.
    "It's the same thing," he said.”
    

One good reason to have children is to give yourself an excuse to read the Winnie the Pooh series. The original Disney animated movie that drew mostly from the books was also not bad. If you don't have time for kids or books, you can at least read the collection of quotes from which I selected this list, at ThinkExist.com.