Quotations, v.1

I love quotes because so many great men have said so many great things. I feel that trying to figure everything out for ourselves anew is counterproductive. Better minds than ours and stronger generations have already wrestled with most of the problems we now face. Here are a few good insights from those minds and generations.

"None can love freedom heartily, but good men;
the rest love not freedom, but license."
-John Milton

"Freedom: The state or quality of being free; liberation from the the control of some other person or arbitrary power."

"License (as in, "poetic license"): A formal permission to do something; freedom to deviate from strict conduct, rule, or practice, generally permitted by common consent."

The dictionary also says that the word "license" means "excessive, undisciplined freedom, constituting an abuse of liberty."

"Arnold Schwarzenegger wrote an editorial in The Wall Street Journal on immigration reform. In it Arnold complains that too many immigrants are sneaking into the country and becoming governors."
-Conan O'Brien

And here's a good post-Father's Day reflection from Mr. Twain:

"When I was a boy of fourteen, my father was so ignorant I could hardly stand to have the old man around. But when I got to be twenty-one, I was astonished at how much the old man had learned in seven years."
-Mark Twain

Lastly, having picked up my first pistol from the store last night, I give you this one:

"To preserve liberty, it is essential that the whole body of the people always possess arms and be taught alike, especially when young, how to use them."
-Richard Henry Lee

I skimmed all these quotes from The Patriot Post. I would highly recommend visiting the Post if you appreciate good wit and a strong, historically conservative worldview.