Jon Pear > Jon's Quotes

“Most people, in fact, will not take the trouble in finding out the truth, but are much more inclined to accept the first story they hear.”
― Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War

“Right, as the world goes, is only in question between equals in power, while the strong do what they can and the weak suffer what they must.”
― Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War

“Ignorance is bold, and knowledge is reserved”
― Thucydides

“When will there be justice in Athens? There will be justice in Athens when those who are not injured are as outraged as those who are.”
― Thucydides

“When one is deprived of ones liberty, one is right in blaming not so much the man who puts the shackles on as the one who had the power to prevent him, but did not use it.”
― Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War

“In practice we always base our preparations against an enemy on the assumption that his plans are good; indeed, it is right to rest our hopes not on a belief in his blunders, but on the soundness of our provisions. Nor ought we to believe that there is much difference between man and man, but to think that the superiority lies with him who is reared in the severest school.”
― Thucydides

“War is a matter not so much of arms as of money.”
― Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War

“Peace is an armistice in a war that is continuously going on.”
― Thucydides

“Ideas and not battles mark the forward progress of mankind.”
― L. Ron Hubbard

“When reading a book, be very certain that you never go past a word you do not fully understand. The only reason a person gives up a study or becomes confused or unable to learn is because he or she has gone past a word that was not understood.”
― L. Ron Hubbard

“To love in spite of all is the secret of greatness. And may very well be the greatest secret in this universe.”
― L. Ron Hubbard

“You don't get rich writing science fiction. If you want to get rich, you start a religion.”
― L. Ron Hubbard

“A culture is only as great as its dreams, and its dreams are dreamed by artists.”
― L. Ron Hubbard

“Choice is the keynote of self-determinism. To determine anything, you must have the choice to determine. Choice to determine means that you must have the power of decision.

Decision and time have a lot in common. When we have clean, clear decision, we have clean, clear time. And when we have indecision, there is an unclarity about time.”
― L. Ron Hubbard

“Happiness and strength endure only in the absence of hate. To hate alone is the road to disaster. To love is the road to strength. To love in spite of all is the secret of greatness. And may very well be the greatest secret in this universe.”
― L. Ron Hubbard

“A civilization is as great as its dreams, and its dreams are dreamt by artists.”
― L. Ron Hubbard

“Freedom is for honest people. No man who is not himself honest can be free – he is his own trap.”
― Ron Hubbard

“Anything you shun will have won.”
― L. Ron Hubbard

“Writing for a penny a word is ridiculous. If a man wants to make a million dollars, the the best way would be to start his own religion.”
― L Ron Hubbard

“bureaucracy is trouble everybody has. It’s a system evolved so that nobody in it is ever responsible for anything.”
― L. Ron Hubbard, The Invaders Plan

“Man,” said Terl, “is an endangered species.”
― L. Ron Hubbard, Battlefield Earth: A Saga of the Year 3000

“Man is an endangered species.”
― L. Ron Hubbard

“Life without her would be an endless succession of purposeless days lived with a heavy hopelessness”
― L. Ron Hubbard, Fear

“Men who know are secure and Men who don’t know believe in luck.”
― L. Ron Hubbard

“HOW TO DRIVE A WRITER CRAZY

“1. When he starts to outline a story, immediately give him several stories just like it to read and tell him three other plots. This makes his own story and his feeling for it vanish in a cloud of disrelated facts.

"2. When he outlines a character, read excerpts from stories about such characters, saying that this will clarify the writer's ideas. As this causes him to lose touch with the identity he felt in his character by robbing him of individuality, he is certain to back away from ever touching such a character.

"3. Whenever the writer proposes a story, always mention that his rate, being higher than other rates of writers in the book, puts up a bar to his stories.

"4. When a rumor has stated that a writer is a fast producer, invariably confront him with the fact with great disapproval, as it is, of course, unnatural for one human being to think faster than another.

"5. Always correlate production and rate, saying that it is necessary for the writer to do better stories than the average for him to get any consideration whatever.

"6. It is a good thing to mention any error in a story bought, especially when that error is to be editorially corrected, as this makes the writer feel that he is being criticized behind his back and he wonders just how many other things are wrong.

"7. Never fail to warn a writer not to be mechanical, as this automatically suggests to him that his stories are mechanical and, as he considers this a crime, wonders how much of his technique shows through and instantly goes to much trouble to bury mechanics very deep—which will result in laying the mechanics bare to the eye.

"8. Never fail to mention and then discuss budget problems with a writer, as he is very interested.

"9. By showing his vast knowledge of a field, an editor can almost always frighten a writer into mental paralysis, especially on subjects where nothing is known anyway.

"10. Always tell a writer plot tricks, as they are not his business.”
― L. Ron Hubbard

“You don’t get rich writing science fiction. If you want to get rich, you start a religion.”
― L Ron Hubbard

“Force yourself to laugh and you'll soon find something to laugh about. A being causes his own feelings. Splurge on it!”
― L. Ron Hubbard

“Freedom and ability can be seen to be somewhat synonymous.”
― L. Ron Hubbard

“In what can a person become entrapped? Ideas. Ideas of disability are first and foremost in entrapment.”
― L. Ron Hubbard

“A culture is only as great as its dreams and its dreams are dreamed by artists.”
― L. Ron Hubbard