Michael McLellan > Michael's Quotes

“...I think that the past is all that makes the present coherent, and further, that the past will remain horrible for exactly as long as we refuse to assess it honestly.”
― James Baldwin, Notes of a Native Son

“A sickness known as hate; not a virus, not a microbe, not a germ - but a sickness nonetheless, highly contagious, deadly in its effects. Don't look for it in the Twilight Zone - look for it in a mirror. Look for it before the light goes out altogether.”
― Rod Serling

“I was hostile to the white man…We preferred hunting to a life of idleness on our reservations. At times we did not get enough to eat and we were not allowed to hunt. All we wanted was peace and to be let alone. Soldiers came…in the winter..and destroyed our villages. Then Long Hair (Custer) came…They said we massacred him, but he would have done the same to us. Our first impulse was to escape…but we were so hemmed in we had to fight. After that I lived in peace, but the government would not let me alone. I was not allowed to remain quiet. I was tired of fighting…They tried to confine me..and a soldier ran his bayonet into me. I have spoken.”
― Crazy Horse - Sioux Chief

“...the worst aspect of our time is prejudice... In almost everything I've written, there is a thread of this - man's seemingly palpable need to dislike someone other than himself.”
― Rod Serling

“Happiness is not a possession to be prized, it is a quality of thought, a state of mind.”
― Daphne Du Maurier, Rebecca

“I understood then, with absolute certainty, that the
ability of the horse to sense emotion, energy and spirit is
beyond what most of the human world realises. This is why
their impact on us can be so instant, so consistently
positive, so transformational.”
― Pam Billinge, The Spell of the Horse

“There was a piece of paper crumpled in the tight fist of the man. Porter opened the
fingers carefully and extracted the paper. On it, in a shaky script, were the words: Tell
them I killed the kid.”
― Sarah Margolis Pearce, The Promise of Fate

“All that you touch
You Change.

All that you Change
Changes you.

The only lasting truth
is Change.

God
is Change.”
― Octavia E. Butler

“You can never get a cup of tea large enough or a book long enough to suit me.”
― C.S. Lewis

“I’m gettin’ tired way past where sleep rests me.”
― John Steinbeck, The Grapes of Wrath

“Three things in human life are important: the first is to be kind; the second is to be kind; and the third is to be kind.”
― Henry James

“It is death that makes life precious,
darkness that makes light precious,
dirt that makes flowers precious,
storms that make rainbows precious,
pain that makes pleasure precious,
chaos that makes harmony precious,
space that makes matter precious,
clutter that makes orderliness precious,
chance that makes certainty precious,
eternity that makes time precious,
truth that makes reality precious,
silence that makes speech precious,
rest that makes motion precious,
opinions that make facts precious,
strife that makes peace precious,
curiosity that makes knowledge precious,
suspicion that makes evidence precious,
fear that makes caution precious,
slavery that makes freedom precious,
oblivion that makes existence precious,
yesterday that makes tomorrow precious,
and tomorrow that makes forever precious.”
― Matshona Dhliwayo

“But my child is strong-willed,” many parents insist. “When he decides that he wants something he just keeps at it until I cannot say no, or until I get very angry.” What is really being described here is not will but a rigid, obsessive clinging to this or that desire. An obsession may resemble will in its persistence but has nothing in common with it. Its power comes from the unconscious and it rules the individual, whereas a person with true will is in command of his intentions. The child’s oppositionality is not an expression of will. What it denotes is the absence of will, which allows a person only to react, but not to act from a free and conscious process of choosing.”
― Gordon Neufeld, Hold On to Your Kids: Why Parents Need to Matter More Than Peers

“There is no God, but don’t tell that to my servant, lest he murder me at night.”
― Voltaire

“If you wish to abrogate all responsibility for your moral and intellectual independence, then by all means - conform with the herd and obey blindly.”
― Graeme Rodaughan, The Crane War

“I value liberty above all else. Without liberty, no other value can be realized.”
― Graeme Rodaughan, The Crane War

“the free soul is rare, but you know it when you see it - basically because you feel good, very good, when you are near or with them.”
― Charles Bukowski, Tales of Ordinary Madness

“For those who believe in God, most of the big questions are answered. But for those of us who can't readily accept the God formula, the big answers don't remain stone-written. We adjust to new conditions and discoveries. We are pliable. Love need not be a command nor faith a dictum. I am my own god. We are here to unlearn the teachings of the church, state, and our educational system. We are here to drink beer. We are here to kill war. We are here to laugh at the odds and live our lives so well that Death will tremble to take us.”
― Charles Bukowski

“The 7 Secrets of Happiness

1. Think positively.
2. Do work you love.
3. Avoid anger.
4. Give generously.
5. Be grateful.
6. Overcome negativity.
7. Develop thick skin.”
― Matshona Dhliwayo

“Behind every unquestionable belief is a system of control.”
― Graeme Rodaughan, A Traitor's War

“Never give up on your friends. Never give up your faith in them. It's when everything is worse than you could ever imagine it could be, that you'll need your friends the most.”
― Graeme Rodaughan, The Dragon's Den

“Anyone who thinks politics equals power has no understanding of either politics or power. The games of politics are sponsored by the powerful, and are designed to deliver a single end - to secure their power.”
― Graeme Rodaughan, The Day Guard

“Compassion is a seed,
empathy is the root,
kindness is the stem,
charity is the tree,
and love is the fruit.

Intelligence is a seed,
understanding is the root,
intuition is the stem,
knowledge is the tree,
and wisdom is the fruit.

Skill is a seed,
talent is the root,
excellence is the stem,
brilliance is the tree,
and genius is the fruit.”
― Matshona Dhliwayo

“The man who walks in the shadow of vengeance is a different man from the man who walks in the light of justice.”
― Graeme Rodaughan, A Subtle Agency

“An activist is someone who cannot help but fight for something. That person is not usually motivated by a need for power or money or fame, but in fact is driven slightly mad by some injustice, some cruelty, some unfairness, so much so that he or she is compelled by some internal moral engine to act to make it better.”
― Eve Ensler

“If they hate your race,
pardon them.
If they hate your religion,
enlighten them.
If they hate your gender,
admonish them.
If they hate your class,
avoid them.
If they hate your politics,
debate them.

If they hate your culture,
question them.
If they hate your tribe,
confront them.
If they hate your ancestry,
defy them.
If they hate your age,
outshine them.
If they hate your appearance,
disregard them.

If they love you for your knowledge,
teach them.
If they love you for your wisdom,
counsel them.
If they love you for your understanding,
instruct them.
If they love you for your intuition,
guide them.
If they love you for your excellence,
inspire them.

If they love you for your humility,
honor them.
If they love you for your compassion,
welcome them.
If they love you for your honesty,
value them.
If they love you for your kindness,
treasure them.
If they love you for your virtue,
cherish them.”
― Matshona Dhliwayo

“Just remember that the things you put into your head are there forever, he said. You might want to think about that. You forget some things, dont you? Yes. You forget what you want to remember and you remember what you want to forget”
― Cormac McCarthy, The Road

“When you meet young people,
inspire them.
When you meet old people,
honor them.
When you meet wise people,
study them.
When you meet foolish people,
avoid them.

When you meet humble people,
treasure them.
When you meet arrogant people,
ignore them.
When you meet gracious people,
emulate them.
When you meet crude people,
disregard them.

When you meet brave people,
support them.
When you meet cowardly people,
encourage them.
When you meet strong people,
follow them.
When you meet weak people,
toughen them.

When you meet kind people,
esteem them.
When you meet cruel people,
oppose them.
When you meet virtuous people,
reward them.
When you meet evil people,
evade them.”
― Matshona Dhliwayo

“There are people who read books, and then there are people who define their lives by the books they have read and by the books they will read. Their relationship with books is not one of gleaning information and then discarding. It is a friendship that is more akin to, if it were possible, putting an arm around the book and whispering to it, giggling and chuckling with shared knowledge, shared experiences. When you see someone grasp a book to their breast and close their eyes or hold the book to their nose and inhale the scent of the book, they are gently mad, but also they are not just a reader of books, but a lover of books.”
― Jeffrey Keeten

“Freethinkers are those who are willing to use their minds without prejudice and without fearing to understand things that clash with their own customs, privileges, or beliefs. This state of mind is not common, but it is essential for right thinking...”
― Leo Tolstoy