George

“We live in an era of social science, and have become accustomed to understanding the social world in terms of “forces,” “pressures,” “processes,” and “developments.” It is easy to forget that those “forces” are statistical summaries of the deeds of millions of men and women who act on their beliefs in pursuit of their desires. The habit of submerging the individual into abstractions can lead not only to bad science (it’s not as if the “social forces” obeyed Newton’s laws) but to dehumanization.”
― Steven Pinker, The Sense of Style: The Thinking Person's Guide to Writing in the 21st Century

“Such sweet compulsion doth in music lie.”
― John Milton, The Complete Poetry

“The real war will never get in the books.”
― Walt Whitman

“Issac Stern rule: the better your technique, the more impossible your standards.”
― Richard Sennett, The Craftsman