Matthew 26:39

39 And he went a little further, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt.

Arnold and the Origin of Species

“‘Our ancestor was a hairy quadruped, with pointed ears and a tail, probably arboreal in habit.’ This is very possibly true and in any case how could I dispute the point? But regarding this poor chap, this hairy quadruped, with pointed ears and a tail, there must have been something in him that inclined him to Greek!”

- Matthew Arnold

Reason for History

“There is the perfectly correct instinct that in some way we remain very close to those who preceded us over centuries and generations, and in some ways we are also quite different and history dwells within this wonderfully delicate problematic area between kinship and remoteness. We need it because we need to rebel against the shortness of our own span of years. We need a kind of purchase on a length of time that will tell us about our humanity that it is longer than our own allotted three-score and ten – I think that’s very, very deep in human instinct.”

- Simon Schama

Romans 8:1-6

1 There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.

2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.

3 For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh:

4 That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.

5 For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit.

6 For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.

Epenthesis [Noun.]

In phonetics; the insertion of a phoneme, letter, or syllable into a word, usually to satisfy the phonological constraints of a language or poetic context.

Our Children Ourselves

“In the past couples did just have children, it was the way life was. Today, many of us see parenthood as a lifestyle-choice, part of our self-fulfilment – we invest our children with our own hopes and fears. Our children are seen as some sort of extension of us.”

- Kirsty Young

On The Cynics

‘There are four reasons why the Cynics are so named. First because of the indifference of their way of life, for they make a cult of indifference and, like dogs, eat and make love in public, go barefoot, and sleep in tubs and at crossroads. The second reason is that the dog is a shameless animal, and they make a cult of shamelessness, not as being beneath modesty, but as superior to it. The third reason is that the dog is a good guard, and they guard the tenets of their philosophy. The fourth reason is that the dog is a discriminating animal which can distinguish between its friends and enemies. So do they recognize as friends those who are suited to philosophy, and receive them kindly, while those unfitted they drive away, like dogs, by barking at them.’

- Dudley. D.R. 1937. A History of Cynicism from Diogenes to the 6th Century A.D. London, Great Britain: Methuen & Co. (1998) p. 5

Diogenes

The Root of Conservatism

“Every change is a deterioration, even an improvement.”

- Jakobus Cornelis Bloem

On Bluffing

‘May I just clarify this? You think the National Theatre thinks that you are bluffing and the National Theatre thinks that you think that they are bluffing, whereas your bluff is to make the National Theatre think that you are bluffing when you are not bluffing, or if you are bluffing, your bluff is to make them think you are not bluffing. And their bluff must be that they’re bluffing, because if they’re not bluffing they’re not bluffing.’

- Lynn J., Jay A. 1986. The Complete Yes Prime Minister London, Great Britain: BBC Books (1989) p. 453