Sunday, September 17, 2006

Quotes for Sage's Recent Readings

"We knew… that many of our fellow citizens were perishing, and feared that there could be no escape for us,” the Reverend Chapman wrote later. “I think none was afraid of meeting God, but we all felt willing to put it off until a more propitious time…”
-David McCullough, The Johnstown Flood

"Niebuhr thought Rockerfeller’s spicy divorce and remarriage might have the political effect of turning the Republicans into ‘a reactionary party’ built upon white voters in the South and West."
-An interesting “prophecy.” Taylor Branch, Parting the Waters: America in the King Years, 1954-1963

"He’s damn good."
-JFK to aides after listening on TV to Martin Luther King’s speech during the 1863 march on Washington, as quoted in Taylor Branch, Parting the Waters: America in the King Years, 1954-1963

"Isn’t he a Democrat when he goes to church?"
MLK on how to recruit Eisenhower to help push through Civil Right’s legislation as quoted in Taylor Branch, Parting the Waters: America in the King Years, 1954-1963

"If Stalin had invented a puppet named Stanley Levison,"King joked to his aides, "the monstrous dictator should be credited with a service to humanity."
- On learning that a friend of his was considered a communist by the FBI as quoted in Taylor Branch, Parting the Waters: America in the King Years, 1954-1963

"Americans awaking to the Vietnam crisis puzzled over the conduct on both sides. Given the overwhelming Buddhist population, it was as though a Jewish U.S. president had forcibly suspressed Christmas as a Communist conspiracy."
-on Vietnam’s Catholic rulers suppressing Buddhism in early 1863. Taylor Branch, Parting the Waters: America in the King Years, 1954-1963

"We find ourselves in a culture that defines us by our purchases."
-Skye Jethani, “All We Like Sheep,” Leadership

11 comments:

  1. You take notes when listening to audio books while working out?!? You need the halo and wings back.

    That last quote has me pondering about the image I project from my purchases.

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  2. Such a great idea for a post; I still cannot say enough good things; I think I will try my hand at quotes post this week.

    Once again, all great quotes.

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  3. Great quotes! I especially like the last one!

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  4. Murf, I don't normally take notes, but have been known to jot down something interesting and where it was at so I could find it (they have timers on them). I've also been known to check the book out of the library, which is what I've done with the Jamestown Flood and also with the River of Doubt books.

    V, I'll look forward to your quotes.

    Jaded, good to have you drop by!

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  5. How do you come across all these different, non-mainstream books?

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  6. Murf, who said these books are non-mainstream. Branch's book won the Pultizer's Prize, McCullough is a well known author (a lot of folks I know have read his book on John Adams)

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  7. While most people will never see my library borrowing records, I sometimes wonder what kind of image that would give other people of me.

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  8. interesting quote on Eisenhower....why am I not surprised?

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  9. Great quotes. Some quite prophetic!

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