Leo Wong

“Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness” —Declaration of Independence

“Endowed by their Creator,” but when? Most probably not after birth, like fairies' gifts or according to the mother’s choice.

Heine died in poverty, deserted by his friends. The sole person to attend his deathbed in his squalid Parisian garret was the composer Berlioz. “I always thought you were an original, Berlioz,” observed the dying man. (The Little, Brown Book of Anecdotes, ed. Clifton Fadiman)

During the winter of 1894–95 Hamsun visited Paris for the first time. On his return home someone asked him, “At the beginning, didn’t you have trouble with your French?”

“No,” he replied, “but the French did.” (The Little, Brown Book of Anecdotes, ed. Clifton Fadiman)

"My long pupilship with Jacques Barzun began when I was a sophomore at Columbia College and he was an instructor teaching a course entitled “The Historical Background of English Literature.” We students were asked to read a long series of excerpts from notable authors, together with Trevelyan’s History of England, but the class discussions took an unexpected turn. At the first meeting, as I remember it, Mr. Barzun introduced Byron’s irregular sonnet beginning “She walks in beauty like the night” to illustrate the method of relating a literary work to the historical setting in which it was produced. T... waisberg.micro.blog

Carneades used to say that the sons of princes learned nothing rightly but how to manage horses, since in every other exercise everyone gives way to them and lets them win; but a horse, who is neither a flatterer nor a courtier, will throw the son of a king just as he would the son of a porter. (Essays, Montaigne, tr. Donald Frame)

Qui voudrait jouer aux cartes sans risquer jamais de perdre? Voici un vieux roi qui joue avec des courtisans; quand il perd, il se met en colère, et les courtisans le savent bien; depuis que les courtisans ont bien appris à jouer, le roi ne perd jamais. Aussi voyez comme il repousse les cartes. Il se lève, il monte à cheval; il part pour la chasse; mais c’est une chasse de roi, le gibier lui vient dans les jambes; les chevreuils aussi sont courtisans. (22 Janvier 1908, Propos Sur le Bonheur, Alain)

Some months after the end of his term as president, Eisenhower was asked if leaving the White House had affected his golf game. “Yes,” he replied, “a lot more people beat me now.” (The Little, Brown Book of Anecdotes, ed. Clifton Fadiman)

During the Peloponnesian War an eclipse occurred when Pericles was about to set out to sea. As the pilot was too terrified to perform his duties, Pericles stepped forward and covered the man’s head with his cloak. “does this frighten you?” he asked. “No,” said the pilot. “Then what difference is there between the two events,” inquired Pericles, “except that the sun is covered by a larger object than my cloak?” (The Little, Brown Book of Anecdotes, ed. Clifton Fadiman)

Alain (Émile Chartier) in English twitter.com/spernerev… @Waisberg

According to Christ, sinners are punished, but not by Christians.

Shortly before Austria went fascist, in 1938, Schuschnigg is reported to have said that 25 per cent of the population were for him, 25 per cent for Hitler, and that the rest would go the way the cat jumped. This principle deserves the name of Schuschnigg’s Constant. The only doubt is whether he did not grossly exaggerate the number of those having opinions. (Jacques Barzun, Of Human Freedom)

I can’t walk and eat the Body of Christ at the same time.

Dear Priests, A holy instinct tells us to sing “Agnus Dei” before Communion. The same instinct tells us to sing “Sanctus” before the Consecration.

After Einstein had gone into exile, a hundred Nazi professors published a book condemning his theory of relativity. Einstein was unconcerned. “If I were wrong,” he said, “one professor would have been enough.” (The Little, Brown Book of Anecdotes, ed. Clifton Fadiman)

"A Thessalian brought an exceptionally beautiful horse, named Bucephalus, to the Macedonian court, offering to sell it to King Philip. However, when the royal grooms tried to test its paces it proved wild and unmanageable. The young Alexander asked his father for permission to try his skill. Philip reluctantly agreed, saying that if the prince failed to ride Bucephalus he was to pay his father a forfeit equal to its price. Alexander walked quickly to the horse’s head and turned it to face into the sun, for he had noticed that the horse’s own shadow was upsetting it. He calmed it, then mounted it, and... waisberg.micro.blog

During William Morris’s last visit to Paris, he spent much of his time in the restaurant of the Eiffel Tower, either eating or writing. When a friend observed that he must be very impressed by the tower to spend so much time there, Morris snorted, “Impressed! I remain here because it’s the only place in Paris where I can avoid seeing the damn thing.” (The Little, Brown Book of Anecdotes, ed. Clifton Fadiman)

Censuring Stalin at a public meeting, Khrushchev was interrupted by a voice from the audience. “You were one of Stalin’s colleagues,” shouted the heckler. “Why didn’t you stop him?”

“Who said that?” roared Khrushchev. There was an agonizing silence in the room. Nobody dared to move a muscle. Then, in a quiet voice, Khrushchev said, “Now you know why.” (The Little, Brown Book of Anecdotes, ed. Clifton Fadiman)

A technical term or definition is not always preferable to a common term or definition; usually it is less preferable.

Downy woodpeckers are regular visitors. Today we were visited by hairy woodpeckers.

This, too, will pass.