“Those who have been once intoxicated with power, and have derived any kind of emolument from it, even though for but one year, can never willingly abandon it.” – Edmund Burke (1729-1797), from ‘Letter to a Member of the National Assembly’ (1791)
“We shouldn’t be stockpiling bitcoins. We should stockpiling guns, bullets, tanks, planes, drones, you know, rare earths. We know we need to do it. It’s not a mystery.” – JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon, May 30, 2025
“An experienced, industrious, ambitious, and quite often picturesque liar.” – Mark Twain, from ‘Private History of a Campaign that Failed’ in Century Magazine, December 1885
“Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven. Therefore when thou doest thine alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth: That thine alms may be in secret: and thy Father which seeth in secret himself shall reward …
“Israel is an empty vine, he bringeth forth fruit unto himself: according to the multitude of his fruit he hath increased the altars; according to the goodness of his land they have made goodly images. Their heart is divided; now shall they be found faulty: he shall break down their altars, he shall spoil their images. For now they shall say, We have no king, because we feared not the Lord; what then should a king do to us? They have spoken words, swearing falsely in making a covenant: thus judgment springeth up as hemlock in the furrows of the …
“When writing your will, I suggest that you show some studied regard for what you leave in the hands of your progeny. You should name each of your children, grandchildren, nieces, and nephews with specific tangible bequests. Merely writing a Dollar sum signifies nothing. Do not leave them toys and trifles. Instead, leave them tools and rifles. Specifically name for each inheritor a quantity of silver, a couple of guns, a knife, several quality hand tools, and a stack of good books — to educate and to edify. A proper bequest becomes a quest for a righteous and meaningful life.” …
“Men, you are all marksmen—don’t one of you fire until you see the white of their eyes.” – Israel Putnam (1718-1790), at Bunker Hill, 1775; as quoted in R. Frothingham’s History of the Siege of Boston (1873) ch. 5. Note that these words were also attributed to William Prescott (1726-1795)
“It took more than 60 years between when the notion of Artificial Intelligence was first proposed and studied, and for us to reach today’s capabilities. Solving safety of superhuman intelligence—not perfect safety, safety in the sense of ‘not killing literally everyone’—could very reasonably take at least half that long. And the thing about trying this with superhuman intelligence is that if you get that wrong on the first try, you do not get to learn from your mistakes, because you are dead. Humanity does not learn from the mistake and dust itself off and try again, as in other challenges …
“Hang out our banners on the outward walls; The cry is still, ‘They come’; our castle’s strength Will laugh a siege to scorn.” – William Shakespeare, Macbeth (1606) Act 5, Scene 5
“La tyrannie est toujours mieux organisèe que la libertè.” (Translated: Tyranny is always better organized than liberty.) – Charles Pèguy (1873-1914)
“I say then, Hath God cast away his people? God forbid. For I also am an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin. God hath not cast away his people which he foreknew. Wot ye not what the scripture saith of Elias? how he maketh intercession to God against Israel saying, Lord, they have killed thy prophets, and digged down thine altars; and I am left alone, and they seek my life. But what saith the answer of God unto him? I have reserved to myself seven thousand men, who have not bowed the knee to …
“The word of the Lord also came unto me, saying, Son of man, thou dwellest in the midst of a rebellious house, which have eyes to see, and see not; they have ears to hear, and hear not: for they are a rebellious house. Therefore, thou son of man, prepare thee stuff for removing, and remove by day in their sight; and thou shalt remove from thy place to another place in their sight: it may be they will consider, though they be a rebellious house. Then shalt thou bring forth thy stuff by day in their sight, as stuff …
“It is difficult to get a man to understand something when his salary depends upon his not understanding it.” – Upton Sinclair, 1934
“Man… Who trusted God was love indeed And love Creation’s final law— Though Nature, red in tooth and claw With ravine, shrieked against his creed.” – Alfred, Lord Tennyson (1809-1892) ‘In Memoriam A. H. H.’ (1850) canto 56
“Dans les champs de l’observation le hasard ne favorise que les esprits prèparès.” (Translated: Where observation is concerned, chance favors only the prepared mind.) – Louis Pasteur (1822-1895) From an address given on the inauguration of the Faculty of Science, University of Lille, December 7, 1854
