This site is dedicated to the memory of Dr. Alan William Smolowe who gave birth to the creation of this database.
Studs Terkel, fully Louis "Studs" Terkel
I believe that only by being in the presence of beauty and the great things in the world around us can man eventually get the goddam hatred of wanting to kill each other out of his system. We begin to understand, that we're only in this world such a short time it’s incredible we should spend these few years hating and killing each other.
Just as you discover that stupidity and cruelty are the same everywhere, you find that the essential elements of humanism are the same everywhere, too.
The difference between stupidity and genius is that genius has its limits.
Lazarus Long, fictional character created by Robert A. Heinlein
Stupidity cannot be cured with money, or through education, or by legislation. Stupidity is not a sin; the victim can't help being stupid. But stupidity is the only universal capital crime; the sentence is death, there is no appeal, and execution is carried out automatically and without pity.
Crime | Death | Education | Money | Pity | Sin | Stupidity | Victim |
André Gide, fully André Paul Guillaume Gide
It is essential to persuade the soldier that those he is being urged to massacre are bandits who do not deserve to live; before killing other good, decent fellows like himself, his gun would fall from his hands.
Good |
Unhappiness lies in not knowing what we want out of life and killing ourselves to get it.
Knowing | Life | Life | Unhappiness |
Unhappiness is in not knowing what we want and killing ourselves to get it.
Knowing | Unhappiness |
If we could have ended the war by showing the power of science without killing a single person, all of us would be much happier, more reasonable, and much safer.
Genius may have its limitations, but stupidity is not thus handicapped.
No body of men can be induced to do another man’s killing for him unless he can convince them that they may honorably do so. The percentage of blackguards and sadists who enjoy cruelty for its own sake have to pretend that they are patriots and ministers of justice to secure the toleration of their fellow citizens.
Body | Cruelty | Justice | Man | Men | Toleration | Cruelty |
There are many paths to knowledge already discovered; and no enlightened man doubts that there are many more waiting to be discovered. Indeed, all paths lead to knowledge; because even the vilest and stupidest action teaches us something about vileness and stupidity and may accidentally teach us a good deal more.
Action | Good | Knowledge | Man | Stupidity | Teach | Waiting |
Henry Miller, aka Henry Valentine Miller
There are lone figures armed only with ideas, sometimes with just one idea, who blast away whole epochs in which we are enwrapped like mummies. Some are powerful enough to resurrect the dead. Some steal on us unawares and put a spell over us which it takes centuries to throw off. Some put a curse on us, for our stupidity and inertia, and then it seems as if God himself were unable to lift it.