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November 7

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Quotes of the day from previous years:

2003
Each friend represents a world in us, a world possibly not born until they arrive, and it is only by this meeting that a new world is born. ~ Anaïs Nin
2004
Whether we and our politicians know it or not, Nature is party to all our deals and decisions, and she has more votes, a longer memory, and a sterner sense of justice than we do. ~ Wendell Berry
2005
I found a book on how to be invisible —
On the edge of the labyrinth —
Under a veil you must never lift —
Pages you must never turn —
In the Labyrinth.
~ Kate Bush in "How to Be Invisible" on Aerial
  • proposed by Kalki (Aerial, Bush's first album in 12 years, was released internationally on 7 November 2005)
2006
The evil that is in the world always comes of ignorance, and good intentions may do as much harm as malevolence, if they lack understanding. On the whole men are more good than bad; that, however, isn't the real point. But they are more or less ignorant, and it is this that we call vice or virtue; the most incorrigible vice being that of an ignorance which fancies it knows everything and therefore claims for itself the right to kill. There can be no true goodness, nor true love, without the utmost clear-sightedness. ~ Albert Camus
2007
Do not wait for the Last Judgment. It takes place every day. ~ Albert Camus
2008
Do not be deceived by the way men of bad faith misuse words and names ...Things are set up as contraries that are not even in the same category. Listen to me: the opposite of radical is superficial, the opposite of liberal is stingy; the opposite of conservative is destructive. Thus I will describe myself as a radical conservative liberal; but certain of the tainted red fish will swear that there can be no such fish as that. Beware of those who use words to mean their opposites. At the same time have pity on them, for usually this trick is their only stock in trade. ~ R. A. Lafferty (born 7 November 1914)
2009
Political progress will only take place if sufficient security exists. ~ David Petraeus
2010
All systems of morality are based on the idea that an action has consequences that legitimize or cancel it. A mind imbued with the absurd merely judges that those consequences must be considered calmly. It is ready to pay up. In other words, there may be responsible persons, but there are no guilty ones, in its opinion. At very most, such a mind will consent to use past experience as a basis for its future actions. ~ Albert Camus
2011
Death is for a long time. Those of shallow thought say that it is forever. There is, at least, a long night of it. There is the forgetfulness and the loss of identity. The spirit, even as the body, is unstrung and burst and scattered. One goes down to death, and it leaves a mark on one forever. ~ R. A. Lafferty
2012
I don’t know whether this world has a meaning that transcends it. But I know that I cannot know that meaning and that it is impossible for me just now to know it. What can a meaning outside my condition mean to me? I can understand only in human terms. What I touch, what resists me — that I understand. And these two certainties — my appetite for the absolute and for unity and the impossibility of reducing this world to a rational and reasonable principle — I also know that I cannot reconcile them. What other truth can I admit without lying, without bringing in a hope I lack and which means nothing within the limits of my conditions?
~ Albert Camus ~
2013
In that daily effort in which intelligence and passion mingle and delight each other, the absurd man discovers a discipline that will make up the greatest of his strengths. The required diligence and doggedness and lucidity thus resemble the conqueror's attitude. To create is likewise to give a shape to one's fate. For all these characters, their work defines them at least as much as it is defined by them. The actor taught us this: There is no frontier between being and appearing.
~ Albert Camus ~
2014
A character is never the author who created him. It is quite likely, however, that an author may be all his characters simultaneously.
~ Albert Camus ~
2015
Nothing in life is to be feared, it is only to be understood. Now is the time to understand more, so that we may fear less.
~ Marie Curie ~
2016
Humanity needs practical men, who get the most out of their work, and, without forgetting the general good, safeguard their own interests. But humanity also needs dreamers, for whom the disinterested development of an enterprise is so captivating that it becomes impossible for them to devote their care to their own material profit.
~ Marie Curie ~
2017
All the final answers were given in the beginning. They stand shining, above and beyond us, but they are always there to be seen. They may be too bright for us, they may be too clear for us. Well then, we must clarify our own eyes. Our task is to grow out until we reach them.
~ R. A. Lafferty ~
2018
One always finds one's burden again. But Sisyphus teaches the higher fidelity that negates the gods and raises rocks. He too concludes that all is well. This universe henceforth without a master seems to him neither sterile nor futile. Each atom of that stone, each mineral flake of that night filled mountain, in itself forms a world. The struggle itself toward the heights is enough to fill a man's heart. One must imagine Sisyphus happy.
~ Albert Camus ~
2019
This heart within me I can feel, and I judge that it exists. This world I can touch, and I likewise judge that it exists. There ends all my knowledge, and the rest is construction. For if I try to seize this self of which I feel sure, if I try to define and to summarize it, it is nothing but water slipping through my fingers. I can sketch one by one all the aspects it is able to assume, all those likewise that have been attributed to it, this upbringing, this origin, this ardor or these silences, this nobility or this vileness. But aspects cannot be added up. This very heart which is mine will forever remain indefinable to me. Between the certainty I have of my existence and the content I try to give to that assurance, the gap will never be filled. Forever I shall be a stranger to myself.
~ Albert Camus ~
2020
In this growing there are no really new things or new situation. There are only things growing out right, or things growing out deformed or shriveled.
~ R. A. Lafferty ~
2021
I am among those who think that science has great beauty. A scientist in his laboratory is not only a technician: he is also a child placed before natural phenomena which impress him like a fairy tale. We should not allow it to be believed that all scientific progress can be reduced to mechanisms, machines, gearings, even though such machinery also has its beauty.
Neither do I believe that the spirit of adventure runs any risk of disappearing in our world. If I see anything vital around me, it is precisely that spirit of adventure, which seems indestructible and is akin to curiosity.
~ Marie Curie ~
2022
Happiness and the absurd are two sons of the same earth. They are inseparable. It would be a mistake to say that happiness necessarily springs from the absurd discovery. It happens as well that the feeling of the absurd springs from happiness.
~ Albert Camus ~
2023
"I conclude that all is well," says Oedipus, and that remark is sacred. It echoes in the wild and limited universe of man. It teaches that all is not, has not been, exhausted. It drives out of this world a god who had come into it with dissatisfaction and a preference for futile suffering. It makes of fate a human matter, which must be settled among men.
~ Albert Camus ~
2024
A fundamental principle of American democracy is that when we lose an election, we accept the results. That principle, as much as any other, distinguishes democracy from monarchy or tyranny. And anyone who seeks the public trust must honor it. At the same time, in our nation, we owe loyalty not to a president or a party, but to the Constitution of the United States, and loyalty to our conscience and to our God. My allegiance to all three is why I am here to say, while I concede this election, I do not concede the fight that fueled this campaign — the fight: the fight for freedom, for opportunity, for fairness, and the dignity of all people. A fight for the ideals at the heart of our nation, the ideals that reflect America at our best. That is a fight I will never give up.
~ Kamala Harris ~
  • proposed by Kalki; recent remarks on the recent elections. 
2025
Rank or add further suggestions…

Quotes by people born this day, already used as QOTD:

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1 : Acceptable – but with no particular desire to see it used.
0 : Not acceptable – not appropriate for use as a quote of the day.
An averaging of the rankings provided to each suggestion produces it’s general ranking in considerations for selection of Quote of the Day. The selections made are usually chosen from the top ranked options existing on the page, but the provision of highly ranked late additions, especially in regard to special events (most commonly in regard to the deaths of famous people, or other major social or physical occurrences), always remain an option for final selections.
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Suggestions

[edit]

The slave begins by demanding justice and ends by wanting to wear a crown. He must dominate in his turn. ~ The Rebel by Albert Camus, born that day.

  • ~
  • 3 Kalki 00:13, 6 November 2005 (UTC)
  • 2 InvisibleSun 16:53, 4 November 2006 (UTC)
  • 2 Zarbon 05:47, 26 April 2008 (UTC)

Life can be magnificent and overwhelming — that is its whole tragedy. Without beauty, love, or danger it would almost be easy to live. ~ Albert Camus

  • 3 InvisibleSun 16:53, 4 November 2006 (UTC)
  • 3 Kalki 19:43, 6 November 2007 (UTC)
  • 2 Zarbon 05:47, 26 April 2008 (UTC)

You stand in front of a million doors,
Each one holds a million more. ~ Kate Bush ~ (2005: international release date of her first album in 12 yrs)

  • 3 Kalki 00:10, 6 November 2005 (UTC) I am no longer strongly inclined to use this here, as the release was last year, but will keep it as a potential option in years to come.
  • 3 InvisibleSun 16:53, 4 November 2006 (UTC)
  • 0. I can't find this quote on the Kate Bush page. - InvisibleSun 20:50, 6 November 2008 (UTC)
  • 1 Zarbon 05:47, 26 April 2008 (UTC)

Wrong Prong, Bong Gong. ~ R. A. Lafferty

  • 3 Kalki 03:28, 13 November 2007 (UTC) Somewhat enigmatic, but it is meant to be in the book as well.
  • 1 Zarbon 05:47, 26 April 2008 (UTC)
  • 2 InvisibleSun 20:50, 6 November 2008 (UTC)

Insurrection is an art, and like all arts has its own laws. ~ Leon Trotsky (born November 7)

  • 3 because insurrection when planned correctly can recreate history, much like art can recreate an image. Nice comparison by Trotsky, whom remains one of my personal favorites. Zarbon 16:53, 21 April 2008 (UTC)
    • SOURCE: War and Conflict Quotations by Michael C. Thomsett, Jean F. Thomsett - Reference - 1997 - Page 127
  • 3 Kalki 14:04, 31 July 2008 (UTC)
  • 0 because it is unsourced. - InvisibleSun 20:50, 6 November 2008 (UTC)

Learning carries within itself certain dangers because out of necessity one has to learn from one's enemies. ~ Leon Trotsky (born November 7)

  • 3 because to learn from one's enemies carries the danger of becoming like them. It's a great quote to say the least. Zarbon 16:53, 21 April 2008 (UTC)
    • SOURCE: The Quotable Graduate - Page 54 by Heidi Reinholdt, John Ross - Reference - 2003
  • 3 Kalki 14:04, 31 July 2008 (UTC)
  • 0 because it is unsourced. - InvisibleSun 20:50, 6 November 2008 (UTC)
    • InvisibleSun, the source is listed right here... Zarbon 06:46, 7 November 2008 (UTC)

You may not be interested in the dialectic, but the dialectic is interested in you. ~ Leon Trotsky (born November 7)

  • 3 because even for someone uninterested in politics, government, etc. will find those things interested in that person's life. This is extremely true. Zarbon 16:53, 21 April 2008 (UTC)
    • SOURCE:Discursive Democracy: Politics, Policy, and Political Science - Page 48 by John S. Dryzek - Political Science - 1990
  • 3 Kalki 14:04, 31 July 2008 (UTC)
  • 0 because it is unsourced. - InvisibleSun 20:50, 6 November 2008 (UTC)

I write as clearly as I am able to. I sometimes tackle ideas and notions that are relatively complex, and it is very difficult to be sure that I am conveying them in the best way. Anyone who goes beyond cliche phrases and cliche ideas will have this trouble. ~ R. A. Lafferty (born 7 November 1914)

  • 3 Kalki 14:04, 31 July 2008 (UTC) with a very strong lean toward 4.
  • 1 Zarbon 12:49, 23 October 2008 (UTC)
  • 2 InvisibleSun 20:50, 6 November 2008 (UTC)

The welfare of the people in particular has always been the alibi of tyrants, and it provides the further advantage of giving the servants of tyranny a good conscience. ~ R. A. Lafferty

  • 3 Kalki 15:55, 4 November 2009 (UTC)

True love is that we should hate whatever interferes with our vision of the high and the lowly. ~ R. A. Lafferty

  • 3 Kalki 15:55, 4 November 2009 (UTC)

Listen now to a series of sayings that always come hard to brave people. Our own great movement will grow with its own impetus wherever it is not blighted. We will break up persons of blight and centers of blight. But often, and this will be the hard part for all of you to understand, we will warn and advise before we kill. And quite often we will not kill at all. Try to understand this.. ~ R. A. Lafferty

  • 3 Kalki 15:55, 4 November 2009 (UTC) with a very strong lean toward 4.

Myths are made for the imagination to breathe life into them. ~ Albert Camus

  • 3 Kalki 15:55, 4 November 2009 (UTC) with a lean toward 4.

Nothing is harder to understand than a symbolic work. A symbol always transcends the one who makes use of it and makes him say in reality more than he is aware of expressing. ~ Albert Camus

  • 3 Kalki 15:55, 4 November 2009 (UTC) with a lean toward 4.

There are no easy choices. The way ahead will be very hard … But hard is not hopeless. ~ David Petraeus

  • 3 Kalki 15:41, 7 November 2009 (UTC) with a very strong lean toward 4.

If you have come with high expectations of anything, you have come to the wrong place. ~ R. A. Lafferty

Science has suffered in having her name applied to mechanics, an ugly step-child of hers. Matter herself is a humiliation to the serious. We cannot make it vanish forever, but can make it seem to. For my purpose that is even better. All matter can be modified as long as it is kept subjective. Let us keep it so. ~ R. A. Lafferty

An excess of science will leave none of us alive. ~ R. A. Lafferty

Be not nervous. In a very little while you will either be a member or you will not be. ~ R. A. Lafferty

There are no rules. We do whatever seems the most fun. ~ R. A. Lafferty

We ourselves become the bridges out over the interval that is the world and time. It is a daring thing to fling ourselves out over that void that is black and scarlet below and green and gold above. A bridge does not abandon its first shore when it grows out in spans towards the further one. ~ R. A. Lafferty

The devils stroll the earth again and infect with the red sickness. They must, at all cost to themselves, destroy the growing tendrils before such can touch the other side. For, whenever one least growing creeper touches across the interval, that means the extinction of a devil. It is a thing to be tested. ~ R. A. Lafferty

One never notices what has been done; one can only see what remains to be done. ~ Marie Curie

Be less curious about people and more curious about ideas. ~ Marie Curie

I am one of those who think like Nobel, that humanity will draw more good than evil from new discoveries. ~ Marie Curie

What better way to find the true age of the Earth than with the uranium atom? If you knew what fraction of the uranium in a rock had turned into lead, you could calculate how much time had passed since the rock was formed. ~ In commemoration of the 7 November 1867 birth of Marie Curie, trailblazing researcher on radioactivity and the first woman to win a Nobel Prize, from the seventh episode of the science documentary television series Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey (2014).



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