The first truth is that the liberty of a democracy is not safe if the people tolerate the growth of private power to a point where it becomes stronger than their democratic state itself. That, in its essence, is fascism — ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power…. Among us today a concentration of private power without equal in history is growing. –Franklin D. Roosevelt

“It is so intensely and deliberately didactic, and its subject is esteemed so dry, that I delight in throwing it at the heads of the wiseacres who repeat the parrot cry that art should never be didactic. It goes to prove my contention that art should never be anything else.” –George Bernard Shaw, preface to Pygmalion

“We must force the government to stop the bird migration. We must shoot all birds, field all our men and troops… and force migratory birds to stay where they are.”  — Vladimir Zhirinovsky

Human beings are born solitary, but everywhere they are in chains – daisy chains – of interactivity. Social actions are makeshift forms, often courageous, sometimes ridiculous, always strange. And in a way, every social action is a negotiation, a compromise between ‘his,’ ‘her’ or ‘their’ wish and yours. — Andy Warhol

Das Leben ist findend und schöpferisch, die Lehre nur festigend und gestaltend, nimmer würde aber die trefflichste Lehre ihr Werk verrichten, träte ihr nicht aus dem Lernenden ein empfängliches und mitfruchtendes Verständnis gegenüber.

Life is restless and creative, teaching only structuring and confining, but never would the most splendid teaching perform its work, if it did not encounter in the student a receptive and fertile understanding.

–Jacob Grimm

Some men are born to good luck: all they do or try to do comes right—all that falls to them is so much gain—all their geese are swans—all their cards are trumps—toss them which way you will, they will always, like poor puss, alight upon their legs, and only move on so much the faster. The world may very likely not always think of them as they think of themselves, but what care they for the world? what can it know about the matter? –Jacob Grimm

If the well-being of my loved place depends on the well-being of Earth, I have a good reason for supporting the well-being of your loved place. I have selfish as well as cosmopolitan reasons for preserving the home-places of all human beings. Cosmopolitanism becomes thicker and more potent with this realization. — Nel Noddings