Quotes April 6, 2008
Posted by admin in : Irrelevant , trackbackPeople place quotes from other people on their email templates. They put quotes on bumper stickers. Authors sometimes place quotes at the beginning of a poem or a chapter, to prepare the reader for the upcoming themes. It’s neat to learn what famous people have previously said. Einstein said, “God does not play dice.” Neat.
The problem with quotes is that they are removed from context. In removing them from the original context, the suggestion is that the person attributed said this thing. That this thing actually represents their position, their opinion, their belief system. It’s a timeless characterization of that person. It’s an assertion. That that person is endorsing whatever position you are using it to represent on your own behalf.
Some quotes are not really quotes. I’m reminded of something Jimi Hendrix once said. He said, “Scuse me, while I kiss the sky.” Oh he said that did he? He authored it, but he did not “say” it, any more than Shakespeare “said” “Et tu, Brutus?” That kind of quote is the weakest, lamest, most dishonest kind of quote there is. It is also very likely the most ubiquitous. Did Einstein actually “say” “God does not play dice”? Or was that line part of a larger exposition towards a specific point made in specific phase of a debate? He’s not telling you that God does not play dice.
Some people list quotations. Some people think having a web page listing lots of quotes is something. They believe that they have compiled actual knowledge or wisdom. They have not. It’s not something. It’s nothing at all.
News magazines do a really annoying thing. They have a page where they show you the quote in bold, then in italics, have this little paragraph explaining the context. It’s a strange way of reading. It’s like telling a punch line of a joke, then telling the setup. Why not reverse the order? On this day in this setting this person said this thing? Why be so cute about it?
I conclude with a quote from a great author people love to quote, Kurt Vonnegut.
“Some people are assholes.” — Kurt Vonnegut*
*I don’t know the source, but I’m sure he must have said it on more than one occassion.
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