Favorite quotes ever?

[Not-here-anymore]

'He who sacrifices freedom for security deserves neither' - paraphrase of Benjamin Franklin

Man, that is such a load of anarchistic crap. So people who don't want to live in complete fear all the time don't deserve any kind of freedom? Franklin was an idealistic idiot.

At some levels security is feasible without impinging on the freedoms of the secure, surely?

It all depends on your definition of freedom, and each individual's perception of what the correct balance between civil liberty and intrusive security is

But balance is exactly what Franklin denies if that quote is to be taken seriously. It's an all or nothing situation. If I wanna kill someone, but the cops don't let me because they also stop people from killing me, my freedom is still being stifled, whether or not killing is deemed a part of civil liberty. If Franklin meant for balance, he wouldn't have said that.

To use your specific example (i.e. killing some randomer), you've just removed their freedom to do... anything, really.
And you've almost certainly done this for your own security, whether you feel threatened by them, feel your peace of mind would be improved by removal of that annoying influence, or feel a certain curiosity as to what extinguishing another human life would feel like (emotional/mental assurance).

It seems we have somewhat different views on what constitutes freedom and security...

I'm just taking Franklin exactly at his word. Without adding my opinions to the mix, the quote means what I stated originally, and I have serious issues with any kind of anarchistic beliefs. I've got nothing against yours, mate.

I apologise if anything I said implied you did. I simply found the discussion interesting.
...I'm really bored today, so thanks for alleviating that

 

[Mr. Fancy Pants]

I apologise if anything I said implied you did. I simply found the discussion interesting.
...I'm really bored today, so thanks for alleviating that

You didn't, I just wanted to clarify. I prefer to diffuse situations before they arise. Indeed it is interesting, we should continue it another day.

 

[Occam]

"When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro." -Hunter S. Thompson [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hunter_S._Thompson]

 

[SlasherX]

Look at my bio, but Albert Einstein, Voltaire, and Benjamin Franklin are my biggies.

I usually don't quote video games.

 

[theuberlord]

Well bugger me with a fish fork - stephen fry - blackadder great episode

 

[Spongebobdickpants]

"The spirit is willing, but the flesh is spongy and bruised"

Zapp Brannigan

 

[bobfish92]

He (Satan) was not cast down from heaven,
but arose out of the depths of the human soul. - On The Nightmare

 

[WhiteLung]

"Endure. In enduring grow strong."

Dak'kon from Planescape: Torment

 

[Cybele]

"No matter how subtle the wizard, a knife between the shoulder blades will really cramp his style."

- Vlad Taltos

 

[KingofallCosmos]

the goal is not to die for your country but get the other bastard to die for his.-

George Patton

Completely off topic, but how did you get away with your username?

 

[zepher171]

Haha I have a list-

If you hold back anything, I'll kill ya. If you bend the truth or I think you're bending the truth, I'll kill ya. If you forget anything, I'll kill ya. In fact, you're gonna have to work very hard to stay alive, Nick. Now, do you understand everything I've said? 'Cause if you don't, I'll kill ya. - Lock stock and two smokin' barrels

Is space hot? of cource it is where do you think we get pinapples from- Black Books

Life is one big road with lots of signs. So when you riding through the ruts, don't complicate your mind. Flee from hate, mischief and jealousy. Don't bury your thoughts, put your vision to reality. Wake Up and Live!- Bob Marley

"Look, just because it's an armour-plated alien killing machine that salivates unspeakable slobber, doesn't mean it's a bad person " Commander AJRimmer space adventurer

"Let's just agree that on this day a million years ago a dude was born who lots of people think was magical. And some people don't think so, and that's cool too. But we're probably right" - Homer Simpson

 

[J-N-K]

Who is the great dragon whom the spirit will no longer call lord and god? "Thou shalt" is the name of the great dragon. But the spirit of the lion says, "I will." "Thou shalt" lies in his way, sparkling like gold, an animal covered with scales; and on every scale shines a golden "thou shalt." Values, thousands of years old, shine on these scales; and thus speaks the mightiest of all the dragons: "All value of all things shines on me. All value has long been created, and I am all created value. Verily, there shall be no more 'I will.'" Thus speaks the dragon. - Friedrich Nietzsche, Also sprach Zarathustra

It's always interesting to see variety in the a/misotheistic argument. So often it is founded on evidence (or a lack thereof) and a firm sense that causing even rather terrible people to live in a lake of fire for eternity is not particularly a nice thing to do. Nietzsche doesn't even care about the text of the commandments beyond that they say 'Thou shalt', and he believes that morality is inherently one's own, not an external force. One can quite easily disagree with him, but he was a very interesting man. Plus, I like philosophers who develop their philosophy over the course of their life, as they find out new ideas, rather than just building more and more defences around their pet philosophy until it becomes rigid, immovable and brittle.

 

[Exius Xavarus]

"Do you know what the chain of command is? It's the chain I beat you with until you understand who is in command!" - Pyre Fierceshot

 

[thethingthatlurks]

"Lucky me, Lucky mud." - Kurt Vonnegut, Cat's Cradle

If human existence could be boiled down to four words, that would be it.

 

[Donbett1974]

He put his evil in me. From Piper Laurie in Carrie.

 

[Lesnik]

Roses are red
And ready for plucking.
You're sixteen,
And ready for high school.

          -someone's dad (probably drunk)

 

[stockvillain]

*FOUL LANGUAGE WARNING*

"And how do you plan to do that?" [Prince Fabious]
"MAGIC, ************!" [Leezar]

 

[legendp]

I hope I don't get flamed for this but one of mine would be "Ultimate Question of Life, The Universe, and Everything..........42" I also like "you shall not pass" and for games portal one were SPOILER......... Glados ses
"GlaDOS: Remember when the platform was sliding into the fire pit and I said "Goodbye" and you were like
[in a deep male voice]
GlaDOS: "No way!" And then I was all "We pretended we were going to murder you?" That was great!

 

[Gordon_4_v1legacy]

"What we have here is a rare opportunity for me to cut loose, and show just how powerful I really am" - Superman, Justice League Unlimited (Destroyer Part 2)

"I am vengeance, I am the night. I AM BATMAN" - Batman, Batman the Animated Series

"There are three people in the world: those that make it happen, those that watch it happen, and those that say 'what happened?'" - My Grandfather (although I dare say this is an oldie)