The contention of rivals is used to mark pivotal points of life and history. The winners are lauded in books and headlines; losers are only mentioned in order to add background color.

The beginning begins with the usual elbows, arms, fast movement and random framing, then pulls back to reveal Miss Bond emerging from the side door of her house. She walks calmly toward the cop-cam clad in aquamarine sun dress, and a loosely held cigarette trailing smoky ambiance.

He went on to tell me that he too hoped to be a writer. He supplied a list of possible titles, most of which were obscene, blasphemous, or otherwise indecent. Each of his titles were intended to reference the unspecified incident that landed him in prison.

The diversity of the movies I ended up seeing came about entirely because I watched without judgement whatever was showing on any given Saturday afternoon at the Parma Theater.
Fortunately, that randomness supplied better films to me than my teenage tastes could ever have managed.

Endurance is noble. That thought means nothing to the grief-stricken. It should mean something to those around them. The nobility of suffering should not be disrespected by those who imagine suffering an aberration to be cured. Suffering may be the only condition guaranteed in this life.

Progress always travels with unpleasant offspring. Cutting-edge technology cuts both ways. I suppose there's nothing to be done about the consequences. Nothing ventured, nothing gained - although, nothing ventured, nothing ruined, is also true.

Satan's target is the individual human soul. The human soul is sovereign. Groups are an abstraction. A human soul bound to a group is no longer sovereign. Souls enmeshed in group abstraction no longer think for themselves. The group thinks for them.

Tom was six-foot something and well over two hundred pounds. Tom was large. I was small. Despite the Mut & Jeff appearance, we were the best of friends.
I remember trouble with a few bullies in middle school. I don't remember any trouble with bullies in high school. I'm pretty sure that's because Tom was usually towering behind me.

Preternatural wisdom in a young person can convince that person they know it all. They don't. Only the bumps and bruises of the years will allow schooled wisdom to penetrate to the bone.

It wasn't so much that every day was a party, as it was that every day seemed like a party.

It’s 's remarkable how reliably our standing-in-life improves upon being buried. Scoundrels become saints. Misers become prudent. Nasty characters of all sorts become decent souls who have been sadly misunderstood

He handed me his hand-written manuscript, bid me adieu, and left the room.

Vaguely aware that closing-time was drawing nigh, we stumbled on, pushing our limits to complete the mission. Nothing was completely clear anymore, except that our mission was stunningly stupid.

Loss is the stuff of life. It's also the stuff of drama. Maybe you'd be better off thinking of your loss as one more thread in an unfolding tapestry of epic struggle. Then what seemed pointless becomes destiny. It will still hurt, but your suffering will be given context.

History records the largest events. Most of the rest is soon forgotten.

No one seems troubled that so much of the News is devoted to trivialities rather than information useful to decision-making by citizens who give a damn.

I wonder about these re-connections with people from my past. Are they unusual, or are they common? I don't think they only happen to me. Are certain people woven together in an unseen fabric for some purpose unknown? I suspect so.

Life is hard to chew. Sometimes you need a knife. Sugar and spice makes it tast better.

The Hippos walked leisurely away to a life of freedom in the Magdalena basin. It was effortless. They took to Columbia's watery wilderness as though they'd always lived there.

Every day people needlessly agitate
themselves by imputing fanciful motives to someone else.