Voltaire

Personal Archives | 05-11-02 | PsyOp

[PsyOp]

Voltaire.

[weikel]

I love these but can I put in a request for HL Mencken quotes.

[PsyOp]

Sure, but I don't have near as many as either of us would like.

[Pyro7480]

I think another good idea would be some quotes from Cicero, with "On Duties," "The Republic," and "The Laws" (De officiis, De re publica, and De legibus respectively), since I think he is one of the ancient fathers of conservatism.

[weikel]

I can't bring myslef to believe that Cicero had much intelligent to say he was incompetent at everything but speaking and Julius Caesar( whom I greatly admire) was of the opinion he was a pompous ass. Cicero was a Republican diehard long after the Republic had become totally unworkable and had become more of a Democracy. I'm a conservative but no fan of Democracy

"A democracy cannot exist as a permanent form of government. It can exist only until the voters discover they can vote themselves largesse (defined as a liberal gift) out of the public treasury. From that moment on, the majority always votes for the candidate promising the most benefits from the public treasury, with the result that democracy always collapses over a loose fiscal policy, always to be followed by a dictatorship." Alexander Tyler.

[PsyOp]

I've got those on cold storage. I've read and marked a couple of them up, but have not loaded the quotes into the data-base.

[luvbach1]

Such as, to paraphrase Mencken, ...When Bryan writhed on Darrow's cruel hook....

[luvbach1]

Many of the Voltaire quotes, it seemed to me, were a cross between Mark Twain and Oscar Wilde. And since many came from novels, was it always Voltaire speaking in the character's voice?

[weikel]

Well for one thing he is another conservative who shares my dim view of Democracy

" Every election is a sort of advance auction sale of stolen goods." HL Mencken

[Pyro7480]

Of course Julius Caesar would say something along those lines, because Cicero criticized Caesar. Needless to say, I would disagree with your characterization, but I respect that as your opinion.

[luvbach1]

Was Mencken really a conservative? I believe he was a Democrat.

[weikel]

HL Mencken's New Deal Constitution This doesn't seem like the satire a liberal would write.

[PsyOp]

Actually, most were written as novellas or plays much like Shakespeare. Voltaire, if I recall correctly, is actualy a pen-name which he wrote under to avoid being jailed by the French government. Although he was careful to always place his stories in faraway places with foreign characters, he was mocking the French monarchy and all knew it.

[Squantos]

You ever read stuff by Sir Richard Francis Burton ? I really enjoy some of his writings.

Stay Safe !

[fporretto]

Indeed, Voltaire is a pen name, meaning roughly, "wishful one." His real name was Francois-Marie Arouet.

Voltaire was a funny, perceptive, and quite merciless man. He let no windbag go unpunctured -- but he always laughed as he skewered. Thanks for posting these.

Freedom, Wealth, and Peace,
Francis W. Porretto
Visit the Palace Of Reason: http://palaceofreason.com

[luvbach1]

Re HL Mencken's "New Deal Constitution": You are absolutely right. This does not seem to be something a liberal would write. I've read a bit of Mencken, and some things critical of Republicans of the day, but had not seen that piece. That notwithstanding, wasn't he a Democrat? I may be mistaken. But in those days there actually were conservative Democrats.

[conserve-it]

"In general, the art of government consists in taking as much money as possible from one class of citizens to give it to the other. - Voltaire, A Philosophical Dictionary, 1764."

Ahem.......the more things change....you know the rest.

[zx2dragon]

Everything I see about me is sowing the seeds of a revolution that is inevitable, though I shall not have the pleasure of seeing it. The lightning is so close at hand that it will strike at the first chance, and then there will be a pretty uproar. The young are fortunate, for they will see fine things.
Voltaire

[sleavelessinseattle]

The still sweet voice of liberty, crumbles the fortifications of ignorance and tyranny like ripples in a pond. Thanks Psyops!!! And thank your MOM for me! She done good...