#ate

It often occurs that pride and selfishness are muddled with strength and independence. They are neither equal nor similar; in fact, they are polar opposites. A coward may be so cowardly that he masks his weakness with some false personification of power. He is afraid to love and to be loved because love tends to strip bare all emotional barricades. Without love, strength and independence are prone to losing every bit of their worth; they become nothing more than a fearful, intimidated, empty tent lost somewhere in the desert of self. ↗

— Criss Jami

#barricade #coward #cowardice #desert #ego

The divorce between Church and State ought to be absolute. It ought to be so absolute that no Church property anywhere, in any state or in the nation, should be exempt from equal taxation; for if you exempt the property of any church organization, to that extent you impose a tax upon the whole community. ↗

— James A. Garfield

#us-president #equality

Being all equal and independent, no one ought to harm another in his life, health, liberty, or possessions. ↗

— John Locke

#independence #liberty #of-the-state-of-nature #equality

He'll love and hate equally under cover, and esteem it a species of impertinence to loved or hated again. ↗

— Emily Brontë

#love #equality

When the government puts its imprimatur on a particular religion it conveys a message of exclusion to all those who do not adhere to the favored beliefs. A government cannot be premised on the belief that all persons are created equal when it asserts that God prefers some. ↗

— Harry A. Blackmun

#politics #religion #separation-of-church-and-state #equality

I remember the second time I took Agatha out. I wanted to go to Dairy Queen, and she wanted to go to Burger King. In the end we settled for wieners and clams at Johnny Hermaphrodite’s. ↗

— Jarod Kintz

#date #dating #funny #dating

The fact that the Constitution is sufficiently open-ended to infuriate all Americans almost equally is part of its enduring genius. ↗

— Dahlia Lithwick

#jurisprudence #slate #equality

I reply with my own bout of sarcasm, speaking in my best George Dubya voice. “Corporate America, driven by the power elite, a group so powerful they orchestrate wars in order to generate wealth—incomprehensible wealth. A group of people loyal to no country—whose interests know no borders—who manipulate all peoples and cultures equally, adhering to no government regulations. And as long as the people continue to elect dumb politicians like myself, it will be easy to maintain control. Just remember, America, fool me once, shame on…shame on you… Fool me, you can’t get fooled again. ↗

— Aaron B. Powell

#humor #politics #equality

I am so grateful for the many times God has shown me the mercy of not giving me what I want. ↗

— Steve Maraboli

#grateful #gratitude #happiness #life #mercy

Let us liberate ourselves from any form of control. Let us focus at the inner drum, where the rhythm aligns with that of our heart. The measure of responsibility, equals to the need for evolution. Just listen, the inner child, let it whisper in your ear. ↗

— Grigoris Deoudis

#drum #evolution #heart #inner #inner-child