#pen

The strength and power of a country depends absolutely on the quantity of good men and women in it. ↗

— John Ruskin

#country #depends #good #good men #men

Natural abilities can almost compensate for the want of every kind of cultivation, but no cultivation of the mind can make up for the want of natural abilities. ↗

— John Ruskin

#compensate #cultivation #every #kind #make

A couple years ago, the novelist Russell Banks told me he was reading the ancient Greek historian Herodotus. I asked why. He said, 'Because I've always wanted to and am tired of having my reading assigned.' I thought it was a marvelous declaration of independence. ↗

— Richard Russo

#always #am #ancient #asked #assigned

In the sphere of thought, absurdity and perversity remain the masters of the world, and their dominion is suspended only for brief periods. ↗

— Arthur Schopenhauer

#brief #dominion #masters #only #periods

And if small businesspeople say they made it on their own, all they are saying is that nobody else worked seven days a week in their place. Nobody showed up in their place to open the door at five in the morning. Nobody did their thinking, and worrying, and sweating for them. ↗

— Paul Ryan

#businesspeople #days #did #door #else

People are always telling me that change is good. But all that means is that something you didn't want to happen has happened. ↗

— Meg Ryan

#change #good #happen #happened #me

When I got traded to the California Angels, I really wasn't that excited about going to the Angels because it meant changing leagues and also a whole new set of teammates. But shortly after I got there I realized that it was one of the best things that ever happened to me. ↗

— Nolan Ryan

#after #also #angels #because #best

Our founders got it right when they wrote in the Declaration of Independence that our rights come from nature and nature's God, not from government. ↗

— Paul Ryan

#declaration #founders #god #got #government

And the biggest, coldest power play of all in Obamacare came at the expense of the elderly. ↗

— Paul Ryan

#came #elderly #expense #obamacare #play

Look, I am not worried about Washington cutting too much spending too fast. I mean, the kinds of spending cuts we're talking about just right now are $100 billion out of a $3.7 trillion budget. ↗

— Paul Ryan

#am #billion #budget #cuts #cutting