#surprise

The most fundamental fact about the ideas of the political left is that they do not work. Therefore we should not be surprised to find the left concentrated in institutions where ideas do not have to work in order to survive. ↗

— Thomas Sowell

#concentrated #fact #find #fundamental #ideas

When there is an accident involving fire, in most cases death is caused by the inhalation of the toxic smoke. What we need is air to go to a driver for 45 seconds. I'm surprised that this is not done, and I would make it compulsory. ↗

— Jackie Stewart

#air #cases #caused #compulsory #death

When one person does something that works, everyone else wants to do it. So it didn't surprise me at all to see people come with different versions of 'American Idol' and a lot of them are exactly the same but with different twists. ↗

— Ruben Studdard

#american idol #come #different #does #else

Approach the game with no preset agendas and you'll probably come away surprised at your overall efforts. ↗

— Phil Jackson

#agendas #approach #away #come #efforts

But "Uncle Gussie"- my mother's brother, A. W. Hamilton- talked to me as if we were of age. That is, he talked about Things. He told me all the science I could then take in, clearly, eagerly, without silly jokes or condescensions, obviously liking it as much as I did...I do not suppose he cared for me as a person half so much as Uncle Joe did; and that (call it an injustice or not) is what I liked. During these talks our attention was fixed not on one another but on the subject. His Canadian wife I have already mentioned. In her also I found what I liked best- an unfailing, kindly welcome without a hint of sentimentality, unruffled good sense, the unobtrusive talent for making all things at all times as cheerful and comfortable as circumstances allowed... ↗

— C.S. Lewis

#age

Engage people with what they expect; it is what they are able to discern and confirms their projections. It settles them into predictable patterns of response, occupying their minds while you wait for the extraordinary moment — that which they cannot anticipate. ↗

— Sun Tzu

#people #predictability #surprise #art

What constitutes a problem is not the thing, or the environment where we find the thing, but the conjunction of the two; something unexpected in a usual place (our favorite aunt in our favorite poker parlor) or something usual in an unexpected place (our favorite poker in our favorite aunt). I knew that my sampler was absolutely right in Elsie Norris's front room, but absolutely wrong in Mrs. Virtue's sewing class. Mrs. Virtue should either have had the imagination to commend me for my effort in context, or the farsightedness to realize there is a debate going on as to whether something has an absolute as well as a relative value; given that, she should have given me the benefit of the doubt. As it was, she got upset and blamed me for her headache. ↗

— Jeanette Winterson

#art

You'd be surprised what poison is often hidden in the most beautiful camouflage. ↗

— Evelyn Klebert

#camouflage #hidden #poison #surprised #beauty

Surprise yourself every day with your own courage. ↗

— Denholm Elliott

#surprise #courage

Humor is a spontaneous, wonderful bit of an outburst that just comes. It's unbridled, its unplanned, it's full of suprises. ↗

— Erma Bombeck

#spontaneity #surprise #humor