#thoughtlessness

In the information society, nobody thinks. We expected to banish paper, but we actually banished thought. ↗

— Michael Crichton

#thoughtlessness #information

But far more numerous was the herd of such, Who think too little and who talk too much. ↗

— John Dryden

#loquacity #thoughtlessness #contemporary

I must say that, beyond occasionally exposing me to laughter, my constitutional shyness has been no dis-advantage whatever. In fact I can see that, on the contrary, it has been all to my advantage. My hesitancy in speech, which was once an annoyance, is now a pleasure. Its greatest benefit has been that it has taught me the economy of words. I have naturally formed the habit of restraining my thoughts. And I can now give myself the certificate that a thoughtless word hardly ever escapes my tongue or pen. I do not recollect ever having had to regret anything in my speech or writing. I have thus been spared many a mishap and waste of time. Experience has taught me that silence is part of the spiritual discipline of a votary of truth. Proneness to exaggerate, to suppress or modify the truth, wittingly or unwittingly, is a natural weakness of man, and silence is necessary in order to surmount it. A man of few words will rarely be thoughtless in his speech; he will measure every word. We find so many people impatient to talk. There is no chairman of a meeting who is not pestered with notes for permission to speak. And whenever the permission is given the speaker generally exceeds the time-limit, asks for more time, and keeps on talking without permission. All this talking can hardly be said to be of any benefit to the world. It is so much waste of time. My shyness has been in reality my shield and buckler. It has allowed me to grow. It has helped me in my discernment of truth. ↗

— Mahatma Gandhi

#thoughtfulness #thoughtlessness #experience

People who don't see their nature and imagine they can practice thoughtlessness all the time are lairs and fools. ↗

— Bodhidharma

#imagine #nature #people #practice #see

In the sex war, thoughtlessness is the weapon of the male, vindictiveness of the female. ↗

— Cyril Connolly

#male #sex #thoughtlessness #vindictiveness #war

Government is an evil; it is only the thoughtlessness and vices of men that make it a necessary evil. When all men are good and wise, government will of itself decay. ↗

— Percy Bysshe Shelley

#evil #good #government #itself #make

There is, after all, no moral difference between the bigot and the tolerator. They are from case to case positive or negative. One man is bigoted because he was given the sword of truth, another because he is angered in thoughtlessness; then, one man is tolerant because he was given the flag of peace, another because he is cowardly and wishes to hide all guilt. ↗

— Criss Jami

#bigotry #cowardice #differentiation #flag #guilt