"Pessimism of the intellect, optimism of the will"

Romain Rolland, popularised by Gramsci

"His speeches left the impression of an army of pompous phrases moving over the landscape in search of an idea. Sometimes these meandering words actually capture a thought and bear it triumphantly, a prisoner in their midst, until it died of servitude and over work."

William McAdoo, losing Democratic contender, on President William Harding's stump speeches
Courtesy Ian Ferrell, Jan 2004

"A few weeks ago, I was in a big supermarket here in the United States. In one aisle, they were selling a calculator. It was the size of a credit card. And the price was only 99 cents.... A few aisles over, they were selling a bottle of Evian water for $2 and 49 cents. Is that ironic? Electronics cheaper than water!"

Fumio Ohtsubo, President, Panasonic AVC Networks, CES keynote, January 2004