Orts #710
. . . in public affairs there is no course so bad, provided it is old and stable, that it is not better than change and commotion. Our morals are extremely corrupt, and lean with a remarkable inclination toward the worse; of our laws and customs, many are barbarous and monstrous; however, because of the difficulty of improving our condition, and the danger of everything crumbling into bits, if I could put a spoke in our wheel and stop it at this point, I would do so with all my heart.
-- Montaigne, in an essay, Of presumption
In a corrupt age, the putting the world in order would breed confusion; then e'en mind your own business.
-- Benjamin Franklin, in Poor Richard's Almanack, 1758
The souls of emperors and cobblers are cast in the same mold. Considering the importance of the actions of princes and their weightiness, we persuade ourselves that they are produced by some causes equally weighty and important. We are wrong: they are led to and fro in their movements by the same springs as we are in ours. The same reason that makes us bicker with a neighbor creates a war between princes . . . . Their will is as frivolous as ours, but their power is greater.
-- Montaigne, in an essay, Apology for Raymond Sebond
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no-extra-charge value-added link:
Finally, Spring is here! Just the right moment to tiptoe through the tulips with the inimitable Tiny Tim and his left-handed ukelele: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N_PLWqnfFgU
And, for the purists and connoisseurs amongst you, here's the original version, from 1929, complete with dancers: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UZMHJX4b9bU