#viva

The goblins of the city may hold committees to divide a single potato, but the strong and the cruel still sit on the hill, and drink vodka, and wear black furs, and slurp borscht by the pail, like blood. Children may wear through their socks marching in righteous parades, but Papa never misses his wine with supper. Therefore, it is better to be strong and cruel than to be fair. At least, one eats better that way. And morality is more dependent on the state of one’s stomach than of one’s nation. ↗

— Catherynne M. Valente

#strength #survival-of-the-fittest #communism

Now observe that in all the propaganda of the ecologists—amidst all their appeals to nature and pleas for “harmony with nature”—there is no discussion of man’s needs and the requirements of his survival. Man is treated as if he were an unnatural phenomenon. Man cannot survive in the kind of state of nature that the ecologists envision—i.e., on the level of sea urchins or polar bears.... In order to survive, man has to discover and produce everything he needs, which means that he has to alter his background and adapt it to his needs. Nature has not equipped him for adapting himself to his background in the manner of animals. From the most primitive cultures to the most advanced civilizations, man has had to manufacture things; his well-being depends on his success at production. The lowest human tribe cannot survive without that alleged source of pollution: fire. It is not merely symbolic that fire was the property of the gods which Prometheus brought to man. The ecologists are the new vultures swarming to extinguish that fire. ↗

— Ayn Rand

#manufacturing #nature #productivity #survival #nature

To a man of pleasure every moment appears to be lost, which partakes not of the vivacity of amusement. ↗

— Joseph Addison

#appears #every #lost #man #moment

On a level of simple personal survival, understanding and forgiveness are crucial... whether in an intimate personal relationship or on a global level. ↗

— Edward Albert

#forgiveness #global #intimate #level #personal

Very soon nations will understand that in reality Water is the most expensive natural resource for their survivals. Not Middle East oil neither African gold. ↗

— M.F. Moonzajer

#middle-east #survival #water #nature

But no nation can base its survival and development on luck and prayers alone while its leadership fritters away every available opportunity for success and concrete achievement. ↗

— Ibrahim Babangida

#alone #available #away #base #concrete

The survival of artistic modes in which we recognize ourselves, identify ourselves and place ourselves will survive as long as humanity survives. ↗

— M. H. Abrams

#humanity #identify #long #modes #ourselves

The important thing for the survival of the Thai society is that the majority of those who work, both in the government and the private sector, still strive to work in the same direction; this is why the Thai nation still stands. ↗

— Bhumibol Adulyadej

#direction #government #important #important thing #majority

I always felt that I had anxiety of survival in terms of livelihood even when I was making plenty of money. ↗

— Leonard Baskin

#anxiety #even #felt #had #i

Believe me, I understand the need for easy and speedy. After a 12-hour day of shooting 'Chopped,' say, I'm talking stir-fry, spaghetti, heck, peanut-butter sandwiches. But that's not about the joy of food. That's survival. ↗

— Ted Allen

#after #believe #chopped #day #easy