Time to revive some Abbey quotes

[WileEcoyote]

“When the philosopher's argument becomes tedious, complicated, and opaque, it is usually a sign that he is attempting to prove as true to the intellect what is plainly false to common sense” (explains the posts of many Conservatives I know. They flood the forums with pounds of writing...)


“Growth for the sake of growth is the ideology of the cancer cell.”


“One man alone can be pretty dumb sometimes, but for real bona fide stupidity, there ain't nothin' can beat teamwork.”


“If the end does not justify the means - what can?”


“In the modern techno-industrial culture, it is possible to proceed from infancy into senility without ever knowing manhood”


“High technology has done us one great service: It has retaught us the delight of performing simple and primordial tasks - chopping wood, building a fire, drawing water from a spring”


“When a man's best friend is his dog, that dog has a problem” (true of both my dogs, but then I am a dog too...)


“Civilization is a youth with a molotov cocktail in his hand. Culture is the Soviet tank or L.A. cop that guns him down.”


“The only thing worse than a knee-jerk liberal is a knee-pad conservative.”


“Anarchism is not a romantic fable but the hardheaded realization, based on five thousand years of experience, that we cannot entrust the management of our lives to kings, priests, politicians, generals, and county commissioners.”



Remember before we get to the one I chose as best and last consider that Edward Abbey passed away in 1989. Consider how prescient he was to know the neo con enemy way back then!

“Our 'neoconservatives' are neither new nor conservative, but old as Babylon and evil as Hell”

[Goldstein1984]

1. Thank you for those.

Time to start building the literature of change to come.

[villager]

2. And don't forget:

"Be of good cheer, the military-industrial state will soon collapse. Meanwhile, we must do all in our power to oppose, resist, and subvert its desperate aggrandizements. As a matter of course. As a matter of honor."

Thanks for posting, WileE!

And where is the Monkeywrench Gang, now that we need 'em!?

[aquart]

3. They sound almost Mark Twainish.

Better can I say of no one.

[WileEcoyote]

4. (bumps own thread)

Abbey died right about the time the Exxon Valdez ran aground.

My one and only correspondence from Abbey happened about ten months earlier. He answered all his fan mail. The reply I got:

"Dear Mr. Wiley,

Much thanks for the good letter, glad you enjoy them books. As for alcohol? I quit serious steady drinking five years ago on account of damage to brain, pancreas and motorcycle. Am in good health now thank you very much.

Edward Abbey"

[Soylent Brice]

5. that last one is spot on.

[BeFree]

6. The Thoreau of the American West

Ned was quite the writer. And liver. I have 5 of his books and suggest to everyone that they read him. My fav quote is this:

Resist much, Obey little.