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Friday, April 02, 2010

Proverbial, and other, sayings

"We should be careful to get out of an experience only the wisdom that is in it -- and stop there -- lest we be like the cat that sits down on a hot stove-lid. She will never sit down on a hot stove-lid again, and that is well; but also she will never sit down on a cold one any more." -- Mark Twain/Samuel Langhorn Clemens, author and humorist (1835-1910)

"For want of a nail the shoe was lost; for want of the shoe the horse was lost; and for want of a horse the rider was lost." -- Benjamin Franklin, from Poor Richard's Almanac

"If it is said that the rules of modern composition are frequently violated by the old composers, we will only say that old rules are as often violated by the new - and then appeal to the effect of their music to prove its comparative value. Every one knows how much old tunes have suffered by the modern 'improvements' imposed upon them." -- D. H. Mansfield, author/compiler of The American Vocalist, 1854

"In vain men talk of living faith,
When all their works exhibit death.
When they indulge some sinful view,
In all they say and all they do."

Joseph Hart

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

In regard to the last statement, let us put our words into action. Certainly more effort is required by doing, than by the utterance of mere words. We think of the old adage, "Don't do as I do, do as I say do." Hopefully not.