The end of things, and other quotes

The posting of quotes by human authors does not constitute agreement with either the quotes or their sources.

"The end of things is always the first in intention, though it be last in execution." -- Tobias Crisp

"Be among the spices and you will smell of them." -- Thomas Watson

"The reason [Calvinism] is not a problem for my friend and me is twofold. First, we BOTH accept the fact that the other is saved. In the course of a good, friendly but lively exchange, I asked him a question that is very pertinent: ”Do you think I am saved?” He answered, “Absolutely.” Then I said, “Well, I think you are saved also.” What follows is simple common sense. If he thinks I (a non-Calvinist) am saved, and I think that he (a Calvinist) is saved then salvation is not the issue. Instead, the core issue is one’s theological model and methodology." -- William F. Harrell

"People can pick up skills relatively quickly, but character isn’t something you just pick up. Character is often forged over a long period of time and over multiple experiences, and it only changes with great and sustained effort. It can and does change, but it’s much harder to change your character than it is to learn skills." -- Craig Hamilton

"If a person cannot argue the issue he will usually try to argue the semantics. If he is too ignorant to argue the semantics he will usually try to argue personality." -- Elbert Hubbard

"There is so much good in the worst of us,
And so much bad in the best of us,
That it hardly becomes any of us
To talk about the rest of us." -- Attributed to Edward Wallis Hoch, but according to The Yale Book of Quotations by Fred R. Shapiro (p. 362) it was disclaimed by Hoch in a letter in 1916. It's earliest instance is found in The (Marion, KS) Record, when Hoch was editor

“Government should protect every man in thinking and speaking freely, and see that one does not abuse another. The liberty I contend for is more than toleration. The very idea of toleration is despicable; it supposes that some have a pre-eminence above the rest to grant indulgence, whereas all should be equally free, Jews, Turks, Pagans and Christians.” — John Leland, 1790

"When the debate is lost, slander becomes the tool of the loser." -- most often attributed to Socrates, online research finds it apparently doesn't have a history before the 21st century

"All the Confederate Flags in the world are not worth one soul of any race." -- James Merritt

"While 'What would Jesus do?' kind of rhetoric makes good for a spiritual novel, I'm unsure it actually assists us all that well for making moral decisions in real life. The fact is, Jesus continually did and said the unpredictable in the gospel narratives often surprising His closest comrades." -- Peter Lumpkins