What is your favorite quote? And why?
Live Journals Writer’s Block
We few, we happy few, we band of brothers;
For he to-day that sheds his blood with me
Shall be my brother
This is one of my favorite quotes, I remember when Rand used to do training on [SAS] TG#1. He always tried to get it across to everyone that you always take care of your element. You wouldn’t want to finish the mission a couple of friends less if it was a real-op would you?
Be it virtual or real world, it is a concept worth taking heed of.
I remember some thing I read once about lend lease.
Franklin D. Roosevelt, eager to ensure public consent for this controversial plan, explained to the public and the press that his plan was comparable to one neighbor’s lending another a garden hose to put out a fire in his home. “What do I do in such a crisis?” the president asked at a press conference. “I don’t say… ‘Neighbor, my garden hose cost me $15; you have to pay me $15 for it’ …I don’t want $15 — I want my garden hose back after the fire is over.”
If your house is burning to the ground in front of them, you’ll either see your friends and neighborers helping or sitting around waiting on the fire department while you fry like bacon.
A bit more context to the original qoute:
Rather proclaim it, Westmoreland, through my host,
That he which hath no stomach to this fight,
Let him depart; his passport shall be made
And crowns for convoy put into his purse:
We would not die in that man’s company
That fears his fellowship to die with us.
This day is called the feast of Crispian:
He that outlives this day, and comes safe home,
Will stand a tip-toe when the day is named,
And rouse him at the name of Crispian.
He that shall live this day, and see old age,
Will yearly on the vigil feast his neighbours,
And say ‘To-morrow is Saint Crispian:’
Then will he strip his sleeve and show his scars.
And say ‘These wounds I had on Crispin’s day.’
Old men forget: yet all shall be forgot,
But he’ll remember with advantages
What feats he did that day: then shall our names.
Familiar in his mouth as household words
Harry the king, Bedford and Exeter,
Warwick and Talbot, Salisbury and Gloucester,
Be in their flowing cups freshly remember’d.
This story shall the good man teach his son;
And Crispin Crispian shall ne’er go by,
From this day to the ending of the world,
But we in it shall be remember’d;
We few, we happy few, we band of brothers;
For he to-day that sheds his blood with me
Shall be my brother; be he ne’er so vile,
This day shall gentle his condition:
And gentlemen in England now a-bed
Shall think themselves accursed they were not here,
And hold their manhoods cheap whiles any speaks
That fought with us upon Saint Crispin’s day.
King Henry V, Act IV, Scene III, William Shakespeare
I do have a bit of a soft spot for Shakespeare’s plays, I usually find them utterly boring or very enjoyable :-). I remember I was once working on a poem and a good friend of mine pointed me towards Romeo and Juliet for inspiration. It didn’t help worth a darn but it was a fine play !
Any thing remotely classifiable as poetry from me, usually comes from very strong feelings… For better or worse as the case may be. I find it helps from time to time to use words in such a manor as what most people would probably consider as having a poetic or psalm like flair to them.. Some times committing it to file rather then leaving it in my mind is a great way to order my thoughts.
This particular bit of work I’m thinking of was like the blood flowing from the stone so to speak but love can do crazy things to a mans heart. I keep a copy of it stored in my home directories ~/Documents/Personal folder but it is still a one-issue’er, for none other to receive. Some day perhaps I’ll post it but not this morning, fuuy… been installing programs so long it’s after 5am :
Hmm… this brings back tender memories, I think if I had a word processor installed on PC-BSD yet I’d read it before I go to sleep.