“A time to get and a time to lose,
a time to keep and a time to cast away;
a time for love and a time to hate;
a time of war and a time of peace.”
— from Dune (The Dune Sequence Book 1) by Frank Herbert
Quotes
Like your country, make it better
“You actually have to like the country in which you live, and want to make it better, in order for the public to want to back you. Harking back to a golden age, with a wish-list of policies that are completely absurd in a modern, developed nation, is for the birds.”
—Ed Vaizey, the former minister and Tory peer
(From “Senior Tories say Trump-style takeover could precipitate party meltdown“)
Related vs family
There’s a difference between being related and being family.
Family takes time and care and effort,
and meals shared and dishes washed,
and beds made,
and shared history.
And intimacy.
—Julia, in Sisters S1E1
India after Covid
It’s not that we won’t get through this, we will, but when the battle is won and we go home, our homes won’t be the same.
I love speaking to my parents every morning. I’m also scared everyday about who will I hear about today.
Indians away
Call my parents every day with an anxiety.
‘Tusi theek ho? Sab theek hai? Dadi ma, Dada ji theek hai?’
Maa: Haan sab theek hai
Phew. We’ve survived one more day.
I can sleep tonight.
Yep, that’s how all Indians living away from family are doing at the moment.
Fanatics
That’s how I know he can be beaten.
Because he is a fanatic.
And a fanatic is always harbouring a secret doubt.
—George Smiley, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy
Hermione
‘Her – my – oh – nee,’ she said, slowly and clearly.
Tell me what you’re feeling…
Hollow. Hopeless. Lonely. Afraid.
from Star Trek Picard S01E06, The Impossible Box.
On eating…
Asceticism was a virtue in life and business, he believed. “People live more on what they do not eat,” he once said.
—From The Guardian, in ‘The Aldi effect’
TIL: “Your boys took a hell of a beating”
I discovered this gem of Football commentary today. It’s from a Norway-England match in 1981. I love the passion, sprinkled with humour.
We are the best in the world! We are the best in the world! We have beaten England 2-1 in football!! It is completely unbelievable! We have beaten England! England, birthplace of giants. Lord Nelson, Lord Beaverbrook, Sir Winston Churchill, Sir Anthony Eden, Clement Attlee, Henry Cooper, Lady Diana–we have beaten them all. We have beaten them all.
Maggie Thatcher can you hear me? Maggie Thatcher, I have a message for you in the middle of the election campaign. I have a message for you: We have knocked England out of the football World Cup. Maggie Thatcher, as they say in your language in the boxing bars around Madison Square Garden in New York: Your boys took a hell of a beating! Your boys took a hell of a beating!
No wonder…
It was not unusual for Norwegians to turn off the sound on the TV and listen to him on the radio instead.
For more fun, follow the link above and read some of the parodies inspired from the commentary :)