Author Charles Wiegand
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charleswiegand.bsky.social
Author Charles Wiegand
@charleswiegand.bsky.social
1K followers 390 following 1.3K posts
Charles wrote "Heartbeats Across Borders" and many short stories, some have been published in many different journals/anthologies as well has his own two collections - "Daydreaming" and "Uncharted Realities". All three of his books are available on Amazon
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charleswiegand.bsky.social
Author Charles Wiegand @charleswiegand.bsky.social · Oct 22
My novel - "Heartbeats Across Borders" www.amazon.com/dp/B0D76PKHTG
My collection of short stories -"Daydreaming" www.amazon.com/dp/B0CNG22W76
My second collection of short stories - Uncharted Realities www.amazon.com/dp/B0D9ZSHXDR
For more info visit: author.wiegand.org
#writerslift #books #reading
My novel - "Heartbeats Across Borders" https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0D76PKHTG My collection of short stories -"Daydreaming" https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CNG22W76 My second collection of short stories - Uncharted Realities https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0D9ZSHXDR For more info visit: https://author.wiegand.org #writerslift #books #reading #publishedauthor #author #coffee #art #love #life
charleswiegand.bsky.social
“The mind is its own place, and in itself
Can make a heav'n of hell, a hell of heav'n.”
--John Milton (1608-1674)
From Paradise Lost, Book 1, Lines 253-55
See also Book IV, line 75

#writerslift #life #authors #love #art #coffee #diary #write #books #amwriting #quotes #johnmilton
“The mind is its own place, and in itself Can make a heav'n of hell, a hell of heav'n.” --John Milton (1608-1674) From Paradise Lost, Book 1, Lines 253-55 See also Book IV, line 75 #writerslift #life #authors #love #art #coffee #diary #write #books #amwriting #quotes #johnmilton In Paradise Lost, the above line is spoken by Satan early in the poem, as he reflects on his fall. John Milton gives one of literature’s most unsettling insights to Satan himself: the mind doesn’t merely react to circumstances, it creates experience. Heaven and hell are not only locations but states of perception. With the right mindset, even torment can be reframed as triumph; with the wrong one, paradise can feel like punishment. Milton’s line captures the terrifying power of self-interpretation. What makes the quote endure is its moral ambiguity. The same mental autonomy that enables resilience can also enable self-deception. Satan uses this idea to justify rebellion and denial, turning inner resolve into a counterfeit freedom. Milton’s warning is subtle but sharp: the mind’s power is real, but it is not morally neutral. How we frame our world can save us, or trap us, depending on what truth we’re willing to face.
January 5, 2026 at 3:38 PM
charleswiegand.bsky.social
“Audaces fortuna iuvat; timidosque repellit.”
“Audacity augments courage; hesitation, fear.”
--Publilius Syrus (85 - 43BC)
From Sententiae, Maxim 63

#writerslift #life #authors #love #art #coffee #diary #write #books #amwriting #quotes #PubliliusSyrus
“Audaces fortuna iuvat; timidosque repellit.” “Audacity augments courage; hesitation, fear.” --Publilius Syrus (85 - 43BC) From Sententiae, Maxim 63 #writerslift #life #authors #love #art #coffee #diary #write #books #amwriting #quotes #PubliliusSyrus Over two thousand years ago, Publilius Syrus captured a psychological truth that still governs human behavior: action feeds courage, delay feeds fear. In his Sententiae, he observed that boldness strengthens resolve, while hesitation allows doubt to grow. Courage isn’t something you wait to feel before acting; it’s something that often appears after you move forward. The longer you pause, the louder fear becomes. This insight remains painfully relevant. Whether it’s starting something new, speaking up, or making a hard decision, momentum matters. Audacity doesn’t eliminate risk, but it prevents fear from becoming dominant. Syrus reminds us that courage is not the absence of fear, it’s the refusal to let hesitation hand fear the reins. Sometimes the bravest move is simply not waiting.
January 4, 2026 at 1:57 PM
charleswiegand.bsky.social
“My method is to take the utmost trouble to find the right thing to say, and then to say it with the utmost levity.”
--George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950)
From Answers to Nine Questions (1896)

#writerslift #life #authors #love #art #coffee #diary #write #books #amwriting #quotes #GeorgeBernardShaw
“My method is to take the utmost trouble to find the right thing to say, and then to say it with the utmost levity.” --George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) From Answers to Nine Questions (1896) #writerslift #life #authors #love #art #coffee #diary #write #books #amwriting #quotes #GeorgeBernardShaw George Bernard Shaw’s line sounds playful, but it hides a serious discipline. When he says he takes “the utmost trouble” to find the right thing to say, he’s describing the hard, often invisible labor behind clarity and precision. Shaw was meticulous about ideas, arguments, and language. The levity came after the thinking was done, not instead of it. Humor, in his hands, wasn’t carelessness, it was a delivery system. That’s why Shaw’s wit still lands. By saying difficult or controversial truths lightly, he disarmed resistance and invited readers to engage rather than recoil. Levity made sharp ideas accessible without dulling them. The quote is a reminder that intelligence doesn’t have to sound solemn to be serious, and that wit, when earned, can be one of the most effective tools for saying exactly what needs to be said.
January 3, 2026 at 1:43 PM
charleswiegand.bsky.social
“Do not rely on your wealth,
and do not say, ‘I have enough.’
Do not be carried away by your desire and your power,
to walk according to the impulses of your heart.”
-Ben Sira (Sirach) (200-175BC)
From Book of Ecclisiasticus, Chapter 5:1-2
From the NETS (New English Translation of the Septuagint)
“Do not rely on your wealth, and do not say, ‘I have enough.’ Do not be carried away by your desire and your power, to walk according to the impulses of your heart.” --Ben Sira (Sirach) (200-175BC) From Book of Ecclisiasticus, Chapter 5:1-2 From the NETS (New English Translation of the Septuagint) #writerslift #life #authors #love #art #coffee #diary #write #books #amwriting #quotes #Sirach Written over two thousand years ago, this warning from Ben Sira cuts straight through time. In Ecclesiasticus, he cautions against the illusion of self-sufficiency that comes with wealth and power. To rely too heavily on riches, or to believe oneself beyond need or consequence, is to step onto dangerous ground. Greed and violence don’t serve their masters; they enslave them. What feels like strength can quietly become a chain. The message is strikingly modern. In a world that often celebrates dominance, accumulation, and unchecked ambition, Ben Sira reminds us that inner freedom matters more than external power. True independence doesn’t come from having everything you want, but from not being ruled by desire or force. His insight isn’t anti-success; it’s a warning about mistaking control for character. Long before modern ethics, he understood that what you serve will eventually shape what you become.
January 1, 2026 at 3:23 PM
charleswiegand.bsky.social
« On perd souvent les grandes choses par
l’attachement aux petites. »
“Those who focus too much on small things usually become incapable of big ones.”
--François de La Rochefoucauld (1613-1680)
From Reflections; or Sentences and Moral Maxims - 1665

#life #authors #love #art #coffee #quotes
« On perd souvent les grandes choses par l’attachement aux petites. » “Those who focus too much on small things usually become incapable of big ones.” --François de La Rochefoucauld (1613-1680) From Reflections; or Sentences and Moral Maxims - 1665 #writerslift #life #authors #love #art #coffee #diary #write #books #amwriting #quotes La Rochefoucauld was a master at exposing how character erodes quietly, not dramatically. This maxim warns that people who fixate on small matters often lose the ability to engage with larger ones. Petty grievances, minor status games, and trivial victories may feel important in the moment, but they consume attention that could be used for judgment, vision, or meaningful action. The danger isn’t small things themselves; it’s allowing them to dominate your mental landscape. What makes this observation timeless is how easily it applies today. When energy is spent policing details, winning minor arguments, or obsessing over symbolic slights, the capacity for big-picture thinking shrinks. La Rochefoucauld isn’t preaching ambition for its own sake; he’s pointing out a psychological trap. Great undertakings require perspective, patience, and proportion. Lose those, and the world narrows until only the small remains.
December 31, 2025 at 1:37 PM
charleswiegand.bsky.social
"...my religion is simply this: First. Give to every other human being every right that you claim for yourself."
--Robert Green Ingersoll (1833-1899)
From The Limitations of Toleration (The Works of Robert G. Ingersoll, vol. 7, quotation on p. 258)

#life #love #amwriting #quotes #RobertIngersoll
"...my religion is simply this: First. Give to every other human being every right that you claim for yourself." --Robert Green Ingersoll (1833-1899) From The Limitations of Toleration (The Works of Robert G. Ingersoll, vol. 7, quotation on p. 258) #writerslift #life #authors #love #art #coffee #diary #write #books #amwriting #quotes #RobertIngersoll In the late 19th century, Robert G. Ingersoll, a lawyer, lecturer, and fierce defender of civil liberty, summed up his ethical core in a line that still resonates today: “Give to every other human being every right that you claim for yourself.” This principle captures the heart of true tolerance and justice: treat others with the same respect and freedom you expect. It’s simple in wording but powerful in meaning, demanding we look beyond personal bias and extend equal rights to all. Ingersoll’s statement was part of a larger speech on the limitations of toleration, where he emphasized intellectual freedom, open dialogue, and mutual respect. His idea echoes through modern discussions of human rights and civil liberties: justice isn’t about selectively granting freedoms but about universally upholding them. Whether applied to race, religion, gender, or belief, this golden rule of rights invites us to look at the world through empathy and fairness rather than fear or exclusion.
December 29, 2025 at 2:21 PM
charleswiegand.bsky.social
“What I feel or believe or experience is my business, and what I do is all our businesses; and reward or punish me according to whether I play the game well, ethically and rightly, or unethically.”
--Timothy Francis Leary (1920 – 1996)
As quoted in “The Tech” (8 November 1966), p. 6
“What I feel or believe or experience is my business, and what I do is all our businesses; and reward or punish me according to whether I play the game well, ethically and rightly, or unethically.” --Timothy Francis Leary (1920 – 1996) As quoted in “The Tech” (8 November 1966), p. 6 #writerslift #life #authors #love #art #coffee #diary #write #books #amwriting #quotes #timothyleary In a 1966 interview with The Tech, Timothy Leary drew a sharp ethical line in that above quote. His argument was simple but demanding. Private thoughts, beliefs, and inner experiences belong to the individual. Actions, however, affect others and should be judged, rewarded, or punished based on whether they are carried out ethically or harmfully. Responsibility, in Leary’s view, begins where behavior enters the shared world. What makes the quote feel almost radical today is how far culture has drifted from that distinction. In the modern public sphere, people are routinely judged not just for what they do, but for what they think, believe, once believed, or privately experience. Intent and ideology are often treated as offenses in themselves, sometimes eclipsing actual conduct. Leary’s line reminds us of a principle worth revisiting: societies function best when they hold people accountable for actions, not for the ever-changing contents of the human mind.
December 28, 2025 at 1:58 PM
charleswiegand.bsky.social
“I'm not an ’American First’ (and maybe because I read science fiction), I'm a ‘Terran First’. I'm a human being first. And I have this sympathy for other human beings, no matter what side of the giant ice wall they happen to be born on.”
--George Raymond Richard Martin (1948- )
“I'm not an ’American First’ (and maybe because I read science fiction), I'm a ‘Terran First’. I'm a human being first. And I have this sympathy for other human beings, no matter what side of the giant ice wall they happen to be born on.” --George Raymond Richard Martin (1948- ) From An Hour with George R. R. Martin at TusCon 43 (November 2016) #writerslift #life #authors #love #art #coffee #diary #write #books #amwriting #quotes #georgerrmartin At TusCon 43 in 2016, author George R. R. Martin offered a striking twist on the phrase “America First.” Drawing on his lifelong love of science fiction, he said he thinks of himself as “Terran First” - a human being before any nationality, and expressed sympathy for all people, no matter what side of “the giant ice wall” they were born on. What makes this thought stand out is how it reflects the core of meaningful speculative fiction: imagining humanity as one shared story, not a collection of isolated tribes. Martin’s remark isn’t just political rhetoric, it’s a reminder that our empathy can be as expansive as the worlds we read about. In his view, the best of science fiction invites us to see ourselves as citizens of Earth first, and everything else second.
December 27, 2025 at 3:02 PM
charleswiegand.bsky.social
“Before all masters, necessity is the one most listened to, and who teaches the best.”
--Jules Verne (1828-1905)
From The Mysterious Island (1874) Part I, ch. XVII

#writerslift #life #authors #love #art #coffee #diary #write #books #amwriting #quotes #JulesVerne
“Before all masters, necessity is the one most listened to, and who teaches the best.” --Jules Verne (1828-1905) From The Mysterious Island (1874) Part I, ch. XVII #writerslift #life #authors #love #art #coffee #diary #write #books #amwriting #quotes #JulesVerne In "The Mysterious Island," Jules Verne uses this line to highlight a universal truth about human survival and learning. Stranded far from civilization, five castaways must rely on their wits, tools, and courage to build a new life from scratch. When Verne used that line, he was reminding us that need drives innovation. When people are pushed into situations where they must solve problems, they learn faster, think sharper, and adapt more creatively than in any comfortable classroom or laboratory. This quote is important today because it’s about more than shipwrecks and island life; it’s about how pressure shapes growth. Whether you’re launching a startup, facing a personal crisis, or learning a new skill under a deadline, necessity focuses the mind on solutions. Verne’s castaways make tools, create shelter, and master chemistry not because they want to, but because they need to. That’s a timeless lesson: sometimes the toughest teachers are the challenges we can’t avoid.
December 26, 2025 at 2:12 PM
charleswiegand.bsky.social
“In the algebra of fantasy, A times B doesn’t have to equal B times A. But, once established, the equation must hold throughout the story.”
--Lloyd Chudley Alexander (1924– 2007)
From "The Flat-Heeled Muse", Horn Book Magazine (1 April 1965)
#authors #write #books #amwriting #quotes #LloydAlexander
“In the algebra of fantasy, A times B doesn’t have to equal B times A. But, once established, the equation must hold throughout the story.” --Lloyd Chudley Alexander (1924– 2007) From "The Flat-Heeled Muse", Horn Book Magazine (1 April 1965) #writerslift #life #authors #love #art #coffee #diary #write #books #amwriting #quotes #LloydAlexander Lloyd Alexander, the beloved fantasy writer behind "The Chronicles of Prydain," once explained storytelling with an imaginative math metaphor. In his 1965 essay “The Flat-Heeled Muse,” he notes that in fantasy writing, unlike real algebra, the order you set things up in doesn’t have to behave normally at first - magic, odd rules, unusual elements can start in whatever order the author needs. But once those rules are in place, the internal logic of the world must stay consistent. Break it, and the story starts to feel like a mess, not a magical journey. What Alexander really nails is this: believability in fiction isn’t about realism, it’s about consistency. Readers will accept talking animals, time travel, or enchanted swords if the story honors the rules it creates. When a tale keeps its internal math straight, even if it’s strange math, the characters feel real, and the world holds together. That’s why your favorite fantasy worlds feel “true” even when they’re wildly impossible, because the logic stays intact from page one to the last.
December 25, 2025 at 2:52 PM
charleswiegand.bsky.social
“Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter, and those who matter don't mind.”
--An enhanced version of a quote from Bernard M. Baruch (1879-1965)
First reported in 1948

#writerslift #life #authors #love #coffee #diary #write #books #amwriting #quotes #BernardBaruch
“Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter, and those who matter don't mind.” --An enhanced version of a quote from Bernard M. Baruch (1879-1965) First reported in 1948 #writerslift #life #authors #love #art #coffee #diary #write #books #amwriting #quotes #BernardBaruch This quote gets thrown around like a Christmas fruit cake: “Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don’t matter and those who matter don’t mind.” It’s widely credited to Bernard M. Baruch, a 20th-century financier and presidential adviser, and it echoes a quip he reportedly made in the 1940s: “Those who matter don’t mind, and those who mind don’t matter.” That shorter version was shared as a light-hearted take on social friction and personal authenticity in everyday life. It was first reported as Baruch’s witty reply about seating arrangements at dinner parties in "Shake Well Before Using: A New Collection of Impressions and Anecdotes Mostly Humorous" (1948) by Bennett Cerf. There’s no solid early print source verifying that Baruch actually wrote this full sentence in his published works. The preface, “be who you are and say what you feel,” likely evolved over time as the shorter line circulated through motivational and social media channels. What this line really points to is a mindset about whose opinions deserve your energy. It suggests that people who criticize your true self aren’t the ones whose respect actually matters, while those who genuinely care about you will accept you even when you’re honest and blunt. The extended phrasing adds a layer about being yourself and speaking your truth, which resonates especially in modern self-expression conversations. Just keep in mind: while Baruch’s name is attached to it online, the precise modern wording isn’t found in a verified original work; it grew up as the shorter aphorism traveled and expanded in popular culture.
December 24, 2025 at 2:22 PM
charleswiegand.bsky.social
“Have something to say, and say it as clearly as you can. That is the only secret of style.”
--Attributed to Matthew Arnold (1822-1888)
Appears, without a cited source, in G. W. E. Russell’s “Collections and Recollections” (published 1898)

#life #authors #coffee #write #books #quotes #MatthewArnold
“Have something to say, and say it as clearly as you can. That is the only secret of style.” --Attributed to Matthew Arnold (1822-1888) Appears, without a cited source, in G. W. E. Russell’s “Collections and Recollections” (published 1898) #writerslift #life #authors #love #art #coffee #diary #write #books #amwriting #quotes #MatthewArnold Victorian poet and critic Matthew Arnold had a simple but sharp answer to the big question of prose style: say something worth saying, and make it clear. In a remark captured by G. W. E. Russell in 1898, Arnold pushed back against showy rhetoric and fancy ornamentation. For him, style wasn’t about dazzling phrases or clever flourishes. It was about clarity of thought and direct communication, getting ideas into readers’ minds without obfuscation or excess words. That line has echoed for over a century because it captures a central truth of good writing: substance and clarity beat cleverness without meaning. Writers, speakers, and creators of all stripes still quote it because it reminds us that style serves thought, not the other way around. If your point isn’t worth making, no amount of fancy language will make it matter. And if it is worth making, saying it clearly makes it accessible to everyone you want to reach.
December 23, 2025 at 2:28 PM
charleswiegand.bsky.social
“The world is like a board with holes in it, and the square men have got into the round holes.”
--Sydney Smith (1771-1845)
Shortened and Paraphrased.
From "Lecture IX: On the Conduct of the Understanding" (Lectures, 1804-1806)

#life #love #art #coffee #quotes #sydneysmith
“The world is like a board with holes in it, and the square men have got into the round holes.” --Sydney Smith (1771-1845) Shortened and Paraphrased. From "Lecture IX: On the Conduct of the Understanding" (Lectures, 1804-1806) #writerslift #life #authors #love #art #coffee #diary #write #books #amwriting #quotes #sydneysmith Long before “square pegs in round holes” became a catchphrase, English wit Sydney Smith used the image in an early 19th-century lecture on how people and jobs don’t always match up. In “On the Conduct of the Understanding,” he asked listeners to imagine a board with holes of different shapes and a pile of wooden pegs of corresponding shapes. You’d expect triangle in triangle and square in square, but in life it doesn’t usually work out that neatly. Instead, you find odd combinations where neither person nor role quite fits what’s expected. , Smith’s point wasn’t carpentry but human mismatch: expertise doesn’t always land where it belongs, jobs don’t always suit talent, and institutions often force people into ill-fitting roles. Out of that lively metaphor grew the modern idiom used to describe someone who is fundamentally unsuited to a situation. It’s a reminder that compatibility, between people, roles, and societies, matters more than mere placement, and that trying to force a fit often highlights the mismatch instead of fixing it. The original text: "If you choose to represent the various parts in life by holes upon a table, of different shapes—some circular, some triangular, some square, some oblong—and the persons acting these parts by bits of wood of similar shapes, we shall generally find that the triangular person has got into the square hole, the oblong into the triangular, and a square person has squeezed himself into the round hole. The officer and the office, the doer and the thing done, seldom fit so exactly that we can say they were almost made for each other."
December 22, 2025 at 2:20 PM
charleswiegand.bsky.social
“The smell of the library was always the same – the musty odor of old clothes mixed with the keener scent of unwashed bodies, creating what the chief librarian had once described as
’the steam of the social soup’."
--Peter Ackroyd (1949- )
From "Chatterton" (Pub: Abacus, [1987] 1991), ch. 5, p. 72
“The smell of the library was always the same – the musty odor of old clothes mixed with the keener scent of unwashed bodies, creating what the chief librarian had once described as ’the steam of the social soup’." --Peter Ackroyd (1949- ) From "Chatterton" (London: Abacus, [1987] 1991), ch. 5, p. 72. #writerslift #life #authors #love #art #coffee #diary #write #books #amwriting #quotes #PeterAckroyd Peter Ackroyd’s "Chatterton" Is vivid and a little gross, and intentionally evocative. The library isn’t just a repository of books, but a communal space shaped by all the lives that have passed through it. That unusual image does more than make you wrinkle your nose; it reflects Ackroyd’s deeper themes about how history, memory, and material culture mingle in uncomfortable ways. Libraries in his work aren’t silent shrines; they’re social spaces, sweaty with human presence and history. The smell becomes a metaphor for how the past lingers on the bodies and belongings of the present, a reminder that even quiet places carry the layered residue of everyday life.
December 21, 2025 at 5:28 PM
charleswiegand.bsky.social
“I think computer viruses should count as life…I think it says something about human nature that the only form of life we have created so far is purely destructive. We've created life in our own image.”
--Stephen Hawking (1942-2018)
From his Speech at Macworld Expo in Boston,
“I think computer viruses should count as life…I think it says something about human nature that the only form of life we have created so far is purely destructive. We've created life in our own image.” --Stephen Hawking (1942-2018) From his Speech at Macworld Expo in Boston, as quoted in The Daily News (4 August 1994) #writerslift #life #authors #love #art #coffee #diary #write #books #amwriting #quotes #stephenhawking Stephen Hawking once stirred a crowd of techies by suggesting that computer viruses should qualify as a form of life. In a 1994 speech at the Macworld Expo in Boston, he pointed out that computer viruses replicate, spread, and “live” inside host systems much like biological parasites, even if they lack metabolism of their own. His point wasn’t to anthropomorphize malware for fun but to make a deeper observation about humanity. If the only “life” we’ve managed to create is destructive code, perhaps that says something uncomfortable about ourselves. Hawking was using the idea of computer viruses as a mirror: our most prolific creations reflect not just our intelligence, but our flaws and tendencies toward disruption.
December 20, 2025 at 3:50 PM
charleswiegand.bsky.social
“I am convinced that what are commonly known as ’the breaks’, good or bad, have fully as much to do with one's success or failure as ability. The break I got in this instance lay in the fact that my employer knew even less about the duties of an expert accountant than I did.”
--Edgar Rice Burroughs
“I am convinced that what are commonly known as ’the breaks’, good or bad, have fully as much to do with one's success or failure as ability. The break I got in this instance lay in the fact that my employer knew even less about the duties of an expert accountant than I did.” --Edgar Rice Burroughs (1875–1950) From "How I Wrote the Tarzan Books" (1929) #writerslift #life #authors #love #art #coffee #diary #write #books #amwriting #quotes #EdgarRiceBurroughs In "How I Wrote the Tarzan Books" (1929), Burroughs describes his early working life before Tarzan. He’s explaining how chance, not mastery, often determines who gets ahead. The “expert accountant” line refers to a job he landed despite not being qualified, because the person hiring him knew even less than he did about what the job actually required. So, Burroughs is saying: I got the job not because I was good, but because the guy in charge didn’t know enough to realize I wasn’t. That’s the “break” he referred to. He’s using that story as a setup for a broader point: success often comes from timing, ignorance above you, and luck, not pure talent. Only later does he go on to writing and Tarzan, where the same principle applies. Editors, publishers, and markets frequently don’t know what will work until after it works. Burroughs didn’t succeed because everyone instantly recognized genius. He succeeded because someone took a chance without fully understanding what they were betting on. So, he’s not insulting his Tarzan publishers’ literacy skills. He’s illustrating a recurring theme: opportunity often opens because nobody in the room fully knows what they’re doing yet. Which has some comfort to it, and is still painfully true.
December 19, 2025 at 6:28 PM
charleswiegand.bsky.social
“If you want to inspire confidence, give plenty of statistics – it does not matter that they should be accurate, or even intelligible, so long as there is enough of them.”
--Lewis Carroll (born Charles Lutwidge Dodgson, 1832–1898)
From “Three Years in a Curatorship, By One Whom It Has Tried” (1886)
“If you want to inspire confidence, give plenty of statistics – it does not matter that they should be accurate, or even intelligible, so long as there is enough of them.” --Lewis Carroll (born Charles Lutwidge Dodgson, 1832–1898) From “Three Years in a Curatorship, By One Whom It Has Tried” (1886) #writerslift #life #authors #love #art #coffee #diary #write #books #amwriting #quotes #LewisCarroll Lewis Carroll wrote this line not as a mathematician showing off numbers, but as a satirist skewering how authority often works. In “Three Years in a Curatorship,” he mocks the habit of using statistics as a performance rather than a tool. Pile on enough figures, he suggests, and people stop asking questions. Accuracy becomes optional. Clarity becomes irrelevant. The numbers themselves become a kind of fog that signals seriousness without delivering understanding. What makes the quote feel uncomfortably modern is how little has changed. Charts, metrics, percentages, and projections are still used to project confidence rather than convey truth. Carroll isn’t arguing against data — he’s warning against its misuse. When numbers are used to impress instead of inform, they stop serving knowledge and start serving power. Over a century later, his joke still lands because people keep falling for it.
December 18, 2025 at 3:37 PM
charleswiegand.bsky.social
“What a swarm of sophists you lot have swirled up!”
--Cratinus (519 BC–422 BC)
From Archilochoi ("The Archilochuses") (c. 448 BC)
The above line is not a direct quote; the source only exists in fragments
#writerslift #life #authors #love #art #coffee #diary #write #books #amwriting #quotes #cratinus
“What a swarm of sophists you lot have swirled up!” --Cratinus (519 BC–422 BC) From Archilochoi ("The Archilochuses") (c. 448 BC) The above line is not a direct quote; the source only exists in fragments #writerslift #life #authors #love #art #coffee #diary #write #books #amwriting #quotes #cratinus The above line is attributed to Cratinus, a 5th-century BC Athenian comic playwright, and survives only in fragments from his largely lost play "Archilochoi." Like much of Old Comedy, it comes to us through later quotations and scholarly reconstruction rather than a complete script. The wording we have is a modern translation capturing the spirit rather than a verbatim ancient line. What makes it endure is the attitude behind it. In Athenian comedy, “sophists” were seen less as wise thinkers and more as argumentative showmen whose cleverness muddied clarity instead of improving it. Cratinus’ jab reflects a cultural anxiety that still feels familiar: when rhetoric multiplies faster than insight, intelligence starts to sound like noise. Even in fragments, ancient comedy knew exactly where to sting.
December 17, 2025 at 3:50 PM
charleswiegand.bsky.social
“Stories of imagination tend to upset those without one.”
--Terence David John "Terry" Pratchett, OBE (1948- 2015)
From Pratchett’s essay “Let There Be Dragons” (1998)

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“Stories of imagination tend to upset those without one.” --Terence David John "Terry" Pratchett, OBE (1948- 2015) From Pratchett’s essay “Let There Be Dragons” (1998) #writerslift #life #authors #love #art #coffee #diary #write #books #amwriting #quotes #terrypratchett Terry Pratchett had little patience for people who dismissed fantasy as frivolous or dangerous, and this line cuts straight to the point. In “Let There Be Dragons,” he argues that imagination isn’t escapism or weakness. It’s a mental tool, a way to rehearse ideas, explore consequences, and test moral questions safely. When people react with hostility to imaginative stories, Pratchett suggests it’s not because those stories are harmful, but because they challenge rigid thinking. Imagination unsettles certainty, and that can feel threatening. What makes the quote enduring is how accurately it describes the backlash against creativity itself. Stories that bend reality expose how narrow some worldviews are, and not everyone likes that mirror. Pratchett wasn’t defending dragons and wizards for their own sake. He was defending the human capacity to imagine better worlds, worse worlds, and alternatives to the status quo. If a story upsets someone simply because it imagines differently, that says far more about the reader than the tale.
December 16, 2025 at 3:22 PM
charleswiegand.bsky.social
“Years of love have been forgot,
In the hatred of a minute.”
--Edgar Allan Poe, born Edgar Poe (1809–1849)
From his poem “To M———” (1829)
“Poe’s Complete Poems” edited by Thomas Ollive Mabbott, 1969
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“Years of love have been forgot, In the hatred of a minute.” --Edgar Allan Poe, born Edgar Poe (1809–1849) From his poem “To M———” (1829) “Poe’s Complete Poems” edited by Thomas Ollive Mabbott, 1969 #writerslift #life #authors #love #art #coffee #diary #write #books #amwriting #quotes #edgarallanpoe Edgar Allan Poe knew heartbreak wasn’t linear. In the poem “To ——,” the above line captures how decades of affection can vanish in a flash of pain, anger, or betrayal. Far from sentimental, Poe’s language is crisp and unsettling: love isn’t erased by time but by intensity. A single moment of emotional violence can overwrite what took years to build, leaving a kind of emotional amnesia rooted not in forgetting but in hurt. That’s what makes this line so haunting yet relatable. We’ve all seen how one argument, one betrayal, or one unbearable word can eclipse years of warmth. Poe wasn’t just dramatizing love; he was pointing to the fragile architecture of human attachment. What took years to nurture can fracture in minutes, not because love was weak but because emotion can be overwhelming. These words remind us that the heart’s memory isn’t tidy; it’s raw, quick to feel, and quick to forget when the pain outweighs the warmth.
December 15, 2025 at 4:27 PM
charleswiegand.bsky.social
“Some day you will be old enough to start reading fairy tales again.”
--C.S. Lewis (1898-1963)
From “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe” Found in the Dedication

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“Some day you will be old enough to start reading fairy tales again.” --C.S. Lewis (1898-1963) From “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe” Found in the Dedication #writerslift #life #authors #love #art #coffee #diary #write #books #amwriting #quotes #CSLewis C. S. Lewis didn't aim that line at kids. Instead, he spoke right through them - straight toward the grown-up waiting inside. It shows up in the dedication of "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe," where it gently turns a usual belief upside down. You don’t leave fairy tales behind just because you get older. You grow past them since life teaches you to stay sharp, cautious, maybe a bit stiff. Lewis says true grown-up strength means coming back to those things - no shame, no walls, no smirk. Look at it like this - the line feels like a gentle push forward, not a pull backward. Fairy tales tell real things without extra notes: bravery, giving up something big, standing by someone, being scared, holding on. Grown-ups usually brush them off as kid stuff since they cut straight to the core. Lewis figured that when you’ve lived awhile, when you're worn out, you see - simple doesn't mean empty. It means concentrated. Now and then, the tales we really need are the ones that aren’t dressed up or tangled.
December 14, 2025 at 2:53 PM
charleswiegand.bsky.social
“Fear is the foundation of most governments.”
--John Adams (1735-1826)
(2nd President of the USA 1797-1801)
From his essay “Thoughts on Government” (April 1776)

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“Fear is the foundation of most governments.” --John Adams (1735-1826) (2nd President of the USA 1797-1801) From his essay “Thoughts on Government” (April 1776) #writerslift #life #authors #love #art #coffee #diary #write #books #amwriting #quotes #JohnAdams John Adams wasn’t just warning people about fear-mongering politicians; he called out fear itself as a base for rule. In "Thoughts on Government" (1776), he wrote that fear may be the foundation of most governments, but that it’s “sordid and brutal,” making those who lead by it stupid and miserable. Adams meant that when power rests on fear rather than shared principles, it corrupts both rulers and ruled. He believed that a republic should rest not on terror, but on virtue, consent, and the better angels of human nature. That idea still hits today. Leaders who govern by stoking anxiety, whether about enemies, crime, or crisis after crisis, trade long-term trust for short-term obedience. Adams’s message isn’t that government can ever be perfect, but that fear is the cheap way out: easy to whip up, hard to build a free, flourishing society on. History shows that governments rooted in fear tend to breed instability, resentment, and resistance. His words were rooted in the revolutionary moment of 1776, but the basic insight applies anywhere people are urged to trade liberty for security.
December 13, 2025 at 2:57 PM
charleswiegand.bsky.social
“He who has never learned to obey cannot be a good commander.”
--Aristotle (384BC-322BC)
From Politics Book 3 (trans. by Benjamin Jowett)

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“He who has never learned to obey cannot be a good commander.” --Aristotle (384BC-322BC) From Politics Book 3 (trans. by Benjamin Jowett) #writerslift #life #authors #love #art #coffee #diary #write #books #amwriting #quotes #Aristotle Aristotle’s line about obedience and leadership isn’t just pithy; it’s a snapshot of his Politics. For him, leadership wasn’t a title or a badge; it was a craft built on experience. A person who has never taken orders, never walked in another’s shoes, never learned the discipline of following another’s direction lacks the foundation needed to guide others. That’s the core of Aristotle’s insight: obedience is training for judgement, not submission. It teaches humility, teaches how systems work, and shows the limits of one’s own perspective. That foundation makes leaders more effective, not weaker. Today, this resonates beyond ancient Greek city-states. In workplaces, politics, and life, leaders who know how to listen, follow, and learn tend to earn deeper respect and make wiser choices. Command without understanding obedience is like trying to drive without ever having been a passenger, you might get somewhere, but you won’t know why you chose the road you did. Aristotle wasn’t saying obedience is everything, he was saying that great leadership builds on a balance of following and leading.
December 12, 2025 at 2:56 PM
charleswiegand.bsky.social
“Who does the best his circumstance allows
Does well, acts nobly; angels could no more.”
--Edward Young (1683-1765)
From Night Thoughts (1742–1745), "Night II", line 91

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“Who does the best his circumstance allows Does well, acts nobly; angels could no more.” --Edward Young (1683-1765) From Night Thoughts (1742–1745), "Night II", line 91 #writerslift #life #authors #love #art #coffee #diary #write #books #amwriting #quotes #edwardyoung This powerful couplet comes from Edward Young's "Night Thoughts" (1742). The full context - "If nothing more than purpose in thy power, Thy purpose firm is equal to the deed: Who does the best his circumstance allows, Does well, acts nobly; angels could no more." The passage is a profound meditation on mortality, time, and virtue that became one of the 18th century's most influential philosophical poems. Young wrote these lines during Night II, "On Time, Death, and Friendship," as part of a broader reflection on human purpose and moral striving. The passage argues that genuine virtue lies not in achieving perfection, but in maximizing one's efforts within given limitations, a radical democratization of nobility that challenges aristocratic notions of worth based on birth or circumstance. Young's message resonates across centuries: true excellence is doing your absolute best with whatever resources, abilities, or situations you've been given. The comparison to angels is particularly striking - even celestial beings, with all their divine powers, could do no better than their utmost. This levels the moral playing field entirely, suggesting that a person of modest means acting nobly within their constraints achieves the same moral height as anyone else doing their best. It's an early articulation of what we might call "moral meritocracy," where effort and intention matter more than outcomes or advantages.
December 11, 2025 at 3:02 PM
charleswiegand.bsky.social
“Imagination is more important than knowledge.
Knowledge is limited. Imagination encircles the world.”
--Albert Einstein (1879-1955)
From a 1929 interview with George Sylvester Viereck, published in The Saturday Evening Post

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“Imagination is more important than knowledge. Knowledge is limited. Imagination encircles the world.” --Albert Einstein (1879-1955) From a 1929 interview with George Sylvester Viereck, published in The Saturday Evening Post #writerslift #life #authors #love #art #coffee #diary #write #books #amwriting #quotes #AlbertEinstein This quote gets reduced and modified to a feel-good meme far too often, but Einstein wasn’t dismissing knowledge; he was warning against stopping there. Facts are essential, but they only describe what already exists. Imagination is what pushes beyond the known, connects ideas that haven’t been paired yet, and asks questions no textbook contains. For a scientist, that wasn’t poetic fluff; it was practical truth. Without imagination, discovery stalls. You end up memorizing the map instead of venturing beyond its edges. What makes this line endure is how uncomfortable it still feels. We reward expertise, credentials, and certainty, but real progress comes from uncertainty and creative risk. Imagination isn’t the opposite of intelligence; it’s what gives intelligence somewhere new to go. Einstein understood that knowing the rules matters, but daring to imagine what lies outside them is how the world actually moves forward.
December 10, 2025 at 2:45 PM