J. M. Pressley
@jmpressley.bsky.social
History and Shakespeare buff; occasional writer.
“Facts do not cease to exist because they are ignored.”
―Aldous Huxley, Complete Essays, Vol. II: 1926-1929
―Aldous Huxley, Complete Essays, Vol. II: 1926-1929
December 19, 2025 at 3:22 PM
“Facts do not cease to exist because they are ignored.”
―Aldous Huxley, Complete Essays, Vol. II: 1926-1929
―Aldous Huxley, Complete Essays, Vol. II: 1926-1929
“Denial is a critical part of the human coping mechanism.”
― Dan Brown, Inferno
― Dan Brown, Inferno
December 12, 2025 at 4:47 PM
“Denial is a critical part of the human coping mechanism.”
― Dan Brown, Inferno
― Dan Brown, Inferno
“The man who lies to himself and listens to his own lie comes to a point that he cannot distinguish the truth within him, or around him, and so loses all respect for himself and for others.”
― Fyodor Dostoevsky, The Brothers Karamazov
― Fyodor Dostoevsky, The Brothers Karamazov
December 5, 2025 at 5:20 PM
“The man who lies to himself and listens to his own lie comes to a point that he cannot distinguish the truth within him, or around him, and so loses all respect for himself and for others.”
― Fyodor Dostoevsky, The Brothers Karamazov
― Fyodor Dostoevsky, The Brothers Karamazov
“One of the saddest lessons of history is this: If we’ve been bamboozled long enough, we tend to reject any evidence of the bamboozle. We’re no longer interested in finding out the truth.”
― Carl Sagan, The Demon-Haunted World
― Carl Sagan, The Demon-Haunted World
November 28, 2025 at 4:19 PM
“One of the saddest lessons of history is this: If we’ve been bamboozled long enough, we tend to reject any evidence of the bamboozle. We’re no longer interested in finding out the truth.”
― Carl Sagan, The Demon-Haunted World
― Carl Sagan, The Demon-Haunted World
“Scars have the strange power to remind us that our past is real.”
― Cormac McCarthy, All the Pretty Horses
― Cormac McCarthy, All the Pretty Horses
November 21, 2025 at 2:42 PM
“Scars have the strange power to remind us that our past is real.”
― Cormac McCarthy, All the Pretty Horses
― Cormac McCarthy, All the Pretty Horses
"The truth is rarely pure and never simple."
― Oscar Wilde
― Oscar Wilde
November 14, 2025 at 3:27 PM
"The truth is rarely pure and never simple."
― Oscar Wilde
― Oscar Wilde
“A psychotic world we live in. The madmen are in power.”
― Philip K. Dick, The Man in the High Castle
PS: First time writing out the board by hand in three weeks. Progress!
― Philip K. Dick, The Man in the High Castle
PS: First time writing out the board by hand in three weeks. Progress!
November 7, 2025 at 5:12 PM
“A psychotic world we live in. The madmen are in power.”
― Philip K. Dick, The Man in the High Castle
PS: First time writing out the board by hand in three weeks. Progress!
― Philip K. Dick, The Man in the High Castle
PS: First time writing out the board by hand in three weeks. Progress!
“Ignorance is king. Many would not profit by his abdication. Many enrich themselves by means of his dark monarchy.”
― Walter M. Miller Jr., A Canticle for Leibowitz
― Walter M. Miller Jr., A Canticle for Leibowitz
October 31, 2025 at 2:41 PM
“Ignorance is king. Many would not profit by his abdication. Many enrich themselves by means of his dark monarchy.”
― Walter M. Miller Jr., A Canticle for Leibowitz
― Walter M. Miller Jr., A Canticle for Leibowitz
“Sanity is not statistical.”
― George Orwell, 1984
― George Orwell, 1984
October 17, 2025 at 4:59 PM
“Sanity is not statistical.”
― George Orwell, 1984
― George Orwell, 1984
“NOW is a fact that cannot be dodged.”
― Sinclair Lewis, It Can't Happen Here
― Sinclair Lewis, It Can't Happen Here
October 10, 2025 at 2:54 PM
“NOW is a fact that cannot be dodged.”
― Sinclair Lewis, It Can't Happen Here
― Sinclair Lewis, It Can't Happen Here
And when the end comes, and when it is as horrible as good men always knew it would be, there is only one thing to say as all those good men approach the Throne of Judgment: I was misled.”
― Stephen King, The Stand
― Stephen King, The Stand
October 3, 2025 at 2:01 PM
And when the end comes, and when it is as horrible as good men always knew it would be, there is only one thing to say as all those good men approach the Throne of Judgment: I was misled.”
― Stephen King, The Stand
― Stephen King, The Stand
Testing this graphic out.
September 26, 2025 at 11:54 PM
Testing this graphic out.
“And yet we cannot define as skillful killing one's fellow citizens, betraying one's friends, and showing no loyalty, mercy, or moral obligation. These means can lead to power, but not glory.”
― Niccolò Machiavelli, The Prince
― Niccolò Machiavelli, The Prince
September 26, 2025 at 1:32 PM
“And yet we cannot define as skillful killing one's fellow citizens, betraying one's friends, and showing no loyalty, mercy, or moral obligation. These means can lead to power, but not glory.”
― Niccolò Machiavelli, The Prince
― Niccolò Machiavelli, The Prince
“Free speech is…the check on government control. That is why censorship is the authoritarian’s dream.”
― Brendan Carr, current FCC chair, in 2023
― Brendan Carr, current FCC chair, in 2023
September 19, 2025 at 2:35 PM
“Free speech is…the check on government control. That is why censorship is the authoritarian’s dream.”
― Brendan Carr, current FCC chair, in 2023
― Brendan Carr, current FCC chair, in 2023
This is the only statement I’ll make about the recent shooting in Utah.
Political violence has never ended political violence. Whatever the motives, this crime will not further any good end. It has only made things worse.
The only way to defeat what you see as a bad idea is to have a better idea.
Political violence has never ended political violence. Whatever the motives, this crime will not further any good end. It has only made things worse.
The only way to defeat what you see as a bad idea is to have a better idea.
September 12, 2025 at 2:07 PM
This is the only statement I’ll make about the recent shooting in Utah.
Political violence has never ended political violence. Whatever the motives, this crime will not further any good end. It has only made things worse.
The only way to defeat what you see as a bad idea is to have a better idea.
Political violence has never ended political violence. Whatever the motives, this crime will not further any good end. It has only made things worse.
The only way to defeat what you see as a bad idea is to have a better idea.
“Despite their promises at the last Election, the politicians had not yet changed the climate.”
― Evelyn Waugh, Love Among the Ruins
― Evelyn Waugh, Love Among the Ruins
September 5, 2025 at 3:17 PM
“Despite their promises at the last Election, the politicians had not yet changed the climate.”
― Evelyn Waugh, Love Among the Ruins
― Evelyn Waugh, Love Among the Ruins
“Facts are stubborn things; and whatever may be our wishes, our inclinations, or the dictates of our passion, they cannot alter the state of facts and evidence.”
― John Adams
― John Adams
August 29, 2025 at 1:09 PM
“Facts are stubborn things; and whatever may be our wishes, our inclinations, or the dictates of our passion, they cannot alter the state of facts and evidence.”
― John Adams
― John Adams
“We do not have the ideal world, such as we would like, where morality is easy because cognition is easy. Where one can do right with no effort because he can detect the obvious.”
― Philip K. Dick, The Man in the High Castle
― Philip K. Dick, The Man in the High Castle
August 22, 2025 at 3:07 PM
“We do not have the ideal world, such as we would like, where morality is easy because cognition is easy. Where one can do right with no effort because he can detect the obvious.”
― Philip K. Dick, The Man in the High Castle
― Philip K. Dick, The Man in the High Castle
“For in the end, it is all about memory, its sources and its magnitude, and, of course, its consequences.”
― Elie Wiesel, Night
― Elie Wiesel, Night
August 15, 2025 at 2:55 PM
“For in the end, it is all about memory, its sources and its magnitude, and, of course, its consequences.”
― Elie Wiesel, Night
― Elie Wiesel, Night
"And the little screaming fact that sounds through all history: repression works only to strengthen and knit the repressed."
-- John Steinbeck, The Grapes of Wrath
-- John Steinbeck, The Grapes of Wrath
August 8, 2025 at 2:49 PM
"And the little screaming fact that sounds through all history: repression works only to strengthen and knit the repressed."
-- John Steinbeck, The Grapes of Wrath
-- John Steinbeck, The Grapes of Wrath
"But I felt certain that if the world would stop indulging wars and famines and other perils, it would be possible for human beings to embarrass each other to death."
-- John Irving, The Hotel New Hampshire
-- John Irving, The Hotel New Hampshire
August 1, 2025 at 3:20 PM
"But I felt certain that if the world would stop indulging wars and famines and other perils, it would be possible for human beings to embarrass each other to death."
-- John Irving, The Hotel New Hampshire
-- John Irving, The Hotel New Hampshire
"If Comrade Napoleon says it, it must be right."
― George Orwell, Animal Farm
― George Orwell, Animal Farm
July 25, 2025 at 2:52 PM
"If Comrade Napoleon says it, it must be right."
― George Orwell, Animal Farm
― George Orwell, Animal Farm
“This country has come to feel the same when Congress is in session as when a baby gets hold of a hammer.”
― Will Rodgers
― Will Rodgers
July 18, 2025 at 12:59 PM
“This country has come to feel the same when Congress is in session as when a baby gets hold of a hammer.”
― Will Rodgers
― Will Rodgers
“As some day it may happen that a victim must be found
I've got a little list — I've got a little list
Of society offenders who might well be underground
And who never would be missed — who never would be missed!”
― Gilbert and Sullivan, The Mikado
I've got a little list — I've got a little list
Of society offenders who might well be underground
And who never would be missed — who never would be missed!”
― Gilbert and Sullivan, The Mikado
July 11, 2025 at 2:04 PM
“As some day it may happen that a victim must be found
I've got a little list — I've got a little list
Of society offenders who might well be underground
And who never would be missed — who never would be missed!”
― Gilbert and Sullivan, The Mikado
I've got a little list — I've got a little list
Of society offenders who might well be underground
And who never would be missed — who never would be missed!”
― Gilbert and Sullivan, The Mikado
“A plague of all cowards! Give me a cup of sack, rogue. Is there no virtue extant?”
― William Shakespeare, Henry IV, Part 1 (2.4)
― William Shakespeare, Henry IV, Part 1 (2.4)
July 4, 2025 at 3:23 PM
“A plague of all cowards! Give me a cup of sack, rogue. Is there no virtue extant?”
― William Shakespeare, Henry IV, Part 1 (2.4)
― William Shakespeare, Henry IV, Part 1 (2.4)