The wise-sayers say you are what you think. If that's so, then the body is merely the transporter for the mind. The body does not last but the mind can. And that possibility could explain why so many of the ancient sayings apply to the today's world and possibly eternity. Take Aesop. He lived 620 - 560 BC. He said No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted. This is still a wise saying some 2600 years later. Back then the memory system was mental. Today, we have computers and a digital memory system. But our present society is built on a procession of thinking from many years past. The situation is succinctly expressed by William Feather (1889 - 1981) who said, The wisdom of the wise and the experience of the ages are preserved into perpetuity by a nation's proverbs, fables, folk sayings and quotations. Looking to the future, we appear to be poised for some great things. Preparing for the future, Walt Disney (1901 - 1966) said, Crowded classrooms and half-day sessions are a tragic waste of our greatest national resource --- the minds of our children and Nicholas Zaharis (1921 - ) said Education is expensive but ignorance is more expensive. The intention of this manuscript is to educate, inspire and amuse. It is based on a thousand quotations by 400 astute individuals. Their occupations and claim to fame are discussed briefly. Many had multiple occupations. Most were philosophers, authors and writers. The author visualizes the contents as a source of ideas for advertising programs, for casual conversations and for meditative reading and thinking. It is sort of a table-top book that can be opened and read at random.
The Congressional Record is the official record of the proceedings and debates of the United States Congress. It is published daily when Congress is in session. The Congressional Record began publication in 1873. Debates for sessions prior to 1873 are recorded in The Debates and Proceedings in the Congress of the United States (1789-1824), the Register of Debates in Congress (1824-1837), and the Congressional Globe (1833-1873)
Huey Long (1893-1935) was one of the most extraordinary American politicians, simultaneously cursed as a dictator and applauded as a benefactor of the masses. A product of the poor north Louisiana hills, he was elected governor of Louisiana in 1928, and proceeded to subjugate the powerful state political hierarchy after narrowly defeating an impeachment attempt. The only Southern popular leader who truly delivered on his promises, he increased the miles of paved roads and number of bridges in Louisiana tenfold and established free night schools and state hospitals, meeting the huge costs by taxing corporations and issuing bonds. Soon Long had become the absolute ruler of the state, in the process lifting Louisiana from near feudalism into the modern world almost overnight, and inspiring poor whites of the South to a vision of a better life. As Louisiana Senator and one of Roosevelt's most vociferous critics, "The Kingfish," as he called himself, gained a nationwide following, forcing Roosevelt to turn his New Deal significantly to the left. But before he could progress farther, he was assassinated in Baton Rouge in 1935. Long's ultimate ambition, of course, was the presidency, and it was doubtless with this goal in mind that he wrote this spirited and fascinating account of his life, an autobiography every bit as daring and controversial as was The Kingfish himself.