Quote of the Day: May 29, 2020
A soul that is kind and intends justice discovers more than any sophist. Sophocles (496 BC-406 BC)
A soul that is kind and intends justice discovers more than any sophist. Sophocles (496 BC-406 BC)
insuperable Definition: (adjective) Impossible to overcome. Synonyms: insurmountable, unconquerable Usage: The fact that he had made her an offer, and she had refused him, had placed an insuperable barrier between her and him. Discuss.
Jean Louis Rodolphe Agassiz (1807) Agassiz was a Swiss-born naturalist and geologist. Noticing the presence of huge alpine boulders in areas of Switzerland where there are no glaciers, he hypothesized that glaciers had, at one time, been widespread in the area and had dragged the boulders there. This lent credence to his theory of a recent ice age. He was also a renowned teacher and did notable work with fossils. Agassiz was a lifelong opponent, on religious grounds, of what now-accepted scientific theory? More…
The only way to get rid of a temptation is to yield to it. Oscar Wilde (1854-1900)
extricate Definition: (verb) To remove or free from complication, hindrance, or difficulty. Synonyms: disencumber, disentangle Usage: It will take quite a hefty sum to extricate me from my financial difficulties. Discuss.
Cornelius Vanderbilt (1794) Cornelius was the patriarch of the famous Vanderbilt family. As a youth, he ferried freight and passengers in New York Harbor. As an adult, he gained control of most of the ferry lines around New York City and quickly expanded up and down the coast. He had similar success in the railroad business and died with an estate worth more than $100 million, the largest personal fortune accumulated in the US to that date. Why did Vanderbilt, who had 13 children, leave nearly everything to just one son? More…
There lies at the back of every creed something terrible and hard for which the worshiper may one day be required to suffer. E. M. Forster (1879-1970)
conflagration Definition: (noun) A very intense and uncontrolled fire. Synonyms: inferno Usage: All the stock was destroyed in a warehouse conflagration. Discuss.
Al Jolson (1886) Jolson was one of the most popular entertainers in the US in the 1930s. The son of a rabbi, he had planned to be a cantor but instead became a singer and comedian. By the age of 15, he was touring in vaudeville and minstrel shows. His 1909 blackface performance of “Mammy” was a hit, and he performed on Broadway and the radio. In 1927, he starred in the first feature-length “talkie,” The Jazz Singer. How do scholars differ in their analysis of Jolson’s use of blackface in his performances? More…
If you desire to drain to the dregs the fullest cup of scorn and hatred that a fellow human being can pour out for you, let a young mother hear you call dear baby “it.” Jerome K. Jerome (1859-1927)
drudgery Definition: (noun) Hard, menial, and monotonous work. Synonyms: donkeywork, plodding, grind Usage: The novelty soon wore off, and though she thought she was prepared for drudgery, she found it very tedious to go on doing the same thing day after day. Discuss.
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