Quotations 1.1: "What other people think of me is none of my business.”
I keep a list of quotations on the Web. I add items now and then, but I really ought to read them again, if I think they’re worth adding in the first place. It’s a mistake to just file things away, a pack-rate mistake I am prone to. A certain economist is reported to have said, “Some people read papers. I write them,” but he should at least read his own papers over; we all forget. Thinking of that, I decided to combine reading and writing by taking a few quotations at a time and Substacking them. You can just read the quotations and quit, or read on to my comments. I welcome your comments, and you, too, learn best about something by writing about it.
"What other people think of me is none of my business.” (Anonymous)
"It is dangerous to open So fruitfull a Source of Controversy and Altercation, as would be opened by attempting to alter the Qualifications of Voters. There will be no End of it. New Claims will arise. Women will demand a Vote. Lads from 12 to 21 will think their Rights not enough attended to, and every Man, who has not a Farthing, will demand an equal Voice with any other in all Acts of State." (John Adams, "From John Adams to James Sullivan," 26 May 1776)
"Some of the worst advice ever given:
1. Be yourself (total loser philosophy)
2. Follow the science (as if you could)
3. Pursue your passion (no one pays you for having fun)"
(Scott Adams. Twitter May 12, 2021)
“That’s my background and my question. I will now retreat to the background, and learn.” (John Alcorn)
"What other people think of me is none of my business” is effective because it twists a common phrase back on itself with “think of me” and “none of my business” and the twist startles us. As for substance, it conveys the idea that I don’t need to think about what other people think of me: I can just proceed to do what is right. Read literally, the quotation is false. What other people think of me is definitely my business: it is information pertaining to myself that might be useful. How interesting it is that a false statement can convey a true sentiment.
The John Adams quote can be read two ways. One is that children, women, and bums should not vote. Another is that whatever the current qualifications for voting may be, you should keep them because change causes too much trouble. As for myself, I think the best voting qualifications depend on the situation, and as far as outcomes, it is questionable how much difference they make.
“Be yourself” is indeed terrible advice; Scott Adams is right on that. As Rose Sayer says to the drunken boat skipper in the movie, The African Queen: “Nature, Mr. Allnut, is what we are put in this world to rise above.” We should try to be better than ourselves.
“Follow the science” is a phrase I associate with people who mean “Obey the scientist who says what I need to win my argument; you and I can’t understand what’s right and we need to defer to authority.” We can try to some extent, despite what Scott Adams says, even if authority does have its place in forming our beliefs.
“Pursue your passion” is better, though perhaps it should be “Drop what you’re doing if you hate it and you could make more money doing something else.” This is important for students on the path to being a professor; they should drop out and choose a more lucrative and satisfying career unless they really love their subject. If you do love your subject, pursuing that passion at the expense of money and status can be a worthwhile thing to do, but too many people just get onto an academic track and can’t stand to leave it.
John Alcorn is a novelist who was my kind landlord in Belmont, Massachusetts when I was visiting Harvard in 2014. I’ve wanted to use this aphorism in asking a question at a conference but I’ve not yet had the chance. I really do want to learn from my questions. "A fool takes no pleasure in understanding, but only in expressing his opinion" (Proverbs 18:2). Does this Substack shows that I like both understanding and expressing, or am I just a fool? “Know thyself” is a hard adage to follow.
So there’s your quote and commentary for the day. Did you learn anything? If you did, I’m curious what, so make a comment if you’d like to satisfy my curiosity. That’s my Substack, and my question. I will now retreat to the Dashboard, and learn.