Mastodawn

JFC, how can @axios get this so wrong? #Trump doesn't care about the bond market's impact on the global economy. He cares what higher interest rates, caused by falling bond prices, will do to HIS real estate empire.

Remember, the primary (and sometimes only) interest a narcissistic sociopath has is #selfinterest.

#bondmarket

WIST Quotations 5d ago

A quotation from Abraham Lincoln

This declared indifference, but as I must think, covert real zeal for the spread of slavery, I cannot but hate. I hate it because of the monstrous injustice of slavery itself. I hate it because it deprives our Republican example of its just influence in the world — enables the enemies of free institutions, with plausibility, to taunt us as hypocrites — causes the real friends of freedom to doubt our sincerity, and especially because it forces so many really good men amongst ourselves into an open war with the very fundamental principles of civil liberty — criticizing the Declaration of Independence, and insisting that there is no right principle of action but self-interest.

Abraham Lincoln (1809-1865) American lawyer, politician, US President (1861-65)
Speech (1854-10-16), “In Reply to Senator Douglas,” Peoria, Illinois

Sourcing, notes: wist.info/lincoln-abraham/3661…

#quote #quotes #quotation #qotd #lincoln #abrahamlincoln #abelincoln #abolition #civilliberties #createdequal #DeclarationOfIndependence #equality #example #freedom #hypocrisy #principles #selfinterest #slavery

WIST Quotations Apr 3

A quotation from Teddy Roosevelt

   All men in whose character there is not an element of hardened baseness must admit the need in our public life of those qualities which we somewhat vaguely group together when we speak of “reform,” and all men of sound mind must also admit the need of efficiency.
   There are, of course, men of such low moral type, or of such ingrained cynicism, that they do not believe in the possibility of making anything better, or do not care to see things better. There are also men who are slightly disordered mentally, or who are cursed with a moral twist which makes them champion reforms less from a desire to do good to others than as a kind of tribute to their own righteousness, for the sake of emphasizing their own superiority. From neither of these classes can we get any real help in the unending struggle for righteousness.
   There remains the great body of the people, including the entire body of those through whom the salvation of the people must ultimately be worked out. All these men combine or seek to combine in varying degrees the quality of striving after the ideal, that is, the quality which makes men reformers, and the quality of so striving through practical methods — the quality which makes men efficient. Both qualities are absolutely essential. The absence of either makes the presence of the other worthless or worse.

Theodore Roosevelt (1858-1919) American politician, statesman, conservationist, writer, US President (1901-1909)
Essay (1900-06), “Latitude and Longitude Among Reformers,” The Century Magazine, Vol. 60, No. 2

Sourcing, notes: wist.info/roosevelt-theodore/1…

#quote #quotes #quotation #qotd #teddyroosevelt #cynicism #effectiveness #efficiency #idealism #practicality #pragmatism #progress #reform #righteousness #selfinterest #selfrighteousness

Essay (1900-06), "Latitude and Longitude Among Reformers," The Century Magazine, Vol. 60, No. 2 - Roosevelt, Theodore | WIST Quotations

WIST Quotations

earthling Mar 10

Morality and Self-Interest Edited by Paul Bloomfield, 2007

Ever since "Know Thyself" was inscribed at Delphi, Western philosophers have struggled to understand the relations between morality and self-interest. This edited volume of essays pushes forward one of the oldest and most important debates in philosophy. Is morality a check on self-interest or is it in one's self interest to be moral?

@bookstodon
#books
#nonfiction
#philosophy
#essays
#morality
#SelfInterest

Paul Schoe Feb 15

In this period, where you see or hear about people around you experiencing sometimes devasting results of new policies, the message of this short video becomes a message for all of us.

Unprovoked, a teacher sends out a student from his classroom, and her fellow students wonder, is this just?

They are then asked, 'Why didn't any of you try to stop me?'

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GyEMbIRYVGA
#Cruelty #Justice #SelfInterest #Resist

Teacher REMOVES STUDENT from class - The reason WHY will SHOCK YOU

YouTube

WIST Quotations Feb 11

A quotation from Samuel Johnson

Patriotism is the last refuge of a scoundrel.

Samuel Johnson (1709-1784) English writer, lexicographer, critic
Comment (1775-04-07)

Sourcing, notes: wist.info/johnson-samuel/2148/

#quote #quotes #quotation #excuse #flagwaving #knave #meme #patriotism #ruse #scoundrel #selfinterest

Ohmymanycats Feb 5

“Beware:
At war
Or at peace,
More people die
Of unenlightened self-interest
Than of any other disease.”
― Octavia Butler, Parable of the Talents #read #selfinterest #learn #octaviabutler