Chapter 21 Excerpt from Lazarus Long's Notebook during the Second Intermission
Please keep telling her that she is beautiful, especially if she is not.
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The most important thing in a happy marriage: pay cash, or don't.Interest can eat up a family's budget, and the existence of debt does not make a family happy.
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People who refuse to support and defend a country do not deserve the protection of the country.Killing an anarchist or anti-pacifist should not be legally defined as "murder".
Injury to the state, if any, should be "use of a deadly weapon within city limits," or "creating a traffic hazard," or "putting those around you at risk," or other misdeeds .
However, when these alien aliens are in danger or are about to become extinct, the state should reasonably establish a period of protection.It's hard to see real, energetic anti-pacifists outside of Earth, and it's questionable whether these people survived on Earth...which is a pity, because they have the largest mouths of all primates, The smallest kind of brain.
The smaller-mouthed ranks of the Anarchists had already spread throughout the banking system in the first great diaspora; there was no need to protect them.Instead, they often bite back.
Another key to a happy marriage: budget for luxuries first.
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One more: Make sure she gets her own desk - and then don't touch that desk!
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One more: In a family argument, if it turns out you're right - you apologize immediately!
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"God is everywhere." That may not be true, but it sounds plausible—and it's no dumber than the other theories.
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Staying young requires the constant development of the ability to unlearn old false beliefs.
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Does history record even one instance where the majority was right?
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When a fox is about to bite you - keep smiling!
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A "critic" creates no value and is therefore entitled to judge the fruits of other people's creative labor.This is quite logical; he will not be biased - because he hates all creative people.
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Money is what counts.If a person keeps mentioning his honorary status, let him pay cash.
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Never frighten a villain.He will kill you.
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Only a sadist—or a fool—tells the naked truth at a casual gathering.
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A sad lizard told me it was a brontosaur in its mother's lineage.I'm not laughing; people who show off their ancestry usually have nothing to support their spirits.Catering to them costs you nothing and brings joy to a world that is always short of joy.
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When dealing with stinging pests, move very slowly.
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We always like to say "what is the truth", and want to analyze the world from a more abstract perspective.This approach is actually to plunge headlong into the illusion, and this illusion is very boring.The real world is strange and wonderful.
The difference between science and all kinds of other disciplines is that science requires reasoning and demonstration, while other disciplines only require learning.
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Sexual intercourse is spiritual in nature, and beyond that it is merely a friendly sport.On second thought, the word "only" should be removed.Sexual intercourse cannot be said to be "just" - although it is only entertainment between two strangers.But the spiritual significance of sexual intercourse is far greater than the physical intercourse itself, so there are huge differences between different sexual intercourses, both in type and in degree.
The saddest thing about homosexuality isn't that it's "wrong," "sinful," or even that it can't lead to pregnancy—it's that it's so hard to achieve that kind of spiritual unity.Not impossible - but very difficult.
But--and what is sadder still--many never achieve this spiritual unity even in the intercourse of man and woman; they are left to wander alone all their lives.
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Touch is the most basic sense.A baby is already experiencing this sensation with his whole body before he is born, even before he has learned to use his senses of sight, hearing, and taste.The need for this feeling never ceases.Keep your kid short of money—but give him lots of hugs.
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Secrets are the beginning of tyranny.
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The most productive is human selfishness.
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Be careful with spirits.It lets you shoot the taxman -- and miss it.
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Prostitutes should be judged on the same standards as other professions that provide services for a fee, such as dentists, lawyers, hairdressers, physicians, plumbers, etc.Is she professionally qualified?Did she provide high-quality service?Is she loyal to her customers?
Loyal to customers and competent at their jobs, prostitutes probably outnumbered plumbers, certainly far outnumbered lawyers, and far outnumbered professors.
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Refine and break down your work as much as possible until they become knee-jerk reactions; this can double your short life—giving you more time to appreciate butterflies, kittens, and rainbows.
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Have you noticed how much they resemble orchids?It is so beautiful!
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Experience in one field does not apply to another.But experts often think so.The narrower the field of expertise, the easier it is for people to hold such views.
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Never be more stubborn than a cat.
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Attacking a windmill will do you more damage than the windmill.
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Heed the temptation; the opportunity may not come again.
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Waking a person unnecessarily is not a capital offense but a serious crime of intentional injury.
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The only answer a prying question deserves is "to hell with it," or some other insulting phrase.
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If a sentence starts like this: "Of course it's none of my business, but—" then the correct way to punctuate the sentence is to put a period after the "but."But don't put too much effort into putting a full stop on such fools.Slitting his throat is just a momentary pleasure and sure to make you the talk of the town.
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For a woman who can inspire him, a man will not insist on caring about her appearance.After a while, he would find that she was really beautiful--he just didn't see it at first.
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A skunk will make a better companion than a self-proclaimed "honest".
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"There is justice in both love and war"—what a vile lie!
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.Deduction is just a repetition; it is impossible to derive new truths from it.For this method, truth and falsehood are the same.It also lets you make mistakes if you're not careful - albeit perfectly logical.Early computer designers called this the "GIGO Law," or "garbage in, garbage out."
Induction is much harder - but new truths can be derived.
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How to punish a prankster?According to the level of tact he displayed.Normally, a cane will suffice.Those who show great resourcefulness should be tied to the bottom of the boat and dragged.The punishment of being tied to a post in the anthill should be reserved for the smartest guy.
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The laws of nature are merciless.
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There is a small animal called "Nafn" living on the planet Tranquil in the KM849 (C-0) area.It's herbivore, has no predators, and is easy to approach as a pet—like a scaly, six-legged puppy.It's delightful to pet; it'll sway with joy and let out pleasant meows that humans can hear.Just seeing it makes the trip there worthwhile.
One day, a clever boy will figure out a way to record this sound, and then another savvy boy will see its commercial value--soon, there will be laws and regulations to restrain it, and it will be confiscated. Tax.
I didn't use the planet's real name, nor did I say what its true planetary class is, it's actually somewhere a few thousand light-years away in the other direction.I'm so selfish--
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Freedom begins when you tell to fly a kite.
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Against the bold, the cowards will take care of themselves.Save money for travel - but don't focus too much on it.
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If "everyone" knows that's how it is, then nine times out of ten it isn't.
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Not all cats' eyes turn gray after midnight.There are many types of cats——
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It is a sin to hurt someone unnecessarily.All other "crimes" are invented nonsense. (It's not a sin to hurt yourself -- it's just stupid.)
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Generosity is an inborn quality; altruism is a learned depraved quality.The two have nothing in common—
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There cannot be a man who loves his wife with all his heart and loves no other woman.I think the same goes for women in reverse.
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Doubting everything is as easy to lead you astray as believing everything.
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The formalities between husband and wife are even more important than those between strangers.
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Anything you get for free is always worth what you paid for it.
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Do not store garlic with other foods.
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We predict the climate and what we get is the weather.
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Pessimistic attitude, optimistic personality - it can be done.How to achieve it?Do it by never taking unnecessary risks and minimizing the ones you can't avoid.This will allow you to play the game happily without being bothered by the inevitable outcome.
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Don't confuse "responsibility" with what other people expect of you; the two are completely irrelevant.Responsibility is the debt you owe yourself, the fulfillment of an obligation you have voluntarily undertaken.The specific manifestations of this debt are various, and it can be years of hard work, or it can be sacrificed on the spot.Paying off this debt may be extremely difficult, but you will be rewarded with respect for yourself.
But doing what other people want you to do doesn't pay off at all.Besides, doing this is not only difficult, it's downright impossible.It's much easier to deal with a highwayman than a leech who says to you "I just want to take a few minutes of your time, promise me - it's never going to be long".Time is all you have, and your life is extremely short.If you allow yourself to get into the bad habit of fulfilling such requests, it won't be long before these parasites snowball into taking up 100% of your time -- and crying out for more.
So learn to say no - and be rough when necessary.
Otherwise you will have no time to fulfill your responsibilities, or do your work, much less love and happiness.These termites will eat away at your life without leaving you any time.
(This principle doesn't mean you can't help friends, or even strangers. But you must exercise your choice. Don't do it because someone else "expects" you to do so.)
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"I come, I see, she conquers." (.)
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Put too many animals in one pen and they will go crazy.Humans are the only animals that actively do this to themselves.
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When arguing with someone, don't try to be the last one to say it, maybe your words will be the last one.
Notes:
Notes: