Random Quote Wednesday
October 21, 2009
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Posted by Michael S. Langston
With my track record of keeping schedules, this might the first and last Random Quote Wednesday, but in today’s society my intent is seemingly more important than the results. So if this is the last installment, I still get an A for effort.
Irregardless, during lunch today I was discussing interesting quotes, quips, comebacks, and even in one case, almost a partial quote.
Partial Quote First:
Towards the end of Albert Einstein’s life, he began working furiously to disprove some of his own earlier work as it lead to the beginning of quantum theory. In a debate between Mr. Einstein and immense genius Neils Bohr, Mr. Einstein was explaining his objections to the probabilistic nature of quantum theory, versus his beliefs in a more deterministic. His life work of finding that elusive theory of everything, he couldn’t bring himself to believe in a chaotic or random system. To that end he stated confidently:
“God does not play dice with the universe.”
Which is a quote that a lot of people have heard before. The better quote from this exchange however belongs to Mr. Bohr who replied:
“”Don’t tell God what to do with his dice.”
From there, in my random, ADHD way, this lead to me think about other good comebacks or quips in history starting with President Ronald Reagan whose quick wit verged on genius.
Even in trying times he seemed to have his wits about him. While going into surgery following the assassination attempt, he looked up to note he was surrounded by surgeons to whom he stated:
“God I hope you’re all Republicans.”
At a better time in his administration he used this humor very well. During one press conference he was being pushed hard by a certain young white house correspondent, Sam Donaldson (here):
“Mr. President, in talking about the continuing recession tonight, you have blamed mistakes in the past and you have blamed the Congress. Does any of the blame belong to you?”
To which Mr. Reagan quickly replied:
“Yes because for many years I was a Democrat.”
For one of my all time favorite exchanges though, enter Milton Friedman. As one of the most influential thinkers of this century, he pushed for school vouchers, for less regulations, against price & wage controls, and other topics.
One of those topics he successfully argued in Congress was to end the draft. From LibertyUnbound (here):
…Friedman not only solidified the verdict against the draft; he vigorously defended it in congressional testimony. He had a famous confrontation with Gen. William Westmoreland, commander of the forces in Vietnam. Friedman tells it in “Two Lucky People”:
In the course of his testimony, he made the statement that he did not want to command an army of mercenaries. I stopped him and said, “General, would you rather command an army of slaves?” He drew himself up and said, “I don’t like to hear our patriotic draftees referred to as slaves.” I said, “I don’t like to hear our patriotic volunteers referred to as mercenaries.” But I went on to say, “If they are mercenaries, then I, sir, am a mercenary professor, and you, sir, are a mercenary general; we are served by mercenary physicians, we use a mercenary lawyer, and we get our meat from a mercenary butcher.” That was the last that we heard from the general about mercenaries….
This was in 1966, where actual logic and rationale could have a real impact, regardless of “whose team” said it first:
…In December 1966, when the Vietnam War still had the strong support of the American public, the University of Chicago held a conference on the draft. There were 74 participants. Friedman was there, and spoke against the draft, as did economist Walter Oi. Several politicians were there too, including Senator Edward Kennedy and a young Republican congressman named Donald Rumsfeld. Also anthropologist Margaret Mead, who favored the draft. In his and his wife Rose’s autobiography, “Two Lucky People,” Friedman wrote:
I have attended many conferences. I have never attended any other that had so dramatic an effect on the participants. A straw poll taken at the outset of the conference recorded two-thirds of the participants in favor of the draft; a similar poll at the end, two-thirds opposed. I believe that this conference was the key event that started the ball rolling decisively toward ending the draft….
That’s all for this inaugural installment of Random Quote Wednesday. Please feel free to share interesting stories and quotes from history.
PS: For any Anita Dunn fans – I will not quote mass murderers with admiration nor ever refer to any dictator as one of my favorite philosophers.
Categories: Random Quote Wednesday
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Tags: Albert Einstein, Democrats, Draft, General Westmoreland, Milton Friedman, Neils Bohr, Quotations, Republicans, Ronald Reagan, Sam Donaldson
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