~~ philosopher Ayn Rand [1905-82]
"Happiness is a ukulele."
~~ Bill VanKeuren
"[Afro-American] blood stains the sidewalks of America."
~~ Kamala Harris, U.S. Senator from California
"COVID-19 – and its impact on black and brown communities – is the American empire in viral form. It lodges itself among the poor and feasts upon them."
~~ Rev. William H. Lamar IV, pastor of the Metropolitan African Methodist Episcopal Church in Washington, D.C.
"Civil rights is the unfinished business of America, and it’s all our responsibility to see that work to completion."
~~ Tom Perez, Chair of the Democratic National Committee
"Trump must be removed. So must his congressional enablers."
~~ George Will, in June 2020
"After retirement, life is what takes place between naps."
~~ G.E. Nordell
"Accept no racist activity, neither word nor deed. Speak Out & Fight (at whatever level called for) until it is eliminated."
~~ Amiri Baraka [1934-2014], in "An Activist Commitment Against Racism" [1991]
"It’s better to be six feet apart than six feet under."
~~ Dr. Michael Greger, author of "How To Survive A Pandemic" [8/2020]
"Reparations are a very bad idea, and just the kind of proposal that America's money-based pseudo-ethic would conjure. Better that such monies be spent to educate cops and teachers and others away from our tradition of rampant and lethal racism."
~~ G.E. Nordell
"The words ‘Equal Justice Under Law’ are carved in the pediment of the United States Supreme Court. This is precisely what protesters are rightly demanding. It is a wholesome and unifying demand - one that all of us should be able to get behind."
~~ General James Mattis, the former defense secretary
"Racism is wrong; anyone who disagrees is a racist. Period."
~~ G.E. Nordell
"If anyone destroys this country it will be the conservatives."
~~ philosopher Ayn Rand [1905-82]
'found' t-shirt text: sealed for your protection
"As much as anything, Juneteenth is an observance of promises still waiting to be delivered."
~~ Adrian Walker, reporter at The Boston Globe
"If you desire to make a difference in the world, you must be different from the world."
~~ Elaine S. Dalton
"The open road is a capitalist trick of deferral: Labor away with one eye on the scintillating future, and the present becomes bearable."
~~ Phoebe Chen, film reviewer for The Nation Magazine
"In times of stress and danger such as come about as the result of an epidemic, many tragic and cruel phases of human nature are brought out, as well as many brave and unselfish ones."
~~ Gen. William Crawford Gorgas [1854-1920], in his book "Sanitation In Panama" [1915]
"If you want to deal with an epidemic - crime or health - the smartest and most effective and cheapest way to deal with it is prevention first."
~~ Kamala Harris, U.S. Senator from California
"In spite of the advances of medicine, deathly epidemics are more menacing than ever before."
~~ Christian de Duve
"Evil is relatively rare. Ignorance is epidemic."
~~ Jon Stewart, TV talk show host
"If you have to ask how much it costs, you can't afford it."
~~ banker John Pierpont 'J.P.' Morgan [1837-1913]
"There are great ideas undiscovered, breakthroughs available to those who can remove one of truth's protective layers. There are places to go beyond belief."
~~ astronaut Neil Armstrong [1930-2012]
"If you want your dreams to come true, the first thing you have to do is wake up."
~~ J.M. Power
T-shirt: by appointment only
"America is still a world power. But in the past four years, it has lost its place as a world leader."
~~ actor-director Robert Redford, in July 2020
"[Donald Trump's] lack of leadership is deadly."
~~ Sen. Elizabeth Warren, in August 2020
"Watching or listening to the Fox Faux News propaganda machine will make your left nut (or left tit, if any) atrophy, and even worsely, the left side of your brain (if any) will also atrophy."
~~ G.E. Nordell
"Don't join the book burners. ... Don't be afraid to go in your library and read every book."
~~ President Dwight D. 'Ike' Eisenhower [1890-1969]
"You can live in your dreams, but only if you are worthy of them."
~~ sci-fi author Harlan Ellison [1934-2018]
"Fools multiply, when wise men are silent."
~~ Nelson Mandela [1918-2013]
"[Removing street mailboxes is] how to win an election ... who needs Russians?"
~~ Rafael E. Ortega, on Facebook
"Until one has loved an animal, a part of one's soul remains unawakened."
~~ Anatole France [1844-1924]
"Every great dream begins with a dreamer. Always remember, you have within you the strength, the patience, and the passion to reach for the stars to change the world."
~~ abolitionist Harriet Tubman [1822-1913]
"For millenia, the design of sharks requires them to swim 24/7, if they stop they will die. If a Republican stops lying, they will die."
~~ G.E. Nordell
"President Trump's negligence turned what would have been a challenge for any president into a national disaster."
~~ Principles NOT Parties, on Facebook
"I'll read my books and I'll drink coffee and I'll listen to music and I'll bolt the door."
~~ reclusive author J.D. Salinger [1919-2010]
"The paradise of the rich is made from the hell of the poor."
~~ French author Victor Hugo [1802-85]
"The tragedy of life is not death but what we allow to die in us while we live."
~~ writer-activist Norman Cousins [1915-90]
"You can't really be old in L.A., it's kind of like a crime."
~~ actress Marisa Tomei
"A girl must marry for love, and keep on marrying until she finds it."
~~ celebrity Zsa Zsa Gabor [1917-2016]
"Liberty will not descend to a people, a people must raise themselves to liberty."
~~ anarchist Emma Goldman [1869-1940]
"Anarchism is a radical and idealistic theory, and completely impractical: As long as Stalins and Putins and Hitlers and Trumps are loose in the world, the battle to restore freedom and justice requires other strategies."
~~ G.E. Nordell
"The Civil War never really ended in the United States - literally."
~~ philosopher-activist Noam Chomsky
"Life is not a matter of holding good cards, but sometimes, [of] playing a poor hand well."
~~ Jack London [1876-1916]
"If you're studying Geology, which is all facts, as soon as you get out of school you forget it all, but Philosophy you remember just enough to screw you up for the rest of your life."
~~ actor & writer Steve Martin
"Anyone who believes in magic is a fool."
~~ escape artist Harry Houdini [1874-1926]
"You know what they say in Hollywood - all rumors are true."
~~ John Cox
"If the world were clear, art would not exist."
~~ Albert Camus [1913-60], in "Sisyphus" [1942]
"I mean, part of the beauty of me is that I'm very honest. Most Republicans act like they aren't racist."
~~ tweet by Donald Trump
"I wouldn’t believe Donald Trump if his tongue were notarized."
~~ New York City deputy mayor Alair Townsend (circa 1980), statement later endorsed by Mayor Ed Koch
"A legal career is but a means to an end. And that end is building the kingdom of God."
"Fasten your seatbelts, it's going to be a bumpy night . . ."
~~ Judge Amy Coney Barrett
~~ actress Bette Davis [1908-89], in "All About Eve" [1950]
"Fascist ideals [are] a nation founded on bloodlines, political expansion by surprise and war, murder or detention of unbelievers, transcendence of state over individual, obedience to one leader, contempt for parliamentary forms, plus . . . a general feeling of elation."
~~ E.B. White [1899-1985], in 1943
"It is my wish that each and every one of you experiences a little bit of magic in your lives, every day."
~~ escape artist Harry Houdini [1874-1926]
"The belief in sorcery and witchcraft is probably as old as mankind. When primitive man is confronted with something incomprehensible, the explanation is always sorcery and evil spirits . . . The belief in evil sprits, sorcery, and witchcraft is the result of naïve notions about the mystery of the universe."
~~ Danish film director Benjamin Christensen [1879-1959], in his 1922 silent documentary film "Häxan"
{each set of posted quotations are then posted at the Working Minds website, alphabetical by author}