"The world is a hellish place, and bad writing is destroying the quality of our suffering. It cheapens and degrades the human experience, when it should inspire and elevate."

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“Tom Waits Library - a compendium of information about Tom Waits and his works”

“How do the angels get to sleep / When the Devil leaves his porch light on?”

“I don't have a drinking problem ‘cept when I can't get a drink.”

“If I exorcise my devils, well, my angels may leave too.”

“What's he building in there? We have a right to know.”

“I collaborate with my wife on the songs, and every aspect of it, really— composing, and arranging, and recording, all that business. We have a rhythm and a way of working it. It's kind of like borrowing the same ten bucks from somebody over and over again. But when you live together, it makes it a lot easier, the pay back.”

Resonant Thoughts

"This country of ours has been the birthplace and the home of some of the greatest movements that have yet arisen for human freedom and human progress, and the strength of our race is not yet exhausted…"

— Stanley Baldwin

Politics1867–1947

#family

"It is important to keep this last point in mind, for it is crucial in terms of understanding the public character of the so-called "public" service. The precise meaning of the word "public" demands ou…"

— Christian Laval

Science1953

#writing

"Disaster is rarely as pervasive as it seems from recorded accounts. The fact of being on the record makes it appear continuous and ubiquitous whereas it is more likely to have been sporadic both in ti…"

— Barbara Tuchman

Journalism1912–1989

#time

"The driving force in the world economy is fast becoming a global confederation of productive vanguards. The vanguards established in different parts of the world drive one another forward. They trade …"

— Roberto Mangabeira Unger

Philosophy1947

#art