“And as for the gods, I’ve never been satisfied by any of the answers that are given. If there really is a benevolent loving god, why is the world full of rape and torture? Why do we even have pain? I was taught pain is to let us know when our body is breaking down. Well, why couldn’t we have a light? Like a dashboard light? If Chevrolet could come up with that, why couldn’t God? Why is agony a good way to handle things?”
Beyond the Wall: Exploring George R. R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire
“Is he [God] willing to prevent evil, but not able? Then he is impotent. Is he able, but not willing? Then he is malevolent. Is he both able and willing? Whence then is evil?”
“For when the safety of one’s country wholly depends on the decision to be taken, no attention should be paid either to justice or injustice, kindness or cruelty, or to its being praiseworthy or ignominious,” advises Machiavelli.
“For the manner in which men live is so different from the way in which they ought to live, that he who leaves the common course for that which he ought to follow will find that it leads him to ruin rather than safety. For a man who, in all respects, will carry out only his professions of good, will be apt to be ruined amongst so many who are evil. A prince therefore who desires to maintain himself must learn to be not always good, but to be so or not as necessity may require.”
“Many people have good luck, but greatness requires using it to one’s advantage.”
English poet William Blake (1757–1827): “A truth that’s told with bad intent beats all the lies you can invent.”
“Our most fundamental need as humans is not justice; our most fundamental need as humans is avoiding having a greatsword inserted up our nose.”
Game of Thrones and Philosophy: Logic Cuts Deeper Than Swords