Man is a Religious Animal. He is the only Religious Animal. He is the only animal that has the True Religion -- several of them. He is the only animal that loves his neighbor as himself and cuts his throat if his theology isn't straight. He has made a graveyard of the globe in trying his honest best to smooth his brother's path to happiness and heaven....The higher animals have no religion. And we are told that they are going to be left out in the Hereafter. I wonder why? It seems questionable taste.
- The Lowest Animal essay, 1897 (Mark Twain)
We despise all reverences and all the objects of reverence which are outside the pale of our own list of sacred things. And yet, with strange inconsistency, we are shocked when other people despise and defile the things which are holy to us.
- Following the Equator (ibid)
By the way can anyone remember exactly when to use ibid? Is it ok from the first note on or every other one? Now I find that in so using I am committing a grievous sin.
Mark Twain quotations
I am sorry, but you went over my head with that one.. Maybe I am tired.
ReplyDeleteI like the quote.
I was trying to remember the way we used to footnote for school.
ReplyDeleteI think you only use the Latin ibid after you give the 1st reference then you use the reference again then ibid. It is so I don't have to retype the reference every time in a paper.
Something like that.
I am ignorant about ibids, but I have asked someone who might know to look at this post and he might help.
ReplyDeleteI was referring to the post and the quotes. I have to do some more reading on what you have written here.
Thanks Thomas.
ReplyDeleteWe used to use footnotes,ibid, op cit. I just can't remember when and how. Now some say not to use these Latin ways of doing things as the reader must jump around to hunt the reference. I will have to relearn the newer ways.
Shows my age doesn't it.
Anyway, I think Mark Twain had an appropriate quotation for everything. He was so prolific in writing and speaking it should not be surprising.
I keep thinking of his "war prayer". I sure wish I had a memory anymore. Thank heaven, and Al Gore (I am being Twainish here), for the Internet. All of statinized seniors should be better off than before.