"The first step is always to succeed in becoming surprised - to notice that there is something funny going on."

--

Source : David Gelernter (2010). “The Muse in the Machine: Computerizing the Poetry of Human Thought”, p.96, Simon and Schuster

David Gelernter

#Creativity Quotes #Firsts Quotes #Succeed Quotes

“My interest in science was excited at age nine by an article on astronomy in National Geographic; the author was Donald Menzel of the Harvard Observatory. For the next few years, I regularly made star maps and snuck out at night to make observations from a locust tree in our back yard.”
“It's strange when they near your cell. You lose all your strength and you are like this. You lose all your strength as if a rope is dragging it out of you. Then the footsteps stop in front of another solitary confinement cell and when you hear the sound of the key turning you feel relieved.”

Source : "Film: Harsh Justice". www.journeyman.tv. March 29, 2004.
“A beautiful homily, a genuine sermon, must begin with the first proclamation, with the proclamation of salvation. There is nothing more solid, deep and sure than this proclamation.”
“When I pray the Lord's Prayer, I begin with the first word, "Our. . ." (see Matthew 6:9) and I stop and ask myself, "Who do I include in this Our?" I remind myself that the story of God is bigger than my personal story, bigger than the story of my religion, bigger than the story of all humanity, and bigger than the story of all creation. In the kingdom of God, these four stories are all really my stories - all at the same time - woven together, giving meaning and life to each other.”
“Majority decisions tend to be made without engaging the systematic thought and critical thinking skills of the individuals in the group. Given the force of the group's normative power to shape the opinions of the followers who conform without thinking things through, they are often taken at face value. The persistent minority forces the others to process the relevant information more mindfully. Research shows that the deciscions of a group as a whole are more thoughtful and creative when there is minority dissent than when it is absent.”
“If God is watching your every move, you should probably straighten up your act a little bit.”

Source : "EXCLUSIVE: Misha Collins Gets Angelic in Supernatural". Interview with Brian Gallagher, movieweb.com. September 23, 2008.
“You can knock me down, step on my face, slander my name all over the place. Do anything that you want to do, but uh-oh, honey, lay off of my shoes.”
“We have a problem now with parents stealing their kids' CDs, so the roles have been reversed.”

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