Pardner, it’s been my experience that there ain’t nothin’ more ruthless and treacherous than a genuine good woman. — Paint Your Wagon

Lord, protect me from Irish Woman when she has an idea and knows she’s right.  My lovely wife is such a good soul that when she gets a notion, examines it, determines its righteousness, and starts moving from A to B to C to Q, there isn’t much that will slow her down, much less stop her.

Of course, if she wasn’t like that, there wouldn’t be a lot of things getting done around here.

We’re always quickest to doubt people who have a reputation for being honest.  — Psycho

It is amazing how quickly we can tear people down once the whispering begins.  No matter how righteous, honest, and ethical a person is, all it takes is someone to say an unkind word in the right ear, and pretty soon their reputation is shot.  Gossip has killed more careers and ended more relationships than almost anything else.  It’s amazing how few people are willing to go to the person who is being slandered and ask for the truth.

If my answers frighten you then you should cease asking scary questions.  — Pulp Fiction

I’m always tickled by the bubble-people who ask controversial questions and are then shocked to get controversial answers.  It’s always a sign of an echo chamber when those who don’t hold the same opinions as others have to be scrutinized like a bug on a pin.

If you’re not ready to hear my opinion, don’t ask for it.  I will, on occasion, throw a hand grenade in your henhouse.

Me and the Kaiser, we are both fighting. The only difference is the Kaiser isn’t here!  — All Quiet On The Western Front

I’ve heard this put two other ways:  “Rich man’s war but a poor man’s fight” and “Old man’s war but a young man’s fight”.  Both express the feeling that those who start wars and profit from them rarely share the danger of actually participating in them.  I think, for the most part, this is valid.  It’s been a very long time since a senator or a president would feel shame for not sending their own children to war with the children of the rest of us.  Where is Lieutenant Clinton, or Sergeant Bush?

This is a symptom, one of the earliest, that our society has lost its sense of duty.  I’m not saying that each and every person needs to wear a uniform, but I do believe we need to give back.  Not with your taxes or your support for social programs.  I mean giving up your time and energy to make the nation stronger.  Maybe you join the Marines, or maybe you volunteer a few hours a week at the soup kitchen.  No matter what, from the top of the ivory tower to the bottom of the gutter, we all should have skin in the game.

We’d better get back, ’cause it’ll be dark soon, and they mostly come at night… mostly. — Aliens

There are parts of Louisville that are perfectly fine during the day, but being there after dark is a less than optimal situation.  No feasible number of policemen, cameras, or political speeches are going to change that.  I tend to avoid those places, if I can.  If I can’t, I try to be smart about when I go, where I go, and who I go with.  And unless I am absolutely forbidden to carry in the places I visit (mostly government buildings), I always make sure that I’m armed.  Doing so won’t keep trouble away or guarantee that I’ll be able to handle anything that happens, but it’s better than harsh language and hoping for the best.