A Fine Quotation

"A fine quotation is a diamond in the hand of a man of wit and a pebble in the hand of a fool."
- Joseph Roux (1834-1905)French priest and writer

Sunday morning. We have a full house. Our guests from yesterday evening stayed over ("Drive for an hour and a half or have another beer. Hmm"). Everyone is sleeping and my pancake duties will commence probably in about an hour's time. So I get to do my daily quotation review, this time in the kitchen (the study is also a guest bedroom). Incredibly quiet, except for the birds - I think they're really going for it today (maybe they know something we don't).

Interpreting and getting the juice out of the many excellent quotations that there are out there is one of my passions. Today's serves as a warning that I must really respect the quote and do it justice. It is said that a little knowledge is dangerous. A fine quotation, poorly understood by its conveyer and so irrelevant to the topic at hand, will probably raise an eyebrow or confuse the matter for the recipients. The same quotation, well understood by its conveyer and applied to the right topic, will bring clarity and depth of understanding to the recipients.