What are some one liner comments or quotes you read that have stuck with you for years?
For me, a few come to mind:
"You're imagining everybody in this story way more attractive than they actually were."
It was posted somewhere on one of those spicy subreddits under some affair threesome story. And it sort if clicked with me. Like look around, normal people on the street don't all look like supermodels. And supermodels don't lurk around in reddit comment sections. It really put things into perspective for me.
"Life isn't short, it's the longest thing you'll ever do."
It is a bit uplifting to realize that no matter if you have bad or good period in your life, it is only a short chapter contained in the longest time period possible for you to experience.
There were a few others that I probably can't remember of the top of my head right now.
There's a guy on Youtube by the name of Chris Boden. Slightly controversial figure but he seems to mean well. A video of his that seemed to be venting/reconciling himself included the phrase
"So you wake up one morning in your impact crater and you start. Again."
That is exactly the same for your kids, it is not until their world expands a bit when they are 3-5YO; before that you are literally everything to them.
"Let everything happen to you
Beauty and terror
Just keep going
No feeling is final."
-- Rainer Maria Rilke
This was used at the end of the movie Jojo Rabbit (one of my favorite movies of all time). I often remember this line when I feel like everything is going wrong, and it helps me hold on to hope.
What you are really saying is, "I didn't prioritize-" and that's OK sometimes. But be real with it. Sometimes it's OK to prioritize other things, but when you start rephrasing it this way, you realize that you may be putting yourself, your partner, your kids, your family, in second or even third place.
Despair is typical of those who do not understand the causes of evil, see no way out, and are incapable of struggle.
-Vladimir Lenin
Very applicable today, there's no better time than the present to read theory and get organized. If anyone wants, I can post a short introductory reading list on Marxism.
Thank you. Been thinking about finding good leftist quotes to as my phone wallpaper. Are there more, shorter quotes?
I'm curious about the intro reading list. I've tried the manifesto and listened to some audiobooks by Dessalines. Are there newer articles that are recommended, that summarise/improve the pre-existing content? Especially ones that talk about how the things were/are to be applied.
Lenin is a huge yapper, he has tons of fantastic quotes. Another good one is "There are decades where nothing happens; and there are weeks where decades happen."
Here's a little "intro to Marxism-Leninism" list I threw together, modified a bit. It's critically missing Queer Theory, Feminist Theory, and National Liberation theory, so any additions on that matter would be excellent. I am working through intersectional theory right now, which is why it is missing from this present list, the goal is to be as straight to the point as possible.
By far my favorite primer on Dialectical and Historical Materialism. By understanding DiaMat first, you make it easier to understand the rest of Marxism.
Further reading on DiaMat, but crucially introduces the why of Scientific Socialism, essentially explaining how Capitalism itself preps the conditions for public ownership and planning by centralizing itself into monopolist syndicates.
Excellent refutation of revisionists and Social Democrats who think the State can be reformed, and not replaced. Also a good call to action to cap off the intro.
After reading all of this, whoever has completed these works should have a good grasp of the basics of Marxism-Leninism and be equipped to do their own Marxist-Leninist analysis, though tons of excellent and fairly critical works were dropped for the sake of limiting the scope to an intro reading list.
For your specific question regarding modern, easier to get into theory, I really love this person's essays on Marxism. They are more advanced, but focus on modern Marxist analysis. I think Why Do Marxists Fail to Bring the "Worker's Paradise?", Socialism Developed China, Not Capitalism, and Why Public Property? are 3 of the best modern essays and primers on Socialism. The first goes over the Materialist theory of Democratic Structures and how they can be built while critically analyzing AES through an AES-positive viewpoint, the second goes over misconceptions about the PRC, and the last helps explain why Marxists advocate for public ownership and central planning, and why Capitalism makes way for this through decentralized markets coalescing into monopolist syndicates.
"Some people deserve to be punished." - Amos Burton (actor Wes Chatham), The Expanse season 2, in reference to an opportunist who had been enriching himself during a humanitarian crisis; comparing him to pimps that force kids and vulnerable people into prostitution.
Full quote
(after beating up an uncooperative person and threatening him at gunpoint, then getting confronted about it)
I didn't kill him. Not yet. He's a bully, and where I come from, bullies take desperate young girls like your daughter and force them into prostitution. And when they finally get knocked up, they peddle them to johns who get off on that. After they have the kid, they push them right back out on the streets even before they have a chance to heal. And those kids, they use them, too. Some people deserve to be punished.
Said by Wash the pilot in the movie Serenity. I tend to whisper that to myself when things aren't going my way and I need a reminder to just go with the flow.
From the series Legion on FX. The main female lead Sydney wanted to safe her boyfriend and others doubted her on her reasoning, since her boyfriend turned out to be a shady guy. When questioned "Why?" She gave that answer. I've never heard a female character be this positively possessive over her love interest before. Usually its the guy that saves the girl.