There are times when history’s balance hinges upon the inspiration of animals. Scotland’s greatest king was inspired by a tenacious spider, and the civilization of Ancient Greece owed its survival to a […]
How Two Roosters Saved Greek Civilization
Dick Van Dyke’s Secret to Parenting
“I decided, when I started having kids, that I’d try not to do anything that I wouldn’t be proud for them to see. I’ve kind of stuck with that, and I don’t […]
Silent Cal on the Value of Persistence
President Calvin Coolidge was certainly gifted with talent and intelligence. Even so, he was quick to point to an even more important quality that ultimately is responsible for a person’s success. Coolidge […]
Wordiness Is a Defense Against Popularity
Sir Winston Churchill was a master of the English language and greatly appreciated the effectiveness of a carefully-edited work. He was famous for emphasizing the need for brevity in all of his […]
Finding an Aspiring Artist In Every Child
Legendary cartoonist Mort Walker is remembered as the creator of the popular comic strips Beetle Bailey and Hi and Lois. In his book, Lexicon of Comicana, he reflected on the artistic potential […]
A Prophecy About Income Tax
When a federal income tax was being debated in 1910, Richard E. Byrd (1860-1925), Speaker of the Virginia House of Delegates, made the following prediction about what such a tax would mean. […]
The Day T.S. Eliot Passed on a Literary Masterpiece
T.S. Eliot (1888-1965) may have been a brilliant poet, author, and playwright, but as a judge of other authors, he was far from infallible. When given a chance to review one manuscript, […]
How Big of a Telescope is Needed to See Any Interest?
A popular television program of the early days of television was This is Show Business. It ran from 1949 to 1954 and gave aspiring entertainers the opportunity to get advice from a […]
Think Twice Before Putting Your Ear to the Ground
“I see that a speaker… said that this was a time when leaders should keep their ears to the ground. All I can say is that the British nation will find it […]
Parenting and the Presidency: the Limits of Power
When President Theodore Roosevelt was confronted with complaints about the behavior of his 19-year-old daughter, Alice, he responded, “I can do one of two things. I can be President of the United […]
Andy Rooney on the Usefulness of Computers
Andy Rooney (1919-2011) had a career as a writer for over 60 years, but he insisted upon using a manual typewriter, even into the 21st century. In explaining his reticence in switching […]
John Adams Equates Uselessness and Congress
John Adams (1735-1826) was notoriously thin-skinned and rarely responded to criticism or ridicule with anything approaching a light-hearted spirit. When he found his role as Vice President did not earn him the […]
Showing Respect With a Kiss and a Ring of Truth
Don Rickles owed his career to the fact that he was discovered by the legendary singer Frank Sinatra. This fact did not exempt Sinatra from being on the receiving end of the […]
The Geographic Knowledge of Britney Spears
An earlier Commonplace post noted that the music of Britney Spears is one of the most effective deterrents to Somali pirates. Lest that be construed as some kind of derogatory judgment on […]
Jefferson’s Purpose of Government
“The purpose of government is to enable the people of a nation to live in safety and happiness. Government exists for the interests of the governed, not for the governors.” — Thomas […]
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