The Apes and the Two Travelers TWO MEN, one who always spoke the truth and the other who told nothing but lies, were traveling together and by chance came to the land of Apes. One of the Apes, who had raised himself to be king, commanded them to be seized and brought before him, that he might know what was said of him among men. He ordered at the same time that all the Apes be arranged in a long row on his right hand and on his left, and that a throne be placed for him, as was the custom among men. After these preparations he signified that the two men should be brought before him, and greeted them with this salutation: What sort of a king do I seem to you to be, O strangers?' The Lying Traveler replied, You seem to me a most mighty king. And what is your estimate of those you see around me?' These, he made answer, are worthy companions of yourself, fit at least to be ambassadors and leaders of armies. The Ape and all his court, gratified with the lie, commanded that a handsome present be given to the flatterer. On this the truthful Traveler thought to himself, If so great a reward be given for a lie, with what gift may not I be rewarded, if, according to my custom, I tell the truth?' The Ape quickly turned to him. And pray how do I and these my friends around me seem to you?' Thou art, he said, a most excellent Ape, and all these thy companions after thy example are excellent Apes too. The King of the Apes, enraged at hearing these truths, gave him over to the teeth and claws of his companions.

Violence is as American as cherry pie.

Be slow of tongue and quick of eye.

"Home" is any four walls that enclose the right person.

When Michelangelo finished the painting of the Sistine Chapel's ceiling, he spent the rest of his life trying to remove the paint that had poured into his sleeve.

Veni, Vedi, Visa: I Came. I Saw. I Did a Little Shopping.

Feast of John Vianney, Curè d'Ars, 1859 [Christ] is the breathing forth of the heart, life and spirit of God into all the dead race of Adam. He is the seeker, the finder, the restorer of all that, from Cain to the end of time, was lost and dead to the life of God. He is the love that prays for all its murderers; the love that willingly suffers and dies among thieves, that thieves may have a life with him in Paradise; the love that visits publicans, harlots and sinners, and wants and seeks to forgive where most is to be forgiven.

What exactly is success? For me it is to be found not in applause, but in the satisfaction of feeling that one is realizing one's ideal.

Transformation literally means going beyond your form.

Never seek the wind in the field. It is useless to try and find what is gone.

The most wasteful "brain drain" in America today is the drain in the kitchen sink.

Man is at the bottom an animal, midway, a citizen, and at the top, divine. But the climate of this world is such that few ripen at the top.

There seems to be a terrible misunderstanding on the part of a great many people to the effect that when you cease to believe you may cease to behave.

Behavior is what a man does, not what he thinks, feels, or believes.

The rule Of the many is not well. One must be chief In war and one the king.

Life ought to be a struggle of desire toward adventures whose nobility will fertilize the soul.

The trenchant blade Toledo trusty. For want of fighting was grown rusty, And ate into itself for lack Of somebody to hew and hack.

Wisdom is scar tissue in disguise.

One must be poor to know the luxury of living.

Feast of Nicholas, Bishop of Myra, c.326 We cannot understand the depth of the Christian doctrine of sin if we give it only a moral connotation. To break the basic laws of justice and decency is sin indeed. Man's freedom to honor principles is the moral dimension in his nature, and sin often appears as lawlessness. But sin has its root in something which is more than the will to break the law. The core of sin is our making ourselves the center of life, rather than accepting the holy God as the center. Lack of trust, self-love, pride, these are three ways in which Christians have expressed the real meaning of sin. But what sin does is to make the struggle with evil meaningless. When we refuse to hold our freedom in trust and reverence for God's will, there is nothing which can make the risk of life worth the pain of it.