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"Almost anything is possible in a train…" Paul Theroux |
| “The introduction of so powerful an agent as steam to a carriage on wheels will make a great change in the situation of man.” Thomas Jefferson, 1802 |
| "People don't really mean it when they ask for advice. They are just looking for confirmation of a decision they've already made." anon. |
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These days man knows the price of everything, but the value of nothing. Oscar Wilde |
| "From the moment I picked your book up until I laid it down I was convulsed with laughter. Someday I intend reading it." Groucho Marx (1890 - 1977) US comedian |
| "When you choose your friends, don't be short-changed by choosing personality over character." W. Somerset Maugham |
| "Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man's character, give him power." Abraham Lincoln |
| The motto of the Silver Standard, published at Silver Plume, Colorado, is as follows: "Trying to do business without advertising, is like winking at a pretty girl in the dark. You may know what you are doing, but nobody else does." The Plaindealer, Roseburg, Oregon, Jan 15, 1886. |
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Don't Just Sit There, Build Something! anon. |
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"Be careful what you wish for, you might get it." proverb |
| "A subtle thought that is in error may yet give rise to fruitful inquiry that can establish truths of great value." Isaac Asimov (1920 - 1992) US science writer, "Book of Science and Nature Quotations," 1988. |
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"It don't take a genius to spot a goat in a flock of sheep." Texas proverb |
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"We're just all victims of soicumstance." 3 Stooges |
| "Never argue with a man who buys his ink by the barrel." Benjamin Franklin |
| "He who asks is a fool for five minutes, but he who does not ask remains a fool forever." old Chinese saying |
| "Money is of no value; it cannot spend itself. All depends on the skill of the spender." Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803 - 1882) US philosopher, poet, essayist |
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"When you buy, use your eyes and your mind, not your ears." Czech Proverb |
| "The world acquires value only through its extremes and endures only through moderation; extremists make the world great, the moderates give it stability." Paul Valery (1871 - 1945) French poet |
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"An unemployed jester is nobody's fool. " anon. |
| "The really happy man is one who can enjoy the scenery while taking a detour." "Random Thoughts" 1/2002 Puffer Chuffer, The Detroit Model Railroad Club newsletter |
| "There's two theories to arguin' with a woman. Neither one works." Texas proverb |
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"Everybody lies, but it don’t matter 'cause nobody listens." Texas proverb |
| "Keep your friends close, your enemies closer, and enjoy the humor of it all." anon. |
| "If God had meant for us to fly, he wouldn't have given us the railways." anon. |
| "Architects and engineers are among the most fortunate of men since they build their own monuments with public consent, public approval and often public money." John Prebble |
| "A common mistake that people make when trying to design something completely foolproof is to underestimate the ingenuity of complete fools."Douglas Adams |
| "Engineering is the art of modeling materials we do not wholly understand, into shapes we cannot precisely analyze so as to withstand forces we cannot properly assess, in such a way that the public has no reason to suspect the extent of our ignorance." Dr. A.R. Dykes, 1976 UK |
| "Plan for the future because that’s where you are going to spend the rest of your life." Mark Twain |
| "If you're ridin' ahead of the herd, take a look back every now and then to make sure it's still there." Texas proverb |
| "Anyone who stops learning is old, whether at twenty or eighty. Anyone who keeps learning stays young. The greatest thing in life is to keep your mind young." Henry Ford |
| "History has proven that nobody pays any attention to history." Claude Cuervo |
| "Arguing with an an editor is a lot like wrestling in the mud with a pig: After a few hours, you realize the pig likes it." anon. |
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"Truth be told, I never fail; each train I run, I soon derail" anon. |
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"It is better to wear out than rust out." George Whitefield |
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"Grandchildren: Pretext for grandfathers to buy another electric train." anon. |
| "In my day, all trains were steam powered!" "Really grandpa? Does that mean they were in black and white?" anon. |
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Frustra fit
perplura, quod fieri per pauciora. It is vain to do with more what can
be done with less. |
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Nullum magnum
ingenium sine mixtura dementiae fuit |
| "I may disagree with everything you say, but will defend unto death your right to say it." Voltaire |
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Exigo a me
non ut optimis par sim, sed ut malis melior |
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Failure: When Your Best Just Isn't Good Enough anon. |
| "The ark was built by amateurs; the Titanic was built by professionals." anon. |
| "Not all readers become leaders. But all leaders must be readers." Harry Truman |
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"Experience is what you get — when you don't get what you want." anon. |
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"Communism won't work because people like to own stuff." Frank Zappa |
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"Knowledge is of no value unless you put it into practice." Anton Chekov |
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"Knowledge is of no value unless you share it." Vane Jones 1906-1987 |
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Make like a train and leave tracks. |
| "Never believe a rumor until it is officially denied." Statement by a French official at a meeting attended with SNCF (French National Railways) in Paris in 1987. |
| "Any darn fool can make something complex; it takes a genius to make something simple." Pete Seeger |
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"Never get into a pissing contest with a skunk." anon. |
| "Rail travel at high speeds is not possible because passengers, unable to breathe, would die of asphyxia." Dionysius Lardner (1842 - 1914) US journalist, short-story writer |
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You cannot tell which way the train went by looking at the track. |
| "The media's power is frail. Without the people's support, it can be shut off with the ease of turning a light switch." Corazon Aquino, Filipino leader |
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Who's the conductor of this train of thought? |
| "If you find something you like, buy a lifetime supply, because they will stop making it. " anon. |
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The light at the end of the tunnel has 52 freight cars. |
| "The more intelligent one is, the more men of originality one finds. Ordinary people find no difference between men." Blaise Pascal (1623 - 1662) French mathematician, physicist, theologian; "Penspes," 1670 |
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Caboose seems to be pulling the engine. |
| "There are many trails up the mountain, but in time they all reach the top." Anya Seton (1916 - ) US writer; "The Turquoise," 1946 |
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Does your train of thought have a caboose? |
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"There is no way to success in art but to take off your coat, grind paint, and work like a digger on the railroad, all day and every day." Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803 - 1882) US philosopher, poet, essayist |
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It's only a hobby… only a hobby… only a… |
| "No, I didn't miss my train! I just chased it out of the station because I didn't like the look of it!" |
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Loco-motive A crazy reason for doing something. |
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Damn it, Igor, I said "Brains!" Get that locomotive outta' here! |
| A private railroad car is not an acquired taste. One takes to it immediately. Eleanor R. Belmont |
| Railroad iron is a magician’s rod, in its power to evoke the sleeping energies of land and water. Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882) |
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The first rule of intelligent tinkering is to save all the parts. Ehrlich |
| If it jams, force it. If it breaks, it needed replacing anyway. Lowery's Law |
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When all else fails, read the instructions. Cann's Axiom |
| There is no mechanical problem so difficult that it cannot be solved by brute strength and ignorance. William's Law |
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Steam that blows the whistle never turns the wheel. |
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If at first you don't succeed, you're doing about average. Leonard Levinson |
| There are two things to aim at in life, first to get what you want and, after that, to enjoy it. Only the wisest of mankind achieve the second. Logan Pearsall Smith |
| Man who sleep on railroad tracks wake up with split personality. |
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Never miss a good chance to shut up. Will Rogers 1879-1935 |
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Rumor travels faster, but it don't stay put as long as truth. Will Rogers 1879-1935 |
| When we ask for advice, we are usually looking for an accomplice. Marquis De La Grange |
| A good man would prefer to be defeated than to defeat injustice by evil means. Sallust, 41 |
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"Commit a crime and the earth is made of glass." Ralph Waldo Emerson |
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Experience is something you don't get until just after you need it. Anon. |
| RAPID TRANSIT A municipal myth, circulated for the amusement of the long suffering — and slow moving — public. The Foolish Dictionary by Wallace Goldsmith |
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Don't be proud. Secondhand diamonds are better than none. Mark Twain |
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Honesty is the best policy, but insanity is a better defense. |
In the oil barrel... is peace and war. Stephen Leacock, 1930 |
| MS-DOS is like the US rail system. It's there, but people just ignore it and find other ways of getting where they want to go. Anon. |
| [New York] is the place where if you have talent, and you believe in yourself, and you show people what you can do, then some day, maybe — just maybe — you could get shoved in front of a moving subway train. Dave Barry |
| We shouldn't have any illusion that we'll have any rail service if we privatize. Ross Capon Executive Director of the National Association of Railroad Passengers (NARP) |
| "Our national railroad network, which helped build our country and is an important economic lifeline, is a crucial component of our public transportation system. I support a healthy Intercity passenger rail system. I support current efforts to make Amtrak more efficient and competitive. I believe these efforts will result in better, more extensive and more reliant rail service for the millions of Americans who travel by train." Governor George W. Bush (Texas, October 2000) |
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When you do not know what you are doing, do it neatly. Anon. |
| Anyone who has never made a mistake has never tried anything new. Albert Einstein |
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"If at first you don't succeed, destroy all evidence that you tried." Anon. |
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Patience is the companion of wisdom. Augustine |
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Begin somewhere. You cannot build a reputation on what you intend to do. Liz Smith |
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What can be more palpably absurd than the prospect held out of locomotives traveling twice as fast as stagecoaches? The Quarterly Review (England), March 1825 |
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The shortest distance between two points is always under construction. Noelie Alite |
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RAILROAD, n. The chief of many mechanical devices enabling us to get away from where we are to where we are no better off. The railroad is held in highest favor by the optimist, for it permits him to make the transit with great expedition. Ambrose Bierce (1842-1914) US journalist, short-story writer |
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"If you can't convince them, confuse them." Harry S. Truman |
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"A man who has never gone to school may steal from a freight car; but if he has a university education, he may steal the whole railroad." Theodore Roosevelt (1858-1919), 26th US President, Republican |
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When a habit begins to cost money, it's called a hobby. Jewish Proverb |
| Any fool can criticize, condemn, and complain, and most do. Benjamin Franklin |
| The man who does not relax and hoot a few hoots voluntarily, now and then, is in great danger of hooting hoots and standing on his head for the edification of the pathologist and trained nurse, a little later on. The madhouse yawns for the person who always does the proper thing. Elbert Hubbard |
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It's never too late to have a happy childhood. Tom Robbins |
| Even if you are on the right track, you’ll get run over if you just sit there. Will Rogers |
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Sometimes I think I understand everything, then I regain consciousness. Anon. |
| It's frustrating when you know all the answers, but nobody bothers to ask you the questions. Anon. |
| Happy is harder than money. Anyone who thinks money will make them happy, doesn't have money. David Geffen |
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Try to relax and enjoy the crisis. Ashleigh Brilliant |
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It's not denial. I'm just very selective about the reality I accept. Calvin, Calvin and Hobbes cartoon |
If Stupidity got us into this mess, then why can't it get us out? Will Rogers |
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“There is a fine line between hobby and mental illness.” Dave Barry |
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Only lords and fools criticize a job half-finished. Swedish Proverb |
| The whistle shrilled and in a moment I was chugging out of Grand Central's dreaming spires followed only by the anguished cries of relatives who would now have to go to work. I had chugged only a few feet when I realized that I had left without the train, so I had to run back and wait for it to start. S.J. Perelman (1904-1979), Strictly From Hunger 1951 |
| Boston's freeway system... was clearly designed by a person who had spent his childhood crashing toy trains. Bill Bryson, The Lost Continent 1989 |
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What is better than presence of mind in a railway accident? Absence of body. Punch, 1849 |
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Sure, the next train has gone ten minutes ago. Punch, 1871 |
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| Last Sunday afternoon — I took a trip to Hackensack — But after I gave Hackensack the once-over — I took the next train back. — I happen to like New York. Cole Porter (1891-1964), I Happen To Like New York 1931 |
