The January Esquire, or "What I've Learned" bonanza

Go out and get the new Esquire, with the Kennedy's on the cover. Worth it. If only for these...

* There is always inequity in life. Some men are killed in a war, some are wounded, and some never leave the country. Some men are stationed in the Antarctic and some are stationed in San Francisco. It's very hard, in military or in personal life, to ensure complete equality. Life is unfair. - John Fitzgerald Kennedy, 1962.

* The audience is the equal sign in the equation. They tell you what it's worth. - Kelsey Grammar, 2009.

* I sign autographs because there will be a moment when no one asks me to. - 50 Cent, 2009.

* Power can be like a sword, a very unusual sword. Not only does it have a sharp blade but a sharp handle. So it cuts into not only the people it's being used against but also into the people who are using it. - Robert Caro, 2009.

* When I think of Bobby, I shall always see Cape Cod on a sunny day. The wind will be from the southwest, and the whitecaps will be showing and the full tide will be weeping through the gaps in the breakwater. It will be after lunch, and Bob will be stripped to the waist and he'll say, "Come on, Joe, Kathleen, Bobby and David, Courtney, Kerry, come on Michael, and even you, Chris and Max - call your mother and come for a sail. One of the children would say, "What about the baby?" and the father would reply, "Douglas can come next year." They push off from the landing. The sails of the Resolute catch the wind, and the boat tips and there are squalls of laughter from the crew. ... The boat heads out into Nantucket Sound. The tide is gentle - the sand shifts - the sky is blue - the seagulls watch from above and the breeze is warm. And there will be happiness and love and we are together again. - Edward Moore Kennedy, 1968, in a letter to the children of his brother, Robert Kennedy.

* Comedy is the most important thing in the world except for justice. - Sigourney Weaver, 2009.

* You will gain more friends in two months by becoming interested in others than in two years of trying to get others interested in you. - Ayman Al-Abdullah, 2009.

* Difference between sex and love? Well, you're not always sure you're in love. But when you're having sex, there's really no mistaking it. - Ornette Colemen, 2009.

* I always through I hated stupid people. I know now that I'm just insecure, and it hurts my feelings when they don't laugh at my joke. Sorry, stupid people, for all those years. - Jed Moran, 2009.

* I'm not left wanting because my mother gave so much of herself. I got some of all of it. But at the end of the day, or in the middle of the day, or in the middle of the night, or at the very beginning of the day, whenever it might be, with everything I have from her, with everything she gave me, it doesn't matter - I still miss her. - James Spader, 2009.

* There's no secret to a successful marriage. I love my wife. More important than that, I really like her. - Sting, 2009.

* It's easy to fixate on solving problems. But some things aren't problems - they're facts. - John Gaines, 2009.

* If an American, because his skin is dark, cannot eat lunch in a restarurant open to the public, if he cannot send his children to the best public school available, if he cannot vote for the public officials who will represent him, if, in short, he cannot enjoy the full and free life which all of us want, then who among us would be content to have the color of his skin changed and stand in his place? Who among us would then be content with the counsels of patience and delay? - JFK, 1963.

 

Great issue and a great selection, GBNF. 'What I've learned' is a must read in every issue, and when they compile this year-ender, it sits on my coffee table for months.

Such great truths in many, many of the passages.

 

Loved Clint Eastwood quote from last years issue:

"We live in more of a pussy generation now, where everybody's become used to saying, "Well, how do we handle it psychologically?" In those days, you just punched the bully back and duked it out. Even if the guy was older and could push you around, at least you were respected for fighting back, and you'd be left alone from then on."

 

We need more Clint Eastwoods in this world.