"Perfection is achieved, not when there is nothing more to add,

[GoddessOfGuinness]

but when there is nothing left to take away." ~Antoine de Saint-Exupery

Discuss.

[Tom Kitten]

1. I can't help but think of your sig pic

Imagine if we all evolved heads like anteaters. Tooth decay would be unknown. Dentistry would be the stuff of science fiction. Hunger would vanish as long as there was a bountiful supply of insect food...Most men would finally be able to satisfy women sexually...

[GoddessOfGuinness]

3. I often ponder on what we have traded...

with all our gadgets and gizmos and our "civilized" societies. Anteaters have no worries about money and don't fret over their appearance. There's no pressure for them to accumulate stuff. Granted, they have a shorter lifespan; but if the quality of life is contented, does the duration mean that much?

I find myself envious of them.

[Maraya1969]

2. Could be the life and recovery of a drug addict.

Sorry I'm in a really bad mood right now.

[GoddessOfGuinness]

5. No apologies necessary.

I've known addicts who lost everything and hit rock bottom before they recognized how precious life is.

I wonder which is harder: to lose everything against one's will or to shed it all by choice.

[Parche]

4. Oh Yeah

(...) But the secrets of the universe don't mind. They reveal themselves to nobodies who care. (...)"

[GoddessOfGuinness]

6. Do you think he was talking about our accumulated possessions?

I'm wondering if the perfection he speaks of is found by eliminating the bullshit we don't see...the image we choose to present to the world.

[Oeditpus Rex]

7. Minimalism

:thumbsup:

[GoddessOfGuinness]

9. I seriously need to minimize.

:hi:

[Bertha Venation]

8. Think of plucking the petals off of a daisy.

Does this mean that the daisy is perfect when all the petals are gone? Nothing left to take away. I'd rather have an imperfect daisy.

[GoddessOfGuinness]

10. I would think a daisy was always perfect...

petals or no petals; because it doesn't collect things that are not a part of its natural state, or attempt to present itself as a rose.

[Bertha Venation]

14. Will you play your cello for me, please?

Because already the thinking has become too deep for me. :)

[GoddessOfGuinness]

16. If I played the cello, I'd be happy to!

Alas, I only have this violin... :rofl:

[Bertha Venation]

17. WHY OH WHY have i ALWAYS thought you're a CELLIST?!

big fat :blush:
:blush: :blush: :blush: :blush:
:blush: :blush: :blush: :blush:
:blush: :blush: :blush: :blush:
:blush: :blush: :blush: :blush:

[GoddessOfGuinness]

18. Cellos are really just pregnant violins...

It's easy to be mistaken. :hug:

[Oeditpus Rex]

25. Or...

A violin is a minimalist cello.



:D

[billyskank]

11. So they say in respect to software also.

[GoddessOfGuinness]

13. One of my favorite Star Trek quotes:

In The Search for Spock, Scotty (the engineer) sabotages a suave new starship, saying, "The more they overthink the plumbing, the easier it is to stop up the drain."

[crispini]

12. Meaning, perfection is the absence of everything.

And if you have something, it is imperfect.

[GoddessOfGuinness]

15. Everything?

Even ourselves?

[Rambis]

19. Agree 100% percent here is proof

Ok it is not a perfect pour but the taste is unparalleled!

[GoddessOfGuinness]

20. I'll drink to that!

:toast:

[SidneyCarton]

21. It reminds me of a book I just read by a historian named Isabel Hull

The book is titled Absolute Destruction and it dealt with the practices of the German army in the Second Reich and how they lead to endlessly increasing violence, usually in the interests of instilling absolute obedience and "peace" in the occupied territories. However, the application of violence only lead to more chaos, which necessitated more violence. Perfection then, could only occur with the absolute vernichtung (annihilation, or the ultimate "taking away" if you will) of any source of disorder, thus creating the absolute, perfect peace of the sepulchre.

[GoddessOfGuinness]

22. Violence is often the result of attempts to control...

What happens when people are simple let go, I wonder. Is it any better? Any worse?

[SidneyCarton]

23. Hard to say.

I would say that peace is the result of a happy medium, a little carrot a little stick, and a lot of time considering the judicious use of either. Reliance on the carrot alone is both prohibitive and impossible to do in a manner which will not cause envying and strife, the limitations of using the stick alone are written in blood across human history. Some times disorder can be deflated through indulgence, and sometimes it must be halted, the essence of good government and wise rulers is knowing the right time to do which.

[GoddessOfGuinness]

27. Well-thought.

Too bad wise rulers are so difficult to find.

[Bucky]

24. There shouldn't be any commas in that quote.

Because he's French, I'll give him a pass on the use of passive voice.

[GoddessOfGuinness]

28. You're correct!

I'm surprised I didn't notice that when I posted.

[Taverner]

26. Semantics

define "nothing left to take away"

I define greatness as the perfect storm of aptitude, prescience, ability and luck for all of those things to be exactly tuned to what is going on.

[GoddessOfGuinness]

30. "nothing left to take away"...

When one has shed one's self of all the intricate illusions that they choose to project to others...their image...leaving their true selves exposed.

[harmonicon]

29. I agree

not much to discuss.

[GoddessOfGuinness]

32. I found this quote in

a bottle of iced tea.

I typically ignore the package, but the quote struck me as profound. And it got a healthy dose of antioxidants too.

[harmonicon]

33. antioxidants are sweet

I think green tea and coffee keep me alive. They counteract the booze and cigarettes, right? Right?

[GoddessOfGuinness]

34. Well I have noticed

that green tea products that do not contain corn syrup tend to make me feel suddenly better.

[harmonicon]

39. tea is sweet for hangovers

It seems to work better than coffee, though I'd usually drink coffee to wake up. Lots of tea today. I think it worked.

[Danger Mouse]

31. I love love love his work.

[GoddessOfGuinness]

35. I'm going to have to read his work...

Any recommendations?

My French is not very advanced, so a good translation would be helpful. :hi:

[Danger Mouse]

36. The Little Prince!!! You can find french or english copies everywhere.

It is the most beautiful children's book ever written.

[GoddessOfGuinness]

37. I'm familiar with the story, but never read it.

Thanks for the recommendation! My son will probably enjoy it too. :D

[Danger Mouse]

38. It's one of those that kids and adults can enjoy equally.

I loved it as a child, and my love for it only grew as an adult. The french version is very elegant, though, and parts of it have an impact that is lost on the english.