A gold star to anybody who can name this quote:

[JTG of the PRB]

And no, using Google doesn't count. :P

"No human being, when you understand his desires, is worthless. No one's life is nothing. Even the most evil of men and women, if you understand their hearts, had some generous act that redeems them, at least a little, from their sins."

[Curtland1015]

1. Larry The Cable Guy!

Bam! What do I win!?

[JTG of the PRB]

2. Bzzzt!

Oh, so close, but still wrong. Your prize is:

[Perky]

3. Oooh ooh Mr. Lotter Mr. Kotter (no peeking.. this is a winner)

Orson Scott Cart. and No I did not use google

[JTG of the PRB]

4. ...

Nicely played! I somehow thought that might be tougher than it was. Still, very nice!

[_dynamicdems]

5. Dunno, Chopra ? n/t

[Brother Buzz]

6. The janitor at The Christian Science Reading Room

[Joe the Liberal]

7. Orson Scott? n/t

[Joe the Liberal]

8. Ack! too late....

x(

[JTG of the PRB]

9. ...

And one for you too!

[Deja Q]

10. Yoda

[TommyO]

11. How can such a wonderful quote come from

a right-wing, gay hating piece of crap writer?

[SidneyCarton]

12. If people were all of one sort, they would be easier to catagorize.

People are complex, the unlearned may yet be wise, the otherwise lascivious may be also be uncharacteristically prudish, the bigoted may have moments of enlightenment. Stereotypes create the illusion of homogenity where they do not exist.

[liberaltrucker]

13. Mr Cart is identified

I admire the idealism, but name a redeeming act of:

Hitler, Stalin, Pol Pot, Idi Amin, Tojo, Milosevic,
Manson, ad infinitum.

I must grudgingly agree, however, that these tyrants
were not worthless. For better or worse, they contributed
to the totality of human history.

Our species has a lot to atone for.

:cry:

[JTG of the PRB]

14. I think it's a part of the message of the book.

In that fictional world, humanity had had 3000 years to evolve a system where a speaker is assigned for the dead to speak the truth of their lives - to dig into who the person was, not what they did. In our own society we can't comprehend such understanding of such terrible men because we will never know their true motives, their deepest desires, their darkest secrets, their most hidden shames. We're not mature enough as a species to be able to look at somebody terrible with that kind of insight because we're just not programmed for it. We read what happened, not what a person's heart felt or desired.

But you're right, they did contribute to our society, mostly for worse. Out of their great evil some great good has arisen as well.

[Inchworm]

15. Einstein?

Too.. goddy huh?

Hmm..

:hi:

PS: I read the thread after :)