Quotation of the Day

Is from Bertrand Russell in his 1932 essay 'In Praise of Idleness':

"The conception of duty, speaking historically, has been a means used by the holders of power to induce others to live for the interests of their masters rather than for their own."

Hat tip to Chris Dillow for today's quote.

Great Sentences

"In most cases, when a boring, bureaucratic job turns interesting, there’s trouble."

That's from this Vanity Fair article by Rich Cohen, describing the maple syrup industry in Quebec and the theft of some 540,000 gallons (13.4 million dollars worth) of syrup from the FPAQ (Federation of Quebec Maple Syrup Producers) reserve in 2012.

Maple syrup trades at roughly $1300 a barrel, more than 20 times the current price of crude oil.

Hat tip to Tyler Cowen for the link.

Quotation of the Day

Is from Chapter 9 of Robert M. Pirsig's novel 'Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance':

"The real purpose of scientific method is to make sure Nature hasn't misled you into thinking you know something you don't actually know."