“The constant, obvious flattery, contrary to all evidence, of the people around the Tsar had brought him to the point that he no longer saw his contradictions, no longer conformed his actions and words to reality, logic, or even simple common sense, but was fully convinced that all his orders, however senseless, unjust, and inconsistent with each other, became sensible, just, and consistent with each other only because he gave them.”

Leo Tolstoy  

“We can easily forgive a child who is afraid of the dark; the real tragedy of life is when adults are afraid of the light.”

Plato

“Be strong enough to stand alone, be yourself enough to stand apart, but be wise enough to stand together when the time comes.”

Mark Amend

“To what shall I compare this generation?  They are children playing games in the marketplace, distracting one another.  ‘We played the flute but you did not dance, we sang a dirge but you did not mourn.’  John came neither eating nor drinking, and they said, ‘He is possessed by a demon.’ The Son of Man came eating and drinking and they said, ‘Look, he is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners.’  But wisdom is vindicated by her works.”

Matthew 11:16-19

Source: Jesse’s Café Américain: Stocks and Precious Metals Charts – Hardened Hearts