THESE TWO QUOTES. Finding them first late 2025; and reading over and oversome of my own work consistently tilled for months prior, but posting hereat that same end of 2025; I find myself un-surprised by some similarity.And so I have decided to note that for the reader here. JMD!
“…Presumptuous and ignorant men, who arrogate to yourselves the whole earth,were God to summon at once all past and present generations, what proportionwould those Christian and Mussulman sects, calling themselves universal, bearin the vast assemblage ? What would be the judgment of (H)is fair andimpartial justice respecting the actual mass of mankind ? It is in estimating thegeneral system of (H)is government that you wander among multiplied absurdities?and it is there, that in reality, truth presents itself in all its evidence. It is therethat we trace the simple but powerful laws of nature and reason; the laws ofthe common mover, the general cause; of a God impartial and just, who, thatmight send (H)is rain upon a country, asks not who is its prophet; who causes(H)is sun equally to shine on all tribes of men, whether distinguished by fairor sable complexion, on the Jews as on the Mussulman, on Christian as on theheathen; who multiplies the inhabitants of every country with whom order andindustry reign; who gives prosperity to every empire where justice is observed,where the powerful is restrained, and the weak live in safety, and where allenjoy the rights which they derive from nature and an equitable compact…”
Constantin Francois Volney - THE RUINS 1811; Trans: from the French by James Marshall
“…as soon as I came up against this wall of wind, as we emerged from the MalaccaStrait, intelligence ceased to be of any use: and with intelligence there went allthe feelings which normally inspire the human mind. The mind had then jettisonedeverything that might prove harmful to it; since a thing that is of no use can only beharmful. Only the animal instinct which remains hidden deep inside each one ofus had risen to the surface , there to exaggerate its dimensions, take completepossession of the boat-man unit, and impose on it the only order that then madesense: to hang on, whatever happens – hang on, without attempting to understand,keep the head as close to the wind as possible, giving a wide berth to land and rocks,and, above all, live in the present, shutting the mind to everything else…”
Bernard Moitessier – SAILING TO THE REEFS; Trans: from the French by Rene Hague
“…Presumptuous and ignorant men, who arrogate to yourselves the whole earth,were God to summon at once all past and present generations, what proportionwould those Christian and Mussulman sects, calling themselves universal, bearin the vast assemblage ? What would be the judgment of (H)is fair andimpartial justice respecting the actual mass of mankind ? It is in estimating thegeneral system of (H)is government that you wander among multiplied absurdities?and it is there, that in reality, truth presents itself in all its evidence. It is therethat we trace the simple but powerful laws of nature and reason; the laws ofthe common mover, the general cause; of a God impartial and just, who, thatmight send (H)is rain upon a country, asks not who is its prophet; who causes(H)is sun equally to shine on all tribes of men, whether distinguished by fairor sable complexion, on the Jews as on the Mussulman, on Christian as on theheathen; who multiplies the inhabitants of every country with whom order andindustry reign; who gives prosperity to every empire where justice is observed,where the powerful is restrained, and the weak live in safety, and where allenjoy the rights which they derive from nature and an equitable compact…”
Constantin Francois Volney - THE RUINS 1811; Trans: from the French by James Marshall
“…as soon as I came up against this wall of wind, as we emerged from the MalaccaStrait, intelligence ceased to be of any use: and with intelligence there went allthe feelings which normally inspire the human mind. The mind had then jettisonedeverything that might prove harmful to it; since a thing that is of no use can only beharmful. Only the animal instinct which remains hidden deep inside each one ofus had risen to the surface , there to exaggerate its dimensions, take completepossession of the boat-man unit, and impose on it the only order that then madesense: to hang on, whatever happens – hang on, without attempting to understand,keep the head as close to the wind as possible, giving a wide berth to land and rocks,and, above all, live in the present, shutting the mind to everything else…”
Bernard Moitessier – SAILING TO THE REEFS; Trans: from the French by Rene Hague