Is it possible that I am not alone in believing that in the dispute between Galileo and the Church, the Church was right and the centre of man's universe is the earth?
Stephen VizinczeyLike all wage slaves, he had two crosses to bear: the people he worked for and the people he worked with
Stephen VizinczeyTo state a lie firmly, categorically and with great authority, undeterred by the fact that all concerned know it to be a lie, is one of the principal activities defined by the term practising law.
Stephen VizinczeyPerhaps in a book review it is not out of place to note that the safety of the state depends on cultivating the imagination.
Stephen VizinczeyGreat writers are not those who tell us we shouldn’t play with fire, but those who make our fingers burn.
Stephen VizinczeyThe only virtue a character needs to possess between hardcovers, even if he bears a real person's name, is vitality: if he comes to life in our imaginations, he passes the test.
Stephen VizinczeyDictatorship is a constant lecture instructing you that your feelings, your thoughts and desires are of no account, that you are a nobody and must live as you are told by other people who desire and think for you
Stephen VizinczeyPowerful men in particular suffer from the delusion that human beings have no memories. I would go so far as to say that the distinguishing trait of powerful men is the psychotic certainty that people forget acts of infamy as easily as their parents birth
Stephen VizinczeyStrange as it may seem, no amount of learning can cure stupidity, and formal education positively fortifies it.
Stephen VizinczeyAs a rule, the most dangerous ideas are not the ones that divide people but those on which they agree.
Stephen VizinczeyThe war against Vietnam is only the ghastliest manifestation of what I'd call imperial provincialism, which afflicts America's whole culture-aware only of its own history, insensible to everything which isn't part of the local atmosphere.
Stephen VizinczeyConsistency is a virtue for trains: what we want from a philosopher is insights, whether he comes by them consistently or not.
Stephen VizinczeyWhenever you hear the word "inevitable", watch out! An enemy of humanity has identified himself.
Stephen VizinczeyMost bad books get that way because their authors are engaged in trying to justify themselves. If a vain author is an alcoholic, then the most sympathetically portrayed character in his book will be an alcoholic. This sort of thing is very boring for outsiders.
Stephen VizinczeyYou tell me your favorite novelists and I'll tell you whom you vote for, or whether you vote at all.
Stephen Vizinczey