The Personal Website of Mark W. Dawson
Containing His Articles, Observations, Thoughts, Meanderings,
and some would say Wisdom (and some would say not).
My Own Quotes
In my many writings I have created a few quotes that encapsulates my thoughts on a topic. I have, therefore, collected these quotes on this web-page which I will update as I create new quotes:
“A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds, while
an entirely open mind can be the hobgoblin of irrationality.”
- Mark Dawson
“A judicial ruling of Stare Decisis to allow for the
continuation of an unjust law or unconstitutional decision is just
another means of imposing absolutism.”
- Mark Dawson
"A person with a vision can be a dreamer or a hallucinator, and
the dreams or hallucination can become nightmares without a
grounding in reality or of human nature."
- Mark Dawson
"A major difference between a Democrat and Republican candidate
is that the Democrat candidate will say one thing on the election
trail while doing another thing while in office, while the
Republican candidate will say one thing on the election trail
while doing nothing about what they said while in office. "
- Mark Dawson
"A mind is a terrible thing to waste, and a mind that is not
fully utilized is a wasted mind."
- Mark Dawson
"A picture is worth a thousand words, but it is also subject to
a multitude of interpretations and misinterpretations."
- Mark Dawson
“A politician will often tell you what you want to hear, while a
statesman will tell you what you need to hear”
- Mark Dawson
"Always be wary of an assertion in which the reasoning is not
explained, and then be prudent of the reasoning as it may be
flawed."
- Mark Dawson
"An understanding of the economics of a situation leads to a
better and fuller understanding of the situation, or, as it has
been said, 'follow the money' in any situation."
- Mark Dawson
"Assertions are not facts, as they often contain Presumptions
and Assumptions; Improper Facts; Faulty Reasoning; Logical
Fallacies; Cognitive Biases; and the problems of Unintended
Consequences that may be inherent in any assertion."
- Mark Dawson
"At one time people believed that the world was flat, and the
earth was the center of the universe. Their belief did not make
the earth flat nor at the center of the universe."
- Mark Dawson
"Be careful in what you say to people, as most people are not
interested in hearing the facts or truth, they are only interested
in hearing their own opinions reinforced."
- Mark Dawson
"Be wary of historians who comment on current events. While they
may be excellent historians, they all suffer from the issues of
rational thought; Proper and Improper Facts, errors in Formal and
Informal Logic, Logical Fallacies, and Cognitive Biases in
reaching their conclusions.
" - Mark Dawson
"Change can be good, bad, or indifferent. New governments, new
ideas, new laws, and new regulations may help, but they may make
things worse, and often they are neutral."
- Mark Dawson
"Collectivist, Socialists, and Communists have to ignore,
forget, or rewrite history, for if they did not, then all people
would be aware of the human misery and suffering that these
ideologies engender."
- Mark Dawson
"Conservatives are often do gooders, while Liberals/Progressives
are often feel gooders."
- Mark Dawsom
"Conservatives care enough that they wish to solve a problem,
while Liberals/Progressives only care enough to alleviate a
problem."
- Mark Dawson
"Control over others is illusionary, as the only control that
you have is over yourself."
- Mark Dawson
"Despotism is just an intermediate step into tyranny."
- Mark Dawson
"Do not accept responsibility without the authority to do what
you believe is correct. For to do so will ultimately result in
failure, a failure for which you shall receive the blame."
- Mark Dawson
"Do not let fear control your actions, but let fear only guide
your actions"
- Mark Dawson
"Doing something is a lot more difficult that saying something,
and doing the right thing is the most difficult thing to do."
- Mark Dawson
"Educated Guesses always have the inherent questions as to the
quality of the education and the accuracy of the guess."
- Mark Dawson
"Empirical data, properly analyzed, will lead you to the truth
of any situation."
- Mark Dawson
"Equality is not a guarantee of equal outcomes but a guarantee
of equal opportunity and equal treatment."
- Mark Dawson
"Explore beyond your boundaries. For the journey will expand
your knowledge, and then perhaps lead you to wisdom."
- Mark Dawson
- Mark Dawson
"Fortune favors the brave, but it also punishes the foolish."
- Mark Dawson
"I have little difficultly remembering, but much difficulties
memorizing."
- Mark Dawson
“I have no interest in being in the majority. I am only
interested in speaking the truth. The truth that is determined by
the evidence and the facts. A truth driven by Rationality
and Reasoning.”
- Mark Dawson
"I refuse to talk before I have thought."
- Mark Dawson
"I tried to get them to think, but all they wanted to do was
argue."
- Mark Dawson
"I would rather be factually correct than politically correct."
- Mark Dawson
"I would rather live with the rashness of speech that the
foolhardiness of action."
- Mark Dawson
- Mark Dawson
“If an argument is not intellectually rational and reasonable
then it cannot reach a sound conclusion, except by accident.”
- Mark Dawson
"If you do not investigate allegations that have veracity then
it is impossible to find evidence of wrongdoing."
- Mark Dawson
“In regard to human interactions, time passes, things change,
and what was true yesterday may not be true today, and what will
be true tomorrow is unknown. Therefore, remember yesterday, live
for today, and think about tomorrow.”
- Mark Dawson
"In this world, as regards to reproduction, the male is the
inseminator, and the female is the incubator. It is neither fair
nor unfair that you are male or female. Rather it is by random
chance you ended up male or female."
- Mark Dawson
"Incorrect facts, incomplete facts, improper facts, ignored
facts, irrelevant facts, misinterpreted facts, misstated facts,
misunderstood facts, unknown facts, and sloganeering replacement
for facts are widespread and believed in today's world."
- Mark Dawson
"It always helps to know where you are going so that you may
plan on how to get there."
- Mark Dawson
"It can be said that the greater the complexity and
interrelationships of a model, and the further it projects into
the future, the more likely it is to be wrong."
- Mark Dawson
"It is easy to be wrong but it is far more difficult to be
right. For to be right, you need to research, learn, and
intellectually reason about which you speak, but to be wrong only
requires that you speak about which you feel."
- Mark Dawson
"It is much more important to do good than to feel good."
- Mark Dawson
“It is not possible to do the wrong thing rightly, as no wrong
thing can be done rightly.”
- Mark Dawson
"Judges are not meant to legislate the law, but only to
adjudicate the law."
-Mark Dawson
“Just because something is difficult or hard to achieve doesn’t
mean that it cannot, or should not, be attempted.”
- Mark Dawson
"Just because you 'believe' something to be true does not
mean that you 'know' something is true, and just because someone
says it is true or false doesn't make it true or false."
- Mark Dawson
"Just because you have committed an unlawful, immoral,
unethical, or unwise act, and upon reflection determine that it is
an unlawful, immoral, unethical, or unwise act, does not preclude
you from speaking out against others committing that unlawful,
immoral, unethical, or unwise act. It does not make you a
hypocrite, it makes you repentant."
- Mark Dawson
"Know whereof you speak or write before you speak or write."
- Mark Dawson
"Knowing why is often more important than knowing how."
- Mark Dawson
"Liberty is to choose the what and how in exercising your
Natural Rights, while Freedom is the absence of repression before,
during, or after exercising your Natural Rights."
- Mark Dawson
"Life is like a double entry ledger. For everything that
happens, there are both positives and negatives, especially for
anything that you say or do."
- Mark Dawson
"Life is neither fair nor unfair. Life is what it is. To deal
with life, other than for what it is, is foolhardy and wasteful."
- Mark Dawson
“Making a mistake is human, and all people make mistakes. If we
cannot admit to our mistakes, then we deny our own humanity. If we
cannot accept that another has made a mistake, then we deny their
humanity. If we cannot forgive another for their mistakes, then we
cannot ask others for forgiveness for our mistakes.”
- Mark Dawson
"Many people believe if they were right once they are right most
of the time. That belief is as foolish as if you believed if
someone were wrong once they must be wrong most of the time."
- Mark Dawson
"Many people are aware that 'There is No Free Lunch', but most
people are unaware of the indirect costs of getting a free lunch.
Especially when they are the recipient of Governmental
'Entitlements'."
- Mark Dawson
"Most of the nonsense spewed forth in America comes from
ignorance or overeducation. Ignorance due to a lack of education,
and overeducation that complicates rational thinking."
- Mark Dawson
"Most people don't really think about what they think about.
They bring their own viewpoints and prejudices to their thinking
to reinforce what they already believe. They rarely consider
alternate viewpoints, and almost never consider both the negative
and positive consequences of what they think or believe. And it is
the very rare person who looks for the unintended consequences of
what they think or believe."
- Mark Dawson
“Nobody really knows politics, economics, and sociology, as
those topics are often tied to human nature and the unpredictable
reactions of people to circumstances.”
- Mark Dawson
"Nothing is as good as it appears, or as bad as it seems. But
on rare occasions, it can be better, or worse."
- Mark Dawson
"Obtaining advice from a person who is neither knowledgeable nor
experienced in that particular subject is obtaining worthless
advice (i.e. don't ask an opinion of someone who does not know
what they're talking about)."
- Mark Dawson
"One of the hubris of many intelligent people is that they
believe that if they are smart about one thing they are smart
about many things, including politics, economics, and sociology.
What they do not realize is that nobody is really smart about
politics, economics, and sociology, especially politicians,
economists, and sociologists, as there is nothing definitive about
politics, economics, and sociology."
- Mark Dawson
"Perfection is reserved for God; humans should strive to do
their best."
- Mark Dawson
"Progress can be good, bad, or indifferent. New science and
technology, new approaches to problem solving, new ways of doing
something may help, but they may make things worse, and often they
are neutral."
- Mark Dawson
"Progressives/Leftists seemed to want the issue more than they
want a solution."
- Mark Dawson
"Reasonable people can agree or disagree on an issue, as long
as both sides utilize reasoned arguments. Unreasonable people
often wish to suppress the arguments of those with whom they
disagree."
- Mark Dawson
"Reasons are often not Reasoning, as reasons are generally
emotionally based while reasoning is intellectually based"
- Mark Dawson
"Respect is something that must be earned through words and
deeds, while disrespect is something that is attained by words
or deeds"
- Mark Dawson
“Semi-Fascism is as semi-fascism does.”
- Mark Dawson
"Shit happens. Sometimes you shit on yourself, sometimes others
shit on you,
and other times shit just happens.
It doesn't matter how shit happens, it only matters how you deal
with the shit.
You can either clean yourself up and smell the roses,
Or you can wallow in the shit and everything stinks.
And remember; It's just as important to learn from the shit,
as it is to clean yourself up from the shit!"
- Mark Dawson
“Socialism is as Socialism does.”
- Mark Dawson
"The biggest difference between socialism and democratic
socialism is that one is imposed by the tyranny of the minority,
while the other is imposed by the tyranny of the majority."
- Mark Dawson
"The Burden of Proof always rests with the person who makes an
assertion. To not do so is to ask the other person to prove a
negative - which is impossible."
- Mark Dawson
"The Burden of Proof must be based upon reasoning rather than
emotions, for emotions will almost always lead to a false
conclusion."
- Mark Dawson
"The Declaration of Independence expresses our American ideals,
while the Constitution of the United States is the ideas of how to
implement our ideals."
- Mark Dawson
"The Democrat Party does not seek accommodation with its
opponents, but acquiescence to its political agendas and policies"
- Mark Dawson
“The Greater Good is the great fiction that all despots engage
in to justify their actions.”
- Mark Dawson
"The hubris of a government that believes they can direct or
control a free people is astounding. Only a subjugated or
subservient people can be directed or controlled."
- Mark Dawson
"The hubris of governmental leaders who believe that they can
correct or control any situation is astounding."
- Mark Dawson
"The Law is not all that is needed for Human Rights to be
established. For human rights require the Morality and Ethics of
all for the protection of human rights."
- Mark Dawson
"The law is meant to control a person's actions, not their
thoughts or speech. The thoughts and speech of each person is
controlled by their own morality, ethics, and religious beliefs."
- Mark Dawson
"The more that the government intervenes to correct a social
problem, the worse the social problem becomes."
- Mark Dawson
"The problem with most lawyers is that they think of life in
legal terms, when life is more about morality and ethics then
legalities."
- Mark Dawson
"The way you react to adversity is often revealing as to the
person that you really are."
- Mark Dawson
"The will of the majority does not override the Natural Rights
of the individual."
- Mark Dawson
"The words of a person are important to adjudge their virtue.
However, the deeds of a person are important to judge their
character. And deeds have much more of an impact than words. Or,
as Benjamin Franklin has said 'Well done is better than well
said.'".
- Mark Dawson
"The world is full of quotes, but not so many quotes of
wisdom."
- Mark Dawson
"There are three sides to every story: one side, the other
side, and the truth. And it is always best to determine the truth
before voicing an opinion."
- Mark Dawson
"There can be no truths without proper facts and proper
reasoning."
- Mark Dawson
“There is a big difference between be a smart person and being a
wise person. The difference is often that a smart person knows
what to say, while a wise person knows when to say it.”
- Mark Dawson
"There is always a way. And when you have the will you will
find the way."
- Mark Dawson
"There is no place for accomplishment and success within
equity, as equity focuses on results and not equality of
opportunity."
- Mark Dawson
"There is no such thing as 'my truth' or 'their truth', as there
is only 'the truth'."
- Mark Dawson
"Those that do not know history should not speak of history."
- Mark Dawson
"Those that do not know science should not speak of science."
- Mark Dawson
"Throwaway lines in discussions, dialogs, and debates often
conceal as well as reveal information, and they are just as likely
to be wrong as well as be right."
- Mark Dawson
"Tis better to laugh than to cry, as laughter will often
cleanse the soul while crying often befouls the soul."
- Mark Dawson
"To deny human nature, or to not acknowledge human nature, is
foolish. To not do so will result in much effort, time, and monies
being spent on a task that is doomed to failure."
- Mark Dawson
"To paraphrase Benjamin Franklin, 'If passions drives you, let
reason hold the steering wheel'".
- Mark Dawson
"To understand well you must read; and read well, often, and on
subjects on which you are unfamiliar."
- Mark Dawson
"True Courage is doing the right thing, at the right time,
regardless of personal consequences."
- Mark Dawson
True Wisdom Most Often Comes from Bitter Experience...
Considered!"
- Mark Dawson
"Try to think philosophically, but always act pragmatically."
- Mark Dawson
"What is best for all Americans is to allow the individual
American to decide what is best for them, as long as they do not
harm others nor infringe on the Liberty and Freedoms of others."
- Mark Dawson
“What is best for you should be decided by you. If you let
others decide what is best for you, it will often not be best for
you, but it will often be best for them.”
- Mark Dawson
"When a civilization loses its collective mind it usually
collapses or is conquered."
- Mark Dawson
"When faced with a dilemma or predicament,
choose to do the right thing for all,
not the right thing for yourself.
For doing the right thing for all may not work out well in the
short term,
it will work out well in the long term."
- Mark Dawson
"When you free yourself from a belief in God you often stray
into immorality."
- Mark Dawson
"Whether it is lack of foresight, willful ignorance, or
enriching or protecting our own interests, we are not making the
tough political decisions required to solve the issues and
problems in America."
- Mark Dawson
"Without knowing the details, it is impossible to know the
devils."
- Mark Dawson
"You cannot avoid the serious problems of today and not expect
them to come back in the future. And when serious problems come
back, they often come back furiously. Therefore, do not put off
until tomorrow what you should do today."
- Mark Dawson
"You cannot implement a wrong social policy the right way. For
if it is a wrong social policy it will always fail. While the
goals of a social policy may be noble the details of its
implementation will determine if the goal can be reached (i.e. the
devil is in the details)."
- Mark Dawson
"You may be the smartest person in the room, but you're not the
only person in the room, and most times, you are not the smartest
person in the room."
- Mark Dawson
"You'll never get confused if you simply tell the truth. Then
you don't have to remember what you have said, and you never
forget what you have said. And you won't get in trouble for
telling a lie if you have told the truth."
- Mark Dawson