said that."
"No matter. Truth needs no ascription."
"That statement is obviously the product of extensive reading and
protracted thought. With a little more effort, no doubt you'll be
able to announce that the sun shines on a clear day."
"I suppose you have never read von Hoch: 'I had always known what he
said, but I did not live it until I heard it spoken.'"
"I reject that statement together with its sordid implications. It
smacks of the grimy hands of utilitarianism. In a minute you'll be
insisting that philosophy have practical consequences for berry
pickers and children. Perhaps you would be happier as some sort of
mechanic where you could get your hands on things, rather than as one
who pretends to instruct youth."
"You and Sir Peter Poole, who was proud that he couldn't tell a hoe
from a rake."
"Well, what of that? My profession is philosophy, and I look for truth,
not for mud."
"Even the sun cannot be seen through a silver coin."
"I have never accepted money for anything I've published," said the
beard hotly.
"'Beware of those who look to the right and walk to the left,' says
della Corta."
"How dare you accuse me--" At this point they were interrupted. A
young man, deeply preoccupied with thinking about the purpose of
mankind, had just bounced his head against a tree and--ah, but this
is where you came in.
A Tale Revealing the Wisdom
Of Being a Cork on the River of Life
Once upon a time, not very far from a town pretty much like yours,
an old, nearsighted man was wandering down a country road quite
pleasantly, musing to himself thusly: "I wonder what I should seek
today? Some new treasure of the Orient, or a lost clue to the
secrets of nature? That would be nice, as I spit" (and here, had
there been but a small brass spittoon by the wayside, a clear ring
would have sounded across the nearby pastures), "but," continued the
old man, "this is pretty barren ground hereabouts, so I'd best not
set my hopes too high. I'll start by looking for a silver dollar."
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