"Censorship reflects a society's lack of confidence in itself. It is the hallmark of an authoritarian regime..." - Potter Stewart (Justice of the Supreme Court)

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"Once a government is committed to the principle of silencing the voice of opposition, it has only one way to go, and that is down the path of increasingly repressive measures, until it becomes a source of terror to all its citizens and creates a country where everyone lives in fear." - Harry S. Truman

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"Censorship is telling a man he can't have a steak just because a baby can't chew it." - Mark Twain

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"What is freedom of expression? Without the freedom to offend, it ceases to exist." - Salman Rushdie

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"A censor is a man who knows more than he thinks you ought to." - Dr. Laurence Peter

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"Censorship of anything, at any time, in any place, on whatever pretense, has always been and always be the last resort of the boob and the bigot." - Eugene O'Neill

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"The burning of an author's books, imprisonment for an opinion's sake, has always been the tribute that an ignorant age pays to the genius of its time." - Joseph Lewis

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"We are not afraid to entrust the American people with unpleasant facts, foreign ideas, alien philosophies, and competitive values. For a nation that is afraid to let its people judge the truth and falsehood in an open market is a nation that is afraid of its people." - John F. Kennedy

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"Did you ever hear anyone say 'That work had better be banned because I might read it and it might be very damaging to me'?" - Joseph Henry Jackson

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"Where they have burned books, they will end in burning human beings." - Heinrich Heine

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"I cannot and will not cut my conscience to fit this year's fashions." - Lillian Hellman

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"This is slavery, not to speak one's thought." - Euripides

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"If the human body's obscene, complain to the manufacturer, not me." - Larry Flynt

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"Everyone is in favor of free speech. Hardly a day passes without its being extolled, but some people's idea of it is that they are free to say what they like, but if anyone else says anything back, that is an outrage." - Winston Churchill

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"The individual has always had to struggle to keep from being overwhelmed by the tribe. If you try it, you will be lonely often, and sometimes frightened. But no price is too high to pay for the privilege of owning yourself." - Friedrich Nietzsche

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Holy war is a bloody battle to determine who has the best imaginary friend. - Unknown.

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"The humane task of the archaeologist is the recovery of human voices that were nearly lost from the record of our species’ search for meaning." -David Mitten

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A poem written in a comment in my blog (by Jess):

O Chelsea, maid of beauty, and of grace
With siren hair and lovely angel's face
Did rue the fact of her poor Triscuit's plight
Of how it did get dryer, every night.

The lonely nights did burden her poor soul
She had her schoolwork, but still, there was a hole
Within her psyche - as well as in her pants -
Until one New Years Eve she met by chance

A handsome poker player, name of Sam
Whose nimble tongue she felt upon her gam
And suddenly, her Triscuit, it was wet!!
And you can guess what happened next, I bet

Yes, Sam and Chelsea soon became as one
They snuggle, talk, and laugh, and have such fun
As will be stuff of legends, when one day
Their grandkids will look up at them and say:

Gramma, Granddad, just how was it you met?
And Sam will blush, but Chelsea won't, I bet
And all will settle down to hear the tale
and ... something something ... blah blah blah blah whale .....

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A poem that mentions me (by Chelsea):

Oh my Triscuit I do decree,
My exhalting, lofty love of thee.
For nothing else drier I know,
Perhaps the poetry of a Hero,
Will somehow prove to be,
More lacking of moisture than thee.

My dearest, driest of regions,
You were once of such succulence,
Although at this moments you,
Are much drier than a cashew.
No desert in all the world can compare,
To the tumble weed near my derriere.

And whom has access to my coo-chee-coo,
But none other than the tallest Hebrew.
For he knows the secrets to make,
My nethers turn to a flooded lake.
And for his efforts I must say,
A very loud, fervent "Hooray!"

And so my driest Triscuit,
Patience; do not get into a rut,
For in just a few hours you'll see,
The silloutte in the doorway of he,
Who shall be the sweetest lamb,
For it will be none other than Sam.

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Talent hits a target no one else can hit. Genius hits a target no one else can see. (Arthur Schopenhauer)

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Wikipedia on friendship:

"Friendship is a term used to denote co-operative and supportive behaviour between two or more people. The term connotes a relationship which involves mutual knowledge, esteem, and affection. Friends will welcome each other's company and exhibit loyalty towards each other, often to the point of altruism. Their tastes will usually be similar and may converge, and they will share enjoyable activities. They will also engage in mutually helping behavior, such as exchange of advice and the sharing of hardship. A friend is someone who may often demonstrate reciprocating and reflective behaviors."

To me, that is a very good explanation of friendship.

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A Wise Saying of Chaya, My Friend's Sister:

"We live in a world where strength and bravery are often measured by the amount of force and destruction one can wield on another. I must remember that it takes substantially more bravery to be gentle and tender day after day, to maintain kindness even in the most trying of situations, to hold onto the ultimate idealism...."