Sarcasm
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Understanding Humility
Golda Meir, the only woman to become Prime Minister of Israel, was known for her leadership and her sharp wit. One of her famous sayings shows a deep truth about people: “Don’t be so humble, you are not that great.” It took me a few years to really understand this quote. At first, it seems Continue reading
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The Wit of Brilliant Minds
History loves a good story of verbal sparring between great minds. Take the oft-repeated anecdote between George Bernard Shaw and Winston Churchill. Shaw supposedly sent Churchill a note: “I am enclosing two tickets to the first night of my new play; bring a friend — if you have one.” And Churchill allegedly replied: “Cannot possibly Continue reading
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When Bertrand Russell Interrupted My Binge-Watch
I was watching Succession—just another late-night episode, halfway into a season that had already been drilling deep into the dysfunctions of the rich and power—when something unexpected happened. In the middle of all the corporate politics and subtle dark humor, a quiet philosophical bomb dropped. Not once, but twice. Ewan Roy, the grumpy, near-monastic elder Continue reading
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Do you Brunch or Blunch?
Yesterday, my colleague went for an early lunch at 12, though he usually waits until 1. He mentioned he skipped breakfast, so he had a “brunch.” Jokingly, I said, “You went for blunch, not brunch.” Little did I know that “blunch” is a legitimate English word and it perfectly described what I was trying to Continue reading
