Quotations by James Alan Gourley

“The Devil’s greatest triumph is mankinds’ perception of God” (RELIGION/HUMANITY/WAR)

“Humanity is the only species that ever afforded itself the true luxury of gullibility” (HUMANITY)

“The person that ain’t you doesn’t exist” (INDIVIDUALITY)

“Beware the thief who would steal your dreams but welcome all those who would donate to your daydreams” (WISDOM)

“Only dumb gods call the intelligent to lead” (MISC)

“I always had a problem with sunshine…I could never quite look it in the eye” (SELF/DEPRESSION)

“I may have taken drugs but I never swallowed bullshit” (SELF)

“The most terrifying monsters are the ones that lurk under the floorboards of one’s conscience” (HUMAN NATURE)

“A half ounce of wisdom is worth ten hundred weight of gold” (MISC)

“The greatest reward is gained in the acceptance of losses” (WISDOM)

“The more I look at my hands the less I point the finger” (WISDOM)

“Only the dumb would speak that the genius is mad” (US AND THEM)

“I may not have been a “holy man” but neither was I a “fakir” ;) (SELF/WORDPLAY)

“The unexceptional usually end up at sixes and sevens” (MISC)

“Careless planters sow grimmest reapers” (MISC)

“Only those of poor design deem to follow fashion” (INDIVIDUALITY)

“Sinsimella turns the most mundane trip to the corner shop into a fascinating journey of high adventure” (GRASS)

“The most cynical of professions is that of the lifelong barmaid” (HUMAN NATURE)

“Beware the pursuit of mammon may build and furnish the most luxurious palace in which to spend eternal damnation” (MONEY)

“You take the low road to riches and ruin and I’ll take the high road to austerity and happiness” (MONEY)

“Humanity is the only species that ever destroyed its own evolution” (HUMANITY)

“The fool meets humility at the second of his death…The wise man invites it to walk with him through life” (WISDOM)

“More people burn the higher the stakes” (HUMAN NATURE/WAR/GREED)

“When churches close…minds are released” (RELIGION)

“The one with no hidden agendas will be noted in many false dossiers” (HUMAN NATURE)

“Those incapable of self re-invention will end up in a zoo awaiting blissful extinction” (HUMAN NATURE)

“The ultimate folly of humanity was to be arrogant enough to think they could control natural selection” (HUMANITY)

“My relationship with my Creator is strictly “Platonic” “(RELIGION/WORDPLAY)

“ “Thou shall not kill”…It’s hardly rocket science” (RELIGION)

Those that sleep in false dreams must awake to real nightmares” (WISDOM)

“If one conducts oneself well then they may be invited to play in the orchestra”(WISDOM)

“Americans have indeed been abducted by aliens…They’re called Neo-Conservatives” (POLITICS)

“Apathy is a dress-rehearsal for death” (HUMAN NATURE)

“Those who can’t give credit usually end up blacklisted” (HUMAN NATURE)

“Scarification works equally well on humans as on lawns” (FEAR)

“I tried to address God…but I couldn’t remember if, when and where I had lived” (RELIGION)

“The concept of life after death is the depressive’s greatest fear” (DEPRESSION)

“I took a six and a half year masters diploma in chronic clinical depression for the chance to apply for a junior apprenticeship in the primary school of wisdom” (DEPRESSION)

“For who is to tell between the scream of the banshee, the call of the siren, or the voice of an angel?” (DAMIAN)

“Birdsong matters more the less frequent and louder it becomes” (EXTINCTION)

“Negativity is positive to the uncharged mind” (PSYCHOLOGY)

“Those who never remember the dead will never truly know what it is to live” (WAR)

“The richest gifts are often left by those who died penniless alcoholics” (DEPRESSION/CREATIVITY)

“If we ploughed together maybe we could combine harvesters and re-seed a world free from the scythe” (PEACE/HUMANITY)

“You’ll never hear the music till you turn down the noise” (MISC)

“The loneliest of travellers is the one who walks ahead of his time” (SELF)

“Only the jester has the wit to fool the king” (MISC)

“Depth of character is found the lower one sinks” (DEPRESSION)

“…”Planetary evolution has been delayed because of an unanticipated fault…As soon as humanity destroys itself normal service will resume”…” (THE WORLD/EVOLUTION)

“Some that loved me only did because they learned through my mistakes” (SELF)

“Most people are caught in a trap of such ingenious cunning that death will be their only escape” (MISC)

“If one follows the crowd one tends to develop the characteristics of a lemming” (INDIVIDUALITY)

“We must learn how to boo at overtures” (ADVERTISING)

“If you ain’t prepared to drop the gun, best prepare to bite the bullet” (WAR)

“The only mans eyes I ever have to meet are the ones in the mirror” (SELF)

“The one responsible for ringing the bell is the one who must hold up their hands if they drop a clanger” (MISC)

“If you can’t sort the wheat from the chaff does it mean your poorly bred?” (HUMOUR)

“If you want to stand out from the crowd first learn to stand in the rain” (WISDOM)

“While you bought your defamation I just paid my last respects” (CAPITALISM)

“Your quality of picture improves the longer the level of exposure” (SONIA/LIFE)

“Those who strive to keep up with the Joneses really ought to have listened to the Smiths” (MISC/WORDPLAY)

“Diamonds are allegedly forever but worms are definitely eternal” (DEATH/GREED)

“When they draw up the lines…Then we know we must cross them” (US AND THEM)

“To scale the heights of justice we must be prepared to dredge for perfect balance” (HUMANITY)

“I always dress in black because I was born colour-blind” (SELF/DEPRESSION)

“The busier the bee? The more lethal the sting…” (MISC)

“Gold will show as much interest in you in death as lead” (MONEY/GREED)

“If you seek new solutions prepare to tackle old problems” (MISC)

“The gold age will re-invent the stone age” (CAPITALISM)

“One of humanities greatest diseases are its medicines of immunization” (HUMANITY)

“Everyone spices up their own personality with the scent of someone else’s pain” (HUMAN NATURE)

“If people accuse you of being “too deep” you’re probably threatening their very foundations” (PSYCHOLOGY)

“A career in the pursuit of wisdom is poorly paid but well rewarded” (MISC)

“I’d rather die a martyr than a pilgrim” (MISC)

“Charisma is the finest and most priceless perfume” (PSYCHOLOGY)

“The only thing worth killing?...Old habits that die hard” (MISC)

“Do good rather than do well” (WISDOM)

“The only art form worthy of derision is the “art” of being a good liar” (MISC)

“Integrity suffers deeply every time the buck is passed” (CAPITALISM)

“The finest principle I ever held was my guitar” (SELF)

“Wisdom is always the sickest, weakest and most vulnerable child” (MISC)

“It is my blessing, and my curse, that my prime directive is to gather knowledge” (SELF/DEPRESSION)

“The most well travelled path has the most pot-holes” (INDIVIDUALITY)

“To discover self-belief one must first ambush arrogance” (WISDOM)

“One is either a character or a statistic” (INDIVIDUALITY)

“Those that would deny you the existence of dragons consistently re-invent dinosaurs” (US AND THEM)

“My only crime?...Wrong place…Wrong time” (SELF/DEPRESSION)

“No perfume can ever mask the stench of conscience” (HUMAN NATURE)

“Never be an actor…Be a player” (HUMAN NATURE)

“Greed and spite are the bastard children of wit and wisdom” (MISC)

“Many things are buried as scrap and later dug up as treasures” (WISDOM)

“Old McDonald bought a farm and sold well fattened pigs” (GREED/CAPITALISM)

“Many were called -
Few were chosen -
The rest squabbled over line 2” (MISC/HUMOUR)

“Anyone who needs someone else to write their speeches ain’t worth listening too” (POLITICS)

“Money brings prosperity when respected but devastation when worshipped” (GREED)

“Meltdown is the inevitable destiny of the plastic people” (US AND THEM)

“Beware settling down may leave you thick with dust” (MARRIAGE/RELATIONSHIPS)

“Is war worthy of “cannonisation” purely for sheer volume of victims?” (WAR/RELIGION)

“I only write because I’m terrified of death” (SELF/DEPRESSION)

“Life is shit but fossilized turds are history” (HUMOUR)

“Only true poets would never insure the underwriters” (WISDOM/WORDPLAY)

“Thought is like a mine…The deeper one drills the more dangerous yet rewarding it gets” (PSYCHOLOGY)

“I learned to walk away from those who preferred to crawl” (SELF)

“The fool dismisses his fears…The wise man addresses them” (WISDOM)

“Do people who cross themselves ever come across themselves?” (RELIGION/HUMOUR)

“Things that come thick and fast are usually bullets” (WISDOM)

“How Satan chuckled when humanity invented gunpowder” (WAR/RELIGION)

“They perfected social mannerisms to ease the polite into death” (HUMAN NATURE)

“Those refused entry to Heaven are the ones who assumed they had been granted the divine right to entry” (RELIGION)

“Idle gossip is one of the most effective assassins” (MISC)

“The fool enters politics…The wise man infiltrates” (POLITICS/WISDOM)

“Beware the twist in your knickers may strangle your attraction” (WOMEN)

“Churches and mosques have the same atmosphere as the dentists waiting room” (FEAR)

“Dysfunctional governments beget dysfunctional families” (POLITICS)

“I only cry for those immune to tears” (SELF/HUMANITY)

“Never trust those who would applaud while looking bemused” (WISDOM)

“Imitation begets mediocrity” (INDIVIDUALITY)

“Prehistoric beasts are alive and well and seeking your vote!” (THE CONSERVATIVE PARTY/HUMOUR)

“Cocks crow…Pricks merely posture” (MEN)

“If you don’t question everything be prepared to fall for anything” (WISDOM)

“Show me a child strong enough to deny indoctrination and I’ll forecast you a giant” (MISC)

“Never fall for the one who would have you teeter on the edge of brinkmanship” (WISDOM)

“My greatest curse was that I was a deeply disturbed young man. My greatest blessing is that I’m exactly the same at twice the age!” (SELF)

“Beware your God may arrive unannounced” (RELIGION)

“My favourite book in the bible was Numbers. It gave me an insight into the mathematics of the probability of impossibility” (RELIGION)

“The art of disappearance is essential in the greater art of self re-invention” (SELF)

“The twins of birth and death demanded that I write inbetween the lines of my time” (SELF/LIFE/DEATH)

“There used to be a sucker born every minute but mass-production has greatly improved this figure” (MISC)

“Most great men are destroyed by poor men rich in jealousy” (HUMAN NATURE)

“How much longer must I watch my species scale the heights of the sublime and trawl the depths of depravity?” (HUMANITY)

“Every word I ever write is dedicated to all who gave their lives for my right to write it” (WAR/WW2/HUMILITY)

“Beware the Dutchman who bears balloons, pins and wooden footwear…For he may pop ones clogs” (UNKNOWN)

“I only drink a lot of water so I can cry properly” (SELF)

“Hymns are medicine that sustain the ill in anticipation of a miracle cure” (RELIGION)

”If my old man had said “don’t follow the band” then the Somme may never have been so richly irrigated” (WW1)

“Can’t they dissolve parliament permanently…In acid like Haig did with his victims?” (POLITICS/BLACK HUMOUR)

“The pursuit of truth is the only thing worth standing for and the alter of wisdom the only one worth kneeling before” (PROFOUND)

“I’d eat any variety of rice apart from Condoleezza” (POLITICS/HUMOUR)

“The mouse on the wheel is Nature’s closest imitation of humanity” (HUMANITY)

“They used to be alchemists…Now they are all chemists” (HUMOUR/WORDPLAY)

“The Devil plays his finest tunes on the instruments of vanity and ignorance” (RELIGION)

“Those who accept what has gone before without question must prepare for the inevitable wrath, vengeance and tragedy of the breakdown of the merry-go-round” (HUMANITY)

“ Those that are deemed worthy of damnation in their day invariably attract worship much later on” (HUMANITY)

“Criminals used to be held in stocks…Nowadays they invest their assets in them” (CRIME/HUMOUR)

“Beware that what you would perceive as your strengths may be perceived by others as your weaknesses” (WISDOM)

“If you ain’t prepared to address your own past beware you distress another’s future” (WISDOM)

“If God truly works in mysterious ways then I must concede…It’s female” (WOMEN)

“To truly live one must gaze into the most of honest of eyes…The reflection of oblivion” (DEATH)

“And when It’s time..We’ll crawl out of the caves and the woodwork..To inherit your Earth..” (US AND THEM)

“Such empty pages..Multi-messed-up mutant mages” (TABLOIDS)

“The true “food for thought” is the least easiest digested” (WISDOM)

(c) ALL James Alan Gourley 2008

(Disclaimer – I am fairly certain that many people have had similar thoughts put into writing throughout literature. I have not knowingly used anyone else’s words in these quotations and am happy to remove any that may be seen as the published or quoted work of someone else.)