Quotes
Jay links to some quotes on freedom, and the latter highlights this passage from the former:
A final word about quotes: They’re generally useless, unless they comprise an entire syllogism. Otherwise, they’re merely assertions. By their pithiness and association with particular famous people, they are useful only in persuading the unintelligent or uninformed. Satan quoted scripture; you can find as many Karl Marx quotes as Ludwig von Mises quotes; and you can find isolated quotes inconsistent with the overall views of those who coined them, such as quotes in support of freedom and commerce from Winston Churchill, the terror bomber; or Thomas Jefferson, who sometimes sounded like a Christian and sometimes bitterly ridiculed scripture in ways most atheists would find shocking.
Well-put. I've always had problem with quotes by famous historical figures in isolation because the source is very rarely ever cited. Just recently, several quotes puportedly said by Abraham Lincoln were shown to never have been uttered by the man. The Internet only made it easier for unattributed quotes from historical figures to gain currency. Some—and it's funny that this comes from the same site (lewrockwell.com), although different author, as the above quote—have gained actual currency from spreading a falsely attributed quote.
You'd think I'd have a bigger problem with quoting out of context. But nope, attribution, or more accurately, the lack thereof.
