Quote debunkery

This page is because when I see an inspiring quote or whatever, I want to make sure it is correctly attributed.

Ants in a jar

"If you collect 100 black ants and 100 fire ants and put them in a glass jar, nothing will happen.

But if you take the jar, shake it violently and leave it on the table, the ants will start killing themselves. Red believes that black is the enemy, while black believes that red is the enemy, when the real enemy is the person who shook the jar.

The same is true in society.

Men vs Women

Black vs White

Faith vs Science

Young vs Old

Etc ...

Before we fight each other, we must ask ourselves: Who shook the jar?"

This quote (and variations) is frequently attributed to David Attenborough because it was posted in a Facebook group called "David Attenborough Fans", which no longer exists. There is no evidence that David Attenborough said this.

Do not seize the day

Do not seize the day. This will startle the day and may cause it to become aggressive and give you a nasty bite.

Instead approach the day calmly without making eye contact, pet it gently, and slowly enfold it in a careful embrace

If the day shows any signs of resistance to being engaged with, it is likely to turn on you. Back off and return to bed.

Posted in a Douglas Adams Facebook group, leading people (understandably) to attribute it to Douglas Adams.

However, this was originally posted by @beecycling@romancelandia.club on the Fediverse in February 2023, as confirmed by the original poster.

• Archive of original post here.
• Archive of confirmation that BeeCycling is the source here.
• Archive of Facebook post here.