Mechanism Quotes

1. "For over two billion years, through the apparent fancy of her endless differentiations and metamorphosis the Cell, as regards its basic physiological mechanisms, has remained one and the same. It is life itself, and our true and distant ancestor."
Author: Albert Claude

2. "There's a psychological mechanism, I've come to believe, that prevents most of us from imagining the moment of our own death. For if it were possible to imagine fully that instant of passing from consciousness to nonexistence, with all the attendant fear and humiliation of absolute helplessness, it would be very hard to live. It would be unbearably obvious that death is inscribed in everything that constitutes life, that any moment of your existence may be only a breath away from being the last. We would be continuously devastated by the magnitude of that inescapable fact. Still, as we mature into our mortality, we begin to gingerly dip our horror-tingling toes into the void, hoping that our mind will somehow ease itself into dying, that God or some other soothing opiate will remain available as we venture into the darkness of non-being."
Author: Aleksandar Hemon

3. "And I think to be in NATO for the countries of our region, it means more guarantees for us, it means more responsibility for our common security, but it means fulfillment of all standards of civilized world, like protection of human rights and democratic mechanisms."
Author: Aleksander Kwasniewski

4. "The most amazing mechanism in the known universe is the human brain; it takes in information all the time then uses it, all of which is happening, of course, without human knowledge. Typical…"
Author: Amanda Dubin

5. "It was a lesson she was still learning. When she had first started nursing, she had taken every death personally, like she was losing her father all over again. Every patient lost under her care was a little piece of death she would carry around with her until the end of her own life. But the alternative seemed so unfeeling. Tina and the other nurses could crack jokes and banter back and forth about contestants on American Idol before the body of a deceased patient was even cold. It was a coping mechanism, she knew, but not necessarily one she thought she would ever adopt. There had to be something in between. Olive had been called a bleeding heart before, but her heart no longer had the same plasticity and tenderness—it was scarred and worn beyond repair"
Author: Andrea Lochen

6. "The best way to detoxify is to stop putting toxic things into the body and depend upon it's own mechanisms."
Author: Andrew Weil

7. "So I make no effort to hide my pain. I don't ever put it all on display like this—but for today and all the rest of the days of the trial, I must. My every flinch, every flicker of pain, will bemagnified a hundred times over, then dissected by the pundits and talking heads. But I'm told it's necessary; the world needs to see me vulnerable and wounded. I cannot appear not to care or to lack remorse, but that removes a crucial component of my self- defense mechanism and leaves me bleeding for all the world to see. I suppose that's rather the point."
Author: Ann Aguirre

8. "The system has already anticipated the freedom seeking mechanism in humans."
Author: Bryant McGill

9. "Because I was a shy and awkward child, I used humour to deflect attention. It was a controlling mechanism. Because I could use it to control my image."
Author: Catherine Tate

10. "I have one problem, I don't hate people. They disgust me and I want to get away from them. I do not have hatred. I have an escape mechanism."
Author: Charles Bukowski

11. "Answers are what we are trying to get at; search is a process by which you may be able to get answers, but it's not the end goal. It's a mechanism."
Author: Conrad Wolfram

12. "The human mind has a primitive ego defense mechanism that negates all realities that produce too much stress for the brain to handle. It's called Denial."
Author: Dan Brown

13. "Because the biological mechanisms that affect our health and well-being are so dynamic, when people change their diet and lifestyle, they usually feel so much better, so quickly; it reframes the reason for changing from fear of dying to joy of living. Also, the support that patients give each other is a powerful motivator."
Author: Dean Ornish

14. "Story is the mechanism by which we live, express, understand, and evolve. Story is more than just equipment for living — it's life itself. When a culture's stories are honest, authentic, and connected to the truth, the culture is strong, productive, and progressive. When a culture's stories stagnate and become derivative, deceptive, shallow, and unconnected to the energy of life, the culture erodes, degrades, and eventually perishes (although the people may not realize they're dead!). Stories are the manner by which we extract meaning out of the fibrous pulp of our everyday lives. And meaning is the spiritual oxygen that allows our soul to breathe. Without stories, life has no meaning. Without meaning, we cannot live."
Author: Derek Rydall

15. "The conscious and intelligent manipulation of the organized habits and opinions of the masses is an important element in democratic society. Those who manipulate this unseen mechanism of society constitute an invisible government which is the true ruling power of our country. ...We are governed, our minds are molded, our tastes formed, our ideas suggested, largely by men we have never heard of. This is a logical result of the way in which our democratic society is organized. Vast numbers of human beings must cooperate in this manner if they are to live together as a smoothly functioning society. ...In almost every act of our daily lives, whether in the sphere of politics or business, in our social conduct or our ethical thinking, we are dominated by the relatively small number of persons...who understand the mental processes and social patterns of the masses. It is they who pull the wires which control the public mind."
Author: Edward L. Bernays

16. "Angst is een natuurlijke reactie van de mens op datgene wat hij niet begrijpt of niet kent en waarvan hij denkt dat het gevaar inhoudt. Het is gewoon een afweermechanisme, net als zweten wanneer je het warm hebt en rillen wanneer je het koud hebt. Je bent nu bang omdat je niet weet wat daar is, dus moet je gaan kijken om erachter te komen. Is er niets, geweldig, vals alarm. Is er wel iets of iemand, dan kun je dat alleen overwinnen door uit te vinden wat het is en het dan het hoofd te bieden."
Author: Elia Barceló

17. "Sorrow comes with so many defense mechanisms. You have your shock, yourdenial, your getting wasted, your cracking jokes, and your religion. You alsohave the old standby catchall—the blind belief in fate, the whole "thingshappening for a reason" drill."
Author: Emily Giffin

18. "I don't know if it is a spiritual, physiological or psychological phenomenon, but I believe now more than ever that singing is a universal, built-in mechanism designed to cultivate empathy and compassion."
Author: Eric Whitacre

19. "Hinter jeder Erfindung steckt die Anstrengung eines Menschen, ein der Lösung eines Problems geweihtes Leben, um einen Mechanismus zu erfinden, der den Menschen überlebt und dann zu der Welt gehört, die ohne ihn weitergeht. Solange es Menschen gibt, die sich nicht damit begnügen, die Früchte der Bäume zu verzehren oder Trommeln zu schlagen, damit es regnet, die sich entschließen, ihre Intelligenz zu nutzen, um über die Rolle eines Parasiten im Garten Gottes hinauszuwachsen, so lange wird die Wissenschaft nicht sterben."
Author: Félix J. Palma

20. "215. As in the stellar firmament there are sometimes two suns which determine the path of one planet, and in certain cases suns of different colours shine around a single planet, now with red light, now with green, and then simultaneously illumine and flood it with motley colours: so we modern men, owing to the complicated mechanism of our "firmament," are determined by DIFFERENT moralities; our actions shine alternately in different colours, and are seldom unequivocal—and there are often cases, also, in which our actions are MOTLEY-COLOURED."
Author: Friedrich Nietzsche

21. "I developed a mechanism so that whatever mistakes I made, I would bounce straight back. Whatever was happening off the pitch, I could put it to one side and maintain my form. Call it mental resilience or a strong mind, but that is what we mean when we talk about experience in a football team."
Author: Gary Neville

22. "How on earth could he not see it? It stood on the wooden floor behind him, in the corner just inside the door, where the light from the hallway poorly fell: an old-fashioned alarm clock with three blunt stumps for legs and a bell like a Prussian helmet. Its face, a faithful little moon, was turned up to her, its hands were spread to plead innocence, and its inner mechanism emitted without ceasing the rapid ribbon of blows called the passing of time."
Author: Helen Garner

23. "In the wake of prevalent child rape and child abuse cases reported and unreported; Infliction of "Death Penalty" for child rape irrespective of the degree of offence or homicide , and rigorous penalty for child molestation, would serve as an excellent deterrent mechanismDebates on Human Rights to the perpetrator of the crime on the question of infliction of death penalty should be cordoned off taking into consideration the aftermath of sexual assault /rape of a child exposed to the Pandora's pack of resilience"
Author: Henrietta Newton Martin B.Com LLB Goldmedalist LLM Goldmedalist MMS Etc Legal Consultant

24. "Fear is a healthy instinct, not a sign of weakness. It is a natural self-defense mechanism that is common to felines, wolves, hyenas, and most humans. Even fruit bats know fear, and I salute them for it. If you think the world is weird now, imagine how weird it would be if wild beasts had no fear."
Author: Hunter S. Thompson

25. "Seeing is metamorphosis, not mechanism."
Author: James Elkins

26. "By using repetition, images, and other strategies - all of which communicate truths in ways that are not cognitively or propositional - marketing forms us into the kind of persons who want to buy beer to have meaningful relationships, or to buy a car to be respected, or buy the latest thing to come along simply to satisfy the desire that has been formed and implanted in us. It is important to appreciate that these disciplinary mechanisms transmit values and truth claims, but not via propositions or cognitive means; rather, the values are transmitted more covertly...This covertness of the operation is also what makes it so powerful: the truths are inscribed in us through the powerful instruments of imagination and ritual."
Author: James K.A. Smith

27. "Hope was a pathological part of puberty, like acne and surging hormones. You might sound cynical to the world, but that was just a defense mechanism, cover up coating a zit, because it was too embarrassing to admit that in spite of the bum deals you kept getting you hadn't completely given up."
Author: Jodi Picoult

28. "Mechanism! Everywhere -- mechanism! Devices for getting away from life so complete that there seemed no life to get away from."
Author: John Galsworthy

29. "I don't have a shred of regret about entering the exchange-rate mechanism."
Author: John Major

30. "There is an inability to sustain the tragic mood, a phoenix quality of the mind. It may be helpful or harmful, it is just a part of the will to survive—yet, also, it has made it possible for us to engage in one weakening war after another. But it is a necessary part of our mechanism that we should be able to cry only for a time over even an ocean of spilt milk—the spectacular must soon become the commonplace if life is to be supportable."
Author: John Wyndham

31. "That's what a little victory in psychiatry looks like. You slip into the shadows, dodging the mind's defense mechanisms, glad enough to take a half-step toward the truth. Behind the next word or the next glance may lurk the demon you seek, all in flames, desperate to be held, but set to flee. (8)"
Author: Keith Ablow

32. "But Harry . . . even if we had met and married three years ago, you'd still say it wasn't enough time.""You're right. I can't think of a single day of my life that wouldn't have been improved with you in it.""Darling," she whispered, her fingertips coming up to stroke his jaw, "that's lovely. Even more romantic than comparing me to watch parts."Harry nipped at her finger. "Are you mocking me?""Not at all," Poppy said, smiling. "I know how you feel about gears and mechanisms."
Author: Lisa Kleypas

33. "Thus far we have been talking about not getting hooked by strong emotions. The garuda goes beyond that practice, and does not even get hooked by set notions, which in some sense are the wellspring for strong emotions themselves. By training in not solidifying the way you think things ought to be, you are cutting through years of habitual response mechanisms, and beginning to see your discomfort in a more lucid manner."
Author: Lodro Rinzler

34. "It's for survival. You need to be prepared for novel experiences because often they signal danger. If you live in a jungle full of fragrant flowers, you have to stop being so overwhelmed by the lovely smell because otherwise you couldn't smell a predator. That's why your brain is considered a discounting mechanism. It's literally a matter of survival." "That's cool."
Author: Maria Semple

35. "For imagination sets the goal picture which our automatic mechanism works on. We act, or fail to act, not because of will, as is so commonly believed, but because of imagination."
Author: Maxwell Maltz

36. "Can success change the human mechanism so completely between one dawn and another? Can if make one feel taller, more alive, handsomer, uncommonly gifted and indomitably secure with the certainty that this is the way life will always be? It can and it does!"
Author: Moss Hart

37. "When anesthesia was developed, it was for many decades routinely withheld from women giving birth, since women were "supposed" to suffer. One of the few societies to take a contrary view was the Huichol tribe in Mexico. The Huichol believed that the pain of childbirth should be shared, so the mother would hold on to a string tied to her husband's testicles. With each painful contraction, she would give the string a yank so that the man could share the burden. Surely if such a mechanism were more widespread, injuries in childbirth would garner more attention."
Author: Nicholas D. Kristof

38. "The problem isn't who is in charge. It's what is in charge. The problem is that people are encouraged to function as machines. Or, actually, as mechanisms. Human emotion and sympathy are unprofessional. They are inappropriate to the exercise of reason. Everything which makes people good - makes them human - is ruled out. The system doesn't care about people, but we treat it as if it were one of us, as if it were the sum of our goods and not the product of our least admirable compromises."
Author: Nick Harkaway

39. "[A] process was going on in which people were transformed into things, into pieces of reality which pure science can calculate and technical science can control. … [T]he safety which is guaranteed by well-functioning mechanisms for the technical control of nature, by the refined psychological control of the person, by the rapidly increasing organizational control of society – this safety is bought at a high price: man, for whom all this was invented as a means, becomes a means himself in the service of means."
Author: Paul Tillich

40. "I was the fat kid, so as a defense mechanism, I was the jokester."
Author: Peter DeLuise

41. "You survived by seizing every tiny drop of love you could find anywhere, and milking it, relishing it, for all it was worth. And as you grew up, you sought love, anywhere you could find it, whether it was a teacher or a coach or a friend or a friend's parents. You sought those tiny droplets of love, basking in them when you found them. They sustained you. For all these years, you've lived under the illusion that somehow, you made it because you were tough enough to overpower the abuse, the hatred, the hard knocks of life. But really you made it because love is so powerful that tiny little doses of it are enough to overcome the pain of the worst things life can dish out. Toughness was a faulty coping mechanism you devised to get by. But, in reality, it has been your ability to never give up, to keep seeking love, and your resourcefulness to make that love last long enough to sustain you. That is what has gotten you by."
Author: Rachel Reiland

42. "As the power of Christianity declined through the centuries that have followed the Reformation, Calvinism played a less and less important part, while the new philosophies of mechanism and rationalism correspondingly increased."
Author: Ralph Adams Cram

43. "I've decided it's not about me at all. It's a protective mechanism for them, a way of buffering themselves against my future death, like when teenagers distance themselves from their parents in preparation for leaving home."
Author: Sara Gruen

44. "This kind of pragmatism has become a hallmark of our psychological culture. In the mid-1990s, I described how it was commonplace for people to "cycle through" different ideas of the human mind as (to name only a few images) mechanism, spirit, chemistry, and vessel for the soul.14 These days, the cycling through intensifies. We are in much more direct contact with the machine side of mind. People are fitted with a computer chip to help with Parkinson's. They learn to see their minds as program and hardware. They take antidepressants prescribed by their psychotherapists, confident that the biochemical and oedipal self can be treated in one room. They look for signs of emotion in a brain scan. Old jokes about couples needing "chemistry" turn out not to be jokes at all."
Author: Sherry Turkle

45. "It is wise to apply the oil of refined politeness to the mechanism of friendship."
Author: Sidonie Gabrielle Colette

46. "I think that curiosity happened on these reviews where I was just a guest of the reviewer, because it introduced me to new cuisines and to the idea of cooking as a mechanism for studying other cultures and understanding other parts of the world."
Author: Ted Allen

47. "If the evolutionary mechanism of natural selection depends on death, destruction, and violence of the strong against the weak, then these things are perfectly natural. On what basis, then, does the atheist judge the natural world to be horribly wrong, unfair, and unjust?"
Author: Timothy Keller

48. "Nature has certain mechanism to record all memories of every life being."
Author: Toba Beta

49. "Narcissism and self-deception are survival mechanisms without which many of us might just jump off a bridge."
Author: Todd Solondz

50. "The increased global linkages promote economic growth in the world through two key mechanisms: the division of labor and the international spillovers of knowledge."
Author: Toshihiko Fukui

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