- Benjamin Franklin
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We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights, among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
- Declaration of Independence of United States of America
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Conformity is the jailer of freedom and the enemy of growth.
- John F. Kennedy
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To go against the dominant thinking of your friends, of most of the people you see every day, is perhaps the most difficult act of heroism you can perform.
- Theodore H. White
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Several years ago I read an interesting bit of information concerning the phrase 'the pursuit of happiness'. (I don't the title of the book/article where the information was.) In the 1700's the use of the word 'pursuit' was not confined to meaning 'to chase or hunt after'. Instead, it was also used to mean the study of a subject. So Jefferson most likely did not mean that we should chase after happiness as if it were a butterfly flying just out of our reach. Rather, we should study happiness and find out how to make happiness work for our particular situation.
By the way, did you know that in 1777 Mary Katherine Goddard was picked by the Continental Congress to do the first official printing of the Declaration of Independence with the names of all the signers? Mary Katherine was one of a family of printers doing business in and around Rhode Island and Maryland. The family business was headed by her mother, Sarah Updike Goddard, and also included Sarah's son/Mary Katherine's brother, William.
Have a great day!
Papillon
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