James Richardson (1950) American poet
#155
Vectors: Aphorisms and Ten Second Essays (2001)
On Literature, Revolution, Entropy and Other Matters (1923)
Context: What we need in literature today are vast philosophic horizons — horizons seen from mastheads, from airplanes; we need the most ultimate, the most fearsome, the most fearless "Why?" and "What next?"
This is what children ask. But then children are the boldest philosophers. They enter life naked, not covered by the smallest fig leaf of dogma, absolutes, creeds. This is why every question they ask is so absurdly naive and so frighteningly complex. The new men entering life today are as naked and fearless as children; and they, too, like children, like Schopenhauer, Dostoevsky, Nietzsche, ask "Why?" and "What next?" Philosophers of genius, children, and the people are equally wise — because they ask equally foolish questions. Foolish to a civilized man who has a well-furnished European apartment with an excellent toilet and a well-furnished dogma.
James Richardson (1950) American poet
#155
Vectors: Aphorisms and Ten Second Essays (2001)
Ursula K. Le Guin (1929–2018) American writer
"A Message About Messages" in CBC Magazine https://web.archive.org/web/20051128074549/http://www.cbcbooks.org/cbcmagazine/meet/leguin_ursula_k.html
“We teach best what we most need to learn.”
Richard Bach (1936) American spiritual writer
Illusions : The Adventures of a Reluctant Messiah (1977)
Variant: You teach best what you most need to learn.
Source: Illusions: The Adventures of a Reluctant Messiah
“Why do we live? Most of us need the very thing we never ask for.”
William Carlos Williams (1883–1963) American poet
Letter to Robert McAlmon (4 September 1943), published in The Selected Letters of William Carlos Williams (1957) edited by John C. Thirlwall, p. 217
General sources
Context: Why do we live? Most of us need the very thing we never ask for. We talk about revolution as if it was peanuts. What we need is some frank thinking and a few revolutions in our own guts; to hell with what most of the sons of bitches that I know and myself along with them if I don't take hold of myself and turn about when I need to — or go ahead further if that's the game.
Satya Nadella (1967) CEO of Microsoft appointed on 4 February 2014
Microsoft's Surface Phone Could Be The Ultimate Mobile Device http://forbes.com/sites/ewanspence/2016/11/24/microsoft-surface-phone-rumor-leak-ceo-satya-nadella in Forbes (24 November 2016)
“Dreams: the place most of us get what we need.”
Amy Hempel (1951) Short story writer
Source: The Collected Stories