“I have to ask... are you familiar with the word “synergy?””

1960s, Presentation to U.S. Congressional Sub-Committee on World Game (1969)

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Buckminster Fuller 171
American architect, systems theorist, author, designer, inv… 1895–1983

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“I find all of our world society is operating exclusively in parts. We know this because the word synergy is unknown popularly and it is the only word that means “behavior of wholes unpredicted by behavior of their parts.””

Buckminster Fuller (1895–1983) American architect, systems theorist, author, designer, inventor and futurist

This proves that society does not even think that it has a need for such a word. This discloses that society does not think that there are behaviors of wholes unpredicted by the parts. It thinks statistics and probability are all that we need but if “probability” and “statistics” were of any power at all we could not have a stock market or gambling for we would know exactly how things are coming out and no one would bet against the probability.
1960s, Presentation to U.S. Congressional Sub-Committee on World Game (1969)

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“I saw a specialist who asked me 'Are you familiar with the phrase faecal impaction?'. I said I think I saw that one with Glenn Close and Michael Douglas.”

Bob Monkhouse (1928–2003) English entertainer

Second obituary on BBC news website http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/1958051.stm

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“You ask why I call Him the first Word.”

John The Beloved Disciple In His Old Age: On Jesus The Word
Jesus, The Son of Man (1928)
Context: You ask why I call Him the first Word.
Listen, and I will answer:
In the beginning God moved in space, and out of His measureless stirring the earth was born and the seasons thereof.
Then God moved again, and life streamed forth, and the longing of life sought the height and the depth and would have more of itself.
Then God spoke thus, and His words were man, and man was a spirit begotten by God's Spirit.
And when God spoke thus, the Christ was His first Word and that Word was perfect; and when Jesus of Nazareth came to the world the first Word was uttered unto us and the sound was made flesh and blood.

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“You have asked for and been given enough words — it is now time to live them.”

Meher Baba (1894–1969) Indian mystic

The Universal Message (1958)
Context: I have come not to teach but to awaken. Understand therefore that I lay down no precepts.
Throughout eternity I have laid down principles and precepts, but mankind has ignored them. Man’s inability to live God’s words makes the Avatar’s teaching a mockery. Instead of practicing the compassion He taught, man has waged crusades in His name. Instead of living the humility, purity and truth of his words, man has given way to hatred, greed and violence.
Because man has been deaf to the principles and precepts laid down by God in the past, in this present Avataric form I observe Silence. You have asked for and been given enough words — it is now time to live them.

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“You are very familiar with western ways, but you are too young. You go everywhere to follow the big news, but the questions you ask are too simple”

Jiang Zemin (1926) former General Secretary of the Communist Party of China

sometimes naïve. Understand, or not?
Leader of China Angrily Chastises Hong Kong Media http://www.nytimes.com/2000/10/29/world/leader-of-china-angrily-chastises-hong-kong-media.html (October 2000). Also quoted as All over the world, wherever you go to, you always run faster than western journalists. But the questions you keep asking are too simple, sometimes naïve.
2000s

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