Tell a man whose house is on fire to give a moderate alarm; tell him to moderately rescue his wife from the hands of the ravisher; tell the mother to gradually extricate her babe from the fire into which it has fallen; but urge me not to use moderation in a case like the present. – William Lloyd Garrison

No matter what happens… somebody will find a way to take it too seriously. – Dave Barry, "Things That It Took Me 50 Years to Learn"

The man of virtuous soul commands not, nor obeys. – Percy Bysshe Shelley, Queen Mab