dennis scharnberg

Any design is a red herring.

Godfrey Tooke, Collected Aphorisms.

“Well, they are paid to smile aren’t they?” demanded Raymond, in a mild exasperation. “I mean, what is a sociopath?”

James Finial, The Misadventures of Caroline.

Assumptions are facts within the world, not facts about the world.

Godfrey Tooke, Collected Aphorisms.

“There is a certain phrase in Kierkegaard,” said George, “that—if it weren’t for the rest of that particular sentence—would place him in the very midst of the Existentialists.”

Karl Buckling, Time Domain Blues.

One morning, Linda stood in the hall, just outside his door, and listened. It seemed that the TV was on, but she couldn’t determine what the program was. What she did hear distinctly was Dennis saying “shut up” and “shut up” and “shut up.”

Anselm Bligh, A Collection of Miniatures.

Saying “wow” is the first step on a path that leads to the abandonment of language.

Addison West, The Ontology of Destruction.

“But what is thinking, George? Distinguish it—if you would—from other activities. Give me something to go by.”

Karl Buckling, Time Domain Blues.

Why does the world exist?

A. To be perfected.

B. To impede us.

C. To make us tingle.

D. Other.

Godfrey Tooke, Collected Aphorisms.

“Or put it this way, Wilkins: Anything that did not last must have been something wondrous.”

Hollis Beddoes, Counting the Magpies.

An image—for example, an old black-and-white snapshot—is indeed material, but it does not celebrate materiality. At least, that can be the case.

Orson Tatterhouse, The Anatomy Lesson of Dr. Nicolaes Tulp.