THE FAMOUS ORIGINAL QUOTE: “Depend upon it, Sir, when a man knows he is to be hanged in a fortnight, it concentrates his mind wonderfully.” |
HARRY FLASHMAN’S COUNTERQUOTE: “Some wiseacre once said that the prospect of death concentrates the mind wonderfully, but I’m here to tell you that the chance to work for a reprieve concentrates it a whole heap more.” |
THE NEAR EASTERN NOTION: “Death not only concentrates the mind, it concentrates us on our minds. It was the notion of the immortal soul that allowed us to focus on our own minds as transcendent objects, even if it no longer seems obvious that they will, indeed, survive death.” |
THE SEX OBSESSION VARIATION: “Sex also concentrates the mind wonderfully and that is why civilized man is so obsessed by it.” |
THE STAR TREK NEXT GEN VARIATION: “A deadline has a wonderful way of concentrating the mind.” |
A PYTHON’S READING RECOMMENDATION: “About 8.00 get up, do a half hour of voice exercises, soak in the bath and read a little Pirsig, which concentrates the mind wonderfully.” |
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