Threedee comments on Rationality Quotes: March 2011 - Less Wrong

6 Post author: Alexandros 02 March 2011 11:14AM

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Comment author: Threedee 05 March 2011 08:58:18AM -2 points [-]

Is this too cryptic? :

Throw strikes. Home plate don't move. Satchel Paige

Comment author: wedrifid 05 March 2011 09:48:24AM *  4 points [-]

(Additional note)

It would have seemed less cryptic to me if the quote was formatted in a way that distinguished between your commentary, the quote itself and the quote author. I hadn't read your other contributions at the time so didn't realise that you didn't use a standard form. I did not realise that "Throw strikes. Home plate don't move." was the actual literal quote, as opposed to a cryptic reference in your own words to a quote that I was supposed to be familiar with.

Also:

Using formatting like this for quoting stuff just looks cooler.

-- wedrifid

Comment author: wedrifid 05 March 2011 09:23:51AM *  1 point [-]

Is this too cryptic?

Yes. I'm familiar enough with the rules of baseball that I can infer the sport and affirm that throwing strikes is a Good Thing for a pitcher to do and acknowledge that the home plate does, in fact, stay put. I am not sufficiently familiar with Satchel Paige or enamoured of the sport that I can guess why I am supposed to be inspired.

Google helped to clarify. It gave the full quote and put it in the context of what seems to be, shall we say, a KISS philosophy.

Just take the ball and throw it where you want to. Throw strikes. Home plate don't move.

-- Satchel Paige

(Google also gives a Paige quote that is a real gem of a rationality insight. Thanks for the indirect link!)