{"quotes":[{"text":"The truth is that Trout, like Vonnegut and Ray Bradbury and many others, writes parables. These are set in frames which have become called, for no good reason, science fiction. A better generic term would be 'future fairy tales'. And even this is objectionable, since many science fiction stories take place in the present or the past, far and near.","author":"Philip José Farmer","tags":["fairy-tale","genre","kurt-vonnegut","parable","ray-bradbury","science-fiction"],"id":816,"author_id":"Philip+Jos%C3%A9+Farmer"},{"text":"The fatted calf, the best Scotch, the hoedown could all have been his too, any time he asked for them except that he never thought to ask for them because he was too busy trying cheerlessly and religiously to earn them.","author":"Frederick Buechner","tags":["fatted-calf","parable","prodigal-son","religious"],"id":32621,"author_id":"Frederick+Buechner"},{"text":"A young man was sitting at home when a terrible rainstorm began. Within hours, the man’s house began to flood, and someone came to his door offering a ride to higher ground. The man declined, saying, 'God will take care of me.' A few hours later, as the waters engulfed the first floor of the man’s home, a boat passed by, and the captain offered to take the man to safety. The man declined, saying, 'God will take care of me.' A few hours after that, as the man waited on his roof—his entire home flooded—a helicopter flew by, and the pilot offered transportation to dry land. Again the man declined, telling the pilot that God would care for him. Soon thereafter, the waters overcame the man, and as he stood before God in heaven, he protested his fate: 'You promised that you’d help me so long as I was faithful.' God replied, 'I sent you a car, a boat, and a helicopter. Your death is your own fault.' God helps those who help themselves.","author":"J.D. Vance","tags":["faith","flood","god","heaven","help","parable"],"id":42809,"author_id":"J.D.+Vance"},{"text":"We've also evolved the ability to simply 'pay it forward': I help you, somebody else will help me. I remember hearing a parable when I was younger, about a father who lifts his young son onto his back to carry him across a flooding river. 'When I am older,' said the boy to his father, 'I will carry you across this river as you now do for me.' 'No, you won't,' said the father stoically. 'When you are older you will have your own concerns. All I expect is that one day you will carry your own son across this river as I no do for you.' Cultivating this attitude is an important part of Humanism--to realize that life without God can be much more than a series of strict tit-for-tat transactions where you pay me and I pay you back. Learning to pay it forward can add a tremendous sense of meaning and dignity to our lives. Simply put, it feels good to give to others, whether we get back or not.","author":"Greg M. Epstein","tags":["atheism","ethics","humanism","inspirational","morality","motivational","parable","pay-it-forward"],"id":113877,"author_id":"Greg+M.+Epstein"},{"text":"The wise man sees the fool \u0026 laughs \u0026 the fool never knows why.","author":"Jovie Sumner","tags":["humor","parable","wise"],"id":131180,"author_id":"Jovie+Sumner"},{"text":"First they came for the verbs, and I said nothing because verbing weirds language. Then they arrival for the nouns, and I speech nothing because I no verbs.","author":"Peter Ellis","tags":["language","parable","vigilance"],"id":145619,"author_id":"Peter+Ellis"},{"text":"I follow suit, said the lion, vacating his coat of arms and movie logos; and the eagle said, Get me off this flag.","author":"Margaret Atwood","tags":["allegory","animals","humans","morals","parable"],"id":146786,"author_id":"Margaret+Atwood"},{"text":"Silk is a fine, delicate, soft, illuminating, beautiful substance. But you can never rip it! If a man takes this tender silk and attempts to tear it, and cannot tear it, is he in his right mind to say 'This silk is fake! I thought it was soft, I thought it was delicate, but look, I cannot even tear it' ? Surely, this man is not in his right mind! The silk is not fake! This silk is 100% real. It's the man who is stupid!","author":"C. JoyBell C.","tags":["delicate","fake","gentle","genuine","inspirational","inspirational-life","inspirational","parable","parables","real","silk","soft","strength","strength-of-a-woman","stupidity","stupidity-of-man","wisdom","wisdom"],"id":195781,"author_id":"C.+JoyBell+C."},{"text":"Christian Fiction is like a parable. The story is made up, but the truth is brought to life. Enjoy the story, but savor the truth.","author":"Mary Ann Brantley","tags":["christian-living","parable","truth"],"id":253656,"author_id":"Mary+Ann+Brantley"},{"text":"I could end this with a moral,as if this were a fable about animals,though no fables are really about animals.","author":"Margaret Atwood","tags":["allegory","animals","fable","humans","parable"],"id":277539,"author_id":"Margaret+Atwood"}],"pagination":{"page":1,"page_size":10,"total":15,"pages":2,"next":"?page=2\u0026page_size=10"}}