Chronological Snobbery Works Both Ways

Above: Cuneiform signs from René Labat’s wonderfully handwritten Manuel D’Épigrahie Akkadienne.

Great quotes from the Older-Is-Always-Better movement.

  1. “This agreed upon language is so prescribed. Grunts and yelps are just so much more immediate.”
  2. “Writing systems are for the birds. How are we supposed to shoehorn our ideas into these little pictures? (And what’s a shoehorn?)”
  3. “I never use the alphabet. I find the syllabary and logograms to be much more vivid form of expression.”
  4. “Codices are so lame. You lose the continuity of the text. I am a scroll-man myself.”
  5. “All these printed books–when I was a kid, we memorized the important stuff. I hear human memory is on the decline.

And, yes, I realize that a list of great quotes from the Newer-Is-Always-Better movement could be compiled, e.g. “Drink this quicksilver. Word is it can cure anything.” or “I am thinking of two words: centralized economy. What could go wrong?”