Think Not When Someone Else Can Think for You

Do you know the origin of the term "Hocus Pocus"?

It's a corruption of "Hoc est corpus meum," which in English means "this is my body," and is recited in a Christian communion service.

The term "hocus pocus" was a disparaging term used by Anabaptists and others to dismiss the presence of Christ in the Eucharist as magical fakery.

I picked this up from Prof Philip Cary in his History of Christian Theology lectures. (There are other explanations too; see the Wikipedia article here. )

[2012-12-15]

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Think Not When Someone Else Can Think for You

I heard John F Kennedy recently lauded for his famous statement, "Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country." In this case, he was being cited as an original thinker and speech writer, a source of unusual wisdom.

The only problem with that is he didn't say it first, Cicero did, 2,000 earlier, who may have borrowed it from Juvenal.

Sometimes knowing a good line when you hear one is just as valuable as being able to come up with one on your own, especially if you pick one obscure enough that few will know you borrowed it.




[2012-12-17]

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