Mason Cooley Quotes
The limits of prudence: one cannot jump out of a burning building gradually.
Cooley, Mason. City Aphorisms. Pascal Press, 1984-2000.
When he was in Italy during World War I, the congressman "promised" the Italians that they would regain control of the port of Fiume after the war. It was not to be and he was criticized for promising too much:
There are several different strategies for fighting forest fires. Some argue to let them burn themselves out. Others want to burn old brush regularly under control. Still others want to fight every fire regardless of size. Most communities have not reached any decision on these points and as a result, for most communities, none of the strategies prove effective since none are planned for.
Mason Cooley was an American aphorist known for his witty aphorisms. One of these such aphorisms Cooley developed was "The time I kill is killing me." He was professor emeritus of French, speech and world literature at the College of Staten Island. He was also an assistant professor of English at Columbia University from 1959 to 1967 and an adjunct professor from 1980 to 1988. He received his B.A. from San Diego State University and his Ph.D. from Oxford.
