Famous quotes containing the word arbitrary:
“Languages exist by arbitrary institutions and conventions among peoples; words, as the dialecticians tell us, do not signify naturally, but at our pleasure.”
—François Rabelais (1494–1553)
“You can’t be arbitrary about imposing your will when these people’s lives are at stake. Don’t you realize that? You speak as calmly as if you were saying “Pass the salt.” Aren’t you human? Are you made of ice?”
—Kurt Neumann (1906–1958)
“We do the same thing to parents that we do to children. We insist that they are some kind of categorical abstraction because they produced a child. They were people before that, and they’re still people in all other areas of their lives. But when it comes to the state of parenthood they are abruptly heir to a whole collection of virtues and feelings that are assigned to them with a fine arbitrary disregard for individuality.”
—Leontine Young (20th century)