Quotes About Usefulness

He [his uncle, Pliny the Elder] used to say that there was no book so bad that it was not useful at some point. Pliny the Younger, Epistula III.5.10

Dispassionate calm can be a useful frame of mind, but it does not make for a compelling performance.

W]hat possible purpose does this lashing-out serve? Will activists be shamed into recovering their previous enthusiasm? Will Republicans stop their vicious attacks because Obama is lashing out to his left? It was pure self-indulgence; even if he feels aggrieved, he has to judge his words by their usefulness, not by his desire to vent. This isn't about him.

Can wood be taken from it to make something useful? Or can one make from it a peg on which to hang utensils?

No, it is cast into the fire for fuel. The fire devours both ends, and the middle is charred. Can it be useful for anything?

So if anyone cleanses himself of what is unfit, he will be a vessel for honor: sanctified, useful to the Master, and prepared for every good work.

Formerly he was useless to you, but now he has become useful both to you and to me.