"Think" is a motto made famous by IBM's founder Thomas Watson. It began its cultural live as a motto of National Cash Register, where Watson worked as a young man. Watson left NCR in the wake of some legal embarrassments and ended up running CTR, which became, in the fullness of time, IBM. "Think" was one of the NCR cultural artifacts Watson took with him on his long and eminently successful journey.

It is rumoured that some people at IBM made fun of the "Think" motto by altering it to read "Think or Thwim".

from http://www.tech-news.com/infoperspectives/i9801/quant.html

Updated May 11, 2002.

Stop!
Back!
Stop!
Turn!
Think!

Given the existence as uttered forth in the public works of Puncher and Wattmann of a personal God quaquaquaqua with white beard quaquaquaqua outside time without extension who from the heights of divine aphasia loves us dearly with some exceptions for reasons unknown but time will tell and suffers like the divine Miranda with those who for reasons unknown but time will tell are plunged in torment plunged in fire whose fire flames if that continues and who can doubt it will fire the firmament that is to say blast hell to heaven so blue still and calm so calm with a calm which even though intermittent is better than nothing but not so fast and considering what is more that as a result of the labors left unfinished crowned by the Acacacacademy of Anthropopopometry of Essy-in-Possy of Testew and Cunard it is established beyond all other doubt than that which clings to the labors of men that as a result of the labors unfinished of Testew and Cunard it is established as hereinafter but not so fast for reasons unknown that as a result of the public works of Puncher and Wattmann it is established beyond all doubt that in view of the labors of Fartov and Belcher left unfinished for reasons unknown of Testew and Cunard left unfinished it is established what many deny that man in Possy of Testew and Cunard that man in Essy that man in short that man in brief in spite of the strides of alimentation and defecation wastes and pines wastes and pines and concurrently simultaneously what is more for reasons unknown in spite of the strides of physical culture the practice of sports such as tennis football running cycling swimming flying floating riding gliding conating camogie skating tennis of all kinds dying flying sports of all sorts autumn summer winter winter tennis of all kinds kockey of all sorts penicilline and succedanea in a word I resume flying gliding golf over nine and eighteen holes tennis of all sorts in a word for reasons unknown in Feckham Peckham Fulham Clapham namely concurrently simultaneously what is more for reasons unknown but time will tell fades away I resume Fulham Clapham in a word the dead loss per head since the death of Bishop Berkeley being to the tune of one inch four ounce per head approximately by and large more or less to the nearest decimal good measure round figures stark naked in the stockinged feet in Connemara in a word for reasons unknown no matter what matter the facts are there and considering what is more much more grave that in the light of the labors lost of Steinweg and Peterman it appears what is more much more grave that in the light the light the light of the labors lost of Steinweg and Peterman that in the plains in the mountains by the seas by the rivers running water running fire the air is the same and then the earth namely the air and then the earth in the great cold the great dark the air and the earth abode of stones in the great cold alas alas in the year of their Lord six hundred and something the air the earth the sea the earth abode of stones in the great deeps the great cold on sea on land and in the air I resume for reasons unknown in spite of the tennis the facts are there but time will tell I resume alas alas on on in short in fine on on abode of stones who can doubt it I resume but no to fast I resume the skull fading fading fading and concurrently simultaneously what is more for reasons unknown in spite of the tennis on on the beard the flames the tears the stones so blue so calm alas alas on on the skull the skull the skull the skull in Connemara in spite of the tennis the labors abandoned left unfinished graver still abode of stones in a word I resume alas alas abandoned unfinished the skull the skull in Connemara in spite of the tennis the skull alas the stones Cunard tennis . . . the stones . . . so calm . . . Cunard . . . unfinished . . .


Lucky's speech from Waiting For Godot by Samuel Beckett.

At first glance, this appears to be alot of blah blah blah and qua qua qua. In the play, Lucky is a bit of a robot for Pozzo, following his commands and carrying his luggage. The above speech is Lucky's only line (or would it be lines?) in the play.

Once all the extra 'junk' is removed from the speech it becomes something a bit more intresting.

On God
Given the existence of a personal God with white beard outside time without extension who loves us dearly and suffers like the divine Miranda with those who are plunged in torment plunged in fire

if that continues fire the firmament that is to say blast hell to heaven so blue still and calm so calm with a calm which even though intermittent is better than nothing

On labor
but not so fast and considering what is more that as a result of the labors left unfinished that which clings to the labors of men that as a result of the labors unfinished

On the human condition
it is established that man wastes and pines wastes and pines for reasons unknown in spite of the strides of physical culture

On Sports
the practice of sports such as tennis football running cycling swimming flying floating riding gliding conating camogie skating tennis of all kinds dying flying sports of all sorts autumn summer winter winter tennis of all kinds kockey of all sorts golf over nine and eighteen holes

On the Earth
that in the plains
in the mountains
by the seas
by the rivers running
the air is the same in the great cold
the great dark
the air and the earth abode of stones

Misc
the facts are there but time will tell

Summary
the beard
the flames
the tears
the stones so blue so calm
the skull the skull the skull the skull
the tennis
the labors abandoned left unfinished

So - stop and think. Who is supposed to be doing the thinking here? Lucky? or the audience?

Think (?), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Thought (?); p. pr. & vb. n. Thinking.] [OE. thinken, properly, to seem, from AS. þyncean (cf. Methinks), but confounded with OE. thenken to think, fr. AS. þencean (imp. þOhte); akin to D. denken, dunken, OS. thenkian, thunkian, G. denken, dünken, Icel. þekkja to perceive, to know, þykkja to seem, Goth. þagkjan, þaggkjan, to think, þygkjan to think, to seem, OL. tongere to know. Cf. Thank, Thought.]

1.

To seem or appear; - - used chiefly in the expressions methinketh or methinks, and methought.

⇒ These are genuine Anglo-Saxon expressions, equivalent to it seems to me, it seemed to me. In these expressions me is in the dative case.

2.

To employ any of the intellectual powers except that of simple perception through the senses; to exercise the higher intellectual faculties.

For that I am
I know, because I think.
Dryden.

3. Specifically: --

(a)

To call anything to mind; to remember; as, I would have sent the books, but I did not think of it.

Well thought upon; I have it here.
Shak.

(b)

To reflect upon any subject; to muse; to meditate; to ponder; to consider; to deliberate.

And when he thought thereon, he wept.
Mark xiv. 72.

He thought within himself, saying, What shall I do, because I have no room where to bestow my fruits?
Luke xii. 17.

(c)

To form an opinion by reasoning; to judge; to conclude; to believe; as, I think it will rain to-morrow.

Let them marry to whom they think best.
Num. xxxvi. 6.

(d)

To purpose; to intend; to design; to mean.

I thought to promote thee unto great honor.
Num. xxiv. 11.

Thou thought'st to help me.
Shak.

(e)

To presume; to venture.

Think not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father.
Matt. iii. 9.

To think, in a philosophical use as yet somewhat limited, designates the higher intellectual acts, the acts preëminently rational; to judge; to compare; to reason. Thinking is employed by Hamilton as "comprehending all our collective energies." It is defined by Mansel as "the act of knowing or judging by means of concepts,"by Lotze as "the reaction of the mind on the material supplied by external influences." See Thought.

To think better of. See under Better. --
To think much of, or To think well of, to hold in esteem; to esteem highly.

Syn. -- To expect; guess; cogitate; reflect; ponder; contemplate; meditate; muse; imagine; suppose; believe. See Expect, Guess.

 

© Webster 1913


Think, v. t.

1.

To conceive; to imagine.

Charity . . . thinketh no evil.
1 Cor. xiii. 4,5.

2.

To plan or design; to plot; to compass. [Obs.]

So little womanhood
And natural goodness, as to think the death
Of her own son.
Beau. & Fl.

3.

To believe; to consider; to esteem.

Nor think superfluous other's aid.
Milton.

To think much, to esteem a great matter; to grudge. [Obs.] "[He] thought not much to clothe his enemies." Milton. --
To think scorn.
(a) To disdain. [Obs.] "He thought scorn to lay hands on Mordecai alone." Esther iii. 6.

(b) To feel indignation. [Obs.]

 

© Webster 1913


Think, n.

Act of thinking; a thought. [Obs. or Colloq.]

 

© Webster 1913

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