fortune is a program which displays random messages, quotations, folk sayings, and other verbal fluff. Historically, it dates back to unix systems, and is believed to have been used by software developers to help break tension, or perhaps it was simply just an early version of a 'widget'. Because it was originally created by software engineers, some of the older fortunes are programmer's jokes and make little sense to most people. Since then, however, the fortune database has grown and forked off to numerous differing versions. Some fortunes are well dated or make social comments now out of context, others make no sense whatsoever, but many are gems, offering truly useful advice or food for thought, and many are timeless with origins unknown.

When you have an efficient government, you have a dictatorship.


-- Harry Truman