Dictionary of quotations

1292 Pages·2005·15.24 MB·english

by  Una McGovern

CHAMBERS
Dictionary of
QUOTATIONS

CHAMBERS
CHAMBERS
AnimprintofChambersHarrapPublishersLtd
7HopetounCrescent
Edinburgh
EH74AY
Previouseditionpublished1996
ThiseditionpublishedbyChambersHarrapPublishersLtd2005
(cid:1)ChambersHarrapPublishersLtd2005
Allrightsreserved.Nopartofthispublicationmaybereproduced,storedina
retrievalsystemortransmittedbyanymeans,electronic,mechanicalorotherwise,
withoutthepriorpermissionofthepublisher.
ACIPcataloguerecordforthisbookisavailablefromtheBritishLibrary.
ISBN0550100857

DesignedandtypesetbyChambersHarrapPublishersLtd,Edinburgh
PrintedbyQuebecorWorld,USA
Contributors
Editor
UnaMcGovern
Contributors
DonCurrie
DavidPickering
AlanTaylor
WilsonJWall
TimWinter
Consultants
PaulEdmondson
SusanShatto
Editorialassistance
HazelNorris
ElaineO’Donoghue
Proofreaders
HilaryBates
SheilaFerguson
RosalindFergusson
GrahamFrankland
IngaloThomson
Publishingmanager
PatrickWhite
Prepressmanager
SharonMcTeir
Prepress
DavidReid
Theeditorswouldalsoliketothankthefollowingmembersofthepublicwhohave
contributedquotationstothiseditionofthedictionary:RossBeresford,SSChubbs,
IvyChung,SueFlavell,AmbroseKennedy,RichardLittle,
JayneLoughry,CairnsMcDevitte,IrvingRosenwater,MarkSnegg,HughTyler
iii
Contributors to theprevious edition
Editors
AlisonJones
StephaniePickering
MeganThomson
Contributors
KatherineAcheson
JuliaCarlson
JohnRobertColombo
IngridCranfield
WendyDossett
Jose¤ Garcia
GrahamGiles
WEricGustafson
BruceHenstell
DavidHorspool
DeanJuniper
VictoriaKeller
GraceKenny
MichaelKinsella
PaulMaloney
KennyMathieson
KevinMcGinley
JimOrton
PatriciaPerilli
MichaelPetheram
DavidPickering
JamesRobertson
AdrianRoom
DonaldRutherford
DWDShaw
SeanSheehan
JaneStewart
SusanStiles
OnnovanNijf
Politicalconsultant
KennethBaker
NorthAmericanconsultant
RevJamesBSimpson
iv
Introduction
Aquotationcancomefromanynotablesource,spokenorwritten,andfromanylanguageatanytime.Quotations
interestusespeciallywhentheyexpressanideaorthoughtinaninterestingormemorableway,orsimplyamuseuswith
theirsharpwit.Thusthiscollectioncontainsnotonlyliteraryquotationsfromimportantauthorsbothpastandpresent,
butalsoquotationsfrompeopleinmanyotherwalksoflife.Aswellaswriters,critics,politiciansandjournalists,we
havesoughtoutmemorablephrasesfromscientists,industrialists,entertainers,sportspeople,andmanymore,to
reflectthediversityofmodernlife.Andjustastheworldhaschangedsincethelasteditionofthisdictionary,somanyof
thehundredsofnewquotationswehaveselectedreflectthesechanges,andimportantglobalandlocalevents.
Thecoverageistrulyinternational,extendingtoothervarietiesofEnglishandtootherlanguageswheretheseprovide
materialthatisreadilyquotableinEnglish.Whereappropriate,quotationsfromlanguagesusingtheRomanalphabetare
givenintheiroriginalformandarefollowedbyatranslation.Wherenospecifictranslationhasbeenused,wehave
aimedtogiveagoodworkingEnglishversion.
Quotationsarearrangedalphabeticallybyauthor,andchronologically(asfaraspossible)withineachauthorentry,
withtheyearofthequotationputfirstwhenthisisknown.Thisenablesthereadertobrowsethroughthequotesofa
particularperson,andseetheirthoughtsorworksastheydevelopedovertime.Thischronologicalarrangementis
specifictothisdictionary,anditmakesthisdictionarymuchmorethanacollectionofbonsmots.Wherepossible,each
entryalsoincludesabriefbiographyoftheauthor,andmanyquotationsaresupplementedbycontextualnotes.These
willhelpthereadertounderstandandappreciatethequotationsmorefully.
Adependablesourceisgivenforeachquotationwherepossible.Wherequotationsareknownfrommanysecondary
sourceswithnotraceableprimarysourcetheyaregivenas‘attributed’.
Thecomprehensiveindexisarrangedbykeyword.Thisallowsthereadertofindquotationsonaparticularsubject.
Onceyouhavelocatedyourkeyword,eachentryintheindexreferstheusertotheauthor,thepagenumberonwhich
thequotationoccurs,andthenumberofthequotationonthepage.Quotationsarenumberedfrom1to99andthen
startagainat1.SoareferencetoBACON47:58pointstothequotationbyFrancisBaconnumbered58onpage47.
Cross-referenceswithinthetextusethesamesystem.
Ouraimhasbeentopresentthemostmemorablecommentsonallaspectsofhumanexperience,butweappreciate
thatnoselectioncanbedefinitive,andtheeditorswouldappreciatesuggestionsforinclusioninfutureeditions.

v
Abbreviations
b. born
bk. book
c century(indates,eg18c)
c. circa
ch. chapter
d. died
fl. floruit
l. line
pt. part
sc. scene
Namesofmonthsareshortenedtotheirfirstthreeletters.

vi
QUOTATIONS
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a
6 Iknowthecolourrose,anditislovely,
Butnotwhenitripensinatumour;
Andhealinggreens,leavesandgrass,sospringlike,
Inlimbsthatfesterarenotspringlike.
1968‘PathologyofColours’.
7 Sointhesimpleblessingofarainbow,
Inthebevellededgeofasunlitmirror,
Ihaveseenvisible,Death’sartifact
Abbott,DianeJulie 1953^ Likeasoldier’sribbononatunictacked.
BritishLabourpolitician,whobecamethefirstblackwoman 1968‘PathologyofColours’.
MemberofParliamentin1987. 8 ThethemeofDeathistoPoetrywhatMistakenIdentity
istoDrama.
1 Forestsofmiddle-agedmenindarksuits†allslightly
1984Journalentry,Feb,collectedinJournalsfromtheAnt-Heap
redfacedfromeatinganddrinkingtoomuch†a
(1986).
nightmareofelderlywhitemales.
9 WeBritishareanaggressivenation.Weseemtohave
1988OftheHouseofCommons.IntheNewYorkTimes,3Jun.
becomemoreviolentthislastdecade:lookhowwe
Abelard,Peter 1079^1142 drivefastandfurious,withfistsclenched;listen,atthe
stadiums,howthecrowdsshout,‘Kickhisfuckin’head
Frenchecclesiastandtheologian.Attheageof38,hefellinlove in,’ortothesirensofpolicecarsandambulancesinthe
with his 17-year-old pupil He¤lo|«se; when the affair was
shoddystreetsofBrixtonorLiverpool.
discovered,hewascastratedbyherrelatives.Hebecamea
1986JournalsfromtheAnt-Heap,‘Appendix1:AuthorsTakeSides’.
monk and went on to found the monastic school of the
Paraclete and to serve as Abbot of St Gildas-de-Rhuys, Abu’l-’Ala¤ Al-Ma’arri 973^1058
Brittany.Declaredahereticbyhisadversaries,hediedonhis
waytodefendhimself. Syrian poet and scholar. He was blinded by smallpox in
childhood and devoted himself to study, memorizing the
2 Nonenimfaciledehis,quosplurimumdiligimus, manuscriptsofSyrianlibraries.Aswellaspoems,hewrote
turpitudinemsuspicamur. philosophicalandmysticalworks.
Wedonoteasilysuspectevilofthosewhomwelovemost.
10Weliveignorantanddieinerrancyaswelived.
c.1132HistoriaCalamitatum,ch.6.
c.1000Luzu'miyya't,stanza4(translatedbyRANicholsonin
3 Cumitaquemembrishisvilissimis,qu(cid:1)prosumm(cid:1) StudiesinIslamicPoetry,1921).
turpitudinisexercitiopudendavocantur,necproprium
11 Theworld’sbestmomentisacalmhourpassed
sustinentnomen,medivinagratiamundavitpotius
Inlisteningtoafriendwhocantalkwell.
quamprivavit,quidaliudegitquamadpuritatem
c.1000Luzu'miyya't,stanza32(translatedbyRANicholsonin
munditi(cid:1)conservandamsordidaremovitetvitia.
StudiesinIslamicPoetry,1921).
Whendivinegracecleansedratherthandeprivedmeof
12WefleefromDeath’sbittercup;hefollows,lovingand
thosemostvilememberswhichfromtheirgrossly
fain.
depravedactivityarecalled‘pudenda’[‘shameful’],
c.1000Luzu'miyya't,stanza36(translatedbyRANicholsonin
havingnopropernameoftheirown,whatelsediditdo
StudiesinIslamicPoetry,1921).
butremovefilthandfoulnesssoastopreserve
13LifeisamaladywhoseonemedicineisDeath.
unblemishedpurity?
c.1135Ofhiscastration.SecondlettertoHe¤lo|«s e. c.1000Luzu'miyya't,stanza41(translatedbyRANicholsonin
StudiesinIslamicPoetry,1921).
4 Oquantaqualiasuntillasabbata, 14Considereverymomentpast
Quaesempercelebratsupernacuria.
Athreadfromlife’sfrayedmantlecast.
Owhattheirjoyandtheirglorymustbe,
c.1000Luzu'miyya't,stanza57(translatedbyRANicholsonin
Thoseendlesssabbathstheblesse'donessee. StudiesinIslamicPoetry,1921).
HymnariusParaclitensis,bk.1,no.29,‘Sabbato.AdVesperas’
(translatedbyJMNeale). Abzug,BellaoriginallyBellaSavitzky 1920^98
Abercrombie,Lascelles 1881^1938 USfeminist,lawyer,writerandCongresswoman.Shewasoneof
thekeyfiguresofthemodernfeministmovement.
Englishpoetandcritic.Hewroteseveralvolumesofpoetryin
the Georgianmanner, and a number of works of academic 15RichardNixonself-impeached†[and]gaveusGeneral
literarycriticism. Fordashisrevenge.
1976InRollingStone,2Dec.
5 Thepoet’sbusinessisnottodescribethingstous,orto
tellusaboutthings,buttocreateinourmindsthevery Accius 170^c.86BC
thingsthemselves.
Romanpoetandplaywright.
1932Poetry:ItsMusicandMeaning,introduction.
16Oderint,dummetuant.
Abse,Dannie 1923^ Letthemhate,solongastheyfear.
QuotedinSenecaDialogues,‘DeIra’.
Welshwriterandphysician,specialistataLondonchestclinic
from1954to1989.Bestknownasapoet,hehasalsowritten
Ace,Goodman 1899^1982
novels,playsandautobiographicalworks,includingAPoetin
theFamily(1974)andGoodbye,TwentiethCentury(2001). UShumorist,bestknownforhisradioshowssuchasTheEasy