23rd
January 2010
Famous
Quotations
How
many of us say things we consider bright
or witty, or informative, philosophical
and deep, even profound … and wish
that somebody, somewhere had recorded
it for posterity, so that even after we
had passed away, people would occasionally
quote them and in so doing, remember us?
Of course, the majority would be wiser
hoping that nobody hears half of the nonsense
we speak – and in some cases, it
would be highly commendable if we went
against the old highly recommended piece
of advice and insisted on “hiding
our light under a bushel”. For you
also know the saying: “It is better
to keep your mouth shut and let people
think you are a fool, than to open it
and prove them right,” or words
to that effect.
Anyway, enough of the preamble …
if I continue for too long, I may just
end up proving you guys right.
The few examples that follow are witty,
quotable sayings from some of the world’s
most famous people, most of them already
gone to the great beyond, two of them
(I think) still with us. I love them,
so I share them with you … in the
forlorn hope that someday, even perhaps
decades from now, somebody somewhere will
repeat something I once said and tell
his listeners, “There was this ancient
Marquis fellow who wisely (or humorously,
or intuitively, or whatever quality they
want to attribute to me) said …
and follow it up, amazing all present
with the enormity of my sagacity and wisdom.
Now, that’s a legacy!
In the meantime, here’s what some
other sagacious, wise and humorous folk
managed to sneak into the realm of posterity:
Sometimes, when I look
at my children, I say to myself ~~”Lillian,
you should have remained a virgin.”
-- Lillian Carter (mother of Jimmy Carter)
I had a rose named after
me and I was very flattered. But I was
not pleased to read the description in
the catalog: “No good in a bed,
but fine against a wall.”
-- Eleanor Roosevelt
Last week, I stated this
woman was the ugliest woman I had ever
seen. I have since been visited by her
sister, and now wish to withdraw that
statement.
-- Mark Twain
The secret of a good sermon
is to have a good beginning and a good
ending; and to have the two as close together
as possible.
-- George Burns
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