The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Quotations (188 page)
Read The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Quotations Online
Authors: Elizabeth Knowles
1911–93
Nothing is so impenetrable as laughter in a language you don't understand.
An Egyptian Journal
(1985)
1728–74
Sweet Auburn, loveliest village of the plain.
The Deserted Village
(1770) l. 1
Ill fares the land, to hast'ning ills a prey,
Where wealth accumulates, and men decay;
Princes and lords may flourish, or may fade;
A breath can make them, as a breath has made;
But a bold peasantry, their country's pride,
When once destroyed, can never be supplied.
The Deserted Village
(1770) l. 51
How happy he who crowns in shades like these,
A youth of labour with an age of ease.
The Deserted Village
(1770) l. 99
And the loud laugh that spoke the vacant mind.
The Deserted Village
(1770) l. 122
A man he was to all the country dear,
And passing rich with forty pounds a year.
The Deserted Village
(1770) l. 141
Truth from his lips prevailed with double sway,
And fools, who came to scoff, remained to pray.
The Deserted Village
(1770) l. 179
And still they gazed, and still the wonder grew,
That one small head could carry all he knew.
The Deserted Village
(1770) l. 215
How wide the limits stand
Between a splendid and a happy land.
The Deserted Village
(1770) l. 267
Man wants but little here below,
Nor wants that little long.
"Edwin and Angelina, or the Hermit" (1766).
The doctor found, when she was dead,—
Her last disorder mortal.
"Elegy on Mrs Mary Blaize" (1759)
The man recovered of the bite,
The dog it was that died.
"Elegy on the Death of a Mad Dog" (1766)
Our Garrick's a salad; for in him we see
Oil, vinegar, sugar, and saltness agree.
Retaliation
(1774) l. 11.
Too nice for a statesman, too proud for a wit.
of Edmund Burke
Retaliation
(1774) l. 32
On the stage he was natural, simple, affecting;
'Twas only that when he was off he was acting.
of David Garrick
Retaliation
(1774) l. 101
Such is the patriot's boast, where'er we roam,
His first, best country ever is, at home.
The Traveller
(1764) l. 73
And honour sinks where commerce long prevails.
The Traveller
(1764) l. 92
Laws grind the poor, and rich men rule the law.
The Traveller
(1764) l. 386
How small, of all that human hearts endure,
That part which laws or kings can cause or cure!
The Traveller
(1764) l. 429.
The true use of speech is not so much to express our wants as to conceal them.
The Bee
no. 3 (20 October 1759) "On the Use of Language"
Measures not men, have always been my mark.
The Good Natured Man
(1768) act 2
Let schoolmasters puzzle their brain,
With grammar, and nonsense, and learning,
Good liquor, I stoutly maintain,
Gives genius a better discerning.
She Stoops to Conquer
(1773) act 1, sc. 1 "Song"
The very pink of perfection.
She Stoops to Conquer
(1773) act 1
This is Liberty-Hall, gentlemen.
She Stoops to Conquer
(1773) act 2
I…chose my wife, as she did her wedding gown, not for a fine glossy surface, but such qualities as would wear well.
The Vicar of Wakefield
(1766) ch. 1
When lovely woman stoops to folly
And finds too late that men betray,
What charm can soothe her melancholy,
What art can wash her guilt away?
The Vicar of Wakefield
(1766) ch. 29.
There is no arguing with Johnson; for when his pistol misses fire, he knocks you down with the butt end of it.
James Boswell
Life of Samuel Johnson
(1791) 26 October 1769
1909–98
I would remind you that extremism in the defence of liberty is no vice! And let me remind you also that moderation in the pursuit of justice is no virtue!
accepting the presidential nomination, 16 July 1964
1882–1974
Gentlemen, include me out.
resigning from the Motion Picture Producers and Distributors of America, October 1933
Michael Freedland
The Goldwyn Touch
(1986) ch. 10
That's the way with these directors, they're always biting the hand that lays the golden egg.
Alva Johnston
The Great Goldwyn
(1937) ch. 1
A verbal contract isn't worth the paper it is written on.
Alva Johnston
The Great Goldwyn
(1937) ch. 1
Pictures are for entertainment, messages should be delivered by Western Union.
Arthur Marx
Goldwyn
(1976) ch. 15