The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Quotations (26 page)
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Authors: Elizabeth Knowles
1857–1941
The scouts' motto is founded on my initials, it is:
be
prepared
.
Scouting for Boys
(1908)
1826–77
In such constitutions [as England's] there are two parts…first, those which excite and preserve the reverence of the population—the
dignified
parts…and next, the
efficient
parts—those by which it, in fact, works and rules.
The English Constitution
(1867) "The Cabinet"
The Crown is, according to the saying, the "fountain of honour"; but the Treasury is the spring of business.
The English Constitution
(1867) "The Cabinet".
It has been said that England invented the phrase, "Her Majesty's Opposition"; that it was the first government which made a criticism of administration as much a part of the polity as administration itself. This critical opposition is the consequence of cabinet government.
The English Constitution
(1867) "The Cabinet".
The Times
has made many ministries.
The English Constitution
(1867) "The Cabinet"
It has been said, not truly, but with a possible approximation to truth, that in 1802 every hereditary monarch was insane.
The English Constitution
(1867) "Checks and Balances"
Like Count Moltke, "silent in seven languages".
The English Constitution
(1867) "Checks and Balances"
It is nice to trace how the actions of a retired widow and an unemployed youth become of such importance.
of Queen Victoria and the future Edward VII
The English Constitution
(1867) "The Monarchy"
Throughout the greater part of his life George III was a kind of "consecrated obstruction".
The English Constitution
(1867) "The Monarchy"
There are arguments for not having a Court, and there are arguments for having a splendid Court; but there are no arguments for having a mean Court.
The English Constitution
(1867) "The Monarchy"
The Queen…must sign her own death-warrant if the two Houses unanimously send it up to her.
The English Constitution
(1867) "The Monarchy"
Our royalty is to be reverenced, and if you begin to poke about it you cannot reverence it…We must not let in daylight upon magic.
The English Constitution
(1867) "The Monarchy (continued)"
The Sovereign has, under a constitutional monarchy such as ours, three rights—the right to be consulted, the right to encourage, the right to warn.
The English Constitution
(1867) "The Monarchy (continued)"
Writers, like teeth, are divided into incisors and grinders.
Estimates of some Englishmen and Scotchmen
(1858) "The First Edinburgh Reviewers"
1844–1921
In this century, which is the century of light and the revelation of mysteries…it is well established that mankind and womankind as parts of composite humanity are coequal and that no difference in estimate is allowable, for all are human.
at a woman's suffrage meeting in New York, 1912
ibn Paquda fl. 1080
You should know, O man, that the greatest enemy you have in the world is your inclination.
The Duties of the Heart
Gate 5, ch. 5
1938–
It takes a lot of imagination to be a good photographer. You need less imagination to be a painter, because you can invent things. But in photography everything is so ordinary; it takes a lot of looking before you learn to see the ordinary.
interview in
The Face
December 1984