This Business of Quotations
“Buy old masters. They fetch a better price than old mistresses.” (Lord Beaverbrook) It’s hard for most literary types to get excited about business unless, of course, it is the business of publishing. But timeless observations do, on occasion, come from our captains of industry. The daily grind tends to hone their wit, adding punch [...]
G.K. Chesterton: Tremendous Trifles
I remember a former boss criticizing and ultimately crushing a colleague with this scathing and unforgettable description: “He has only one idea and it is wrong.” Gilbert Keith Chesterton (1874-1936) was a versatile and enormously gifted writer. He was also a prolific writer, having published some 80 books, a dozen posthumously. The fact that he [...]
Carpe Diem
“Carpe, carpe diem, seize the days boys”, Keating shouted to his students. “Make your lives extraordinary!” The movie was Dead Poets Society. Keating was played by an extraordinary Robin Williams. And if there was ever a call to action, this was it. I am writing a book on quotations. I have a chapter called Action [...]
Proverbs With Nationalist Pretensions
Proverbs tend to be assigned to, ascribed to or claimed by nations or nationalities. Silly really, because proverbs are, by definition, universal in nature. On the other hand, some connections – if somewhat stereotypical – make intuitive sense: The Tsarina’s breasts yield milk, not wine. (Russian proverb of the upper crust) You can’t heat a [...]
