Famous Quotes, Funny Quotes and Quotations of Love - Sound Bites of Life
Posted: Monday, July 05, 2010
by Julian Price
http://www.uk-freelance-content-writer.co.uk/
To quote dictionary.com, one of the definitions for the word “quote” is “To repeat or copy the words of (another), usually with acknowledgment of the source.”
Quotes are used every day and in many areas and aspects of life. Of course, people remember and use quotes because they are often memorable or are thought to hold great eternal truths but I sometimes wonder if quotes are used at the expense of originality. Why can we not say something profound and meaningful ourselves when “quote” moments arise? Are we too lazy to think or are some famous quotations simply impossible to better?
“Wood doesn’t grow on trees you know!” a woodwork teacher used to angrily exclaim when a student appeared to be making a bit of a mess out of the block of wood he had given them to turn into something beautiful. Without fail, this always reminds me of my school days and a certain time in my life.
Some of the most popular quotes are often the funniest too. “I don’t want to achieve immortality through my work. I want to achieve it through not dying.” Woody Allen. Humour laced with wishful thinking, perhaps.
The very funny, late Peter Cook said, “There’s terrific merit in having no sense of humour, no sense of irony, practically no sense of anything at all. If you’re born with these so-called defects you have a very good chance of getting to the top.”
How about some of these, some of the most famous quotes of all time:
“ All glory comes from daring to begin.” William Shakespeare
“Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a day in your life.” Confucius
“An optimist sees an opportunity in every calamity; a pessimist sees a calamity in every opportunity.” Winston Churchill
For the romantics among us, love quotations can help us express something we feel when we struggle to find the words ourselves, or they can make us long for something we have yet to encounter.
How about this one from the author of Captain Corelli’s Mandolin, Louis de Bernieres?
“Love is a temporary madness; it erupts like volcanoes and then subsides. And when it subsides you have to make a decision. You have to work out whether your roots have so entwined that it is inconceivable that you should ever part.”
Or perhaps, “Hell is not to love any more, Madame. Not to love anymore!” Georges Bernanos.
I think if I had to select an absolute favourite quote it would be this from a Paddy Ashdown (now Lord Ashdown) speech . “Lord, make my words sweet and reasonable. For some day I may have to eat them.”
It must be the eager writer in me that makes this particular quote strike home and is maybe a modern take on “Think before you speak” and “Look before you leap” which of course will never lose their resonance.
This Article has been viewed 2,020 times. (Not updated in real-time.)
Top-level comments on this article: (9 total)Nice thoughts on quotes, and some good ones included.Thanks for reading and commenting Joyce. Much appreciated.
Great selection of quotes, Julian. I can see why your favorite is a favorite!Hi Jennifer, thanks for reading. Glad you enjoyed the quotes!
Hi julian- Enjoyed this article- it was interesting- I like to use quotes myself- usually to show what they mean to me. I think if someone went to the trouble of writing them for us, we should at least remember them. I would be flattered if someone remembered something I said years after I'm gone. That's why people quote the Bible so often. Here's one I like- "Lord give me chastity, but not yet." St. Augustine.Hi Ella, Glad you enjoyed the article. Thanks for taking time to read and leave a comment. Much appreciated. Thanks for adding a quote of your own too!
Very nice selection. The one about wood not growing on trees reminded me of when I was a child and my father said 'money doesn't grow on trees' and I said, 'actually, it does. The paper comes from wood pulp.' I got a grounding for the insolence, but whenever I hear that expression I remember my answer. Well done.Hi Michael, Thanks for chipping in with a comment and reading. Glad you liked the selection. Much appreciated.
I loved the Confucius and Winston Churchill quotes!Thanks for reading James. Much appreciated!
I have to say that I have really enjoyed your quotes.
Many thanksThanks for reading Elfreda, I appreciate it!
You really are a very talented writer julian. This article was both informative and funny! Keep up the good work!Thanks for the kind comment pumpkin. Much appreciated!
Very interesting article Julian. Intriguing to think whether by using quotes we back up our point of view or whether we eradicate some of our own originality. Thank you.Thanks Schmeichel! I appreciate you taking time to read and comment.
Great article Julian. Enjoyed reading!Hi Jo! Thanks for reading, glad you enjoyed the article!
We want your comments! If you can read this, you don't have javascript enabled, so you can't use this comment system. Please enable javascript.