Dr. Laurence J. Peter - Peters Quotations: Ideas for Our Times

Frequently, when writing about contemporary subjects, I use humorous or serious quotes to emphasize important points in my manuscripts. In order to have an adequate supply of suitable quotes from which to choose I have collected over the years many gems of brevity, wit, and originality that said something relevant to todays problems. Why not spend some time in determining what is worthwhile for us, and then go after that? William Ross The basis for inclusion of every quote in my collection was the idea it contained and the relationship of that idea to our time. I was not concerned with the literary status or notoriety of the author of the quote, although many famous names did appear. What evolved was a collage of living ideas about the future of our planet earth, ecology, peace, technology, human beliefs, and other subjects related to our present condition. My quote file became uniquely valuable by serving a purpose not fufilled by any of the published collections of quotations.

It dealt with contemporary subjects that were not adequately represented by other quotation references. Secondly, it focused on ideas rather than words, that is, a quote in my collection appeared under a subject heading because the central idea of the quote related to the subject heading and not merely because the word of the subject heading occurred in the quote. And thirdly, my collection contained an abundance of unusual or lesser known quotations, many of great wit, that deserved to be enjoyed by a wider audience. The two most engaging powers of an author are to make new things familiar, familiar things new. William Makepeace Thackeray Quotes that passed the criterion of relevance were then subjected to the criterion of brevity. What, for instance, could be more brief than the words of Jean-Paul Sartre: Childhood decides? It says as much in two words as Dr.

Spock says in twenty: In my opinion, the close emotional ties of an all-round good family provide the strongest stimulus to mental development. Brevity implies condensed expression, succinct style. The quotes chosen for inclusion in this book were characterized by their pertinence to the subject and by their lack of verbiage. The only valid rule about the proper length of a statement is that it achieve its purpose effectively. The total message to be communicated often consists of attitudes or feelings beyond those conveyed by the bare minimum of words. When Hamlet said: The rest is silence, the short-form advocate might have said: Why say it in four words when you can say it in threeIt is finished! The shortest is not the briefest if it fails to achieve its full objective.

A mans legs must be long enough to reach the ground. Abraham Lincoln A popular form of expression used to encapsulate an idea in a few brief words is the epigram. It was employed somewhat in the manner of our modern day one-liner to one-up an opponent in a contest of wits. What is an epigram? A dwarfish whole, Its body brevity, and wit its soul. Samuel Taylor Coleridge The type of quotation favored for this collection is one that is concisely and cleverly worded and makes a pointed observation about our own time. Ideas are modern whether uttered by First Century Rome or Twentieth Century-Fox.

I write long epigrams, you yourself write nothing. Yours are shorter. Martial ( A.D . 40102) Conscientious effort has been expended in an attempt to ascribe properly the authorship of the quotations, although it is recognized that consistent accuracy is virtually an impossibility. Some quotations have become identified with famous persons though they themselves were not the original source. We have been content to play it as it lies in cases such as: Let them eat cake.Marie Antoinette.

I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it.Voltaire. There is nothing to fear but fear itself.Franklin Delano Roosevelt. The iron curtain.Winston Churchill, and Ask not what your country can do for youJohn F. Kennedy. In looking up quotations such as the above, most of us are seeking the individual identified with these statements, rather than their originators. Johann W. von Goethe A different problem is presented where more than one famous person has been credited with authorship of the same familiar quote. von Goethe A different problem is presented where more than one famous person has been credited with authorship of the same familiar quote.

I can resist everything except temptation has appeared in the writings of Oscar Wilde, Mark Twain, Mae West and W. C. Fields, but because the statement was first presented to a large public in the play Lady Windermeres Fan I have credited the quote to Wilde. This does not necessarily prove that Oscar said it first. I have seen the quote, Winning isnt everything. Its the only thing, credited alternately to Vince Lombardi and to Bill Veeck.

Investigation of newspaper and magazine sources indicates that the quote is a paraphrase of statements made by both men. The earliest of the two quotes to appear in print seems to be Bill Veecks I do not think that winning is the most important thing. I think winning is the only thing, while Vince Lombardis first printed version of his now famous statement appeared as Winning is not the most important thing; its everything. Because the purpose of this book is to present ideas, when quotes express the same ideas in almost identical words I have accepted the earlier source. Therefore, Leo Rostens Anybody who hates dogs and babies cant be all bad was selected over W. C.

Fields Anybody who hates children and dogs cant be all bad, but I accepted Fields Anybody who hates dogs and loves whiskey cant be all bad as being sufficiently different in meaning to justify inclusion. Some of the included quotes were derived from oral sources and include lines excerpted from lectures or other live performances, as well as from the utterances of friends and relatives. The only documentation I have for these quotes is my notebook. And sometimes my memory. Although the decisions I had to make were made on a basis of less than perfect evidence, I did put forth a serious effort to avoid mistakes and avoid becoming a party to the initiation, perpetuation, or proliferation of error. A falsehood once received from a famed writer becomes traditional to posterity.