Favorite Quotes

List of Signature Phrases

Wikipedia has a great list of signature phrases — the unique lines associated with real or fictional characters, and they cover a lot of territory. Read it over; it will bring back some memories.

# “Aciao good night!” (Aciao bonsoir!) – P.P.D. the puppet in the French satiric show Les Guignols de l’Info, at the end of most of his broadcasts

# “Actual retail price, $ (dollar amount)…” – Bob Barker, on The Price is Right (He follows it with “…a difference of $ (dollar amount)” in the Card Game and concluding Showcase round, unless a contestant has overbid, in which case he says, “You’re over.”)

# “Aflac!” – Aflac Duck

# “After these messages, we’ll be right back.” – sung at the beginning of every commercial break on the old ABC Saturday morning cartoons

# “Ah-one, and ah-two…” – Lawrence Welk, directing his musical performers on The Lawrence Welk Show

# “Ahh, shaddap!” – Foghorn Leghorn on his cartoons. Also said by Sylvester and Yosemite Sam.

# “Ain’t I a stinker?” – Bugs Bunny

# “Ain’t the beer cold!” – the late Baltimore Orioles broadcaster

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President Washington Used Electronic Wiretaps

“President Washington, President Lincoln, President Wilson, President Roosevelt have all authorized electronic surveillance on a far broader scale.” — Attorney General Alberto Gonzales while testifying before congress on illegal wiretapping
No, I’m not shitting you, he really said that, and you can see the video yourself.
Can I also point out that aside from the fact that there weren’t electronics in Washington’s time — he was also fighting the Revolutionary War. You know, the one we had before the Constitution that makes this stuff illegal. So, technically, if he had some electronics with medium voltage cable, and, you know, so did the British, he would legally have been allowed to wiretap them, on accounta, we didn’t have a government yet.
But can I just point out that Gonzales is one of the brilliant minds running our country?

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Corett Scott King Quotes

“I still hear people say that I should not be talking about the rights of lesbian and gay people and I should stick to the issue of racial justice,” she said. “But I hasten to remind them that Martin Luther King Jr. said, ‘Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.’ I appeal to everyone who believes in Martin Luther King Jr.’s dream to make room at the table of brother- and sisterhood for lesbian and gay people” – Coretta Scott King
“Homophobia is like racism and anti-Semitism and other forms of bigotry in that it seeks to dehumanize a large group of people, to deny their humanity, their dignity and personhood,” – Coretta Scott King

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What have you given us, Dr. Franklin?

It’s Benjamin Franklin’s 300th birthday.

The story goes that, as Franklin left the Constitutional Convention in 1787, he was approached by a Mrs. Powell, who asked him, “What have you given us, Dr. Franklin?”
“A republic,” he replied, “if you can keep it.”

With Alito, looks like that’s pretty much gone, now.

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If you can’t maim them, Auntie Mame them

Mame Dennis: Well, now, uh, read me all the words you don’t understand.
Patrick Dennis: Libido, inferiority complex, stinko, blotto, free love, bathtub gin, monkey glands, Karl Marx… is he one of the Marx Brothers?
Patrick Dennis: …Neurotic, heterosexual…
Mame Dennis: Oh, my my my my, what an eager little mind.
[takes the list]
Mame Dennis: You won’t need some of these words for months and months.

—

Patrick Dennis: Is the English lady sick, Auntie Mame?
Auntie Mame: She’s not English, darling… she’s from Pittsburgh.
Patrick Dennis: She sounded English.
Auntie Mame: Well, when you’re from Pittsburgh, you have to do something.

—

Mame Dennis: That’s a B. It’s the first letter of a seven-letter word that means your father.

—

Auntie Mame: Please dear, your Auntie Mame is hung.

—

MAME: You know, I was always fascinated by aviation. I never knew they did it all with rubber bands.

—

Vera Charles: If you kept your hair natural like I do…
Auntie Mame: If I kept my hair natural like yours, I’d be bald.

—

MAME: Mr. Babbit–
MR. BABCOCK: BabCOCK.
MAME: Yes.

—

Auntie Mame: Oh, Agnes! Here you’ve been taking my dictations for weeks and you haven’t gotten the message of my book: live!
Agnes Gooch: Live?
Auntie Mame: Yes! Live! Life’s a banquet and most poor suckers are starving to death!

—
Gloria: Don’t you just think books are so decorative?

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Thomas Jefferson

“Bear in mind this sacred principle, that though the will of the majority is in all cases to prevail, that will, to be rightful, must be reasonable; that the minority possess their equal rights, which equal laws must protect, and to violate would be oppression.” –Thomas Jefferson: 1st Inaugural, 1801. ME 3:318

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New Favorite Quote

Again from the Television Without Pity recap of Carnivale, this time from the season finale:

“Libby crosses the carnival to find Sofie hanging out by a tent, and they both kick off their date by lighting cigarettes. Flick…ahh. Then they stare deep into each other’s eyes and kiss. I think it’s kind of sad that I’m watching this on TV, and it’s still the best date I’ve ever been on.”

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Alanis: Irony Defined.

Irony defined — by the British, of course, because they did invent the language after all. I’m posting this here because I’m resisting the temptation to send it directly to people.
Favorite part so far: “every one of us, I’d guess, has a friend who engages in an argument, waits patiently until you’ve said something really trenchant and probably wrong, then cocks his (or her) head to one side and says, “Do you think that’s true?” thereafter pursuing each one of your most ridiculous points and challenging them from a perspective of utter (pretended) ignorance. Weirdly, this is never called irony, even though every other bloody thing that anyone ever says is.”

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