Tag Archives: humor

Ursula Le Guin Prescribes a Lifestyle

“When action grows unprofitable, gather information; when information grows unprofitable, sleep.”

Ursula Le Guin

The Left Hand of Darkness ch. 3 (1969)

Excerpted from: Shapiro, Fred, ed. The Yale Book of Quotations. New Haven: Yale University Press, 2006.

The Algonquin Wits: Peggy Wood to Aleck Woollcott

Peggy Wood, actress and Round Table frequenter, joined the group one day when [Alexander] Woollcott was discussion the feasibility of reviving Macbeth as a Broadway play. Acknowledging the arrival of Miss Wood, Aleck said, ‘We’re discussing the cast. I don’t think you’d make a very good Lady Macbeth, do you Peggy?’

‘No, Aleck,’ she answered. ‘But you would.’”

Excerpted from: Drennan, Robert E., ed. The Algonquin Wits. New York: Kensington, 1985.

The Trenchant Louisa May Alcott

“Women have been called queens for a long time, but the kingdom given them isn’t worth ruling.”

Louisa May Alcott

An Old-Fashioned Girl ch. 13 (1870)

Excerpted from: Shapiro, Fred, ed. The Yale Book of Quotations. New Haven: Yale University Press, 2006.

Zoe Akins on the Greeks

“The Greeks Had a Word for It.”

Zoe Akins, U.S. Playwright, 1868-1951

Title of Play

Excerpted from: Shapiro, Fred, ed. The Yale Book of Quotations. New Haven: Yale University Press, 2006.

The Algonquin Wits: Beatrice Kaufman Answers Literary Questions

“George Oppenheimer, while an editor at Viking Press, was once assigned to collect material for a question-book called Ask Me Another. As a promotional gimmick the editors were advised to first test the questions on various celebrities. Covering the ‘famous authors’ section, Oppenheimer asked Beatrice Kaufman: ‘Who wrote The Virginian?’

Owen Wister,’ Beatrice answered.

Oppenheimer’s next question read: ‘Who wrote The Virginians?’

Reacting against the gimmicky pattern of the questions, Beatrice answered, ‘Owens Wisters.’”

Excerpted from: Drennan, Robert E., ed. The Algonquin Wits. New York: Kensington, 1985.

The Algonquin Wits: Tallulah Bankhead Reviews a Film

“After sitting through the preview of a strikingly bad movie made by an independent producer, Tallulah observed, ‘What I don’t see is what that producer has got to be independent about.'”

Excerpted from: Drennan, Robert E., ed. The Algonquin Wits. New York: Kensington, 1985.

Muhammad Ali on His Career in Sports

“It’s just a job. Grass grows, birds fly, waves pound the sand, I beat people up.”

Muhammad Ali

Quoted in N.Y. Times, 6 April 1977

Excerpted from: Shapiro, Fred, ed. The Yale Book of Quotations. New Haven: Yale University Press, 2006.

Duke Ellington on Bebop

“Playing ‘bop’ is like Scrabble with all the vowels missing.”

 Excerpted from: Shapiro, Fred, ed. The Yale Book of Quotations. New Haven: Yale University Press, 2006.

Quoted in Look. 10 August 1954

Richard Pryor

Here is a reading on the late, great, Richard Pryor and its attendant vocabulary-building and comprehension worksheet. Richard (as I like to call him, because when I listen to his comedy routines, even now, I feel like I know him–or perhaps he knows me might be a better way to put it) was an important social commentator, whatever you may think of how he lived his life, of his use of profanity and a certain epithet beginning with “n”. The fact is, Richard was rarely wrong.

If you find typos in these documents, I would appreciate a notification. And, as always, if you find this material useful in your practice, I would be grateful to hear what you think of it. I seek your peer review.

Samuel Johnson on a Visit to the Library

“No place affords a more striking conviction of the vanity of human hopes than a public library.”

Samuel Johnson

Excerpted from: Winokur, Jon, ed. The Big Curmudgeon. New York: Black Dog & Leventhal, 2007.