“When action grows unprofitable, gather information; when information grows unprofitable, sleep.”
The Left Hand of Darkness ch. 3 (1969)
Excerpted from: Shapiro, Fred, ed. The Yale Book of Quotations. New Haven: Yale University Press, 2006.
“When action grows unprofitable, gather information; when information grows unprofitable, sleep.”
The Left Hand of Darkness ch. 3 (1969)
Excerpted from: Shapiro, Fred, ed. The Yale Book of Quotations. New Haven: Yale University Press, 2006.
Posted in English Language Arts, Quotes, Reference, Social Sciences
Tagged fiction/literature, humor, women's history
“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.
Posted in English Language Arts, New York City, Quotes, Reference
Tagged drama/theater, humor, literary oddities, women's history
“Women have been called queens for a long time, but the kingdom given them isn’t worth ruling.”
An Old-Fashioned Girl ch. 13 (1870)
Excerpted from: Shapiro, Fred, ed. The Yale Book of Quotations. New Haven: Yale University Press, 2006.
“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.
Posted in English Language Arts, Quotes, Reference
Tagged drama/theater, humor, women's history
“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.
Posted in English Language Arts, New York City, Quotes, Reference
Tagged humor, literary oddities, readings/research, women's history
“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.
“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.
“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
Posted in English Language Arts, Quotes, Reference
Tagged black history, humor, music, united states history
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.
“No place affords a more striking conviction of the vanity of human hopes than a public library.”
Excerpted from: Winokur, Jon, ed. The Big Curmudgeon. New York: Black Dog & Leventhal, 2007.
Posted in English Language Arts, Quotes, Reference, Social Sciences
Tagged humor, literary oddities
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