Most of the best-known quotes by the British poet and critic Samuel Taylor Coleridge come from his poems The Rime of the Ancient Mariner (1798) and Kubla Khan (1816). But…
“Preserve, protect and defend…"
The oath an American president recites upon taking office includes the famous promise to “preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.” Interestingly, one of the first decisions…
“England’s green and pleasant land”
If you’re not British, you may only be vaguely aware of the song “Jerusalem.” But the tune and lyrics are very familiar to the people of England. It is England’s…
“I can resist everything except temptation” and other famous quotes from Oscar Wilde’s play “Lady Windermere’s Fan”…
In 1892, Oscar Wilde was near the peak of his fame. He had already gained international renown as a poet, essayist and wit. His novel The Picture of Dorian Gray…
The dark origins of the terms “the Dismal Science” and “Professors of the Dismal Science”…
“The Dismal Science” is an old but still commonly-used nickname for the realm of economics. “Professors of the Dismal Science” is an old but still used nickname for economists. Both…
“I love it when a plan comes together.”
You may or may not be a fan of the ‘80s TV series The A-Team, but you probably know the famous catchphrase from the show: “I love it when…
“I’m mad as hell” — the misquote of a movie line that is itself a misquote!
During almost every recent election season, political commentators seem to talk about “angry voters” of one kind or another. These disgruntled voters are usually said to be angry about certain…
Two famous quotes launched by Captain John Paul Jones…
The quotation most people associate with American Navy Captain John Paul Jones is “I have not yet begun to fight.” According to legend, Jones said that defiant line during a…
Spiro Agnew vs. the “effete intellectuals” and “nattering nabobs”…
Nowadays, Conservative provocateurs like Donald Trump, Rush Limbaugh and Ann Coulter get lots of media attention for coming up with snarky, quotable insults aimed at Liberals. But the way was…