EDITOR’S NOTE: The recent deadly school shooting in Santa Fe, Texas, not long after the school shooting in Parkland, Florida, reminded me of the context of Charlton Heston’s first…
The Original “12 Step Program”
Today, there are many organizations that use a “12-step program” to help people deal with some type of addiction or other problems. In addition to alcohol and drug-related groups, there…
“I know nothing!” – the memorable catchphrase of a forgotten political party
Many people associate the catchphrase “I know nothing!” with the television character Sergeant Schultz (actor John Banner). It was one of his frequent lines in the 1960s comedy series Hogan’s…
“Talk to the hand!”
If you’re not a fan of actress Fran Drescher or cutesy romantic comedies, you may have avoided seeing Drescher’s 1997 rom-com The Beautician and the Beast. But it’s unlikely that…
“We don’t need no stinking badges!” – the misquote that became a famous quote
“We don’t need no stinking badges!” is one of the few famous lines that is both a famous quote and a misquote. It’s also the source of many variations about…
“Strange but true” — there are quotes by Lord Byron you probably didn’t know you knew…
Although Lord Byron (George Gordon Noel Byron) is one of the most famous of all English poets, few of us can recite a lot of lines from his poems. Thanks…
“Greed is good!” – the famous movie misquote and it’s real life inspiration
On December 11, 1987 Oliver Stone’s film Wall Street was released in U.S. theaters. The movie stars Michael Douglas as Gordon Gekko, a mega-rich, ethically-challenged Wall Street investor who specializes…
“He who destroys a good book kills reason itself.”
In the 1630s, England’s infamous “Star Chamber” (sort of a politically-oriented version of the Spanish Inquisition) banned the printing or sale of “any seditious, scismaticall, or offensive Bookes or Pamphlets.”…