The Top Quotes of 2012 – and some of the top “top quotes” lists of 2012…

Every December, various pundits, writers and media outlets publish lists of what they consider to be the the year’s “top” or “best” quotations — either in general or within a…

“I can see Russia from my house!” The famous Sarah Palin quote that she didn’t actually say…

On September 13, 2008, actress Tina Fey took a break from her hit TV show 30 Rock to make a guest appearance on Saturday Night Live, where she was formerly…

To boldly split infinitives that no man has split before…

You may have had English teachers who tried to repeatedly make you believe that you need to strictly avoid using split infinitives — such as “to repeatedly make” or “to…

When the whole world was (and wasn’t) watching…

On August 28, 2010, conservative talk show host Glenn Beck held a controversial media event and “rally” for his Tea Party followers in Washington, D.C. Because Beck had made racially…

The origins of “Rum, sodomy and the lash” – Churchill’s alleged quip about British naval tradition…

Many books of quotations include a caustic quote attributed to Winston Churchill (1874-1965) in which he supposedly called British naval tradition nothing but “rum, sodomy, and the lash.” (Sometimes given…

Dr. Mardy Grothe’s NEVERISMS – a highly-recommended new book of quotations…

Every once in a while, I depart from the usual format of this blog to tell readers about new books of quotations that I particularly like and personally recommend. Today’s…

George H.W. Bush and “the vision thing”…

It’s impossible to predict what quotes will come to be indelibly associated with each president of the United States. However, the famous quotes most presidents are remembered for include some…

“Nothing is certain except death and taxes.”

One of the most famous quotations by Benjamin Franklin is: “Nothing is certain except death and taxes.” (Commonly heard as “Nothing is certain but death and taxes.”) The source of…

“History will absolve me.” (“La historia me absolver.”)

Recently, Fidel Castro generated worldwide news when he told a journalist for The Atlantic magazine that the Communist model he had imposed on Cuba “doesn’t even work for us anymore.”…

The first Letterman “Top Ten” list debuted 25 years ago today…

If you were watching David Letterman’s show on September 18, 1985, back when it was still on NBC and called Late Night with David Letterman, you saw a bit of…