“an old family friend … a retired auto-shop teacher, the sort of guy who knows about wrenches, who even has views on wrenches.”
Kevin Bolger in Ottawa Citizen March 12, 1999
An “indignity [that] would incite a stone to be revenged.”
Samuel Pepys in his Diary Nov. 22 1666, about a supposed insult by Louis XIV of France to Charles II of England, specifically dressing all his footmen in a garment Charles favoured as the height of fashion.
“I’ve developed a new philosophy… I only dread one day at a time.”
Charlie Brown in “Peanuts” (I have seen others use it in some form but I believe Schulz got there first)
“Unless a louse could really leap, believe you me, She wouldn’t go walking on that weave, it was so threadbare.”
William Langland Piers Plowman (edited, introduced and annotated by Elizabeth D. Kirk and Judith H. Anderson) Passus V ll. 196-97 (describing Covetousness’ shabby appearance)
“My life has been a series of enthusiasms.”
David Bowie in a TV interview I watched on September 24, 1999 (wording may not be exact)
In my latest National Post column I say “This government doesn’t do hard” could become our new national motto as a vast cast of characters across the executive, legislative and judicial branches avoids thinking about difficult choices from COVID to national security and the budget.
“Together at one side lay a great company of men-at-arms from Semblidac and near them, but apart, horse-archers of Kaheti. Who loves a stranger?”
Wolfram von Eschenbach Parzival
“Revenge really does feel good… The [then just-published] Swiss brain-imaging study reveals how we draw satisfaction from teaching strangers a lesson when they have behaved badly... As the journal Science puts it, the study reveals what goes on in Dirty Harry’s head when ‘he succinctly informs a norm violator that he anticipates deriving satisfaction from inflicting altruistic punishment.’”
Ottawa Citizen August 27, 2004