The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Quotations (21 page)

Astley, Jacob
1579–1652

1
O Lord! thou knowest how busy I must be this day: if I forget thee, do not thou forget me.
prayer before the Battle of Edgehill, 1642

Philip Warwick
Memoires
(1701)

 
Back
  -  
 
New Search

Astor, Nancy
1879–1964

1
I married beneath me, all women do.

in
Dictionary of National Biography 1961–1970
(1981)

 
Back
  -  
 
New Search

Atkinson, Brooks
1894–1984

1
After each war there is a little less democracy to save.

Once Around the Sun
(1951) 7 January

 
Back
  -  
 
New Search

Attenborough, David
1926–

1
I'm not over-fond of animals. I am merely astounded by them.

in
Independent
14 January 1995

 
Back
  -  
 
New Search

Attlee, Clement
1883–1967

1
The voice we heard was that of Mr Churchill but the mind was that of Lord Beaverbrook.

speech on radio, 5 June 1945

2
Few thought he was even a starter
There were many who thought themselves smarter
But he ended PM
CH and OM
An earl and a knight of the garter.
describing himself in a letter to Tom Attlee, 8 April 1956

Kenneth Harris
Attlee
(1982)

3
[Russian Communism is] the illegitimate child of Karl Marx and Catherine the Great.

speech at Aarhus University, 11 April 1956

4
Democracy means government by discussion, but it is only effective if you can stop people talking.

speech at Oxford, 14 June 1957

 
Back
  -  
 
New Search

Aubrey, John
1626–97

1
And when he saw the cheese-cakes:—"What have we here,
crinkum crankum
?"

Brief Lives
"Ralph Kettel"

2
Oval face. His eye a dark grey. He had auburn hair. His complexion exceeding fair—he was so fair that they called him
the lady of
Christ's College.

Brief Lives
"John Milton"

3
He pronounced the letter R (
littera canina
) very hard—a certain sign of a satirical wit.

Brief Lives
"John Milton"

4
Sciatica: he cured it, by boiling his buttock.

Brief Lives
"Sir Jonas Moore"

5
Anno 1670, not far from Cirencester, was an apparition; being demanded whether a good spirit or a bad? returned no answer, but disappeared with a curious perfume and most melodious twang. Mr W. Lilly believes it was a fairy.

Miscellanies
(1696) "Apparitions"

 
Back
  -  
 
New Search