Me, we. (Supposedly the shortest quote in the English language delivered at a Harvard graduation.)
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We don't read and write poetry because it's cute. We read and write poetry because we are members of the human race and the human race is filled with passion. Medicine, law, business, engineering... these are noble pursuits and necessary to sustain life. But poetry, beauty, romance, love... these are what we stay alive for. To quote from Whitman, 'O me! O life!...of the questions of these recurring, of the endless trains of the faithless...of cities filled with the foolish; what good amid these, O me, O life? Answer. That you are here...that life exists, and identity; that the powerful play goes on and you may contribute a verse.' That the powerful play goes on and you may contribute a verse.
What will your verse be?
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Music hath charms to soothe a savage breast, To soften rocks, or bend a knotted oak.N.B. This quote is commonly misquoted as savage beast.
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We don't read and write poetry because it's cute. We read and write poetry because we are members of the human race and the human race is filled with passion. Medicine, law, business, engineering, these are noble pursuits and necessary to sustain life. But poetry, beauty, romance, love, these are what we stay alive for. To quote from Whitman, 'O me! O life! Of the questions of these recurring, of the endless trains of the faithless, of cities filled with the foolish; what good amid these, O me, O life? Answer. That you are here, that life exists, and identity; that the powerful play goes on and you may contribute a verse.' That the powerful play goes on and you may contribute a verse. What will your verse be?
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Some, for renown, on scraps of learning dote, and think they grow immortal as they quote.
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'These are days you'll remember.' If you recall nothing else from your graduation ceremony, remember you heard the New Jersey Governor quote from 10,000 Maniacs.
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Music hath charms to soothe a savage breast, To soften rocks, or bend a knotted oak. N.B.: This quote is commonly misquoted as savage beast.
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Some for renown, on scraps of learning dote, And think they grow immortal as they quote.
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This quote reminds me to enjoy each moment of the summer Steep thyself in a bowl of summertime.
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I think we must quote whenever we feel that the allusion is interesting or helpful or amusing.
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So I guess this is where I tell you what I learned. My conclusion, right? Well, my conclusion is: hate is baggage. Life's too short to be pissed off all the time. It's just not worth it. Derek says it's always good to end a paper with a quote. Says someone else has already said it best so if you can't top it, steal from them and go out strong. So I picked a guy I thought you'd like. 'We are not enemies, but friends. We must not be enemies. Though passion may have strained, it must not break our bonds of affection. The mystic cords of memory will swell when again touched, as they surely will be, by the better angels of our nature.'
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I quote others only in order the better to express myself.
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The lord is wonderfully good to those who wait for him and seek him.N.B. From this quote is derived the proverb, Good things come to those who wait.
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The surest way to make a monkey of a man is to quote him.
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Some for renown, on scraps of learning dote, And think they grow immortal as they quote.
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eBay, the online auction site, specifically bans the sale of'and I quote' 'soiled underwear'. Excuse me? Soiled underwear? Is it just me, or does it strike anyone else as odd that they specifically mention this?
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Some men see things as they are and ask, 'why' I dream things that never were and ask, 'why not'NB This quote is a paraphrase from a similar quote by G. B. Shaw.
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Avoid this crowd like the plague. And if they quote you, make damn sure they heard you.
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'Civil disobedience has been used as an effective means of bringing about social change throughout history. Thoreau/ Gandhi/ Martin Luther King, Jr. all practiced nonviolent civil disobedience. It allows us to follow the 'moral law,' and it attracts media to the event enabling us to tell the whole world what really goes on behind closed doors. Many expressed dismay at our willingness to break the laws which we consider to be unjust, to them this quote from Thoreau in his famous essay 'On the Duty of Civil Disobedience. If a law is of such nature that it requires you to be the agent of injustice to another, then, I say, break the law! Let your life be a counter friction to stop the machine.'' (FoA's 'Act-tionLine')
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One must be a wise reader to quote wisely and well.
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Some for renown, on scraps of learning dote,
And think they grow immortal as they quote.
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Here's to the crazy ones. The misfits. The rebels. The trouble-makers. The round heads in the square holes. The ones who see things differently. They're not fond of rules. And they have no respect for the status-quo. You can quote them. Disagree with them. Glorify, or vilify them. But the only thing you can't do is ignore them. Because they change things. They push the human race forward. And while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius. Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world Are the ones who do.
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I often quote myself. It adds spice to my conversation.
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The next best thing to being witty one's self, is to be able to quote another's wit.
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Here's to the crazy ones... the misfits; the rebels; the troublemakers. The round pegs in the square holes. The ones who see things differently. They're not fond of rules, and they have no respect for the status quo. You can quote them, disagree with, glorify or vilify them. About the only thing you can't do, is ignore them; because they change things. They push the human race forward. And while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius. Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world are the ones who do.
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Next to being witty yourself, the best thing is being able to quote another's wit.
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With great power comes great responsibility. This is my gift and my curse. I am Spiderman.
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One whom it is easier to hate, but still easier to quote--Alexander Pope.
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He who trains his tongue to quote the learned sages, will be known far and wide as a smart ass.
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There can't be a crisis next week. My schedule is already full.
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