Friday, July 28, 2017

When Insults Had Class

Member of Parliament to Disraeli: Sir, you will either die on the gallows or of some unspeakable disease.
Disraeli: That depends, Sir, whether I embrace your policies or your mistress.

Walter Kerr: He had delusions of adequacy.

William Faulkner about Ernest Hemingway: He has never been known to use a word that might send a reader to the dictionary.

Moses Hadas: Thank you for sending me a copy of your book; I'll waste no time reading it.

Mark Twain: I didn't attend the funeral, but I sent a nice letter saying I approved of it.

Oscar Wilde: He has no enemies, but is intensely disliked by his friends.

George Bernard Shaw to Winston Churchill: I am enclosing two tickets to the first night of my new play; bring a friend, if you have one.
Winston Churchill: Cannot possibly attend first night, will attend second . . . if there is one.

Stephen Bishop: I feel so miserable without you; it's almost like having you here.

John Bright: He is a self-made man and worships his creator.

IrwinCobb: I've just learned about his illness. Let's hope it's nothing trivial.

Mae West: His mother should have thrown him away and kept the stork.

Andrew Lang: He uses statistics as a drunken man uses lamp-posts . . . for support rather than illumination.

Billy Wilder: He has Van Gogh's ear for music.

Groucho Marx: I've had a perfectly wonderful evening. But I'm afraid this wasn't it.

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