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Bestselling and bargain books: Quotations Dictionary
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Books -> Quotations Dictionary
The Oxford Dictionary of Political Quotations
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by:
Jay, Antony
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Publisher:
Oxford University Press
Published: June 1, 2001
ISBN: 0198631677
Format:Hardcover
Pages:497
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Book Description
Amazon.com
According to Dean Acheson, "The first requirement of a statesman is that he be dull." But people don't always do what they're supposed to do, as illustrated by the more than 4,000 political quotations compiled by Antony Jay. Trenchant,
morbid, ironic, or inane, these bon mots from prominent leaders are everything but dull. The dictionary is arranged alphabetically, running the lexical gamut from British Labour politician Diane Abbott (who opined "Being an MP is the sort of job all
working-class parents want for their children--clean, indoors and no heavy lifting") to French novelist Emile Zola, who said simply, "J'accuse." But there is also a subject index that allows you to search for witticisms featuring the words "rotten,"
"bicker," "subversion," or "handkerchief." In political history, perspective is all. Reading the words of Prince Metternich ("Error has never approached my spirit") and H.L. Mencken ("Puritanism. The haunting fear that someone, somewhere, may be happy")
is as instructive about the past as it is about the present. It makes for fun browsing, too. --Stephanie Gold
Product Description:
Looking back at the recent presidential elections, it would be fair to ask if politicians have anything worth
saying--or have soundbites and spindoctors killed true political wit? The answer--a surprising yes-- can be found in Antony Jay's outstanding Oxford Dictionary of Political Quotations, the last word on which politicians, both at home and abroad, have
uttered lasting words.
This diverse and fresh collection of over 4,000 quotations embraces the world of politics and politicians from biblical times to the present day, with quotations from a wide range of voices, from Aeschylus to Malcolm X,
from Boris Yeltsin to Bill Clinton. Here are every facet of political life, from the pivotal and momentous to the rhetorical, the sincere, the bemused, the tongue-in-cheek, and the downright rude, with memorable words from the old hands as well as from
contemporary quotable figures. There are politicians' views on political events, quips about other politicians, thoughts on the presidency, the British monarchy, Europe, economics, warfare, and the state of society, as well as deeper political truths.
Fully up to date with comments from both politicians and pundits, we find: Bella Abzug on Richard Nixon: he "impeached himself. He gave us Gerald Ford as his revenge."
John Nance Gardner on the worth of office: "The vice-presidency isn't
worth a pitcher of warm piss."
Nikita Krushchev on politicians: "the same all over. They promise to build a bridge where there is no river."
Ross Perot on political roles: "An activist is the guy who cleans the river, not the guy
who concludes its dirty."
Newt Gingrich on Bob Dole: "the tax collector for the welfare state."
These are accompanied by discerning and incisive comments from a whole host of other figures such as Al Capone, Peter Cook, Mahatma
Gandhi, Dorothy Parker, George Washington, Charles de Gaulle, Juan Peron, and Jean-Paul Sartre.
Those with an interest in politics or contemporary affairs or anyone with a healthy dose of cynicism and an appetite for irony will enjoy this
sparkling tour of spoken life in the public eye. In Douglas Hurd's words, "at a time when politics and politicians are in the dumps, Antony Jay reminds us that not all of the profession have been inarticulate and forgettable dimwits."
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