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1.2 What is a great quotation?




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This article is from the Quotations FAQ, by Sir Hans dok@fwi.uva.nl Jason Newquist jrnewquist@ucdavis.edu with numerous contributions by others.

1.2 What is a great quotation?


A good aphorism is too hard for the tooth of time, and
is not worn away by all the centuries, although it serves
as food for every epoch.
Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche (1844-1900)
"Miscellaneous Maxims and Opinions" (1879) no. 168

A great quotation is one that makes you want to chime in with Oscar
Wilde and say ``I wish I had said that.''[1] [SH]

[1]

@A: Whistler, James (1834-1903) *
@Q: [Oscar Wilde:] I wish I had said that.
[Whistler:] You will, Oscar, you will.
@R: in L. C. Ingleby "Oscar Wilde" p. 67

A great quotation is one that highlights a point about the human
condition or of reality with style and in such a way as to present it
in a new light. This tentative definition of mine obliterates any
chance that two people will agree on what is a great quotation, but
that's realistic. It's all up to you. If you can read a particular
quotation over and over again, each time deriving pleasure and
knowledge from the words--chances are, that's a great quotation. Great
quotations should be shared. Post them, write them in .sigs, get them
out there. It is my opinion that there are precious few great
quotations and that they should be shared whenever possible. [JN]

 

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