Oxford Dictionary of Quotations

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George Savile, Marquis of Halifax: "Men are not hanged for stealing horses, but that horses may not be stolen." For over 70 years, Oxford University Press has been collecting, sourcing, researching, and authenticating quotations on an international scale. In doing so, it has created the rich language resource from which the Oxford University Press ‘family’ of quotations dictionaries derives. and English), as well as more quotations from women authors, from the sciences, and from films, TV, journalism, and politics. Each quotation is accompanied by its earliest traceable source, and the main listing by author is complemented by a useful key word index. And the Dictionary is now occasions. Ranging from the profound, to cogent, to witty, these quotations will add spice to your writing and conversation. An ideal reference for any home or office library, The Oxford Dictionary of Quotations is a perennial source of entertainment and inspiration for public speakers, writers, or Once we have established that a quotation is sufficiently interesting, we have to make sure that it is genuine: that the wording is correct, and that the supposed author really did say it.

Words from long ago may be quoted in a new context, as when Rowan Williams, the Archbishop of Canterbury, quoted the words of the fourteenth century mystic St Catherine of Siena at the wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton: ‘Be who God meant you to be and you will set the world on fire’. A major new edition of the most authoritative dictionary of quotations available brings you the wit and wisdom of past and present – from the ancients of East and West to the global village of the 21st century. Find that half-remembered line in a paradise of quotations for all occasions, from over 3,700 authors. Lord Byron may have taken the view: ‘I think it great affectation not to quote oneself’, but for the less self-centred this classic work provides a quote for every occasion, whether from the greatest minds of history or from undistinguished characters known only for one happy line. Some quotations have a complicated history. David Cameron is widely associated with the words ‘Hug a hoodie’, but it was not he who originally said them. They were the words of the Labour politician Vernon Coaker commenting on the advance text of a forthcoming speech by Cameron. Here readers will find in one volume the wit and wisdom of humanity--the finest lines to be found from Shakespeare, the Bible, Mark Twain, Alan Greenspan, and hundreds of other writers, philosophers, political figures, and entertainers. This new edition contains over 200 new entries including

History of English

Oxford Dictionary of Quotations audio links, including original speeches, poets reading their own work, or works in Old English Johnson certainly thought that Pope’s language was influential. His ‘Life’ of the poet declares that Pope Alternatively, an idea may be around in a general way, but it may take the impetus of a speech by a well-known figure to crystallize it in the public consciousness, as American Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld did for the ‘known knowns…known unknowns…unknown unknowns’.

In the first instance, we look at the new quotations in our database, and select those which are best-known, and those which represent new or unusual ideas. To qualify for inclusion in a dictionary, a saying must be being quoted. It does not matter whether it is being quoted approvingly or being disagreed with, what matters is that people think it worth repeating. You can do a basic search by entering a few words from the quotation in the Search box and restricting the results to those in the subject area Quotations (using the left-hand pane). This works well if the words are not too common, but is less useful for words like ‘man’ or ‘love’. This major new edition offers the broadest and most up-to-date coverage of quotations available today. Now with 20,000 quotations arranged by author, this is Oxford's largest quotations dictionary ever. Alongside superb coverage of quotations from traditional sources, the Dictionary now boasts improved coverage of world religions, classical Greek and Latin literature, proverbs, and nursery rhymes. In addition, for the first time there are special sections for Advertising Slogans, Epitaphs, Film Lines, and Misquotations, which bring together topical and related quotes. Moreover, the new Fifth Edition provides enhanced accessibility with a new thematic index to help you find the best quotes on a chosen subject, more in depth details of the earliest traceable source, an extensive keyword index, and biographical cross references, so you will easily be able to find quotations for all occasions, and identify who said what, where, and when. Napoleon: "England is a nation of shopkeepers" (in the original French, "L'Angleterre est une nation de boutiquiers."). The Oxford Dictionary of Quotations has been long hailed as the most literary quotation book available, and the newest edition is the largest and most comprehensive of its kind. Over 20,000 quotations from every era and every location bring you the wisdom of ages and the sound bites of today.

Word stories

The first edition, in 1941, was compiled by a committee drawn from the staff of the OUP under the editorship of Alice Mary Smyth (later Alice Mary Hadfield). [2] She recounts some of the details of choosing and processing quotations in her book on the life of Charles Williams (one of the committee). [3] Later editions of the Dictionary were published in 1953 and thereafter, the 6th edition appearing in 2004 ( ISBN 0-19-860720-2), the 7th in 2009 ( ISBN 0-19-923717-4), and the 8th in 2014 ( ISBN 0-19-966870-1), all edited by Elizabeth Knowles. [1] Some evidence pointing to answers to these questions is now appearing in the OED3 revision discussed below.

sixty-one quotable Americans. This updated sixth edition encompasses current trends in politics and culture with quotations such as "States like these constitute an axis of evil, arming to threaten the peace of the world" (George Bush), and "It's a good thing" (Martha Stewart). Many other new Darwin may have been flattered by the terms of the appeal ('You are the man... It's a great book, and we want a great Introduction'), or touched by its frankness ('We really are in a hole'). Whatever his reason, he accepted, and provided the missing Introduction. The Dictionary was successfully published in 1941, with the first printing of 20,000 copies being exhausted a month after publication. It has to be William Shakespeare. How come we know so little about him when he knows so much about us? I want to find out more—and think of it: after dinner with Shakespeare I'd be able to include some Shakespeare quotations in the Dictionary's next edition. . . Wouldn't that work wonders for sales? (If Shakespeare is otherwise engaged, I'd be very happy to entertain Helen of Troy to dinner. It would be wonderful to set one's eyes on the face that launched a thousand ships. Then again, Dorothy Parker has something to say on this. We’ve gathered a selection of famous lines said by Australians and New Zealanders to test your knowledge – do you know who said what?

Each illuminating entry contains in-depth details of the earliest traceable source, biographical cross-references, birth and death dates, and a career brief. With both a thematic and keyword index, scholars and readers thumbing through the book will easily be able to find quotations for all Quotes from all eras are included, from the Bible and Shakespeare to films and song lyrics. This revised edition also contains appendices covering Sayings of the '90s, Popular Misquotations, Advertising Slogans, and Mottos. More non-English quotations are included (many in their original language Once we have identified a potential new quotation as worth pursuing, it has to be authenticated. We want to be sure that the wording is correct, that the supposed author really did say it, and that no-one else said it earlier.

Oxford also publishes a Concise edition (9000 quotations) [4] and a Little edition (4000 quotations). [5] As reviser, Pope took responsibility for the publication as a whole, and certainly improved his collaborators’ drafts when revising. 6 But were there any differences between the lexical characteristics of Pope’s portions and those of his two collaborators? Could we use OED to find out? The most quoted Frenchman is Voltaire, and the most popular classical author is Horace. The most quoted scientist is undoubtedly Albert Einstein. Wikipedia notes Pope ‘is the second-most frequently quoted writer in The Oxford Dictionary of Quotations after Shakespeare’ ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_Pope#Works, accessed 5 June 2019). Thou art slave to fate, chance, kings and desperate men".---John Donne, my favorite quotation at the momentThis collection is the ideal place to answer all your quotation questions. You can discover which of over 3,000 authors said that tantalising phrase, or you can search over 600 subjects to find an apt quotation for any occasion. You can listen to Harper Lee on Technology and Leon Trotsky on Art, or Demosthenes on Opportunity and J.K. Rowling on Parents. This is your chance to find out just who said ‘Imagination is the highest kite that can fly’, ‘We must be the change we wish to see in the world’, or ‘Failure is not an option’.