If I formed the questions correctly, then perhaps the immediate answer might be in the vein of earlier responses to questions of what is right or wrong; that is, that there is not a clear-cut answer. What is certain is that avowed Christians were amo...
I made up my mind long ago to follow one cardinal rule in all my writing—to be clear. I have given up all thought of writing poetically or symbolically or experimentally, or in any of the other modes that might (if I were good enough) get me a Puli...
During the Government’s recent overhaul of GCSEs, I was asked to join a consultative group advising on the English Literature syllabus. It quickly became clear that the minister wanted to prescribe two Shakespeare plays for every 16-year-old in the...
Try not to pay attention to those who will try to make life miserable for you. There will be a lot of those--in the official capacity as well as the self-appointed. Suffer them if you can’t escape them, but once you have steered clear of them, give...
That small word “Force,” they make a barber's block, Ready to put on Meanings most strange and various, fit to shock Pupils of .... The phrases of last century in this Linger to play tricks— Vis viva and Vis Mortua and Vis Acceleratrix:— Thos...
Many lessons can be learned from the history of Western civilization, but one of them is especially clear. Lack of involvement in the affairs of one's society can lead to a sense of powerlessness. In an age that is often crisis-laden and chaotic, an ...
It seemed to a number of philosophers of language, myself included, that we should attempt to achieve a unification of Chomsky's syntax, with the results of the researches that were going on in semantics and pragmatics. I believe that this effort has...
It occurred to me to look up and around at the stars in the clear sky, at the trees in the dark, at the half moon. I was missing them because I was caught in my head. I wasn't living right now. I was thinking to the future, to the past. I wasn't pres...
Top Dollar: Ya know, my daddy used to say every man's got a devil. And you can't rest 'til you find him. What happened back there with you and your girlfriend - I cleared that building. Hell, nothin' in this town happens without my say-so. So I'm sor...
[last lines] Mallinson: There's no question of Her Majesty's Government ever conceding the fact that this Jackal was an Englishman. So far as one can see, there was a period when an Englishman came under suspicion, but he has now been cleared. Certai...
Joey Zasa: [during a meeting in Atlantic City] I say to all of you, I have been treated this day, with no respect. I've earned you all money. I've made you rich, and I asked for little. Good. You will not give, I'll take! As for Don, Corleone, well h...
Snotlout: If that dragon shows either of its faces, I'm gonna... there! [He and Tuffnut throw their buckets of water] Ruffnut, Astrid: AH! [the gas clears] Ruffnut: Hey! It's us, idiots! Tuffnut: Your butts are getting bigger! We thought you were a ...
Bert Gordon: You're here on a rain check and I know it. You're hangin' on by your nails. You let that glory whistle blow loud and clear for Eddie and you're a wreck on a railroad track... you're a horse that finished last. So don't make trouble, Miss...
Mr. Banks: [singing] With tuppence for paper and strings, you can have your own set of wings! With your feet on the ground you're a bird in flight, with your fist holding tight to the string of your kite! Oh, oh, oh, let's go fly a kite, up to the hi...
[as the seven are about to leave the village] Calvera: You'll do much better on the other side of the border. There you can steal cattle, hold up trains... all you have to face is sheriff, marshall. Once I rob a bank in Texas; your government get aft...
Judge Chamberlain Haller: Counselor, your clients are charged with first degree murder. How do they plead? Vinny Gambini: [sitting down] Your Honor, my clients... Judge Chamberlain Haller: Don't talk to me sitting in that chair! Vinny Gambini: But he...
[at the police station] Slimey Lawyer: Attempted murder? Well, it's not like he killed someone. This is a clear violation of my client's civil rights. Bail Bondsman: Make it aggravated assault and I can make bail, in cash, now! Sgt. Reed: [angrily] L...
[Mrs. Hudson starts to clear space for the tea tray] Sherlock Holmes: Don't touch. Everything is in its proper place... as per usual, Nanny. [on her way out, Mrs. Hudson notices the dog laying on the floor] Mrs. Hudson: Oh, he's killed the dog. Again...
Sherlock Holmes: There's only one case that intrigues me at present. The curious case of Mrs. Hudson, the absentee landlady. I've been studying here comings and goings and they appear most... sinister. Mrs. Hudson: Tea, Mr. Holmes? Sherlock Holmes: I...
Sherlock Holmes: Herr Hoffmanstahl, you should count yourself lucky. This faceless man with whom you find yourself in business is no ordinary criminal. He's the Napoleon of crime. Fortunately, you now have me as an ally. I'm a consulting detective of...
Lt. Col. Frank Slade: Clear them little bottles off. And when I get off the phone here, call up Hyman and tell him I want it wall to wall with John Daniels. Charlie Simms: Don't you mean Jack Daniels? Lt. Col. Frank Slade: He may be Jack to you son, ...
