One man’s – or woman’s – trash is another’s treasure...

THE TRASH TO TREASURE RULE: “One man’s trash is another man’s treasure.”         A popular proverbial saying in America since the late 20th century. Its basic meaning is that something which seems worthless to one person is often deemed valuable by another.

THE TRASHY MEN RULE: “One woman’s trash is another woman’s boyfriend.”         Laura Ruby         American novelist        Quip made by a character in Ruby’s novel I’m Not Julia Roberts (2007)

THE TRAMP STAMP VARIATION: “One woman’s tramp stamp is another woman’s declaration of undying love — until she dumps the lying SOB and is stuck with his name forever.”          Alexis Munier        American-born writer currently living in Switzerland        From her entry about the term “tramp stamp” in The Little Red Book of Very Dirty Words (2009)

THE FAMOUS COHEN V. CALIFORNIA FREE SPEECH DECISION: “One man’s vulgarity is another man’s lyric.”        U.S. Supreme Court Justice John M. Harlan II (1899-1971)        In majority opinion he wrote for the Supreme Court’s decision on Cohen v. California (1971)        The case involved an anti-Vietnam War activist named Paul Cohen, who had been convicted of “offensive conduct” and sentenced to 30 days in jail for publicly wearing a jacket that had “FUCK THE DRAFT” printed on it. The Court reversed Cohen’s conviction, finding that it violated his Constitutional right to free speech under the First Amendment.

THE INFAMOUS REUTERS POLICY ON TERRORISTS: “We all know that one man’s terrorist is another man’s freedom fighter and that Reuters upholds the principle that we do not use the word terrorist...To be frank, it adds little to call the attack on the World Trade Center a terrorist attack.”         Stephen Jukes          Global News Editor for the Reuters news service          Comments in an internal memo sent to Reuters staff in September 2001 after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, regarding a still-continuing Reuters policy of avoiding use of the word terrorist.

THE OGDEN NASH QUIP: “One man’s remorse is another man’s reminiscence.”                Ogden Nash (1902-1971)         American poet and humorist         From his poem “A Clean Conscience Never Relaxes” (1936), included in his book I’m a Stranger Here Myself (1938)

THE BOOB JOB QUIP: “One woman’s self-objectifying excess is another woman’s décolletage.”         Ann Scales        American law professor and author         In her book Legal Feminism (2006)

THE CHARLIE SHEEN SPIT JOB QUIP: “One man’s saliva is another man’s mousse.”        Charlie Sheen, as the character Charlie Harper        In an episode of his former TV series Two and a Half Men (“Can You Eat Human Flesh with Wooden Teeth?”, first aired February 14, 2005)

THE OBAMA LIBYA POLICY VERSION: “Obama’s partisans often praise what they call his ‘restraint’ and ‘caution,’ especially when dealing with foreign affairs. But one man’s caution is another man’s passivity and inaction, especially when the political calculus of making the wrong decision is factored in. Having stamped his foot weeks ago and demanded that Khadafy step down, Obama did absolutely nothing to back up his ultimatum, instead waiting for a UN resolution authorizing air strikes and then piggybacking on the British and the French.”          Michael A. Walsh         New York Post columnist        In a column published on March 21, 2011

ROBERT HEINLEIN’S OBSERVATION ABOUT RELIGION: “One man’s theology is another man’s belly laugh.”         Robert A. Heinlein (1907-1988)        American science fiction writer         One of the sayings of the character Lazarus Long, in Heinlein’s novel Time Enough for Love (1973)

NICK MANCUSO’S OBSERVATION ABOUT RELIGION: “One man’s superstition is another man’s religion!”          Nick Mancuso, as the Indian police officer Youngman Duran        In the horror movie Nightwing (1979)

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Comments? Questions? Corrections? Post them on my quotations Facebook group.

Further reading: books about proverbial sayings and idioms...

From “Absolutism tempered by assassination” to “Democracy tempered by love…”

THE VARIABLY-QUOTED FAMOUS PHRASE: “Absolutism moderated by assassination.”  (Also given as “Absolutism tempered by assassination” and “Despotism tempered by assassination.”)          German diplomat Georg Herbert zu Münster (1820-1902)        Quoting an unnamed Russian in Chapter II of his book Political Sketches of the States of Europe 1814-1857 (published in 1868)           In his book, Münster recalled: “An intelligent Russian once remarked to us, ‘Every country has its own constitution; ours is absolutism moderated by assassination.’” Other sources, all of which seem to have been published after 1868, say that a similar quote was said to Münster’s father Ernst Friedrich Herbert zu Münster (1766-1839), who was also a German diplomat. According to those sources, when Czar Paul I was assassinated in 1801, a Russian nobleman told Ernst, in French: “Le despotisme tempéré par l’assassinat, c’est notre Magna Charta” — which translates as “Despotism tempered by assassination, that is our Magna Carta.” This is apparently why the phrase is sometimes given as “absolutism moderated by assassination,” sometimes as “despotism tempered by assassination” and sometimes as “absolutism tempered by assassination.”

THE FAMOUS (BUT APPARENTLY PHONY) VOLTAIRE QUOTE: “The best government is a benevolent tyranny tempered by an occasional assassination.”        Attributed to Voltaire (1694-1778)          French novelist, philosopher, poet and historian        Although this quote is widely attributed to Voltaire, it does not seem to appear in any of his writings.

THE OPTIMIST’S VIEW OF DEMOCRACY: “If we substitute elective dictatorship tempered by assassination at the ballot box, we have a system with more virtues than flaws.”        Bruce Anderson        Columnist for the UK Independent        In an opinion piece posted on the Independent’s website, February 27, 2006

THE CULTURED VIEW OF DEMOCRACY: “Tyranny is usually tempered with assassination, and Democracy must be tempered with culture. In the absence of this, it turns into a representation of collective folly.”        John Stuart Mackenzie (1860–1935)        British philosopher        In his book An Introduction to Social Philosophy (1895)

THE CYNIC’S VIEW OF DEMOCRACY: “RABBLE, n. In a republic, those who exercise a supreme authority tempered by fraudulent elections.”        Ambrose Bierce (1842-1913)        American writer and curmudgeon        One of the satiric definitions in his book The Devil’s Dictionary (1925)

EMERSON’S STILL-RELEVANT COMMENT ABOUT CERTAIN WARS: “The President proclaims war, and those Senators who dissent are not those who know better, but those who can afford to...Democracy becomes a government of bullies tempered by editors.”        Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882)        American Philosopher, essayist and poet           In an entry in his journal written in 1847, after American President James K. Polk declared war on Mexico

DEAN ACHESON’S RANT ABOUT DEMOCRACY: “I think Churchill is right, the only thing to be said for democracy is that there is nothing else that’s any better, and therefore he used to say, Tyranny tempered by assassination, but lots of assassination. People say, If the Congress were more representative of the people it would be better. I say the Congress is too damn representative. It’s just as stupid as the people are; just as uneducated, just as dumb, just as selfish.”        Dean Acheson (1893-1971)        U.S. Secretary of State under President Harry S. Truman        In an interview with Theodore A. Wilson and Richard D. McKinzie on June 30, 1971

THE PUBLIC EXPLODER OPTION: “After many unhappy experiments in the direction of an ideal Republic, it was found that what may be described as a Despotism tempered by Dynamite provides, on the whole, the most satisfactory description of ruler — an autocrat who dares not abuse his autocratic power.”        Gilbert and Sullivan (W. S. Gilbert and Arthur Sullivan)        Said by the character Calynx (originally played by Bowden Haswell) in Gilbert and Sullivan’s penultimate comic opera Utopia, Limited, or The Flowers of Progress (1893), which is set in a mythical South Seas island where kings who “lapse from political or social propriety” are blown up by “The Public Exploder.”

LIBERALISM VS. CONSERVATISM: “Liberalism is trust of the people tempered by prudence; conservatism, distrust of the people tempered by fear.”        William Ewart Gladstone (1809-1898)        British Liberal politician who served as Prime Minister four times between 1868 and 1894        This oft-quoted definition of “Liberalism” and “Conservatism” comes from a speech Gladstone gave in Plumstead, England, in 1878

A CLERGYMAN’S CALL FOR UNITY: “Of course, the great drawback to democracy is that it’s messy. And the real danger of democracy is disunity…The key is democracy tempered by love and acceptance; where you accept the fact that you don’t always get your own way and not everyone sees things the way you do.”        Reverend Robert Cleveland        From a sermon he gave at the First Universalist Church of Central Square in New York, July 24, 2005

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Comments? Questions? Corrections? Post them on my quotations Facebook group.

Further reading: books about political assassinations…

“Winning Isn’t Everything” (as proven by Charlie Sheen)...

THE FAMOUS RED SANDERS & VINCE LOMBARDI QUOTE: “Winning isn’t everything, it’s the only thing.”         This line is most often associated with Green Bay Packers coach Vince Lombardi (who did say it), but UCLA football coach Henry “Red” Sanders said it first.
THE CHARLIE SHEEN PRINCIPLE: “Is there any better way to teach your children that ‘winning isn't everything’ than Charlie Sheen?”        Blogger Jed Resnik        Post on his Entertainment Weakly blog, March 7, 2011
THE CHARLIE SHEEN POWER PLAY:   KANSAS CITY (Sportsman’s Daily Wire Service) Look out green energy, you’ve got some serious competition. The unexplainable, frenzied voltage that has transmogrified a once bankable sitcom star into a bottomless source of unbridled and erratic kilowatts is exactly what the Kansas City Royals plan on powering Kauffman Stadium with this season.     “Actor Charlie Sheen will act as the sole electrical source for the park,” said Keith Decker, Stadium Operations Director....Sheen will disconnect from the highly insulated cables that attach to his nose, penis, and anus once a day to give his motivational speech to members of the Royals.     “I hope they’re ready,” said Sheen. “These guys are going to experience a level of freaked out paranoia and a buzz that’ll make a cocaine-HGH cocktail seem like fuckin’ mother’s milk brother…Wooooo! Winning isn’t everything, winning is me. Winning!”        Faux news story posted on The Sportsman's Daily website, March 4, 2011
THE LEBRON JAMES VARIATION: NANCY GRACE: “Because we couldn't get Charlie Sheen on the show, we have the next best thing: LeBron James...Mr. James, we've noticed a sudden change in your attitude. What gives?” LEBRON JAMES: “Right, Nancy. Look, for years people have shamed me into trying to be something I'm not – a winner. I'm fed up. Winning isn't everything. Yeah, I said it. I'm losing. Everything.”        Faux news transcript posted on the CSNNE.com Wicked Good Sports blog, March 2, 2011
THE CANCER PATIENTS’ COUNTERQUOTE: “Whoever said winning isn’t everything never had to fight cancer.”         A popular saying among people who are trying to beat, or have beaten, cancer
VINCE LOMBARDI’S OWN COUNTERQUOTE: “While winning is not everything, trying to win is everything.”        Vince Lombardi        In a speech at the American Dairy Association’s annual meeting in 1962        Quoted by Vince Lombard, Jr. in his book What It Takes to Be #1: Vince Lombardi on Leadership (2003)

RELATED POST: More “Winning isn’t everything” quotes and counterquotes…

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Comments? Questions? Corrections? Post them on my quotations Facebook group.

Further reading: books about winning...

What this country needs – in addition to a good five-cent cigar...

THE FAMOUS (BUT NOT ORIGINAL) QUOTE: “What this country needs is a good five-cent cigar.”          Thomas Riley Marshall (1854-1925)         U.S. Democratic politician who served two terms as Vice-President under Woodrow Wilson         Remark made in 1917 during a debate in U.S. Senate          Although there are several versions of the story, the usual one is that Marshall uttered his famous quip after Senator Joseph Bristow repeatedly used the phrase “What this country needs…” while making a long-winded speech in the U.S. Senate. Marshall reportedly leaned over and told a Senate clerk, in a voice loud enough to be overheard: “Bristow hasn’t hit it yet. What this country needs is a good five-cent cigar.” Marshall didn’t actually coin the five-cent cigar line. It had been used previously by cartoonist Kin Hubbard in his “Abe Martin of Brown County” cartoon strip and was already in use before Hubbard’s strip began running in newspapers in 1904.

THE KINGFISH’S OBSERVATION: “What this country needs is a dictator...There is no dictatorship in Louisiana. There is a perfect democracy there, and when you have a perfect democracy it is pretty hard to tell it from a dictatorship.”         Huey Long (1893-1935)          Controversial Louisiana politician (nicknamed “The Kingfish”)        Comments to reporters in 1935        Quoted by Arthur Meier Schlesinger in his book The Politics of Upheaval: 1935-1936 (2003)

THE INTOXICATION VARIATION: “What This Country Needs Is a Safe Five-Cent Intoxicant.”         Dr. Martin M. Katz         American psychologist         Title of an article he wrote for Psychology Today, published in the February 1971 issue

A BUSINESSMAN’S OPINION IN 1939: “What this country needs is a businessman for President.”          Berton Churchill (1976-1940), playing the embezzling banker Henry Gatewood         In the film Stagecoach (1939)        Stagecoach came out at a time when many business leaders were complaining about President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal programs and the new regulations he had imposed on banks and other businesses. Early in the movie, Gatewood opines: “What’s good for the banks is good for the country.” Later, after secretly stealing thousands of dollars from his bank, Gatewood goes on a long rant about government, saying: “I don’t know what the government is coming to. Instead of protecting businessmen, it pokes its nose into business! Why, they’re even talking now about having bank examiners. As if we bankers don’t know how to run our own banks! Why, at home I have a letter from a popinjay official saying they were going to inspect my books. I have a slogan that should be blazoned on every newspaper in this country: America for the Americans! The government must not interfere with business! Reduce taxes! Our national debt is something shocking. Over one billion dollars a year! What this country needs is a businessman for president!” By putting those words in the mouth of the slimy character Henry Gatewood, director John Ford seemed to be taking a sly shot at Roosevelt’s business critics and expressing support for Roosevelt.

A BUSINESSMAN’S OPINION IN 2011: “Ron Paul cannot get elected...I’m well acquainted with winning, and that’s what this country needs right now: winning.”         Donald Trump           Current mega-millionaire, possible megalomaniac and potential 2012 presidential candidate         Comments he made at the Conservative Political Action Conference in Washington, February 10, 2011

A POLITICIAN’S USUAL TAUTOLOGICAL SELF-ASSESSMENT: “What this country needs is a man who knows what the country needs.”        Remark by an unnamed speaker at a Colorado School of Mines Alumni Association meeting in 1952        Noted in The Mines magazine: Volume 42 (1952)

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Comments? Questions? Corrections? Post them on my quotations Facebook group.

Related reading: books about political slogans…