“I dream things that never were and say, why not?”

THE ORIGINAL LINES FROM A LITTLE KNOWN PLAY: “You see things; and you say ‘Why?’ But I dream things that never were; and I say ‘Why not?’”        George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950)        Familiar lines from Part I of Shaw’s otherwise forgotten play Back to Methuselah (1921)        These lines are said by The Serpent to Eve in the Garden of Eden in the play, which is an amazingly odd science fiction fantasy that spans the ages from Adam and Eve to 31,000 A.D. and took three nights to perform in its entirety. Back to Methuselah was published in 1921 and first performed in 1922 at the Garrick Theatre in New York City.

AN INSPIRING POLITICAN’S MORE FAMOUS VERSION: “Some people see things as they are and say why? I dream things that never were and say, why not?”        Robert F. Kennedy (1925-1968)        American lawyer, politician and US Attorney General        Lines frequently used by Kennedy at the close of his speeches        Bobby Kennedy recited his version of what Shaw wrote in Back to Methuselah so often that many sources credit the words to him with no mention of Shaw, as if Kennedy coined the saying. Kennedy himself noted that he was quoting Shaw in his speeches, although his version was actually a paraphrase of Shaw, rather than an exact quote. (See, for example, Kennedy’s speech at the University of Kansas on March 18, 1968.)

THE CROOKED POLITICIAN PRINCIPLE: “Some men see things as they are and ask why. Others see things that might be and ask: How much?”         Carl Hiaasen        American journalist and novelist        From his April 13, 1990 column in the Miami Herald, included in the book Kick Ass: Selected Columns of Carl Hiaasen (2001). This was Hiaasen’s commentary on revelations that the Mayor of Miami Beach had received payments from a corporation that wanted approval for a local beachfront construction project.

A TV LAWYER’S COUNTERQUOTE: “Some people see things as they are and ask why? Others see things as they never were and claim mad cow [disease].”        James Spader, as the character Alan Shore on the TV series Boston Legal        A comment about our litigious society said to William Shatner (playing Shore’s law partner Denny Crane), in the “Stick It” episode of Boston Legal (Season 2, Ep. 19; first aired on March 14, 2006)

GEORGE CARLIN’S COUNTERQUOTE: “Some people see things that are and ask, Why? Some people dream of things that never were and ask, Why not? Some people have to go to work and don’t have time for all that shit.”        George Carlin (1937-2008)        American comic genius        Carlin used these lines in performances in the 1990s and included it in his book Brain Droppings (1998). Contrary to what George would have wanted, it’s often quoted in censored form, without the word “shit.”

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“Hell is other people” – and their taste in music…

THE FAMOUS EXISTENTIALIST’S OPINION: “Hell is other people.” (“L’enfer, c’est les Autres.”)        Jean-Paul Sartre (1905-1980)        French existential philosopher and writer and Marxist social activist        This is the oft-quoted line from Sartre’s play No Exit (titled Huis Clos in French), spoken by the character Joseph Garcin. The play was first performed in French at the Théâtre du Vieux-Colombier theatre in Paris in May 1944. It was first performed in English at the Biltmore Theatre in New York City in 1946, using the translation by the renowned Beat writer and translator, Paul Bowles.          Bowles was a bit creative in his translation. “Huis clos” is a French idiomatic expression that’s similar to the English legal term “in camera,” meaning a judicial proceeding or discussion held in private. In fact, the play has sometimes been performed and filmed in English under the title In Camera.        A more literal translation of “Huis Clos” would be “behind closed doors.” However, the play is best known by the title Bowles came up with. Apparently, it was a hellish translation challenge for him. In the biography Paul Bowles: A Life, he is quoted as saying: “I’m not very good at titles. It took me six weeks to get No Exit out of Huis Clos.”        No Exit/Huis Clos is about the three doomed souls: a man, Joseph Garcin, and two women, Inès Serrano and Estelle Rigault. They are condemned to Hell for their sins. But instead of facing flames and torture, they are locked together in a room furnished in the Second French Empire style. (Hellish in itself!) There’s not much for them to do except talk about themselves and eventually deal with Estelle’s attempt to seduce Joseph.

THE DEVIL’S TAKE: “Have you heard the expression ‘Hell is other people’? This is true, especially if the other people are French.”        Satan (as quoted by writer David Katz)        In a humorous “interview” with the Lord of Hell, “What I’ve Learned: Satan,” published in Esquire magazine, January 2007.

T.S. ELIOT’S TAKE: “What is hell? Hell is oneself,   Hell is alone, the other figures in it   Merely projections. There is nothing to escape from   And nothing to escape to. One is always alone.”        T.S. Eliot (1888-1965)        British poet and playwright        Said by the character Edward Chamberlayne in Eliot’s play The Cocktail Party, first performed in 1949. In the play, Edward makes amends with his wife Lavinia at a party, after they’d split due to his infidelity. It was the most popular of Eliot’s seven plays in his lifetime.

THE ERNEST HEMINGWAY VARIATION: “Hell isn’t other people; it’s other people when you’re sober.”        Marty Beckerman        American author        In his very funny book The Heming Way, which spoofs Ernest Hemingway’s uber-manly attitudes and behavior. The subtitle is How to Unleash the Booze-Inhaling, Animal-Slaughtering, War-Glorifying, Hairy-Chested Retro-Sexual Legend Within, Just Like Papa!

THE POSITIVE SPIN VARIATION: “Hell may be other people, but they’re all we’ve got.”        Stephanie Zacharek        Film critic for Time magazine        Her encapsulation of the point of the movie Wilson (starring Woody Harrelson as the title character), in her review in Time, April 3, 2017. The film is based on the graphic novel by American cartoonist Daniel Clowes.

THE MUSICAL TRUISM: “Hell is other people’s taste in music.”        David McGimpsey        Canadian poet and novelist        In his book of sonnets, Li’l Bastard (2011)

THE POLITICAL TRUISM “Hell is other people’s politics.”        John Guzlowski         Polish-born American writer and poet        His response on Twitter to a tweet by Quaint Magazine that said: “Throughout the next few days, we'll be reposting links to work we've published that speaks to the current political climate.”

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"Full of sound and fury, signifying nothing”– from Macbeth and Trump memes, to Slackers and Superman…

SHAKESPEARE’S FAMOUS QUOTATION: “Life’s but a walking shadow...a tale Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, Signifying nothing.”        William Shakespeare        Macbeth, Act 5, Scene 5        Even if you’re not a Shakespeare fan you’ve probably seen or heard things or people described as “full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.” These words are spoken by Macbeth near the end of The Bard’s play about him, first performed in 1606. They reflect Macbeth’s realization that all the scheming he’d done and the murders he’d committed to become the King of Scotland had ultimately led him to a joyless, grim and meaningless end. Macbeth says the lines after being told that his wife is dead. Soon after, so is he.        The phrase “full of sound and fury, signifying nothing” turned into a common way of saying that something, or some person, is loud or attention-getting but essentially inconsequential or irrelevant.         Author William Faulkner helped make “sound and fury” an an especially common phrase by titling what would become his most famous novel The Sound and the Fury (first published in 1929).        By the way, if you are a Shakespeare fan like me, I highly recommend two modern adaptations of Macbeth that you can stream on Amazon: the 2010 PBS “Great Performances” adaptation starring Patrick Stewart as Macbeth in a fascist-style realm, and the visually-stunning 2015 film starring Michael Fassbender in the title role.

TRUMP APPLICATION #1 – THAT WAS THEN... “AN IDIOT, FULL OF SOUND AND FURY, SIGNIFYING NOTHING”          One of the many snarky internet memes about candidate Donald Trump posted on Facebook prior to his victory in the November 8, 2016 presidential election, a result that was widely dismissed as unlikely or even impossible before it happened.

TRUMP APPLICATION #2 – THIS IS NOW... “Whatever reactions the protesters have, they need to face the facts that Clinton’s large margin in popular votes didn’t translate into an electoral victory. Their protests are mostly ‘full of sound and fury, signifying nothing’ more than profound disappointment.”        Mitch Edelman        American journalist        In his column about the post-election anti-Trump on the Carroll County News site, November 14, 2016

MOVIE QUOTE #1: “I’m what, a slacker?...I’m in that white space where consumer terror meets irony and pessimism, where Scooby Doo and Dr. Faustus hold equal sway over the mind, where the Butthole Surfers provide the background volume, where we choose what is not obvious over what is easy. It goes on...like TV channel-cruising, no plot, no tragic flaws, no resolution, just mastering the moment, pushing forward, full of sound and fury, full of life signifying everything on any given day.”        Richard Linklater        American filmmaker, screenwriter and actor         In his book Slacker (1992), about the making of his 1991 movie Slacker

MOVIE QUOTE #2: “Sitting there at that moment I thought of something else Shakespeare said. He said, ‘Hey, life is pretty stupid, with lots of hubbub to keep you busy but really not amounting to much.’ Of course I'm paraphrasing.”        Steve Martin as the character Harris K. Telemacher        In the movie L.A. Story (1991)

MOVIE BASHING QUOTE #1: “Once you get past all the sound and fury, what you’re left with is basically emptiness.”        Allison Shoemaker        Staff writer for the Consequence of Sound entertainment website        In her review of Tim Burton's 2016 film Miss Peregrine’s Home For Peculiar Children

MOVIE BASHING QUOTE #2: “‘Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice’ is a rancid brew of silence, sound and fury, signifying the absolute worst the comic book movie genre has to offer.”         Alex Biese        American entertainment journalist and reviewer        In his review of the film for the Asbury Park Press, March 28, 2016        NOTE: For some other uses and variations of “full of sound and fury…” see the previous QuoteCounterquote.com post at this link.

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“A rose by any other name...”

SHAKESPEARE’S FAMOUS LINES: “What’s in a name? That which we call a rose By any other name would smell as sweet.”        William Shakespeare (1564-1616)         British playwright and poet        Famed lines spoken by Juliet in Romeo and Juliet (c. 1591), Act II, Scene II        In this great tragedy, Romeo and Juliet are “star-crossed lovers” (a term Shakespeare coined in the play). Romeo’s family, the Montagues, are feuding with the Capulets, Juliet’s family. But Romeo and Juliet can’t help their mutual attraction and fall in love with each other.        The rose metaphor comes in the play’s famous balcony scene, in which Romeo sees Juliet standing on the balcony of her bedroom and overhears her saying she loves him, even though he is a Montague.        She muses aloud:            “O Romeo, Romeo! wherefore art thou Romeo?            Deny thy father and refuse thy name;            Or, if thou wilt not, be but sworn my love,            And I’ll no longer be a Capulet...            ‘Tis but thy name that is my enemy;            Thou art thyself, though not a Montague.            What’s Montague? it is nor hand, nor foot,            Nor arm, nor face, nor any other part            Belonging to a man. O, be some other name!            What’s in a name? That which we call a rose            By any other name would smell as sweet;            So Romeo would, were he not Romeo call’d,            Retain that dear perfection which he owes            Without that title. Romeo, doff thy name,            And for that name which is no part of thee            Take all myself.”        According to legend, the lines about the smell of a rose were also an inside joke. The Rose Theatre in London was a rival of Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre. Supposedly, the Rose’s bathroom facilities were quite odiferous and Shakespeare's mention of a smelly rose slyly poked fun at that. The excellent Phrase Finder site says this story is probably just creative folk etymology, but London tour guides like to use it to amuse tourists.

A RECENT VARIATION FOR ANTI-GAY “CHRISTIANS”: “There’s been a brouhaha on the Internet about the decision by the Associated Press to recognize same-sex couples and in news stories refer to a gay man’s spouse as ‘husband’ and a lesbian’s spouse ‘wife.’ Christian fundamentalist Marvin Olasky wrote that this action by the world’s leading wire service was not being neutral but was ‘endorsing same-sex marriage.’...Christians don’t have a copyright on the word ‘husband.’ What’s in a name, anyway? A Christian by any other name could still be petty and mean-spirited.”        Henry Denton, of Charleston, Utah (a beautiful corner of the Heber Valley)         In a letter to the editor Henry wrote to The Salt Lake Tribune, published March 26, 2013

THE ORIGINAL ANTI-SPAM VARIATION: “What’s in a name? That which we call Spam By any other name would taste as lousy.”          Satiric poem in YANK magazine, January 14, 1944         Quoted in the book Minnesota Goes To War: The Home Front During World War II (2009)        This take-off on Shakespeare, which was illustrated with the cartoon at left, was in an article complaining about the Spam “luncheon meat” that was regularly included in K rations and B rations given to American GIs during World War II. The YANK article noted: “It’s not what they call it. It’s the frequency with which they throw it into your mess kit. Spam — sorry, we mean luncheon meat — might not be so bad if it was only served at luncheon. But when you get it at breakfast and supper, too, you can’t be blamed for getting mad at it.”

DA FUNK MASTER’S VERSION: "At certain times you have to change to words you use to describe something. Change the interpretation of something, even though the essence is still the same. Like the word funk — we can use the word as long as we need to use the word, then we could just change it. But the rhythms would always go on being the same. Because funk by any other name would still be funky."        George Clinton        American musician and music producer        In an interview with Chip Stern, published in Musician Magazine, April 1979

A LAUGH-IN GIRL’S FUNNY VERSION: “A chrysanthemum by any other name would be easier to pronounce.”        Goldie Hawn        American actress and founder of The Hawn Foundation         In a comic bit on the TV show Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In (1968-1973)

A POLITICAN’S UNFUNNY BUZZKILL VERSION: “In real life, unlike in Shakespeare, the sweetness of the rose depends upon the name it bears. Things are not only what they are. They are, in very important respects, what they seem to be.”        Hubert H. Humphrey (1911–1978)        Democratic politician and U.S. Vice President        In a speech on March 26, 1966 in Washington, D.C.

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A new quotation site I like – QUOTO.COM Recently, I ran across a new quotation site with a large collection of quotes that’s a cut above those that are just compilations recycled from other sites. It’s called Quoto.com and it includes a collection of over 150,000 quotes organized and easily searched by name and topic. Unlike many sites, Quoto.com actually provides some background information about most of the quotes in its collection, such as thumbnail bios and context info written by the site’s contributors. It also has a cool collection of photos with quotes that can be reposted on Facebook and elsewhere. And, the design of the Quoto.com site is top notch. I encourage other quote buffs to check it out.

 

“Power without responsibility” – the prerogative of harlots, Internet jerks and imperialists…

THE FAMOUS HARLOT QUOTE: “Power without responsibility — the prerogative of the harlot throughout the ages.”        Stanley Baldwin (1867-1947)        British Conservative Party politician        Baldwin made this memorable insult famous when he used it in a speech in London on March 17, 1931. He aimed it at wealthy news barons who owned British newspapers that had attacked him in editorials and articles, but it has since been used to describe many other types of people (including politicians). As later noted by many sources, Baldwin got the zinger from his cousin, writer Rudyard Kipling. (For the story behind the quote, see this post on ThisDayinQuotes.com.)

THE ANONYMOUS INTERNET JERKS VARIATION: “Online anonymity gives users a power without responsibility. They tweet what they would never dare say to your face and in forums inhabited by like-minded, asinine souls they egg each other on. The lack of accountability results in misogyny, racial abuse, threats of violence and insane rants posted without fear of repercussions.”        Rita Panahi        Australian journalist and social commentator         In an article in the Herald Sun, February 7, 2013

THE IMPOTENT GOVERNMENT REGULATORS VERSION: “Responsibility without control...the prerogative of the cuckold.”        Ben Chu        Economics Editor for the The Independent (UK) newspaper        Commenting in his February 6, 2013 column on the seeming inability of government agencies to effectively regulate giant “too big to fail” banks

THE ARROGANT IMPERIALISTS VERSION: “Power without responsibility, the prerogative of the imperialist throughout the ages.”          Piers Brendon         British historian and writer        In his book The Decline and Fall of the British Empire, 1781-1997 (published in 2007)        Brendon made this observation after describing the forced removal of the indigenous people of Diego Garcia, an atoll in the Indian Ocean that was depopulated in 1971 to make way for UK and US military facilities. Nesting bird populations were also destroyed. Brendon notes the infamous, arrogant quip that British official Sir Denis Greenhill made about these shameful acts: “Unfortunately, along with the Birds go some few Tarzans or Men Fridays.”

THE IRAQ WAR VERSION OF “SILENCE = DEATH”: “In the face of the disaster that has overtaken Iraq in the ten years since the 2003 invasion, a number of journalists have quietly lamented their own performance...But the fact is that even the most cynical, hard-right media propagandists complicit in this horrendous crime have not paid any kind of price — they continue, unaffected, with their lucrative, high-profile careers. This facilitation of the killing of hundreds of thousands of innocent civilians abroad is a function of the media’s power without responsibility.”        Editorial on the DissidentVoice.org site, February 7, 2013

THE “SILENCE WOULD BE PREFERABLE” VARIATION: “The exercise of power without responsibility is the prerogative of the whore — not of the critic.”          Lindsay Anderson (1923-1994)         British film and theatre director        Responding to a bad review of a play, as quoted by author Michael Billington in the book One Night Stands: a Critic’s View of Modern British Theatre (2002)

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