“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. This modern proverb is, of course, a variation of the much older English proverb “One man's meat is another man's poison,” which dates back to sometime before 1709, when it was recorded by language scholar Oswald Dykes in his book English Proverbs.
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 novelI’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 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(1952-2012) American law professor and author In her book Legal Feminism(2006)
“One man’s superstition is another man’s religion!” Nick Mancuso, as the Indian police officer Youngman Duran One of his lines in the batty horror movie Nightwing (1979)
“You can’t handle the truth!” Jack Nicholson (as Col. Nathan R. Jessep) Nicholson’s shouted response to Tom Cruise (playing Lt. Daniel Kaffee) in the movie A Few Good Men (1992), after Cruise tells him “I want the truth!” during the climactic court-martial scene. After yelling his now iconic line, Nicholson’s character Col. Jessep goes on a long rant that unwittingly leads to an admission of his culpability in the death of Marine PFC William Santiago at the American military facility in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Col. Jessep felt Santiago had disrespected the chain of command and wasn’t living up to Marine traditions. So, he secretly ordered two other Marines to subject Santiago to a “Code Red,” a term for harsh, unsanctioned physical punishment. This unintentionally caused Santiago’s death and led to a military trial. During intense questioning by Kaffee, Jessep ultimately admits he ordered the Code Red, but not before giving a riveting speech about the need for tough military personnel who are willing to do what’s needed to protect American civilians. Here’s a transcript of their memorable exchange: Jessep (Jack Nicholson): You want answers? Kaffee (Tom Cruise): I think I’m entitled to them. Jessep: You want answers? Kaffee: I want the truth! Jessep: You can’t handle the truth! Son, we live in a world that has walls. And those walls have to be guarded by men with guns. Who's gonna do it? You? You, Lt. Weinberg? I have a greater responsibility than you can possibly fathom. You weep for Santiago and you curse the Marines. You have that luxury. You have the luxury of not knowing what I know: that Santiago’s death, while tragic, probably saved lives. And my existence, while grotesque and incomprehensible to you, saves lives. You don’t want the truth because deep down in places you don’t talk about at parties you want me on that wall. You need me on that wall. We use words like honor, code, loyalty. We use these words as the backbone of a life spent defending something. You use them as a punch line. I have neither the time nor the inclination to explain myself to a man who rises and sleeps under the blanket of the very freedom that I provide, and then questions the manner in which I provide it! I would rather you just said ‘thank you’ and went on your way. Otherwise, I suggest you pick up a weapon and stand a post. Either way, I don’t give a damn what you think you are entitled to! Kaffee: Did you order the Code Red? Jessep: I did the job that — Kaffee: Did you order the Code Red? Jessep: You’re goddamn right I did!
THE MOVIE AWARDS SNUB VERSION:
“Zero Dark Thirty...earned five Academy Award nominations, including Best Motion Picture. But director Kathryn Bigelow, the first woman to win a Best Director Oscar for her 2008 war drama The Hurt Locker, didn’t get a nod for her efforts...‘She showed what was really happening,’ [Producer Madison] Jones said. ‘Maybe sometimes we can’t handle the truth.’ The Academy did not respond to a request for comment.” Hollie McKay Pop Culture/Entertainment Columnist at FoxNews.com In a report on the Academy Award nominations for movies released in 2012 Kathryn Bigelow’s gutsy film Zero Dark Thirty created an uncomfortable moral dilemma for many liberals, like some of the Hollywood set that votes on who gets Academy Awards. The movie graphically depicts the fact that torture (which they oppose) was used on Muslim prisoners by the American military to gain information that helped in the search for and elimination of Osama Bin Laden (a goal they supported). This is suspected to be the reason why Bigelow was left out of the Academy’s nominations for Best Director.
HOMER SIMPSON’S MULTIPLE-MOVIE QUOTE RANT:
“Look Marge, you don't know what it’s like - I’m the one out there every day putting his ass on the line. And I’m not out of order. You’re out of order. The whole freakin’ system is out of order. You want the truth? You want the truth? You can’t HANDLE the truth. ‘Cause when you reach over and put your hand into a pile of goo that was your best friend’s face, you’ll know what to do. Forget it, Marge, it’s Chinatown.” Homer Simpson (voiced by Dan Castellaneta) Homer’s rant in the “Secrets of a Successful Marriage” episode of The Simpsons, first aired on May 19, 1994. In addition to using lines from A Few Good Men, his rant includes references to famous quotes from the movies ...And Justice for All (1979), Patton (1970) and Chinatown (1974).
THE BIMBO BARB VARIATION:
“To call a woman who is intellectually-challenged and painfully inexperienced in politics a bimbo isn’t sexist, it’s simply the truth. In fact, to argue that a dumb woman shouldn’t be called bimbo is sexist — it implies that women are too fragile to handle the truth.” Robert Paul Reyes Liberal journalist and blogger In a post about Sarah Palin on “The Student Operated Press” website, February 28th, 2011
THE LIZ LEMON BOOBIES VERSION:
Liz Lemon (actress Tina Fey):“You want the truth, Kenneth, you want the truth?” Kenneth Parcell (actor Jack McBrayer): “I can’t handle the truth!” Liz: “There is an adult picture of me on that phone...It’s a boobies picture, Kenneth, and I only kept it because for once they were both pointing in the same direction.” In the“Larry King” episode of 30 Rock (Season 3, Ep. 12), first aired on February 26, 2009
“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 bookWhat It Takes to Be #1: Vince Lombardi on Leadership (2003)
I'm editor of the blog www.MensPulpMags.com and co-editor of the Men's Adventure Library book series and the MEN'S ADVENTURE QUARTERLY magazine. I also write blogs about quotations, www.ThisDayinQuotes.com and www.QuoteCounterquote.com.
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