Friday, February 24, 2006
Clever Comebacks
Speaking of "them" ans s I was in the previous entry about David Berreby’s book, Us and Them, Dr. Mardy Grothe writes about an incident during the darkest days of the Civil War.
As Abraham Lincoln met in the White House with a group of advisors, one man was heard to say, 'God is on our side.' Lincoln, who agonized over the carnage the war had brought to both sides, was exasperated by the comment, but maintained his composure beautifully, replying:
"We trust, sir, that God is on our side. It is more important to know that we are on God's side."
"Repartee is something we think of twenty-four hours too late," remarked Mark Twain.
But at least we can savor others' wit when we read Grothe's delightful new book (a gift for any lover of words) *Viva la Repartee : Clever Comebacks and Witty Retorts from History's Great Wits and Wordsmiths*.
On page 208, find the situation to which Prince Rainier III of Monaco responded by saying, "Marvelous. Then we could be the world's only indoor country."
As Abraham Lincoln met in the White House with a group of advisors, one man was heard to say, 'God is on our side.' Lincoln, who agonized over the carnage the war had brought to both sides, was exasperated by the comment, but maintained his composure beautifully, replying:
"We trust, sir, that God is on our side. It is more important to know that we are on God's side."
"Repartee is something we think of twenty-four hours too late," remarked Mark Twain.
But at least we can savor others' wit when we read Grothe's delightful new book (a gift for any lover of words) *Viva la Repartee : Clever Comebacks and Witty Retorts from History's Great Wits and Wordsmiths*.
On page 208, find the situation to which Prince Rainier III of Monaco responded by saying, "Marvelous. Then we could be the world's only indoor country."
