Gore Vidal, author of Lincoln was well known for his acerbic wit. Many newspapers and on-line sites have been listing some of his quotes, so how could I resist joining the tidal wave.
"It is not enough to succeed. Others must fail."
"A narcissist is someone better looking than you are."
"Any American who is prepared to run for president should automatically by definition be disqualified from ever doing so."
"Democracy is supposed to give you the feeling of choice like, Painkiller X and Painkiller Y. But they're both just aspirin."
"Every time a friend succeeds, I die a little."
"The United States was founded by the brightest people in the country — and we haven't seen them since."
"Every four years the naive half who vote are encouraged to believe that if we can elect a really nice man or woman President everything will be all right. But it won't be."
"Style is knowing who you are, what you want to say, and not giving a damn."
"Congress no longer declares war or makes budgets. So that's the end of the constitution as a working machine."
"We should stop going around babbling about how we're the greatest democracy on earth, when we're not even a democracy. We are a sort of militarised republic."
"There is no such thing as a homosexual or a heterosexual person. There are only homo- or heterosexual acts. Most people are a mixture of impulses if not practices."
On a very different playing field was Maeve Binchy. This gentle Irish author had her first book published at age 43 and went on to write eleven books and four shorter story collections.
She looks like such a wonderfully friendly person, doesn't she?
Her depiction of life in Ireland, the interactions between people who are just trying to be the best that they can, and the life of the common man (and woman) had a loving cadence. Each novel introduced a main cast of characters with a larger group of supplementary characters. The next novel would take one of the supplementary characters and move them to center stage. Her first book was "Light a Penny Candle" and it was followed by such best sellers as "Circle of Friends" and "Scarlet Feather". Reading a Maeve Binchy book was like diving into a cool pool on a muggy and hot day. They were refreshing and pure enjoyment.
I started doing some serious house cleaning yesterday and will be cleaning tonight (or just channel flipping between Project Runway and the Olympics). But I have at least started. My BFF Sharon is coming for her annual visit towards the end of the month (send me your travel plans, GF) and I want the house to at least be reasonably picked up. I'm not planning on miracles, but one baby step at a time, right? That was the promise... Enjoy your Thursday!
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