Freebsd Fortunes 5: 1318 of 2298 |
Perhaps, after all, America never has been discovered.
I myself would say that it had merely been detected.
-- Oscar Wilde
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Freebsd Fortunes 5: 1319 of 2298 |
Perhaps no person can be a poet, or even enjoy
poetry without a certain unsoundness of mind.
-- Thomas Macaulay
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Freebsd Fortunes 5: 1320 of 2298 |
Perhaps the biggest disappointments were the ones you expected anyway.
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Freebsd Fortunes 5: 1321 of 2298 |
Perhaps the most widespread illusion is that if we were in power we would
behave very differently from those who now hold it -- when, in truth, in
order to get power we would have to become very much like them. (Lenin's
fatal mistake, both in theory and in practice.)
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Freebsd Fortunes 5: 1322 of 2298 |
Perhaps the world's second words crime is boredom. The first is
being a bore.
-- Cecil Beaton
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Freebsd Fortunes 5: 1323 of 2298 |
Perilous to all of us are the devices of
an art deeper than we ourselves possess.
-- Gandalf the Grey
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Freebsd Fortunes 5: 1324 of 2298 |
Periphrasis is the putting of things in a round-about way. "The cost may be
upwards of a figure rather below 10m#." is a periphrasis for The cost may be
nearly 10m#. "In Paris there reigns a complete absence of really reliable
news" is a periphrasis for There is no reliable news in Paris. "Rarely does
the 'Little Summer' linger until November, but at times its stay has been
prolonged until quite late in the year's penultimate month" contains a
periphrasis for November, and another for lingers. "The answer is in the
negative" is a periphrasis for No. "Was made the recipient of" is a
periphrasis for Was presented with. The periphrasis style is hardly possible
on any considerable scale without much use of abstract nouns such as "basis,
case, character, connexion, dearth, description, duration, framework, lack,
nature, reference, regard, respect". The existence of abstract nouns is a
proof that abstract thought has occurred; abstract thought is a mark of
civilized man; and so it has come about that periphrasis and civilization are
by many held to be inseparable. These good people feel that there is an almost
indecent nakedness, a reversion to barbarism, in saying No news is good news
instead of "The absence of intelligence is an indication of satisfactory
developments."
-- Fowler's English Usage
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Freebsd Fortunes 5: 1325 of 2298 |
Persistence in one opinion has never been considered
a merit in political leaders.
-- Marcus Tullius Cicero, "Ad familiares", 1st century BC
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Freebsd Fortunes 5: 1326 of 2298 |
Personifiers of the world, unite!
You have nothing to lose but Mr. Dignity!
-- Bernadette Bosky
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Freebsd Fortunes 5: 1327 of 2298 |
Personifiers Unite! You have nothing to lose but Mr. Dignity!
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