Category Archives: Quotations

Things people said.

Fabulous, Difficult Individuals Aren’t ‘Divas’!

Posted on May 31, 2026 by JMN

Posted in Quotations | Tagged language | 7 Comments

Hail to Thee, Mouse-Like Bird! Wren nor Tit Thou Never Wert!

Posted on May 25, 2026 by JMN

Adam goofed. The bird called wrentit (Chamaea fasciata) is neither a wren nor a tit. A wrentit… is a secretive, sedentary, mouse-like bird endemic to North America, primarily found in western coastal regions of the U.S. and Baja California. It’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Commentary, Quotations | Tagged inerrant biblicy, language | Leave a comment

Democracy, We Hardly Knew Ye

Posted on May 23, 2026 by JMN

The [2026 U.S. Supreme Court] case that felled the Voting Rights Act was Louisiana v. Callais… The day after the Callais ruling, Gov. Jeff Landry took the unprecedented action of suspending the state’s U.S. House primary — in which tens … Continue reading →

Posted in Quotations | Tagged miscellaneous, society, tyranny | 3 Comments

Rae Armantrout Appeals to My Inner Toddler

Posted on May 21, 2026 by JMN

I want to say Rae Armantrout springs a cavalcade of huggable schwas on me, but rumpled or purple or bubbly would describe them, too. As long as they’re duple bumpy words. Joints grind likeshot brakes. Food ignitesin our stomachs. But … Continue reading →

Posted in Commentary, Quotations | Tagged language, poetry, reading | 6 Comments

Let Fly, Let Sing

Posted on May 4, 2026 by JMN

As a grammar nerd I have to comment: The hortatory “let” allows you and me to influence the behavior of a third person (Let him go fly a kite!), or a third person that of a fourth (Mary Ann said, … Continue reading →

Posted in Quotations | Tagged language, poetry | 8 Comments

Trigger Mortis

Posted on May 1, 2026 by JMN

… Not long after the end of the Vietnam War [1975], Army Col. Harry Summers, who’d won Bronze and Silver stars in that war as an operations officer, flew to Hanoi as chief of the U.S. delegation to resolve the … Continue reading →

Posted in Quotations | Tagged miscellaneous | 2 Comments

My Favorite Wire Sculpture ’Til Further Notice

Posted on April 8, 2026 by JMN

“When functioning as art, an object asks its viewers to ‘look harder, look longer, ask questions, interrogate, try to make something of it.’” Alva Noë, philosopher at the University of California, Berkeley) Duchamp helps us understand that “art” shouldn’t be … Continue reading →

Posted in Quotations | Tagged art | Leave a comment

Truth Facial

Posted on April 1, 2026 by JMN

“His lifestyle is very different and kind of intriguing, although it would not work for me.” (Bill Gates on Jeffrey Epstein) According to his spokesman, Bill Gates was referring to Epstein’s décor. That reminds me, I need to vacuum the … Continue reading →

Posted in Commentary, Quotations | Tagged language, rhetoric | 2 Comments

Annals of Journalism

Posted on February 4, 2026 by JMN

Some burger joint names are hard to pin down. The following excerpt is from MySA (“My San Antonio”). Whataburger rival ramps up expansion with new $1M Texas outpost. This is the third Shack Shack coming to the Austin area in … Continue reading →

Posted in Quotations | Tagged journalism, language | 4 Comments

Three Rules With Tolerances

Posted on January 26, 2026 by JMN

RULE OF GOLDTreat others like you want to be treated. RULE OF IRONBelieve in Me or else. RULE OF THUMBSteer into the skid. TOLERANCES“Every trade works to different tolerances. Steel workers aim to be accurate within half an inch; carpenters … Continue reading →

Posted in Anthology, Commentary, Quotations | Tagged language, miscellaneous, poetry, rhetoric | 2 Comments