The Bon Mot

[NotHardUp1]

The bon mot is an art form.

Sometimes, one liners are too obvious, or too contrived, or too whatever.

But, the golden ones shine

I was reading blurb about Willie Geist, which led me to read up on Anthony Michael Hall, which led me to read a zinger from Roger Ebert as he described a very disappointing AMH movie, Out of Bounds, as "an explosion at the cliché factory."

Outstanding!

What bon mots do you remember, either from public sources or private? You can even be the utterer.

 

[unloadonme]

I have been known to describe certain naff trends as "council estate chic".

 

[NotHardUp1]

LOL. Good one, Paul.

I have coined a few, but I can't recall them without some trigger. I'm sure I'll remember one before I forget about this thread.

 

[LeicsDom]

Of course those awful pulled back pony tail hairstyles favoured by the Kardashians are known over here as Essex facelifts

 

[NotHardUp1]

Clever. I'm sure the Kardashians have "inspired" many a sharp tongue.

 

[Latimer]

Julius Caesar: Men freely believe that which they desire.

Marcus Aurelius: The happiness of your life depends on the quality of your thoughts.

 

[NotHardUp1]

I can agree with Caesar, Aurelius not so much.

His maxim suggests the thoughts of Gandhi, Martin Luther, Susan B. Anthony, Cesar Chavez, Eleanor Holmes Norton, or Ralph Nader were in some way deficient or lacking. Many who are called to greatness would never describes their lives as happy.

 

[rareboy]

You can't overlook Churchill.....who was the master of the bon mot.

 

[Araucaria]

There are two kinds of people: Those who divide everybody into two categories, and those who don't.

 

[Latimer]

Well, he would say that, wouldn't he? --Mandy Rice-Davies

"Whilst being cross-examined at Ward's trial, Rice-Davies made a riposte which has since become famous. When James Burge, the defence counsel, pointed out that Lord Astor denied an affair or even having met her, she dismissed this, giggling "Well he would, wouldn't he?"[9] (often misquoted "Well he would say that, wouldn't he?").[10] By 1979, this phrase had entered the third edition of the Oxford Dictionary of Quotations, and is occasionally referred to with the abbreviation MRDA ("Mandy Rice-Davies applies").[11]"

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mandy_Rice-Davies

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Profumo_affair

Whenever one of Donald Trump's spokespersons denies that Mr. Trump ever said or did something, I think of the immortal misquote of party girl Mandy Rice-Davies regarding Lord Astor.

My parents are fond of this quote, it's a sort of inside joke.

 

[NotHardUp1]

I swear. The things the White House now denies when no one, not even his minions, believe.

They refute accusations merely for the sake of refuting. It doesn't have to be credible in any way.

 

[Latimer]

Speaking again of Mr. Trump, even when it turns out that allegations of outrageous conduct and statements prove not to be true, the following Italian saying (detto) comes to mind:

Se non e' vero e' ben trovato, that is, even if it isn't true, it's well-founded.

 

[m1thousand]

I dont remember who said it. I think it was a line in a movie. "I wont hold my breath(?) ______ _______ _______ _______ Madonna has a hit record"

 

[NotHardUp1]

Se non e' vero e' ben trovato, that is, even if it isn't true, it's well-founded.

The Romans were aptly credited with many a witty reduction.

That's an old concept and ploy in politics. Historians are pretty sure Marie Antoinette never said "let them eat cake," but it really didn't matter, as the words fit. The aristocracy's contempt for the poor was glaringly obvious, so the arrow hit the mark, forever branding the queen as a villain.

 

[Latimer]

"Every woman's man and every man's woman."

Said about Julius Caesar by his opponents--and soldiers.

 

[unloadonme]

I can resist everything except temptation.

(Oscar Wilde)

- - - Updated - - -

I can resist everything except temptation.

(Oscar Wilde)

 

[MTLDude]

^that's what she said, twice, apparently...

 

[EddMarkStarr]

Anybody knows who said, "Friends . . . are Family You Choose".

 

[m1thousand]

does this count?

"which one of you bitches is my mother?"

 

[Latimer]

The dogs bark but the caravan moves on.
--Arab proverb

A fly, sir, may sting a stately horse, and make him wince, but one is but an insect, and the other is a horse still.
--Samuel Johnson