“No Standing—Only Dancing”
"No Standing -- Only Dancing" is a popular poster; the saying appears as wall graffiti between two parked cars. The original photo was taken by Australian photographer Rennie Ellis…
Archive for 11/2014
“Any sufficiently advanced bureaucracy is indistinguishable from molasses”
"Any sufficiently advanced bureaucracy is indistinguishable from molasses" is a jocular quotation that has been included in many quotations collections. The saying has been cited in print…
“Beauty without intelligence is a masterpiece painted on a napkin”
"Beauty without intelligence is a masterpiece painted on a napkin" is a saying that has been printed on several posters. The saying has been cited on Twitter since April 18, 2009, and is…
“Strong people stand up for themselves; stronger people stand up for others”
"Strong people stand up for themselves; stronger people stand up for others" is a popular saying that has been printed on many posters. The line is usually credited to…
FrankenFed (Frankenstein monster + Federal Reserve)
"FrankenFed” (Frankenstein monster + Federal Reserve) refers to a frightening Federal Reserve ("Fed") -- the monetary system of the United States. Frankenstein, or The Modern…
“Write a wise saying and your name will live forever.—Anonymous”
"Write a wise saying and your name will live forever. -- Anonymous" is a popular joke saying. The line has been cited in print since at least 1999, but it is -- unsurprisingly -- of…
“Some people pay a compliment as if they expected a receipt”
"Some people pay a compliment as if they expected a receipt" is a popular joke about etiquette. "When you pay a compliment, always take a receipt" was cited in Punch's…
“If you want to achieve greatness, stop asking for permission”
"If you want to achieve greatness, stop asking for permission" is a popular stencil by Oakland-based artist Eddie Colla that shows a woman (with a handkerchief over her face) spray…
“Teaching children is an accomplishment; getting children excited about learning is an achievement”
"Teaching children is an accomplishment; getting children excited about learning is an achievement" is a quote from Robert John Meehan's Teacher's Journey: The Road Less…
“Blessed are the flexible, for they shall not be bent out of shape”
"Blessed are the flexible, for they shall not be bent out of shape" is a jocular saying that has been printed on many posters. Michael McGriff, M.D., has been credited with the saying…
“Getting something done is an accomplishment; getting something done right is an achievement”
"Getting something done is an accomplishment; getting something done right is an achievement" is a popular saying of unknown authorship. The saying has been cited in print since at least…
“If we’re not supposed to eat late-night snacks, why is there a light in the refrigerator?”
"If we're not supposed to eat late-night snacks, why is there a light in the refrigerator?" (or, "If we're not meant to have midnight snacks, why is there a light in the…
“When a diplomat says yes, he means perhaps…”
A popular joke involves a lady and a diplomat. The lady can't say "yes" and the diplomat can't say "no." The joke is from the Berliner Tageblatt and has been cited in…
“Nothing gets out of hand quicker these days than money”
To "get out of hand" is an idiom for something that is "out of control." "Nothing gets out of hand quicker these days than money" is a joke that has been cited in…
“It takes 10,000 hours to become an expert at something”
A general rule states that it takes 10,000 hours to become an expert an anything. The "10,000-hour rule" was developed from a 1973 paper in American Scientist by Herbert Simon and William…
“My BFF is a Bowl of Fattening Food”
"BFF" usually stands for "Best Friends Forever," but there have been many backronyms (back acronymns). One popular "BFF" backronym is "Bowl of Fattening…
Gunshine State (gun + Sunshine State)
"Gunshine State" (gun + Sunshine State) is a Florida nickname that has been featured on many gift items, such as T-shirts, posters and bumper stickers -- and often illustrated with a…
Problem - Reaction - Solution
"Problem-Reaction-Solution" (also called Diocletian's Problem/Theory and often said to be a form of the Hegelian Dialectic) is a control system where an entity can achieve its aims…
“Success is often the result of taking a misstep in the right direction”
"Success is often the result of taking a misstep in the right direction" was said by Chicago newspaper writer Al Bernstein in 1975. The quotation made Reader's Digest magazine and…
“You can’t fix stupid, but you can vote it out”
"You can't fix stupid" is a saying of American stand-up comedian Ron White."You can't fix stupid, but you can vote it out" is a jocular saying that has been printed on…