Modern World Quotes - Page 9

• The moral certitude of the state in wartime is a kind of fundamentalism. And this dangerous messianic brand of religion, one where self-doubt is minimal, has come increasingly to color the modern world of Christianity, Judaism, and Islam.

  Chris Hedges

  Self, Color, Doubt

  Chris Hedges (2014). “War Is a Force that Gives Us Meaning”, p.147, PublicAffairs

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• The mark of the modern world is the imagination of its profiteers and the counter-assertiveness of the oppressed. Exploitation and the refusal to accept exploitation as either inevitable or just constitute the continuing antinomy of the modern era, joined together in a dialectic which has far from reached its climax in the twentieth century.

  Immanuel Wallerstein

  Imagination, Together, World

  Immanuel Wallerstein (2011). “The Modern World-System I: Capitalist Agriculture and the Origins of the European World-Economy in the Sixteenth Century, With a New Prologue”, p.357, Univ of California Press

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• Like a child exploring the attic of an old house on a rainy day, discovering a trunk full of treasure and then calling all his brothers and sisters to share the find, Richard J. 'Foster has 'found' the spiritual disciplines that the modern world has stored away and forgot, and has excitedly called us to celebrate them. For they are, as he shows us, the instruments of joy, the way into mature Christian spirituality and abundant life.

  Eugene H. Peterson

  Christian, Spiritual, Brother

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• In a modern world, increasingly filled with pop culture fads and gimmicks, Lisa Morton reveals much of the underbelly history and unknown facts regarding the biggest pop culture event in history-Halloween. Her sheer delight and well-researched enthusiasm in tackling many of the unrecognized aspects of this monstrous topic makes one wonder what we don't know about everything else that should be as commonplace to our psyche as a bag of candy.

  Del Howison

  Halloween, Topics, Gimmicks

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• I said it three times actually.

  Edward Heath

  America, Three, World

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• William Hague, the world's favourite hairline.

  Rory Bremner

  America, World, Modern

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• They're called Virgin Trains because they don't go all the way.

  Simon Hoggart

  America, World, Way

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• I was out there for 12 days. There are more beggars in Soho than there are in Kabul.

  Neil Morrissey

  America, Kabul, World

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• You have city centre pubs where men go to meet girls, not realising that all girls in city centre pubs have thighs like tug boats and morals that would surprise a zoo animal.

  Jeremy Clarkson

  Girl, Zoos, Animal

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• The fact is that Britain is the most warlike nation on earth. In the history of armed combat, we are the only democracy to have declared war on another democracy - England versus Finland in the second world war, in case you're interested - and we're always at the front of the queue when Johnny Foreigner gets a bit uppity. Who stood up to the Kaiser? Who stood up to Adolf? And let's not forget the Argies. What other country would have sent its fleet halfway round the world and lost 250 men to protect a flock of sheep and some oil that might or might not be there? We're still at it.

  Jeremy Clarkson

  Country, War, Men

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• In Burton's day they [soldiers] were itching to get into the fray. Now it is the opposite. They are always whining about the dangers of being killed. Oh my God, they are such wimps now! The whole point of being in the Army is wanting to get killed, wanting to test yourself to the limits. Now you have to fly 15,000ft above the war zone to avoid getting hit. I don't think there is any point in having wars if that's how you're going to behave. It's pathetic. All this whining!

  Rupert Everett

  War, Army, Thinking

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• Don't start drinking before the fifth song.

  Terry Wogan

  Song, Drinking, America

  "Fairytale story for Norton on his Euro debut" by Carole Cadwalladr, www.theguardian.com. May 16, 2009.

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• Not only do we mock the Eurovision Song Contest itself, but we lampoon other European countries for taking it so seriously, and they all retaliate by voting for each other every year and ignoring our (sometimes) palpably superior songs. Accordingly, Britain has become the Millwall FC of Eurovision: we are hated, we know we are hated, and we pretend we are happy to be hated. It's actually quite a sad state of affairs.

  Marcus Berkmann

  Country, Song, Years

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• Everyone wants to be young, beautiful and rich. I don't say that scornfully: there are worse things to want to be. But that's why, for example, people don't begrudge Kate Moss how much she earns for a day's work but will fulminate over the take-home pay of some fat, old Water Board exec.

  Nigella Lawson

  Beautiful, Home, America

  "Never mind the size, just feel the price". www.theguardian.com. September 3, 2000.

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• Why do Britons keep stabbing each other in August? Why do seaside hotels burn down in August? Why do children disappear in August, examinations get easier and Heathrow become the world's worst airport? The answer lies not in reality but in appearance. News editors abhor a vacuum. Half an hour of airtime and 10 pages of news must be filled each day, whatever the weather.

  Simon Jenkins

  Children, Lying, Reality

  "The state has only aided our seasonal spates of thuggery" by Simon Jenkins, www.theguardian.com. August 21, 2007.

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• Nowhere in politics is there such a mismatch between public and private realm as in transport. Everyone on the M6 last weekend would have agreed with Transport Minister Alasdair Darling's reported hatred of cars. They too wanted drivers off the roads and on to public transport. Go to it, Mr Darling, they cried in unison, get rid of all those cars. Except, of course, their own. Other people's cars are traffic. My car is the outward essence of my being. It is my hat, stick and cane. It embodies my freedom as a citizen and my right as a democrat. My car is my soul in flight.

  Simon Jenkins

  Weekend, Essence, America

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• An Englishman's car is his castle on wheels.

  Simon Jenkins

  America, Car, Castles

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• Yesterday, I tried to call Northwest Airlines' customer-service line over a couple of hours. I couldn't get through. The recording said, "Due to a high volume of calls" Well, you could put it that way - "Due to a high volume of calls". Or you could say, "Due to an insufficient number of employees..."

  Jay Nordlinger

  Couple, Yesterday, Numbers

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• Most big companies don't like you very much, except hotels, airlines and Microsoft, which don't like you at all.

  Bill Bryson

  America, Microsoft, World

  Bill Bryson (2000). “The Complete Notes”, Random House

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• Like most parents, I've been stumped by homework, the big questions, such as: 'What is the point of geography - the pilot always knows where we are going?'. Answer: 'If you didn't know any geography, people would think you were an American, and you wouldn't be able to put them right because you wouldn't know where they live.'

  A. A. Gill

  Thinking, America, People

  A.A. Gill (2010). “Paper View: The Best of The Sunday Times Television Columns”, p.127, Hachette UK

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• What is the English for 'Refreshing towelette'?

  Mary Wakefield

  America, World, Modern

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• Only in England is the perversion of language regarded as a victory for democracy.

  Anthony Burgess

  America, Victory, Democracy

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• I'm not from around these parts. I'm from a little place called England: we used to run the world before you.

  Ricky Gervais

  Running, America, World

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• We may not be the creme de la creme, but we are the creme de la scum.

  John Mortimer

  America, World, Scum

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• The streets, at least in this part of town, seemed impossibly clean in comparison to London. The public telephones were unvandalised. For a London telephone booth to look like that it would have to be guarded around the clock by the SAS.

  Clive James

  America, Looks, World

  Clive James (1985). “Flying Visits”

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