Great quotes by politicains, Lyndon B Johnson, Winston Churchill, etc.
Posted by: JamieL on 14 March 2009
I heard today a quote, or mis-quote from a man I greatly admire, president Lyndon B Johnson, president of the United States of America November 22, 1963 – January 20, 1969.
No man is without faults, and LBJ had some, maybe many, but like many revisionist historians (and I am not a historian, but a casual observer) I feel that LBJ had been judged far too harshly by history, and I hope that history will revise its opinion of LBJ.
The quote I heard from BBC Radio4 was a direct conversation between de Gaulle and LBJ, (more concise than Wikipedia reports, but the nature is true to that report)
Charles de Gaulle in phone conversation told LBJ that 'France was to pull out of NATO, the headquarters of NATO must be relocated from Paris and all U.S. troops must be evacuated from French soil.'
LBJ asked if 'That was to include all the US troops buried on French soil from the liberation of France?'
The BBC reported the relevant statistics of D-day, 19 French dead..., 1200 English dead, 3000 American dead. (This is rough as I can not remember the numbers exactly, they are pretty close though)
There is also a wonderful story (although not polite) reported by (the great) Hunter S Thompson regarding getting a politician to deny something and the implications of them in doing so. In one of his writings he reports on a conversation between a campaign manger and LBJ during a difficult campaign in Texas.
LBJ wished that a rumour be spread that his opponent enjoyed 'relations' with one of his barn yard sows.
His campaign manager replied 'Christ, you can't call him a pig f**ker'.
LBJ said 'No, but I want to see him deny it!'
Another great man, and certainly a man of words was Winston Churchill. His great speeches are well known, and so are many of his asides. If you do not know his asides, well here are a couple.
Lady Astor (reputedly not a beautiful woman), aghast at a party. "Mr. Churchill you're drunk!"
Mr. Churchill: "And you, Lady Astor, are ugly. As for my condition, it will pass by the morning.
You, however, will still be ugly."
and
Lady Astor to Winston Churchill
"Sir, if you were my husband, I would poison your drink."
Churchill's reply
"Madam, if you were my wife, I would drink it."
I think Graucho Marks used that one too.
Winston Churchill
"Always remember that I have taken more out of alcohol than alcohol has taken out of me."
A quote from Winston Churchill, quoted by a man I do deeply admire, Marv Levy, former head coach of the Buffalo Bills NFL team, and history graduate from Harvard, prior to the start of a football game in relation to one of his opponents:
'He has all the virtues I don't admire, and none of the vices I do.'
One from Marv himself putting sports over-statement in its place:
'There was only one must win, and that was World War II.'
Anyway, I am sure many here must have some gems of quotes from great, or otherwise, figures from history, or even sport. Perhaps even from our current incumbents (I have great hopes of Obama, if not others).
No man is without faults, and LBJ had some, maybe many, but like many revisionist historians (and I am not a historian, but a casual observer) I feel that LBJ had been judged far too harshly by history, and I hope that history will revise its opinion of LBJ.
The quote I heard from BBC Radio4 was a direct conversation between de Gaulle and LBJ, (more concise than Wikipedia reports, but the nature is true to that report)
Charles de Gaulle in phone conversation told LBJ that 'France was to pull out of NATO, the headquarters of NATO must be relocated from Paris and all U.S. troops must be evacuated from French soil.'
LBJ asked if 'That was to include all the US troops buried on French soil from the liberation of France?'
The BBC reported the relevant statistics of D-day, 19 French dead..., 1200 English dead, 3000 American dead. (This is rough as I can not remember the numbers exactly, they are pretty close though)
There is also a wonderful story (although not polite) reported by (the great) Hunter S Thompson regarding getting a politician to deny something and the implications of them in doing so. In one of his writings he reports on a conversation between a campaign manger and LBJ during a difficult campaign in Texas.
LBJ wished that a rumour be spread that his opponent enjoyed 'relations' with one of his barn yard sows.
His campaign manager replied 'Christ, you can't call him a pig f**ker'.
LBJ said 'No, but I want to see him deny it!'
Another great man, and certainly a man of words was Winston Churchill. His great speeches are well known, and so are many of his asides. If you do not know his asides, well here are a couple.
Lady Astor (reputedly not a beautiful woman), aghast at a party. "Mr. Churchill you're drunk!"
Mr. Churchill: "And you, Lady Astor, are ugly. As for my condition, it will pass by the morning.
You, however, will still be ugly."
and
Lady Astor to Winston Churchill
"Sir, if you were my husband, I would poison your drink."
Churchill's reply
"Madam, if you were my wife, I would drink it."
I think Graucho Marks used that one too.
Winston Churchill
"Always remember that I have taken more out of alcohol than alcohol has taken out of me."
A quote from Winston Churchill, quoted by a man I do deeply admire, Marv Levy, former head coach of the Buffalo Bills NFL team, and history graduate from Harvard, prior to the start of a football game in relation to one of his opponents:
'He has all the virtues I don't admire, and none of the vices I do.'
One from Marv himself putting sports over-statement in its place:
'There was only one must win, and that was World War II.'
Anyway, I am sure many here must have some gems of quotes from great, or otherwise, figures from history, or even sport. Perhaps even from our current incumbents (I have great hopes of Obama, if not others).
As usual George, very well put. I'll post no more on the subject (well, on this thread anyway!) 