by Jeanni Ritchie
I find it odd that the work I fought to get out of in school is now the work I do for pleasure.
Research the origins of a national holiday, digging into word etymology, and linking cause and effect on a historical timeline are newfound hobbies my old teachers would certainly be proud of. But it’s been more than a minute since I donned a cap and gown so I must settle for intrinsic extra credit.
One of my favorite activities is finding a famous quote to go with a story or video I’ve created. While my favorite “quotes” come from the Bible, I also enjoy referencing philosophers and historians.
In today’s world I need only type “famous quote about…” in a search engine to find the desired quip. But before we had computers, we had Bartlett.
John Bartlett (June 14, 1820 – December 3, 1905) was an American writer and publisher and the editor of Bartlett’s Familiar Quotations, which he revised continuously and published in several editions.
Known for his memory for quotations and trivia, “Ask John Bartlett” became a byword in the community when someone was stumped. This led to Bartlett keeping a commonplace book of quotations to answer queries which became the first edition of Bartlett’s Familiar Quotations in 1855.
Out of curiosity, I checked out the 2012 edition from the library. I hadn’t even seen the book since high school! There were several familiar, as well as unfamiliar, lines from nursery rhymes included.
Ladybug, Ladybug, fly away home
Your house is on fire, and your children will burn.
(Ladybug, Ladybug)
Here comes a candle to light you to bed,
Here comes a chopper to chop off your head.
(Oranges and Lemons)
I always complained that kids today didn’t know the nursery rhymes we grew up with but after looking at these (boughs breaking, tails chopping, bridges falling) I’m thinking maybe that’s a good thing!
There is an index of authors at the beginning of the book. The index is in alphabetical order but the quotes are in chronological order of the author’s birth. Biblical quotes still fill several of the first pages.
I decided to look up quotes by some of my favorite philosophers.
Liars when they speak the truth are not believed. (Aristotle, 384-322 BC)
I looked up quotes by Thomas Aquinas and George Bernard Shaw. I read Poe poetry lines and Martin Luther King Jr. speech excerpts.
From the year I was born came Neil Armstrong’s famous quote: That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.
The last 1/3 of the book is a subject index ranging from sod to solitude. There’s a quote for nearly every topic you can think of. I decided to search for quotes on three random subjects: sleep, friends, and Christmas. Here are my fave quotes from each topic.
One hour’s sleep before midnight is worth three after. (George Herbert, 1593-1633)
Even the death of friends will inspire us as much as their lives…Their memories will be encrusted over with sublime and pleasing thoughts, as monuments of other men are overgrown with moss; for our friends have no place in the graveyard. (Henry David Thoreau, 1817-1862)
At Christmas play and make good cheer,
For Christmas comes but once a year. (Thomas Tusser, 1524-1580)
I leave you with a quote about…quotes!
By necessity, by proclivity, and by delight, we all quote. (Ralph Waldo Emerson, 1803-1882)
Jeanni Ritchie is a contributor from Central Louisiana. She can be reached at jeanniritchie54@gmail.com.
