The Butler County press. [volume] (Hamilton, Ohio) 1900-1946, 1913-08-22
FAMOUS PHRASES
Origin OF Some of Worlds Most
Popular Quotations.
WORDS THAT WILL ENDURE.
"While There's Life There's Hope"
Was Written by Cicero, and Cynical
Old Diosenes II Was Who Told the
World "Hshit la Second Nature"

Was Written by Cicero, and Cynical
Old Diosenes Il Was Who Told the
World "Hshit Is Second Nature"
1t Is recorded that an ignorant per
son. explaining her distaste for Shake
spearean performances, said that his
plays were TOO full OF quotations. Yet
we, too, though we may pride ourselves
upon our learning, probably do not
know the origin of half the common
phrases we use as carelessly as verbs
in our daily conversation.
No less q person than Cicero first
made use OF the expression, while
there's life there's hope" in letter he
wrote to Atticus. I'VE are In the same
boat" Is not modern slang, but occurs
In letter written by Clement l., bish
op OF Rome, TO the Church OF Corinth
I'm the first century. This letter is ex-
tant and is one OF the priced docu-
ments OF the early church.
II never put of till tomorrow what
can do today" was Lord Chester
fields explanation OF how he managed
to do so much work. whatever is
worth doing at all Is worth doing well"
he wrote later IN the famous letters TO
his son
In some OF the expressions we use
habitualy may be crystalliZed an
epoch OF history. Such is the motto Of
the Order OF the Garter "Honi soft qui
NAL pense" ("Shamed be he who
thinks evil OF it'D, which was given by
Edward III. of England. Wishing to
draw the best soldiers in the world to
him, he proposed revival Of the round
table of King Arthur, holding q tour
nament at Windsor castle on New
Years day. 1874 After the contest OF
arms the guests were entertained at
his expense at q round table Philip,
king OF France, was jealous over the
interest this aroused and forbade his
subjects to attend, at the same time
mlsrepresenting Edwards motives.
Several years later, when Edward
founded the Order OF the Garter, be
chose motto that seemed to chal-
lenge his rival monarch to think wrong
OF II IL he dared
Later English history has not been
laggard In increasing the supply OF apt
remarks that have grown into every
day sayings. Lord Eldon. lord chan
cellor OF England during the first TWEEN
ty-six years OF the nineteenth century,
continually mispronounced the name
OF Henry Brougham, afterward to be
a successor in the chancellor's office.
Rrougham objected to be called Broff-
am, and in this regard Eidon was the
chief offender. Once. after Brougham
had made an excellent speech, Eldon
by way OF apology pronounced his
name correctly and made proverb,
New broons sweep clean"
The same expression occurs fire.
quently to different people who could
have no knowledge that their thought
had been given utterance before. mo
man Is a hero to his valet has been
paraphrased by scores, from Nine. du
Cornuel, witty Frenchwoman OF the
seventeenth century, to DR.. Johnson
and Napoleon The first record of 1t,
however is found In Plutarch. who
states that when Hermodotus address
ed a poem TO Antigonous L., king OF
Sparta, hailing him as son of the sun
and a god the monarch replied. My
body servant sings me no such song"
1t was Dlogenes the cynic, who de-
clared that habit is second nature"
The phrase circumstances over which
he has no control was used by the
Duke OF Wellington In letter con
corning some affairs IN which his son
was mixed up and With which he de-
clined to interfere. Dickens also used
the expression few years later when
he had Micawber write to David Cop
perfeld. circumstances beyond my In.
dividual control" etc.
Conspicuous by their absence" has
been used on many occasions in mod
ern oratory. 1t was first used by
Tacitus In relating that in the funeral
procession Of Julia. niece Of Cato, sis
ter OF Brutus. wife OF Cassius, many
Of the images OF the most famous
families in Rome were seen. but Cas-.
sius and Brutus shore pre- eminent be
cause their images were not dis
played"
Nothing Is certain but death and
taxes" wrote Benjamin Franklin, stat.
ing that the constitution of the United
States was in operation and to all ap-
pearances would last.
Those who live in glass houses
should not throw stones" was said by
flames |. OF England when his favor
tie. the Duke Of Buckingham, com
glass windows. which were at that
time a luxury.
Mind your p's and as" is said TO
have been taken from an old French
phrase at the time OF Louis XIV. A
very low bow was In fashion, and the
dancing master in instructing his pu-
pills would warn them to look out for
the position OF the feet and the move
ment OF the head lest their cue wigs
be disarranged The French word for
foot Is pied Mind your pieds and
queues" soon came to be transplanted
iHiO AuS ltsA anu hDpICNAdlSd.
Wallace Irwin once complained that
when be had been invited to be funny
at banquet his real gems of wit were
addressed TO the back of his chauffeur
on the way home. But what's the diff
ference? According to the Latin poet,
upheld by modern investigation, every
thing you could possibly say has been
said before. Anna Bird Stewart In
Minneapolis Journal.