Quick Quote


Words of wisdom in bite sized form.


QUICK QUOTES

"Ridicule is the only honourable weapon we have left against hypocracy."

Muriel Spark

Dame Muriel Sarah Spark DBE FRSE FRSL Was a Scottish novelist, short story writer, poet and essayist, writer of The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie. Born 1.2.1918 in Edinburgh, died 13.4. 2006 in Florence, Italy.



"I value our insular position but I dread the day when we shall be reduced to a moral insularity."

William Ewart Gladstone [1878]

William Ewart Gladstone FRS FSS was a British statesman and Liberal politician. In a career lasting over 60 years, he served for 12 years as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, spread over four terms beginning in 1868 and ending in 1894. Born 29.12.1809 in Liverpool, died 19.5.1898 at Hawarden Castle, Wales.



"When the power of love overcomes the love of power, the world will know peace."

Jimi Hendrix

James Marshall, Jimi, Hendrix was an American guitarist, singer, and songwriter. Although his mainstream career spanned only four years, he is widely regarded as one of the most influential electric guitarists in the history of popular music, and one of the most celebrated musicians of the 20th century. Born 27.11.1942 in Washington, died 18.9.1970 in London.


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QUICK QUOTES

"If you hold dogmatic beliefs too strongly it makes you cruel."
Richard Holloway
[former Bishop of Edinburgh]

Born in Glasgow in 1933, Richard Hookway FRSE is a Scottish writer, broadcaster and cleric.

He was Bishop of Edinburgh from 1986 to 2000 and Primus of the Scottish Episcopal Church from 1992 to 2000.


Recently, a Spanish man believed to have been the oldest man in the world died aged 113 years. Asked about his longevity he'd said:

"A quiet life and not hurting anyone."

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QUICK QUOTES

"Doubt is uncomfortable but certainty is absurd."
Voltaire
[21.11.1694-30.5.1778]

Francois-Marie Arouet, known by his nom de plume Voltaire, was a French Enlightenment writer, historian, and philosopher famous for his wit, his criticism of Christianity-especially the Roman Catholic Church-as well as his advocacy of freedom of speech, freedom of religion, and separation of church and state


"Explain everything as simply as possible - but no simpler."
Einstein
[14.3.1879-18.4.1955]

Albert Einstein was a German-born theoretical physicist, widely acknowledged to be one of the greatest physicists of all time. Einstein is best known for developing the theory of relativity, but he also made important contributions to the development of the theory of quantum mechanics.

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SOME QUICK QUOTES
ON WALKING

"A walk done properly is an excuse to stop and look at things, to dawdle."
Simon Armitage


Simon Robert Armitage, CBE, FRSL. [26.5.1963] who was appointed Poet Laureate on 10th May 2019, is an English poet, playwright and novelist. He is also Professor of Poetry at the University of Leeds

"Not all those who wander are lost."
J.R.R. Tolkien


John Ronald Reuel Tolkien CBE FRSL [3.2.1892-2.9.1973] was an English writer, poet, philanthropist and academic, best known as the author of the high fantasy works The Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings.


"Caminar es atesorar" - To walk is to gather treasure
Spanish Saying


Book recommendations:

  • The Old Ways: A Journey on Foot by Robert Macfarlane
  • The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry by Rachel Joyce

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QUICK QUOTES

"There is a fine line to be drawn between disruption and destruction."

David Cannadine


 

Sir David Cannadine FBA, FSA, FRHistS, FRSA is a British author and historian who specialises in modern history, Britain and the history of business and philanthropy. Born on 7th September 1950 in Birmingham, he studied at Clare College, Cambridge. He married Linda Colley in 1982. Amongst his edited work is Rituals of Royalty: Power and Ceremonial in Traditional Societies.


"Marriage is 90% shouting,
"What?" to each other from another room."

Katherine Jakeways

Katherine Jakeways is a British comedian, actor and writer. She has appeared in numerous television, radio and theatrical productions. A lady who never tells her age!


 

"One should never trust a woman who tells her real age.
A woman who would tell that would tell anything."
 
Oscar Wilde

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QUICK QUOTE

"We are one people globally and at our best when we collaborate."
Pascal Soriot CEO AstraZeneka, June 2020

AstraZeneka plc/AB is a British-Swedish multinational pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical company with its global headquarters in Cambridge, United Kingdom and Sodertalje, Sweden. Its Research and Development is concentrated in Cambridge in the UK, Sodertalje in Sweden and Maryland and Toronto in North America.

 

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QUICK QUOTES

"I'm only interested in everything!"
Les Murray AO [1938-2019]


Les Murray was an Australian poet, anthologist and critic. His career spanned over 40 years and he published nearly 30 volumes of poetry as well as two verse novels and collections of his prose writings.

He was given the award of Office of the Order of Australia.

Born on the 17th October 1893 in Nabiac, Australia, he died on the 29th April 2019 in Taree, Australia. In 1962 he married Valerie Morelli and together they had five children.


"One of the most delightful things about a garden
is the anticipation it provides."

W.E. Johns [1893-1968]

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QUICK QUOTE

Lorna Doone, R.D. Blackmore

"For according to our old saying, the three learned
professions live by roguery on the three parts of a man.
The doctor mauls our bodies;
the parson starves our souls,
but the lawyer must be the adroitest knave,
for he has to ensnare our minds."

 

4



QUICK QUOTE

"Fashion fades but style is eternal."

Yves Saint Laurent
[1.8.1936-1.6.2008]


Yves Henri Donat Mathieu-Saint-Laurent, professionally known as Yves Saint-Laurent, was a French fashion designer who, in 1961, founded his eponymous fashion label. He is regarded as being among the foremost fashion designers in the twentieth century.

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QUICK QUOTE

Marshall McLuhan
[1911-1980]

suggested increased technology would lead to
"more rational, literate, calm and logical argument"
in place of angry, emotional and dismissive argument.



 

Herbert Marshall McLuhan CC was a Canadian professor, philosopher, and public intellectual. His work is one of the cornerstones of the study of media theory. He was born in Edmonton Canada on the 21st July 1911 and died in Toronto on the 31st December, 1980.

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QUICK QUOTE

"I am a pessimist who enjoys being pleasantly surprised."

Alfred Brendel

Born on the 5th January 1931, Alfred Brendel KBE, is an Austrian pianist, poet and author, known particularly for his performances of Mozart, Schubert, Schoenberg, and especially Beethoven.

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QUICK QUOTES

"A little thought and a little kindness are often worth more than a great deal of money."

John Ruskin

John Ruskin [1819-1900] Leading English art critic of the Victorian era, as well as an art patron, draughtsman, watercolourist, prominent social thinker and philanthropist.


"True ignorance is not the absence of knowledge but the refusal to acquire it."

Karl Popper

Sir Karl Raimund Popper CH FBA FRS [1902-1994] was an Austrian Jewish-British philosopher and professor. He is generally regarded as one of the 20th century's greatest philosophers of science.

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QUICK QUOTE

"Success has a thousand fathers but failure is an orphan."

The origins of this quotation are believed to be attributed to Julius Agricola as written by the Roman historian Tacitus about 98AD. Translated from the Latin, "This is an unfair thing about war: victory is claimed by all, failure to one alone."

In 1961, responding to a question from a journalist about the Bay of Pigs invasion, John F. Kennedy said, "There is an old saying, victory has a thousand fathers and defeat is an orphan."

A "thousand" is often quoted as "a hundred" or "many", and "failure" as "defeat".

9



NEWS FROM BERRYNARBOR PRE-SCHOOL

A First Taste of Education

At Berrynarbor Pre-School we provide care and education for young children between the ages of 2 and 5. Presently we have spaces available and are now taking bookings for the next academic year.

If you would like to book a place for your child/children, then please visit us or call us on our NEW telephone number, 07932 851052, or e-mail preschoolberrynarbor@gmail.com for more information.

Our opening times are 8.30 a.m. to 4.00 p.m. Monday to Friday We are flexible and have a range of session times to meet your needs. For details please see the Manor Hall Diary later in this Newsletter.

We are Ofsted Registered and in receipt of the 2gether Scheme and Early Years Entitlement. We are offering 30 hours' free childcare to eligible families. Further information regarding this funding can be found at www.gov.uk/government/publications/30-hours-free-childcare-eligibility.

Welcome Back to the Summer Term

We should like to say a very big thank you to Berry in Bloom who kindly paid for our garden to have a much need make-over, and Wendy, Alan, Andy, Greg, Barry, Geoff and Tony, who all kindly donated their time. It is now a safe area for the children to dig, grow their plants, as well as pick summer fruits - blueberries, raspberries and strawberries, as well as explore - looking for bugs and insects!

Irwin, our flower pot person, now sits in pride of place overseeing the garden and inspires the children to explore and watch nature. He was kindly donated to us by Greg Elstob.

Last term the children enjoyed the topic of Looking at the Changes in our Seasons. The story of Jack and the Beanstalk came to life with them making a giant display of Jack climbing the beanstalk and planting their own magic bean seeds, and WOW, didn't they grow! The team from Berry in Bloom were very impressed and wanted to know what our secret is - we don't know, you'll have to ask the children! These have been replanted in our new garden and we shall continue to watch them grow and hopefully have some beans to harvest later in the year.

The children learnt about the life cycle of the frog. We were lucky enough to have some frogspawn this year, allowing the children to monitor some of the changes and watch the tadpoles develop. These tadpoles were then put back into the pond to continue to grow into frogs.

The mural created by the children using the earth pigments unique to North Devon is now in place. The children are fascinated by the textures and colours and they use their imagination to explain the picture that they made in conjunction with our autumn term's topic Space.

To support the children's learning, this term we are looking at Going on Holiday, based around travel, transport, travel agents and going round the world visiting different countries. They will be encouraged to listen to new stories, create their own passports and go on many adventures as we explore the world.

This will also give us the opportunity to work on our letters and sounds. Children are encouraged to sound out familiar letters and sounds and begin to form recognisable letters or to make patterns and put meanings to the marks they make. This is all based on the child's individual stage of learning.

From all the Staff at Berrynarbor Pre-School.

Sue, Karen, Charlotte and Lynne

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QUICK QUOTE

"Freedom is a very dangerous thing. Anything else is disastrous."

James Baldwin

35



QUICK QUOTE

"Patriotism needs no enemy, but nationalism demands one."

Adam Gopnik

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QUICK QUOTE

On free speech
"Having the right to say something is not the same as its being right to say it."
G.K. Chesterton
[1874-1936]

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SNIPPETS

Quick Quotes

"Summer Afternoon" two of the most beautiful words in the English language.

Henry James, 1843-1916


"When the facts change I change my mind."

Maynard Keynes


"Life can only be understood backwards but has to be lived forwards."

Kierkegaard

U and Non-U Tips as given to Binkie Beaumont:

Words like 'nothing' may we say,
End with G and not with K.
Napkins, in the smarter sets,
Are not known as serviettes.
Also, these are not tucked in
Neatly underneath the chin . . .
Should you belch at lunch or tea
Never mutter "Pardon me".
Mark these rules and, if you can,
Be a little gentleman.

Noel Coward

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SNIPPETS

Quick Quotes

"Summer Afternoon" two of the most beautiful words in the English language.

Henry James, 1843-1916


"When the facts change I change my mind."

Maynard Keynes


"Life can only be understood backwards but has to be lived forwards."

Kierkegaard

U and Non-U Tips as given to Binkie Beaumont:

Words like 'nothing' may we say,
End with G and not with K.
Napkins, in the smarter sets,
Are not known as serviettes.
Also, these are not tucked in
Neatly underneath the chin . . .
Should you belch at lunch or tea
Never mutter "Pardon me".
Mark these rules and, if you can,
Be a little gentleman.

Noel Coward

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QUICK QUOTE

Considering 'January Sales' which last the whole year through:

"Getting and spending, we lay waste our powers:
Little we see in Nature that is ours."

William Wordsworth [1770-1850]

Crossword Answers

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QUICK QUOTE

"Any time spent with a cat is not time wasted."
Sigmund Freud

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QUICK QUOTE

on the pursuit of happiness:
"Happiness will be found by valuing many small
moments and not by aching for perfect circumstances."

Jude Kelly [Artistic Director of the Southbank Centre]

4



QUICK QUOTES

"An economist should strive to be as useful as a dentist."
John Maynard Keynes

"A manifesto should be a light house and not a shop window."
Winston Churchill

16



QUICK QUOTE

"A sense of humour is common sense dancing."

Martin Amis

9



QUICK QUOTE:

"If you want to go fast go by yourself.
If you want to go far go as a group."

Old Chinese Proverb

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QUICK QUOTE

"For every complex problem there is a simple solution - and it's wrong!"

H.L.Mencken

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QUICK QUOTE

"Never sacrifice excellence for mere popularity."

Joshua Reynolds


Sir Joshua Reynolds PRA FRS FRSA [16 July 1723 - 23 February 1792] who was born in Devon, was an influential eighteenth-century English painter, specialising in portraits and promoting the "Grand Style" in painting which depended on idealization of the imperfect. He was one of the founders and first president of the Royal Academy, and was knighted by George Ill in 1769.

In early 2007, Plymouth City Museum and Art Gallery acquired 23 portraits from the Trustees of the Port Eliot Estate through the Acceptance in Lieu scheme. The works have remained in situ at Port Eliot. The core of the acquisition is a group of 14 works by Sir Joshua Reynolds, one of Plymouth's most famous artists, with a further nine painted by some of his contemporaries.

If you are planning a day out, Port Elliot is well worth a visit. It is situated in the village of St. Germans, on the Rame Peninsular, South East Cornwall, not too far from Plymouth. The Round Room contains a mural painted by Robert Lenckiewicz, regarded as his masterpiece. It has to be seen to be believed!

Why not also visit nearby Mount Edgcumbe. This beautifully kept stately home [owned jointly by Plymouth City and Cornwall Councils] overlooks Plymouth Sound.



 

 

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AT-A-GLANCE DIARY

JANUARY
31st Fun Quiz and Supper Evening, Manor Hall, 7.00 p.m.
FEBRUARY
5th Mobile Library in Village from 10.55 a.m.
8th Beaford Arts: Bread & Circuses, Wot No Fish, Manor Hall, 7.00pm
11th Parish Council Meeting, Parish Room, 7.00 p.m.
14th Valentine's Day
15th Arts & Crafts ACTIVITY DAY, Manor Hall, 10.30 a.m. onwards
16th Snowdrop Day & Art Workshop, Marwood Hill Gardens, 11.00 am
17th to Friday, 21st: College and Primary School Half Term
19th Mobile Library from 10.55 a.m. Wine Circle, Manor Hall, 8.00 pm
23rd Snowdrop Day & Art Workshop, Marwood Hill Gardens, 11.00 am
24th Knit and Natter for North Devon Hospice, Manor Hall, 2.00 p.m.
25th Berry in Bloom & Best Kept Village Meeting, The Globe, 7.30 p.m.
26th Friendship Lunch, The Globe, 12.00 noon onwards
28th Beetle Drive & Fish and Chip Supper, The Globe
MARCH
1st Pre-School Jumble Sale, Manor Hall
5th Mobile Library in Village from 10.55 a.m.
8th Nearly New & Jumble Sale for Newsletter, 10.30 a.m. & 2.00 p.m.
11th Parish Council Meeting, Parish Room, 7.00 p.m
19th Wine Circle, Manor Hall, 8.00 p.m.
21st Murder Mystery Night, The Globe
26th Friendship Lunch, The Globe, 12.00 noon onwards
30th St. Peter's Mothering Sunday. British Summer Time begins
APRIL
4th College & Primary School: End of Spring Term

Manor Hall Diary
MondaysUpholstery, 9.00 to 1.00 p.m.
Craft Group 1.45 p.m.
Badminton, 7.30 p.m.
TuesdaysN.D. Spinners [2nd & 4th]
Yoga, 7.00 p.m.
WednesdaysPilates Body Workout, 9.00 a.m.
ThursdaysWatercolour Painting 10.00 a.m. [in 10 week term]
FridaysToddlers Soft Play and Activity a.m.
Primary School p.m.
Penn Curzon RoomPre-School: Mon/Tues 9.00 am - 3.00 pm
Wed/Thur/Fri 8.30 am - 3.00m p.m.
Mobile Library - Assistant: Jacqui Mackenzie
Village Shop : 10.45-11.30 a.m. Sterridge Valley : 11.45-12.15 p.m.

School, Pre-School and Toddler Group - Term Time only

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QUICK QUOTES

"Ignorance more frequently breeds confidence than does knowledge."
Charles Darwin

"In peace there's nothing so becomes a man as modest stillness and humility."
Shakespeare

21



QUICK QUOTE

Nostalgia. [deep sigh] It's not what it used to be!

Into my heart an air that kills
From yon far country blows:
What are those blue remembered hills,
What spires, what farms are those?
That is the land of lost content:
I see it shining plain,
The happy highways where I went
And cannot come again.

A.E. Housman 1859-1936

8



QUICK QUOTE

"The budget should be balanced, the Treasury should be refilled, public debt should be reduced, the arrogance of officialdom should be tempered and controlled, and the assistance to foreign lands should be curtailed, lest Rome will become bankrupt. People must again learn to work instead of living on public assistance."

Cicero, 55 BC

Evidently we've learnt nothing at all over the past 2,068 years!

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CROSSWORD ANSWER

QUICK QUOTE

for the newish New Year:

"Dum spiro spero."
While I breath I hope

37



QUICK QUOTE

with Valentine's Day in mind:

"In love men are amateurs
women are professionals."

Francois Truffaut

5



QUICK QUOTE

"A sense of humour is a sense of proportion."

Norman St. John Stevens

19



QUICK QUOTE

"Where a library is least wanted it is most needed."

H.G. Wells

3



QUICK QUOTE

"... wish to all
Flowers in the garden, meat in the hall,
A bin of wine, a spice of it,
A house with lawns enclosing it,
A living river by the door,
A nightingale in the sycamore."

Robert Louis Stevenson
[1850-1894]

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QUICK QUOTE:

"If you want the rainbow you've got to put up with the rain."

Dolly Parton

25



QUICK QUOTE

"It is better to understand men than to judge them."

Mario Vargas Llosa
Peruvian novelist and politician

25



QUICK QUOTE

"Ask yourself if you are happy and you cease to be so!"

John Stuart Mill. 1806-1873
[Philosopher and campaigner for votes for women].

The Government is to produce "An Index of National Happiness" at a cost of 2 million pounds.

13



QUICK QUOTE

To a man with a big hammer every problem looks like a nail.

Amos Oz

37



QUICK QUOTE

The mind is like a parachute.
It does not work if it's not open.

Frank Zappa

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TOPICAL QUOTE

The poet W.H. Auden said his preferred mode of government was: "Dictatorship tempered with assassination."

Was he being ironic?

2



QUICK QUOTE

"Success is the ability to go from one failure to another with no loss of enthusiasm."

Winston Churchill

7



QUICK QUOTES

"If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need". Cicero

"The more things are forbidden the more popular they become". Mark Twain

29



QUICK QUOTE

Overheard at Tiverton: "A trouble shared is a trouble doubled."

22



QUICK QUOTES

"If you have a garden and a library you have everything you need."

Cicero

"Growing old is inevitable, growing up is optional."

Anon

29



Quick Quotes

"I know why there are so many people who love chopping wood. In this activity one immediately sees the results."

On how his work had made possible the invention of the atom bomb: "If only I had known, I should have become a watchmaker."

Einstein

32



QUICK QUOTE

When Albert Einstein was a schoolboy, his teacher complained to Einstein's parents that he was a disruptive influence. "Why?" his parents asked. "He sits at the back of the class and smiles" the teacher replied.

5



SENIOR MOMENTS!

Don't like shopping - it's a bore
Rushed to my car to open the door
Now what's happened, the key is stuck
Today I'm really out of luck

Turn it, twist it - all but kick it
My temper's rising by the minute
Through the window what do I see
Things inside don't belong to me

And now I do begin to whine
Because of course this car's not mine
Humble, furtive, I retreat
My own red I must seek

Suspicious looks do come my way
Oh what a truly awful day.


NEXT WEEK

Parked in Lane C by trolley shed
L registration, colour red
So out I trot with smile so smug
To enter car with elegant shrug

I don't believe it - what's with my head
A reg L Micra and its red!
It should be mine - it's by the shed
It's where I put it - like I said

Now what I see makes my face red
Lane D has a Micra, L, and red
It's mine - it's been there all along
The one I'm breaking up is wrong

One senior moment is enough
But two of them is rather tough
Suspicion spreads and people speak
My case, I think, comes up next week!

Lisa Shelley

6



QUICK QUOTE
[from Heather Maynard, given with feeling!]

"Grandparents are for life, not just for Birthdays and Christmas!"

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OF THIS AND THAT ...