Rattle wrote:
Ladies and Gentlemen.. 2006's Quote of the Year is ... [ drum roll ]

"The Lexus has collided with the olive tree, and its crumpled hulk spins in a ditch as the orchard smolders." -- Bruce Sterling

This one doesn't need a context if you understand the reference. This quote would fit in editorials on a number of subjects.

And the runner-up:

"I'm an artillery officer, and I can't fire cannons at the internet." -- Brig Gen Mark Kimmitt US Central Command

re Bruce Sterling quote
since i haven't read the reference u send people to - the quote seems rubbish it's not quite Oscar Wilde "Work is the curse of the drinking classes." which needs very little context - good quotes especially if they are to survive down the ages shouldn't depend on a knowledge of a book which is only read by an elite - no too elitist 20 years from now nobody will it - Dorothy Parker it ain't

re Bruce Sterling quote
since i haven't read the reference u send people to - the quote seems rubbish it's not quite Oscar Wilde "Work is the curse of the drinking classes." which needs very little context - good quotes especially if they are to survive down the ages shouldn't depend on a knowledge of a book which is only read by an elite - no too elitist 20 years from now nobody will it - Dorothy Parker it ain't

The Friedman book coined the central metaphor that most colleges these days use to teach how globalization relates to world conflict. It's referenced all over the place. That's why I wanted to single that out apart from the content of the story. It's not only read by an elite. Way more people are exposed to the metaphor than have read the book. There is something both particularly funny and poignant about the Sterling quote when removed from it's original context, and tied to the one it references, and the current state of world affairs.

As far as aging 20 years, your point may be valid. It's very hard to tell what metaphors last and what don't. That's why I put a runner-up.

Plus, it's just a post on my MemeStreams blog, not the cover of the New Yorker. I get to be elitist and snobby.. Er.. Yeah. :)

Rattle wrote:

re Bruce Sterling quote
since i haven't read the reference u send people to - the quote seems rubbish it's not quite Oscar Wilde "Work is the curse of the drinking classes." which needs very little context - good quotes especially if they are to survive down the ages shouldn't depend on a knowledge of a book which is only read by an elite - no too elitist 20 years from now nobody will it - Dorothy Parker it ain't

The Friedman book coined the central metaphor that most colleges these days use to teach how globalization relates to world conflict. It's referenced all over the place. That's why I wanted to single that out apart from the content of the story. It's not only read by an elite. Way more people are exposed to the metaphor than have read the book. There is something both particularly funny and poignant about the Sterling quote when removed from it's original context, and tied to the one it references, and the current state of world affairs.

As far as aging 20 years, your point may be valid. It's very hard to tell what metaphors last and what don't. That's why I put a runner-up.

Plus, it's just a post on my MemeStreams blog, not the cover of the New Yorker. I get to be elitist and snobby.. Er.. Yeah. :)

fair enough 8-)