The Oxford Dictionary of Quotations Preface

‘Upon Defacing of Whitehall’ (1671)
4.15 Ross Parker 1914-74 and Hugh Charles 1907—
There’ll always be an England
While there’s a country lane,
Wherever there’s a cottage small
Beside a field of grain.
‘There’ll always be an England’ (1939 song)
4.16 C. Northcote Parkinson 1909—
Expenditure rises to meet income.
‘The Law and the Profits’ (1960) opening sentence
Work expands so as to fill the time available for its completion.
‘Parkinson’s Law’ (1958) ch. 1
Time spent on any item of the agenda will be in inverse proportion to the sum involved.
‘Parkinson’s Law’ (1958) ch. 3
The man who is denied the opportunity of taking decisions of importance begins to regard as
important the decisions he is allowed to take.
‘Parkinson’s Law’ (1958) ch. 10
Men enter local politics solely as a result of being unhappily married.
‘Parkinson’s Law’ (1958) ch. 10
4.17 Charles Stewart Parnell 1846-91
No man has a right to fix the boundary of the march of a nation; no man has a right to say to
his country—thus far shalt thou go and no further.
Speech at Cork, 21 January 1885; in ‘The Times’ 22 January 1885
4.18 Blaise Pascal 1623-62
Je n’ai fait celle-ci plus longue que parce que je n’ai pas eu le loisir de la faire plus courte.
I have made this [letter] longer than usual, only because I have not had the time to make it
shorter.
‘Lettres Provinciales’ (1657) no. 16
La derniére chose qu’on trouve en faisant un ouvrage, est de savoir celle qu’il faut mettre la
premiére.
The last thing one knows in constructing a work is what to put first.
‘Pensèes’ (1670) no. 19
Quand on voit le style naturel, on est tout ètonnè et ravi, car on s’attendait de voir un auteur, et
on trouve un homme.
When we see a natural style, we are quite surprised and delighted, for we expected to see an
author and we find a man.