The Oxford Dictionary of Quotations Preface

Oh, the gallant fisher’s life,
It is the best of any
’Tis full of pleasure, void of strife,
And ’tis beloved of many.
‘Piscator’s Song’ in Izaac Walton ‘The Compleat Angler’ (1653-76)
3.63 Joseph Chamberlain 1836-1914
In politics, there is no use looking beyond the next fortnight.
In letter from A. J. Balfour to 3rd Marquess of Salisbury, 24 March 1886, in A. J. Balfour ‘Chapters of
Autobiography’ (1930) ch. 16
Provided that the City of London remains, as it is at present, the clearing-house of the world,
any other nation may be its workshop.
Speech at the Guildhall, 19 January 1904, in ‘The Times’ 20 January 1904
The day of small nations has long passed away. The day of Empires has come.
Speech at Birmingham, 12 May 1904, in ‘The Times’ 13 May 1904
We are not downhearted. The only trouble is we cannot understand what is happening to our
neighbours.
Speech at Smethwick, 18 January 1906 (referring to a constituency which had remained unaffected by an
electoral landslide) in ‘The Times’ 19 January 1906
3.64 Neville Chamberlain 1869-1940
In war, whichever side may call itself the victor, there are no winners, but all are losers.
Speech at Kettering, 3 July 1938, in ‘The Times’ 4 July 1938
How horrible, fantastic, incredible it is that we should be digging trenches and trying on gasmasks
here because of a quarrel in a far away country between people of whom we know nothing.
On Germany’s annexation of the Sudetenland: radio broadcast, 27 September 1938, in ‘The Times’ 28
September 1938
This is the second time in our history that there has come back from Germany to Downing
Street peace with honour. I believe it is peace for our time.
Speech from window of 10 Downing Street, 30 September 1938, in ‘The Times’ 1 October 1938.
Whatever may be the reason—whether it was that Hitler thought he might get away with what
he had got without fighting for it, or whether it was that after all the preparations were not
sufficiently complete—however, one thing is certain—he missed the bus.
Speech at Central Hall, Westminster, 4 April 1940, in ‘The Times’ 5 April 1940
3.65 Haddon Chambers 1860-1921
The long arm of coincidence.
‘Captain Swift’ (1888) act 2
3.66 Nicolas-Sèbastien Chamfort 1741-94
Vivre est une maladie dont le sommeil nous soulage toutes les 16 heures. C’est un palliatif. La