A. P. Herbert

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The concept of two people living together for 25 years without a serious dispute suggests a lack of spirit only to be admired in sheep.
- A. P. Herbert
Collection: Anniversary
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The critical period of matrimony is breakfast-time.
- A. P. Herbert
Collection: Marriage
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Let's find out what everyone is doing, And then stop everyone from doing it.
- A. P. Herbert
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If nobody said anything unless he knew what he was talking about, a ghastly hush would descend upon the earth.
- A. P. Herbert
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This high official, all allow, is grossly overpaid; there wasn't any Board, and now there isn't any Trade.
- A. P. Herbert
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A high-brow is someone who looks at a sausage and thinks of Picasso.
- A. P. Herbert
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The Englishman never enjoys himself except for a noble purpose.
- A. P. Herbert
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An Englishman never enjoys himself, except for a noble purpose.
- A. P. Herbert
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People must not do things for fun. We are not here for fun. There is no reference to fun in any Act of Parliament.
- A. P. Herbert
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I am sure that the party system is right and necessary. There must be some scum.
- A. P. Herbert
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Don't let's go to the dogs tonight, For mother will be there.
- A. P. Herbert
Collection: Mother
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Elderly gentlemen, gentle in all respects, kind to animals, beloved by children, and fond of music, are found in lonely corners of the downs, hacking at sandpits or tussocks of grass, and muttering in a blind, ungovernable fury elaborate maledictions which could not be extracted from them by robbery or murder. Men who would face torture without a word become blasphemous at the short fourteenth. It is clear that the game of golf may well be included in that category of intolerable provocations which may legally excuse or mitigate behavior not otherwise excusable.
- A. P. Herbert
Collection: Lonely
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Well, fancy giving money to the Government! Might as well have put it down the drain. Fancy giving money to the Government! Nobody will see the stuff again. Well, they've not idea what money's for- Ten to one they'll start another war. I've heard a lot of silly things, but, Lor'! Fancy giving money to the Government!
- A. P. Herbert
Collection: Money
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The Common Law of England has been laboriously built about a mythical figure-the figure of 'The Reasonable Man'.
- A. P. Herbert
Collection: Funny
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aven, I have given up smoking again!... God! I feel fit. Homicidal, but fit. A different man. Irritable, moody, depressed, rude, nervy, perhaps; but the lungs are fine.
- A. P. Herbert
Collection: Men
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A dull speaker, like a plain woman, is credited with all the virtues, for we charitably suppose that a surface so unattractive must be compensated by interior blessings.
- A. P. Herbert
Collection: Blessing
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My ball is in a bunch of fern, A jolly place to be; An angry man is close astern- He waves his club at me. Well, let him wave-the sky is blue; Go on, old ball, we are but two-We may be down in three, Or nine-or ten-or twenty-five-It matters not; to be alive, Is good enough for me.
- A. P. Herbert
Collection: Golf
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There is no reason why a joke should not be appreciated more than once. Imagine how little good music there would be if, for example, a conductor refused to play Beethoven's Fifth Symphony on the ground that his audience might have heard it before.
- A. P. Herbert
Collection: Play
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Citizens who take it upon themselves to do unusual actions which attract the attention of the police should be careful to bring these actions into one of the recognized categories of crimes and offences, for it is intolerable that the police should be put to the pains of inventing reasons for finding them undesirable.
- A. P. Herbert
Collection: Pain
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For I must write to The Times tonight, and save the world from sin.
- A. P. Herbert
Collection: Writing
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Justice should be cheap but judges expensive.
- A. P. Herbert
Collection: Justice
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Well, fancy giving money to the Government! Might as well have put it down the drain.
- A. P. Herbert
Collection: Business
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Men who would face torture without a word become blasphemous at the short fourteenth. It is clear that the game of golf may well be included in that category of intolerable provocations which may legally excuse or mitigate behaviour not otherwise excusable.
- A. P. Herbert
Collection: Golf
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An act of God was defined as something which no reasonable man could have expected.
- A. P. Herbert
Collection: Hope
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A man who has made up his mind on a given subject twenty-five years ago and continues to hold his political opinions after he has been proved to be wrong is a man of principle; while he who from time to time adapts his opinions to the changing circumstances of life is an opportunist.
- A. P. Herbert
Collection: Men
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As my poor father used to say In 1963, Once people start on all this Art Goodbye, moralitee! And what my father used to say Is good enough for me.
- A. P. Herbert
Collection: Goodbye
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The essence of humour is surprise; that is why you laugh when you see a joke in Punch.
- A. P. Herbert
Collection: Essence
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The whole Constitution has been erected upon the assumption that the King not only is capable of doing wrong but is more likely to do wrong than other men if he is given the chance.
- A. P. Herbert
Collection: Kings
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Let's stop somebody from doing something! Everybody does too much.
- A. P. Herbert
Collection: Doe
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Greenfly, it's difficult to see Why God, who made the rose, made thee.
- A. P. Herbert
Collection: Rose
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Harriet, Hi! Light of my eye! Come to the pictures and have a good cry, For it's jolly old Saturday, Mad-as-a-hatter-day, Nothing-much-matter-day-night!
- A. P. Herbert
Collection: Eye