WIST Quotations

Shakespeare, William -- Richard II, Act 2, sc. 1, l. 45ff (2.1.45-56) (1595)

Dave — Mon, 20 Oct 2025 15:58:30 +0000

GAUNT: This royal throne of kings, this sceptered isle,
This earth of majesty, this seat of Mars,
This other Eden, demi-paradise,
This fortress built by Nature for herself
Against infection and the hand of war,
This happy breed of men, this little world,
This precious stone set in the silver sea,
Which serves it in the office of a wall
Or as a moat defensive to a house,
Against the envy of less happier lands,
This blessèd plot, this earth, this realm, this England ….

William Shakespeare (1564-1616) English dramatist and poet
Richard II, Act 2, sc. 1, l. 45ff (2.1.45-56) (1595)
(Source)

Rogers, Will -- Article (1928-05-26), “Letter of a Self-Made Diplomat to His President,” Saturday Evening Post

Dave — Wed, 24 Apr 2024 15:33:50 +0000

What is Tradition? It’s the thing we laugh at the English for having, and we beat them practicing it.

Will Rogers (1879-1935) American humorist
Article (1928-05-26), “Letter of a Self-Made Diplomat to His President,” Saturday Evening Post
(Source)

Collected in More Letters of a Self-Made Diplomat to His President (1928) [ed. Steven Gragert].

Pratchett, Terry -- Good Omens, 6. “Saturday” (1990) [with Neil Gaiman]

Dave — Thu, 08 Dec 2022 21:05:52 +0000

NOTE FOR YOUNG PEOPLE AND AMERICANS: One shilling = Five Pee. It helps to understand the antique finances of the Witchfinder Army if you know the original British monetary system:
Two Farthings = One Ha’penny. Two Ha’pennies = One Penny. Three Pennies = A Thrupenny Bit. Two Thrupences = A Sixpence. Two Sixpences = One Shilling, or Bob. Two Bob = A Florin. One Florin and One Sixpence = Half a Crown. Four Half Crowns = Ten Bob Note. Two Ten Bob Notes = One Pound (or 240 pennies). One Pound and One Shilling = One Guinea.
The British resisted decimalized currency for a long time because they thought it was too complicated.

Terry Pratchett (1948-2015) English author
Good Omens, 6. “Saturday” (1990) [with Neil Gaiman]
(Source)

Verne, Jules -- Around the World in Eighty Days (1873)

Dave — Sat, 30 Jul 2016 17:54:18 +0000

A true Englishman doesn’t joke when he is talking about so serious a thing as a wager.

Jules Verne (1828-1905) French novelist, poet, playwright
Around the World in Eighty Days (1873)
(Source)

Shaw, George Bernard -- (Attributed)

Dave — Tue, 12 Apr 2016 19:57:26 +0000

England and America are two countries separated by the same language.

George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) Irish playwright and critic
(Attributed)

Variants:

"England and America are two peoples separated by a common language."
"England and America are two countries separated by one language."
"The British and the Americans are two great peoples divided by a common tongue."

Possibly a misattribution from Oscar Wilde in 1887: "We have really everything in common with America nowadays, except, of course, language."

One of the first attributions to Shaw, without source, was in Reader's Digest (Nov 1942). It also shows up in other articles at the time, referenced as a remark by Shaw but without any actual citation. The phrase is not found in Shaw's published writing.

For further discussion of the quote's origins: Britain and America Are Two Nations Divided by a Common Language – Quote Investigator.