WIST Quotations

Kerr, Jean -- Mary, Mary, Act 2 (1961)

Dave — Mon, 17 Aug 2026 20:36:38 +0000

BOB: I thought we understood each other. I thought we talked things out!

DIRK: Yes, and you listened very carefully to every word you had to say.

Jean Kerr (1922–2003) American author and playwright [b. Bridget Jean Collins]
Mary, Mary, Act 2 (1961)
(Source)

Waley, Arthur -- “Notes on Translation,” Atlantic Monthly (Nov 1948)

Dave — Thu, 25 Aug 2022 17:08:23 +0000

When translating prose dialogue one ought to make the characters say things that people talking English could conceivably say. One ought to hear them talking, just as a novelist hears his characters talk.

Arthur Waley (1889–1966) English orientalist, sinologist, literary translator
“Notes on Translation,” Atlantic Monthly (Nov 1948)
(Source)

Millar, Margaret -- The Weak-Eyed Bat (1942)

Dave — Sun, 01 Feb 2004 16:00:00 +0000

As a matter of fact, have you never noticed that most conversations are simply monologues delivered in the presence of a witness?

Margaret Millar (1915–1994) American-Canadian mystery and suspense writer
The Weak-Eyed Bat (1942)
(Source)

Often misattributed to Mark Twain, usually as "Most conversations are simply monologues delivered in the presence of witnesses."

More information on this quote's origins: Most Conversations Are Simply Monologues Delivered in the Presence of a Witness – Quote Investigator®