Quotations in the Classroom

I have enjoyed quotations since back in the dark ages when I attended Elgin High. No, it wasn’t English class that inspired my interest – it was Marvin Elbert, my 11th grade (and 12th grade – though for a different course) American History teacher – the same man who pointed me toward the interest in and love of history and social studies. He wrote a quote of the day on the blackboard (his blackboards were brown) – usually related in some way or another to his lesson. For whatever reason, that was my beginning interest in quotations.

This set of quotes is from an email from Roger, a veteran and – (to quote Bill and Ted from Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure) a ‘most excellent’ teacher. Roger works at LMS – actually, I think he’s been there so long I think he’s part of the school – and a friend of many years.

There are a variety of styles of quotations, and they can be used in a number of ways. So, sit back, enjoy, and think about how to use quotations in the classroom. My favorite is the ninth one down, by Reagan (hence the reason for the photo above, courtesy of the feds). And… thank you Roger!

'If you don't read the newspaper you are uninformed; if you do read the newspaper you are misinformed.' -Mark Twain

I contend that for a nation to try to tax itself into prosperity is like a man standing in a bucket and trying to lift himself up by the handle. -Winston Churchill

A government which robs Peter to pay Paul can always depend on the support of Paul. - George Bernard Shaw

A liberal is someone who feels a great debt to his fellow man, which debt he proposes to pay off with your money. -G. Gordon Liddy

Democracy must be something more than two wolves and a sheep voting on what to have for dinner. -James Bovard, Civil Libertarian (1994)

Foreign aid might be defined as a transfer of money from poor people in rich countries to rich people in poor countries. -Douglas Casey

Giving money and power to government is like giving whiskey and car keys to teenage boys. -P.J. O'Rourke, Civil Libertarian

Government is the great fiction, through which everybody endeavors to live at the expense of everybody else. -Frederic Bastiat, French Economist (1801-1850)

Government's view of the economy could be summed up in a few short phrases: If it moves, tax it. If it keeps moving, regulate it. And if it stops moving, subsidize it. -Ronald Reagan (1986)

I don't make jokes... I just watch the government and report the facts. -Will Rogers

If you think health care is expensive now, wait until you see what it costs when it's free! - P.J. O'Rourke

In general, the art of government consists of taking as much money as possible from one party of the citizens to give to the other. -Voltaire (1764)

Just because you do not take an interest in politics doesn't mean politics won't take an interest in you! -Pericles (430 B.C.)

No man's life, liberty, or property is safe while the legislature is in session. -Mark Twain (1866 )

Talk is cheap...except when Congress does it. -Unknown

The government is like a baby's alimentary canal: a happy appetite at one end and no responsibility at the other. -Ronald Reagan

The inherent vice of capitalism is the unequal sharing of the blessings. The inherent blessing of socialism is the equal sharing of misery. -Winston Churchill

The only difference between a tax man and a taxidermist is that the taxidermist leaves the skin. -Mark Twain

The ultimate result of shielding men from the effects of folly is to fill the world with fools. -Herbert Spencer, English Philosopher (1820-1903)

There is no distinctly Native American criminal class...save Congress. -Mark Twain

What this country needs are more unemployed politicians. -Edward Langley, Artist (1928 - 1995)

Poor people have been voting for Democrats for 50 years; and they're still poor. -An unbiased obsever

AND THE BEST ONE....... A government big enough to give you everything you want, it is strong enough to take everything you have. -Thomas Jefferson

Essential question: How can quotations be effectively used to deliver a lesson in a Social Studies classroom.