Wet and Aggressive Corella challenges Magpie

Wet and Aggressive Corella challenges Magpie

Tuesday 21 February 2012

Surprise

One of the books I am currently reading is this:


I was given it for Christmas last year.  I do not agree with the title, but there are some interesting snippets in it, and it does make good bedside reading.

I came across the following quote a few days ago and it surprised me, and I have been thinking about it on and off ever since.

The topic the quote was included under was Divorce.  The divorce in question was that of Prince Charles and Lady Diana.  The quote was:

"She is such a sad soul.  It is good that it is over.  Nobody was happy anyhow.  I know I should preach family love and unity, but in their case ....'

I don't disagree at all.  What surprised me was the person who said it.  Mother Teresa.  I would have thought that saying any divorce was a good thing was anathema to such a devout Catholic, though I may be showing my ignorance.

On a much lighter note and still on the topic of divorce, the following quote by Dorothy Parker made me smile out loud.

'It serves me right for putting all my eggs in one bastard'.  Goodness how I admire that woman's ability to come up with the perfect quip for the occasion.

59 comments:

  1. Why--and how--would Mother Teresa know enough about those two people and their marriage to offer an intelligent opinion? I think she was blowing it out the backside on that one. As for women knowing everything, Peggy didn't even know to light a propane torch yesterday, so take that and smoke it, feminists. Ha, ha; ha, ha, ha!

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  2. Snowbrush: I have memories (which may be unreliable) that Mother T and Princess Diana did meet each other and correspond. I assume that she got all she knew about the marriage from Diana herself since I cannot, just cannot, see Mother Teresa perusing women's magazines.
    Question: Why did Peggy need to light a propane torch yesterday? She has a perfectly good husband to do that for her.

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  3. I love the quote by Dorothy Parker, and think you were right about M. Teresa's intimate knowledge coming from Diana herself and not those trashy mags.

    On the thought tho of having a perfectly good husband to do something... as my car was being loaded up yesterday on a tow truck when it died, the guy was telling us how some men have no common sense at all here in Texas. He's been called out to change a flat tire for guys... and not just any guys... but military guys. One guy's wife was even changing out the tire when he got there and the guy was sitting in the car.

    Hell, I can change a flat... on a hill even... and I can't imagine why we are sending men to war for us who can't even change a tire. Is there really no common sense in some men at all?

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  4. What a surprise, I wouldn't have thought MT would advocate divorce but I agree with her sentiments about the sadness.

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  5. Cindy: Sadly, common sense isn't common. In men or women.

    Jayne: It is nice to get the reassurance that I am not alone in finding Mother Teresa's words a tad unexpected.

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  6. My favourite Dorothy Parker is 'Time wounds all heels'. Always hoping it's true.

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  7. "Why did Peggy need to light a propane torch yesterday?"

    I have this crazy idea that women should know how to do all manner of stuff so that if their man dies, they won't be so inconvenienced as they otherwise would. Of course, knowing how to light a torch isn't high on her list of important knowledge, but she was there, the torch was there, and I was there, so it seemed like something worth telling her about.

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  8. P.S. I did respond to what you said about the title of my latest post--I also changed the title. I think I also responded to something you said in response to my last post. I like it that you said what was on your mind about that title.

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  9. Cat Drawings: I didn't know that Dorothy Parker. We can only hope it is true. I think my favourite is 'If all the women in this office were laid from end to end I wouldn't be a bit surprised' or 'Beauty is only skin deep, but ugly goes clean to the bone'.

    J Cosmo Newbery: What's not to love about her.

    Snowbrush: Thank you. I am grateful that you changed the post title. And re the propane torch: aaah, I see. (and yes, it does make sense, so long as it is a two sided thing.))

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  10. I am in awe of the quote by Mother Teresa and am glad she looked at that so realistically. What she said was perfectly true.

    And the quote by Dorothy Parker is great. I discovered her while shelving books at my high school library (as the librarian's assistant - it got me out of gym class.) :) I remember pulling out a book of her short stories and reading them and loving them.

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  11. A follow-up to Snowbrush....yes indeed, a two-sided thing. Somehow, the widowers I've known of always seemed to be worse off than the widows. The father of a friend practically couldn't feed himself, nor do most of the basics around the house. He literally couldn't tell the clothes dryer from the washing machine, and had no idea how to use either. I suspect the majority of women do just fine taking care of themselves.

    I hadn't heard that Dorothy Parker before. Love it!

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  12. I've got to go for the last one. Priceless!

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  13. Love both of those quotes..... it's very revealing and rather generous of Mother Theresa to say the first one and typically hilarious and witty of Ms Parker for the second!

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  14. O yes I love that last one . . . Maybe that's why I had so many "baskets" . . . Although there is still time. I don't like the "spinster" title much ;-0

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  15. That does look like an interesting book, filled with quotes like these. I noticed you said it is one of the books you are reading right now... I do the same thing, I usually have a few going on at once, and now there's always at least one going on my iPad.

    I love Dorothy Parker's quotes. How about this one: "Don't look at me in that tone of voice." :-)

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  16. I read a Will Durant yesterday (abridged). While men were hunting for thousands of years women domesticated plants, dogs, cats. They're still working on men. That may be in your book somewhere. Fun topic for all of us.

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  17. Your book sounds interesting. I am looking at quotes, etc. all the time, and I do love Dorothy Parker.
    But, right or wrong, when it comes to divorce, it is fine to quote on your own. Quoting on someone elses' seems inappropriate, as you need to 'walk in the other persons shoes.'

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  18. This book has interesting thoughts...I like the divorce quote!

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  19. Dorothy Parker. What a delightfully witty woman. I'd never heard that quote before. Perfect.

    Pearl

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  20. That Dorothy Parker quote is a hoot. The one by Mother Teresa surprised me too, though I have enjoyed other quotes of hers in the past. Your book sounds really interesting, and one I would like to buy and read.

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  21. Hi EC,

    The Mother Theresa quote surprises me too - even more so because I am Catholic myself.

    I love the Dorothy Parker quote.

    :0)

    Cheers

    PM

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  22. The Dorothy Parker quote made me smile to. Mother Teresa was a wonderful woman of the world and looked at the bigger picture as apposed to looking at everything with blinkers on :-).

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  23. you have got to hand it to Dorothy!!!
    my fav of hers was
    "If all the girls who attended the Yale prom were laid end to end, I wouldn't be a bit surprised."

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  24. Dorothy Parker was one in a million. At one point in my life, I wanted to be HER, too. My poor mother...

    If ONLY SOMEONE knew everything and I Knew that person's name and phone number, email, and address!

    If only time wounded all heels.

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  25. --Mother Teresa is my hero.

    & Dorothy Parker would have been my kind of girl to have a glass of wine with :)

    xx

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  26. Lynn: I agreed with Mother Teresa's words as well. I was just surprised she said it. Somewhere in our overcrowded bookshelves I also have a book of Dorothy Parker's short stories. I think it is time I reread it.

    Paper Chipmunk: It is so good to see you here. I hope all is well your way. And I agree, helplessness is quite definitely a two way street. And I think the ability to cook a meal/do the washing is more important than the ability to use a propane torch though both have their place. Dorothy Parker rocks.

    Dave King: It was great, wasn't it?

    Kath Lockett: The women quoted were such different people (which is a lot of the charm of the book). The first surprised me, though I agreed with it, and I loved the second.

    bugerlugs63: Replace the word 'spinster' with the phrase 'woman of taste and discernment'.

    DJan: I always have at least two books on the go. Often one is fiction and the other not, but it changes with the wind.

    That is a great Dorothy Parker you have added. Thank you.

    Joanne: I will keep a look out for that book. One I saw in my early flip through of the book ran along the lines of 'man got up from all fours so he had a hand free to masturbate'. Then I went in to do a shift a Lifeline, and my second caller was indeed a sexual fantasy caller. Serendipity.

    Sienna: It seems that many of us here in the blogosphere love Dorothy Parker. I think that Mother T was 'walking in the other person's shoes' but perhaps largely in Diana's.

    Kim @ Stuff: It is an interesting book indeed.

    Pearl: Another fan. And it wasn't a quote I knew either.

    Denise: I am glad that others are surprised by Mother Teresa's quote.

    PM: Thank you. On both counts.

    Windsmoke: It does seem that Mother Teresa did look at the bigger picture.

    John Gray: Yay for Dorothy. Perhaps we need to set up a fan club.

    JeannetteL.S: When you find the person who knows everything, can I have their contact details too. I would be interested in hearing how you behaved when you wanted to become Dorothy.

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  27. My Inner Chick: I am sorry, I wasn't ignoring you. Your comment must have arrived while I was replying to other people. And yes, I think you are right. And I believe that Dorothy Parker was fond of the odd glass (or six) of wine.

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  28. have to agree with Windsmoke that Mother Teresa had been so deeply embedded in human misery for so long that she could grasp a broader perspective... a woman who put her faith in motion. what's not to love about that?

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  29. daisyfae: I did love the Mother Teresa quote. I agreed with her. I was just surprised that her deeply felt religious beliefs allowed her to endorse divorce. It also made me think better of her, if that is possible.

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  30. What a great book. The irony about Diana and Mother Theresa is that they both died within a week (or thereabouts) of each other.

    Great quotes. Perfect.

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  31. Sounds like MT was a thoughtful person with a mind of her own. I used to like DP but have come to be rather alarmed about the depth of acid and anger in her wit... perhaps though she was a sad soul, too.

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  32. Reminds me of a greating card that my girlfriend gave me after my first divorce. Yes, I married and divorced again...slow I'm a slow learner. Anyhow, the card read "Ending a relationship is like adjusting your underwear, it feels so good once the creep is gone!"

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  33. Susan Kane: I hadn't remembered that they died so close together. Thank you.

    Christine: I love that Mother Teresa could go against doctrine. My reading suggests that Dorothy Parker was indeed a sad and lonely woman with quite a number of demons to deal with. Yes, she was acid, but I still admire the speed with which she found the bon mot.

    DahnStarr: What a clever card. What a clever friend. I trust you retained her while discarding the husbands.

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  34. I love those sorts of books, so now I'm going to have to track down my own copy and look for other books by Dorothy Parker.

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  35. River: Let me know if you can't find it and I will send you this one.

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  36. I agree with the speed thing. And one of the DP rhymes I recall is;

    Guns aint lawful,
    Nooses give.
    Gas smells awful
    You might as well live.

    I discovered DP during my William Faulkner, Carson Mcullers days... Now there is a writer in CM!

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  37. Christine: I had forgotten that sad little gem as well.

    Another I had forgotten:
    Champagne to my real friends
    Real pain to my sham friends.

    I wish that Carson Mcullers had written more. Pretty fond of William Faulkner too. There were/are so many talented writers.

    I think that Dorothy Parker was friends with James Thurber, whose work I also like.

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  38. It sounds like a good read.. but words can be taken out of context and mis-quoted went written. Only the person who spoke the words knows if it was quoted correctly.

    Have a lovely day.
    ~:)

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  39. Pam: Thank you. You are right about the potential for misquoting but since both of the people quoted are dead we will never know.

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  40. Perhaps Mother T. didn't foresee all that fornicating which followed. (although there had been plenty up to then) And perhaps she didn't foresee remarrying for either of them.

    Thank God for Dorothy Parker, a miserable soul herself, but one with the most biting wit of anybody I know of.

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  41. Dear EC,
    I'm surprised at that quote from Mother Teresa also. But the one from Dorothy Parker is just what I would expect from someone whose wit was a dry as a martini that's been shaken, not stirred!

    Peace.

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  42. Friko: I don't know whether Mother T's feelings would have been changed by remarriage, and of course now we will never know. Dorothy Parker was as you say miserable but had such skill with words.

    Dee Ready: I think many of us were suprised at the quote from Mother Teresa. And yes, Dorothy Parker was always very dry, usually fairly black and I almost always find her funny. Which sometimes shames me.

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  43. Dorothy Parker was amazing! What a way with words.

    I'm not so surprised about Mother Teresa -she was very concerned with people's happiness and put that before religious dogma.

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  44. LadyFi: It seems that Dorothy Parker's way with words is appreciated unanimously. While no-one has had any problems with Mother Teresa's comment you were the only one who was not surprised. Or at least the only one who said that they were not surprised.

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  45. Love Dorothy Parker. Her truisms always make me laugh! And that doesn't surprise me about MT. If anyone knew how someone's soul was feeling, it would have been her!

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  46. Sounds like a fabulous book. A lot of fun. And I do believe the esteemed Mother had it right.

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  47. Diane: Wouldn't you love to have Dorothy Parker's way with words. And you make two people who are not surprised at Mother Teresa's lovely words.

    Cathy Olliffe-Webster: The book is a nice way to wind down for the night. And yes, Mother Teresa was indeed right.

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  48. I've certainly met enough women who thought they knew everything. The only trouble was when they disagreed.

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  49. Aha, well being a mere dude, there shall be no argument from me :)
    However and I hope you're sitting comfortably, I can multi-task. This is our secret :)

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  50. John Wiswell: Sadly I have also met people (of both sexes) who knew it all. Some of them are in my family. And they are wrong. Wrong, wrong, wrong.

    klahanie: Welcome. And I am v glad that I was seated for that bomb shell. Something my partner cannot achieve.

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  51. I love that Parker quote even though I am a man!

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  52. JDS: Welcome. It is a great quote isn't it?

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  53. Wow, I never would have ascribed that quote to Mama Teresa. Thought the Dorothy Parker one is signature. Thanks for the lead on this new book--on my wish list. Peace...

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  54. Linda: Welcome. I am with you on both quotes. I am glad to add to your reading list.

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  55. Mother Theresa and Princess Dianna did meet, in New York, when Mo-T was fundraising for a vsacant building to be converted into a homeless shelter. And they both died only days apart.

    Also, because her husband had carried on his affair for the duration of their marriage, under Catholic rules, infidelity is one of 2 grounds for a divorce. The other is lack of children.

    Love the Dorothy Parker quote. And I don't even know who she is???

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  56. Spectra: I didn't know that infidelity was grounds for a divorce. Thank you.
    Dorothy Parker (August 22, 1893 – June 7, 1967) was an American poet, short story writer, critic and satirist. Her humour was on the black side of darkness. She was married two or three times (I think at least one of her husbands she married twice). In later life she became an alcoholic.

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  57. I just got a whole book of Dorothy Parker given to me. A quote, random, from her critique of The House At Pooh Corner: "it makes me want to fwow up." Now your other book, up there...I'd have a hard time getting past that title.

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  58. Murr: As I remember she was reviewing books for a column called The Constant Reader at the time and the full quote was 'The Constant Weader fwowed up.' A woman who would certainly be much, much better to have on your side.

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