Southern Quote Archive 1-7
#1
"All I can say is that there's a sweetness here, a Southern sweetness, that makes sweet music. . . . If I had to tell somebody who had never been to the South, who had never heard of soul music, what it was, I'd just have to tell him that it's music from the heart, from the pulse, from the innermost feeling. That's my soul; that's how I sing. And that's the South." -- Al Green
#2
"Something that everybody wants to have read and nobody wants to read."-- Mark Twain's definition of a classic
#3
If the South had been an independent nation for the past 30 years it would have had budgets more closely in balance, less governmental taxation, a tougher policy on crime and welfare, greater local control over schools, protected prayer in schools, a more conservative Supreme Court, and an immigration policy that would not flood the country with Third World immigrants.- William L. Cawthon, Jr., The South As An Independent Nation
#4
"Do not ever give a Queen a home appliance as a gift. Period. The end. Now, an exception can be made in the event she just happens to mention in passing that she wishes she had, say, a full Viking kitchen, and then she goes out of town for a few days; and when she comes back, her entire kitchen is renovated with fabulous Viking appliances. She will be touched. On the other hand, if it is her birthday and you, all on your own, select, purchase, and present her with a Crock Pot, well, you are over."- Jill Conner Browne, The Sweet Potato Queen's Book of Love
#5
"When the taste changes with every bite and the last bite tastes as good as the first, that's Cajun."- Paul Prudhomme
#6
"Fiddle-dee-dee. War, war, war. This war talk's spoiling all the fun at every party this spring. I get so bored I could scream."- Scarlett O'Hara
#7
"A nation which does not remember what it was yesterday does not know where it is today." --Robert E. Lee
#8--From Volume I Issue I
The American South is a geographical entity, a historical fact, a place in the imagination, and the homeland for an array of Americans who consider thmeselves southerners. The region is often shrouded in romance and myth, but its realities are as intriguing, as intricate, as its legends.--Bill Ferris
#9--From Volume I Issue II
Okay, so maybe this quote actually belongs in the "Chuckles" section but I couldn't decide and I really wanted to pass it along..."Do Southerners laugh at different things than Northerners do? Yes--Northerners." --Roy Blount
#10--From Volume I Issue III
A poignant quote from President George W. Bush, the leader of our great nation, spoken to the families of the victims."And I pray they will be comforted by a power greater than any of us, spoken through the ages in Psalms 23. 'Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil for you are with me.' " --President George W. Bush
Volume I Issue IV
I doubt Ms. King was talking about alligators. But I think this quote helps to explain the southerner's affection for the green guys. ~Shellie"Southerners have a genius for psychological alchemy...If something intolerable simply cannot be changed, driven away or shot they will not only tolerate it but take pride in it as well." -- Florence King
#12--From Volume I Issue V
"It's Been Said...""Within the South itself, no other form of cultural expression, not even music, is as distinctively characteristic of the region as the spreading of a feast of native food and drink before a gathering of kin and friends." -- John Egerton, from "Southern Food, at Home, on the Road, in History"
#13--From Volume I Issue VI
"Recognizing that it certainly isn't true of all of us, I would propose that a Southerner is distinguished by a sense of neighborliness, a garrulous quality, a wish to get together a lot."--from Charles Kuralt in "Southerners: Portrait of a People"
#13--From Volume I Issue VII
Character is what you are; reputation is what you try to make people think you are.--anonymous
#14--From Volume I Issue VIII
"Mama wanted me to be a preacher. I told her preachin' and coachin' were a lot alike."--from the legendary Alabama football coach Bear Bryant
#15--From Volume I Issue IX
"What can be more Southern than to obsess about being Southern?" --Elizabeth Fortson Arroyo
#15--From Volume I Issue X
"The man who doesn't read good books has no advantage over the man who can't read them." --Mark Twain
#16--From Volume I Issue XI
"Take time to deliberate; but when the time for action arrives,stop thinking and go on."--Andrew Jackson
#17--From Volume I Issue XII
"A nation is no better than the individuals that compose it." --Cordell Hunt
#18--From Volume I Issue XIII
"Southerners can't stand to eat alone. If we're going to cook a mess of greens we want to eat them with a mess of people." --Julia Reed
#19--From Volume I Issue XIV
My sister says Southerners are like other people, only more so."--Blanche McCrary Boyd
#20--From Volume I Issue XV
"In the South, the breeze blows softer...neighbors are friendlier, nosier, and more talkative. (By contrast with the Yankee, the Southerner never uses one word when ten or twenty will do)...This is a different place. Our way of thinking is different, as are our ways of seeing, laughing, singing, eating, meeting and parting. Our walk is different, as the old song goes, our talk and our names. Nothing about us is quite the same as in the country to the north and west. What we carry in our memories is different
too, and that may explain everything else." --Charles Kuralt in "Southerners: Portrait of a People"
#20--From Volume I Issue 16
"The North isn't a place. It's just a direction out of the South." --Roy Blount, Jr.
#21--From Volume I Issue 17
Whenever I'm asked why Southern writers particularly have a penchant for writing about freaks, I say it is because we are still able to recognize one. --Flannery O'Connor
#22--From Volume I Issue 18
"There are only two or three human stories, and they go on repeating themselves as fiercely as if they had never happened." --Willa Cather
#23--From Volume I Issue 19
"The biggest myth about Southern women is that we are frail types--fainting on our sofas...nobody where I grew up every acted like that. We were about as fragile as coal trucks."
--Lee Smith
#24--From Volume I Issue 20
"Snow in the South is wonderful. It has a kind of magic and mystery that it has nowhere else. And the reason for this is that it comes to people in the South not as the grim, unyielding tenant of Winter's keep, but as a strange and wild visitor from the secret North." --Thomas Wolfe
#25--From Volume I Issue 21
"The South--where roots, place, family, and tradition are the essence of identity." --Social historian Carl N. Degler
#26--From Volume I Issue 22
"Courage is contagious. When a brave man takes a stand, the spine of others are stiffened." --Billy Graham
#27--From Volume I Issue 23
"People generally see what they look for and hear what they listen for." --Harper Lee
#28--From Volume I Issue 24
"What has always been clear, for Southerner and non-Southerner alike, is that Dixie is the most fascinating part of the country. There may be a book out there called 'The Great Midwest' or 'A Turn in the Midwest' or 'The Mind of the Midwest' or 'The Midwestern Mystique', but if there is I'm certainly not aware of it." --Fred Hobson
#29--From Volume I Issue 25
"Do not ever give a Queen a home appliance as a gift.
Period. The End." ----Jill Conner Brown, "The Sweet Potato Queen's Book on Love"
#29--From Volume I Issue 26
"When people from the South ask that question they don't necessarily mean geography. They may mean family, neighborhood or time." ----Beverly Lowrey, on the question "Where are you from?"
#29--From Volume I Issue 27
"Down South everybody cherishes dreams. In dreams this world
and the next mix like sugar and grits." ----Grandmother Ernestine, to novelist Jewell Parker Rhodes (This is Shellie speaking. If you aren't really Southern you might need further clarification on grits and sugar. You can find all you need to know in my "Southern Joke" archive. Look for number #2.)
#30--From Volume I Issue 28
"The South is America. The South is what we started out with in this bizarre, slightly troubling, basically wonderful
country--fun, danger, friendliness, energy, enthusiasm, and brave, crazy, tough people." ----P.J.O'Rourke
#31--From Volume I Issue 29
"Lettin' the cat outta' the bag is a whole lot easier than puttin' it back in." ----American humorist Will Rogers
#32--From Volume I Issue 30
"I was blessed with humble beginnings." ----Dolly Pardon
#33--From Volume I Issue 31
"Whenever you do a thing, act as if all the world is watching." ----Thomas Jefferson
#34--From Volume I Issue 32
"Even if they've moved away, most people who grew up in the South still consider themselves Southern." ----Lillian Hellman
#35--From Volume I Issue 33
"The greater part of our happiness depends on our disposition
and not our circumstances." ----Martha Washington
#36--From Volume I Issue 34
"The South is the only place in the world where nothing has
to be explained to me." ----Woodrow Wilson
#37--From Volume I Issue 35
"What I have learned from my long affair with Mississippi is
that America's greatest strength, and its greatest weakness, is our belief that we can always start over, that things can
be made better, transcended." ----Anthony Walton
#38--From Volume I Issue 36
"There is as much dignity in plowing a field as in writing
a poem." ----Booker T. Washington
#39--From Volume I Issue 37
"He was sure any woman who would wordlessly volunteer to stretch
bait in the middle of a bream frenzy was the girl for him." ----Padgett Powell, on a friend who married a Southern woman who,
on their first date, had torn catalpa worms in half when they were running out of bait.
#40--From Volume I Issue 38
"If you are going to be underestimated by people who speak more
rapidly, the temptation is to speak slowly and strategically and outwit them."
----Doris Betts, on the Southern drawl
#41--From Volume I Issue 39
"One for the cutworm, one for the crow, one to rot, and one
to grow." ----Old rule for planting corn
#42--From Volume I Issue 40
"Most people live and die with their music still unplayed. They
never dare to try." ----Mary Kay Ash
#43--From Volume I Issue 41
"Dreams, if they're any good, are always a little crazy." ----Ray Charles
#44--From Volume I Issue 42
"Southerners can claim kin with anybody. It's one of our
most dextrous talents." ----Guy Davenport
#45--From Volume I Issue 43
"In the South, perhaps more than any other region, we go back to our
home in dreams and memories, hoping it remains what it was on a lazy,
still summer's day twenty years ago." ----Willie Morris
#46--From Volume I Issue 44
There are some people who, if they don't know, you can't tell
'em. ----Louis Armstrong
#47--From Volume I Issue 45
"We hold these truths to be self-evident; that all men are created
equal; that they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable
rights; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness;
that to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving
their just powers from the consent of the governed..." ----Thomas Jefferson/ Declaration of Independence [July 4, 1776]
#48--From Volume I Issue 46
"All her life my mother told me, "No matter how poor you are, you
can always be clean." ----Andrew Hudgins
#49--From Volume I Issue 47
"People see God every day; they just don't always recognize Him."
----Pearl Bailey
#50--From Volume I Issue 48
"Daddy looked at the sun to see what time it was. He could come within five or ten minutes by the position of the sun. Most of the
farmers I knew could." ----Harry Crews
#51--From Volume I Issue 49
"Regardless of one victory, two victories, four victories, there's
never been a victory by a cancer survivor. That's a fact that hopefully I'll be remembered for."
----Texan Lance Armstrong, after winning his fourth Tour de France
#52--From Volume I Issue 50
You've got to continue to grow, or you're just like last night's
cornbread--stale and dry. ----Loretta Lynn
#53--From Volume I Issue 51
"Leadership is getting someone to do what they don't want to do,
to achieve what they want to achieve." ----Tom Landry
#54--From Volume I Issue 52
"What we have done for ourselves alone dies with us; what we have
done for others and the world remains and is immortal." ----Albert Pike
#55--From Volume II Issue 1
"I've always said that next to Imperial China, the South is the best place
in the world to be an old lady." ----Florence King
#56--From Volume II Issue 2
"The dog of your boyhood teaches you a great deal about friendship, and
love, and death: Old Skip was my brother." ----Willie Morris
(My son loves this quote! He and Rocky, his chocolate lab, have a bond that
testifies to the loyalty and devotion of man's best friend. By the way, if
you don't think all dogs go to heaven, please don't tell Phillip.~smile~)
#57--From Volume II Issue 3
"We must adjust to changing times and still hold to unchanging
principles."
----Ex-president, Jimmy Carter, quoting his high school teacher,
Ms. Julia Coleman.
(This is Shellie again. I've got a good idea. If you know someone
with principles-good, solid, old-fashioned principles that aren't
shaken with every new fad, why don't you tell 'em how much you
appreciate their example today. I plan to!)
#58--From Volume II Issue 4
Okay, the chances are, if you've been sitting on my porch for any
length of time, you've heard me talk about my sisters, Cyndie and
Rhonda. I've often said that since our mama didn't like to see her
little girls fight, we obliged by making sure she wasn't looking.
Today's southern quote brought back many memories, not only of
sibling battles but of childhood adventures once the skirmish was
settled. I'd like to dedicate today's southern quote to the two of
them, Cynthia Darlene and Rhonda Arlene. It comes from Tennessee
born actress Dixie Carter. In it she is speaking about her sister,
Midge. It reads...
"I can't remember when we didn't get along. Mother had a rule that
if we fought, no matter who started it, she'd spank us both. We'd
go to laborious pains to sneak off for a fight somewhere she
wouldn't catch us, and by the time we got to the barn or wherever,
we'd lose our steam and forget about it."
----Dixie Carter
#59--From Volume II Issue 5
In the south, visiting, eating and storytelling go hand in hand. When
I was small, Sundays were all about storytelling and visiting. First
the Sunday School teachers took their turns, after that the preacher.
Then, when church was over, we went to someone's house to eat and visit
or had company over to our house. The food was always fantastic, but I
liked the socializing best because that's when all the great stories
were told! If you're from the south, you'll identify with this quote by
author, Shirley Abbott. In it, the author talks about the country
hospitality of her Arkansas youth.
"...People just showed up and were always made welcome. To stay less
than an hour was an insult, and there was always a meal...and nobody
was ever let out of the house without the goodbye ritual..."
----Shirley Abbot
#59--From Volume II Issue 6
Hello porchers. Welcome back. Don't mind the beating and banging
in the background, that's just me. I'm redecorating the porch a
tad. This little spot is normally reserved strictly for southern
quotes, but I get so many funny southern sayings across my desk,
that I've decided to enlarge this piece and throw in a regular old
southern saying every now and then. You know, kind of like a little
wisdom from the masses--instead of the just the famous few. If
you've got a southern saying you'd like me to use, email me
at tomtom@allthingssouthern.com.
Maybe you've heard today's southern
saying. It reads...
"You can shake his hand, but you better count your fingers."
----southern saying
(Hmmm...did anyone else get a visual of a politician, or was it
just me?)
#60--From Volume II Issue 7
"My theory is that people enjoy hurricanes whether they say so or not.
Because in hurricanes, terrible things are happening, people are getting
killed, you're liable to get killed, there is a certain exhilaration...
yeah...Louisianans enjoy their hurricanes if they're not too bad."
----The late Mississippi writer Walker Percy
This is Shellie again. I'm not trying to make light of people's problems,
but I think the man has a point. We do tend to feel a strange pride
about our storms. It's almost paternal. Watch the news the next time a
hurricane is closing in. Evacuation is hit and miss for the most part
and you can see the locals practically swell with pride as they recount
the storms they've seen come and go. It reminds you somehow of a family
reunion where everyone is invited, the good, the bad and the ugly.
Move? Heck, no! Rebuild? Okay. Come to think of it, maybe they should
give these hurricanes double names...like Isadora Ann and Lili Belle.
~Shellie
#61--From Volume II Issue 8
Today's southern quote comes from the late Alvin C. York. In the fall
of 1918, at the height of World War I, Mr. York was fighting with the
Army's 82nd division at the Battle of Argonne Forest. This real-life
action hero reportedly killed 25 Germans, knocked out 35 machine guns,
and captured 132 prisoners, almost single-handed. In addition to the
distinguished awards presented to him by the French and Italian
governments, he was also awarded the American Medal of Honor for his
courageous actions. In today's culture, where the media makes heroes
of the unlikeliest and often most undeserving candidates, Mr. York's
quote speaks eloquently of the stuff true heroes are made of. It reads...
----"The fear of God makes heroes, the fear of man makes cowards."--Tennessee
native and Medal of Honor winner Sgt. Alvin C. York
#62--From Volume II Issue 9
Hi porchers! Southerners have a long history of colorful expressions.
Whether it's just pure entertainment, or like today's quote, a piece
of good old country wisdom, we're always dressing up our thoughts a
bit. I guess it's tied to our love of storytelling. Today's southern
saying cautions us not to give in to the temptation of passing on that
latest piece of juicy information. We'd all do well to heed this
truth. It reads...
"Lettin' the cat outta the bag is a whole lot easier than puttin' it
back in."
----Southern Saying
#63--From Volume II Issue 10
James Earl Carter, Jr. was born October 1, 1924, in Plains, Georgia to
a family that was devoted to the Baptist faith, peanut farming and
politics. He would become the thirty-ninth President of the United
States, coming to power in an era of rising energy costs and mounting
inflation. These factors, along with Iran's refusal to release American
hostages contributed to his defeat for reelection. Although Jimmy Carter
was known as a somber man without a great sense of comic timing, today's
quote allows us to see another side of the former president. It earned
him a lot of laughs. The year was 1980 and President Carter was giving
his farewell speech to the news media. He began his remarks with this
tongue-in-cheek offering...
"I want to thank all of you who made my job so easy and enjoyable and
comfortable," President Carter began. He then turned to his wife and
said, "Thank you, Rosalynn."
----Former President Jimmy Carter
#64--From Volume II Issue 11
It's not something I'm proud of; it's just fact. My beloved Louisiana
has a long history of political corruption. In what is an embarrassing
note of public record, our state FBI office lists the investigation of
public corruption as their highest priority. And who can forget the
famous bumper sticker of the 1991 gubernatorial election that blatantly
called on citizens to "Vote for the crook, it's important." Even at
that, with the two major parties bearing down on our senatorial runoff
race between Susie and Mary, I'm afraid the next few weeks are fixin'
to get hairy, even for Louisiana. With that in mind, I offer this quote
from the late congressman from Florida, Claude Pepper. I can't say I
agreed with all of his politics, but I wholeheartedly support this
quote. It reads...
"If more politicians were thinking about the next generation instead of the next election, it would be better for the United States and for
the world.
----Florida congressman Claude Pepper
#65--From Volume II Issue 12
I found today's quote in an interesting book I just read entitled, "SEC Basketball History and Tradition", written by Chris Warner, a freelance writer and fellow southerner living in Baton Rouge,
Louisiana. I've chatted with Chris via email. He's a nice fellow and he's done a great job here. The serious basketball fans on the
porch will enjoy this fascinating look at the tradition-rich Southeastern Conference. You can find Chris online at www.sectraditions.com. I chose today's quote out of Chris' book
because I'm a firm believer in the rewards of hard work. It comes from former NBA PRO and LSU All-American Bob Pettit, Jr. and it
reads... "The greatest thing that ever happened to me is that when I first picked up a basketball I was terrible. If things come naturally,
you might not bother to work at improving them and you can fall short of your potential." ----Former NBA PRO and LSU All-American Bob Pettit, Jr.
#66--From Volume II Issue 13
Hey porchers. Mercy! This little porch thing we've got going is taking off in ways I never could have imagined. All I need now is for the income
to catch up with the workload! Can I hear an amen? I bet all you hard workers out there can identify. Don't misunderstand me. I'm not
complaining. I'm having a high old time, even if there does seem to be more to do around here than I can shake a stick. Matter of fact, I'm glad we recently enlarged this little feature to cover both the famous quotes
and the good country wisdom 'cause I've got a good southern saying to share with you. Now, all you Yankees can write in and let me know if
you've heard this one. I know I tend to think we've got the monopoly on this type of thing. Down here, when things are going our way, and
sometimes even when they're not and we're up to our armpits in alligators, we southerners are still likely to put a big smile on our face and declare,
" If things get any better, I may have to hire someone to help me enjoy it." --Southern Saying
#67--From Volume II Issue 14
Today's quote comes from a talented author and motivational speaker from Yazoo City, Mississippi. Zig Ziglar was traumatized as a young boy by
the early death of his father. His future could have been bleak, his potential unrealized. Instead, the strength of character he found in
his mother would lay the foundation for this real American success story. Mrs. Ziglar taught her young son to have compassion for people and a
will to work. Zig embraced her principles and built a multi-million dollar corporation teaching others the old fashioned values he learned
at her knee: hard work, common sense, fairness, integrity and commitment. Whether inspiring individuals or corporations, Zig's everyday words and
infectious sense of humor have helped people all over the world realize their goals. Today's quote speaks to the dreams we all have and gives
us the first practical step to seeing them realized. Zig puts it like this... "Go as far as you can see and when you get there, you'll always be
able to see farther." --Zig Ziglar
#68--From Volume II Issue 15
Hello porchers, this is our southern quote feature, also known as "It's Been Said." If you have a quote you'd like me to use, drop me an email. That address is tomtom@allthingssouthern.com. Now, I'm afraid I'm going there again. I guess I'm a slow learner. The truth is, I am convinced that I should stay away from politics on the porch. It is divisive and all. But the recent elections have provided me with way too much material. Besides, isn't this where we celebrate the colorful sayings of the south as well as the wisdom of our famous
southerners? Well, every time I've seen a clip of EX-senate majority leader Tom Daschle on the news lately, I've been reminded of this good old southern saying. I've just got to share it with the porch.
I promise to pick on the Republicans soon. Here in the south we have an expression for someone as stirred up as Mr. Daschle has been the past month or so. We like to say... "That fellow is about two jumps ahead of a fit."--Southern Saying(Late update from the porch: Mary and Rodney won their respective races here Saturday night, so Mr. Daschle just might be in a better mood now. ~smile~)
#69--From Volume II Issue 16
I want you to bear with me a minute if you've been around here awhile. There are new folks
joining us all the time, and it occurs to me that we need a little explaining every now and then. This is our southern quote feature here at Coon Creek, also known as "It's been said." Sometimes it's full of hope and inspiration and sometimes it's full of bull, but
I'm always aiming to entertain y'all. If you have a favorite southern quote or just a good bit of southern wisdom to share, email me. Now, are you ready for today's quote?
I decided we needed something about Christmas, so I found this quote by syndicated humorist and fellow southerner, Dave Barry. Listen close while Dave tells us how to make a fruitcake. You might even have a good fruitcake recipe, but I bet this one is easier. Dave says...
"The easiest way to make a fruitcake is to buy a darkish cake, then pound some old, hard fruit into it with a mallet. Be sure to wear safety glasses." --Dave Barry
#70--From Volume II Issue 17
Frances Octavia Smith, was born on October 31, 1912 with a beautiful voice and a dream to perform. She would become Dale Evans Rogers, a singing Western movie star who rode into American's hearts wishing them "Happy Trails" with a smile on her face that said she meant it. I
like today's southern quote from the late Texan because it talks about how to hold onto the wonderful spirit of Christmas all year long. "Christmas, my child, is love in action...When you love someone, you give to them, as God gives to us. The greatest gift He ever gave was
the Person of His Son; sent to us in human form so that we might know what God the Father is really like! Every time we love, every time we give, it's Christmas." --Dale Evans Rogers
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