Minor Outlying Island

Famous quotes containing the words minor, outlying and/or island:

    For a country to have a great writer ... is like having another government. That’s why no rĂ©gime has ever loved great writers, only minor ones.
    Alexander Solzhenitsyn (b. 1918)

    In my utter impotence to test the authenticity of the report of my senses, to know whether the impressions they make on me correspond with outlying objects, what difference does it make, whether Orion is up there in heaven, or some god paints the image in the firmament of the soul?
    Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882)

    I suggested to them also the great desirability of a general knowledge on the Island of the English language. They are under an English speaking government and are a part of the territory of an English speaking nation.... While I appreciated the desirability of maintaining their grasp on the Spanish language, the beauty of that language and the richness of its literature, that as a practical matter for them it was quite necessary to have a good comprehension of English.
    Calvin Coolidge (1872–1933)