what's good for General Motors
Sam Hobbs
commonly sought quotations page.
The quote "What's good for General Motors is good for the
country" intrigues me. I have seen some hard copy articles that put the
quotation in context. I frequently hear it in the obvious and trivial
context of Wilson meaning it in a greedy way, almost in the form of
"What's in my best interest is the obvious choice of policy for everyone
else." However, when you read the quotation in the context it first
appeared (I believe it was testimony before Congress when he was being
considered for a government post), the context is far less self-serving.
I haven't tried a web search (or a library search) at this point. Does
anyone have any feedback on the details of this?
TIA
Sam
Robert M. Wilson
Sam Hobbs wrote in message <7oi3bo$adt$1...@eeyore.ymp.gov>...
>Graham Weeks recently posted the "infamous" Charles Wilson quote on his
>commonly sought quotations page.
>
>The quote "What's good for General Motors is good for the
>country" intrigues me. I have seen some hard copy articles that put the
>quotation in context.
Testimony before Senate Committee on Armed Services, January 15, 1953, in
reply to a question if he could make a decision on behalf of the government
which would adversely affect GM:
"Yes, sir, I could. I cannot conceive of one because for years I thought
what was good for our country was good for General Motors, and vice-versa."
Most people prefer the misquote.
Cathy
>The quote "What's good for General Motors is good for the
>country" intrigues me.
Quotation and commentary from _The Columbia Dictionary of Quotations_:
"What's good for the country is good for General Motors, and vice versa."
-- Charles Wilson, U.S. Industrialist, Secretary of Defense. Usual version of
statement by Wilson, head of General Motors Corporation, 1941-53, to a U.S.
Sentate committee, January 1953. The statement as reported by the _New York
Times_ (24 Feb. 1953) was, "For years I thought what was good for our country
was good for General Motors and vice versa. The difference did not exist. Our
company is too big. It goes with the welfare of the country." The Democrats
on the committee, who were in a majority, focused on the "vice versa" of
Wilson's statement, to question his true loyalties.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Cathy (ECtr...@aol.com)
http://www.onelist.com/subscribe.cgi/QuoteClub
Quotation & Discussion List for Adults
Kurt Foster
. Sam Hobbs wrote in message <7oi3bo$adt$1...@eeyore.ymp.gov>...
.. Graham Weeks recently posted the "infamous" Charles Wilson quote on his
.. commonly sought quotations page.
[snip]
. Testimony before Senate Committee on Armed Services, January 15, 1953,
. in reply to a question if he could make a decision on behalf of the
. government which would adversely affect GM:
. "Yes, sir, I could. I cannot conceive of one because for years I thought
. what was good for our country was good for General Motors, and
. vice-versa."
. Most people prefer the misquote.
I think a parody of the quote appeared in Al Capp's "Li'l Abner",
something like "What's good for General Bullmoose is good for the U.S.A.",
the General being one of the characters.
Graham J Weeks
Robert M. Wilson wrote:
> Sam Hobbs wrote in message <7oi3bo$adt$1...@eeyore.ymp.gov>...
> >Graham Weeks recently posted the "infamous" Charles Wilson quote on his
> >commonly sought quotations page.
> >
> >The quote "What's good for General Motors is good for the
> >country" intrigues me. I have seen some hard copy articles that put the
> >quotation in context.
> [snip
>
> Testimony before Senate Committee on Armed Services, January 15, 1953, in
> reply to a question if he could make a decision on behalf of the government
> which would adversely affect GM:
> "Yes, sir, I could. I cannot conceive of one because for years I thought
> what was good for our country was good for General Motors, and vice-versa."
>
> Most people prefer the misquote.
I found it here in the first place.
Sometimes misquotes seem to be an improvement. Other times they do despite to
the original. In the latter category comes, "Money is the root of all evil",
instead of"The love of money...."
Any other improved misquotes?
--
Graham J Weeks
http://www.weeks-g.dircon.co.uk/ My homepage of quotations
http://www.grace.org.uk/churches/ealing.html Our church
http://www.onelist.com/subscribe.cgi/Christiansquoting Daily quotes
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Shine, mighty God, on Britain shine,
With beams of heav'nly grace;
Isaac Watts, PSALM 67, The nation's prosperity, and the church's increase.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Daniel P. B. Smith
>In <7oie1r$1m...@enews1.newsguy.com>, Robert M. Wilson said:
>. in reply to a question if he could make a decision on behalf of the
>. government which would adversely affect GM:
>. "Yes, sir, I could. I cannot conceive of one because for years I thought
>. what was good for our country was good for General Motors, and
>. vice-versa."
>
>. Most people prefer the misquote.
>
> I think a parody of the quote appeared in Al Capp's "Li'l Abner",
>something like "What's good for General Bullmoose is good for the U.S.A.",
>the General being one of the characters.
I certainly recall this line from the Broadway musical "Li'l Abner" and
from the movie version.
--
Daniel P. B. Smith
dpbs...@world.std.com
Daniel P. B. Smith
>
>Sometimes misquotes seem to be an improvement. Other times they do despite to
>the original. In the latter category comes, "Money is the root of all evil",
>instead of"The love of money...."
>
>Any other improved misquotes?
In _Time_ magazine during the sixties I read that a scholar had tracked
down "The battle of Waterloo was won on the playing fields of Eton," and
had concluded that the authentic original text was (IIRC) "I do believe I
acquired my spirit of adventure jumping back and forth over the ditch at
the bottom of Mrs. Bromley's garden."
Graham J Weeks
Daniel P. B. Smith wrote:
>
> In _Time_ magazine during the sixties I read that a scholar had tracked
> down "The battle of Waterloo was won on the playing fields of Eton," and
> had concluded that the authentic original text was (IIRC) "I do believe I
> acquired my spirit of adventure jumping back and forth over the ditch at
> the bottom of Mrs. Bromley's garden."
>
It would have been better suited to those two lion leading donkey's Haig and
Kitchener and their ilk with the red tabs. They stayed at HQ safe and sound
sending countless thousands of lions over the top to death .
ObQuote
Publish and be damned. -- Wellington
A deaf heart, a loose liver
>
> Sometimes misquotes seem to be an improvement. Other times they do despite to
> the original. In the latter category comes, "Money is the root of all evil",
> instead of"The love of money...."
> Any other improved misquotes?
Misquotes have reasons. They are not always good or sufficient, but there
is always something to be said for them, and there is often room for honest
disagreement.
Unlike you, I regard the Money misquote as an improvement, mainly because
I believe that Love of Money is meaningless without Faith in Money. I
don't regard this one as an improvement, though some would:
proverb: Hell is paved with good intentions.
misquote: The road to Hell is paved with good intentions.
(But can one misquote a proverb, apart from malapropism?)
-:-
Once I built a tower, up to the sun,
Brick and rivet and lime.
Once I built a tower, now it's done--
Brother, can you spare a dime?
--E. Y. Harburg
--
Col. G. L. Sicherman
home: col...@mail.monmouth.com
work: sich...@lucent.com
web: <http://www.monmouth.com/~colonel/>
Frank Lynch
> (But can one misquote a proverb, apart from malapropism?)
Well, there is a long joke about a digestive difficulty -- bi-labial fricatives
making the sound "Honda", instead of our normal sound -- being caused by a dental
problem. Punch line goes "Abscess makes the fart go 'Honda'."
Frank Lynch
--
The Samuel Johnson Sound Bite Page is at:
http://www.samueljohnson.com/
Clothaire
loose liver) wrote:
>In <37AD2662...@dircon.co.uk>, wee...@dircon.co.uk wrote:
>>
>> Sometimes misquotes seem to be an improvement. Other times they do despite to
>> the original. In the latter category comes, "Money is the root of all evil",
>> instead of"The love of money...."
>> Any other improved misquotes?
>
>Misquotes have reasons. They are not always good or sufficient, but there
>is always something to be said for them, and there is often room for honest
>disagreement.
>
>Unlike you, I regard the Money misquote as an improvement, mainly because
>I believe that Love of Money is meaningless without Faith in Money. I
>don't regard this one as an improvement, though some would:
>
> proverb: Hell is paved with good intentions.
> misquote: The road to Hell is paved with good intentions.
>
>(But can one misquote a proverb, apart from malapropism?)
>
>-:-
> Once I built a tower, up to the sun,
> Brick and rivet and lime.
> Once I built a tower, now it's done--
> Brother, can you spare a dime?
>
> --E. Y. Harburg
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Lack of money is the root of all evil.
Anon
Familiarity breeds attempt.
Anon
Abstinence makes the heart grow fonder--for someone else.
Anon
drg
> Unlike you, I regard the Money misquote as an improvement, mainly because
> I believe that Love of Money is meaningless without Faith in Money. I
> don't regard this one as an improvement, though some would:
>
> proverb: Hell is paved with good intentions.
> misquote: The road to Hell is paved with good intentions.
>
This one intrigued me on a couple of counts, since I had never heard the version
you cite as the original. First, is it a Biblical Proverb, or is it a proverb by
Anonymous? If the latter, how can one know that it is the *correct* version? (I
ask out of genuine ignorance) Second, the original version you cite is far more
chilling than the misquote. I can imagine that ministers of a more liberal bent
would have some trouble writing a sermon around that one! We like to think that our
good intentions are not THAT bad!
ObQuote:
A truth that's told with bad intent
Beats all the lies you can invent.
William Blake - Auguries of Innocence
Debbie
Frank Lynch
> "A deaf heart, a loose liver" wrote:
>
> > Unlike you, I regard the Money misquote as an improvement, mainly because
> > I believe that Love of Money is meaningless without Faith in Money. I
> > don't regard this one as an improvement, though some would:
> >
> > proverb: Hell is paved with good intentions.
> > misquote: The road to Hell is paved with good intentions.
> >
>
> This one intrigued me on a couple of counts, since I had never heard the version
> you cite as the original....
Boswell quotes Johnson as saying the 1st version, but notes that it is not original
with the Doctor, and accepted as a proverb.
A manly scent that women like too
>
> I wrote:
> >
> > proverb: Hell is paved with good intentions.
> > misquote: The road to Hell is paved with good intentions.
>
> This one intrigued me on a couple of counts, since I had never
> Proverb, or is it a proverb by Anonymous? If the latter, how can
> one know that it is the *correct* version? (I ask out of genuine
> ignorance) Second, the original version you cite is far more
> chilling than the misquote. I can imagine that ministers of a more
> liberal bent would have some trouble writing a sermon around that
> one! We like to think that our good intentions are not THAT bad!
It is proverbial, not biblical. That is why I raised the question
of whether a proverb can be misquoted.
Yes, the first version is more chilling, so it is more effective.
I have seen it in a speech by William Seward, but most of what I
know about it I read in this group.
-:-
SHRDLU: Mr. Zero, I am the most unhappy of men.
ZERO: Why, because you ain't bein' roasted alive?
SHRDLU: Nothing is turning out as I expected. I
saw everything so clearly--the flames, the tortures,
an eternity of suffering as the just punishment for
my unspeakable crime. And it has all turned out so
differently.
--Elmer Rice, _The Adding Machine_
Elizabeth Thomsen
on "savage breast." There's just something so much more dramatic about
the image of savage beasts...
Elizabeth Thomsen
Graham J Weeks (wee...@dircon.co.uk) wrote:
[lines deleted]
: Sometimes misquotes seem to be an improvement. Other times they do despite to
Leslie Paul Davies
: on "savage breast." There's just something so much more dramatic about
: the image of savage beasts...
Then again, some of us are easily titillated
whilst keeping abreast of things...
GL
--
Paul W2SYF/4 Ft Lauderdale
"Heisenberg may have slept here... "
Leslie Paul Davies
lpda...@bc.seflin.org
--
Paul W2SYF/4 Ft Lauderdale
"Heisenberg may have slept here... "
Leslie Paul Davies
lpda...@bc.seflin.org
Spiritan
>Graham J Weeks (wee...@dircon.co.uk) wrote:
>[lines deleted]
>: Sometimes misquotes seem to be an improvement. Other
times they do despite to
>: the original. In the latter category comes, "Money is the
root of all evil",
>: instead of"The love of money...."
>
>: Any other improved misquotes?
How about the song lyric: "Peace on earth; goodwill towards
men"
from the quotation of: "Peace on earth to men of goodwill."
Improvement?
William C Waterhouse
In article <7prpum$fo9$1...@ffx2nh5.news.uu.net>, "Spiritan" <spiritan.doe...@mc.net> writes:
>...
> men"
> from the quotation of: "Peace on earth to men of goodwill."
>
This is not really a misquotation, since the King James Bible
(Luke 2: 13-14) says
And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly
host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest,
and on earth peace, good will toward men.
Both "good will toward men" and "to men of good will" are found in
early manuscripts (it's a difference of only one letter in the Greek).
The current standard Greek text treats "to men of good will"
as a bit more likely to be the original.
William C. Waterhouse
Penn State
JohnnK
tinkering is to save all the parts." is a vast improvement over the real
sentence, which I don't have in front of me, but which goes into some detail
about saving every wheel and cog.
John Koch (Joh...@aol.com or KO...@macc.wisc.edu)
James Copeland
God rest ye Merrie Gentlemen
rather than
God rest ye merrie, Gentlemen
Or
Music has charms that sooths the savage beast
rather than
Music hath charms that sooths the savage breast
James..
PS...I think I got those right <G>
Serenleono
>How about:
>
> God rest ye Merrie Gentlemen
>rather than
> God rest ye merrie, Gentlemen
And another, though less famous, example that many movie-fans don't
realise is a (mis)quote:
Fiery the angels fell.
Deep thunder rolled around their shores,
Burning with the fires of Orc.
-- Roy Batty (Rutger Hauer),
BLADE RUNNER (1982)
This is an approximate quotation of a line from William Blake's
AMERICA: A PROPHECY. The original reads:
Fiery the Angels rose, & as they rose deep thunder roll'd
Around their shores: indignant burning with the fires of Orc.
-- plate 11, lines 1-2
I'm not sure whether either of our examples could really be called an
"improvement" on the original, though.
--
Seren
"Loud howls the eternal Wolf:
the eternal Lion lashes his tail!" -- ibid
Daniel P. B. Smith
>Music hath charms that sooths the savage breast
>
>James..
>PS...I think I got those right <G>
For "hath" read "has"
For "that" read "to"
For "sooths" read "soothe"
For "the" read "a"
Perfectly correct, apart from that... :-)
Frank Bohan
Leslie Paul Davies wrote in message <7pq470$m...@nntp.seflin.org>...
>: I think "Music hath charms to soothe the savage beast" is an improvement
>: on "savage breast." There's just something so much more dramatic about
>: the image of savage beasts...
>
> Then again, some of us are easily titillated
> whilst keeping abreast of things...
As the news report had it "Blue Tits Spotted In Iceland"
===
Frank B
Frank Bohan
While shepherds washed their socks by night.
Gladly, the cross-eyed bear.
===
Frank B