This is driving me nuts. A snippet of a quote’s floating through my brain and I can’t identify it. Given my proclivities it’s probably either a British sitcom or a classic-era film, though I wouldn’t rule anything out.
The setup: Two friends are talking, one of whom has just described some humorously devious scheme – nothing major, something small, maybe a plan to get a promotion over a coworker or something like that. Once the first person finsihes, the second comments with amused admiration/mocking censure:
"My, compared to you Machiavelli was just a little shepherd boy."
It’s a paraphrase, I probably have the wording wrong. Unfortunately I don’t know if it’s a man or woman saying the line – oddly enough I can ‘hear’ it coming from either Eve Arden or Richard Briers.
Oh, thanks, kaylasdad99 – I didn’t think of going to IMDB! I don’t believe it was from a Tracy/Hepburn flick. I think it was more of a friend-to-friend comment, rather than a romantic banter/rivally moment.
Yeah I got nothing. Probably too obscure for anyone to remember. Alas, looks like my mind must continue to suffer this dialogue earworm!
<<"[The Patrician] reasoned that the only way to police a city of a million inhabitants was to recognise the various gangs and robber guilds, give them professional status, invite the leaders to large dinners, allow an acceptable level of street crime and then make the guild leaders responsible for enforcing it, on pain of being stripped of their new civic honours along with large areas of their skins…It all ticked over extremely peacefully and efficiently, demonstrating once again that compared to the Patrician of Ankh, Machiavelli could not have run a whelk stall." >>
Terry Pratchett, Wyrd Sisters.
On a brief Google search, I’m unable to confirm that Richard Briers has ever appeared in a production based on this novel.
Heh. No, but that’s a funny quote. I’m ashamed to admit that I’ve never read any Pratchett (I know, I know…), or seen any adaptations so that couldn’t be where I heard it from.
Oh for God’s sake. I’m sorry to double-post, but I just had a brainstorm. I think it’s from a freakin’ Rex Stout book/Nero Wolfe mystery, Some Buried Caesar. Archie says it to Wolfe when the latter connives to get the pair of them invited to stay at a mansion rather than a crappy hotel. I don’t have a copy of the book on hand to verify, but I’m pretty sure that’s it.
How embarrassing, now I’m hearing voices when it was just plain text. I don’t know if that’s a compliment to Rex Stout or a sign that I’m losing my marbles! Or both.
Some text-only characters have distinct voices for me, too. In fact, I tend to hear what I’m reading (and what I’m writing) in my head, which is nice for authors with a good ear but can leave my inner voice gasping when some damn fool doesn’t know when to end – or at least break – a sentence.
I also have distinct difficulty following a plot if I can’t pronounce the characters’ names. If all else fails I’m liable to make up random pronunciations loosely inspired by the text on the page.