Understatement Quotes - Page 3

• The ideal woman which is in every man's mind is evoked by a word or phrase or the shape of her wrist, her hand. The most beautiful description of a woman is by understatement. Remember, all Tolstoy ever said to describe Anna Karenina was that she was beautiful and could see in the dark like a cat. Every man has a different idea of what's beautiful, and it's best to take the gesture, the shadow of the branch, and let the mind create the tree.

  William Faulkner

  Beautiful, Women, Cat

  Quoted in Reader's Digest, Mar. 1973

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• My modus operandi has always been understatement and that just doesn't really work in pop.

  Ben Watt

  Modus Operandi, Pops

  Source: thequietus.com

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• To prove that Wall Street is an early omen of movements still to come in GNP, commentators quote economic studies alleging that market downturns predicted four out of the last five recessions. That is an understatement. Wall Street indexes predicted nine out of the last five recessions! And its mistakes were beauties.

  Paul Samuelson

  Wall, Mistake, Movement

  1966 Quoted inThe Samuelson Sampler (1973).

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• Richard Stark writes a harsh and frightening story of criminal warfare and vengeance with economy, understatement and a deadly amoral objectivity-a remarkable addition to the list of the shockers that the French call roman noirs.

  Anthony Boucher

  Writing, Objectivity, Criminals

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• It is an understatement to say that in this society injustices abound: in truth, it is itself the quintessence of injustice.

  Emile M. Cioran

  Injustice, Quintessence, This Society

  "History and Utopia". Book by Emile M. Cioran, 1960.

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• Art begins when an observer's sensibilities engage with the understatements of a calculating craftsman.

  Sara Genn

  Art, Craftsman, Calculating

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• The same failure of liberalism is evident in Western Europe, where the dogma of multiculturalism has left a secular Europe very slow to address the looming problem of religious extremism among its immigrants. The people who speak most sensibly about the threat that Islam poses to Europe are actually fascists. To say that this does not bode well for liberalism is an understatement: It does not bode well for the future of civilization.

  Sam Harris

  Religious, Europe, Civilization

  "The End Of Liberalism?" by Sam Harris, samharris.org. September 19, 2006.

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• To only call Wizards, Aliens, and Starships engaging would be a real understatement--it is a delightful, funny, and immensely interesting romp through science and fiction. From candlepower to teleportation, all the way to the fate of the cosmos in the span of a googol years, this is a cornucopia of teachable material. It is also a reminder of the simple thrill of applying science to the world around us, real or imagined. A new classic.

  Caleb Scharf

  Real, Fate, Simple

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• How rare it is to come across a piece of writing that is unambiguous, unqualified, and also unblurred by understatements or subtleties, and yet at the same time urbane and tolerant. It is a vice of the scientific method when applied to human affairs that it fosters hemming and hawing and a scrupulousness that easily degenerates into obscurity and meaninglessness.

  Eric Hoffer

  Writing, Vices, Obscurity

  "Eric Hoffer and the Art of the Notebook" by Tom Bethell in Harper's Magazine, July 2005.

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• Billions of years ago God was creating universes and life; thousands of years ago he was creating angry floods, sin-saving human sacrifices and audible burning bushes. Today he occasionally appears on a piece of toast. To state that God has become reclusive over the years would be an overwhelming understatement.

  Trevor Treharne

  Atheist, Sacrifice, Years

  Trevor Treharne (2012). “How to Prove God Does Not Exist: The Complete Guide to Validating Atheism”, p.246, Universal-Publishers

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• To say that George Lucas cannot write a love scene is an understatement; greeting cards have expressed more passion.

  Roger Ebert

  Passion, Writing, Cards

  "Spoiling for 'Star Wars'" by Todd Leopold, www.cnn.com. May 19, 2005.

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• I'm pretty blessed when it comes to clear skin. I owe that to being Cape Verdian. My whole family has great skin. My grandfather is 80 but doesn't look a day over 50. And we all love the sun, too, so blessed is an understatement!

  Amber Rose

  Blessed, Grandfather, Skins

  "Amber Rose's Singular Look" by Johanna Cox, www.elle.com. November 25, 2009.

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