Euphemism Quotes
57 quotes by 52 authors
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Devising a vocabulary for gardening is like devising a vocabulary for sex. There are the correct Latin names, but most people invent euphemisms. Those who…
— Diane Ackerman
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The Good Book - one of the most remarkable euphemisms ever coined.
— Ashley Montagu
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Frankness is usually a euphemism for rudeness.
— Muriel Spark
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To call yourself 'plus size' is just a euphemism for being fat. Life is much easier when you're thinner. Big is not beautiful, of course…
— Katie Hopkins
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I'm with an old family" was the euphemism used to dignify the professions of white folks' cooks and maids who talked so affectedly among their…
— Malcolm X
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The lyric abstrusities of Auden ring mystically down the circular canals of my ear and it begins to look like snow. The good gray conservative…
— Sylvia Plath
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Euphemism in the workplace does not end with job descriptions. It reaches a pusillanimous peak at the other end of the work process - in…
— Nigel Rees
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The Japanese tend to communicate via nuance and euphemism, often leaving important things unsaid; whereas Americans tend to think they're being subtle when they refrain…
— Dave Barry
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To use a Southern euphemism, our space program has been snake-bit.
— Al Gore
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Euphemisms are not, as many young people think, useless verbiage for that which can and should be said bluntly; they are like secret agents on…
— Quentin Crisp
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Euphemisms are unpleasant truths wearing diplomatic cologne.
— Quentin Crisp
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Though intelligence is powerless to modify character, it is a dab hand at finding euphemisms for its weaknesses.
— Quentin Crisp
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Asymmetrical warfare is a euphemism for terrorism, just like collateral damage is a euphemism for killing innocent civilians.
— Alan Dershowitz
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To speak specifically of our problem with the Muslim world, we are meandering into a genuine clash of civilizations, and we're deluding ourselves with euphemisms.…
— Sam Harris
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Euphemism is a human device to conceal the horrors of reality.
— Paul Johnson
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For one thing, before the 20th century, there were plenty of genocides. We tend to forget about them, partly because they weren't as well documented…
— Steven Pinker
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Negotiations are a euphemism for capitulation if the shadow of power is not cast across the bargaining table.
— George P. Shultz
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Patrimonial capitalism's legacy is that many people see reform as a euphemism for corruption and self-dealing.
— James Surowiecki
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As societies grow decadent, the language grows decadent, too. Words are used to disguise, not to illuminate, action: you liberate a city by destroying it.…
— Gore Vidal
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Cloud computing is a great euphemism for centralization of computer services under one server.
— Evgeny Morozov
Who Wrote These Euphemism Quotes
52 authors contributed a total of 57 Euphemism Quotes, led by these top contributors: