| The Columbia World of Quotations. 1996. |
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| NUMBER: | 63942 |
| QUOTATION: | In England if something goes wrong—say, if one finds a skunk in the garden—he writes to the family solicitor, who proceeds to take the proper measures; whereas in America, you telephone the fire department. Each satisfies a characteristic need; in the English, love of order and legalistic procedure; and here in America, what you like is something vivid, and red, and swift. |
| ATTRIBUTION: | Alfred North Whitehead (1861–1947), British philosopher. Dialogues, entry for August 30, 1941, Little, Brown (1954). |
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| | | The Columbia World of Quotations. Copyright © 1996 Columbia University Press. |
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