A QUOTA OF QUOTES

by Desmond Kelly “Star of e’Lanka”

Thousands of “quotes”, spoken by both the famous and notorious people around the World, some perennial, most of them long-forgotten, except by those interested in the “subject”for the purpose of reiterating these “sayings” if and when the need arises.

It is no secret that I do love the English Language.

I speak now of the “Queen’s English”, a Language that was the “primary” one during the halcyon days of my formative years in Ceylon, the Island in which I was born. I spent only twenty six years there, having to “leave” reluctantly for the very reason that my favourite “subject” English was suddenly changed into being the “2nd Language” of the Country.

Although I was considered to be “very good” at my “Sinhala”(made up for that by being terrible at Maths),
just before I left the Royal Ceylon Navy in 1962, to come to Melbourne, I kept constantly forgetting that the “Sinhala-command” on the Parade ground at H.M.Cy.S .”Gemunu” was “dhakuna” for “right” & “vamatha” for “left”(or is it the other way around? ), which quite frequently LEFT me facing the wrong way and marching in a different direction to the rest of my squad. Of course, the “drill-instructors” thought I was doing this on purpose and I was punished for it.

I was also punished very severely for something I felt I did not deserve when I sat down laughing on the parade ground(I really couldn’t help it) ,when Cook-Steward Haramanis forgot the Sinhala “order” for HALT
as he was barking out the commands (I still don’t remember the Sinhala word for “halt”) & I don’t think it was “Hitapung”, I suppose that if he said “Holt” at least, because the Sinhalese just cannot pronounce “Hawlt”, it would have not been so bad, and I would have still been marching, hopefully, in the right direction, but Haramanis suddenly yelled out “ISS-STOP”!! & I iss-stopped alright, but had to sit down, for which I was roughly pulled up by the D.I. & made to run around the Parade-Ground in front of all my squad with my. 303 rifle held high above my head, round & round with not a iss-stop in sight, until I collapsed to the concrete again, this time, in agony, while the rest of the boys including Haramanis now laughing at me. Those were the days, I always say.

Don’t digress Kelly! stick to the bloody story.”o.k., .
o.k., where were we? , yes of course, a quota of quotes.
Seems strange with everything that is “going on” at the moment, let me start with a famous quote of the very first President of the United States, George Washington, himself. Little realizing that TODAY, America has more “bases” in and around China and the rest of the World, than all other Countries put together. Was this “picture” in his mind when he said,
“TO HAVE PEACE, ONE MUST PREPARE FOR WAR”!!

Sadly, wherever one looks nowadays, especially very large Countries like the U.S.A., CHINA, RUSSIA etc.,
seem to be preparing for a war that could WIPE OUT the Planet, as we know it. Sri Lanka has just been through a bad one and thankfully (like Australia) does not come into a war-picture painted by an English Journalist of long-standing reputation, John Pilger.

Phrases like “germ-warfare’, nuclear missiles”, weapons of mass-destruction & the “sabre-rattling” & downright bragging that goes on by the people whose fingers are perilously close to a little red button that could possibly say “good-bye” to Mother Earth, if activated, seems to be terrifyingly, threateningly imminent. What can we & what must we, the “public” do to try to stop this catasthrope? On behalf of eLanka and all us ordinary Lankans (who have already been through the mill), I can only hope, wish & pray that God will see a way of stopping this final war, before it begins.i now ask HIM to help me make a few “quotes” to all the “Presidents ” of these sabre-rattling Countries and their ” braggart” Leaders.

“YOU ARE NOT GOD, JUST A GRAIN OF SAND IN HIS EYES”.
“YOU HAVE SET YOUR “INTERNATIONAL LAWS”, OBEY THEM” (EVERY ONE OF YOU).
” YOU HAVE, & ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR MILLIONS OF PEOPLE. THINK ABOUT THEM & NOT OF YOURSELF, FOR A CHANGE”
“CONCENTRATE ON YOUR OWN COUNTRY & LET THE OTHERS COBCENTRATE ON THEIRS
“THE ATOMIC-AGE IS HERE TO STAY, BUT ARE WE”?
“THERE IS NO EVIL IN WEAPONS OF DESTRUCTION,
JUST IN YOUR SOULS”
” YOU DON’T BELIEVE IN GOD? , AETHISTS DIE TOO, & SO WILL YOU (SHORTLY)
” NARCISSUS IS LONG GONE. YOU ARE NOT AT ALL LIKE HIM”
“EVERY WAR IS “DIRTY” I’VE NEVER HEARD OF A CLEAN ONE”
“IF LEADERS DON’T DO IT TO THEIR WIVES, THEY DO IT TO THEIR COUNTRY” THINK ABOUT IT.

Desmond Kelly.
“Star of e’Lanka”