SHAWORDS

A pun does not commonly justify a blow in return. But if a blow were g — Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr.

"A pun does not commonly justify a blow in return. But if a blow were given for such cause, and death ensued, the jury would be judges both of the facts and of the pun, and might, if the latter were of an aggravated character, return a verdict of justifiable homicide."
O
Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr.
Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr.
author129 quotes

Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr. was an American physician, poet, and polymath based in Boston. Grouped among the fireside poets, he was acclaimed by his peers as one of the best writers of the day. His most famous prose works are the "Breakfast-Table" series, which began with The Autocrat of the Breakfast-Table (1858). He was also an important medical reformer. In addition to being an author and a poet,

More by Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr.

View all →
Quote
"Ay, tear her tattered ensign down! Long has it waved on high; And many an eye has danced to see That banner in the sky; Beneath it rung the battle shout, And burst the cannons roar; The meteor of the ocean air Shall sweep the clouds no more.Her deck once red with heroes blood Where knelt the vanquished foe; When winds were hurrying oer the flood, And waves were white below; No more shall feel the victors tread, Or know the conquered knee; The harpies of the shore shall pluck The eagle of the sea! Oh, better that her shattered bulk Should sink beneath the wave; Her thunders shook the mighty deep, And there should be her grave; Nail to the mast her holy flag, Set every threadbare sail And give her to the god of storms, The lightning and the gale!"
O
Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr.

More on Death

View all →