We decided, at a readers request, to write about gossip and, along the way, to note what others have gossiped about it. We decided, at a readers request, to write about gossip and, along the way, to note what others have gossiped about it.
What might one say under the influence of a confessional potion when asked, Why do you always talk about other people?
We imagined the reply, Apparently, because I have nothing much to say about myself.
Before we turn to the little basket of quotes we picked for you, we can also pass along a couple of our own consolations. One, its a lot better to be interesting enough to be talked about than to be the interested party whos doing the talking. Two, gossips empty gambits take place in a playground, actually, on a seesaw. The child who delights to babble sees you way up there the higher the better and thinks that by putting you down he or she will put himself or herself up. Tada!
Now, we turn to what others have gossiped about it. It appears, not surprisingly, that brilliance has enlivened the subject only rarely.
The trouble with her is that she lacks the power of conversation but not the power of speech....