Famous Names, Snappy Combacks

"History's Greatest Replies"

Replies, comebacks and retorts through (recent) history.

A selection:

• Winston Churchill
  ("... Lady Astor became annoyed at an inebriated Winston Churchill, who was pontificating on some topic. Unable to take any more, she finally blurted out, 'Winston, if you were my husband, I'd put poison in your coffee.' Without missing a beat, Churchill replied: 'Nancy, if you were my wife, I'd drink it.' ")
• Pope John XXIII
  ("... Once asked by a journalist, "How many people work in the Vatican?" the pontiff pondered the question, giving the impression that he was trying to come up with an accurate estimate. Then, with a straight face, he answered:
  'About Half' ")
• James McNeill Whistler
  ("... An exceedingly witty man, he was one of the few people who could hold his own with the incomparable Oscar Wilde. In one legendary exchange, after Whistler had offered a particularly clever observation, Wilde said admiringly, "I wish I had said that." Whistler seized the moment, replying: 'You will, Oscar, you will.' ")

(The author has a book, too.)