Everyone does it
"Everyone here is guilty from time to time of using other people's words." — Liberal MP Richard Evans, caught delivering a long speech to parliament which turned out to be a magazine article by US commentator Peter Drucker.
Tourist attraction
"Robert Maxwell['s grave in Jerusalem] ... according to rumour, gets piddled on by people from Britain whose pension funds he looted." — British Guardian.
All his doing
"The union movement in this country is in good shape." — ACTU secretary Bill Kelty, who didn't try to describe what a union movement in bad shape would look like.
Business as usual
"We cannot continue business as usual within Europe when we are faced with this clear disregard by some of our partners of reason, common sense and Britain's national interest." — British PM John Major, threatening to disrupt European Union business unless the EU drops its ban on possibly mad cow disease-infected British beef.
We know
"He's quite mad, you know." — Felicity Kennett on husband Jeff, the Victorian premier, quoted in the Sydney Morning Herald, May 30.
What's the difference?
"I would never believe that any jury in this country would take the word of an admitted liar, cheat, con artist and swindler ... against the president of the United States. If I really believed that, I would try to emigrate to Australia." — Jim McDougall, former business partner of Bill Clinton, convicted in the Whitewater case.