HARTFORD, Conn. — It was the plea heard round the world.
“Don’t tase me, bro” — shouted by a Florida college student as officers removed him from a speech by Sen. John Kerry — tops this year’s list of most memorable quotes, compiled by the editor of the Yale Book of Quotations.
Shapiro released his Yale Book of Quotations last year after six years of research. It contains about 13,000 quotes, each extensively researched to verify its origin.
He expects to add roughly 1,000 more quotes — mostly modern — for the next edition in about five years, and in the meantime he plans to keep issuing annual top 10 lists.
He relies on suggestions from quote-watchers throughout the world, plus his own choices from songs, the news and movies, and then searches databases and the Internet to determine the popularity of the quotes.
In the case of “Don’t tase me, bro” — uttered shortly before the student was shocked with a Taser — he discovered the phrase was even printed on T-shirts and used as a cell phone ring tone.
“It’s not Shakespeare, but there is a kind of folk eloquence in that. It wouldn’t be a quote if he didn’t say ‘bro,’” Shapiro said.
The 10 most memorable quotes of 2007:
1. “Don’t tase me, bro.” — Andrew Meyer, a senior at the University of Florida, while being hauled away by campus police during a speech by Sen. John Kerry.
2. “I personally believe that U.S. Americans are unable to do so because some people out there in our nation don’t have maps and I believe that our education like such as in South Africa and Iraq and everywhere like such as and I believe that they should our education over here in the U.S. should help the U.S. or should help South Africa and should help Iraq and the Asian countries so we will be able to build up our future for us.” — Lauren Upton, South Carolina contestant in the Miss Teen USA contest, when asked why one-fifth of Americans cannot find the U.S. on a map.
3. “In Iran we don’t have homosexuals like in your country.” — Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, speaking at Columbia University in New York.
4. “That’s some nappy-headed hos there.” — radio personality Don Imus, referring to the Rutgers University women’s basketball team.
5. “I don’t recall.” — former Attorney General Alberto Gonzales’ repeated response to congressional questions about the firing of U.S. attorneys.
6. “There’s only three things he (Rudolph Giuliani) mentions in a sentence: a noun and a verb and 9/11.” — Sen. Joseph Biden, speaking during a debate for Democratic presidential candidates.
7. “I’m not going to get into a name-calling match with somebody who has a 9 percent approval rating.” — Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, a Democrat, referring to Vice President Dick Cheney.
8. “(I have) a wide stance when going to the bathroom.” — Sen. Larry Craig, explaining why his foot touched the foot of an undercover police officer in an airport men’s room.
9. “I mean, you got the first mainstream African-American who is articulate and bright and clean and a nice-looking guy. I mean, that’s a storybook, man.” — Sen. Joseph Biden referring to rival Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama.
10. “I think as far as the adverse impact on the nation around the world, this administration has been the worst in history.” — Former President Jimmy Carter, referring to the Bush administration.
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