34 Quotes From 2011

In a world brimming with constant change and evolving perspectives, certain quotes manage to capture the essence of an entire year. 2011 was a remarkable year filled with memorable events and influential voices that left an indelible mark on our collective consciousness. Whether it's words of wisdom, iconic movie lines, or inspiring speeches, these quotes from 2011 offer a timeless snapshot of that year's most impactful moments. Join us as we explore a curated collection of the top 34 quotes from 2011, each one offering a glimpse into the emotions, insights, and highlights of a year that continues to resonate.

1. “These are tough times for state governments. Huge deficits loom almost everywhere, from California to New York, from New Jersey to Texas.Wait—Texas? Wasn't Texas supposed to be thriving even as the rest of America suffered? Didn't its governor declare, during his re-election campaign, that 'we have billions in surplus'? Yes, it was, and yes, he did. But reality has now intruded, in the form of a deficit expected to run as high as $25 billion over the next two years.And that reality has implications for the nation as a whole. For Texas is where the modern conservative theory of budgeting—the belief that you should never raise taxes under any circumstances, that you can always balance the budget by cutting wasteful spending—has been implemented most completely. If the theory can't make it there, it can't make it anywhere.” - Paul Krugman

2. “The great cause of the new Republican intake is the reduction of the deficit but to anyone seeking evidence of sincere attempts at deficit-reduction the evidence is baffling. The Republicans showed before Christmas that they would seek to reduce the deficit but not when it came to a matter of the tax breaks that had aggravated the deficit in the first place.Now there's a date set for the abolition of Barack Obama's healthcare plan, parts of which only came into operation at the start of this month. The Republicans are out to destroy the plan. Or, more precisely, to pretend to destroy the plan in the name of making good on election pledges. The measure won't get past the Senate.But suppose it did get past the Senate, what effect would this have on the deficit? The answer is it would aggravate the deficit. Somehow, somewhere, there's an override mechanism that makes destroying Obamacare more important than destroying the deficit. If only one could figure out how it works.” - James Fenton

3. “The Labour party on the whole has not been a very effective opposition since the election, partly because it spent months and months electing its new leader. I think the Labour party should, for one thing, stress much more that for most people in the past 13 years, the period was not one of collapse into chaos but actually one where the situation improved, and particularly in areas such as schools, hospitals and a variety of other cultural achievements—so the idea that somehow or other it all needs to be taken down and ground into the dust is not valid. I think we need to defend what most people think basically needs defending and that is the provision of some form of welfare from the cradle to the grave.” - Eric Hobsbawm

4. “The Aussies have spent so much time basking in the glory of the last generation that they have forgotten to plan for this one. It's just like the West Indies again; once their great names from the 1970s and 80s retired, the whole thing fell apart.The way things are going, the next Ashes series cannot come too quickly for England. What a shame that we have to wait until 2013 to play this lot again.” - Geoffrey Boycott

5. “Memo to extreme partisans: If you can't bring yourselves to love your enemies, can you at least learn to hate your friends?” - Walter Kirn

6. “Everyone loves a witch hunt as long as it's someone else's witch being hunted.” - Walter Kirn

7. “When Loughner himself speaks and we find out his real influences are Spiderman, 'Gnome Chomsky,' Taylor Swift, and Dr. Bronner, then what?” - Walter Kirn

8. “Given Loughner's obsession with meaninglessness and language, maybe Foucault & Derrida deserve some fault here, too.” - Walter Kirn

9. “This is how it works now with the news: the story begins with a moral, then a narrative is fashioned to support it.” - Walter Kirn

10. “Republicans know well that a change of rhetorical pace is necessary. But efforts by their leaders to damp down the bellicosity of newly elected Tea Party types is running into the fact that the Tea Partiers have only the high volume setting on their amplifiers, just like Palin. They're like a couple having a fight at a funeral; politely sotto voce, then suddenly bursting out fortissimo with their plaints and accusations.” - Alexander Cockburn

11. “It can certainly be misleading to take the attributes of a movement, or the anxieties and contradictions of a moment, and to personalize or 'objectify' them in the figure of one individual. Yet ordinary discourse would be unfeasible without the use of portmanteau terms—like 'Stalinism,' say—just as the most scrupulous insistence on historical forces will often have to concede to the sheer personality of a Napoleon or a Hitler. I thought then, and I think now, that Osama bin Laden was a near-flawless personification of the mentality of a real force: the force of Islamic jihad. And I also thought, and think now, that this force absolutely deserves to be called evil, and that the recent decapitation of its most notorious demagogue and organizer is to be welcomed without reserve. Osama bin Laden's writings and actions constitute a direct negation of human liberty, and vent an undisguised hatred and contempt for life itself.” - Christopher Hitchens

12. “For the purposes of science, information had to mean something special. Three centuries earlier, the new discipline of physics could not proceed until Isaac Newton appropriated words that were ancient and vague—force, mass, motion, and even time—and gave them new meanings. Newton made these terms into quantities, suitable for use in mathematical formulas. Until then, motion (for example) had been just as soft and inclusive a term as information. For Aristotelians, motion covered a far-flung family of phenomena: a peach ripening, a stone falling, a child growing, a body decaying. That was too rich. Most varieties of motion had to be tossed out before Newton’s laws could apply and the Scientific Revolution could succeed. In the nineteenth century, energy began to undergo a similar transformation: natural philosophers adapted a word meaning vigor or intensity. They mathematicized it, giving energy its fundamental place in the physicists’ view of nature.It was the same with information. A rite of purification became necessary.And then, when it was made simple, distilled, counted in bits, information was found to be everywhere.” - James Gleick

13. “American political culture quickly and always outpaces any attempt to satirize it.” - Glenn Greenwald

14. “Kid 1: *examining my gorgeous strawberry and blueberry pies*: Wow, Mom, your pies don’t look awful this time.Me (Ilona): ...~A little later~Kid 2: *wandering into the kitchen*Kid 1: Hey, you’ve got to see these pies. *opening the stove*Kid 2: Wow. They are not ugly this time.Kid 1: I know, right?” - Ilona Andrews

15. “I realise I'm behind on this but Rebekah Brooks was married to Ross Kemp of Gangs fame?! And she assaulted him? That explains so much.” - Mandy Wiener

16. “One upside of the heat. Kind of cool to see a cat pant.” - Jonah Goldberg

17. “Gov. Christie says 'New Jersey First.' State-based Isolationism!” - Jonah Goldberg

18. “Genghis Miliband roars up to the despatch box like a caged donkey.” - Andy Zaltzman

19. “To all the revolutionaries fighting to throw off the yoke of tyranny around the world: look at British democracy. Is that what you want?” - Andy Zaltzman

20. “Nice mix of Tory MPs saying this issue shouldn't be used for petty political pointscoring, & Tory MPs trying to score petty political points.” - Andy Zaltzman

21. “I think there needs to be a meeting to set an agenda for more meetings about meetings.” - Jonah Goldberg

22. “Not reassuring when weathermen say 'Today will be terrible but don't worry it won't be as terrible as tomorrow or Friday.” - Jonah Goldberg

23. “The British version of 'Shit My Dad Says' is really entertaining.” - Jeremy Scahill

24. “Tom Friedman says China is so awesome they make kosher pigs.” - Jonah Goldberg

25. “Incestuous, homogeneous fiefdoms of self-proclaimed expertise are always rank-closing and mutually self-defending, above all else.” - Glenn Greenwald

26. “I am just mystified by these people telling me I would think Obama was doing a great job if his skin contained less melanin.” - Jonah Goldberg

27. “Scary discovery of the day: Most people who RT @yokoono's tweets do so without irony.” - James Taranto

28. “Tip to all British tabloids: Do Not Hack Amy Winehouse's Phone. I repeat: Do Not Hack Amy Winehouse's Phone.” - Jonah Goldberg

29. “Because of racism, he can't govern effectively' is not a great argument for re-election.” - James Taranto

30. “The American people are fed up...with political posturing.' True, but also an example of political posturing.” - James Taranto

31. “Some libs took offense at my David Broder quip earlier. In my own defense, I was taught in college it's OK to disrespect dead white males.” - James Taranto

32. “Scenár postupného oživenia európskej a teda aj slovenskej ekonomiky je aj naďalej vystavený viacerým rizikám. Tieto obavy vychádzajú najmä z faktu, že spúšťacím mechanizmom súčasnej recesie bola systémová kríza vo finančnom sektore, kde pretrvávajú naďalej problémy a treba otvorene povedať, že situácia sa nijako nezlepšuje ani za posledné roky. Európsky finančný systém nie je zdravý a pseudoriešenia dlhovej krízy vo forme prekrývania starých dlhov novými nie sú správne a celkový dlh v Európe nezmenšujú. No a v neposlednom rade treba spomedzi ďalších rizikových faktorov ohrozujúcich pozitívny vývoj Slovenska a EÚ uviesť slabú kondíciu trhu práce a už spomínaný nepriaznivý stav verejných financií vo väčšine krajín EÚ, čo v kombinácii s dlhovou krízou a problémami jednotlivých krajín prefinancovať svoj dlh zatiaľ nenabáda k prílišnému optimizmu.” - Radovan Kavický

33. “Intelektuálmi sú zväčša ľudia, ktorí sa viac starajú o stav svojej mysle než o stav svojho účtu.” - Radovan Kavický

34. “Journalists are pretty much like European union. They don't take 'no' as an answer.” - Radovan Kavický