by the Night Writer
No, I’ve not given up the new book project already (actually some nice progress made last night), but I saw this in today’s Writer’s Almanac posting:
It was on this day in 1901 at the Minnesota State Fair that Teddy Roosevelt (books by this author) gave a speech and uttered his famous phrase, “Speak softly and carry a big stick.” He said that it was a West African proverb that he had always liked. He probably picked it up from his wide reading — he often read a book a day, even after he became president, and he wrote a total of 40 books during his lifetime.
I never knew that that famous phrase was introduced right here at our very own great Minnesota Get-Together, though it is obvious that Minnesotans have taken this philosophy to heart: when we go to the Fair we eat all kinds of food, most of which is sold, yes, on a stick.
The Reverend Mother, Tiger Lilly and I are going to the Fair tomorrow, and if I’m speaking softly at all it will be because my mouth is full of cheese curds.
I want my… I want my… I want my deep fried cheese curds! (Much better than MTV).