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‘Ass’ for ‘arse’ does not seem to represent a willingness, on British lines, to make the word arhotic; rather it is a puritanical substitution which forces a real ass to become a donkey or burro.

— Anthony Burgess A Mouthful of Air: Language and Languages, Especially English (1992)

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More quotes by Anthony Burgess

If Shakespeare required a word and had not met it in civilised discourse, he unhesitatingly made it up.

A Mouthful of Air: Language and Languages, Especially English (1992)

Few men can do more than touch the fringes of a woman's satisfaction.

The Kingdom of the Wicked (1985)

She sat shortly after, rosy-footed, in a pair of my black Charvet pajamas, sipping warm milk.

Earthly Powers (1980)

Celibacy is not merely unknown to Islam, it is unintelligible.

The Enemy in the Blanket (1958)

To impose good , whether through force or through some technique like aversion therapy, is evil. To act evilly is better than to have good imposed.

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Quote text and notes from Wikiquote: Anthony Burgess (page history), available under CC BY-SA 4.0. Source quality and labels are our own summary of what Wikiquote records.