I once asked him, in Annie's Bar, what sort of whisky he liked. 'Large ones'

He did not aspire to the Tory beau monde. He was solidly bourgeois and highly intelligent. He liked good wine, whisky and Havana cigars. He was not, however, at all fussy. I once asked him, in Annie's Bar, what sort of whisky he liked. 'Large ones,'

Alan Watkins, cited in D. Sandbrook, Never had it so good (2005), 514

In closer possession of religious truths than the Pope himself

The reference to the Holy Father was not, actually, very opportune: Carolina was one of those Catholics who consider themselves to be in closer possession of religious truths than the Pope himself; and a few moderate declarations of Pius X, the abolition of some secondary feast days in particular, had already exasperated her."This Pope would do better to mind his own business." Then she began to wonder if she hand't gone too far, crossed herself and muttered a Gloria Patri. 

G. Tomasi di Lampedusa, The Leopard (1958), tr. A. Colquhon (1961), 176

A man of forty-five can consider himself still young till the moment comes when he realises that he has children old enough to fall in love

A man of forty-five can consider himself still young till the moment comes when he realises that he has children old enough to fall in love. The Prince felt old age come over him in one blow

G. Tomasi di Lampedusa, The Leopard (1958), tr. A. Colquhon (1961), 47

Aww, mate, I just shuffle up and go wang

When asked to describe his bowling action, Jeff Thomson replied in typically laconic fashion: "Aww, mate, I just shuffle up and go wang." it was the perfect description of what he did, except it failed to reveal the carnage resulting from a simple "wang".

I. Chappell, 'Never a cricketer of the year: Jeff Thomson', S. Berry (ed.), Wisden Cricketers' Almanack (2008), 115

Tastes like sugared rainwater caught down a chimney

Episcopacy is a good thing; but it may be happen that a bishop is not a good thing. Just as brandy is a good thing, though this particular bottle is British, and tastes like sugared rainwater caught down a chimney.

G. Eliot, Scenes of clerical life (1858), 206
From 2010.

When I’m gone I don’t want any of these two-faced bastards who I didn’t get on with standing up and saying nice things about me

Fred mellowed in old age, but only in the sense that he was prepared to forgive and forget on a selective basis. Making it up with Geoffrey Boycott after both men fell out during one of Yorkshire’s civil wars was well-met. But on other deeper disputes he was implacable. He left the room and never returned. After he died, we expected a memorial service. It was not to be, and on his express orders. His final instructions were: “When I’m gone I don’t want any of these two-faced bastards who I didn’t get on with standing up and saying nice things about me.”

M. Parkinson, 'Bloody-minded, beautiful, t'best', M. Engel (ed.), Wisden Cricketers' Almanack (2007), 46

To my amusement at least, this article appeared in The Times with the headline
A working class hero who only wanted to be an entertainer. I know which one I prefer.

If you have grandchildren, take them

The Oval, Southampton, Canterbury, Edgbaston, Arundel, Chester-le-Street, Old Trafford, Worcester, Headingley.  These are the grounds where (subject to fitness etc), Shane Warne is due to bowl for Hampshire in  first class-cricket in 2007. If you have grandchildren, take them, if you don't, go anyway - so you can tell them.

M. Engel, 'Notes by the editor', id. (ed.), Wisden Cricketers' Almanack (2007), 26

I took my parents.