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Quotes of the Day for 7 August 2003 - Garrison Keillor

Garrison Keillor was born at Anoka, Minnesota on this day in 1942. He was raised in a strict fundamentalist sect called the Plymouth Brethren, forbidden to dancing, drinking, and cards, so his family became adept story tellers. He wanted to write, and set a goal of writing for the New Yorker, which he first did in 1969. After doing a story on the Grand Ole Opry for the New Yorker, he decided to try his own radio variety show. Prairie Home Companion was an instant hit, and went national in 1980, on the strength of the stories Keillor told of the mythical Lake Wobegon.

Cats are intended to teach us that not everything in nature has a function.

I believe in looking reality straight in the eye and denying it.

Welcome to Lake Wobegon, where all the women are strong, all the men are good-looking and all the children are above- average.

Selective ignorance, a cornerstone of child rearing. You don’t put kids under surveillance: it might frighten you. Parents should sit tall in the saddle and look upon their troops with a noble and benevolent and extremely nearsighted gaze.

My ancestors were Puritans from England. They arrived here in 1648 in the hope of finding greater restrictions than were permissible under English law at that time.

They say such nice things about people at their funerals that it makes me sad to realize that I'm going to miss mine by just a few days.
     - All from Garrison Keillor

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