Molly Ivins Can't Say That, Can She? Quotes

“Margaret Atwood, the Canadian novelist, once asked a group of women at a university why they felt threatened by men. The women said they were afraid of being beaten, raped, or killed by men. She then asked a group of men why they felt threatened by women. They said they were afraid women would laugh at them.”
― Molly Ivins, Molly Ivins Can't Say That, Can She?

“The only problem was, the founders left a lot of people out of the Constitution. They left out poor people and black people and female people. It is possible to read the history of this country as one long struggle to extend the liberties established in our Constitution to everyone in America. And it still goes on today.”
― Molly Ivins, Molly Ivins Can't Say That, Can She?

“Until June 26, 1918, all Texans could vote except “idiots, imbeciles, aliens, the insane and women.”
― Molly Ivins, Molly Ivins Can't Say That, Can She?

“The odd thing about these television discussions designed to “get all sides of the issue” is that they do not feature a spectrum of people with different views on reality: Rather, they frequently give us a face-off between those who see reality and those who have missed it entirely. In the name of objectivity, we are getting fantasy-land.”
― Molly Ivins, Molly Ivins Can't Say That, Can She?

“Confusing the academy with the world is a dumb and dangerous thing to do. In the real world, money talks, bullshit walks. In a state legislature, clout meets clout, money meets money, interest fights interest, and only the strong prevail. Which is why ordinary folks keep losing. Should this strike you as an unduly Darwinian view of what is, after all, a liberal, Western democracy, I can only commend you to Reality School. Go and study how the laws are made and then tell me if I lie.”
― Molly Ivins, Molly Ivins Can't Say That, Can She?

“The women said they were afraid of being beaten, raped, or killed by men. She then asked a group of men why they felt threatened by women. They said they were afraid women would laugh at them.”
― Molly Ivins, Molly Ivins Can't Say That, Can She?

“Carl Parker observes, if you took all the fools out of the Lege, it wouldn’t be a representative body anymore.”
― Molly Ivins, Molly Ivins Can't Say That, Can She?

“The victor in the Democratic primary was State Senator Bill Sarpalius, who got a leg up one night in January when a disgruntled patriot slugged him so hard it broke his jaw and the jaw had to be wired shut for most of the campaign. For most politicians, that would constitute an electoral handicap, but since Sarpalius is not bent over double with intellect, it proved a boon. He’s a tall, nice-looking, apple-cheeked fellow, and if you don’t have to listen to him, he looks good.”
― Molly Ivins, Molly Ivins Can't Say That, Can She?

“The soul of Dallas is located at the Tomb of the Unknown Shopper, a monument that has not yet been built, but it will be as soon as Dallas acquires a municipal sense of humor.”
― Molly Ivins, Molly Ivins Can't Say That, Can She?

“He inspired all around him with awe at his work habits: According to several Reagan aides, in the wake of the Iran-contra scandal, there was serious talk of invoking the 25th Amendment to remove him from office because he wouldn’t come to work—all he wanted to do was watch movies and television.”
― Molly Ivins, Molly Ivins Can't Say That, Can She?

“Carl Parker observes, if you took all the fools out of the Lege, it wouldn’t be”
― Molly Ivins, Molly Ivins Can't Say That, Can She?

“Texas Agriculture Commissioner Jim Hightower, reflecting on Bush’s “stay-the-course” strategy, said, “If ignorance ever goes to $40 a barrel, I want the drillin’ rights on that man’s head.”
― Molly Ivins, Molly Ivins Can't Say That, Can She?

“All right, all right, so I love Lubbock. I never claimed to have exquisite taste. I’ll be there with the diehards to the end, trying to explain, “No, this is a griddle with some Monopoly houses on it: this is Lubbock.” Still, the life of all us Lubbock-lovers would be a lot easier if the Chamber of Commerce hadn’t adopted the slogan “Keep Lubbock Beautiful.” Keep?”
― Molly Ivins, Molly Ivins Can't Say That, Can She?

“That’s the trouble with this country, people keep messin’ up each other’s movies.”
― Molly Ivins, Molly Ivins Can't Say That, Can She?

“I like to think of this as ecological journalism: I recycle.”
― Molly Ivins, Molly Ivins Can't Say That, Can She?