Twelve

Famous quotes containing the word twelve:

    But the twelve lie in the sand by the dry rock
    Seeing nothing—the sand, the tree, rocks
    Without number—and turn away the face
    To the mind’s briefer and more desert place.
    Allen Tate (1899–1979)

    Grammar is a tricky, inconsistent thing. Being the backbone of speech and writing, it should, we think, be eminently logical, make perfect sense, like the human skeleton. But, of course, the skeleton is arbitrary, too. Why twelve pairs of ribs rather than eleven or thirteen? Why thirty-two teeth? It has something to do with evolution and functionalism—but only sometimes, not always. So there are aspects of grammar that make good, logical sense, and others that do not.
    John Simon (b. 1925)

    You always read about it:
    the plumber with twelve children
    who wins the Irish Sweepstakes.
    From toilets to riches.
    That story.
    Anne Sexton (1928–1974)