Quotes
JOHN, by the grace of God, King of England, to all his faithful people who have desired to have burgages at the township of Liverpul, greeting. No ye that we have granted to all who have taken burgages at Liverpul that they shall have all liberties and free customs which any free borough on the sea has in our land.
King John, August 28, 1207
In the evening, especially when the sailors are gathered in great numbers, these streets present a most singular spectacle, the entire population of the vicinity being seemingly turned into them. Hand organs and fiddles, plied by strolling musicians, mix with the songs of the seamen, the babble of women and children and the wining of beggars. From the various boarding houses, proceed the noise of revellry.
Herman Melville, 1839
I had a dream. I found myself in a dirty, sooty city. It was night and winter; and dark and raining. I was in Liverpool. In the centre was a round pool; in the middle of it a small island. On it stood a single tree; a magnolia in a shower of reddish blossoms. It was as though the tree stood inthe sunlight, and were, at the same time, the source of light. Everything was extremely unpleasant; black and opaque - just as I felt then. But I had an vision of unearthly beauty . . . and that’s why I was able to live at all. Liverpool is the pool of life.
Carl Jung, philosopher, 1961
Liverpool Cathedral is one of the great buildings of the world. Suddenly one realises that the greatest art of architecture, that compels reverance, but also lifts one up, and turns one into a king, is the art of enclosing space.
John Betjeman, poet laureate, BBC broadcast 1970
My love of New York, is something to do with Liverpool. There is the same quality of energy in both cities.
John Lennon, 1971
A good place to wash your hair, Liverpool - good, soft water.
George Harrison, 1977
Liverpool is full of the kind of people who go out on Monday and couldn’t care less about Tuesday morning.
Jan Molby, Liverpool FC, 1985
The time to believe in peras-troika (openness) is when a Russian pop group plays in Liverpool.
President Ronald Regan, speaking to students in Moscow, 1987
I’ve got a plan to revolution-ise art in this city. I’d like Liverpool to host a national congress of artists - much better than festivals which only last a week.
Arthur Dooley, sculptor, 1989
Liverpool has meant everything to me from the very beginning.
Libor Pesek KBE, conductor, Liverpool Philharmonic, 1995
We may not live in Liverpool, but our whole life is there. You’ve got to understand that we are still very clannish. All our cousins, nieces, nephews, are still in Liverpool and it’s still like a village there. Most of my friends are still in Liverpool and nothing goes on there without me knowing about it.
Cilla Black, 1996
The magic of Liverpool is that it isn’t England. We are global and we have learned to tolerate and respect each other’s traditions. As such, we are a national asset.
Margaret Simey, 1999
Liverpool was a commercial rather than industrial centre: a place of shipping insurance and banking. And each of these interests owned a building and wanted to promote it. There was tremendous rivalry and a great deal of innovation and experimentation.
Professor Quentin Hughes, architectural historian and author, 2000
Liverpool made me what I am - it kept my feet on the ground.
Paul McCartney, 2002
You’ll never walk alone was not by the Beatles and it wasn’t even Merseybeat, but it became synonymous with the Liverpool sound. It’s still sung to this day, of course, but to watch the Kop in the Sixties in all its scarf waving celebration of civic solidarity was to witness something extraordinary. It used to move me to tears.
Gerry Marsden, singer, 2002
This is my home town. The place where I was born and where I belong.
Ken Dodd, 2003
It’s stunning the way the city has been transformed and every time I come back I feel so proud. Our historic buildings - the finest collection of civic buidings in Europe - are being looked after like never before. And there has been so much development -the waterfront, for example, looks wonderful. And all this rubs off on the people.
Peter Sissons, 2003
Liverpool will become a cultural beacon of the world. Capital of culture is a wonderful accolade It is fabulous. You are a wonderful city. I am so glad you won.
Tessa Jowell, culture secretary, June 2003
Have you got any? Do you know of any more quotes by famous people?
