BY CHOICE

My brother has some good lines--I call them "throwaway lines". Unfortunately, sometimes I neglect to jot down what he's said.

Recently, I called home and asked, "Is Gerald there by chance?"

Without missing a beat, Les answered, "Yes, but I think it's BY CHOICE, not BY CHANCE."

Recently, we were watching a television talk show and a panelist, exposing a phony, self-effacing manner, commented that he "wasn't book smart"; Les immediately quipped, "Maybe he's magazine smart!"

Some other recent throwaways:

Les asked, "If quitters never win and winners never quit, who's the moron who said we should 'quit while you're ahead'?"

Once, disparaging myself about something I had done, I said, "Boy, do I feel dumb!" Les said, "Being honest is always a good thing!" Another time, in answer to a different self-deprecating remark of mine, he answered, "It's allright to feel the way you are!"