FILE - Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., speaks to reporters, at the Capitol in Washington, Tuesday, Sept. 14, 2021. A line from a speech given from the U.S. Senate floor by McConnell before rioters broke into the Capitol on Jan. 6 tops a Yale Law School librarian's list of the most notable quotes of 2021. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)
The Associated Press
NEW HAVEN, Conn. (AP) - A line from a speech given from the U.S. Senate floor before rioters broke into the Capitol on Jan. 6 tops a Yale Law School librarian's list of the most notable quotes of 2021.
Sen. Majority Leader Mitch McConnell was urging fellow Republicans to abandon their effort to overrule the election victory of President Joe Biden when he said: 'œThe voters, the courts, and the states have all spoken.'ť
Moments later, the insurrection began, forcing the Capitol's evacuation.
Fred Shapiro, an associate director at the library, assembles a list of noteworthy quotes each year. He said he picks quotes that are important or revealing of the spirit of the times, not because they are necessarily eloquent or admirable.
The list is a supplement to The New Yale Book of Quotations, which was edited by Shapiro and published by Yale University Press.
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THE LIST
1. 'œThe voters, the courts, and the states have all spoken.'ť - U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell, remarks on Senate floor, Jan. 6.
2. 'œThe likelihood there's going to be the Taliban overrunning everything and owning the whole country is highly unlikely.'ť - President Joe Biden, televised address, July 8.
3. 'œWe say no more '~blah blah blah,' no more exploitation of people and nature and the planet.'ť - activist Greta Thunberg, remarks to climate protesters, Edinburgh, Scotland, Nov. 1.
4. 'œWhen day comes we ask ourselves, where can we find light in this never-ending shade?'ť - poet Amanda Gorman, 'œThe Hill We Climb'ť inauguration poem, Jan. 20.
5. 'œThis conservatorship is abusive.'ť - Britney Spears, statement to court, Los Angeles, Jun e 23.
6. 'œI communicated that I wanted to skip press conferences at Roland Garros to exercise self-care and preservation of my mental health.'ť - tennis player Naomi Osaka, Time Magazine, July 19/26 issue.
7. "'œIn those months when I was pregnant, all around the same time, so we have in tandem the conversation of, he won't be given security, he's not going to be given a title, and also concerns and conversations about how dark his skin might be when he's born.'ť - Duchess Megan Markle, remarks about her son Archie, 'œOprah with Megan and Harry'ť CBS interview, March 7.
8. 'œMy name is Cleo.'ť - Cleo Smith, 4, in response to a policeman upon her rescue from kidnapping, Carnarvon, Australia, Nov. 3.
9. 'œPresidents are not kings.'ť - Judge Tanya Chutkan, opinion in case of Trump v. Thompson, Nov. 9.
10. 'œI am here today because I believe Facebook's products harm children, stoke division, and weaken our democracy.'ť - whistleblower Frances Haugen, testimony before the Senate Commerce Committee Sub-Committee on Consumer Protection, Product Safety, and Data Security, Oct. 5.
FILE - President Joe Biden speaks about the American troop withdrawal from Afghanistan, in the East Room of the White House, Thursday, July 8, 2021, in Washington. A line from Biden's televised address tops a Yale Law School librarian's list of the most notable quotes of 2021. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)
The Associated Press
FILE - National youth poet laureate Amanda Gorman recites her inaugural poem during the 59th Presidential Inauguration at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, Wednesday, Jan. 20, 2021. A quote from Gorman's poem made a list of noteworthy quotes assembled by Fred Shapiro, an associate director at the Yale Law library. He said he picks quotes that are important or revealing of the spirit of the times, not because they are necessarily eloquent or admirable. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky, Pool, File)
The Associated Press
FILE - Naomi Osaka, of Japan, speaks to the crowd after beating Marie Bouzkova, of the Czech Republic, during the first round of the US Open tennis championships, Monday, Aug. 30, 2021, in New York. A quote from Osaka made a list of noteworthy quotes assembled by Fred Shapiro, an associate director at the Yale Law library. He said he picks quotes that are important or revealing of the spirit of the times, not because they are necessarily eloquent or admirable. (AP Photo/Elise Amendola, File)
The Associated Press
FILE - Australian newspapers report in Sydney, Tuesday, March 9, 2021, on an interview of The Duke and Duchess of Sussex by Oprah Winfrey. A quote from Markle during the interview made a list of noteworthy quotes assembled by Fred Shapiro, an associate director at the Yale Law library. He said he picks quotes that are important or revealing of the spirit of the times, not because they are necessarily eloquent or admirable. (AP Photo/Rick Rycroft, File)
The Associated Press
FILE - Former Facebook data scientist Frances Haugen speaks during a hearing of the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Subcommittee on Consumer Protection, Product Safety, and Data Security, on Capitol Hill, Tuesday, Oct. 5, 2021, in Washington. A quote from Haugen's testimony made a list of noteworthy quotes assembled by Fred Shapiro, an associate director at the Yale Law library. He said he picks quotes that are important or revealing of the spirit of the times, not because they are necessarily eloquent or admirable. (Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post via AP, Pool, File)
The Associated Press
FILE - Confetti falls on Britney Spears supporters outside a hearing concerning the pop singer's conservatorship at the Stanley Mosk Courthouse, Friday, Nov. 12, 2021, in Los Angeles. A quote from Spears on the conservatorship made a list of noteworthy quotes assembled by Fred Shapiro, an associate director at the Yale Law library. He said he picks quotes that are important or revealing of the spirit of the times, not because they are necessarily eloquent or admirable. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello, File)
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