Confucius, Oscar Wilde, Steven Hawking and Winston Churchill – all famous figures renowned for their words of wisdom. And, so it seems, is Paris Hilton.
The 28-year-old socialite has made a surprise appearance alongside these names in the new edition of the Oxford Dictionary of Quotations. "Dress cute wherever you go, life is too short to blend in," – one of her utterances – is just one of more than 20,000 new sayings to enter the seventh edition of the tome, which is published this week.
Other authors with entries in the dictionary include Sarah Palin, who earned her place with the quip: "What's the difference between a hockey mom and a pitbull? Lipstick." And US President Barack Obama is also included with the line: "The arc of history is long but it bends towards justice," a quote similar to one used by Martin Luther King. Former American leader Thomas Jefferson's contribution – "Banking establishments are more dangerous than armies" – is also featured, taking on a whole new relevance in the current economic climate.
"Anything quoted today verbally or written in electronic form can be and probably will be encountered by people all over the globe," the book's editor Elizabeth Knowles said. "And as more data is added to online sources, more voices from the past find a route to us today. The new edition of the dictionary reflects the impact of these changes."
