There really was a time when insults had class.

“I have never killed a man, but I have read many obituaries with great pleasure.” –
Clarence Darrow

“Thank you for sending me a copy of your book; I’ll waste no time in reading it.” –

“He can compress the most words into the smallest idea of any man I know.” –
Abraham Lincoln

“He had delusions of adequacy.” –
Walter Kerr

“He inherited some good instincts from his Quaker forebears, but by diligent hard work, he overcame them.” –
James Reston (about Richard Nixon)