"For Love or Money", The Times (27 November 1989).
“
But once upon a time, we could play shove ha'penny, and read a penny dreadful, and sing a song of sixpence, and take the King's shilling; and once upon a time even further in the past, five sparrows could be bought for two farthings, and yet not be forgotten. Somehow, the transaction would not have had the same effect if the sparrows had been sold for two pee.
— Bernard Levin
What It Means
This is a placeholder explanation generated by the low-overhead model. It interprets "But once upon a time, we could play shove ha'penny, and read a penny dreadful, and sing a song of sixpence, and take the King's shilling; and once upon a time even further in the past, five sparrows could be bought for two farthings, and yet not be forgotten. Somehow, the transaction would not have had the same effect if the sparrows had been sold for two pee." in the context of ""For Love or Money", The Times (27 November 1989)." to mean that wisdom is timeless.
Source: Wikiquote: "Bernard Levin" (Quotes, Now Read On (1990))
The 'What it means' explanation text was generated by Google Gemini Flash (accessed January 18, 2026). https://gemini.google.com/app
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About Bernard Levin
Bernard Levin (19 August 1928 – 7 August 2004) was an English journalist, author and broadcaster. He was best known for his columns about political and social issues which appeared in The Times.
About Bernard Levin
Bernard Levin (19 August 1928 – 7 August 2004) was an English journalist, author and broadcaster. He was best known for his columns about political and social issues which appeared in The Times.
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