Dr. Anthony Fauci's call to "wear a mask" and George Floyd's plea that he "can't breathe" have topped a list of the most notable 2020 quotes.
Yale Law School librarian Fred Shapiro has released his annual list of the year's most notable quotes as an update to The Yale Book of Quotations, and at the top of it was "wear a mask," said by Fauci in a May CNN interview, The Associated Press reports. Next was "I can't breathe," which Floyd said many times before his killing in police custody.
Third was President Trump's assertion in February that COVID-19 will "disappear" like a "miracle," and at number four was another from Trump: the president's infamous suggestion in April that disinfectants could be injected into the body to cure the coronavirus. Coming in at number five was White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany's promise during her first briefing in May that "I will never lie to you." Another McEnany quote from July, that "the science should not stand in the way" of re-opening schools, was number eight.
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Ruth Bader Ginsburg's "fervent wish" to "not be replaced until a new president is installed," which she dictated in a statement prior to her death, was the sixth most notable quote, while the seventh was President-elect Joe Biden's controversial remark during the campaign that those who aren't sure whether to vote for him or Trump "ain't Black." Biden calling a student a "lying dog-faced pony soldier" at an event was also number nine on the list.
Finally, rounding out the list at number ten was "we are all Lakers today," a quote from Los Angeles Clippers coach Doc Rivers following Kobe Bryant's death. Last year's list of notable quotes included Trump asking the president of Ukraine to "do us a favor," Biden in a gaffe saying poor kids are "just as talented as white kids," and a memorable line from Avengers: Endgame: "I love you 3000."
