Steve Martin Quotes
Boy, those French: they have a different word for everything!
Martin, Steve. A Wild and Crazy Guy. Warner Bros. Records, 1978.
Dr. Berlinski speaks French fluently and lives in Paris half the year.
What makes this quotation particularly funny is that “entrepreneur” is not originally an English word but was borrowed from the French. However, probably what the president was trying to express is that the French act as if they had not word or concept as they have many economic policies that discourage entrepreneurship. The President while a bright man has never been particularly gifted as an intellectual or an orator, becomes the butt of humor with this quotation. There are Bush supporters who challenge the fact that Bush actually made such a gaff, and there has been no other verification other than Baroness Williams.
Stephen Glenn Martin is an American actor, comedian, writer, producer, and musician. Over his distinguished career he has earned five Grammy Awards, a Primetime Emmy Award, and was awarded an Honorary Academy Award at the Academy's 5th Annual Governors Awards in 2013. Among the many honors, he has received the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor, the Kennedy Center Honors, and an AFI Life Achievement Award. In 2004, Comedy Central ranked Martin at sixth place in a list of the 100 greatest stand-up comics.