Quote Investigator® – Page 8 – Tracing Quotations

Quote Origin: Those Who Most Dislike Puns Are Least Able To Utter Them

Edgar Allan Poe? Jonathan Swift? Mary Livingstone? Oscar Levant? H. L. Mencken? Anonymous?

Inspirational Pun: Toucan Do It. Illustration by Jean-Baptiste Oudry

Question for Quote Investigator: Creating humorous puns is difficult which may help to explain why detractors are so harsh. A wit once said:

Those who most dislike puns are least able to utter them

The master of the macabre Edgar Allan Poe said something like this. Would you please help me to find a citation and determine the precise phrasing?

Reply from Quote Investigator: In 1845 Edgar Allan Poe published “Marginal Notes.—No. 1” in “Godey’s Lady’s Book”. Poe was unhappy that some literary critics were attacking originality. Boldface added to excerpts by QI:¹

All true men must rejoice to perceive the decline of the miserable rant and cant against originality, which was so much in vogue a few years ago among a class of microscopical critics, and which at one period threatened to degrade all American literature to the level of Flemish art.

Of puns it has been said that those most dislike who are least able to utter them; but with far more of truth may it be asserted that invectives against originality proceed only from persons at once hypocritical and common-place. I say hypocritical—for the love of novelty is an indisputable element of the moral nature of man . . .

So Edgar Allan Poe employed a version of the saying, but he disclaimed credit by using the phrase “it has been said”. The originator remains anonymous, but the statement may have evolved from a remark attributed to the famous Irish satirist Jonathan Swift.

Below are additional selected citations in chronological order.

Quote Origin: Punning Is a Talent Which No Man Affects To Despise, But He That Is Without It

Jonathan Swift? Edgar Allan Poe? Mary Livingstone? Oscar Levant? Apocryphal?

Pun: Owl you need is love. Illustration by Gustave Dore

Question for Quote Investigator: The dislike of puns is rooted in jealousy. A wit once said something like the following:

Punning is a talent which no one despises except those without it.

This notion has been attributed to Irish satirist Jonathan Swift, U.S. horror writer Edgar Allan Poe, and others. Would you please help me to find a citation and determine the precise phrasing?

Reply from Quote Investigator: There is a family of related sayings which discuss the art of creating puns. Below is an overview with dates:

1755: He greatly excelled in punning; a talent, which, he said, no man affected to despise, but those that were without it. (Comment about Jonathan Swift)

1764: Punning is a talent which no man affects to despise, but he that is without it. (Attributed to Jonathan Swift)

1807: Puns are disliked by none but those who can’t make them. (Attributed to Jonathan Swift)

1831: Nobody dislikes a pun but he who cannot make one. (Attributed to “a celebrated author” by T.H.B.)

1845: Of puns it has been said that those most dislike who are least able to utter them. (Written by Edgar Allan Poe)

1941: There must be one in every family . . . who thinks a pun is the lowest form of wit because he didn’t think of it first. (Written by Mary Livingstone)

1945: The pun is the lowest form of humor—when you don’t think of it first. (Attributed to Oscar Levant)

Below are additional selected citations in chronological order.

Quote Origin: “The Pun Is the Lowest Form of Wit” “Yes, That Means It Is the Foundation of All Wit”

Henry Erskine? John Dryden? Tom Sheridan? Anonymous?

Question for Quote Investigator: An irritated critic stated that puns were the lowest form of wit. A wordsmith responded to this attack with the following clever conclusion which twisted the remark using word play. Since puns occupy the lowest position they must be the foundation of all humor. Would you please explore the provenance of this repartee?

Reply from Quote Investigator: The earliest match located by QI appeared in 1787 within “The County Magazine” of London. The joke appeared in a section of miscellaneous items called “Scraps”. Boldface added to excerpts by QI:¹

“I hate Punning!”—said a gentleman well known at Bath,—“it is the lowest of all wit.”—“Then (replied the Punster whom he addressed) you must acknowledge it to be the foundation of all wit!”

Below are additional selected citations in chronological order.

Quote Origin: A Psychologist Tells You What You Already Know in a Language That You Cannot Understand

Henry Walker Hepner? Dorothy Dey? Ellen Seiter? Paddy Whannel? E. H. Jenkins? William James? Anonymous?

Picture of library in Stuttgart, Germany

Question for Quote Investigator: Members of a profession often develop a specialized vocabulary or jargon to communicate effectively with one another. Yet, these words and phrases are unintelligible to others. Here is a pertinent quip about psychology:

A psychologist is someone who tells you something you already know in a language which you cannot understand.

Similar barbs have been aimed at sociology, semiotics, cultural studies, and behavioral science. Would you please explore the provenance of these remarks?

Reply from Quote Investigator: Tracing this family of jokes is difficult because the phrasing is highly variable. The earliest match located by QI appeared within the “Proceedings of the New York Farmers”. A meeting was held in New York City in February 1898. An unnamed farmer received credit for a version of the gibe aimed at the entire field of science:¹

Years ago, after talking with a farmer—not a tobacco grower—regarding some reasons for thorough tillage, he paused in his work and remarked meditatively: “Science consists largely in telling people things which they already know, in a language which they cannot understand!”

Below are additional selected citations in chronological order.

Quote Origin: Democracy Is the Worst Form of Government Except For All Others Which Have Been Tried

Winston Churchill? Guy Henson? Plato? Israel Zangwill? William Ralph Inge? Robert Briffault? Herbert Hoover? Anonymous?

Illustration of a ballot box from Unsplash

Question for Quote Investigator: The flaws in the democratic form of government are numerous, yet the alternatives such as oligarchy and autocracy inevitably become oppressive and tyrannical. A famous saying states that democracy is the worst form of government except for all others which have been tried.

Winston Churchill popularized this notion, but I do not know who should receive credit for originating it. Would you please explore this topic?

Reply from Quote Investigator: In November 1947 Winston Churchill delivered a speech to the U.K. House of Commons. He made a memorable remark about democracy, but he employed the prefatory phrase “it has been said”. Thus, he signaled that the remark was already in circulation. Boldface added to excerpts by QI:¹

Many forms of Government have been tried, and will be tried in this world of sin and woe. No one pretends that democracy is perfect or all-wise. Indeed, it has been said that democracy is the worst form of Government except all those other forms that have been tried from time to time; but there is the broad feeling in our country that the people should rule, continuously rule, and that public opinion, expressed by all constitutional means, should shape, guide, and control the actions of Ministers who are their servants and not their masters.

Churchill was correct that the saying was circulating before his remark. QI has located a match written by Canadian educator Guy Henson in May 1946 within “A Report On Provincial Support of Adult Education in Nova Scotia”. Henson did not take credit; instead, the attribution was anonymous:²

This dilemma in education depends for solution on the meaning of democracy in practice. This is commonly called the most difficult form of government in the world; it has even been called the worst form of government, except for all others which have been tried. Certainly it is the form of government which our people are agreed to make work.

Below are additional selected citations in chronological order.

Quote Origin: I Expect To Pass Through This World But Once. If There Be Any Kindness I Can Show, Let Me Do It Now

Stephen Grellet? Eva Rose York? A. B. Hegeman? William Penn? John Wesley? John Townsend? Eliza M. Hickok? Henry Drummond? Quakers’ Motto? Anonymous?

**Red, pink, and white candy hearts from Unsplash**

Question for Quote Investigator: Our time on Earth is remarkably brief. We should not hesitate to express compassion and empathy toward others. This notion has been expressed as follows:

I expect to pass through this world but once. If, therefore, there be any kindness I can show, or any good thing that I can do to any fellow human being, let me do it now.

This quotation has been attributed to two prominent members of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers): French missionary Stephen Grellet and English writer William Penn. It has also been credited to English cleric John Wesley, Mrs. A. B. Hegeman, John Townsend, and others. Would you please explore this topic?

Reply from Quote Investigator: The earliest match located by QI appeared in “The Independent” of Oskaloosa, Kansas on October 31, 1868. The creator of the saying was only referred to as an anonymous “wise man”. Boldface added to excerpts by QI:¹

WORTH REMEMBERING.—The following soliloquy of a wise man is applicable to and should be put into practice by every mother’s son and daughter of the race: “I expect to pass through this world but once. If, therefore, there be any kindness I can show, or any good thing that I can do, to any fellow human being, let me do it now. Let me not defer nor neglect it; for I will not pass this way again.”

The second earliest match located by QI appeared in the religious periodical “Friends’ Intelligencer” on November 14, 1868. The text was nearly identical. The word “nor” was changed to “or”. The creator was unnamed:²

I expect to pass through this world but once. If, therefore, there be any kindness I can show, or any good thing that I can do to any fellow human being, let me do it now. Let me not defer or neglect it, for I will not pass this way again.

During subsequent months the saying appeared in numerous periodicals, but the creator remained anonymous. In 1877 the saying was credited to influential Quaker William Penn, but Penn died in the eighteenth century; hence, this linkage provided very weak evidence. Several other attributions appeared in later years, but QI has not yet found a substantive linkage.

Below are additional selected citations in chronological order.

Quote Origin: If I Knew What the Meanings of My Books Were, I Wouldn’t Have Bothered To Write Them

Margaret Drabble? George Plimpton? Apocryphal?

Illustration of an open book from Unsplash

Question for Quote Investigator: When novelists are asked to explain the meanings of the stories they create some are happy to comply. However, many are reticent to present a single definitive interpretation to a complex multilayered narrative. The English novelist Margaret Drabble provided a humorously caustic reply. Would you please help me to find a citation for her comment about the meaning of her tales?

Reply from Quote Investigator: In 1978 “The Paris Review” published an interview with Margaret Drabble. She was asked about the letters she had received from members of the public. Boldface added to excerpts by QI:¹

What really annoys me are the ones who write to say, I am doing your book for my final examinations and could you please tell me what the meaning of it is. I find it just so staggering—that you’re supposed to explain the meaning of your book to some total stranger! If I knew what the meanings of my books were, I wouldn’t have bothered to write them.

Below are additional selected citations in chronological order.

Quote Origin: I Write Because I Want More Than One Life

Anne Tyler? Lee Smith? C. S. Lewis? George R. R. Martin? Louis L’Amour? Apocryphal?

Preparing to write in a notebook from Unsplash

Question for Quote Investigator: A prominent author disclosed a fascinating insight into her prime motivation for writing novels. She desired to live more than one life. Would you please help me to identify this author and find a citation?

Reply from Quote Investigator: U.S novelist and literary critic Anne Tyler has written popular and acclaimed novels including “Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant”, “The Accidental Tourist”, and “Breathing Lessons”. In 1976 she published a piece about writing in “The Washington Post”. Boldface added to excerpts by QI:¹

I write because I want more than one life; I insist on a wider selection. It’s greed, plain and simple. When my characters join the circus, I’m joining the circus. Although I am happily married, I spend a great deal of time mentally living with incompatible husbands.

Below are additional selected citations in chronological order.

Quote Origin: How Do You Make a Small Fortune in a Risky Domain? Start With a Large Fortune

Elon Musk? Ruly Carpenter? Stanley Kroll? Leo Fuld? Alan Young? Phil Silvers? Joey Adams? Anonymous?

Illustration of gold bars and coins from Unsplash

Question for Quote Investigator: A family of jokes emphasizes the unforgiving economics of risky or expensive activities. Here are four examples:

(1) How do you make a small fortune in social media? Start out with a large one.

(2) The surest way to make a small fortune in the commodity market is to start with a large one.

(3) To leave a casino with a small fortune you should arrive with a big one.

(4) “How do you make a million in the stock market?” “Start with two million!”

Would you please explore this topic?

Reply from Quote Investigator: The first example above occurred in an x-twitter message from Elon Musk dated November 17, 2022.

The earliest member of this family located by QI appeared in February 1950 within the syndicated newspaper column of Earl Wilson. The quip was credited to popular singer Leo Fuld. The ellipsis below occurred in the original text. Boldface added to excepts by QI:¹

TODAY’S BEST LAUGH: Leo Fuld, the Dutch singer who’s become a big hit in England, asks: “Know how to go to England on a visit and leave with a small fortune? … Go there with a large fortune.”

Below are additional selected citations in chronological order.

Quote Origin: True Heroism is Not the Urge To Surpass All Others At Whatever Cost, But the Urge To Serve Others At Whatever Cost

Arthur Ashe? Apocryphal?

Tennis racquet and ball lying on a court from Unsplash

Question for Quote Investigator: A famous tennis player once discussed the topic of valor. He stated that heroism was not based on a desire to surpass others, but on a desire to serve others. A statement like this has been attributed to Arthur Ashe. Would you please help me to find a citation?

Reply from Quote Investigator: In 1993 a newspaper in Delaware, Ohio printed an article which contained the quotation. Boldface added to excepts by QI:¹

“True heroism is remarkably sober, very undramatic. It is not the urge to surpass all others at whatever cost, but the urge to serve others at whatever cost,” Arthur Ashe told the Ohio Wesleyan University class of 1991 in his commencement address.

Below are additional selected citations in chronological order.