Creator: Wilson Mizner, playwright, entrepreneur, adventurer
Context: Mizner died in 1933. A biography of his colorful life appeared in 1935 called “The Fabulous Wilson Mizner” by Edward Dean Sullivan. The chapter “Miznerisms” was dedicated to his witticisms. Here were three. Emphasis added to excerpts:1
I am a stylist—and the most beautiful sentence I have ever heard is: “Have one on the house.”
A dramatic critic is a guy who surprises the playwright by informing him what he meant.
I’ve known countless people who were reservoirs of learning yet never had a thought.
In 1949 Evan Esar, the industrious collector of sayings, placed a slightly modified version in “The Dictionary of Humorous Quotations”. The words “dramatic” and “guy” were changed to “drama” and “person”:2
MIZNER, Wilson, 1876-1933, American dramatist, bon vivant, and wit.
A drama critic is a person who surprises the playwright by informing him what he meant.
In 1989 “Leo Rosten’s Giant Book of Laughter” printed another version of the quip:3
Critic: A person who surprises an author by informing him what he meant.
Wilson Mizner
Nowadays, it is commonplace to find critics who claim superior knowledge or insight when disagreeing with the creator of an artwork.
Update History: On April 11, 2025 the format of the bibliographical notes was updated.
- 1935, The Fabulous Wilson Mizner by Edward Dean Sullivan, Chapter 17: Miznerisms, Quote Page 270, The Henkle Company, New York. (Verified with hardcopy) ↩︎
- 1949, The Dictionary of Humorous Quotations, Edited by Evan Esar, Section: Wilson Mizner, Quote Page 145, Doubleday, Garden City, New York. (Verified on hardcopy in 1989 reprint edition from Dorset Press, New York) ↩︎
- 1989, Leo Rosten’s Giant Book of Laughter: The greatest jokes, one-liners, bloopers, and stories for everyone who loves to laugh by Leo Rosten (Leo Calvin Rosten), Topic: Criticism, Quote Page 124, Bonanza Books, New York. (Verified with scans) ↩︎