George W. White? Confucius? Chinese Saying? Jean Chretien? Earl Ubell? Anonymous?
The best time to plant a tree is twenty years ago. The second best time is now.
The two best times to plant are tree are 30 years ago and today.
This is sometimes called a Chinese proverb, but I have not seen any solid supporting evidence. Would you please explore the provenance of this saying?
Quote Investigator: The earliest strong match known to QI appeared in “The Cleveland Plain Dealer” of Ohio in 1967. Local city councilman George W. White used the expression, but he disclaimed credit. Thus, the source was anonymous. Boldface added to excerpts by QI:[ref] 1967 March 19, The Cleveland Plain Dealer, “Negro Help for Negroes Under Way”, Quote Page 9A, Column 1, Cleveland, Ohio. (GenealogyBank) [/ref]
“Someone remarked,” White said, “that the best time to plant a tree was 30 years ago, and the second best time to plant a tree is now. That’s how it is with us.”
Thanks to linguistics researcher Barry Popik who located the above citation.
QI has found no substantive evidence that this saying is a Chinese proverb.
Below are additional selected citations in chronological order.
A thematically related saying about the desirability of planting trees from a long-term perspective appeared in “The Pall Mall Gazette” of London in 1868.[ref] 1868 May 16, The Pall Mall Gazette, Australian Trees and Algerian Deserts, (Acknowledgement to “Notes sur l’Eucalyptus et subsidiairement sur la nécessité du reboisement l’Algérie.” Par M. Trottier. (Alger. 1868.)), Quote Page 11, Column 2, London, England (British Newspaper Archive and Newspapers_com) [/ref]
“Blessed is he who plants trees under whose shade he will never sit.”
A separate article tracing this saying about shade trees is available here.
In 1881 a partial match for the saying under examination appeared in a Bellefonte, Pennsylvania newspaper. The spring season was identified as the best time to plant:[ref] 1881 August 18, The Centre Democrat, (Filler item), Quote Page 8, Column 4, Bellefonte, Pennsylvania. (GenealogyBank) [/ref]
Spring is the best time for setting strawberry plants. The next best time is now.
In 1902 another partial match appeared in a St. Louis, Missouri newspaper. The Fall season was highlighted:[ref] 1902 April 2, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, (Article title missing) Subtitle: Spring Days Ideal for Tree Planting, Quote Page 4, Column 1, St. Louis, Missouri. (Newspapers_com) [/ref]
The best time for transplanting trees is in the fall. The next best time is now.
In 1913 a newspaper in Wichita, Kansas employed a similar template to comment about urban planning:[ref] 1913 January 4, The Wichita Beacon, Now Is the Time for Housing Reform, Quote Page 8, Column 5, Wichita, Kansas. (Newspapers_com) [/ref]
The best time for a city to plan its housing is when it is in the making. The next best time is NOW, whatever its age and condition.
In 1959 newspaper columnist Earl Ubell employed the template when he presented health advice:[ref] 1959 October 18, The San Diego Union, Cholesterol, Calories And The Heart by Earl Ubell (San Diego Union and N.Y Herald-Tribune Dispatch), Quote Page C8, Column 8, San Diego, California. (GenealogyBank) [/ref]
Have your blood pressure checked.
Stop cigarette smoking.
And finally you would start this health drive at the age of 15. In the event that this is impossible, the next best time is now.
In March 1967 a strong match with an anonymous attribution appeared in “The Cleveland Plain Dealer” as mentioned previously in this article:[ref] 1967 March 19, The Cleveland Plain Dealer, “Negro Help for Negroes Under Way”, Quote Page 9A, Column 1, Cleveland, Ohio. (GenealogyBank) [/ref]
“Someone remarked,” White said, “that the best time to plant a tree was 30 years ago, and the second best time to plant a tree is now. That’s how it is with us.”
In May 1968 “The North Bay Nugget” of Ontario, Canada printed an instance with the phrases “80 years ago” and “next best”:[ref] 1968 May 8, The North Bay Nugget, Now’s the time to think of conservation of trees , Quote Page 18, Column 7 and 8, North Bay, Ontario, Canada. (Newspapers_com) [/ref]
The best time to plant a tree was 80 years ago. The next best time is now.
In March 1969 Canadian politician Jean Chretien used an instance while addressing the annual convention of the Canadian Wildlife Federation at the Chateau Laurier. Chretien later served as prime minister of Canada from 1993 to 2003:[ref] 1969 March 13, The Ottawa Journal, Fish and Game: The Time Is Now by Phil O’Reilly, Quote Page 27, Column 1, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. (Newspapers_com) [/ref]
“It has been said that the best time to plant a tree was 30 years ago, the second best time is today. The same is true for conservation. The best time to conserve the habitat necessary for our wildlife would have been 50 or 100 years ago. The second best time is now.”
In November 1969 U.S. Congressman Benjamin Blackburn of Georgia used the saying, and it was recorded in the “Congressional Record”:[ref] 1969, U.S. Congressional Record, Proceedings and Debates of the 91st Congress, First Session, U.S. House of Representatives, Remarks of Congressman Benjamin Blackburn of Georgia, Date: November 25, 1969, Quote Page 35706, Column 3, U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington D.C. (Google Books Full View) link [/ref]
Many Georgians now recognize that steps must be taken and taken soon and fortunately there are things happening. It has been said that the best time to plant a tree was thirty years ago, the second best time is today.
In April 1975 the “Rapid City Journal” of South Dakota published an advertisement with the following variant:[ref] 1975 April 24, Rapid City Journal, (Advertisement for Gunderson’s Nursery), Quote Page 20, Column 5, Rapid City, South Dakota. (Newspapers_com) [/ref]
The best time to plant a tree was yesterday.
The second best time is today and Arbor Day (Fri. April 24)
In 1985 the expression was labeled a Chinese proverb in a Nebraska newspaper:[ref] 1985 October 3, Lincoln Journal, Five-state water meeting held by Matt Truell (Journal Writer), Quote Page 21, Column 1, Lincoln, Nebraska. (Newspapers_com) [/ref]
Former state Sen. Maurice Kremer, described as Nebraska’s foremost water expert, is fond of repeating a Chinese proverb: “When is the best time to plant a tree? Twenty years ago. The second-best time is today.”
In 2002 a Saint George, Utah newspaper printed an email from a reader who attributed an instance using “ten years” to Chinese sage Confucius:[ref] 2002 March 16, The Daily Spectrum, The Vent (Emails from readers), Quote Page A6, Column 4, Saint George, Utah. (Newspapers_com) [/ref]
An old Confucius saying applies. Question, “When is the best time to plant a tree?” Answer, “Ten years ago.” Question, “And when is the next best time?” Answer, “Today.”
In conclusion, the creator of this adage remains anonymous. It was circulating in Cleveland, Ohio by 1967. It was labeled a Chinese saying by 1985, but that was a very late date. Thus, the linkage was weak.
Image Notes: Picture of tree branches from geralt at Pixabay. Image has been cropped and resized.
(Great thanks to Jeff Johnson, Sarah Uthoff, Paul Crowley, Ian Shircore, and Jarrod Baniqued whose inquiries led QI to formulate this question and perform this exploration. Also, thanks to researcher Barry Popik who located the 1967 citation and others.)