Voltaire? George Burns? Paul Harvey? Stanisław Jerzy Lec? Percy Bysshe Shelley? Etaislaw Lee? Stanisław Leszczyński? Stanisław Lem? Jacek Galazka?
(1) No snowflake in an avalanche ever feels responsible.
(2) Each snowflake in an avalanche pleads not guilty.
(3) In an avalanche, no one snowflake ever feels responsible.
This saying has been attributed to French wit Voltaire, Polish aphorist Stanisław Jerzy Lec, U.S. comedian George Burns, and others. Would you please explore this topic?
Quote Investigator: This adage appeared in the 1968 book “More Unkempt Thoughts” by Stanisław Jerzy Lec. Here were three items from that book. Boldface added to excerpts by QI:[ref] 1968 Copyright, More Unkempt Thoughts by Stanisław J. Lec, Translated by Jacek Galazka, Quote Page 9, Funk & Wagnalls, New York. (Verified with scans) [/ref]
It is the high priests that make demands—not the gods they serve.
No snowflake in an avalanche ever feels responsible.
Do not trust people. They are capable of greatness.
This book was translated from Polish by Jacek Galazka. Some sources have suggested that the Polish source book was titled “Myśli Nieuczesane Nowe” (“Unkempt New Thoughts”); however, QI has corresponded with two individuals who have carefully examined 1964 and 1966 editions of that book and determined that the quotation was absent. Thus, the identity of the Polish source book for the quotation remains uncertain.[ref] Personal communication via twitter between Garson O’Toole (@QuoteResearch) and FranekVetulani (@FranekVetulani) on May 29, 2022; Also, personal communication via twitter between Garson O’Toole (@QuoteResearch) and @szescstopni on May 29, 2022. [/ref]
A volunteer editor at the crowdsourced website Wikiquote suggested that the following was the original Polish quotation, but QI has not yet verified this claim, and this quotation may be inaccurate:[ref] Website: Wikiquote, Person: Stanisław Jerzy Lec, A Wikimedia Project of Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. (Accessed wikiquote.org on April 26, 2022; Polish version of the quotation was obtained from Wikiquote; QI has not yet verified the Polish quotation) link [/ref]
Żaden płatek śniegu nie czuje się odpowiedzialny za lawinę.
Below are additional selected citations in chronological order.
In 1837 “The Birmingham Journal” of England published a piece by a political activist who employed an analogy depicting individuals as snowflakes able to unite to form a powerful avalanche:[ref] 1837 May 13, The Birmingham Journal, To the Wealth Producers of Birmingham and of the Midland Counties by Jack Steadfast, Quote Page 7, Column 4, Warwickshire, England. (British Newspaper Archive) [/ref]
The avalanche of the Alps, which carries destruction in its gathering force, and whelms whole districts in its frozen shroud, acquired its tremendous force by UNION—the vast mass of cold destruction was accumulated flake by flake. Compare this figure yourselves—ye are the snow-flakes; gather then instruction from nature, single flakes form the avalanche, single grains of sand form mountains, single drops form the mighty ocean, and supply its resistless power!
In 1820 English Romantic poet Percy Bysshe Shelley published “Prometheus Unbound”. He employed a splendid simile connecting snowflakes and thoughts:[ref] 1820, Prometheus Unbound: A Lyrical Drama in Four Acts with Other Poems by Percy Bysshe Shelley, Act II, Quote Page 78, C. and J. Ollier, London. (Google Books Full View) link [/ref]
Awful as silence. Hark! the rushing snow!
The sun-awakened avalanche! whose mass,
Thrice sifted by the storm, had gathered there
Flake after flake, in heaven-defying minds
As thought by thought is piled, till some great truth
Is loosened, and the nations echo round,
Shaken to their roots, as do the mountains now.
In 1880 “The Illustrated London News” printed an anonymous statement that echoed Shelley’s verses:[ref] 1880 December 15, The Illustrated London News, (Epigraph at top of page), Quote Page 35, London, England. (British Newspaper Archive) [/ref]
“Thoughts, like snow-flakes on some far-off mountain-side, go on accumulating till some great truth is loosened, and falls like an avalanche on the waiting world.”
In January 1964 popular radio broadcaster and newspaper columnist Paul Harvey published an instance of the saying in English. This was the earliest instance located by QI:[ref] 1964 January 9, Greenwood Commonwealth, An Old Flame Flickers by Paul Harvey, Quote Page 4, Column 7, Greenwood, Mississippi. (Newspapers_com) [/ref]
In an avalanche, no one snowflake ever feels responsible.
In February 1964 the saying appeared in a Chillicothe, Missouri newspaper within a collection of quotations compiled by students at the local high school. The odd attribution might be a garbled version of the name “Stanislaw Lec”:[ref] 1964 February 21, The Chillicothe Constitution-Tribune, Chilli Chatter by Chillicothe High School Student Council, Quotes, Quote Page 4, Column 3, Chillicothe, Missouri. (Newspapers_com) [/ref]
No snowflake in an avalanche ever feels responsible.
—Etaislaw Lee.
In 1968 “More Unkempt Thoughts” by Stanisław Jerzy Lec appeared, and it contained the following item as mentioned previously:[ref] 1968 Copyright, More Unkempt Thoughts by Stanisław J. Lec, Translated by Jacek Galazka, Quote Page 9, Funk & Wagnalls, New York. (Verified with scans) [/ref]
No snowflake in an avalanche ever feels responsible.
Also, in 1968 Evan Esar printed a different phrasing in his compilation “20,000 Quips and Quotes”:[ref] 1968, 20,000 Quips and Quotes by Evan Esar, Topic: Snow, Quote Page 748, Doubleday, Garden City, New York. (Verified with hardcopy) [/ref]
Each snowflake in an avalanche pleads not guilty.
—Stanislaw J. Lec
In 1970 widely syndicated columnist Earl Wilson printed the saying with an ascription containing a slight misspelling:[ref] 1970 March 25, The State Journal, Groucho Plugs Show About Mommy by Earl Wilson (Syndicated), Today’s Laughs, Quote Page A11, Column 4, Lansing, Michigan. (Newspapers_com) [/ref]
REMEMBERED QUOTE: “Each snowflake in an avalanche pleads not guilty.”—Stanislaw J. Lee.
In 1973 the saying appeared within a jewelry advertisement in an Allentown, Pennsylvania newspaper. Stanisław Leszczyński who was an 18th century King of Poland received credit:[ref] 1973 February 13, The Morning Call, (Advertisement for Thornton Jewelers), Quote Page 1, Column 2, Allentown, Pennsylvania. (Newspapers_com) [/ref]
No snowflake in an avalanche ever feels responsible.
—Stanislaus Leszczynski
In 1997 “Simpson’s Contemporary Quotations” attributed the saying to a prominent Polish science fiction author. This error was probably due to a misspelling:[ref] 1997, Simpson’s Contemporary Quotations: The Most Notable Quotes Since 1950, Revised Edition, Edited by James B. Simpson, Section: Humankind, Topic: Wisdom, Philosophy, and Other Musings, Person: Stanislaw Lem (essayist), Quote Page 376, Column 2, HarperCollins Publishers, New York. (Verified with scans) [/ref]
Stanislaw Lem essayist
No snowflake in an avalanche ever feels responsible.
More Unkempt Thoughts Funk & Wagnalls 69
In 2004 Mike George published the compilation “1,001 Meditations” which attributed the saying to a famous French author:[ref] 2004, 1,001 Meditations, Compiled by Mike George Chapter: Choice and Responsibility, Quote Page 64, Chronicle Books, San Francisco, California. (Verified with scans) [/ref]
The snowflake “No snowflake in an avalanche ever feels responsible.” Voltaire (1694-1778)
In 2006 the Reader’s Digest Association published “Treasury of Wit & Wisdom” which attributed the saying to a well-known actor and comedian:[ref] 2006, Treasury of Wit & Wisdom: 4,000 of the Funniest, Cleverest, Most Insightful Things Ever Said, Compiled by Jeff Bredenberg, Topic: The Human Condition, Quote Page 258, The Reader’s Digest Association, Pleasantville, New York. (Verified with scans) [/ref]
No snowflake in an avalanche ever feels responsible. — George Burns
In conclusion, this saying should probably be credited to Stanisław Jerzy Lec based on the translation published in “More Unkempt Thoughts” in 1968. The original Polish statement has not yet been precisely located by QI. The ascriptions to Voltaire and Stanisław Leszczyński are unsupported. The attribution to George Burns occurred after the saying was in circulation.
Image Notes: Public domain illustration of snowflakes from “The Century Dictionary” of 1895. Image has been resized and cropped.
(Great thanks to the anonymous friend whose inquiry led QI to formulate this question and perform this exploration. Special thanks to Szescstopni and Franek Vetulani who examined the 1964 and 1966 editions of “Myśli Nieuczesane Nowe” and were unable to find the quotation.)
Update History: On May 30, 2022 the article was rewritten based on the absence of the quotation in “Myśli Nieuczesane Nowe”.