Victor Borge? Mary S. Taylor? Roy L. Smith? Jay Freeman? Walter Winchell? Anonymous?
Question for Quote Investigator: The bonds between people can be enhanced when they laugh together. The following saying reflects this viewpoint:
Laughter is the shortest distance between two people.
This statement has been attributed to the Danish-American comedian and pianist Victor Borge. I have not been able to find a solid citation. Would you please help?
Reply from Quote Investigator: In 1972 Associated Press journalist Vivian Brown interviewed Victor Borge at his waterfront home, and Borge employed an exact match for this statement. Boldface added to excerpts by QI:1
Laughter is the shortest distance between two people, commented comedian and concert pianist, Victor Borge. We should laugh more to enjoy our families and our work.
During the 1960s Borge employed variants of this expression during his performances using the words “smile”, “humor”, “laughter”, “persons”, and “people”. The sayings evolved from a larger family of expressions which began circulating near the beginning of the twentieth century.
Here is an overview with dates and attributions:
1909 Jun: A chord of sympathy is the shortest distance between two hearts (Mary S. Taylor)
1915 Apr: What is a smile? The shortest distance between two ears (Anonymous)
1924 Feb: A Flower Valentine … is the shortest distance between two hearts (Advertisement for florist James Weir)
1932 Aug: A smile is the shortest distance between two hearts (Reverend Roy L. Smith)
1937 Apr: Love is the shortest distance between two hearts (Attributed to Jay Freeman by Walter Winchell)
1965 Nov: Laughter is the shortest distance between two persons (Victor Borge)
1966 Apr: A smile is the shortest distance between two people (Victor Borge)
1966 Jun: What is humor? The shortest distance of truth between two people (Victor Borge)
1966 Jul: The shortest distance between two people is a smile (Victor Borge)
1972 Jun: Laughter is the shortest distance between two people (Victor Borge)
Below are details for selected citations in chronological order.
In June 1909 the New York humor magazine “Life” printed a piece titled “Mathematical Philosophy” by Mary S. Taylor which included these three theorems:2
A chord of sympathy is the shortest distance between two hearts.
The product of the golden means of life is always greater than the extremes.
Two opposing wills will never meet, however far they may be extended.
In December 1909 “The Daily Notes” of Canonsburg, Pennsylvania reprinted the piece titled “Mathematical Philosophy” by Taylor.3
In 1915 the “Farmers’ Champion” newspaper of Elgin, Oklahoma printed the following filler item:4
A Definition.
Knicker—What is a smile?
Bocker—The shortest distance between two ears.
In 1924 “Brooklyn Life” of Brooklyn, New York printed an advertorial for the florist James Weir Inc. which included the following:5
Send her a Flower Valentine by wire, for ’tis said that this is the shortest distance between two hearts.
In 1932 the “Rochester Democrat and Chronicle” of Rochester, New York published “Sentence Sermons” by Reverend Roy L. Smith which included the following:6
A Smile—
—May last only a moment and be remembered a lifetime.
—Has no price but it has great value.
—Is the shortest distance between two hearts.
In 1937 gossip columnist Walter Winchell published the following items about love:7
Love is the only fire for which you can’t get insurance (Sydney Green).
Love is something that makes your head go ’round and your heart stand still (Johnny Ricketts, Philadelphia, Pa.).
Love is the shortest distance between two hearts (Jay Freeman).
In 1965 “The Idaho Daily Statesman” of Boise, Idaho reported on a concert performed by Victor Borge at the Boise College gymnasium:8
Borge ended with his famous interpretation of phonetic punctuation, and a soliloquy which included the observation that laughter “is the shortest distance between two persons.”
In April 1966 Victor Borge performed at the W. K. Kellogg Auditorium in Battle Creek, Michigan, and the local newspaper reported the following remark spoken by Borge:9
… comical avenues used by this master entertainer to show that “a smile is the shortest distance between two people.”
In June 1966 a journalist from “The Boston Globe” in Massachusetts met with Borge at a luncheon:10
What is humor? “The shortest distance of truth between two people.”
So said suave Victor Borge during luncheon Friday at the Statler Hilton hotel shortly, after he had arrived in town to perform on piano …
In July 1966 a reporter from the “Courier-Post” of Camden, New Jersey met with Victor Borge at a luncheon:11
“You can do anything with humor,” he said. “The shortest distance between two people is a smile. Humor can make people healthy or can ruin them.
In November 1966 “The Indianapolis Star” of Indiana published a piece about Victor Borge’s popularity in his home country, Denmark:12
Borge’s oft quoted crack, “The shortest distance between two people is a smile,” was played up in the newspapers and on billboards.
In 1969 Borge performed at the Municipal Auditorium in Charleston, South Carolina, and the local newspaper reporter a line he delivered:13
As Borge said at the end of his program, “The shortest distance between two people is a smile.” His smile and wit reached the responsive audience and earned its warm applause.
In 1972 an Associated Press reporter interviewed Borge at his home as mentioned at the beginning of this article, and Borge delivered one of his popular lines:14
Laughter is the shortest distance between two people, commented comedian and concert pianist, Victor Borge.
In 1979 Barbara Rowes published the compilation “The Book of Quotes” which contained this entry:15
Laughter is the shortest distance between two people. —Victor Borge
In conclusion, Victor Borge deserves credit for this quotation. He employed this line and variant statements with the word “smile” during his concerts. He also used lines of this type while conversing with reporters.
Image Notes: Picture of a joyful group of people in silhouette from Val Vesa at Unsplash. The image has been cropped and resized.
Acknowledgements: Great thanks to Mardy Grothe and Mary Brandt whose inquiries led QI to formulate this question and perform this exploration.
- 1972 June 30, The Argus, ‘Laughter’s tonic for everything’ by Vivian Brown (Associated Press Writer), Quote Page 15, Column 1, Rock Island, Illinois. link (Newspapers_com) ↩︎
- 1909 June 24, Life, Mathematical Philosophy by Mary S. Taylor, Theorems, Quote Page 876, Life Publishing Company, New York. (Google Books Full View) link ↩︎
- 1909 December 9, The Daily Notes, Mathematical Philosophy: Theorems, Quote Page 4, Column 3, Canonsburg, Pennsylvania. (Newspapers_com) link ↩︎
- 1915 April 14, Farmers’ Champion, (Filler item) A Definition, Quote Page 3, Column 3, Elgin, Oklahoma. (Newspapers_com) link ↩︎
- 1924 February 9, Brooklyn Life, A Remembrance on St. Valentine’s Day, Quote Page 27, Column 4, Brooklyn, New York. (Newspapers_com) link ↩︎
- 1932 August 29, Rochester Democrat and Chronicle, Sentence Sermons by The Rev. Roy L. Smith, Quote Page 10, Column 6, Rochester, New York. (Newspapers_com) link ↩︎
- 1937 April 2, The Indianapolis Star, On Broadway Walter Winchell, Quote Page 4, Column 1, Indianapolis, Indiana. (Newspapers_com) link ↩︎
- 1965 November 9, The Idaho Daily Statesman, Borge Piano, Patter Enrich Boise Souls, Scholars, Quote Page 14, Column 5, Boise, Idaho. (Newspapers_com) link ↩︎
- 1966 April 15, The Battle Creek Enquirer and News, Victor Borge: Musician-Comedian Delights 2,000 With Volatile Performance Here by Charles H. Kirsch, Quote Page 7, Column 5, Battle Creek, Michigan. (Newspapers_com) link ↩︎
- 1966 June 20, The Boston Globe, Humor’s a Short Cut to Truth, Borge Says by Mel Johnson (Globe Reporter), Quote Page 21, Column 1, Boston, Massachusetts. (Newspapers_com) link ↩︎
- 1966 July 20, Courier-Post, Borge Hits Current Music by Charles Petzold (Courier-Post Staff), Quote Page 24, Column 6, Camden, New Jersey. (Newspapers_com) link ↩︎
- 1966 November 10, The Indianapolis Star, Doris Saddles Up at Old Corral by Dorothy Manners, Quote Page 56, Column 7, Indianapolis, Indiana. (Newspapers_com) link ↩︎
- 1969 March 2, The News and Courier (Charleston News and Courier), Victor Borge Keeps Audience Laughing by Claire McPhail, Quote Page 4A, Column 2, Charleston, South Carolina. (GenealogyBank) ↩︎
- 1972 June 30, The Argus, ‘Laughter’s tonic for everything’ by Vivian Brown (Associated Press Writer), Quote Page 15, Column 1, Rock Island, Illinois. (Newspapers_com) link ↩︎
- 1979, The Book of Quotes, Compiled by Barbara Rowes, Comic Relief, Quote Page 207, A Sunrise Book: E. P. Dutton, New York. (Verified on paper) ↩︎