Quote Origin: Economics Is the Only Field in Which Two People Can Get a Nobel Prize for Saying Exactly the Opposite Thing

Roberto Alazar? Pasi Kuoppamaki? Richard M. Scammon? Ben Wattenberg? John Kenneth Galbraith? Anonymous?

A graph showing lines heading downward and upward from Pixabay

Question for Quote Investigator: Economics is a complex and contentious discipline. Sharp disagreements between economists inspired the following quip:

Economics is the only field in which two people can share a Nobel Prize for saying opposing things.

Would you please help me to trace this expression?

Reply from Quote Investigator: The earliest close match found by QI appeared in a message posted to the Usenet newsgroup sci.econ in May 1995. No attribution was given for the quip; hence, the creator remains anonymous. The message contained fourteen miscellaneous jokes about economics. Boldface added to excerpts by QI:1

Economics is the only field in which two people can get a Nobel Prize for saying exactly the opposite thing.

Finnish economist Pasi Kuoppamaki replied to this Usenet message by stating that the jokes had been copied from a webpage of economics jokes which he maintained at the website of ETLA – Elinkeinoelämän tutkimuslaitos (Finnish Institute of Business Research). Currently, the webpage does not exist. Kuoppamaki gave this description:2

The collection is a result of contributions from many people round the world (though mostly US) to whom I owe a big thanks.

In November 1995 the “San Francisco Chronicle” of California published a story discussing the webpage of economics jokes maintained by Kuoppamaki. The article reprinted the quip without attribution:3

“Economics is the only field in which two people can get a Nobel Prize for saying exactly the opposite thing.”

Below are additional selected citations in chronological order.

A thematic precursor appeared in several U.S. newspapers in 1970 within an article4 by political scientists Richard M. Scammon and Ben Wattenberg who discussed U.S. elections:5

It is tempting to say that American politics and elections are at once so inexact and so complex that they are perhaps the only field of human activity in which all the stated opinions are correct and so are their opposites. One observer has described this as the Political Law of Simultaneous But Contrary Truths.

That is not quite right, or not always right. But it is at least generally so that for each stated correct opinion there is someone who is supposed to know. what he is talking about who is saying exactly the opposite.

In 1974 Gunnar Myrdal and Friedrich von Hayek were awarded the Nobel Prize in Economics. Their viewpoints were diametrically opposed to one another. Myrdal favored socialist central planning, and Von Hayek favored free markets with minimal constraints.

Apparently, this event eventually led to the creation of the joke, but it did not appear immediately. “Time” magazine printed the following in October 1974:6

In a pluralistic world, there is room for such disparate thinkers as Myrdal and Von Hayek and for the opposite courses to human fulfillment that they espouse. By honoring these two economists simultaneously, the Swedish Academy has cast a quiet vote for the world of diversity.

In January 1975 “Challenge: The Magazine of Economic Affairs” printed the following:7

I assume that the prize is proffered in recognition of notable advances in economic science. But since Myrdal and Hayek have been advancing in opposite directions for the past fifty years, this leaves the committee with some explaining to do. …

Myrdal has spent his life blasting the free market as a snare and a delusion, while Hayek has spent his blasting all attempts to manage the free market as the work of the devil. The conclusion ineluctably follows that the Nobel committee is collectively insane.

In 1992 the “Star Tribune” of Minneapolis, Minnesota published an article presenting the opinions of linguist and political commentator Noam Chomsky including the following item:8

On economics as a social science and especially the theory that a free market is the best policy:

“Economics is the only field in the history of the human race in which the theory is 100 percent refuted, all the time, and no one cares.”

In May 1995 the quip appeared within a message posted to the Usenet newsgroup sci.econ as mentioned previously. The quip was reprinted from a webpage maintained by Finnish economist Pasi Kuoppamaki. No attribution was specified:9

Economics is the only field in which two people can get a Nobel Prize for saying exactly the opposite thing.

In 1997 the collection “More Wit” compiled by Des MacHale included the following item together with an attribution. The phrasing was different:10

Economics is the only field in which two people can share a Nobel Prize for saying opposing things.
Roberto Alazar

In 1998 “Charlatans or Saviours?: Economists and the British Economy from Marshall to Meade” by Roger Middleton printed the following as an epigraph to the first chapter:11

Economics is the only field in which two people can get a Nobel Prize for saying exactly the opposite thing.

Also, in 1998 the quip appeared in the “Instructor’s Manual” by Thomas J. Adams for the third edition of the textbook “Economics” by David C. Colander:12

LAUGHER CURVE
Economics is the only field in which two people can share a Nobel Prize for saying opposing things.
Specifically, Gunnar Myrdahl and Friedrich S. Hayek shared one.

Also, in 1998 “The Fortune Sellers: The Big Business of Buying and Selling Predictions” by William A. Sherden contained the following passage:13

Neoclassicists believe in laissez-faire commerce and a minimal role for government, while Marxist economists believe in controlled economies and are concerned about class struggles. These beliefs are so varied and conflicting that economics is jokingly said to be the only field in which two people can get a Nobel Prize for saying exactly the opposite thing. And there is truth to the joke: James Tobin, who won a Nobel Prize in 1981, believes that international capital flows are too volatile and should be restricted, while Robert Lucas, who won the Nobel Prize in 1995, believes that markets should be free from government intervention.

In 2007 “On the One Hand: The Economist’s Joke Book” edited by Jeff Thredgold included this item without attribution:14

Economics is the only field in which two people can receive a Nobel Prize for saying exactly the opposite thing.

In 2012 a newspaper in Owen Sound, Ontario, Canada printed the following in which the quip was credited to another prominent economist:15

Any comparison of Harper’s and McGuinty’s current fiscal vagueness with the views of leading economists should be prefaced by a John Kenneth Galbraith’s caution — “economics is the only field in which two people can share a Nobel Prize for saying opposing things — and they can both be wrong.”

In 2019 the journal “The American Economist” printed an instance of the quip. The following passage referred to 1972 when it should have referred to 1974:16

Economics joins literature and peace as the Nobel fields that have generated the most controversy. First, as a well-known quip has it, “economics is the only field in which two people can share a Nobel Prize for saying opposing things.”  The 1972 Prizes awarded to Myrdal and Hayek spring to mind, as would the 2013 awards to Fama and Shiller.

In conclusion, the earliest match in May 1995 did not have an attribution; hence, the quip remains anonymous. The event that probably inspired the joke occurred in 1974 when Gunnar Myrdal and Friedrich von Hayek shared the Nobel Prize in Economics. Thus, future researchers may discover earlier citations.

Image Notes: Illustration of a graph showing lines heading downward and upward from Mediamodifier at Pixabay.

Acknowledgements: Great thanks to Peggy Lunn, Patricia Sutherland, and Bryce McBride whose inquiries led QI to formulate this question and perform this exploration.

  1. Usenet discussion message, Timestamp: May 18, 1995, 3:00:00 AM, Newsgroup: sci.econ, From: Robin Hood, Subject: Economics Jokes. (Google Groups Search; Accessed August 25, 2023) link ↩︎
  2. Usenet discussion message, Timestamp: May 19, 1995, 3:00:00 AM, Newsgroup: sci.econ, From: Pasi Kuoppamaki, Subject: Economics Jokes. (Google Groups Search; Accessed July 8, 20235) link ↩︎
  3. 1995 November 7, San Francisco Chronicle, Economists Take Their Views Lightly by Jonathan Marshall (Chronicle Economics Editor), Quote Page C4, Column 2, San Francisco, California. (GenealogyBank) ↩︎
  4. 1970 October 18, Providence Sunday Journal, A New and Incisive Look at U.S. Politics, Quote Page N1, Column 2, Providence, Rhode Island. (GenealogyBank) ↩︎
  5. 1970 October 18, The Sunday Sun, Vote watchers see new ‘Tidal Era’ ahead in U.S. by Richard M. Scammon and Ben J. Wattenberg, Quote Page 54, Column 2, Lowell, Massachusetts. (Newspapers_com) ↩︎
  6. 1974 October 21, Time, Article: HONORS: Two for the Prize, Time, Inc., New York. (Accessed content.time.com on July 8, 2025) link ↩︎
  7. 1975 January / February, Challenge: The Magazine of Economic Affairs, Volume 17, Number 6, Article: FROM THE EDITOR: The Economic Consequences of Friedrich A. von Hayek, Author: MES, Quote Page 3, Published By: Taylor & Francis, Ltd. (JSTOR) link ↩︎
  8. 1992 April 2, Star Tribune, The media: Propaganda agents for corporate elite? by Eric Black (Staff Writer), Quote Page 4A, Column 3, Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Newspapers_com) ↩︎
  9. Usenet discussion message, Timestamp: May 18, 1995, 3:00:00 AM, Newsgroup: sci.econ, From: Robin Hood, Subject: Economics Jokes. (Google Groups Search; Accessed August 25, 2023) link ↩︎
  10. 1997, More Wit, Compiled by Des MacHale, Chapter: Business and Money, Quote Page 13, PRION, London. (Verified with scans) ↩︎
  11. 1998, Charlatans or Saviours?: Economists and the British Economy from Marshall to Meade by Roger Middleton, Chapter 1: Introduction, Quote Page 1, Edwar Elgar Publishing, Cheltenham, UK. (Verified with scans) ↩︎
  12. 1998, Instructor’s Manual by Thomas J. Adams (Sacramento City College), Instructor’s Manual to Accompany Economics (Third Edition) by David C. Colander, Chapter 14: Inflation and Its Relationship to Unemployment and Growth, Quote Page 145, Irwin McGraw-Hill, Boston, Massachusetts. (Verified with scans) ↩︎
  13. 1998, The Fortune Sellers: The Big Business of Buying and Selling Predictions by William A. Sherden, Chapter 3: The Dismal Scientists, Quote Page 61, John Wiley and Sons Inc., New York. (Verified with scans) ↩︎
  14. 2007 Copyright, On the One Hand: The Economist’s Joke Book, Edited by Jeff Thredgold, Third Edition, Quote Page 11, Thredgold Economic Associates, Learfield, Utah. (Verified with scans) ↩︎
  15. 2012 January 9, The Sun Times, Public austerity won’t save economy by R. Michael Warren (CEO of the Warren Group), Quote Page A5, Column 2 and 3, Owen Sound, Ontario, Canada. (Newspapers_com) ↩︎
  16. 2019 October, The American Economist, Volume 64, Number 2, The Nobel Prize in Economics Turns 50 by Allen R. Sanderson and John J. Siegfried, Start Page 167, Quote Page 170, Sage Publications, Inc. (JSTOR) link ↩︎

Quote Origin: Courage Is What It Takes To Stand Up and Speak; It Is Also What It Takes To Sit Down and Listen

Winston Churchill? William Arthur Ward? Googey Bince? Carl Hermann Voss? George W. Norris? Anonymous?

Illustration of two individuals sitting and listening from Unsplash

Question for Quote Investigator: It takes courage to stand up and speak, but it also takes courage to sit down and listen. This notion has been attributed to U.K statesman Winston Churchill, but I have never seen a solid citation, and I am skeptical. Would you please help me to trace this saying.

Reply from Quote Investigator: The earliest match found by QI appeared in 1964 within “Quote: The Weekly Digest”. The statement was credited to U.S. motivational author William Arthur Ward who crafted many affirmational sayings. Boldface added to excerpts by QI:1

Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak; it is also what it takes, on occasion, to sit down and listen.
—William A. Ward, Texas Wesleyan College, Meadowbrook (Tex) Herald, 7-30-64.

William Arthur Ward is the most likely creator of this saying.

Winston Churchill died in 1965. He received credit for the saying by 1976, but the attribution was unsupported. Also, the website of the International Churchill Society lists an instance and indicates that it is not an authentic quotation from the statesman:2

Courage
‘Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak; courage is also what it takes to sit down and listen.’
This fake quote is very often attributed to Churchill but appears nowhere in the Churchill canon.

Below are additional selected citations in chronological order.

Continue reading “Quote Origin: Courage Is What It Takes To Stand Up and Speak; It Is Also What It Takes To Sit Down and Listen”

A Committee Is a Gathering of Important People Who, Singly Can Do Nothing, But Together Can Decide That Nothing Can Be Done

Fred Allen? John Florence Sullivan? St. Martin’s Review? Anonymous?

Picture of a boardroom from Unsplash

Question for Quote Investigator: Meetings are often ineffective time-wasting exercises. Here are two versions of a popular comical criticism:

(1) A committee is a body of people who individually can do nothing but collectively they may decide that nothing can be done.

(2) A conference is a gathering of important people who, singly can do nothing but together can decide that nothing can be done.

This gag has been attributed to U.S. comedian and radio broadcaster Fred Allen (stage name of John Florence Sullivan). Would you please help me to trace this joke?

Reply from Quote Investigator: The earliest match found by QI appeared in October 1934 within the “Evening Sentinel” of Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, England which pointed to “St. Martin’s Review” as the source. Boldface added to excerpts by QI:1

From the same Review — A Committee is a gathering of important people who, singly can do nothing, but together can decide that nothing can be done.

The newspaper did not specify the author; hence, the creator remains anonymous.

Fred Allen employed an instance of this gag in January 1940. Allen used the word “conference” instead of “committee”. Details appear further below.

Here are additional selected citations in chronological order.

Continue reading “A Committee Is a Gathering of Important People Who, Singly Can Do Nothing, But Together Can Decide That Nothing Can Be Done”

Adage Origin: The Only Way Out Is Through

Robert Frost? George William Curtis? Arthur Deerin Call? Anonymous?

Picture of a path through a forest from Unsplash

Question for Quote Investigator: Everyone encounters difficult problems and arduous tasks. When avoidance is impossible it becomes necessary to face these challenges directly. Here are four versions of a pertinent adage:

(1) The only way out is through.
(2) The best way out is always through.
(3) No way out but through.
(4) The best way out is through.

The U.S. poet Robert Frost has received credit for this notion, but I have not seen a solid citation. Also, I suspect that the saying was used before Frost was born. Would you please explore the provenance of this saying?

Reply from Quote Investigator: The earliest match found by QI appeared in 1870 within an opinion piece about the ongoing Franco-Prussian War published in “Harper’s Weekly” of New York. France had experienced significant defeats on the battlefield, and the author wished that the country would implement major reforms. Boldface added to excerpts by QI:1

The old things must utterly pass away if there are to be new things.  It is to be hoped that there are men in France who understand that there can be no returning, that the only way out is through, not back. We have yet to see whether there will be a reaction which will only prolong the sorrow of the country, or a resolution which will at last regenerate it.

In 1871 the “Gold Hill Daily News” of Nevada reprinted a large excerpt from the “Harper’s Weekly” article which included the text above. The newspaper indicated that the author of the “Harper’s Weekly” article was essayist and political activist George William Curtis:2

It is to be hoped that there are men in France who understand that there can be no returning, that the only way out is through, not back.

Curtis is the leading candidate for creator of this adage. Robert Frost also used a version of this saying many years later as shown below.

Here are additional selected citations in chronological order.

Continue reading “Adage Origin: The Only Way Out Is Through”

Quote Origin: I Worry More About the Return OF My Money Than the Return ON My Money

Will Rogers? Eddie Cantor? Benjamin Franklin? Anonymous?

Stacks of coins which grow in height from Pixabay

Question for Quote Investigator: Risky investments offer high returns, but the money invested may be completely lost. A family of statements uses wordplay to express a memorable warning. Here are three instances:

(1) I learned to worry about the return of my money instead of the return on my money

(2) I’m not so much interested in the return on my principal as I am in the return of my principal.

(3) I am not as concerned about the return on my investment as about the return of my investment.

The wordplay consists of repeating a template phrase while swapping the prepositions “of” and “on”. This quip has been attributed to U.S. humorist Will Rogers, U.S. comedian Eddie Cantor, and U.S. statesman Benjamin Franklin. Would you please explore the origin of this family of statements?

Reply from Quote Investigator: The phrasing of these statements is highly variable; hence, this family is difficult to trace. The earliest instance of this wordplay found by QI appeared in April 1920 in “The New York Times” within an advertisement for Prudence Bonds from Realty Associates Investment Corporation. The bonds offered 6 percent interest, which was not the highest rate available, but the advertisement emphasized the safety of the bonds. Boldface added to excerpts by QI:1

Of course, you can get a bigger return on your money, provided you accept a reduction in security.

But please bear this in mind: When we talk of the 100% soundness of Prudence-Bonds, we have in mind, not only the return on your money, but the return of your money.

In April 1920, the same advertisement for Prudence Bonds appeared in other newspapers such as the “Brooklyn Daily Eagle” of Brooklyn, New York.2

QI hypothesizes that an anonymous copywriter crafted this wordplay. Citations presented further below indicate that the popular entertainer Eddie Cantor used the same wordplay in 1933 and 1934. Cantor’s formulation placed more emphasis on wistful humor.

Will Rogers died in 1935. He posthumously received credit for a version of this quip by 1938 within a real estate advertisement. Overall, QI believes that the evidence linking Rogers to the quip is very weak.

Benjamin Franklin died in 1790. He implausibly received credit for a version of this quip by 1966 within a financial advertisement.

Below are additional selected citations in chronological order.

Continue reading “Quote Origin: I Worry More About the Return OF My Money Than the Return ON My Money”

Quote Origin: Write Hard and Clear About What Hurts

Ernest Hemingway? Natalie Goldberg? Conrad Aiken? Joan Crawford? Apocryphal?

“Lady Writing a Letter with Her Maid” by Johannes Vermeer

Question for Quote Investigator: I have repeatedly encountered the following advice directed toward aspiring writers:

Write hard and clear about what hurts.

This statement has been attributed to Ernest Hemingway, but I am skeptical because I have never seen a solid citation. Would you please explore this topic?

Reply from Quote Investigator: QI has found no substantive evidence that Ernest Hemingway who died in 1961 crafted this statement.

The earliest strong match known to QI appeared in the 1990 book “Wild Mind: Living the Writer’s Life” by Natalie Goldberg. A chapter discussing “The Rules of Writing Practice” contained the following passage. Boldface added to excerpts by QI:1

Go for the jugular. If something scary comes up, go for it. That’s where the energy is. Otherwise, you’ll spend all your time writing around whatever makes you nervous. It will probably be abstract, bland writing because you’re avoiding the truth.

Hemingway said, “Write hard and clear about what hurts.” Don’t avoid it. It has all the energy. Don’t worry, no one ever died of it. You might cry or laugh, but not die.

QI does not know why Natalie Goldberg attributed the quotation to Hemingway. Below are additional selected citations in chronological order.

Continue reading “Quote Origin: Write Hard and Clear About What Hurts”

Poem Origin: I Cannot Promise You a Life of Sunshine

Mark Twain? Margo T. Brandt? Kimber Crocker? Anonymous?

Couple making a heart symbol from Unsplash

Question for Quote Investigator: A popular poem is employed during wedding celebrations. Here are the first two lines:

I cannot promise you a life of sunshine
I cannot promise riches, wealth, or gold

This poem has been attributed to the famous U.S. writer Mark Twain, but I have never seen a solid citation. Would you please explore the provenance of this poem?

Reply from Quote Investigator: QI has found no substantive evidence that Mark Twain crafted this poem. It does not appear on the Twain Quotes website edited by Barbara Schmidt;1 nor does it appear in the large compilation “Mark Twain at Your Fingertips” edited by Caroline Thomas Harnsberger;2 nor does it appear in the speech compilation “Mark Twain Speaking” edited by Paul Fatout.3

Twain died in 1910. A version of the poem entered circulation by 1971. Twain implausibly received credit by 2004. The body of the poem and its attribution have changed over time.

The earliest march found by QI appeared in the “Vineland Times Journal” of New Jersey on December 21, 1971. The poem was twelve lines long, and these were the first five lines. Boldface added to excerpts by QI:4

I cannot promise you a life of sunshine;
I cannot promise riches, wealth or gold;
I cannot promise you an easy pathway
That leads away from change or growing old.
But I can promise all my heart’s devotion.

The poem appeared in the newspaper section for classified advertisements. The message began with “Dear A”, and the final line said “MERRY CHRISTMAS, Love, S.” QI conjectures that “S” was reprinting a message from a greeting card, a book, or another source. The original creator remains anonymous.

Below are additional selected citations in chronological order.

Continue reading “Poem Origin: I Cannot Promise You a Life of Sunshine”

Quote Origin: I Don’t Give Advice; I Give Opinions

John Wooden? Bill Walton? Joyce Fittro? Apocryphal?

Basketball together with a net from Unsplash

Question for Quote Investigator: A famously successful coach was often asked for advice, but he had no desire to be rigidly didactic; hence, he would say:

I don’t give advice, I give opinions.

This statement has been credited to U.S. basketball coach John Wooden who won ten NCAA national championships as head coach of the UCLA Bruins. I have not been able to find a solid citation. Would you please help me?

Reply from Quote Investigator: Bill Walton was a star basketball player and television sportscaster. When Walton was in college in the 1970s, he played for the UCLA Bruins, and Bill Wooden was his coach. In 1994 Walton published the book “Nothing But Net” which included his memories of Wooden. Walton stated that Wooden employed many catch phrases such as the following four items:1

“Be quick, but don’t hurry.”
“Never mistake activity for achievement.”
“Flexibility is the key to stability.”
“When everybody thinks alike, nobody thinks.”

Walton credited Wooden with the quotation under examination:

You have to understand that John Wooden wasn’t simply teaching basketball. To him, basketball was a microcosm of life itself, which is why our practices became psychological training sessions and philosophy sessions. If you asked him for advice, he would always say, “I don’t give advice, I give opinions.”

Below are additional selected citations in chronological order.

Continue reading “Quote Origin: I Don’t Give Advice; I Give Opinions”

Quote Origin: All That I Am I Attribute to My Dislike for Reading Books

Erskine Caldwell? Stanley J. Kunitz? Apocryphal?

Erskine Caldwell? Stanley J. Kunitz? Apocryphal?

Question for Quote Investigator: As a budding author I have often been told that I must hone my craft by reading numerous good books. Hence, I was astounded when I encountered the following statement from an acclaimed bestselling author:

 All that I am I attribute to my dislike for reading books.

Apparently, this statement was made by U.S. novelist Erskine Caldwell who wrote “Tobacco Road” in 1932 and “God’s Little Acre” in 1933. Would you please help me to find a citation and to learn more about the context?

Reply from Quote Investigator: In 1933 U.S. poet Stanley J. Kunitz edited and published the reference work “Authors Today and Yesterday” which contained short profiles of 320 twentieth century authors. Kunitz requested autobiographical statements from hundreds of authors including Erskine Caldwell.

The reference was published by the H. W. Wilson Company of New York, which also published the “Wilson Bulletin for Librarians”. Caldwell’s profile appeared in both the bulletin1 and the reference book.2 Caldwell expressed his aversion to books, but he also revealed a love of magazines. Boldface added to excerpts by QI:

I have no literary preferences; and I do not know what “esthetic bias” means. In other words, the only explanation I wish to make is that all that I am I attribute to my dislike for reading books. I’ll read anything and everything in print that I can get my hands on if the medium is a magazine; but I dislike books as I do steel-traps. Now, at the present time, I force myself to read no less than two, occasionally three, novels a year—thinking that perhaps I ought to: whatever that signifies.

Below are additional selected citations in chronological order.

Continue reading “Quote Origin: All That I Am I Attribute to My Dislike for Reading Books”

Quote Origin: I Have Never Been Lost, But I Was Bewildered Once for Three Days

Daniel Boone? Chester Harding? Margaret Eliot White? Gene Tunney? Apocryphal?

Oil sketch of Daniel Boone by Chester Harding in 1820

Question for Quote Investigator: Daniel Boone was a famous U.S. pioneer and frontiersman. Boone’s hunting and tracking skills were celebrated. Boone has been credited with the following humorous response to a question about his adventures:

“During your long hunts have you ever been lost?”
“No, I have never been lost, but once I was bewildered for three days.”

I do not know the precise phrasing of this dialogue, and I have not seen a solid citation. Would you please explore this topic?

Reply from Quote Investigator: Daniel Boone died in 1820.The U.S. portrait painter Chester Harding met with Boone when the latter was approaching the end of his life. Boone posed for Harding who created the only known portrait of the frontiersman painted from life.

Chester Harding died in 1866, and near the end of his life, he gave his autobiographical notes to his daughter Margaret Eliot White. She arranged the notes and weaved them together to yield a work playfully titled “My Egotistigraphy” by Chester Harding.

In this 1866 book Harding described his encounter with Boone. Boldface added to excerpts by QI:1

He was ninety years old, and rather infirm; his memory of passing events was much impaired, yet he would amuse me every day by his anecdotes of his earlier life. I asked him one day, just after his description of one of his long hunts, if he never got lost, having no compass. “No,” said he, “I can’t say as ever I was lost, but I was bewildered once for three days.”

Harding’s estimate of Boone’s age was somewhat inaccurate. Boone died when he was 85 years old. The passage above is the primary citation supporting the ascription of the quotation to Boone. The accuracy is dependent on the trustworthiness and fidelity of Harding.

Interestingly, Boone’s use of the word “bewildered” fit the original literal definition of the word as presented in the Oxford English Dictionary:2

bewildered adjective:
Lost in pathless places, at a loss for one’s way; figurative confused mentally.

Readers have found the quotation ascribed to Boone comical because the figurative definition has largely displaced the original literal definition of bewildered in modern times.

Below are additional selected citations in chronological order.

Continue reading “Quote Origin: I Have Never Been Lost, But I Was Bewildered Once for Three Days”