H. L. Mencken? George Jean Nathan? Nellie McClung? Beverly Gray? John Cleese? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: Here are four versions of a mordant definition of puritanism: This quip has been attributed to the prominent journalist Henry Louis Mencken. Would you please explore this topic? Reply from Quote Investigator: In January 1925 “The American Mercury” …
Tag Archives: John Cleese
Quote Origin: A Gentleman Is a Man Who Never Gives Offense Unintentionally
Oscar Wilde? Margaret Butler? Geraldine Grove? Lord Chesterfield? John Wayne? Christopher Hitchens? John Cleese? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: Books of etiquette once provided a definition of a gentleman that included the following assertion: A gentleman never insults anyone intentionally. The clever addition of a two-letter prefix humorously spun the definition: A gentleman never insults …
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