Oscar Wilde? Charles Caleb Colton? Herbert Beerbohm Tree? Punch Magazine? Dublin Monthly Magazine? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: Words and deeds are imitated when they are deemed useful, popular, or admirable. However, a simulacrum is inferior when compared to the original. A wit once said: Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery that mediocrity can …
Tag Archives: Punch Magazine
Quote Origin: The Curate’s Egg: Parts of It Are Excellent
Punch Magazine? Judy Magazine? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: A famous one-panel comic shows a lowly curate who is visiting the house of a powerful bishop for breakfast. The bishop notices that the curate has unfortunately been served a spoiled egg, and the curate’s response is overly polite and deferential. Here are two versions: A …
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Quote Origin: What Is Matter?—Never Mind. What Is Mind?—No Matter
Creator: “Punch”, London humor magazine Context: On July 14, 1855 “Punch” published the following brief item containing the quotation: A SHORT CUT TO METAPHYSICS. What is Matter?—Never mind. What is Mind?—No matter. Related Article: Those Who Mind Don’t Matter, and Those Who Matter Don’t Mind Update History: On April 9, 2025 the format of the …
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Joke Origin: Always Go To Other People’s Funerals — Otherwise, They Won’t Come To Yours
Yogi Berra? J. F. Shaw Kennedy? Charles Lee? Punch Magazine? Clarence Day? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: A comical remark about funeral attendance has been attributed to the baseball great Yogi Berra: Always go to other people’s funerals; otherwise they won’t go to yours. A simple interpretation seems to require ghosts to attend a future …