Jimmy Durante? Wilson Mizner? Walter Winchell? George Raft?
Dear Quote Investigator: Sometimes clichés become clichés because they express important truths. I think this is an example:
Be nice to those you meet on the way up because you will meet them on the way down
Can you determine who first came up with this insightful saying? Was it “The Schnozzola” Jimmy Durante?
Quote Investigator: There are three main candidates for authorship of this phrase: playwright Wilson Mizner, gossip columnist Walter Winchell, and comedian Jimmy Durante. New evidence uncovered by top researcher Barry Popik in December 2014 points to Mizner as the originator.
Currently, the earliest known citation appeared in a San Francisco, California newspaper on July 5, 1932. The saying was ascribed to “Miznor” which was a misspelling of “Mizner”. Boldface has been added to excerpts:[1] 1932 July 5, San Francisco Chronicle, Directs Traveler On Road to Fame Quote Page 9, Column 6, San Francisco, California. (GenealogyBank)
Wilson Miznor, globe-trotter, ex-Alaska mining chappie, scenario writer, playwright and sage of Hollywood, gave the following advice to a young and coming motion picture star:
“Be kind to everyone on the way up; you’ll meet the same people on the way down.“
Walter Winchell employed the adage during a radio program on July 7, 1932, and he has often been credited with the remark; however, shortly after the broadcast he ascribed the saying to Mizner in his newspaper column. Jimmy Durante spoke a version while performing in a 1933 movie. But the saying was already in circulation. Further details are given below.
Continue reading Be Nice to People on Your Way Up. You’ll Meet Them On Your Way Down
References
| ↑1 | 1932 July 5, San Francisco Chronicle, Directs Traveler On Road to Fame Quote Page 9, Column 6, San Francisco, California. (GenealogyBank) |
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