a man who is so dull
that he can learn only by personal experience
is too dull to learn
anything important by experience.Don Marquis (1878-1937) American journalist and humorist
“archy on this and that,” archy does his part (1935)
Quotations by:
Marquis, Don
boss there is always
a comforting thought
in time of trouble when
it is not our trouble.Don Marquis (1878-1937) American journalist and humorist
“comforting thoughts,” archy does his part (1935)
(Source)
business business business
grind grind grind
what a life for a man
that might have been a poetDon Marquis (1878-1937) American journalist and humorist
“pete the parrot and shakespeare,” archy and mehtabel (1927)
(Source)
Prohibition makes you want to cry into your beer and denies you the beer to cry into.
Don Marquis (1878-1937) American journalist and humorist
“Sun Dial Time” (1936)
An idea isn’t responsible for the people who believe in it.
Don Marquis (1878-1937) American journalist and humorist
“The Sun Dial” column, New York Sun (1918)
The successful people are the ones who can think up things for the rest of the world to keep busy at.
Don Marquis (1878-1937) American journalist and humorist
“Variety,” Collier’s (12 May 1933)
(Source)
Ours is a world where people don’t know what they want and are willing to go through hell to get it.
Don Marquis (1878-1937) American journalist and humorist
(Attributed)
An idea is not responsible for the people who believe in it.
Don Marquis (1878-1937) American journalist and humorist
(Attributed)
A Pharisee is a man who prays publicly and preys privately.
Don Marquis (1878-1937) American journalist and humorist
(Attributed)
Sometimes misquoted as "A hypocrite is ..."
[Middle age is] the time when a man is always thinking that in a week or two he will feel just as good as ever.
Don Marquis (1878-1937) American journalist and humorist
(Attributed)
Earliest reference found in The American Magazine (1932)
When a man tells you that he got rich through hard work, ask him: “Whose?”
Don Marquis (1878-1937) American journalist and humorist
(Attributed)
an optimist is a guy
that has never had
much experienceDon Marquis (1878-1937) American journalist and humorist
archy and mehitabel, “certain maxims of archy” (1927)
(Source)
it s cheerio
my deario
that pulls a lady throughDon Marquis (1878-1937) American journalist and humorist
archy and mehitabel, “cheerio, my deario” (1927)
(Source)
but whotthehell archy whotthehell
jamais triste archy jamais triste
that is my motto.Don Marquis (1878-1937) American journalist and humorist
archy and mehitabel, “mehitabel sees paris” (1927)
(Source)
"Jamais triste" means "never sad" in French.
procrastination is the
art of keeping
up with yesterdayDon Marquis (1878-1937) American journalist and humorist
archy and mehitabel, ch. 12 “certain maxims of archy” (1927)
(Source)
There is nothing we like to see so much as the gleam of pleasure in a person’s eye when he feels that we have sympathized with him, understood him, interested ourself in his welfare. At these moments something fine and spiritual passes between two friends. These moments are the moments worth living.
Don Marquis (1878-1937) American journalist and humorist
Prefaces, “Preface to a Memorandum Book” (1919)