WIST Quotations

Marquis, Don -- “archy on this and that,” archy does his part (1935)

Dave — Tue, 08 Jun 2010 16:27:42 +0000

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)

Marquis, Don -- “comforting thoughts,” archy does his part (1935)

Dave — Thu, 26 Aug 2021 00:37:26 +0000

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)

Marquis, Don -- “pete the parrot and shakespeare,” archy and mehtabel (1927)

Dave — Tue, 28 Apr 2020 23:59:45 +0000

business business business
grind grind grind
what a life for a man
that might have been a poet

Don Marquis (1878-1937) American journalist and humorist
“pete the parrot and shakespeare,” archy and mehtabel (1927)
(Source)

Marquis, Don -- “Sun Dial Time” (1936)

Dave — Tue, 16 Apr 2013 13:12:16 +0000

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)

Marquis, Don -- “The Sun Dial” column, New York Sun (1918)

Dave — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 12:48:33 +0000

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)

Marquis, Don -- “Variety,” Collier’s (12 May 1933)

Dave — Tue, 11 Nov 2014 14:43:29 +0000

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)

Marquis, Don -- (Attributed)

Dave — Sun, 01 Feb 2004 16:00:00 +0000

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)

Marquis, Don -- (Attributed)

Dave — Sun, 01 Feb 2004 16:00:00 +0000

An idea is not responsible for the people who believe in it.

Don Marquis (1878-1937) American journalist and humorist
(Attributed)

Marquis, Don -- (Attributed)

Dave — Tue, 04 Jan 2011 13:08:00 +0000

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 ..."

Marquis, Don -- (Attributed)

Dave — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 18:37:23 +0000

[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)

Marquis, Don -- (Attributed)

Dave — Mon, 02 Sep 2013 16:02:35 +0000

When a man tells you that he got rich through hard work, ask him: “Whose?”

Don Marquis (1878-1937) American journalist and humorist
(Attributed)

Marquis, Don -- archy and mehitabel, “certain maxims of archy” (1927)

Dave — Wed, 04 Aug 2021 13:36:57 +0000

an optimist is a guy
that has never had
much experience

Don Marquis (1878-1937) American journalist and humorist
archy and mehitabel, “certain maxims of archy” (1927)
(Source)

Marquis, Don -- archy and mehitabel, “cheerio, my deario” (1927)

Dave — Wed, 11 Aug 2021 13:33:34 +0000

it s cheerio
my deario
that pulls a lady through

Don Marquis (1878-1937) American journalist and humorist
archy and mehitabel, “cheerio, my deario” (1927)
(Source)

Marquis, Don -- archy and mehitabel, “mehitabel sees paris” (1927)

Dave — Wed, 18 Aug 2021 15:17:55 +0000

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.

Marquis, Don -- archy and mehitabel, ch. 12 “certain maxims of archy” (1927)

Dave — Wed, 28 Jul 2021 14:01:51 +0000

procrastination is the
art of keeping
up with yesterday

Don Marquis (1878-1937) American journalist and humorist
archy and mehitabel, ch. 12 “certain maxims of archy” (1927)
(Source)

Marquis, Don -- Prefaces, “Preface to a Memorandum Book” (1919)

Dave — Tue, 03 May 2016 20:34:13 +0000

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)