WIST Quotations

McGinley, Phyllis -- “What Every Woman Knows,” Times Three (1960)

Dave — Fri, 19 Jul 2024 13:52:13 +0000

For little boys are rancorous
When robbed of any myth,
And spiteful and cantankerous
To all their kin and kith.
But little girls can draw conclusions
And profit from their lost illusions.

Phyllis McGinley (1905-1978) American author, poet
“What Every Woman Knows,” Times Three (1960)
(Source)

On when kids figure out that Santa Claus is not real.

Stevenson, Robert Louis -- The Amateur Emigrant (1880)

Dave — Tue, 07 Feb 2017 17:45:00 +0000

And perhaps, after all, it is better that the lad should break his neck than that you should break his spirit.

Robert Louis Stevenson (1850-1894) Scottish essayist, novelist, poet
The Amateur Emigrant (1880)

Carriger, Gail -- Curtsies & Conspiracies (2013)

Dave — Fri, 04 Nov 2016 03:06:14 +0000

“When did life get so complicated?” she wondered to Dimity.

“Boys,” said Dimity succinctly.

Gail Carriger (b. 1976) American archaeologist, author [pen name of Tofa Borregaard]
Curtsies & Conspiracies (2013)

Huxley, Aldous -- Beyond the Mexique Bay (1934)

Dave — Wed, 13 Jan 2016 14:14:24 +0000

Little boys may be an intolerable nuisance; but when they are not there we regret them, we find ourselves homesick for their very intolerableness.

Aldous Huxley (1894-1963) English novelist, essayist and critic
Beyond the Mexique Bay (1934)

Carroll, Lewis -- Letter to Kathleen Eschwege (24 Oct 1879)

Dave — Wed, 30 Dec 2015 17:17:20 +0000

I am fond of children (except boys).

Lewis Carroll (1832-1898) English writer and mathematician [pseud. of Rev. Charles Lutwidge Dodgson]
Letter to Kathleen Eschwege (24 Oct 1879)

Bierce, Ambrose -- San Francisco News-Letter, “Town Crier” column (c. 1870)

Dave — Wed, 23 Dec 2015 19:03:31 +0000

The fact that boys are allowed to exist at all is evidence of remarkable Christian forbearance among men — were it not for a mawkish humanitarianism, coupled with imperfect digestive powers, we should devour our young, as Nature intended.

Ambrose Bierce (1842-1914?) American writer and journalist
San Francisco News-Letter, “Town Crier” column (c. 1870)

Keillor, Garrison -- The Book of Guys (1993)

Dave — Thu, 15 Jan 2015 13:06:39 +0000

Girls … were allowed to play in the house … and boys were sent outdoors. … Boys ran around in the yard with toy guns going kksshh-kksshh, fighting wars for made-up reasons and arguing about who was dead, while girls stayed inside and played with dolls, creating complex family groups and learning how to solve problems through negotiation and roleplaying. Which gender is better equipped, on the whole, to live an adult life, would you guess?

Garrison Keillor (b. 1942) American entertainer, author
The Book of Guys (1993)

Forbes, Malcolm -- The Sayings of Chairman Malcolm, “Simple Truths” (1978)

Dave — Wed, 12 Sep 2012 15:22:37 +0000

The difference between men and boys
Is the price of their toys.

Malcolm Forbes (1919-1990) American billionaire
The Sayings of Chairman Malcolm, “Simple Truths” (1978)

Also attributed to Liberace, J. T. Russell, Joyce Brothers, Mark Twain, Doris Rowland, and Dorothy Parker. The phrase can be found in this form in Millard Dale Baughman, Educator's Handbook of Stories, Quotes and Humor (1963), and in 1964 Senate testimony.

For a likely predecessor, see Franklin.