An idealist is one who, on noticing that a rose smells better than a cabbage, concludes that it is also more nourishing.
H. L. Mencken (1880-1956) American writer and journalist [Henry Lewis Mencken] A Little Book in C Major, ch. 2, § 3 (1916)
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Variants:
IDEALIST: one who, on noticing that a rose smells better than a cabbage, concludes that it will also make better soup. A Book of Burlesques, "The Jazz Webster" (1924)
An idealist is one who, on noticing that a rose smells better than a cabbage, concludes that it will also make better soup. Chrestomathy, ch. 30 "Sententiae" (1949)
Under democracy one party always devotes its chief energies to trying to prove that the other party is unfit to rule — and both commonly succeed, and are right.
H. L. Mencken (1880-1956) American writer and journalist [Henry Lewis Mencken] Minority Report (1956)