FUN COMPARISONS AND DESCRIPTIVES IN ENGLISH LANGUAGE...

That last ones famous.  Abe Lincoln?

Yeah... Could be... Maybe..??

There is some question about the origin..... I have never found anything that completely answers the "who said" question. It has been attributed to several sources. I think a lot of the attributions are 'guesses" honestly.  The most popular 'source' seems to be Mark Twain, but a lot of sayings are attributed to him. It DOES sound like something Mark Twain would say.......  I've also seen Lincoln and a couple others listed as a source.

Maybe I'll spend a little time on it sometime....... maybe.

Hey Josh...

Since you mentioned Lincoln as a possible ascription for the quote ... "It is better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to open your mouth and remove all doubt.", and I mentioned that I thought it sounded like a Mark Twain quote, but truly had not considered the origin of the quote, at least in depth, I decided to do some research. There are some very solid sources in today's information world that take the time and have the historical provenance and copies of historical material. 

So after several hours of work at a local university library (I was there already for a different purpose..), here is what I have discovered. I NOW believe that the quote does NOT belong to Lincoln, nor does it belong to Twain.  As a different quote mentions, "Time waits for no man", which incidentally is not the original version of that quote either, I believe that "time" has the effect of often changing the exact wording, without changing the reasoning or meaning.

So, I will offer this..... The original quote "It is better to remain silent..." is a possible blend of a quote from MANY years ago (many, MANY years ago..)...  In it's present form (as quoted in post #40), the earliest usage I've found was in a book by Maurice Switzer with a copyright date of 1906. The book entitled  "Mrs Goose, Her Book" was a collection of witty, clever, maybe a little comedic writing. The exact wording was slightly different (see my note about time..), but certainly the quote was a version of the same ..."It is better to remain silent at the risk of being thought a fool, than to talk and remove all doubt of it".  The earliest usage ascribed to Lincoln was in 1931 according to the Yale Book of Quotations, and the earliest mention of Twain was after that. SO...If you go by current chronology, the quote belongs to Maurice Switzer around 1906. There is no evidence of that quote being used before that date. That is not saying that Lincoln or Twain never used that quote. Just that there is no evidence of either one using it.

Here's the interesting stuff.... Prior to the 1906 date, there were several mentions of similar quotes that could have been the genesis for this one.  In 1893 a NY newspaper printed a quote that was ascribed to a St. Francis de Sales. That quote was "It is better to remain silent than to speak the truth ill-humoredly, and spoil an excellent dish by covering it with bad sauce."

In 1887 there was a "collection" of sayings that mentioned several proverbs recommending "silence" such as.... "Silence is the virtue of those who are not wise." .... And "Silence is wisdom when speaking is folly."

Now, lets go way back to the Holy Bible (where else..??). In Proverbs 17:28.

The NIV bible says... "Even a fool is thought wise if he keeps silent, and discerning if he holds his tongue."

The KJV bible says... "Even a fool when he holdeth his peace is counted wise: And he that shutteth his lips is esteemed a man of understanding."

So..... It would appear that the original quote as mentioned here was 'coined' around 1906, or at least that is the first 'record' of it being used. It's possible, of course, that it was in use before that but no known mention of it occurred in written form that I can find.  But, ...  It's most likely derived from proverbs of a MUCH earlier time period, and probably was a biblical derivation.

Dang Hobbit. Lots of research! Very interesting. Thanks man!

Hope u had fun doing it!

Dang Hobbit.  Lots of research!  Very interesting.  Thanks man!

Hope u had fun doing it!

Always, brother.....

Reading; Writing; Communication; Language;  It's what I do, when I need something to do.

Here’s a long one, also a derivative of one u posted earlier.

Colder than a witch’s titty in a brass bra doing push-ups in the snow

Here’s a long one, also a derivative of one u posted earlier.

Colder than a witch’s titty in a brass bra doing push-ups in the snow

I haven't seen that one.... till now.!!  A lot of these change a little here and there, so you end up seeing several variations on the same saying.

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Here is a couple more "southern" sayings. You just never know what a "southern gentleman" (OR a "southern belle"...) is going to say. 


"Don't piss on my leg and then tell me it's raining."

"You could start an argument in an empty house."

Nice.

Here is a new (modern) one I heard just the other day.

A 'youngish' mom really irritated at her 8-10 Y.O. son for 'back-talking' her. Just being a 'jerk' really, like kids do sometimes until their parent(s) "jerk a knot in 'em".    (There's an example of one of our previous sayings..!!!) ....

Anyway, mom grabs boy by the arm, gives him a quick 'tug' to get his attention, then announces in a voice that left NO DOUBT she was serious....


"If you don't straighten up, I'm going to slap you so hard Google won't be able to find you.!!"

A man was talking with a female friend. She mentioned a third friend who was currently having personal hygiene problems. The man held up his hands and said  "WAIT, I don't want this to get in my mind, I'll never be able to forget it."  To which she replied.... "Trust me. You really don't need to worry about it. It's like guarding an empty warehouse."

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And then, there are the sayings relative to situations that don't 'work out' like you expected....

"Sometimes you're the hammer, and sometimes you're the nail."