[Ads-l] Saying: The more I learn about people, the more I like my dog

ADSGarson O'Toole adsgarsonotoole at GMAIL.COM
Thu Jan 11 11:51:56 UTC 2018


An entry on the topic in the subject line is now available is now
available on the Quote Investigator website:

The More I Know About People, the Better I Like Dogs
https://quoteinvestigator.com/2018/01/10/like-dogs/

[Begin acknowledgment]
Great thanks to Laurence Horn whose inquiry led QI to formulate this
question and perform this exploration. Special thanks to previous
researchers Ralph Keyes, Fred R. Shapiro, Nigel Rees, and Barry Popik.
Also, thanks to discussant Jonathan Lighter.
[End acknowledgement]

Feedback welcome

Garson O'Toole
Quote Investigator.com


On Sat, Jan 6, 2018 at 7:08 PM, Jonathan Lighter <wuxxmupp2000 at gmail.com> wrote:
> My grandfather (b. 1884) used to say, "The more I see of people, the more I
> like dogs."
>
> JL
>
> On Sat, Jan 6, 2018 at 11:54 AM, ADSGarson O'Toole <
> adsgarsonotoole at gmail.com> wrote:
>
>> Laurence Horn wrote:
>> > cf. “The more I learn about people, the more I like my dog”—
>> > —attributed, no doubt incorrectly, to Mark Twain
>>
>> Here is an instance of the quip in French in 1822. If you have a
>> suggestion to improve the translation below please let me know.
>>
>> [ref] 1822 November 13, Tablettes Historiques et Littéraires: Journal
>> de l'industrie, des mœurs, des théâtres et des beaux arts, Supplément,
>> Mélanges, Start Page 37, Quote Page 38, Lyons, France. (Google Books
>> Full View) link [/ref]
>>
>> https://books.google.com/books?id=UW45Zvf0XmcC&q=chiens#v=snippet&
>>
>> [Begin excerpt]
>> Nous venons de recevoir le Miroir de la Somme, il contient les
>> niaiseries suivantes:
>> Une dame disait l'autre jour: plus je connais les hommes, mieux j'aime
>> les chiens.
>> [End excerpt]
>>
>> [Begin translation]
>> We just received the Mirror of the Somme, it contains the following
>> nonsense:
>> A lady said the other day: the more I know men, the better I love dogs.
>> [End translation]
>>
>> Garson
>>
>> ------------------------------------------------------------
>> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
>>
>
>
>
> --
> "If the truth is half as bad as I think it is, you can't handle the truth."
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------
> The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org

------------------------------------------------------------
The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org



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