Q: Source of a quotation

Ken Hirsch kenhirsch at FTML.NET
Tue Oct 20 17:55:19 UTC 2009


> Does anyone recognize the following (or similar)?  I didn't find it in the
> YBQ.
>
> "I only wish I knew as much about anything as he knows about everything."
>

1871
http://books.google.com/books?id=igmgAAAAMAAJ&pg=RA1-PA373&dq=%22i%20wish%20i%20knew%20anything%22

"I wish I knew anything," said Lord Melbourne, "as positively as Macaulay
knows everything;"

1884
http://books.google.com/books?id=p_QAAAAAYAAJ&dq=%22i%20wish%20I%20knew%20anything%22%20macaulay%20everything&pg=PR98

On reading Macaulay's "History of England," Sydney Smith remarked : " I wish
I knew anything as well as Macaulay thinks he knows everything."


1885
http://books.google.com/books?id=qJAAAAAAYAAJ&dq=%22I+wish+I+knew%22

This led a witty fellow to say, "I wish I knew as much of any thing as Tom
Macaulay does of every thing."

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



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