Modern Proverb: Be nice to those you meet on the way up. They're the same folks you'll meet on the way down (antedating Walter Winchell 1932 July 8)

[Garson O'Toole]

Be nice to people on your way up because you'll meet 'em on your way down.

This quotation (with variants) has been attributed to Jimmy Durante,
Wilson Mizner, and Walter Winchell and others.

The online Oxford Dictionary of Quotations lists the quote under
Wilson Mizner and cites the 1953 work "The Legendary Mizners".

The Yale Book of Quotations also lists the quote under Wilson Mizner
and cites the 1949 "The Dictionary of Humorous Quotations" by Evan
Esar.

Ralph Keyes says "Credit Wilson Mizner for now" in the Quotation
Verifier. His source notes point to "The Legendary Mizners".

I could not find anything about the expression in the ADS archive or
at Barry Popik's website.


According to a 1932 newspaper account describing a radio broadcast,
Walter Winchell used the expression over the air in 1932.

1932 July 8, Pittsburgh Press, "Were You Listening?", Page 21 (GNA
Page 16), Column 1, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.  (Google News archive)

Walter Winchell made only passing reference to Ben Bernie—probably
admitting that Ben made him look like a sucker in the battle of
brains. He did give some good advice to bigheaded movie actors: "Be
nice to those you meet on the way up. They're the same folks you'll
meet on the way down."

http://news.google.com/archivesearch?q=%22bigheaded+movie%22&

In 1933 Golden Book and Reader's Digest apparently contain the

Garson

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