Quote: better to remain silent at the risk of being thought a fool (antedating 1907)

[Garson O'Toole]

John Baker wrote
> The text in Mrs. Goose, Her Book appears to be original, except to the
> extent that it parodies classic nursery rhymes, so there is an excellent
> possibility that this is the origin of the aphorism.

Thanks for examining the text of Mrs. Goose with insight and care. I
agree that the nursery rhyme parodies appear to be original. The
proverbs and proverb parodies also seem to be original, but I find
them more difficult to evaluate. One of the aphorisms I have examined
(There is a difference between reasons that sound good and good sound
reasons) has recently been assigned to Josh Billings. Because of the
idiosyncratic spelling style that Billings uses I find it more
difficult to determine if the saying matches a phrase in one of his
books.

The same proverb has been assigned to Burton Hillis, a pseudonym for
Bill Vaughan. The saying appears in an Evan Esar compilation without
attribution, and advice columnist Ann Landers used it without credit.

> Although Mrs. Goose, Her Book is a work of humor for adults, its title
> obviously derives from that of Father Goose, His Book, by L. Frank Baum.
>  Little known today, it was hugely successful when first published in
> 1899 and paved the way for Baum's later success with the Oz books and
> Broadway show.

Thanks for that enjoyable historical perspective.
Garson

> From: American Dialect Society on behalf of Garson O'Toole
> Sent: Sat 2/20/2010 2:12 PM
> To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
> Subject: Quote: better to remain silent at the risk of being thought a =
> fool (antedating 1907)
>
> Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak out and
> remove all doubt.
>
> This remark is attributed to Abraham Lincoln in 1931 as noted in the
> Yale Book of Quotations. The earliest instance of the quip in YBQ is
> dated 1923. Here is a version with a publication date of 1907 and an
> internally specified copyright date of 1906. The witticism is
> unattributed.
>
> Citation: 1907, "Mrs. Goose, Her Book" by Maurice Switzer, Page 29,
> Moffat, Yard & Company, New York. (Google Books full view. WorldCat
> agrees with the publication and copyright dates.)
>
> It is better to remain silent at the risk of being thought a fool,
> than to talk and remove all doubt of it
> http://books.google.com/books?id=3D0IcvAAAAYAAJ&q=3Dsilent#v=3Dsnippet&q=3D=
> silent&f=3Dfalse
>
> Ralph Keyes in The Quote Verifier notes that there is a Biblical
> proverb that makes a related point though without as much humor. A
> cross-reference makes sense I think. Of course space is limited in a
> physical book, but an ebook or online repository can include the
> linkage and some do.
>
> Proverbs 17:28 - King James Version (according to bible.cc)
> Even a fool, when he holdeth his peace, is counted wise: and he that
> shutteth his lips is esteemed a man of understanding.
> http://bible.cc/proverbs/17-28.htm
>
> Garson

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