Quote: There, but for the grace of God, goes God (Referring to Father Divine)

[Garson O'Toole]

There, but for the grace of God, goes God

There are two popular tales associated with this quotation. In one
tale screenwriter Herman J. Mankiewicz used these words to describe
Orson Welles on the set of Citizen Kane, a picture they co-wrote. In
another tale Winston Churchill gestured with a cigar toward Stafford
Cripps and used this phrase in his critical assessment.

The Yale Books of Quotations presented a citation dated November 29,
1941 for the Orson Welles anecdote. The earliest date for the
Churchill version is in 1943.

Columnist extraordinaire Walter Winchell presented a third tale in
January 1941. (The Omaha World Herald uses the spelling "Devine"
though "Divine" appears to be the common spelling.)

Cite: 1941 January 20, Omaha World Herald, Walter Winchell On
Broadway, Page 5, Column 5-6, Omaha, Nebraska. (GenealogyBank)

[Begin excerpt]
The Story Tellers: The DAC News reports that a Harlemite watching
Father Devine whisk by in a long limousine, niftied: "There, but for
the grace of God - goes God."
[End excerpt]

Garson

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