[Ads-l] Saying: It ain ’t what you don’t know that gets you into tr =?utf-8?Q?ouble._It=E2=80=99s_?=what you know for sure that just ain t so. (UNCLASSIFIED)

[MULLINS, WILLIAM D (Bill) CIV USARMY RDECOM AMRDEC (USA)]

CLASSIFICATION: UNCLASSIFIED

Antedating before the version on your Billings page ( https://quoteinvestigator.com/2015/05/30/better-know/ )

_Harrisburg [PA] Telegraph_ 7 May 1869 p 1 col 5
"SOLLUM THOUGHTS
By Josh Billings
 . . . . . 
I honestly believe it is better tew know nothing than tew knew what ain't so."


> 
> The saying in the subject line appeared at the beginning of the Oscar-winning 2015 film “The Big Short”. There are many variants, and I've
> been sent several requests to explore the expression's provenance. Multiple researchers have tackled this topic. The Quote Investigator
> website now has an entry:
> 
> https://quoteinvestigator.com/2018/11/18/know-trouble/
> 
> I concluded that the saying evolved incrementally over time, and it was not crafted by any of the famous humorists that have received
> credit during the decades it has circulated.
> 
> [Begin excerpt]
> Great thanks to Tom Beeler, Stephen Dorfman, Francis Neelon, Marcos Tatijewski, Simon Lancaster, Dick Plotz, Lane Greene, and George
> Dinwiddie whose inquiries led QI to formulate this question and perform this exploration. Special thanks to fellow researchers Matt Seybold,
> Suzy Platt, Ralph Keyes, Fred R. Shapiro, Nigel Rees, and Barry Popik who have explored quotations in this family.
> [End excerpt]
> 
> Feedback welcome
> Garson
CLASSIFICATION: UNCLASSIFIED

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