[Ads-l] Quote: Politicians, like diapers, should be changed regularly

[ADSGarson O'Toole]

Thanks for your response, Peter. I did see that match in the
Newspapers.com database. Sadly, the date specified in the database is
incorrect. An examination of the page image reveals that the correct
date for this citation is September 10, 1993. I should have given a
warning.

The Newspapers.com database contains many misdated newspaper pages, so
it is necessary to double-check the page image (as you know). This is
a danger with some databases, and the antedating quest
highlights/concentrates errors of this type. Peter is a brilliant and
careful researcher, and this post is not meant as a criticism.
Eagerness to quickly share a helpful citation is laudable.

Garson
On Wed, Oct 17, 2018 at 5:55 PM Peter Reitan <pjreitan at hotmail.com> wrote:
>
> Slightly earlier, by Bill Hastings, a staff writer with the Indiana Gazette (Indiana, Pennsylvania), February 11, 1987, page 11 (newspapers.com), crediting a man named Willie:
>
> "Picking it up from a Reader's Digest fan, Willie, our ex-shoe shine boy, says some politicians are like diapers.  They both need changed often . . . and for the same reason."
> ________________________________
> From: American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU> on behalf of ADSGarson O'Toole <adsgarsonotoole at GMAIL.COM>
> Sent: Wednesday, October 17, 2018 2:44 PM
> To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
> Subject: Quote: Politicians, like diapers, should be changed regularly
>
> ---------------------- Information from the mail header -----------------------
> Sender:       American Dialect Society <ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       ADSGarson O'Toole <adsgarsonotoole at GMAIL.COM>
> Subject:      Quote: Politicians, like diapers, should be changed regularly
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Requests to explore the saying in the subject line have been sent to
> me. Mark Twain often receives credit although the quip appeared many
> decades after his death. Barry Popik has a valuable webpage with
> initial citations dated February 22, 1992; May 1, 1992; and May 25,
> 1992.
>
> http://www.barrypopik.com/index.php/new_york_city/entry/politicians_and_diapers_should_both_be_changed_regularly_and_for_the_same_r
>
> I have made incremental progress by finding citations starting October
> 25, 1987; December 27, 1991; and December 31, 1991. Robin Williams
> delivered a version of the joke in a 2006 movie.
>
> Constructive feedback welcome. Thanks.
> https://quoteinvestigator.com/2018/10/17/diaper/
>
> Garson
>
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