[Ads-l] Anecdote: William Morris's remark about the Eiffel Tower

[ADSGarson O'Toole]

A popular anecdote states that writer William Morris frequently
visited the Eiffel Tower. He dined there, and he visited the
observation deck where he gazed out across lovely Paris. An
acquaintance approached him to ask about his motivation:

"You must be very much impressed by the Eiffel Tower."

"No! I spend my time here because it’s the only place in Paris where I
can avoid seeing the blasted thing."

Nigel Rees discussed this anecdote in the July 2020 issue of his
newsletter. He also covered it in the reference "Cassell’s Humorous
Quotations".

Now the Quote Investigator website has an article on the topic:

This Is the Only Place Where I Can Avoid Seeing the Damned Thing
https://quoteinvestigator.com/2020/08/10/tower/

The earliest citation I found is dated 1914, but this date is still
somewhat late because Morris died in 1896. Perhaps a list member can
improve on this.

The QI article also includes citations for pertinent jokes about the
Palace of Culture in Warsaw and the National Theatre in London.

Garson
QuoteInvestigator.com

------------------------------------------------------------
The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org