[Ads-l] Quote: I have nothing to declare except my genius (1910) attributed to Oscar Wilde

[ADSGarson O'Toole]

Congratulations to researcher John Cooper. He has uncovered the
earliest known evidence for the quotation in the subject line. He
announced the discovery on his website "Oscar Wilde in America".

https://oscarwildeinamerica.blog/2022/01/16/something-to-declare/

The quotation appeared in 1910 within "The Oscar Wilde Calendar"
compiled by Stuart Mason (pseudonym of  Christopher Sclater Millard
according to Cooper). The calendar is accessible via HathiTrust. Here
are the details for the citation.

[ref] 1910, The Oscar Wilde Calendar: A Quotation from the Works of
Oscar Wilde for Every Day in the Year with Some Unrecorded Sayings
Selected by Stuart Mason, Quotation for January Four, Quote Page 7,
Frank Palmer, London. (HathiTrust Full View) link [/ref]

https://hdl.handle.net/2027/inu.32000001009895?urlappend=%3Bseq=13%3Bownerid=13510798897925460-17

[Begin excerpt]
At the New York Custom House: “I have nothing to declare except my genius.”
[End excerpt]

Previously, the earliest known evidence occurred in 1912 within "Oscar
Wilde: A Critical Study" by Arthur Ransome.

A Quote Investigator article about this quotation will be posted in
the coming days (or weeks).

Garson O'Toole
QuoteInvestigator.com

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