[Ads-l] Quip: I was never ruined but twice: once when I lost a lawsuit, and once when I won one

[ADSGarson O'Toole]

A former federal judge who now serves as a private mediator asked me
to explore the provenance of the quip in the subject line which has
been attributed to Voltaire and Mark Twain.

There is no substantive support for the ascription to Twain who died
in 1910. An attribution to the humorist appeared by 2014.

Researchers have been unable to find this saying in the writings or
speeches of Voltaire. The valuable 2021 reference "The Quotable
Voltaire" edited by Garry Apgar and Edward M. Langille states that the
quip is "almost certainly apocryphal". Their first citation is dated
1865.

Voltaire died in 1778, and the earliest strong match I have located
appeared in 1826 within "The Sun" newspaper of London:

[ref] 1826 June 24, The Sun, FASHIONABLE - INTELLIGENCE, Quote Page 3,
Column 4, London, England. (British Newspaper Archive) [/ref]

[Begin excerpt]
BEAUTIES OF LAW.--"I never, " said Voltaire, "was ruined but twice,
once, when I gained a law suit; and once, when I lost it."
[End excerpt]

Additional pertinent citations would be welcome. The Quote
Investigator article is available here:

https://quoteinvestigator.medium.com/it-dc91c41fc191
https://quoteinvestigator.com/2023/05/23/lawsuit/

Garson O'Toole

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