[Ads-l] Snowclone You don=?UTF-8?Q?=E2=80=99t_?=have to be crazy to X, but it helps

[ADSGarson O'Toole]

A Quote Investigator article on this topic now available.

Quote Origin: You don’t have to be crazy to work here, but it helps
Full: https://quoteinvestigator.medium.com/d7580e78cd6b
Abbrev: https://quoteinvestigator.com/2023/09/12/crazy-work/

[Begin acknowledgement]
Great thanks to Laurence Horn, Bill Mullins, and Dan Goncharoff whose
discussion thread inspired QI to formulate this question and perform
this exploration. Also, thanks to British quotation expert Nigel Rees
who discussed this topic in “Cassell's Humorous Quotations” and
included a 1969 Peter Nichols citation.
[End acknowledgement]

Garson

On Sun, Sep 10, 2023 at 5:11 PM ADSGarson O'Toole
<adsgarsonotoole at gmail.com> wrote:
>
> The replies by LH, Bill Mullins, and Dan Goncharoff on the thread
> about OED volunteers reminded me of the snowclone in the subject line.
>
> In 1933 the secretary of Walt Disney attributed an instance about the
> workplace to the famous entertainment entrepreneur.
>
> [ref] 1933 November 12, The Evansville Press, Mickey Mouse Played
> Cupid Role in Romance of Former Evansville Girl, Quote Page B1, Column
> 4, Evansville, Indiana. (Newspapers_com) [/ref]
>
> [Begin excerpt]
> "We have a staff of exceptionally young people. Good fellowship
> predominates, but we all work hard.
>
> "Mr. Disney is never too busy to be genuinely interested in each
> individual. He often says jokingly: 'You don’t have to be crazy to
> work here, but it helps!'"
> [End excerpt]
>
> Here is an overview with dates:
>
> 1920: A man don't have to be crazy to believe in Free Trade, but it
> helps. ("don't" appears in the text instead of "doesn't")
>
> 1922 Jul: "A man must be crazy to play golf" "You don't have to be
> crazy, but it helps a lot"
>
> 1925 Nov: You don't have to be crazy to dance the Charleston, but it helps.
>
> 1925 Jun: You don't have to be crazy to play this on a saxophone, but
> it helps a lot.
>
> 1926 Aug: One doesn't have to be crazy to pick an all-star team but it helps.
>
> 1930 Dec: "Do you have to be crazy to write poetry?" "No, but it helps"
>
> 1932 Jul: Mr. Allison also admits that one doesn't have to be crazy to
> write columns, but that it helps.
>
> 1933 Nov: You don't have to be crazy to work here, but it helps!
>
> 1934 Sep: You don't have to be a nut to go hunting and fishing, but it helps.
>
> Feedback welcome
> Garson O’Toole

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