[Ads-l] Quote Origin: A bore is a man who deprives you of solitude without providing you with company

[ADSGarson O'Toole]

Quotation researcher Dave Hill asked me to explore the origin of the
statement in the subject line which is often attributed to Irish wit
Oscar Wilde and Italian man of letters Gian Vincenzo Gravina.

The earliest match I found appeared in "Reader’s Digest" in March 1949
within a section of miscellaneous sayings called "Quotable Quotes"

[ref] 1949 March, Reader’s Digest, Volume 54, Number 323, Quotable
Quotes, Quote Page 18, The Reader’s Digest Association, Pleasantville,
New York. (Verified with hardcopy) [/ref]

[Begin excerpt]
Gian Vincenzo Gravina, contemporary Italian author: A bore is a man
who deprives you of solitude without providing you with company.
[End excerpt]

The entries printed on the "Quotable Quotes" page were sent to
"Reader’s Digest" by readers who were compensated. The quotations were
not verified by the magazine; hence, misquotations sometimes appeared.

Gian (Giovanni) Vincenzo Gravina was the name of a prominent Italian
jurist and author who died in 1718. Thus, the claim that Gravina was a
"contemporary Italian author" was odd. Perhaps, Giovanni Vincenzo
Gravina was a pseudonym used by a contemporary author.

Oscar Wilde died in 1900. He implausibly received credit in 2008.
Thriller writer John D. MacDonald used the expression in a 1974 novel,
but he credited Gravina. Movie critic Roger Ebert used the saying in
1976, but he credited John D. MacDonald.

Here is a link to the Quote Investigator article:
https://quoteinvestigator.com/2025/08/03/bore-solitude/

Feedback and illuminating citations would be welcome.
Garson O'Toole
QuoteInvestigator.com

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