[Ads-l] Quote: Even if you are on the right track, you will get run over if you just sit there

[ADSGarson O'Toole]

The QI article has been updated, and Peter Morris is acknowledged.
Changes should be visible within 24 hours.

Additional searching revealed that in June 1925 Tom Sims rephrased the
joke, and he published it again within his column "Tom Sims Says":

[ref] 1925 June 29, The Daily Gazette, Tom Sims Says, Quote Page 4,
Column 3, Sterling, Illinois. (Newspapers_com) [/ref]

[Begin except]
Being on the right track is correct. But if you just stop there you’ll
get run over.
[End excerpt]

In July 1925, the rephrased joke appeared in the "Potpourri" column
of "The Columbia Record".

[ref] 1925 July 2, The Columbia Record, Potpourri By Newspaper
Enterprise Association, Quote Page 4, Column 1, Columbia, South
Carolina. (Newspapers_com) [/ref]

In November 1925 "The Churchman" journal of New York printed the
rephrased version while acknowledging "The Columbia Record".

Garson

On Tue, Jan 28, 2025 at 1:50 AM ADSGarson O'Toole
<adsgarsonotoole at gmail.com> wrote:
>
> Thanks for searching, Peter. Excellent citations.
> The quip did appear in The Columbia Record on March 9, 1925. The
> column by Tom Sims appeared on March 7, 1925. The piece in The
> Columbia Record reprinted items from Tom Sims, it seems.
>
> I will add some pertinent citations and acknowledge your help.
>
> [ref] 1925 March 9, The Columbia Record, Potpourri By Newspaper
> Enterprise Association, Quote Page 4, Column 1, Columbia, South
> Carolina. (Newspapers_com) link [/ref]
>
> https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-columbia-record-righttrack/164131102/
>
> [Begin Excerpt]
> Even if you are on the right track you will get run over if you just sit there.
> [End excerpt]
>
> Garson
>
> On Tue, Jan 28, 2025 at 12:09 AM mr_peter_morris at outlook.com
> <mr_peter_morris at outlook.com> wrote:
> >
> > I've seen several early cites attributing the quote to "Columbia Record"
> >
> > https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/The_Churchman/_0UbK-5TzDwC?hl=en&gbpv=1&bsq=%22on+the+right+track%22+%22get+run+over%22&dq=%22on+the+right+track%22+%22get+run+over%22&printsec=frontcover
> >
> > https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/Town_Journal/4MAeKagpLfUC?hl=en&gbpv=1&bsq=%22on+the+right+track%22+%22get+run+over%22&dq=%22on+the+right+track%22+%22get+run+over%22&printsec=frontcover
> >
> > Here's another variant which appears to be from March 1926
> >
> > https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/Farming_the_Business_Magazine/1PdEAAAAYAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&bsq=%22on+the+right+track%22+%22get+run+over%22&dq=%22on+the+right+track%22+%22get+run+over%22&printsec=frontcover
> >
> >
> >
> > ------ Original Message ------
> > From "ADSGarson O'Toole" <adsgarsonotoole at GMAIL.COM>
> > To ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
> > Date 27/01/2025 14:58:57
> > Subject Quote: Even if you are on the right track, you will get run over
> > if you just sit there
> >
> > >The quip in the subject line has been attributed to Will Rogers and
> > >Mark Twain. An inquiry about its provenance came to me from a person
> > >who encountered it in a book by Pixar and Simpsons artist Matthew Luhn
> > >titled "The Best Story Wins: How to Leverage Hollywood Storytelling"
> > >(2018) where it was credited to Will Rogers.
> > >
> > >Here is a link to the QI article:
> > >https://quoteinvestigator.com/2025/01/26/right-track/
> > >
> > >I concluded that the most likely creator was Tom Sims.
> > >
> > >Will Rogers died in 1935, and he received credit by 1970. Mark Twain
> > >died in 1910, and he received credit by 1984. The time delay in both
> > >cases was excessive; hence, those two attributions were not
> > >substantive.
> > >
> > >The earliest match I found appeared within a syndicated column titled
> > >“Tom Sims Says” which  was printed in newspapers such as “The
> > >Sheboygan Press” of Wisconsin and “The Indianapolis Times” of Indiana.
> > >The column contained miscellaneous jokes and observations. Here were
> > >three items:
> > >
> > >[ref] 1925 March 7, The Sheboygan Press, Tom Sims Says, Quote Page 24,
> > >Column 3, Sheboygan, Wisconsin. (Newspapers_com) [/ref]
> > >
> > >[Begin excerpt]
> > >The straight and narrow path is plenty wide for its traffic.
> > >
> > >Even if you are on the right track you will get run over if you just sit there.
> > >
> > >Love is blind. But there is always some friend who thinks he is an eye doctor.
> > >[End excerpt]
> > >
> > >Feedback welcome
> > >Garson O'Toole
> > >
> > >------------------------------------------------------------
> > >The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org
> >
> > ------------------------------------------------------------
> > The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org

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