[Ads-l] Quip Origin: A Committee is a gathering of important people who, singly can do nothing, but together can decide that nothing can be done

[mr_peter_morris@outlook.com]

Here's a couple of early cites. As always it's hard to pinpoint an exact 
date.


=====================

appears to be 1934. I found a snippet  that refers to August 1934 as a 
future date.

https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/Summary_of_Proceedings_of_the_Annual_Sta/tbUpAQAAMAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&bsq=committee+decide+%22decide+that+nothing+can+be+done%22&dq=committee+decide+%22decide+that+nothing+can+be+done%22&printsec=frontcover

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Appears to be somewhere between 1934-37

https://www.google.co.uk/books/edition/University_of_Florida_Commencement_Convo/lGmp26CEFZIC?hl=en&gbpv=1&bsq=committee+decide+%22can+do+nothing%22++%22decide+that+nothing+can+be+done%22&dq=committee+decide+%22can+do+nothing%22++%22decide+that+nothing+can+be+done%22&printsec=frontcover




------ Original Message ------
From "ADSGarson O'Toole" 
<00001aa1be50b751-dmarc-request at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
To ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU
Date 03/07/2025 21:21:37
Subject Quip Origin: A Committee is a gathering of important people who, 
singly can do nothing, but together can decide that nothing can be done

>The quip in the subject line has many variants. Here are two more examples:
>
>(1) A committee is a body of people who individually can do nothing
>but collectively they may decide that nothing can be done.
>
>(2) A conference is a gathering of important people who, singly can do
>nothing but together can decide that nothing can be done.
>
>This gag has been attributed to U.S. comedian and radio broadcaster
>Fred Allen (stage name of John Florence Sullivan). Allen did use it
>1940, but the earliest match I found appeared in October 1934 within
>an English newspaper which pointed to "St. Martin's Review" as the
>source. I have not yet seen "St. Martin's Review":
>
>[ref] 1934 October 6, Evening Sentinel, Crocks and Crazes: A Broadcast
>Objection, Quote Page 3, Column 3, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire,
>England. (British Newspaper Archive) [/ref]
>
>Begin excerpt]
>From the same Review — A Committee is a gathering of important people
>who, singly can do nothing, but together can decide that nothing can
>be done.
>[End excerpt]
>
>Here is a link to the QI article:
>https://quoteinvestigator.com/2025/07/03/committee-decide/
>
>Feedback and illuminating citations would be welcome.
>Garson O'Toole
>QuoteInvestigator.com
>
>------------------------------------------------------------
>The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org

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