[Ads-l] Quote Origin: I don't have heart attacks, I give them to other people

[ADSGarson O'Toole]

The April 2025 newsletter of researcher Nigel Rees mentioned the
remark in the subject line which has been credited to British actor
Rex Harrison. The line appeared in the 1998 book "The Incomparable
Rex: A Memoir of Rex Harrison in the 1980s" by Patrick Garland.

This inspired an exploration. The earliest printed instance of this
quip I found appeared in 1951. An anonymous manufacturing executive
with the generic name "Brown" delivered the line.

Here is a link to the Quote Investigator article:

Quote Origin: I Don’t Get Heart Attacks, I Give Them
https://quoteinvestigator.com/2025/06/03/heart-give/

This quip seems to fit into a family of remarks. Here are three examples:

(1) I don’t get ulcers. I give them.
(2) I don’t get heart attacks, I give them.
(3) I don’t have nightmares. I give them.

FYI: Here are links to other recent QI articles:

Quote Origin: Everyone Told Us MTV Wouldn't Last. As It Turns Out,
They Were Right
https://quoteinvestigator.com/2025/06/01/mtv-last/

Dialogue Origin: "Will Computers Ever Be as Smart as Humans?" "Yes,
But Only Briefly"
https://quoteinvestigator.com/2025/05/30/smart-ai/

Quote Origin: If You Would Know What the Lord God Thinks of Money, You
Have Only to Look at Those to Whom He Gives It
https://quoteinvestigator.com/2025/05/28/god-money/

Garson O'Toole

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