[Ads-l] Origin of Investor Proverb: Buy When There Is Blood in the Streets

[ADSGarson O'Toole]

Financial journalist Jason Zweig of the Wall Street Journal asked me
to explore the adage in the subject line.

"The Dictionary of Modern Proverbs" compiled by Charles Doyle,
Wolfgang Mieder, and Fred R. Shapiro contains a pertinent entry with
citations beginning in 1964.

Barry Popik has a pertinent webpage with citations beginning on
January 1, 1894. This early citation is about the anecdote that
eventually inspired the creation of the proverb.
https://www.barrypopik.com/index.php/new_york_city/entry/buy_when_theres_blood_in_the_streets

Here is a link to the new Quote Investigator article:
https://quoteinvestigator.com/2025/11/17/blood-streets/

The QI article contains a December 29, 1893 citation for the anecdote
and a December 19, 1942 citation for the proverb.

In addition, the article contains an October 28,1994 citation for the
extended proverb: "As one of the Rothschilds once said, you must buy
when blood is running on the streets -- even when it's your own."

Feedback and interesting material would be welcome
Garson O'Toole
QuoteInvestigator.com

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