James Thurber Quotes

A collection of quotes by James Thurber.

James Thurber (1894-1961) was an American writer, cartoonist, and humorist, best known for his unique and satirical contributions to American literature and humor. Born and raised in Columbus, Ohio, he developed a passion for drawing and writing from a young age. Thurber attended Ohio State University, where he began his career as a journalist and cartoonist.

Thurber's works often featured absurd scenarios and ingenious wordplay, presenting a humorous yet insightful commentary on the human condition. A great portion of his career was spent as a staff writer and cartoonist for The New Yorker magazine, where his drawings and witty essays became immensely popular. His writing covered a range of themes, from the idiosyncrasies of everyday life to critiques of social conventions, often highlighting the complexities and contradictions of human behavior.

Some of Thurber's most notable works include his collections of short stories and essays, such as "My Life and Hard Times" and "The Thurber Carnival." He also wrote a number of popular children's books, including "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty" and "The Thirteen Clocks."

Throughout his career, Thurber received numerous awards for his contributions to literature and humor, including the prestigious Tony Award for his Broadway adaptation of "The Thurber Carnival" in 1961. James Thurber's legacy endures as a master of wit, a keen observer of society, and one of America's most beloved humorists.

The animals that depend on instinct have an inherent knowled

The animals that depend on instinct have an inherent knowledge of the laws of economics and of how to apply them Man, with his powers of reason, has reduced economics to the level of a farce which is at once funnier and more tragic than Tobacco Road.

The wit makes fun of other persons the satirist makes fun of

The wit makes fun of other persons the satirist makes fun of the world the humorist makes fun of himself, but in so doing, he identifies himself with people - that is, people everywhere, not for the purpose of taking them apart, but simply revealing their true nature.

It is better to have loafed and lost than never to have loaf

It is better to have loafed and lost than never to have loafed at all.

Early to rise and early to bed makes a male healthy and weal

Early to rise and early to bed makes a male healthy and wealthy and dead.

Let us not look back in anger or forward in fear, but around

Let us not look back in anger or forward in fear, but around in awareness.

The nation that complacently and fearfully allows its artist

The nation that complacently and fearfully allows its artists and writers to become suspected rather than respected is no longer regarded as a nation possessed with humor or depth.

I think that maybe if women and children were in charge we w

I think that maybe if women and children were in charge we would get somewhere.

It is better to know some of the questions than all of the a

It is better to know some of the questions than all of the answers.

Discussion in America means dissent.

Discussion in America means dissent.

Human Dignity has gleamed only now and then and here and the

Human Dignity has gleamed only now and then and here and there, in lonely splendor, throughout the ages, a hope of the better men, never an achievement of the majority.

My drawings have been described as pre-internationalist, mea

My drawings have been described as pre-internationalist, meaning that they were finished before the ideas for them had occurred to me. I shall not argue the point.

A drawing is always dragged down to the level of its caption

A drawing is always dragged down to the level of its caption.

I loathe the expression What makes him tick. It is the Ameri

I loathe the expression What makes him tick. It is the American mind, looking for simple and singular solution, that uses the foolish expression. A person not only ticks, he also chimes and strikes the hour, falls and breaks and has to be put together again, and sometimes stops like an electric clock in a thunderstorm.

Humor is emotional chaos remembered in tranquility.

Humor is emotional chaos remembered in tranquility.

Sixty minutes of thinking of any kind is bound to lead to co

Sixty minutes of thinking of any kind is bound to lead to confusion and unhappiness.

You can fool too many of the people too much of the time.

You can fool too many of the people too much of the time.

The most dangerous food is wedding cake.

The most dangerous food is wedding cake.

Man has gone long enough, or even too long, without being ma

Man has gone long enough, or even too long, without being man enough to face the simple truth that the trouble with man is man.

But what is all this fear of and opposition to Oblivion? Wha

But what is all this fear of and opposition to Oblivion? What is the matter with the soft Darkness, the Dreamless Sleep?

Progress was all right. Only it went on too long.

Progress was all right. Only it went on too long.