Who Said What?

If you believe the quotation books, men say more important things than women. I’m not so sure. I figure that many of the quotations attributed to men came out of their mother’s mouths first.

For instance;

After changing her son’s messy diaper, Julius Caesar’s mother might have said, "I came . . . I saw . . . I conquered."

Perhaps Shakespeare’s mother used these words while calling her son for dinner, "Shakespeare, Shakespeare, wherefore art thou Shakespeare?"

The instructions of Henry David Thoreau’s mother on cleaning his room, "Our life is frittered away by detail . . . Simplify, simplify."

Dr. Seuss’s mother trying to convince the neighbor kid to go home, "Marvin K. Mooney, will you please go NOW!"

Robert Frost’s mother responding to her son as he presents himself on the front step after tromping through a mud puddle, "Home is the place where, when you have to go there, they have to take you in."

Thomas A. Edison’s mother, while teaching her son to make lye soap, "Genius is one percent inspiration and ninety-nine percent perspiration."

Charles Dickens’ mother, upon finding herself pregnant again, "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times."

The Duke of Wellington’s mother after he coaxed her to reconsider her decision to send him to bed without dinner, "There is no mistake; there has been no mistake; and there shall be no mistake."

Winston Churchill’s mother, while reprimanding Winston for talking back to her, "This is the sort of English up with which I will not put."

Lewis Carroll’s mother explaining her reasons for no between-meal snacks, "The rule is, jam tomorrow and jam yesterday—but never jam today."

And finally . . . Harry S. Truman’s mother responding to Harry’s request for an extra dollar in his allowance . . . "Sorry, son . . . the buck stops here."