Welcome to our collection of Don Marquis quotes, where wisdom meets wit and insight blends with humor. Don Marquis, an American poet, journalist, and playwright, captivated audiences with his keen observations on life, love, society, and the human condition. His unique ability to blend satire and sentimentality earned him a special place in the realms of literature and cultural commentary.
Marquis is perhaps best known for his creation of Archy the cockroach, a fictional character who types out his poetry late at night on a typewriter. Through Archy’s musings and Marquis’s own reflections, readers are treated to a delightful exploration of the absurdities and profundities of existence. Whether he was delving into the complexities of relationships or offering social commentary on the issues of his time, Marquis’s words continue to resonate with audiences today, reminding us to approach life with both levity and depth. Below, you’ll find a curated selection of Don Marquis quotes that are sure to inspire, provoke thought, and bring a smile to your face.
Bores bore each other too; but it never seems to teach them anything. Don Marquis
Successful people are the ones who think up things for the rest of the world to keep busy at. Don Marquis
The trouble with the public is that there is too much of it; what we need in public is less quantity and more quality. Don Marquis
Prohibition makes you want to cry into your beer and denies you the beer to cry into. Don Marquis
We pay for the mistakes of our ancestors, and it seems only fair that they should leave us the money to pay with. Don Marquis
Punctuality is one of the cardinal business virtues: always insist on it in your subordinates. Don Marquis
Fishing is a delusion entirely surrounded by liars in old clothes. Don Marquis
Poetry is what Milton saw when he went blind. Don Marquis
A pessimist is a person who has had to listen to too many optimists. Don Marquis
An idea isn’t responsible for the people who believe in it. Don Marquis
Pity the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. Don Marquis
In all systems of theology the devil figures as a male person. Yes, it is women who keep the church going. Don Marquis
Ours is a world where people don’t know what they want and are willing to go through hell to get it. Don Marquis
Procrastination is the art of keeping up with yesterday. Don Marquis
Some persons are likeable in spite of their unswerving integrity. Don Marquis
Of middle age the best that can be said is that a middle-aged person has likely learned how to have a little fun in spite of his troubles. Don Marquis
A sequel is an admission that you’ve been reduced to imitating yourself. Don Marquis
A hypocrite is a person who – but who isn’t? Don Marquis
Publishing a volume of verse is like dropping a rose petal down the Grand Canyon and waiting for the echo. Don Marquis
A demagogue is a person with whom we disagree as to which gang should mismanage the country. Don Marquis
By the time a bartender knows what drink a man will have before he orders, there is little else about him worth knowing. Don Marquis
Every cloud has its silver lining but it is sometimes a little difficult to get it to the mint. Don Marquis
Happiness is the interval between periods of unhappiness. Don Marquis
It takes all sorts of people to make the underworld. Don Marquis
An optimist is a guy that has never had much experience. Don Marquis
In order to influence a child, one must be careful not to be that child’s parent or grandparent. Don Marquis
Fate often puts all the material for happiness and prosperity into a man’s hands just to see how miserable he can make himself with them. Don Marquis
Man cannot be uplifted; he must be seduced into virtue. Don Marquis
One of the most important things to remember about infant care is: don’t change diapers in midstream. Don Marquis
When a man tells you that he got rich through hard work, ask him: ‘Whose?’ Don Marquis
I would rather start a family than finish one. Don Marquis
Age is not a particularly interesting subject. Anyone can get old. All you have to do is live long enough. Don Marquis
The art of newspaper paragraphing is to stroke a platitude until it purrs like an epigram. Don Marquis
Honesty is a good thing, but it is not profitable to its possessor unless it is kept under control. Don Marquis
The chief obstacle to the progress of the human race is the human race. Don Marquis
Ideas pull the trigger, but instinct loads the gun. Don Marquis
There is nothing so habit-forming as money. Don Marquis
Did you ever notice that when a politician does get an idea he usually gets it all wrong. Don Marquis
Middle age is the time when a man is always thinking that in a week or two he will feel as good as ever. Don Marquis
I have often noticed that ancestors never boast of the descendants who boast of ancestors. I would rather start a family than finish one. Blood will tell, but often it tells too much. Don Marquis
There is luxury in self-reproach. When we blame ourselves, we feel no one else has a right to blame us. Don Marquis
Blood will tell, but often it tells too much. Don Marquis
If you want to get rich from writing, write the sort of thing that’s read by persons who move their lips when they’re reading to themselves. Don Marquis
Writing a book of poetry is like dropping a rose petal down the Grand Canyon and waiting for the echo. Don Marquis