Oscar, Dorothy, and Talullah

"I say in a phrase what others say in a book - what others don't say in a book," wrote philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche, who was very witty for an academic, let alone a philosopher.

But purer wits exist.

Three of the greatest are:

The fop Oscar Wilde, who quipped:

"Jesus Christ save us from the Christians." and:

"I can resist anything but temptation." and:

"Never put off till tomorrow what you can possibly do the day after." and (perhaps most usefully)

"I'm sorry but I was detained by a subsequent engagement."

The poet/story writer/literary critic Dorothy Parker, who pointed out:

"If you don’t like the way I drive, get off the sidewalk." as well as:

"A man in love is incomplete until he is married, and then he is finished." and:

"One more drink and I’ll be under the host."


And the socialite Tallulah Bankhead, who asservated:


"I'm as pure as driven slush."

and:

"Daddy always warned me about men and alcohol. But he never mentioned women and cocaine."

Wit's not just true (as in the poignant Nietzsche quote), it's funny. And in a world where many, if not most, will be painfully consumed by the eternal flames of hell, that's enough to give your day a little boost.