Quotes from Gelett Burgess

A fair sprinkling of fools in the world is as enlivening as a pinch of salt in a loaf of bread. They give a relish to life, and flavour with a brisk spicery of nonsense what would otherwise be oppressively flat. Civilized existence, if it were always cooked up and served to us by Mrs. Grundy herself, would be unpalatable enough; but luckily her infallible recipes are not always carried out, and a few plums and cloves get into her pudding.

My son, beware of a plain damsel who charmeth thee, for she needeth much wile, and useth diverse weapons.

Beware of a woman who signeth not her name to her letters; she will bear watching, aye, she hath a past.

A reproof entereth more into a woman of sense than an hundred compliments into a fool.

All life is made up of trivial actions.... Every one of them leaves its little trace. Whether you are tracking a bear by its footprints through the forest, or a criminal through his nefarious deeds, it is the same thing. Both leave their spoor behind.

The three quickest ways of communication, cynics say, are telephone, telegraph, and tell-a-woman.

Woo her not till thou hast seen her mother, for a score of years worketh wonders.

As a rule, man's a fool; When it's hot he wants it cool, When it's cool he wants it hot, Always wanting what is not.

Ah, yes, I wrote the "Purple Cow"—I'm sorry, now, I wrote it!But I can tell you, anyhow,I'll kill you if you quote it.

The Goops they lick their fingers,And the Goops they lick their knives;They spill their broth on the tablecloth—Oh, they lead disgusting lives!The Goops they talk while eating,And loud and fast they chew;And that is why I'm glad that IAm not a Goop—are you?

There is work that is work and there is play that is play; there is play that is work and work that is play. And in only one of these lies happiness.

I never saw a Purple Cow, I never hope to see one; But I can tell you, anyhow, I'd rather see than be one.

I have made believe so long that now I am quite sincere in my conviction that we can see pretty much whatever we look for; which should prove the desirability of searching for amusement and profit rather than for boredom and disillusion.

It is in the blood of genius to love play for its own sake, and whether one uses one's skill on thrones or women, swords or pens, gold or fame, the game 's the thing!

In the year 1877 the Siskiyou House, originally a third-class hotel patronized chiefly by mining men, had fallen into such disrepute

Book-hunters are the most determined and interesting collectors in the world. I know of no passion to equal it.

How can we, supercivilized out of almost all real emotion, develop the potential charm of this first glimpse of a new personality ?

Why not defy custom and boldly snatch in that magic moment some satisfactory taste of warm human intercourse ?

it is not so desirable that we should al- ways win, as that the game itself be worth the playing.

do not confound playing with playing a part.

There is work that is work and there is play that is play; there is play that is work and work that is play. And in only one of these lie happiness.

A wedding in haste is worth two at leisure.

When the waitress puts the dinner on the table, the old men look at the dinner. The young men look at the waitress.

Men like to pursue an elusive woman like a cake of wet soap - even men who hate baths.