John Bartlett (1820–1905). Familiar Quotations, 10th ed. 1919.
6959 Oliver Wendell Holmes 1809-1894 John Bartlett
| NUMBER: | 6959 |
| AUTHOR: | Oliver Wendell Holmes (1809–1894) |
| QUOTATION: | There is that glorious epicurean paradox uttered by my friend the historian, 1 in one of his flashing moments: “Give us the luxuries of life, and we will dispense with its necessaries.” To this must certainly be added that other saying of one of the wittiest of men: 2 “Good Americans when they die go to Paris.” |
| ATTRIBUTION: | The Autocrat of the Breakfast-Table. vi. |
| Note 1. John Lothrop Motley. Said Scopas of Thessaly, “We rich men count our felicity and happiness to lie in these superfluities, and not in those necessary things.”—Plutarch: On the Love of Wealth. [back] |
| Note 2. Thomas Gold Appleton (1812–1884). [back] |