Josh Billings Quotes

Josh Billings was the pen name of 19th-century American humorist Henry Wheeler Shaw . He was a famous humor writer and lecturer in the United States, perhaps second only to Mark Twain, during the latter half of the 19th century.

✵ 21. April 1818 – 14. October 1885
Josh Billings photo
Josh Billings: 91   quotes 3   likes

Famous Josh Billings Quotes

“Better make a weak man your enemy than your friend.”

Affurisms. From Josh Billings: His Sayings (1865)

“Prejudice iz a hous plant which iz very apt tew wither if yu take it out doors amungst pholks.”

Josh Billings: His Works, Complete (1873)

“Their is one advantage in a plurality of wifes; tha fite each other, insted ov their husbands.”

Josh Billings: His Works, Complete (1873)

Josh Billings Quotes about the world

“The lion and the lamb may, possibly, sumtime lay down in this world together for a fu minnits, but when the lion kums tew git up, the lamb will be missing.”

Affurisms: Slips of the Pen http://books.google.com/books?id=Wpk_AAAAYAAJ&q="The+lion+and+the+lamb+may+possibly+sumtime+lay+down+in+this+world+together+for+a+fu+minnits+but+when+the+lion+kums+tew+git+up+the+lamb+will+be+missing"&pg=PA227#v=onepage The Complete Works of Josh Billings (1876)

“Misanthropy don't pay--thare aint no man living whoze hate the world cares one cuss for.”

Josh Billings: His Works, Complete (1873)

Josh Billings: Trending quotes

“Tew bring up a child in the wa he should go—travel that wa yourself.”

Josh Billings, Hiz Sayings, Chapter 78: "Domestik Receipts in Full" http://books.google.com/books?id=gNw-AQAAMAAJ&q=%22Tew+bring+up+a+child+in+the%22+%22he+should+go+travel+that+wa+yourself%22&pg=PA217#v=onepage (1865)

“It iz comparitively eazy tew repent ov the sins that we hav committed, but tew repent ov thoze which we intend to commit, is asking tew mutch ov enny man, now days.”

Affurisms: Jews Harps http://books.google.com/books?id=pkM1AAAAMAAJ&q=%22It+iz+comparitively+eazy+tew+repent+ov+the+sins+that+we+hav+committed+but+tew+repent+ov+thoze+which+we+intend+to+commit+is+asking+tew+mutch+ov+enny+man+now+days%22&pg=PA164#v=onepage, Josh Billings' Wit and Humor (1874)

Josh Billings Quotes

“The man who kan ware a paper collar a hole week and keap, it klean, aint fit for enny thing else.”

Josh Billings: His Works, Complete (1873)

“As in a game ov cards, so in the game ov life, we must play what is dealt tew us, and the glory consists, not so mutch in winning, as in playing a poor hand well.”

Josh Billings on Ice, and Other Things https://archive.org/details/joshbillingsoni00billgoog (1868), Chapter XXIV: "Perkussion Caps", p. 89; republished in The Complete Works of Josh Billings http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/36556 (1876), Chapter 141: "Ods and Ens", p. 248. Often paraphrased as "Life consists not in holding good cards but in playing those you hold well."

“I don't care how much a man talks, if he only says it in a few words.”

Affurisms. From Josh Billings: His Sayings (1865)

“When a man gits tew talking about himself, he seldum fails tew be eloquent, and often reaches the sublime.”

Affurisms. From Josh Billings: His Sayings (1865)

“Them folks who are sudden, aint apt tew be solid; lively streams are alwus shallow.”

Josh Billings: His Works, Complete (1873)

“If I had 4 fust rate dogs i would name the best one "Doubtful" and the other 3 "Useless."”

Josh Billings: His Works, Complete (1873)

“Rather than not hav faith in enny thing, i am willing tew be beat 9 times out ov 10.”

Josh Billings: His Works, Complete (1873)

“Politeness iz often wasted, but it iz a good and cheap mistake tew make.”

Josh Billings: His Works, Complete (1873)

“I beleave in the universal salvashun ov men, but I want tew pick the men.”

Josh Billings: His Works, Complete (1873)

“As scarce as truth is, the supply has always been in excess of the demand.”

Affurisms. From Josh Billings: His Sayings (1865)

“Poverty is the stepmother of genius.”

Affurisms. From Josh Billings: His Sayings (1865)

“I hope i shall never hav so much reputashun that i shan't feel obliged to be alwus civil.”

Source: Josh Billings: His Works, Complete (1873)

“Nature never makes blunders; when she makes a fool she means it.”

Affurisms. From Josh Billings: His Sayings (1865)

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