“Well, every one for himself, and Providence for us all--as the elephant said when he danced among the chickens.”

Charles Reade, A Simpleton (1873)
Misattributed

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Charles Dickens116

English writer and social critic and a Journalist 1812–1870

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“Well, every one for himself, and Providence for us all--as the elephant said when he danced among the chickens.”

Charles Reade (1814–1884) British writer

A Simpleton (1873)

“What is this free enterprise system? It is the law of the jungle applied to economics. It is the law of every man for himself, as the elephant said when he was dancing among the chickens. That is not a bad philosophy if, like the hon. member for York - Sunbury, you happen to be in the elephant class, but it is likely to be depressing if you are a farmer or worker, and belong in the chicken group. Free enterprise means unrestricted competition; the race to the swift and the battle to the strong; nature red in tooth and claw.”

Tommy Douglas (1904–1986) Scottish-born Canadian politician

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“My dad was proud of himself when he farted. He sounds like he's strangling a chicken when he farts.”

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“Dance, then, wherever you may be,
I am the Lord of the Dance, said he,
And I'll lead you all, wherever you may be,
And I'll lead you all in the Dance, said he.”

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“We are all guilty,” he said. “We are all innocent. Only when we accept responsibility for our own actions do we become free. And only when every one of us accepts their share of responsibility will the world become safe for us all.”

Michael Moorcock (1939) English writer, editor, critic

Book 2, Chapter 8 “Revolutions” (p. 422)
Oswald Bastable, The Steel Tsar (1981)

“It is said (I do not know with what truth) that a certain Hindu thinker believed the earth to rest upon an elephant. When asked what the elephant rested upon, he replied that it rested upon a tortoise. When asked what the tortoise rested upon, he said, "I am tired of this. Suppose we change the subject."”

Bertrand Russell (1872–1970) logician, one of the first analytic philosophers and political activist

This illustrates the unsatisfactory character of the First-Cause argument.
"Is There a God?" (1952)
1950s

““We all make mistakes,” the cab said piously.
“But some of us,” Barney said, “make fatal ones.” First about our loved ones, our wife and children, and then about our employer, he said to himself.
The cab hummed on.
And then, he said to himself, we make one last one. About our whole life, summing it all up. Whether to take a job with Eldritch or go into the service. And whichever we choose we can know this:
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Source: The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch (1965), Chapter 7 (p. 119)

“How come when it’s us, it’s an abortion, and when it’s a chicken, it’s an omelette?”

George Carlin (1937–2008) American stand-up comedian

"Abortion"
Back in Town (1996)
Context: Here's another question I have. How come when it's us, it's an abortion, and when it's a chicken, it's an omelet? Are we so much better than chickens all of a sudden? When did this happen; that we passed chickens in goodness? Name six ways we're better than chickens... See, nobody can do it! You know why? 'Cause chickens are decent people. You don't see chickens hanging around in drug gangs, do you? No. You don't see a chicken strapping some guy to a chair and hooking up his nuts to a car battery, do you? When's the last chicken you heard about came home from work and beat the shit out of his hen, huh? Doesn't happen... 'cause chickens are decent people.

“"I'm not sure if Irish people can dance…. except for The Edge, that is, who is our own funky chicken." (Bono on Edge's dancing)”

The Edge (1961) Irish rock musician, guitar player of U2

On dancing

“What can he mean by coming among us? He is not only dull himself, but the cause of dullness in others.”

James Boswell book The Life of Samuel Johnson

Spoken by Samuel Foote about a "law-Lord" (1783)
The Life of Samuel Johnson, LL.D. (1791)

“Well, every one for himself, and Providence for us all--as the elephant said when he danced among the chickens.”

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