“If you want a friend in Washington, get a dog.”

— Harry Truman

Despite being quoted as a remark of Truman by both George H. W. Bush and Bill Clinton, this apparently originates from a line in the portrayal of Truman in the play Give ‘Em Hell, Harry (1975) by Samuel Gallu : "You want a friend in life, get a dog!" This was later paraphrased by Maureen Dowd (10 March 1989): "If you want a friend in Washington, buy a dog." But prior to Gallu's play their is no actual indication Truman ever said this, according to investigations by David Rothman In "Google Book Search, Harry S. Truman and the get-a-dog quote: Presidential library unable to confirm it" (28 June 2008) http://www.teleread.com/books/google-book-search-harry-s-truman-and-the-get-a-dog-quote-presidential-library-unable-to-confirm-it/
Misattributed

Adopted from Wikiquote. Last update June 3, 2021. History

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Harry Truman 119

American politician, 33rd president of the United States (i… 1884–1972

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“If you want a friend in Washington, get a dog.”

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