No. 169 (13 September 1711).
The Spectator (1711–1714)
““What’s a simurgh?”
“A member of the winged species avian simurghi,” sniffed the simurgh. “Easy to identify because of his gorgeous plumage, ready wit, intelligent conversation, amiable disposition, and fabulous abilities.””
Source: The Wizard of Zao (1978), Chapter 3 (p. 33)
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Lin Carter 24
American fantasy writer, editor, critic 1930–1988Related quotes
“Intelligence is the ability of a species to live in harmony with its environment.”
Worldfest video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PnhqmF-RBu4
“Irreverence is easy, but what is hard is wit.”
Quotes from interviews, Sydney Morning Herald interview (2003)
Variant: Irreverence is easy — what's hard is wit.
Context: One of the problems I see with these comics on television, particularly cable television, is, since you can say anything in terms of sex and scatological references and so on, therefore, you should do it. So they all limit themselves to these subjects and this vocabulary. My objection is that it is a lack of articulateness … Irreverence is easy, but what is hard is wit. Wit is what these comedians lack.
§ 4
From Lives and Opinions of the Eminent Philosophers by Diogenes Laërtius
Source: The Point of View of the Universe: Sidgwick and Contemporary Ethics (2017), p. 343
“Wit is the salt of conversation, not the food.”
"On Wit and Humour"
Lectures on the English Comic Writers (1819)