Who said do not argue with an idiot

In any case, I'm sure many people have come up with various ways to express the same concept through the ages.

Some of the wittier versions become widely known, and half of those get attributed to Twain. On my side of the ocean, Franklin probably gets credit for half of the rest, while those probably go to G. Shaw on the other side of the pond. He may look like an idiot and talk like an idiot but don't let that fool you.

He really is an idiot. Sign up to join this community. The best answers are voted up and rise to the top. Stack Overflow for Teams — Collaborate and share knowledge with a private group.

Create a free Team What is Teams? Learn more. Origin of "do not argue with idiots" [closed] Ask Question. Asked 9 years, 6 months ago. It was part of a late-nineties advertising campaign for Crescent Market, reportedly the oldest grocer in Oklahoma.

And it continued to appear in hundreds of newspapers columns, letters to the editor, memoirs, obituaries, and yearbooks. The aphorism was reaching peak circulation in print media just as the social media revolution took off in the mids, so the transition was inevitable.

This is the earliest iteration I can find on Twitter:. The quote appears as early as on Facebook. As has so often been the case with Twain apocrypha, the misattribution is a product of digital circulation. While the correct attribution to Cocteau, Brynner, and Boyle was lost to print media by the late s, I could find no instance in which a newspaper columnist or reporter arbitrarily ascribed the aphorism to Twain until after it had saturated social media.

They will beat you with experience and people listening in may not be able to tell the difference. I am sure that if Mr. Twain were to witness a presidential debate, he would certainly have something to say! Share this:. May 20, PM. Readaholic Jenn 14, books view quotes. May 06, PM. May 06, AM. Gabriel books view quotes. May 05, PM. La Coccinelle 3, books view quotes. Apr 26, PM. Diogo books view quotes. Apr 23, PM. Evan books view quotes. Apr 21, PM.

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Robert 5 books view quotes. Feb 05, AM. Maydha books view quotes. Feb 02, PM. Brianscotch books view quotes. Feb 01, AM. Tom books view quotes. Jan 24, PM. Nathan 32 books view quotes. Jan 21, AM. Se books view quotes. Mark Twain? Biblical Proverb? Famed humorist Mark Twain has received credit for a germane cautionary remark: Never argue with a fool; onlookers may not be able to tell the difference.

Below are selected citations in chronological order. In a newspaper in Nebraska published the following joke: 11 Never argue with a fool , an exchange advises. In a newspaper in Fremont, Ohio printed another instance: 12 Never argue with a fool in public lest the public not know which is which. This is known as a textual proximity error: 17 With the whole world full of fools, there is none who thinks himself one, or even suspects it.

Notes: Website: TwainQuotes. Accessed BibleHub. Previous Previous post: Love Is a Promise. Love Is a Souvenir.