>Did anyone try the Bartlett's as Prof. Camfield suggested?? My Bartlett's doesn't list this particular quote, but there are two that look a lot like its direct ancestor -- from Plutarch and Cato. So the basic theme is as old as the hills... A writer I know has observed that there's a strong tendency for any humorous, slightly folksy aphorism from the mid-to-late19th century to end up being attributed to either Twain or Lincoln, no matter who actually said it. This one is probably an example.