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Some cause happiness wherever they go; others whenever they go.

Anonymous, 1908; often attributed to Oscar Wilde

Literature

The story behind the card

The joke first appeared, unsigned, in Success Magazine in May 1908, eight years after Wilde's death, and newspapers reprinted it within weeks. In 1934 the humorist Olin Miller used it in his column. The link to Wilde probably comes from a 1947 anthology, A Little Book of Aphorisms, which printed it marked “Anon.” directly beneath a genuine Wilde quotation, so a hasty reader could take both for his. By 1955 a handbook of epigrams credited it to him outright. The Quote Investigator website traced this history in 2019.

Türkçe oku
Kimi insan gittiği her yere mutluluk getirir, kimi de oradan gittiğinde.
Anonim, 1908; çoğu zaman Oscar Wilde'a atfedilir

Espri ilk kez Mayıs 1908'de, Wilde'ın ölümünden sekiz yıl sonra, Success Magazine adlı dergide imzasız olarak yayımlandı; birkaç hafta içinde gazeteler de aktardı. 1934'te mizah yazarı Olin Miller köşesinde kullandı. Wilde'la bağı büyük olasılıkla 1947 tarihli A Little Book of Aphorisms adlı derlemeden doğdu: Söz orada “Anon.” (anonim) notuyla, Wilde'ın gerçek bir sözünün hemen altına basılmıştı; aceleci bir okur ikisini de onun sanabilirdi. 1955'te bir nükte derlemesi sözü doğrudan Wilde'a mal ediyordu. Bu geçmişi 2019'da, alıntıların kaynağını araştıran Quote Investigator sitesi ortaya koydu.

Sources and further reading

Background reading: Oscar Wilde
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