Thursday, February 7, 2013

Dorothy Parker Tribute


Dorothy Parker Tribute
I’ve always had a somewhat twisted fondness for author, poet & critic, Dorothy Parker (1893-1967). Generally, I try to see the silver lining, take the high road, and all that. When it comes to searingly mean wit of Dorothy Parker, though I throw silver linings & half-full glasses to the winds & revel in her wickedness. Below are some of my favorite Dorothy Parkerisms.

“The first thing I do in the morning is brush my teeth and sharpen my tongue.”

 “This is not a novel to be tossed aside lightly. It should be thrown with great force.”

“Beauty is only skin deep, but ugly goes clean to the bone.”

“She runs the gamut of emotions from A to B.”


“If you want to know what God thinks of money, just look at the people he gave it to.”

 “By the time you swear you're his,
Shivering and sighing.
And he vows his passion is,
Infinite, undying.
Lady make note of this --
One of you is lying.”

 “That woman speaks eighteen languages, and can't say 'No' in any of them.”

“If all the girls attending [the Yale prom] were laid end to end, I wouldn't be at all surprised.”

“That would be a good thing for them to cut on my tombstone: Wherever she went, including here, it was against her better judgment.”


She’s the best (or would that be the worst?) I hope you’ll leave a comment or three.


My thanks go out to this week’s sources Women’s History, GoodReads & DorothyParker.com

5 comments:

  1. I adore Dorothy Parker. One of my favorites. Maybe because she says all the things I want to say but can't. Here's another one I love:

    “If I didn't care for fun and such,
    I'd probably amount to much.
    But I shall stay the way I am,
    Because I do not give a damn.”

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  2. Great point, Anne,
    I laughed a lot while choosing quotes for the post, but it wasn't easy slimming them down to a reasonable number.

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  3. Dorothy Parker is absolutely the best - and the worst - when it comes to wit. How I wish I had her nerve and confidence - and 'don't-give-a-damnness.' Whenever I need a good laugh, or need my cynicism stoked up again, I head for The Parker. Too bad God threw away the mold after he made her!

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  4. Great tribute! I read a book a few years ago, called A Journey Into Dorothy Parker's New York, which really gave me a new appreciation for her.

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  5. Ahoy,
    All, I'll have to find A Journey... & Susan, I do the same when it comes to my cynicism, though my wiser side is often muttering something along the lines of, "Tut, tut, tut, do you really want to stoke your cynicism?" Ah, the dichotomy of being human!

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