Sophistication might be described as the ability to cope gracefully with a situation involving the presence of a formidable menace to one's poise and prestige (such as the butler, or the man under the bed - but never the husband).

Quote by James Thurber

Topics: James Thurber Quotes

The wit makes fun of other persons; the satirist makes fun of the world; the...

The wit makes fun of other persons; the satirist makes fun of the world; the...

It is better to know some of the questions than all of the answers.

It is better to know some of the questions than all of the answers.

All men kill the thing they hate, too, unless, of course, it kills them first.

All men kill the thing they hate, too, unless, of course, it kills them first.

If I have any beliefs about immortality, it is that certain dogs I have known...

If I have any beliefs about immortality, it is that certain dogs I have known...

The sanity of the average banquet speaker lasts about two and a half months; at...

The sanity of the average banquet speaker lasts about two and a half months; at...

I am not a cat man, but a dog man, and all felines can tell...

I am not a cat man, but a dog man, and all felines can tell...

With sixty staring me in the face, I have developed inflammation of the sentence structure...

With sixty staring me in the face, I have developed inflammation of the sentence structure...

The past is an old armchair in the attic, the present an ominous ticking sound,...

The past is an old armchair in the attic, the present an ominous ticking sound,...

Well, if I called the wrong number, why did you answer the phone?

Well, if I called the wrong number, why did you answer the phone?

The laughter of man is more terrible than his tears, and takes more forms hollow,...

The laughter of man is more terrible than his tears, and takes more forms hollow,...

The dog has seldom been successful in pulling man up to its level of sagacity,...

The dog has seldom been successful in pulling man up to its level of sagacity,...

Boys are beyond the range of anybody's sure understanding, at least when they are between...

Boys are beyond the range of anybody's sure understanding, at least when they are between...

There is no safety in numbers, or in anything else.

There is no safety in numbers, or in anything else.

I think that maybe if women and children were in charge we would get somewhere.

I think that maybe if women and children were in charge we would get somewhere.

Let the meek inherit the earth - they have it coming to them

Let the meek inherit the earth - they have it coming to them

The past is an old armchair in the attic, the present an ominous ticking sound,...

The past is an old armchair in the attic, the present an ominous ticking sound,...

The laughter of man is more terrible than his tears, and takes more forms hollow,...

The laughter of man is more terrible than his tears, and takes more forms hollow,...

All men should strive to learn before they die, what they are running from, and...

All men should strive to learn before they die, what they are running from, and...

The difference between our decadence and the Russians' is that while theirs is brutal, ours...

The difference between our decadence and the Russians' is that while theirs is brutal, ours...

Sixty minutes of thinking of any kind is bound to lead to confusion and unhappiness.

Sixty minutes of thinking of any kind is bound to lead to confusion and unhappiness.