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 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...

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 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,...

Love is the strange bewilderment that overtakes one person on account of another person.

Love is the strange bewilderment that overtakes one person on account of another person.

Discussion in America means dissent.

Discussion in America means dissent.

Love is a many splintered thing.

Love is a many splintered thing.

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,...

Editing should be, especially in the case of old writers, a counseling rather than a...

Editing should be, especially in the case of old writers, a counseling rather than a...

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...

Why do you have to be a nonconformist like everybody else?

Why do you have to be a nonconformist like everybody else?

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 most dangerous food is wedding cake.

The most dangerous food is wedding cake.

The animals that depend on instinct have an inherent knowledge of the laws of economics...

The animals that depend on instinct have an inherent knowledge of the laws of economics...

I'm 65 and I guess that puts me in with the geriatrics. But if there...

I'm 65 and I guess that puts me in with the geriatrics. But if there...

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

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

Laughter need not be cut out of anything, since it improves everything.

Laughter need not be cut out of anything, since it improves everything.

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...

I used to wake up at 4 A.M. and start sneezing, sometimes for five hours....

I used to wake up at 4 A.M. and start sneezing, sometimes for five hours....

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,...