For today’s post I have decided to do a countdown of my favorite quotes by Dorothy Parker! In the past I did a countdown of favorite Shakespeare quotes. Remembering that, I chose another great wit for a literary quote countdown! Dorothy Parker was a writer living in the Jazz Age, as part of the New York set of intellects. She was at the center of the Algonquin Round Table, also known as the Vicious Circle (that spent their time meeting and talking about their writing while drinking excessively). Parker was a poet of acerbic wit and sharp-tongued humor. Without further ado here’s the list!
Number 10: “A hangover is the wrath of grapes.”
Number 9: “Don’t look at me in that tone of voice.”
Number 8: “There’s a hell of a distance between wise-cracking and wit. Wit has truth in it; wise-cracking is simply calisthenics with words.”
Number 7: “Now I know the things I know, and I do the things I do; and if you do not like me so, to hell, my love, with you!”
Number 6: “That would be a good thing for them to cut on my tombstone: Wherever she went, including here, it was against her better judgment.”
Number 5: “Heterosexuality is not normal, it’s just common.”
Number 4: “His voice was as intimate as the rustle of sheets.”
Number 3: “Tell him I was too fucking busy– or vice versa.”
Number 2: “I hate almost all rich people, but I think I’d be darling at it.”
Number 1: “Of course I talk to myself. I like a good speaker, and I appreciate an intelligent audience.”
Bonus: I stuck to simple quotes for this list, but as a bonus I had to quote the entirety of my favorite poem! This is a beautifully playful ode to the Jazz Age flappers that were well known to Parker!
The Flapper
By Dorothy Parker
“The Playful flapper here we see,
The fairest of the fair.
She’s not what Grandma used to be, —
You might say, au contraire.
Her girlish ways may make a stir,
Her manners cause a scene,
But there is no more harm in her
Than in a submarine.
She nightly knocks for many a goal
The usual dancing men.
Her speed is great, but her control
Is something else again.
All spotlights focus on her pranks.
All tongues her prowess herald.
For which she well may render thanks
To God and Scott Fitzgerald.
Her golden rule is plain enough –
Just get them young and treat them rough.”
I hope you have enjoyed this countdown, and getting to learn some great quotes by an interesting intellect! If you are looking for more Dorothy Parker, I recommend The Portable Dorothy Parker edited by Marion Meade. Let me know you thoughts, and favorite Parker quotes, in the comments below!
White Rose of Avalon 