Best Ogden Nash Quotes to Help You Appreciate His Genius

Ogden Nash was deemed by the New York Times as the country’s best-known producer of humorous poetry. He was an American artist who is one of the most appreciated poets of the 20th century for his light verse. Fortunately, his talents didn’t just help him earn country-wide respect and admiration but also made him one of the most commercially successful poets of the time.

Mr. Nash didn’t plan on being a writer or a poet. However, the poor quality of manuscripts he read pushed him to try writing himself. Although he gave writing serious verses a chance, he soon gave up since he enjoyed writing comical verses and throwing them on coworkers’ desks more.

He wrote a children’s book in his early days as a writer and even produced She Troupes to Conquer and Born in a Beer Garden with his coworkers. It was in 1930 when his first poem was published in the New York Times, and the publication encouraged him to write and send more. He began to publish more poems and writings about the problems of modern American life and even earned awards for his exceptional work.

Here Are Some of the Most Famous Ogden Nash Quotes

1. “Children aren’t happy with nothing to ignore, and that’s what parents were created for.” ― Ogden Nash

Ogden Nash sitting in a formal gathering
2. “A door is what a dog is perpetually on the wrong side of.” ― Ogden Nash, The Private Dining-room and Other Verses

3. “To keep your marriage brimming, with love in the wedding cup, whenever you’re wrong, admit it; whenever you’re right, shut up.” ― Ogden Nash

4. “You are only young once, but you can stay immature indefinitely.” ― Ogden Nash

5. “Candy is dandy, but liquor is quicker.” ― Ogden Nash, Hard Lines

6. “Some pains are physical, and some pains are mental, but the one that’s both is dental.” ― Ogden Nash

7. “Life begins at the end of your comfort zone.” ― Ogden Nash

8. “I have an idea that the phrase “weaker sex” was coined by some woman to disarm the man she was preparing to overwhelm.” ― Ogden Nash

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9. “Middle age is when you’ve met so many people that every new person you meet reminds you of someone else.” ― Ogden Nash

10. “The door of a bigoted mind opens outwards so that the only result of the pressure of facts upon it is to close it more snugly.” ― Ogden Nash

11. “Oh, what a tangled web do parents weave when they think that their children are naive.” ― Ogden Nash

12. “If you don’t want to work, you have to work to earn enough money so that you won’t have to work.” ― Ogden Nash, Hard Lines

13. “Middle age is when you’re sitting at home on a Saturday night and the telephone rings, and you hope it isn’t for you.” ― Ogden Nash

14. “Progress is a fine thing, but it’s gone on long enough.” ― Ogden Nash

15. “Parents were invented to make children happy by giving them something to ignore.” ― Ogden Nash

Ogden nash book
16. “Either you get eaten by a wolf today, or else the shepherd saves you from the wolf so he can sell you to the butcher tomorrow.” ― Ogden Nash, I’m a Stranger Here Myself

17. “When grandparents enter the door, discipline flies out the window.” ― Ogden Nash

18. “A family is a unit composed not only of children but of men, women, an occasional animal, and the common cold.” ― Ogden Nash

19. “People who have what they want are fond of telling people who haven’t what they want that they really don’t want it.” ― Ogden Nash

20. “Parsley is gharsley.” ― Ogden Nash, Food

21.“If called by a panther, don’t anther.” ― Ogden Nash

22. “The cow is of the bovine ilk; One end is moo, the other milk.” ― Ogden Nash, Free Wheeling

23. “The trouble with a kitten is that it eventually becomes a cat.” ― Ogden Nash

24. “Too clever is dumb.” ― Ogden Nash, The Best of Ogden Nash

25. “Snow is all right while it is snowing; it is like inebriation because it is very pleasing when it is coming, but very unpleasing when it is going.” ― Ogden Nash

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26. “Man is a victim of dope, in the incurable form of hope!” ― Ogden Nash

27. “People can’t concentrate properly on blowing other people to pieces if their minds are poisoned by thoughts suitable to the twenty-fifth of December.” ― Ogden Nash

28. “People who work sitting down get paid more than people who work standing up.” ― Ogden Nash

29. “Were it not for frustration and humiliation, I suppose the human race would get ideas above its station.” ― Ogden Nash, Custard, and Company: Poems

30. “You can be young only once, but you can be immature forever.” ― Ogden Nash

31. “The trouble with a kitten is that… It eventually becomes a cat!” ― Ogden Nash

32. “I could not eat a kangaroo. But many fine Australians do. Those with cookbooks as well as boomerangs prefer him in tasty kangaroo-meringues.” ― Ogden Nash, Ogden Nash’s Zoo

33. “O, money, money, money, I’m not necessarily one of those who think thee holy, but I often stop to wonder how thou canst go out so fast when thou comest in so slowly.” ― Ogden Nash

34. “It’s my own dream, I dreamt it, I dreamt that my hair was kempt, then I dreamt my true love unkempt it.” ― Ogden Nash

35. “Progress might have been alright once, but it has gone on too long.” ― Ogden Nash

36. “My garden will never make me famous. I’m a horticultural ignoramus. I can’t tell a string bean from a soybean, or even a girl bean from a boy bean.” ― Ogden Nash

37. “Bugs. Adam had ’em.” ― Ogden Nash

Ogden Nash sitting on a sofa
38. “In the world of mules, there are no rules.” ― Ogden Nash

39. “Philo Vance / Needs a kick in the pance.” ― Ogden Nash

40. “I am a conscientious man; when I throw rocks at seagulls, I leave no tern unstoned.” ― Ogden Nash

41. “I am tarred and feathered with Time.” ― Ogden Nash

42. “Indeed, everybody wants to be a wow, but not everybody knows exactly how.” ― Ogden Nash

Ogden Nash Quotes – Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Is Ogden Nash alive?

Ogden Nash passed away on May 19th, 1971.

What is Ogden Nash’s most popular poem?

The most popular poem by Ogden Nash is “The Cow”, which is only two lines long.

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What is Ogden Nash best known for?

Ogden Nash is an American poet best known for his light verse. He has written at least 500 pieces of it, which has helped him earn country-wide admiration and respect.

Ogden Nash’s Poetry Stash | Ogden Nash Biography | kalArt Wordsmiths

Watch Prathamesh Soni talk about the light-hearted writings of celebrated English poet Ogden Nash, and dive deeper into Nash’s comedy and satire!

Summary

Ogden Nash was a popular American poet who rose to popularity for his talents and his delightful light poetry. He didn’t expect to become a writer, but once he tried his hand at poetry and writing, he discovered he had a talent that needed polishing.

Ogden  wrote a poem for The New York Times, which was loved by the publication and readers alike. He also wrote many children’s books in his career and even incorporated his experiences and lessons learned as a father in his work. He died in Baltimore on May 19th, 1971 but is still popular among literature lovers for his amazing contributions.

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Image Credits:

pocket book of ogden nash” by cdrummbks is licensed under CC BY 2.0.

Harris & Ewing, photographer, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

ABC Television, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Los Angeles Daily NewsCC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

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