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
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
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
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
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
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.
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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