Evan Esar

Evan Esar – Life, Career, and Famous Quotes

Meta description: Evan Esar (1899–1995) was an American humorist and writer known for his sharp wit, quote compilations, and humorous observations. Explore his life, work, and timeless quips.

Introduction

Evan Esar may not be a household name in the same way as Mark Twain or Oscar Wilde, but his influence on the world of quotations and humor is enduring. As a compiler of jokes, witticisms, and comic definitions, Esar shaped the way generations have thought about wordplay and the small ironies of everyday life. His works—like Esar’s Comic Dictionary and 20,000 Quips & Quotes—continue to be quoted, anthologized, and enjoyed for their brevity, cleverness, and enduring relevance.

In this article, we'll delve into his biography, career, personality, legacy, and some of his most memorable lines. Whether you're a lover of humor or someone who appreciates compact wisdom, Esar’s voice offers laughter and insight in equal measure.

Early Life and Family

Evan Esar was born in 1899 (exact birth date seems less documented) in the United States.

Little is publicly known about his parents or siblings. His trajectory into humor and writing appears to have been largely self-driven, shaped by an early love for words, wit, and the playful edge of language.

Youth, Education, and Early Influences

Documentation on Esar’s formal education is limited. There are no widely cited biographical sources that detail his schooling or university attendance. His early career, however, suggests a strong affinity for literature, journalistic writing, and wordcraft.

Esar evidently cultivated a skill for observation, pithy definitions, and ironic humor early on. These are the hallmarks of someone deeply immersed in language: someone who reads widely, pays attention to semantics, syntax, and the everyday absurdities of speech and behavior.

His work suggests he was influenced by classic humorists, editors of quotation compilations, and the tradition of epigrams. The care with which he attributed and documented quotes later in his life shows a respect for intellectual honesty and precision.

Career and Major Works

Esar as Humorist and Quip Compiler

Evan Esar’s strongest legacy lies in the field of humor, especially in the form of concise sayings, definitions, and quotation compilations. He was not primarily a novelist or essayist; rather, his craft was in collecting, shaping, and occasionally creating witticisms that resonated.

His works often bridge the line between original writing and curation. He had an ear both for what people already said and how to repackage it in forms that would persist.

Key Publications

Some of Esar’s notable books include:

• Esar’s Comic Dictionary (1943) — a dictionary of humorous definitions and twists on words.

• Humorous English (1961) — another take on playful or ironic uses of the English language.

• 20,000 Quips & Quotes (1968) — perhaps his most popular and enduring compilation.

• The Legend of Joe Miller (1957) — printed privately for members of the Roxburghe Club of San Francisco.

He also contributed quotes, definitions, and humorous entries to various anthologies and publications across his lifetime, making his voice familiar in the world of quotes and epigrams.

Style and Approach

• Epigrammatic economy: Esar often expressed a full idea in a few elegant words. His humor is lean, sharp, and often linguistically clever.

• Irony and twist: Many of his statements start off sounding familiar or expected, then turn at the end to surprise the reader (or reveal a deeper truth).

• Wordplay and definitions: In Comic Dictionaries, he takes the logic of definitions and bends it for comedic effect, showing how even meaning itself can be teased.

• Careful attribution: Esar was known for his regard for proper sourcing and attribution—something that marks serious compilers of quotations.

Historical Context & Milestones

• Mid-20th century climate: Esar’s most active publishing years spanned the 1940s through the 1960s, a period rich in print culture, humor magazines, newspapers, and quotation annuals—fertile ground for his kind of work.

• The culture of quotes: In his era, people collected and shared quotations heavily—newspapers had “quote panels,” books of maxims were popular, and intellectuals admired brevity. Esar both contributed to and rode that wave.

• Post-war reflection: In the decades after World War II, there was a growing appetite for levity, sarcasm, and ironic distance in public discourse. Esar’s humor often gently mocks pretension, dogma, or everyday folly—making him part of a broader trend of bringing humor into serious life.

• Evolution of media: While Esar worked mostly in print, the dissemination of his quotes via other media (radio, later television, and eventually digital quotation collections) expanded his reach beyond his own publications.

Legacy and Influence

Evan Esar’s influence is quiet but persistent. Though he’s not always cited by name, many of his lines live on in quote anthologies, social media, greeting cards, journalism, and academic studies of quotations.

Some aspects of his legacy include:

1. Quotation anthologies
   Many modern collections of humor, maxims, or quotes include Esar’s lines—either directly or as commonly repeated sayings.

2. Crossword and puzzle culture
   His witticisms, puns, and short quips are ideal for inclusion in crosswords, puzzles, and “quote of the day” features, helping them circulate widely.

3. Humor and wit instruction
   Writers of aphorisms, bloggers, and humorists often study writers like Esar to understand how to sharpen one’s voice.

4. Respect among compilers
   Esar’s attention to sourcing, clarity, and compact style is held in esteem among those who compile quotations and study humor.

While Esar might not be as visible as more flamboyant humorists, his work is part of the scaffolding on which modern quotation culture stands.

Personality, Talents & Approach

Though personal biographical details about Esar are limited, his writing offers clues about his temperament and values:

• Lucidity and precision: He seems to value clarity in language—untangling clichés, playing with definitions, tightening ideas.

• Wry intelligence: His humor is gentle, ironic, intelligent—not mean-spirited but insightful about human nature.

• Humility in attribution: The care he gave to attribution suggests he respected other voices and wished to preserve integrity.

• Observation of the mundane: Many of his quips turn on everyday experiences—marriage, language, professions, social customs—indicating a habit of attentiveness to ordinary life.

Though we lack extensive personal anecdotes, his writing voice feels consistent, stable, and thoughtfully wry.

Famous Quotes of Evan Esar

Here are some of Esar’s most memorable and oft-quoted lines. Where attribution is uncertain, I’ve given cautionary notes. (Sources: various quote collections: )

• “Statistics — the only science that enables different experts using the same figures to draw different conclusions.”

• “There’s only one kind of common sense but” … (this may be an incomplete line in some sources)

• “Think twice before you speak, and then you may be able to say something more insulting than if you spoke right out at once.”

• “Character is what you have left when you’ve lost everything you can lose.”

• “A bureaucrat is an official who is clothed with power and whom it doesn’t fit.”

• “Housework is what a woman does that nobody notices unless she hasn't done it.”

• “Many a man who falls in love with a dimple makes the mistake of marrying the whole girl.”

• “Success is the good fortune that comes from aspiration, desperation, perspiration, and inspiration.”

• “An epigram is the marriage of wit, and wisdom; a wisecrack, their divorce.”

• “A signature always reveals a man’s character — and sometimes even his name.”

Because Esar often worked within the realm of attribution and compilation, some of these may be paraphrased or misattributed in secondary sources. But they remain representative of his style and voice.

Lessons from Evan Esar

From Esar’s life and work, several lessons can be gleaned by writers, thinkers, and lovers of language:

1. Brevity is powerful
   Big ideas often shine brightest when distilled into few words. The quip or epigram is a high art.

2. Play with definitions
   Language isn’t static. You can bend words, shift expectations, and reveal surprise at the margins.

3. Observe everyday life
   Many of Esar’s funniest and wisest lines emerge from routine, often overlooked human experiences.

4. Value attribution and integrity
   When you borrow ideas or quotes, credit the source. Esar showed that even humor needs intellectual honesty.

5. Humor and wisdom can coexist
   You don’t have to choose between wit and insight. Esar’s best lines teach and amuse simultaneously.

6. Curate with care
   Esar’s role as compiler reminds us that collecting, organizing, and preserving ideas is itself a creative act.

Conclusion

While Evan Esar may not have left behind autobiographies, diaries, or sweeping narratives, his voice resonates through the small gems of wit he gave us. His talent lay in distilling the world into tightly wound lines that surprise, amuse, and provoke thought. In a chaotic world of noise, his words remind us of the precision, elegance, and delight possible in language.