Wit has truth in it; wisecracking is simply calisthenics with words.

Wit has truth in it; wisecracking is simply calisthenics with words.

To be witty is not enough. One must possess sufficient wit to avoid having too much of it.

To be witty is not enough. One must possess sufficient wit to avoid having too much of it.

As a wit, if not first, in the very first line.

As a wit, if not first, in the very first line.

Wit is the salt of conversation, not the food.

Wit is the salt of conversation, not the food.

Irony is jesting behind hidden gravity.

Irony is jesting behind hidden gravity.

Neither irony nor sarcasm is argument.

Neither irony nor sarcasm is argument.

You can pretend to be serious; you can't pretend to be witty.

You can pretend to be serious; you can't pretend to be witty.

Wit is the lowest form of humor.

Wit is the lowest form of humor.

This man [Chesterfield] I thought had been a lord among wits; but
I find he is only a wit read more

This man [Chesterfield] I thought had been a lord among wits; but
I find he is only a wit among lords.