Quote #0
It’s hard to tell what brings happiness. Poverty and wealth have both failed.
Frank McKinney "Kin" Hubbard
About This Quote
The line originated as a caption/line in Kin Hubbard’s syndicated Abe Martin panel (1930), using dialect spelling (“purty”, “an’”). Later quotation collections regularized the spelling and punctuation, producing the modern form.
Interpretation
The remark jokes that people often assume money is the key to happiness, but lived experience shows that neither having little nor having a lot reliably produces contentment, so the true sources of happiness are harder to pin down.
Extended Quotation
It’s purty hard to tell what does bring happiness. Poverty an’ wealth have both failed.
Variations
It’s pretty hard to tell what does bring happiness. Poverty an’ wealth have both failed.
It’s hard to tell what brings happiness. Poverty and wealth have both failed.
