Bill and I would ask each other, “Well, are you having an interesting time … In reality, he or she wishes the person to live during times of uncertainty and disorder as opposed to peace and tranquility. While seemingly a blessing, the expression is normally used ironically; life is better in "uninteresting times" of peace and tranquility than in "interesting" ones, which are usually times of trouble. May You Live An Interesting Life I certainly feel I have lived that kind of life myself, and I cannot exactly wish it on others with a clear. [2] The nearest related Chinese expression translates as "Better to be a dog in times of tranquility than a human in times of chaos." Many thanks to David Rothman, the founder of TeleRead, who constructively encouraged QI many years ago.). (Google Books Preview), 1836, The Chinese: A General Description of the Empire of China and Its Inhabitants by John Francis Davis, Volume 1 of 2, Chapter 6: Government and Legislation, Quote Page 202, Published by Harper & Brothers, New York. They are times of danger and uncertainty; but they are also the most creative of any time in the history of mankind. (Verified on paper), 1944 August 12, The Saturday Review of Literature, The American Way in War: A Distinguished English Critic Examines Our Fighting Machine by D. W. Brogan, Start Page 5, Quote Page 7, The Saturday Review Associates, New York. The saying was used by Robert F. Kennedy in his Day of Affirmation Address in Cape Town, South Africa, in 1966: [4], Evidence that the phrase was in use as early as 1936 is provided in a memoir written by Hughe Knatchbull-Hugessen, the British Ambassador to China in 1936 and 1937, and published in 1949. (Stay with me here, you need to picture this). I never remember myself a time in which our history was so full, in which day by day brought us new objects of interest, and, let me say also, new objects for anxiety. In 2003 U.S. A Chinese adage contrasting times of peace and war and displaying thematic similarities to the saying under examination is shown below. There is a good deal of evidence that, despite the fact that we have survived it so far, the times are still troublesome. Keep these life quotes bookmarked on your phone or … 'May you live in interesting times' is widely reported as being of ancient Chinese origin but is neither Chinese nor ancient, being recent and western. There is no evidence of a Chinese origin. “There’s a saying: “May you live in interesting times.” To begin, it’s a curse. Robert F. Kennedy? (Google Books Full View), 1898 January 21, The Western Daily Press, Mr. Chamberlain at Liverpool: A Series of Speeches, Patriotism Still a Live Force, Quote Page 8, Column 3, Bristol, England. "May you live in interesting times." Recall that Austen said the following during a 1936 speech: It is not so long ago that a member of the Diplomatic Body in London, who had spent some years of his service in China, told me that there was a Chinese curse which took the form of saying, ‘May you live in interesting times.’, Hughe Knatchbull-Hugessen served as the British Ambassador to China and later wrote a memoir titled “Diplomat in Peace and War”. They say: May you live in interesting times.” ― Terry Pratchett, Interesting Times. – Excerpt from a Speech by British Statesman Joseph Chamberlain, 1898 While the quote “May You Live in Interesting Times” is sometimes credited to Joseph Chamberlain and sometimes credited to a traditional Chinese Curse, it certainly applies to the Year 2020 and we still have a few things ahead of us that should prove interesting! Robert F. Kennedy quote: There is a Chinese curse which says 'May he live in interesting times.' (Verified with scans), 1969, Resistance, Rebellion, and Death by Albert Camus, Translated from the French by Justin O’Brien, Essay: Create Dangerously, (Lecture given at the University of Uppsala in December 1957), Start Page 249, Quote Page 249, Alfred A. Knopf, New York. I can only say that one of our diplomats who had long been in the Eastern Service told me that an old Chinese curse to their enemies was, ‘May you live in interesting times.’ Certainly,” he said, “we are living in an interesting time, for never have I known a time when we had less security.”, In May 1939 Frederic R. Coudert retold his tale about Austen Chamberlain with two significant changes. The values that we pretend to defend, and that it would be better to illustrate, are all values founded on risk; but are they still alive, or can they be brought back to life? It is, I have been told, one of the most formidable of Chinese imprecations to wish that your enemy lived “in interesting times.” We live in very interesting times; times not to be made better by any simple formula. May you come to the attention of those in authority. We suffer one disturbance and shock after another.”. –Chicago Sun Times; Summary. I think that you will all agree that we are living in most interesting times. May you find what you are looking for. Yet, surprisingly, President Obama enjoys increasing popularity as he heads into the final days of his presidency. What we’re moving through is a life-altering event. (GenealogyBank), 1987, Change in Schools: Facilitating the Process by Gene E. Hall and Shirley M. Hord, SUNY Series: Educational Leadership, Quote Page 330, Published by State University of New York Press, Albany, New York. (British Newspaper Archive), 2014 (Copyright 2009), Stories to Awaken the World: A Ming Dynasty Collection, Volume 3, Compiled by Feng Menglong, Translated by Shuhui Yang and Yunqin Yang, (Foreword asserts that this collection of short stories in vernacular Chinese was compiled by Feng Menglong and was published in Suzhou, China in 1627), Story 3: The Oil-Peddler Wins the Queen of Flowers, Start Page 38, Quote Page 40, University of Washington Press, Seattle, Washington. There’s an old Chinese curse, “May you live in interesting times,” that became a running joke in our family. In April 1939 a banquet was held at the annual meeting of the American Society of International Law. There is a Chinese curse which says ‘May he live in interesting times.’ Like it or not we live in interesting times. Boldface has been added to excerpts: 3. (Unz), 1944, The American Character by D. W. Brogan (Denis William Brogan), Section: Conclusion, Quote Page 169, Alfred A. Knopf, New York. We take you from Chinese folks tales in 1627 to 20th century British politicians in this episode of Quote or No Quote, trying to track down who said what when. [emphasis added][7]. (Verified with scans; great thanks Bonnie Taylor-Blake and the University of North Carolina library system), 1939, Proceedings of the American Society of International Law at Its Annual Meeting, Volume 33, Annual Meeting Held April 27 to 29, 1939, Banquet Held April 29, 1939, Toastmaster Frederic R. Coudert (Honorary Vice President of the Society), Start Page 163, Quote Page 166, Published by American Society of International Law. ), In 1901 Joseph’s address to a meeting of the Liberal Unionist Association was reported in ‘The Daily News” of London: 8, I propose the health of the Duke of Devonshire—(renewed cheers)—our chairman to-night, our president always—(hear, hear)—the captain who has commanded the Liberal Unionist barque and carried it safely through many stormy seas. Interesting Times is a fantasy novel by British writer Terry Pratchett, the seventeenth book in the Discworld series, set in the Aurient (a fictional analogue of the Orient). There is a Chinese proverb – ‘May you live in interesting times’ which may be a curse in disguise. The awards ceremony and inauguration were held on Saturday 11th May 2019. For Chinese-language swearing, see, "Origin of Phrase: May You Live In Interesting Times", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=May_you_live_in_interesting_times&oldid=1002160249, Articles containing Chinese-language text, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 23 January 2021, at 03:47. A collection of short stories in vernacular Chinese was compiled and published in Suzhou, China in 1627. And is “may you live in interesting times” actually an old Chinese curse, or is the history of the saying more complicated? Listen and learn! Not to let them run into the Jurchens. Albert Camus? Bill and I would ask each other, “Well, are you having an interesting time yet?”. Research by philologist Garson O'Toole shows a probable origin in the mind of Austen Chamberlain's father Joseph Chamberlain dating around the late-19th and early 20th centuries. Where would they have a home to call their own again? And while it may come off as a blessing, this expression is often used ironically. The wording of the curse was changed from “interesting times” to “an interesting age”. In a June 6, 1966, speech at the University of Cape Town to the National Union of South African Students, Kennedy said: “There is a Chinese curse which says ‘May he live in interesting times.’ Like it or not, we live in interesting times.” So where do we think the saying comes from? The phrase “live in interesting times” dates at least to the late 19th century. “ May you live in interesting times and come to the attention of important people. Before I left England for China in 1936 a friend told me that there exists a Chinese curse—“May you live in interesting times”. Update History: On December 20, 2015 the 2014 citation containing Chinese stories from 1627 was added to the article. Journalists endorsed the phrase and it has become well known. A reminder of the old, often misquoted Chinese curse: May you live in exciting times. : Collected Essays 1934-1998 by Arthur C. Clarke, Edited by Ian T. Macauley, Essay: Space and the Spirit of Man, Start Page 226, Quote Page 229, (Bibliographic note in book on page 542: “Space and the Spirit of Man” first appeared in “Voices from the Sky” which was published in 1965 by Harper & Row, New York), Published by St. Martin’s Press, New York. The other day I was sitting in the turn lane near my house. (Verified on paper), 2006, The Quote Verifier by Ralph Keyes, Quote Page 99 and 100, St Martin’s Griffin, New York. (Verified with hardcopy), 1999, Greetings, Carbon-Based Bipeds! ― Terry Pratchett, Interesting Times. There is no such expression, "May you live in interesting times," in Chinese. In our lifetime we have certainly been living in a most interesting age. If they speak up, they are criticized and attacked. The phrase “many years ago” was ascribed to Austen, and this shifted the chronology: 11, Some years ago, in 1936, I had to write to a very dear and honored friend of mine, who has since died, Sir Austen Chamberlain, brother of the present Prime Minister, and I concluded my letter with a rather banal remark, “that we were living in an interesting age.”, Evidently he read the whole letter, because by return mail he wrote to me and concluded as follows: “Many years ago, I learned from one of our diplomats in China that one of the principal Chinese curses heaped upon an enemy is, ‘May you live in an interesting age. Here are three versions of a saying that has commonly been described as a Chinese curse: May you live in interesting times. (Verified on paper), 1936 March 21, The Yorkshire Post, Lesson of the Crisis: Sir A. Chamberlain’s Review of Events, Quote Page 11, Column 7, Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. (Google Books Preview), 1995 September 18, Time, Spirit of Sisterhood by James Walsh, Time Inc., New York. (Great thanks to the numerous researchers who have explored this topic especially Fred R. Shapiro whose reference identified the important April 1939 citation. Austen Chamberlain who was the earliest known person to label the saying a Chinese curse was pivotal to its initial dissemination. Frederic René Coudert Jr. also recounts having heard the phrase at the time: Some years ago, in 1936, I had to write to a very dear and honoured friend of mine, who has since died, Sir Austen Chamberlain, brother of the present Prime Minister, and I concluded my letter with a rather banal remark "that we were living in an interesting age". Joseph Chamberlain did not say anything about a curse. The variant with “interesting age” continued to circulate in 1955 when Dr. Barnett Stross employed an instance while speaking in the U.K. House of Commons: 15, As he spoke, I thought of the phrase that the Chinese sometimes use when they dislike one. (Hear, hear.) It’s a phrase for the real world. Senator and future Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton released an autobiography that included an instance of the expression: 23, There’s an old Chinese curse, “May you live in interesting times,” that became a running joke in our family. They are times of danger and uncertainty; but they are also … Understanding each other is not enough, but it is an indispensable beginning. In a speech in Cape Town, South Africa, on 7 June, 1966, Robert F Kennedy said: There is a Chinese curse which says, 'May he live in interesting times'. Allow these 150 inspirational quotes about life to give you an extra pep in your step whenever you may need it. Senator and future Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton released an autobiography that included an instance of the expression: 23. Like it or not we live in interesting times. The best way to resolve this disagreement was unclear, but the words in 1936 were more direct. He mentions that before he left England for China in 1936, a friend told him of a Chinese curse, "May you live in interesting times."[5]. In 1944 D. W. Brogan who was a member of the London School of Economics published a piece in “The Saturday Review of Literature” about the American military. 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