Who said “It is better to have loafed and lost than never to have loafed at all.”?

Verified

James Thurber. A published source records them saying or writing it.

Source"The Courtship of Arthur and Al", The New Yorker (26 August 1939); Fables for Our Time & Famous Poems Illustrated (1940). Parody of Alfred Lord Tennyson's "Better to have loved and lost/than never to have loved at all."

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“It is better to have loafed and lost than never to have loafed at all.”
— James Thurber
Verified"The Courtship of Arthur and Al", The New Yorker (26 August 1939); Fables for Our Time & Famous Poems Illustrated (1940). Parody of Alfred Lord Tennyson's "Better to have loved and lost/than never to have loved at all." · evidenceIdleness

Cite this quote

For academic work, cite the original where you can: "The Courtship of Arthur and Al", The New Yorker (26 August 1939); Fables for Our Time & Famous Poems Illustrated (1940). Parody of Alfred Lord Tennyson's "Better to have loved and lost/than never to have loved at all.".

APA

Thurber, J. (n.d.). It is better to have loafed and lost than never to have loafed at all. [Quotation]. Famous Quotations Network. Retrieved October 24, 2026, from https://www.famous-quotations.com/quotes/3957-it-is-better-to-have-loafed-and-lost/

MLA

Thurber, James. “It is better to have loafed and lost than never to have loafed at all.” Famous Quotations Network, https://www.famous-quotations.com/quotes/3957-it-is-better-to-have-loafed-and-lost/. Accessed 24 Oct. 2026.

Chicago

Thurber, James. “It is better to have loafed and lost than never to have loafed at all.” Famous Quotations Network. Accessed October 24, 2026. https://www.famous-quotations.com/quotes/3957-it-is-better-to-have-loafed-and-lost/.

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More quotes by James Thurber

“He who hesitates is sometimes saved.”
Verified"The Glass in the Field", The New Yorker (31 October 1939); Fables for Our Time & Famous Poems Illustrated (1940). · evidenceDetails & citeIndecision
“You can fool too many of the people too much of the time.”
Verified"The Owl who was God", The New Yorker (29 April 1939); Fables for Our Time & Famous Poems Illustrated (1940). Parody of "You can fool all the people some of the time and some of the people all of the time, but you cannot fool all the people all the time." · evidenceDetails & citeLies and Lying
“Well, if I called the wrong number, why did you answer the phone?”
VerifiedCartoon caption, The New Yorker (5 June 1937); "Word Dance--Part One", A Thurber Carnival (1960) · evidenceDetails & citeConflict
All 54 James Thurber quotes →