Who said “Well, if I called the wrong number, why did you answer the phone?”?

Verified

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

SourceCartoon caption, The New Yorker (5 June 1937); "Word Dance--Part One", A Thurber Carnival (1960)

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“Well, if I called the wrong number, why did you answer the phone?”
— James Thurber
VerifiedCartoon caption, The New Yorker (5 June 1937); "Word Dance--Part One", A Thurber Carnival (1960) · evidenceConflict

Cite this quote

For academic work, cite the original where you can: Cartoon caption, The New Yorker (5 June 1937); "Word Dance--Part One", A Thurber Carnival (1960).

APA

Thurber, J. (n.d.). Well, if I called the wrong number, why did you answer the phone? [Quotation]. Famous Quotations Network. Retrieved October 24, 2026, from https://www.famous-quotations.com/quotes/4871-well-if-i-called-the-wrong-number-why/

MLA

Thurber, James. “Well, if I called the wrong number, why did you answer the phone?” Famous Quotations Network, https://www.famous-quotations.com/quotes/4871-well-if-i-called-the-wrong-number-why/. Accessed 24 Oct. 2026.

Chicago

Thurber, James. “Well, if I called the wrong number, why did you answer the phone?” Famous Quotations Network. Accessed October 24, 2026. https://www.famous-quotations.com/quotes/4871-well-if-i-called-the-wrong-number-why/.

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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
“A word to the wise is not sufficient if it doesn't make any sense.”
Verified"The Weaver and the Worm", The New Yorker (11 August 1956); Further Fables for Our Time (1956) · evidenceDetails & citeWisdom
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