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There's a sucker born every minute" is a phrase closely associated with P. T. Barnum, an American showman of the mid-19th century, although there is no evidence that he actually said it. Early examples of its use are found among gamblers and confidence tricksters.
Apr 11, 2014 · Dear Quote Investigator: A famous saying about gullibility is usually attributed to the well-known showman P. T. Barnum. Here are two versions: There’s a sucker born every minute. There’s a fool born every minute. Whether Barnum actually used either of these expressions is controversial.
- Many people are gullible, and we can expect this to continue. P. T. Barnum. People, Gullible.
- No man ever went broke overestimating the ignorance of the American public. P. T. Barnum. Ignorance, Men, Broke.
- There is a fool born every minute. P. T. Barnum. Fool, Born, Minutes.
- The common man, no matter how sharp and tough, actually enjoys having the wool pulled over his eyes, and makes it easier for the puller. P. T. Barnum. Eye, Men, Wool.
As the newspaper reporters wrote Barnum’s version of the story, Hannum was quoted as saying, “There’s a sucker born every minute,” pertaining to the crowds of spectators paying to see Barnum’s giant. Since then, the quote was often misattributed to Barnum.
May 25, 2017 · P. T. Barnum, the famous 19th-century American showman and founder of the Barnum & Bailey Circus, is often quoted as saying “there’s a sucker born every minute.”
Mar 18, 2023 · Commonly attributed to Barnum, there is much testimony of contemporaries that he never actually said this, and in "P. T. Barnum Never Did Say "There's a Sucker Born Every Minute" R. J. Brown asserts that it actually originated with a banker named David Hannum, in reference to one of Barnum's hoaxes: a replica of the Cardiff Giant.
Jan 9, 1994 · Barnum was basically a great showman, Mr. Pelton said, a master of advertising -- a Yale professor once called him the Shakespeare of advertising -- and of crowd psychology.
