There's a sucker born every minute

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"There's a sucker born every minute" is a phrase often credited to P.T. Barnum.

However, when Barnum's biographer tried to track down when Barnum had uttered this phrase, all of Barnum's friends and acquaintances told him it was out of character. Barnum's credo was more along the lines of "there's a customer born every minute" — he wanted to find ways to draw new customers in all the time because competition was fierce and people bored easily.

The entire quote is "There's a sucker born every minute...and two to take 'em." The source of the quote is most likely famous con-man Joseph ("Paper Collar" Joe) Bessimer. Barnum's fellow circus owner and arch-rival Adam Forepaugh attributed the quote to Barnum in a newspaper interview in an attempt to discredit him. However, Barnum never denied making the quote. It is said that he thanked Forepaugh for the free publicity he had given him.

Another story credits David Hannum with saying "there's a sucker born every minute", referring to people who were taken in by the Cardiff Giant Hoax. In turn, it was erroneously attributed to Barnum.

External links

["All English Usage" explanation of the phrase]
[P. T. Barnum Never Did Say "There's a sucker born every minute"], HistoryBuff.com
[There's a sucker born every minute], everything2
[REVIEW: There's A Customer Born Every Minute: P.T. Barnum's Secrets to Business Success], reprint from Mark Twain Forum, February 27, 1998

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