John Bartlett (1820–1905). Familiar Quotations, 10th ed. 1919.
3287 George Farquhar 1678-1707 John Bartlett
| NUMBER: | 3287 |
| AUTHOR: | George Farquhar (1678–1707) |
| QUOTATION: | Necessity, the mother of invention. 1 |
| ATTRIBUTION: | The Twin Rivals. Act i. |
| Note 1. Art imitates Nature, and necessity is the mother of invention.—Richard Franck: Northern Memoirs (written in 1658, printed in 1694). Necessity is the mother of invention.—Wycherly: Love in a Wood, act iii. sc. 3 (1672). Magister artis ingenique largitor Venter (Hunger is the teacher of the arts and the bestower of invention). Persius: Prolog. line 10. [back] |