“It will always be New York or nowhere”
Quincy Moore founded the lifestyle brand Knowlita in 2015, and Knowlita sold "New York or Nowhere" shirts. In 2020, Moore formed a company with Liz Eswein called New York or Nowhere…
“It’s better to be judged by twelve than to be carried by six” (police saying)
"It's better to be judged by twelve than to be carried by six" is a police and military saying, meaning that it's better to be alive and to be judged by twelve people on…
“It’s better to have lived in New York and moved than to never have lived here at all”
"It's better to have lived in {X} and moved than to never have lived here at all" is a saying that has been printed on many images. "It's better to have lived in Texas and…
“Just like New York” (“Just like downtown”)
"Just like downtown" is a saying that became popular in 1949-1950. "Downtown" means the place of excitement, where the lights are bright and there is shopping and entertainment.…
“Knock, knock.”/“Who’s there?”/“Brook.”/“Brook who?”/“Brook-lyn Bridge.”
A Brooklyn version of the knock-knock joke is: "Knock, knock.""Who's there?""Brook.""Brook who?""Brookl-lyn Bridge. The joke has been cited in…
“Live in New York, leave before you become hard. Live in California, leave before you become soft”
Chicago (IL) Tribune columnist Mary Schmich wrote a speech to graduates in her column on June 1, 1997. One piece of advice was: "Live in New York City once, but leave before it makes you hard.…
“London is satisfied, Paris is resigned, but New York is always hopeful”
American writer and satirist Dorothy Parker (1893-1967) loved New York City. Parker wrote in the article "My Home Town" for McCall's magazine in January 1928: "London is…
“Lungs of the City” (Central Park)
It's commonly believed that Frederic Law Olmsted coined the term "lungs of the city" in reference to New York's Central Park. Olmsted helped design Central Park in 1858, and the…
“Make your mark in New York, and you are a made man”
Mark Twain (the pen name of Samuel Langhorne Clemons, 1835-1910) reported from New York City for the Daily Alta California, and wrote on May 17, 1867 (published on June 16): "Make your mark in…
“Manhattan implies the existence of Womanhattan”
Entry in progress -- BP X/Twitter Manhattan (/mænˈhætən, mən-/ man-HAT-ən, mən-) is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. Coextensive…
“Mayor’s Eye” & “Get the worms out of the Big Apple” (Dept. of Investigation)
The Department of Investigation began in the 1870s, after many city scandals. The early version of the DOI wasn't very active. Raymond B. "Fearless" Fosdick was appointed…
“Money is to New York City as power is to Washington, D.C.”
"As money is to New York City, the old analogy goes, so power is to Washington, DC." wrote Timothy Carney in the March 14, 2009 New York (NY) Post. It is not clear who originated this…
“My life sucks, but I’m not in Times Square wearing a diaper”
Many people who attend the New Year's Eve ball drop in New York City's Times Square have to wear a diaper because there is no place to go to the bathroom.. "I can promise I…
“Name your baby ‘Gotham’” (joke)
The fictional superhero Batman always saves Gotham City. A joke has it that pregnant women should name their boys "Gotham." That way, if a mother needs help changing a diaper in the…
“Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers…”
Greek historian Herodotus (484 BCE - 430 BCE) is often said to have written in Histories, Book 8, Chapter, 98: "Neither snow, nor rain, nor heat, nor gloom of night stays these couriers from…
“New York—when civilization falls apart, remember, we were way ahead of you”
"New York...when civilization falls apart, remember, we were way ahead of you" is a jocular one-line saying that has been printed on several images. American comedian David Letterman,…
“New York City is a luxury product” (Michael Bloomberg)
New York City (especially Manhattan) has often been criticized for its high taxes and high cost of living. In his first term as mayor (from 2002). Michael Bloomberg raised taxes, stating that he…
“New York in adversity towers above any other city in the world” (Ed Koch)
Ed Koch (1924-2013) was the mayor of New York City from 1978 to 1989. In the 1970s, New York City was near bankruptcy. Koch said during his inauguration on January 1, 1978: "These have been…
“New York is a sucked orange” (Ralph Waldo Emerson)
Ralph Waldo Emerson called New York City "a sucked orange" in an essay printed in 1860. A "sucked orange" has no juice. Emerson didn't like New York. The "sucked…
“New York is an exciting town where something is happening all the time, most of it unsolved”
"New York is an exciting town. It’s where things happen...from the United Nations to the opening nights on Broadway," a newspaper published in 1969. American television host and…