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April 27, 2012
Work/Businesses

“It’s nice to be important, but it’s more important to be nice”

"It's nice to be important, but it's more important to be nice" has been a business saying since at least 1950, when it was cited in June 1950 from a Georgia newspaper and in…

March 25, 2018
Work/Businesses

“It’s not failure. It’s unfinished success”

"It's not failure. It's unfinished success" is a motivational saying that has been printed on many images. The saying was posted on Twitter by Ralph Marston ("The Daily…

February 17, 2013
Work/Businesses

“It’s not how good you are, it’s how good you want to be”

Paul Arden (1940-2008), a former creative director for the advertising firm Saatchi & Saatchi, popularized a phrase with the title of his book, It's Not How Good You Are, It's How…

April 25, 2019
Work/Businesses

“It’s not how good you are. It’s how bad you want it”

"It's not how good you are. It's how bad you want it" (or "Sometimes it's not about how good you are, but how bad you want it" is a motivational saying that has…

February 16, 2017
Work/Businesses

“It’s not my fault I blame everyone else for my mistakes”

"It's not my fault that I blame everyone else for my mistakes" is a jocular one-line saying that has been printed on an ecard. "It's not my fault I blame everyone else for…

August 11, 2012
Work/Businesses

“It’s not the hours you put in your work that counts, it’s the work you put in the hours”

"It's not the hours you put in your work that counts, it's the work you put in the/your hours" is a popular business aphorism. "It is not the hours you put in your work,…

October 10, 2009
Work/Businesses

“It’s not what you know, but who you know”

"It's not what you know, but who you know" is a saying used in both business and government. The origin of the saying is unclear, but there are two labor citations of the phrase in…

June 26, 2016
Work/Businesses

“It’s not who you know, it’s whom you know”

"It's not what you know, but who you know" is an old saying. A jocular take on the saying is: "It's not who you know, it's whom you know." The "whom you…

April 11, 2019
Work/Businesses

“It’s not your job to like me—it’s mine”

"It's not your job to like me -- it's mine" is a inspirational saying that has been printed on many images. The saying has been attributed to American speaker and author Byron…

April 11, 2019
Work/Businesses

“It’s not your job to love me—it’s mine”

"It's not your job to like me -- it's mine" is a inspirational saying that has been printed on many images. The saying has been attributed to American speaker and author Byron…

October 15, 2025
Time/WeatherWork/Businesses

“It’s officially ‘let’s circle back next year’ season”

In late December, people often say, "Let's circle back next year." This means that the situation will be discussed after the new year. December is sometimes jokingly called…

June 1, 2019
Work/Businesses

“It’s OK not to be OK. Some days are just harder than others”

"It's OK not to be OK. Some days are just harder than others" is an inspirational saying that has been printed on many images. "Some days are just harder than others. And…

April 23, 2018
Work/Businesses

“It’s only Tuesday? Monday took so long, I thought it was Wednesday!”

"It's only Tuesday? Monday took so long, I thought it was Wednesday!" is a saying that has been printed on many images The saying is popular among those whose start of the work week…

November 27, 2020
Work/Businesses

“It’s Robinson Crusoe’s favorite shopping day” (Black Friday)

"Black Friday, Robinson Crusoe's favourite shopping day?" was posted on Twitter by Al Nash on November 27, 2014. "It's Robinson Crusoe's favourite shopping day"…

December 20, 2004
Work/Businesses

“It’s smart to be thrifty” (Macy’s); “Nobody undersells Gimbels” (Gimbels)

Bernice Fitz-Gibbon provided famous slogans for both Macy's and Gimbels! She did "It's smart to be thrifty" for Macy's before she was plucked away and did "nobody but…

January 25, 2026
Time/WeatherWork/Businesses

“It’s so cold out, I just saw a woman in 2 pairs of pajamas at Walmart”

Many people shop at Walmart (a department store chain) wearing pajamas. "It's so cold that Walmart has recommended customers wear multiple layers of pajamas today" is a jocular…

January 25, 2026
Time/WeatherWork/Businesses

“It’s so cold that Walmart has recommended customers wear multiple layers of pajamas today”

Many people shop at Walmart (a department store chain) wearing pajamas. "It's so cold that Walmart has recommended customers wear multiple layers of pajamas today" is a jocular…

November 8, 2012
Work/Businesses

“It’s so much easier to suggest solutions when you don’t know too much about the problem”

Malcolm Forbes (1919-1990), the publisher of Forbes magazine, said in 1975: "It's so much easier to suggest solutions when you don't know too much about the problem." This…

May 4, 2025
Time/WeatherWork/Businesses

“It’s so stupid that tomorrow is Monday already”

For many people, weekends go by too quickly. On Sunday, one's thoughts are often occupied that it's back to work again on Monday. "It's so stupid that tomorrow is Monday…

May 4, 2025
Time/WeatherWork/Businesses

“It’s stupid that tomorrow is Monday again”

For many people, weekends go by too quickly. On Sunday, one's thoughts are often occupied that it's back to work again on Monday. "It's so stupid that tomorrow is Monday…

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BARRY POPIK is a contributor to the Oxford English Dictionary, Dictionary of American Regional English, Historical Dictionary of American Slang, Yale Book of Quotations and Dictionary of Modern Proverbs. Since 1990 he has also been a regular contributor to Gerald Cohen's Comments on Etymology.

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