There is no adequate way to quickly sum up Dorothy Parker - she was a poet, a writer (books, essays, screenplays) a satirist, a critic (for Vanity Fair and The New Yorker), a political activist, and an acknowledged wit. A member of the legendary Algonquin Round Table (along with Robert Benchley, Robert E. Sherwood, Alexander Woollcott, Harpo Marx, to name but a few of the notable members), she was the source of a wonderful library of quotes, filled with savage wit and deft wordplay. Instead of trying to hastily craft a set of biographical notes here, I'm going to take the lazy approach and just post a handful of her pithiest, most entertaining quotes:
When she was challenged to use the word "horticulture" in a sentence: "You can lead a horticulture, but you can't make her think."
"The first thing I do in the morning is brush my teeth and sharpen my tongue"
When she was told that the famously reticent President Calvin Coolidge had died, she responded, "How could they tell?"
"The best way to keep children at home is to make the home atmosphere pleasant, and let the air out of the tires."
"That woman speaks eighteen languages, and can't say 'No' in any of them"
"If you wear a short enough skirt, the party will come to you"
"If all the girls attending [the Yale prom] were laid end to end, I wouldn't be at all surprised."
"I'm not a writer with a drinking problem, I'm a drinker with a writing problem."
This is just a drop in the quote bucket - there are so many more - feel free to post your favorite here or anywhere you have a social presence - the world should know about and remember her.
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