Writers and musicians have a long, storied history with alcohol, and that intimacy with the bottle shows through in the memorable lines these artists have dropped over the years. Check out our picks for the top 20 quotes about drinking. Did your favourite make the list?
“I drink to make other people more interesting.” ― Ernest Hemingway
“In wine there is wisdom, in beer there is freedom, in water there is bacteria.” ― Benjamin Franklin
“After the first glass, you see things as you wish they were. After the second, you see things as they are not. Finally, you see things as they really are, and that is the most horrible thing in the world.” ― Oscar Wilde
“For art to exist, for any sort of aesthetic activity or perception to exist, a certain physiological precondition is indispensable: intoxication.” ― Friedrich Nietzsche
“There comes a time in every woman’s life when the only thing that helps is a glass of champagne.”― Bette Davis
“To alcohol! The cause of and solution to all of life’s problems.” ― The Simpsons
“Candy is dandy, but liquor is quicker.” ― Ogden Nash
“One sip of this will bathe the drooping spirits in delight, beyond the bliss of dreams.” ― John Milton
“Reality is an illusion created by a lack of alcohol.” — N.F. Simpson
“When I drink, I think; and when I think, I drink.” — Frantois Rabelais
“Time is never wasted when you’re wasted all the time.” — Catherine Zandonella
“Wine is bottled poetry.” — Robert Louis Stevenson
“I think a man ought to get drunk at least twice a year just on principle, so he won’t let himself get snotty about it.” — Raymond Chandler
“It is most absurdly said, in popular language, of any man, that he is disguised in liquor; for, on the contrary, most men are disguised by sobriety.” — Thomas de Quincy
“Without question, the greatest invention in the history of mankind is beer. Oh, I grant you that the wheel was also a fine invention, but the wheel does not go nearly as well with pizza.” — Dave Barry
“Champagne, if you are seeking the truth, is better than a lie detector. It encourages a man to be expansive, even reckless, while lie detectors are only a challenge to tell lies successfully.” — Graham Greene
“Wine is sunlight, held together by water.” — Galileo