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Who really said it

The only trouble with Coolidge is that he was weaned on a pickle

About Coolidge — repeated by Alice Roosevelt Longworth Alice Roosevelt Longworth 1884–1980 · American writer and socialite
Disputed Free to reuse

This is a joke about Coolidge, not a remark by him. Quote Investigator finds evidence of Longworth using a version in 1924, while her memoir credits an unnamed earlier speaker.

Last verified 9 Nov 2026 · how we verify · spot an error?

For presentations

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Disputed credit — copy with the correction

“The only trouble with Coolidge is that he was weaned on a pickle” — Repeated by Alice Roosevelt Longworth about Calvin Coolidge by 1924; she disclaimed invention and the original speaker remains unknown.

The slide-ready mistake: crediting this to Calvin Coolidge. Use the credit shown above instead.

Can you use it?

Free to use, including in commercial and paid presentations — no permission or licence needed.

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In context

Evoking the world of Alice Roosevelt Longworth — American writer and socialite. Theme: "The only trouble with Coolidge is that he was weaned on a pickle". Atmospheric and restrained, cinematic directional light, a muted period-appropriate palette, fine grain and texture. Compose with generous empty space for the quote and a small credit line. No lettering in the image itself.

Minimalist

Minimalist editorial slide for the quote "The only trouble with Coolidge is that he was weaned on a pickle". Clean background, a single muted accent color, generous negative space, subtle paper or linen texture, no literal illustration — let the words carry it. Reserve clear space for a serif quote and a small credit line. No lettering in the image itself.

Provenance

The source

Source
Reported Longworth remark; anonymous origin
Evidence
Checked secondary citation; primary artifact not independently inspected
Documented date
1924

The only trouble with Coolidge is that he was weaned on a pickle.

Read the checked source

How we verified this

Public domain

The exact displayed sentence is transcribed by Quote Investigator from a newspaper report published in August 1924, before the 1931 U.S. cutoff. The modern research article’s prose is not reproduced.

Rights status is our research, not legal advice — and copyright varies by country and edition. For commercial or published use, confirm with the rightsholder. See terms.

Fact-check

Often misattributed

Coolidge is the target of the insult. Longworth’s repetition is documented, but she disclaimed inventing it.

Calvin Coolidge

The popular credit needs the qualification explained above. Checked evidence ↗

Use the documented source wording and retain the attribution qualification. Checked evidence ↗

Explore

Filed under

More provenance-checked quotes on the same theme, each with its reuse status.

Character Humility

Go further

Dig deeper

Trusted places to keep pulling the thread — primary archives, fact-checks, and scholarship. We show how we used each one before you leave.

Source investigationquoteinvestigator.com

The checked attribution evidence and its limitations.
Longworth: biographyen.wikipedia.org

Background on the woman who repeated the joke.
Longworth: quotationsen.wikiquote.org

A separately documented 1924 variant.
Calvin Coolidge: biographyen.wikipedia.org

Background on the president.

The author

About Alice Roosevelt Longworth

Alice Roosevelt Longworth

1884–1980 · American writer and socialite

Alice Roosevelt Longworth was an American writer and Washington socialite. She repeated the Coolidge insult but later denied having invented it.

For writers & researchers

Cite this

The primary source (Chicago)

“Sparing a Lady.” Buffalo Enquirer, August 13, 1924. As transcribed and contextualized by Quote Investigator, March 18, 2019.

This verification page

Quotle.info. “Who really said ‘The only trouble with Coolidge is that he was weaned on a pickle’?” Last verified 9 Nov 2026. https://quotle.info/who-said/the-only-trouble-with-coolidge-is-that-he-was-weaned-on-a/

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