Beauregard “Pappy” Maverick’s conversations were replete with epigrams that his sons and nephew often quoted. This was a generational gift, as “Pappy” also quoted his father. (Maverick, “Pappy,” Season 3, Episode 1, September 13, 1959).

 

Also listed herein are possible idioms, quotes, proverbs, pejoratives, moral adages, and humorous sayings (in blue) that may have sparked the epigrams.

 

 

As “Pappy” used to say, ‘Faint heart never filled a flush,‘” reminisced Bret Maverick.
(Maverick, “According to Hoyle,” Season 1 Episode 3, October 6, 1957)

 

which was reiterated in tandem when

 

Bart Maverick said, “Well, as “Pappy” used to say…” and Bret Maverick finished the thought with, “’Faint heart never filled a flush.’”
Bart agreed, “That’s right. Go ahead.”
(Maverick, “The Wrecker,” Season 1 Episode 11, December 1, 1957)

 

They say that faint heart never won fair lady. It is amazing to me how fair ladies are won, so faint are often men’s hearts!”
Anthony Trollope, The Warden (Book 1 of the Chronicles of Batsetshire series), Longman, England, January 5, 1855

 

 

Samantha, you just proved something my ol’ pappy used to tell me, ‘Man’s the only animal you can skin more than once,’” declared Bred Maverick.
(Maverick, “According to Hoyle,” Season 1 Episode 3, October 6, 1957)

 

and

 

Bart Maverick recollected, “My old pappy used to say, ‘Man is the only animal that can get skinned twice.’ Good luck, Mr. Pender.
(Maverick, “Hadley’s Hunters,” Season 4, Episode 2 (September 25, 1960)

 

There’s more than one way to skin a cat.
Seba Smith, the Original Major Jack Downing (a political satirist)in Way Down East: or, Portraitures of Yankee Life, (1854, Philadelphia, John E. Potter & Company)

 

 

Bret Maverick announced, “My name’s Maverick. Named after my pappy. He’s the man who said, ‘Hell has no fury like a man who loses with four of a kind.‘ One of these friendly fellas had the four of a kind.
(Maverick, “The Long Hunt,” Season 1 Episode 5, October 20, 1957)

 

Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned.
William Congreve in The Mourning Bride (a play, 1697)

 

 

Two months later, Jed Ferris came home to stay. It had taken almost a year out of my life, off and on, but now it finally seemed worth it. ‘Well, how ’bout it Lefty?  Will ya leave me alone now?’ Well, there weren’t any lightning flashes or thunderbolts, so I guess it was all over now. And I was firmly reminding myself of one of the last and most important things my pappy ever told me, ‘Love your fellow man and stay out of his troubles, if you can, recounted Bret Maverick.
(Maverick, “The Long Hunt,” Season 1 Episode 5, October 20, 1957)

 

And above all things have fervent love for one another, for love will cover a multitude of sins.’”
1 Peter 4:8, Bible (KJV)

 

 

Bart Maverick opined, “So, “Pappy” left us a thousand dollar bill apiece and some very profound words of wisdom… ‘Never hold a kicker and never draw to an inside straight.‘”
(Maverick, “Hostage” (opening credits) or “Hostage!” (closing credits), Season 1 Episode 8, November 10, 1957)

 

which was again repeated by his sons when

 

Bret Maverick reminisced, “Well, remember what “Pappy” told us, ‘Never hold a kicker…’” and
Bart Maverick responded, “’… Never draw to an inside straight.’
(Maverick, “The Jeweled Gun,” Season 1 Episode 10, November 24, 1957)

 

 

My pappy had it right, ‘Stick your nose in other people’s business and you’ll get it bent,” remembered Bret Maverick.
(Maverick, “Comstock Conspiracy,” (Season 1 Episode 14, December 29, 1957) 

 

To thrust one’s Nose into the affairs of others, to be meddling with other people’s matters.”
Samuel Johnson, Dictionary of the English Language (1755, London, J&P Knapton, 1600s) (2)

 

 

Bret Maverick opined on bravery, “When my brother and I left home my pappy said, ‘If either one of you comes back with a medal, I’ll beat you to death.
(Maverick, “Day of Reckoning,” Season 1 Episode 19, February 2, 1958)

 

This is echoed in The Ghost Soldiers,
“I was right glad the Lieutenant was gonna let it go at a mere handshake. I mean, if I was to get a medal out of this ruckus, my pappy’d never speak to me again,” commented Bret Maverick.
(Maverick, “The Ghost Soldiers,” Season 3 Episode 9, November 8, 1959)

 

and repeated by Beauregard Maverick as,

 

“If you dare to come back with a medal, I’ll kill you with my bare hands”
(Maverick, movie (1994))

 

 

Bret Maverick noted, “My pappy always said, ‘Marriage is the only game of chance he knows of where both people can lose.‘”
(Maverick, “The Seventh Hand,” Season 1 Episode 23, March 2, 1958)

 

 

 “As my pappy used to say, uh, ‘A man who can’t find his own troubles doesn’t deserve to share somebody else’s,‘” stated Bret Maverick.
T
hen General Eakins asked, “Maverick, did your Pappy have anything comical to say about money?”
Bret replied, “No, he always spoke very highly of it.”
(Maverick, “Black Fire” Season 1 Episode 25 March 16, 1958)

 

 

My pappy always told me, ‘Flattery’s like perfume, Lettie – smell it, but don’t swallow it,‘” Bart said, remembering his pappy’s caution.
(Maverick, “Burial Ground of the Gods,” Season 1 Episode 26, March 30, 1958)

 

Aristophanes , Cato , and Cicero all had cautionary opinions about flattery. (2)

 

 

Molly Clifford laughed, You amaze me. You really do.”
Brad Richards (Bret Maverick) inquired, “How’s that?”
Molly Clifford replied, “Well I thought surely you’d try to impress me by cutting the high card and paying the check.  You didn’t. I’m even more impressed.”
Well, as my pappy always said, ‘There’s more than one way to please a lady,’” said Brad Richards (Bret Maverick) smiling.
(Maverick, “The Day They Hanged Bret Maverick,” Season 2 Episode 1, September 21, 1958)

 

 

Bret Maverick agreed, “I’m not sure yet.  My pappy used to say it would be a pitiful thing if I ever tried to work for a living. ‘Son,’ he said, ‘use your wits, the Lord didn’t give you brains.’”
(Maverick, “The Belcastle Brand,” Season 2 Episode 4, October 12, 1958)

 

Live by one’s wits.” an idiom (3)

 

 

Bart Maverick stated, Gentlemen, as my pappy used to say, ‘He who plays and runs away lives to, uh, run another day.
(Maverick, “The Judas Mask,” Season 2 Episode 7, November 2, 1958)

 

which was restated as:

 

Your pappy said that, ‘he who fights and runs away will live to fight another day,'” recited Foursquare Farley.
Bret Maverick countered, “There’s a small error there, Foursquare. What Pappy said was, ‘He who fights and runs away lives to run away another day.
(Maverick, “Greenbacks, Unlimited,” Season 3 Episode 26, March 13, 1960)

 

similarly:

 

My old pappy used to say, ‘He who fights and runs away…can run away another day,‘” expounded Bret Maverick
(Maverick (movie 1994))

 

“The man who runs away may fight again.
Demosthenes, August of 338 B.C. (1)

 

“He who fights and runs away, lives to fight another day.
Folk saying

 

 

Judge Somervell averred, “Well, you see, Mr. Maverick, the territory is the land of opportunity. When you decide to settle down with the rest of us, this is the place for it.”
Try not to think of that, sir. My old pappy used to say, ‘Work is alright for killing time, but it’s a shaky way to make a living,‘” Bart Maverick replied.
(Maverick, “The Thirty-Ninth Star,” Season 2 Episode 9, November 16, 1958)

 

The idea of dong something as a means of “killing time dates back to the 1700s. (3)

 

 

Well, as my old pap… father used to say, ‘There are times when a man must rise above principle,‘” Bart Maverick opined.
(Maverick, “Shady Deal at Sunny Acres” Season 2 Episode 10, November 23, 1958)

 

The time has come for all good men to rise above principle.”
Huey Long (“The Kingfish”)

 

 

Yeah. ‘You can fool all of the people some of the time and some of the people all of the time, and those are very good odds.‘ My old pappy said that,” explained Bret Maverick.
(Maverick, “Shady Deal at Sunny Acres” Season 2 Episode 10, November 23, 1958)

 

Judge Douglas cannot fool the people: you may fool people for a time; you can fool a part of the people all the time; but you can’t fool all the people all the time.” attributed to Abraham Lincoln, as stated in the July 27, 1858 speech in Clinton, Illinois and related by Lewis Campbell, an attendee.(4)

 

 

Bret Maverick observed, “No thanks. My old pappy used to tell me, he said, ‘Never play in a rigged game unless you rig it yourself.‘”
(Maverick, “Holiday at Hollow Rock,” Season 2 Episode 14 December 28, 1958)

 

 

Well, as my old pappy used to say, uh,  ‘If you haven’t got something nice to say about a man, it’s time to change the subject.‘” said Bret Maverick.
(Maverick, “Holiday at Hollow Rock,” Season 2 Episode 14 December 28, 1958)

 

On August 14, 1942, the Walt Disney movie Bambi was released. In one of the scenes, Thumper repeats his father’s admonition,
“If you can’t say something nice, don’t say nothing at all.”

Seen on an embroidered pillow in the sitting room of Alice Roosevelt Longworth
IF YOU CAN’T SAY SOMETHING GOOD ABOUT SOMEONE, SIT RIGHT HERE BY ME.”
as reported in “The Sharpest Wit in Washington” an article published in The Saturday Evening Post on December 4, 1965. Neither the person who embroidered the pillow nor the age of the pillow were reported.

 

 

As my pappy used to say, Countess, ‘Never cry over spilled milk… it could’ve been whiskey,‘” quoted Bret Maverick.
(Maverick, “Game of Chance,” Season 2 Episode 15, January 4, 1959)

 

No weeping for shed milk.”
James Howell in
Proverbs (1659) (5)

 

 

Bret Maverick thought, “My pappy used to say, ‘When you’re playing poker, don’t trust anybody, not even your brother.‘”
Bart Maverick corrected the thought with, “What he really said was, ‘Especially your brother.‘”
(Maverick, “Two Beggars on Horseback,” Season 2 Episode 17 January 18, 1959)

 

I trust no one, not even myself.”
Joseph Stalin

 

 

Bret Maverick observed, “Mm-mm. Remember what Pappy used to say. ‘Early to bed and early to rise is the curse of the working classes.‘ At the Great Western Hotel, even the maids don’t get up until noon.”
(Maverick, “The Rivals,” Season 2 Episode 18, January 25, 1959)

 

As the olde englysshe prouerbe sayth in this wyse. Who soo woll ryse erly shall be holy helthy & zely.”
The Book of St. Albans (1486)

 

Earely to bed and earely to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise.”
John Clarke in Paroemiologia Anglo-Latina (1639)

 

“Early to bed and early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise.”
Benjamin Franklin in Poor Richard’s Almanack (1735)

 

 

When I was six years old my pappy took my brother and me into a saloon. They were playing red dog, and chuck-a-luck, and wheel a’ chance. ‘Son, he [“Pappy] said, ‘this what’s called gamblin’.  Stay away from it. Games like this, you don’t stand a chance. As long as you live, stick to poker,’ recalled Bret Maverick.
(Maverick, “Duel at Sundown,” Season 2 Episode 19, February 1, 1959)

 

 

Belle Morgan asserted, “But I’m not offering you charity, Bart. What I’m offering you is a job. A real man-sized job for a real man.”
Bart Maverick replied, “Before I left home, my old pappy said, ‘Always remember, son, the two greatest evils are hard liquor and hard work.‘”
(Maverick, “Brasada Spur,” Season 2 Episode 22, February 22, 1959)

 

 

Cindy Lou Brown asked, “Think you’ll ever amount to anything, Bart?”
Bart Maverick replied, “Course I will. My pappy once told me, ‘Son, you’re self-centered, shifty, and you know the value of a dollar so you’re gonna die honored and wealthy.
(Maverick, “Passage to Fort Doom,” Season 2 Episode 23, March 8, 1959)

 

 

Queried Bart Maverick, “You in love with him?”
Charlotte Stanton replied, “That sort of thing is storybook nonsense.”
Your mother says?” asked Bart.
Charlotte said, “I agree with her.”
My pappy had a different slant on it. He once told me, ‘Son, love is the only thing in life you’ve got to earn. Everything else you can steal.’ stated Bart.
(Maverick, “Passage to Fort Doom,” Season 2 Episode 23, March 8, 1959)

 

 

Bart Maverick added, “Another thing my pappy said when I left home, ‘Make a lot of mistakes, son, but always be sure they’re your own.
(Maverick, “Passage to Fort Doom,” Season 2 Episode 23, March 8, 1959)

 

 

Frankie…Frankie, my pappy used to say, ‘There’s just about three reasons why most men do anything: greed, curiosity and anger.’ And I don’t think he really meant ‘most men’ because he was looking right at me when he said it.” tendered Bret Maverick. He was right.
(Maverick, “Two Tickets to Ten Strike,” Season 2 Episode 24, March 15, 1959)

 

Many years later, Bret Maverick would make a similar remark:

 

My old pappy always said, ‘There are three things man never seems to run short of: Faith, Hope, and Greed,’” noted Bret Maverick.
(Bret Maverick, “Faith, Hope, and Clarity” Part II, Season 1 Episode 16, April 20, 1982)

 

And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.” 1 Corinthians 13:13, Bible (KJV)

 

 

Bret Maverick recalled, “As my pappy used to say, ‘A coward dies a thousand deaths, a brave man, only one.  A thousand to one’s pretty good advantage.’
(Maverick, “Two Tickets to Ten Strike,” Season 2 Episode 24, March 15, 1959)

 

This was restated by Quincy T. Smith when he said, “A coward dies a thousand deaths. A hero dies but one.”
To which Bret Maverick replied, “I prefer the coward’s way. The odds are much better.”
(Maverick, “Cruise of the Cynthia B.,” Season 3 Episode 17, January 10, 1960)

 

Caesar: Cowards die many times before their deaths;
The valiant never taste of death but once.
Of all the wonders that I yet have heard.
It seems to me most strange that men should fear;
Seeing that death, a necessary end,
Will come when it will come.
[Re-enter Servant]
What say the augurers?
William Shakespeare, Julius Caesar, The Tragedy of Julius Act II Scene 2

 

 

Bret Maverick explained, “Cole, as my old pappy always taught me, “The only time you ever quit when you’re winnin’, is after you’ve won it all.’
(Maverick, “Pappy,” Season 3 Episode 1, September 13, 1959)

 

Quit while you’re ahead. All the best gamblers do.”
Baltasar Gracián y Morales

 

 

As my pappy used to say, ‘Son, the best time to get lucky is when the other man’s dealing, quoted Bart Maverick.
(Maverick, “Pappy,” Season 3 Episode 1, September 13, 1959)

 

 

The answer to that is something I should have taught you years ago, as my old pappy taught me. If you are ever served a rare steak that is intended for somebody else, don’t bother with ethical details – eat as much as you can before the mistake is discovered, recalled Beauregard Pappy Maverick.
(Maverick, “Pappy,” Season 3 Episode 1, September 13, 1959)

 

 

Bart Maverick recalled, “As my old pappy used to tell me, ‘Son, stay clear of weddings, ’cause one of them’s liable to be your own.’
(Maverick, “Royal Four Flush,” Season 3 Episode 2, September 20, 1959)

 

 

Well, as my pappy always said, ‘Worst crime a man can commit is to interrupt a poker game,‘” recited Bret Maverick.
(Maverick, “The Sheriff of Duck ‘N Shoot,” Season 3 Episode 3, September 27, 1959)

 

 

“As my pappy always said, ‘If you know a man’s weakness, you know the way to his heart,’” proffered Bret Maverick.
(Maverick, “The Sheriff of Duck ‘N Shoot” Season 3 Episode 3, September 27, 1959)

 

The shortest road to men’s hearts is down their throats.”
John Adams, April 15, 1814

 

The way to many an honest heart lies through the belly.”
Richard Ford F.S.A., A Handbook for Travellers in Spain
 (1845) (7) 

 

 

Well, glad to hear that. As my pappy always said, ‘Try everything once and if you don’t succeed, then become a lawman,’ recounted Bret Maverick.
(Maverick, “The Sheriff of Duck ‘N Shoot,” Season 3 Episode 3, September 27, 1959)

 

and also as:

 

Bret Maverick reminisced, “Well, as our dear old pappy used to say, ‘If at first you don’t succeed, try somethin’ else.
(Maverick, “Maverick Springs,” Season 3 Episode 13, December 6, 1959)

 

Tis a lesson you should heed, try, try again. If at first you don’t succeed, try, try, and try again.”
Thomas H. Palmer, A.M. The Teacher’s Manual Being an Exposition Of An Efficient And Economical System of Education, Suited To The Wants Of A Free People, 1840, Marsh, Capon, Lyon, and Webb, Boston, Massachusetts.

 

 

Bart Maverick pointed out, “Oh, I believe you. But my pappy always used to say, uh, ‘Son, the next best thing to money is a… a man’s name on the dotted line.‘”
Bret Maverick countered with, “And you forget that he was also my pappy and he said, ‘Sign nothing.
Bart responded, “Yeah, but, uh, it isn’t too hard to figure which one of Pappy’s proverbs holds the most water at this moment.”
(Maverick, “The Sheriff of Duck ‘N Shoot” Season 3 Episode 3, September 27, 1959)

 

 

Jack, as my old pappy used to say, ‘A man [who] sticks his head in the sand makes an awfully good target,’ recounted Bret Maverick.
(Maverick, “The Cats of Paradise” Season 3 Episode 5)

 

Bury your head in the sand is an expression from the 1800s. (8)

 

 

As my old pappy used to say, ‘A fox isn’t sly, he just can’t think any slower, recounted Bret Maverick.
(Maverick, “The Cats of Paradise” Season 3 Episode 5, October 11, 1959)

 

Sly as a fox.” Attributing “slyness” to a fox dates back at least as far as the 5th century B.C. when Aesop wrote the fable “The Fox and the Crow” for Aesop’s Fables with similar descriptions of his abilities found in many cultures in the world.

 

 

As my old pappy used to say, ‘You can be a gentleman, and still not forget all you know about self-defense, remembered Bret Maverick.
(Maverick, “The Cats of Paradise” Season 3 Episode 5, October 11, 1959)

 

 

“Until one day, my pappy, my dear old father came to me and said, ‘Son, shun the roulette wheel as though it were the devil’s own turntable.  Get out and work with your hands,’ he said, said Bart Maverick facetiously,
(Maverick, “A Tale of Three Cities,” Season 3 Episode 6, October 18, 1959)

 

And that ye study to be quiet, and to do your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you.”
1 Thessalonians 4:11, Bible
 (KJV)

 

 

“And so I leave you ladies with this one parting thought from my dear old father, who said, ‘Son, there’s only one way to throw dice, and that’s to throw them away.’” related Bart Maverick.
(Maverick, “A Tale of Three Cities,” Season 3 Episode 6, October 18, 1959)

 

The best throw of the dice is to throw them away.”
English Proverb

 

 

Bart Maverick recalled, “My old pappy used to say, ‘Son, love, and love alone will send a man soaring into the depths.
(Maverick, “Easy Mark,” Season 3 Episode 10, November 15, 1959)

 

 

Bret Maverick cautioned, “As my old pappy always told me, ‘Son, it’s not how fast you draw that counts. It’s what you draw and when you draw.
(Maverick, “A Fellow’s Brother, Season 3 Episode 11, November 22, 1959)

 

 

Sometimes the series poked fun at Pappy’s Proverbs:
Trooper O’Dell looked at his cards and said, My old pappy always used to say, ‘Once you get the call, don’t be a backslider.’
Bart Maverick queried, Your what?
Trooper O’Dell replied, My pappy.”
Bart Maverick answered, That’s what I thought you said.”
(Maverick, “Trooper Maverick,” Season 3 Episode 12, November 29, 1959)

 

 

Bret Maverick remonstrated, “Mark, my old pappy used to say, ‘If you’re gonna drop names, drop ’em hard.’
(Maverick, “Maverick Springs,” Season 3 Episode 13, December 6, 1959)

 

 

Bart Maverick observed, “But a dead one. He’s been dead a long time. My old pappy used to say, ‘Those who try to live by the gun, die by the neck.
(Maverick, “The Goose-Drownder,” Season 3 Episode 14, December 13, 1959)

 

This same idea is proffered with a twist:

 

That’s right. As my old pappy used to say, ‘If all the men who live by the gun were laid end-to-end, I wouldn’t be surprised,‘” affirmed Bret Maverick.
(Maverick, “Maverick and Juliet,” Season 3 Episode 18, January 17, 1960)

 

Queen Clytemnestra of Mycenae: By the sword you did your work and by the sword you die.

(Aeschylus, Agamemnon, Book I of the Oresteia trilogy, 458 BC, as translated by Robert Fagles, The Oresteia, Penguin Books, Princeton University, 1984 ISBN 9780140443332

 

Then said Jesus unto him, Put up again thy sword into his place: for all they that take the sword shall perish with the sword.”
Matthew 26:52, Bible (KJV)

 

Those who live by the sword, die by the sword.” (Folk saying)

 

 

Bret Maverick negotiated, “As my old pappy used to say, ‘Gentlemen don’t haggle over money.‘ So let’s don’t haggle. Shall we say twenty-five percent?”
(Maverick, “A Cure for Johnny Rain,” Season 3 Episode 15, December 20, 1959)

 

 

Bret Maverick remembered, “As my pappy used to say, ‘A man does what he has to do… if he can’t get out of it.
(Maverick, “Cruise of the Cynthia B.,” Season 3 Episode 17, January 10, 1960)

 

A man does what he must – in spite of personal consequences, in spite   of obstacles and dangers and pressures – and that is the basis of all human morality.”
Winston Churchill

 

 

Bart says he wants to help, but he keeps thinking about what your old pappy used to say, ‘There’s only one thing more important than money, and that’s more money.’” responded Juliet Carteret.
(Maverick, “Maverick and Juliet,” Season 3 Episode 18, January 17, 1960) 

 

 

“Well, as my old pappy used to say, “Son, so long as you stay away from women and temptation, you’re no son of mine.” recounted Bart Maverick.
(Maverick, “The White Widow,” Season 3 Episode 19, January 26, 1960)

 

 

Bret Maverick remarked, “Oh, you must’ve misunderstood me.  No, I was probably quoting my old pappy. He always said, a…  ‘A penny earned… isn’t worth much anymore.’
(Maverick, “Guatemala City”, Season 3 Episode 20, January 31,1960)

 

A penny spar’d is twice got.”
George Herbert

 

A penny saved is two pence clear.”
Benjamin Franklin, Poor Richard’s Almanack, 1737

 

 

Verne Scott noted, “To Mr. Maverick, who will find that lightning can strike twice in the same place.
Bret Maverick responded, “That’s just what my pappy said as he looked down on my brother Bart’s cradle.”
(Maverick, “A Flock of Trouble,” Season 3 Episode 22, February 14, 1960)

 

Lightning never strikes the same place twice.”
P. Hamilton Myer, Thrilling Adventures of the Prisoner of the Border, 1860 

 

 

Bart Maverick suggested, Now, gentlemen, as my pappy used to say, “He who plays and runs away lives to, uh, run another day.
(Maverick, “The Judas Mask,” Season 2 Episode 7, November 2, 1958)

 

which was echoed as:

 

Your pappy said, ‘That he who fights and runs away will live to fight another day,’ recited Foursquare Farley.
Bret Maverick countered, “There’s a small error there, Foursquare. What Pappy said was, ‘He who fights and runs away lives to run away another day.
(Maverick, “Greenbacks, Unlimited,” Season 3 Episode 26, March 13, 1960)

 

similarly:

 

My old pappy always used to say, ‘He who fights and runs away…can run away another day,‘” expounded Bret Maverick
(Maverick (movie 1994))

 

He who fights and runs away, lives to fight another day.
Folk saying

 

The man who runs away may fight again.
Demosthenes, August of 338 B.C. (1)

 

 

Bart Maverick recalled, “As my old pappy used to say, ‘If you can’t fight ’em, and they won’t let you join ’em, best get out of the county.’
(Maverick, “Hadley’s Hunters,” Season 4, Episode 2 (September 25, 1960)

 

Another solution is offered in the Maverick episode “Red Dog” (Season 4 Episode 25 March 5, 1961) as related by Beauregard “Beau” Maverick (II), “There’s an old saying I find applicable at this point. My Uncle Beauregard was the first to say it, but since then it’s been used so often you might say it now belongs to the world…‘If you can’t lick ’em, join ’em.‘”

If you can’t beat them, join them”
Unknown etymology, pre-1932 (9)

 

 

Beauregard “Beau” Maverick said, “My old Uncle used to say, ‘There are things more important than money, but he’d never found one.‘ I guess for once, Uncle Beau was wrong.”
(Maverick, “The Town That Wasn’t There,” Season 4 Episode 3, October 2, 1960)

 

 

Bart Maverick quipped, My old Pappy used to say, ‘Son, hard work never hurt anybody, who didn’t do it.”
(Maverick, “Last Wire from Stop Gap,” Season 4 Episode 5, October 16, 1960)

 

The admonition that “Hard work never hurt anybody,” and variations thereof, have existed since 1874.(6)

 

 

Beauregard “Beau” Maverick countered “Yeah, but not with the sheriff. Besides what would your old pappy say if he heard you’d gone to the law? Remember what he used to tell us?All men are equal before the law, but what kind of odds are those?‘”
(Maverick, “Last Wire from Stop Gap,” Season 4 Episode 5, October 16, 1960)

 

The only stable state is the one in which all men are equal before the law.”
Aristotle

 

 

Zack Sutliff asked, “What do you aim to do with them… cards?”
Bart Maverick explained, “Oh, uh, Zack, my old pappy used to say, uh, ‘A man can stay out of trouble, learns to do something with his hands.‘”
(Maverick, “The Witch of Hound Dog,” Season 4 Episode 8, November 6, 1960)

 

And that ye study to be quiet, and to do your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you.”
1 Thessalonians 4:11, Bible
 (KJV)

 

 

“My old pappy mentioned the game of life once, but, uh, he said that, ‘Most of us, by the time we’re up on the rules are, generally, too old to play it, recited Bart Maverick.
(Maverick, “Destination Devil’s Flat,” Season 4, Episode 15, December 25, 1960)

 

The Checkered Game of Life, was a game manufactured by Milton Bradley in 1860.

 

 

Bart Maverick observed, “Well, my old pappy used to say, ‘Son, it’s fine to turn over a new leaf, but there’s always somebody trying to snoop through the old pages.’
(Maverick, “Destination Devil’s Flat,” Season 4, Episode 15, December 25, 1960)

 

Turn over a new leaf is an expression from the 16th century.(2)

 

 

Beauregard Maverick looked in the mirror and said, “Uncle Beau used to say,A Maverick outwitted is still worth two ordinary men.’”
(Maverick, “Family Pride,” Season 4, Episode 17, January 8, 1961)

 

 

But, as my old pappy used to tell me, uh, ‘Don’t impose too long on a man’s hospitality, he’s liable to put you to work,‘” quipped Bart Maverick,
(Maverick, “The Ice Man,” Season 4 Episode 20, January 29, 1961)

 

 

Bart said, “No, my ol’ pappy didn’t believe in wishing. He always said that, ‘There’d never be the day where it could beat an ace-high flush.’ But my mom, she was the romantic one. She always used to say that … “

Nancy completed the sentence, “I know. That “…if you look into a well with someone you care for and make a wish, it will come true.
(Maverick, “The Ice Man,” Season 4 Episode 20, January 29, 1961)

(This is the only remark about Bret and Bart’s mother in the series.)

 

 

“My old pappy always taught me that, There’s only two times in a man’s life when he should be noble; when he’s caught dealing seconds, somebody slaps a lady.’
(Maverick, “Last Stop: Oblivion,” Season 4 Episode 22, February 12, 1961)

 

 

“My old pappy used to say, ‘What good’s a yellow streak if you can’t depend on it,’” wisecracked Bart Maverick.
(Maverick, “Last Stop: Oblivion,” Season 4 Episode 22, February 12, 1961)

 

 

Bart Maverick recited, “Now, as my old pappy always taught me, ‘Don’t play with strangers. The, uh, friends you have are dangerous enough.‘”
(Maverick, “Maverick at Law,” Season 4 Episode 24 February 26, 1961)

 

“Keep your friends close and your enemies closer is a phrase deduced from the texts of Master Sun’s Military Methods a.k.a. The Art of War by Sun Tzu in the 16th century and The Prince (Chapter 20) by Niccolo Machiavelli written in 1513 and published in 1532.

 

Go up close to your friend but do not go over to him! We should respect the enemy that is in our friend.”
Friedrich Nietzsche

 

 

Beauregard “Beau” Maverick noted, “As my Uncle Beauregard used to say, ‘Some men are afraid of the dark, and some are afraid to leave it.‘”
(Maverick, “Red Dog,” Season 4 Episode 25, March 5, 1961)

 

For even as children tremble and fear everything in blinding darkness, so we sometimes dread in the light things that are no whit more to be feared than what children shudder at in the dark, and imagine will come to pass. This terror then, this darkness of the mind, must needs be scattered not by the rays of the sun and the gleaming shafts of day, but by the outer view and the inner law of nature.”
Lucretius, On the Nature of Things as translate by Cyril Bailey

 

 

No matter what a man does in his life, he always got a guilty conscience, right?” Bart Maverick responded, “According to my pappy, ‘The smart man suffers his guilt pangs in luxury.’
(Maverick, “Triple Indemnity,” Season 4, Episode 27, March 19, 1961)

 

Nothing is more wretched than the mind of a man conscious of guilt.”
Titus Maccius Plautus (ca. 254 B.C. – 184 B.C.)

 

 

Bart Maverick then commented on Brent’s predicament, “Poor boy. As my old pappy once said, ‘In the midst of life, we are in jail.
(Maverick, “The Forbidden City,” Season 4, Episode 28, March 26, 1961)

 

Though in midst of life we be,
Snares of death surround us.”
Martin Luther
Mitten Wir Im Leben Sind” (“Though in Midst of Life We Be”)
The Hymns of Martin Luther
Leonard Woolsey Bacon, melody, 1525, Erythraeus, Harmony, 1608 (11)

 

 

Brent Maverick explained, “Well, my pappy once told me, “Never debate the innocence of a drinking woman or a man in jail.
(Maverick, “The Forbidden City,” Season 4, Episode 28, March 26, 1961)

 

 

Bart Maverick recounted, “My old pappy once said, ‘Never make friends with a man who has no enemies.’”
(Maverick, “Substitute Gun,” Season 4 Episode 29, April 2, 1961)

 

An excellent man; he has no enemies; and none of his friends like him.”
Oscar Wilde

 

 

As my pappy always said, ‘Patience is the best remedy for every trouble, but, uh, money is better. observed Brent Maverick
(Maverick, “Benefit of the Doubt” Season 4 Episode 30, April 9, 1961)

 

Patience is the best remedy for every trouble.”
Titus Maccius Plautus (ca. 254 B.C. – 184 B.C.)

 

 

Bart Maverick agreed, “That’s right. They’re called cards. My ol’ pappy used to say, ‘You can tell fortunes or make fortunes with ’em.‘ So unless one of you gentlemen is a gypsy, why don’t we play some poker.
(Maverick, “The Devil’s Necklace (Part 1),” Season 4 Episode 31, April 16, 1961)

 

 

Bart Maverick remembered, “My ol’ pappy used to say, ‘A man should stick to what he knows.‘ Well, if I had remembered his advice that day in New Orleans, I’d have a smile on my face instead of looking like a pallbearer at my own funeral.”
(Maverick, “Dade City Dodge,” Season 5 Episode 1, September 18, 1961)

 

 

You know, my ol’ pappy taught us Mavericks, ‘There’re lot worse things in life than being broke.‘ Course, I must admit he didn’t know of any,” declared Bart Maverick.
(Maverick, “The Art Lovers, “ Season 5 Episode 2, October 1, 1961)

 

 

My old pappy always told me that, ‘Travel broadens the imagination,’” remarked Bart Maverick.
(Maverick, “The Art Lovers, “ Season 5 Episode 2, October 1, 1961)

 

 

My ol’ pappy used to say, ‘There’s nothing like a boat trip if you’re going some place by water.'” recalled Bart Maverick. “As usual, “Pappy” was right.”
(Maverick, “The Golden Fleecing,” Season 5 Episode 3, October 8, 1961)

 

 

“Well, just what do you know about the stock market, son?” asked Loftus B. Jaggers.
“My ol’ pappy always taught me, ‘Buy low and sell high.'” answered Bart Maverick. 
(Maverick, “The Golden Fleecing,” Season 5 Episode 3, October 8, 1961)

 

 

My pappy used to say, ‘The most important thing to know about any gambling game is when to quit. opined Bart Maverick.
(Maverick, “The Golden Fleecing,” Season 5 Episode 3, October 8, 1961)

 

Quit while you’re ahead. All the best gamblers do.”
Baltasar Gracián y Morales

 

If you must play, decide upon three things at the start: the rules of the game, the stake, and the quitting time.”
Chinese Proverb

 

 

Bart Maverick recounted, “My pappy used to say about money: ‘It’s always there, only the pockets change.’ Well, so it was with Major Sims. His money was going so fast, it didn’t even have time to say goodbye to him.”
(Maverick, “A Technical Error, “ Season 5 Episode 5, November 26, 1961)

 

It often makes me know that as a cousin of mine once said about money, money is always there but the pockets change; it is not in the same pockets after a change, and that is all there is to say about money.”
Gertrude Stein, Wars I Have Seen (1945)

 

 

Bart Maverick recalled, “’Pappy’ always said I’d wind up owning a bank. Or, was it robbing a bank? I wish I could remember, because ‘Pappy’s’ predictions had an embarrassing way of coming true.”
(Maverick, “A Technical Error, “ Season 5 Episode 5, November 26, 2961)

 

 

My old pappy used to tell me that, uh, ‘Sulfur and molasses cure just about anything,’” related Bart Maverick.
Dr. Robespierre Jones added, “Except a sickness of the soul.”
You know, I don’t think my ol’ pappy ever thought of that,” observed Bart Maverick.
(Maverick, “Poker Face,” Season 5 Episode 6, January 14, 1962)

 

 

My old pappy used to tell me that, uh, ‘There’s imperfection in all of us. It just shows more on some, that’s all,’ said Bart Maverick.
(Maverick, “Poker Face,” Season 5 Episode 6, January 7, 1962)

 

 

My old pappy always told me to, Beware of regular employment, it just leads to clean living,’ quipped Bart Maverick.
(Maverick, “Mr. Muldoon’s Partner,” Season 5 Episode 7, April 15, 1962)

 

 

Bart Maverick spoke, “Most tourists are attracted by the local sights, monuments, and public buildings. But my pappy used to say, ‘You can tell more about a town by looking at its gambling emporium than any other edifice.’”
(Maverick, “Epitaph for a Gambler,” Season 5 Episode 8, February 11, 1962) 

 

 

Bart Maverick stated, “My pappy always said that, ‘Someday, a lady like Linda would make me forget all about Lady Luck’ and as usual, “’Pappy’ was right.”
(Maverick, “Epitaph for a Gambler,” Season 5 Episode 8, February 11, 1962)

 

 

My old pappy once told me, ‘Son, if you don’t git while the gittin’s good, you’re gonna get got,’” recollected Bart Maverick.
(Maverick, “Marshal Maverick ,” Season 5 Episode 10, March 11, 1962)

 

Git [out] while the gettin’s good” (“Get while the getting is good”) is a colloquial idiom.

 

 

According to ‘Pappy, ‘The easiest man to con is a con man,’” Bart Maverick (a.k.a Uncle Dimple Dumpling).
“Well, he should know,” agreed Jaqueline “Jackie” Sutton.
 (Maverick, “The Money Machine,” Season 5 Episode 12, April 8, 1962)

 

 

Bart Maverick quipped, “My old pappy always told me, ‘Any man who needs to make out a will just isn’t spending his money properly.’”
(Maverick, “One of Our Trains is Missing,” Season 5 Episode 13, April 22, 1962)

 

“Being of sound mind I spent all my money” is an idiom relating to wills.

 

The final episode mentions a will. Ironic or planned?

 

“’My ol’ pappy always told me, ‘Your fate is in your hand.  Stand pat or draw, it’s your to choose.
(Bret Maverick, “Theme,” December 1, 1981)

 

 

“Oh, my ol’ pappy always told me to, “’Trust my fellow man to be exactly what he is.'” Bret Maverick told Doc Holliday.
(Bret Maverick, “The Lazy Ace” Pilot*, Season 1 Episode 1, December 1, 1981)

 

Men who claim they just want to talk generally have more than just words on their mind.” groused Cyrus Whittaker.
“Is exactly what my old pappy used to say,” responded Bret Maverick.
(Bret Maverick, “The Lazy Ace” Pilot, Season 1 Episode 1, December 1, 1981)

 

 

““Pappy always told me to ‘Stay clear of men who promise no regrets‘ and here I am throwin’ a rope to one,” remembered Bret Maverick.
(Bret Maverick, The Lazy Ace” Pilot, Season 1 Episode 1, December 1, 1981)

 

 

Bret Maverick recollected, “As my old pappy used to say, ‘It’s a wise coyote that lets a rabbit run into his mouth‘ and I think maybe Sweetwater’s got room for this old coyote.”
(Bret Maverick, “The Lazy Ace” Pilot, Season 1 Episode 1, December 1, 1981)

 

 

Bret Maverick stated, “Yeah, well, my ol’ pappy always said that, ‘Importance comes in two sizes…yours and mine.‘”
(Bret Maverick, “Welcome to Sweetwater” Season 1 Episode 2, December 8, 1981)

 

 

No, we gotta make our move now. I figure a variation on the old shell game is about the best shot we’ve got,” proffered Bret Maverick.
Tom Guthrie asked, “What’s that?”
Bret Maverick responded, “Well, with Billy as a prize, he won’t want to take a chance on splittin’ his men. I figure we gotta make a choice on what shell the pea is under and hope he comes up empty.” …
Later, Mary Lou “M. L.” Springer, Territorian Newspaper Editor said, “Well, if Maverick’s pappy were around, he’d probably say something like, ‘The best place to hide the pea is under the table.’”
(Bret Maverick, “Anything for a Friend” Season 1 Episode 3, December 15, 1981)

 

 

Yeah, it’s kinda like my ol’ pappy always said, ‘No shame in being boondoggled, provided you know why,’” stated Bret Maverick.
(Bret Maverick, “Horse of Yet Another Color” Season 1 Episode 5 January 5, 1982)

 

 

“Well, it’s kinda like my ol’ pappy used to say, ‘When the light at the end of the tunnel is attached to another train, it’s time to switch railroads,‘” Bret Maverick.
(Bret Maverick, “Dateline: Sweetwater,” Season 1 Episode 6, January 12, 1982)

 

“A light at the end of the tunnel” is an idiom offering hope from the 1880s.

 

 

Bret Maverick stated, “Rich isn’t everything.”
Hallie McCulloch countered, “It beats the hell out of whatever’s in second place.”
Bret Maverick then offered, “You know what my old pappy used to say, ‘If the Lord had any respect for money, he’d give it to a better class of people.’”
To which Hallie McCulloch responded, “And my old “Mama“ used to say ‘Money can’t buy happiness, but it sure can rent it.’”
(Bret Maverick, “Hallie,“ Season 1 Episode 8, February 9, 1982)

 

Money buys everything, except for morality and citizens.”
Jean-Jacques Rousseau, 1750

 

 

“You know, my pappy always said, ‘The good Lord gave us wide mouths so we could swallow a lot of pride,” reminisced Bret Maverick.
(Bret Maverick, “The Ballad of Bret Maverick,” Season 1 Episode 9, February 16, 1982)

 

How long wilt thou not depart from me, nor let me alone till I swallow down my spittle?” Job 7:19, The Bible (KJV)

Swallow” used metaphorically in the sense of “refraining from expressing” one’s belief(s) has been used since the 1600s. (12)

 

 

“Yeah, well, I’ll tell ya’ Rodney, it’s kinda like my ol’ pappy always said, ‘When the lead starts flying, anybody that ain’t scared’s probably already dead,’” said Bret Maverick, offering solace to Rodney Catlow.
(Bret Maverick, “A Night at the Red Ox,” Season 1 Episode 10, February 23, 1982)

 

 

“Means a game goin’ on and I don’t know the rules… Like my pappy always said, “If you want to know what’s going on in a pack rat’s mind, you just find out what he hides with his loot.”
(Bret Maverick, “The Not So Magnificent Six,” Season 1 Episode 12, March 2, 1982)

 

 

My ol’ pappy always used to say, well he said a lot of things, but one thing he said was, ‘Never sneeze when you’re hiding. Never smile when you lie. Never, under any circumstance, never take money from women who’ve lost a dog or a wedding dress or had a burned out wagon,’” reminisced Bret Maverick.
(Maverick (movie 1994))

 

 

And finally,

“You know, my ol’ pappy always used to say, ‘There is no more deeply moving religious experience than cheating on a cheater‘,” stated Bret Maverick.
I never said that once,” retorted Beauregard “Pappy” Maverick. “You’ve been misquoting  me all your life.”
Bret asked, “What… What… What… Are we quibbling over fine points? Oh, please.”
“Pappy” fired back, “I’m sick of it!”
Bret responded, “I figure the things you say were always so dumb I had to improve on them, that’s all.”
“Pappy” then responded, “Oh, dumb, huh?” and pushed Bret’s head and cigar underwater.
Bret Maverick comes up and spouts, “Will you cut that out, “Pappy”!  These damn things are a buck apiece.  You brought me up to save money.
“Oh, really?  Let me have one.” said “Pappy.”
Bret pointed out, “Those are the good ones.”
“Pappy” took his advice, “These are the good ones?  Ya’ gotta match?”…
Bret then opined, “Nope, we ended up with a quarter of a million dollar silk shirt because my ol’ pappy always told me, “Never put the cart before…no…Don’t count your…no…Don’t ever put your eggs in one basket.”
To which “Pappy” replied, “Now that I said.”

Maverick (movie 1994)

 

*The episode numbers for the series Bret Maverick are herein counted as the number of dates the original episodes appeared – i.e. the two hour pilot (1) “The Lazy Ace” premiered in its entirety on December 1, 1981 and there were sixteen one hour episodes, for a total of 17 airings. Wiki and IMDb divide the original 2-hour pilot into two one-hour episodes for a total count of 18 episodes.

Sources

*”Pappy’s Proverbs” as christened by Bart Maverick in Maverick, “The Sheriff of Duck ‘N Shoot,” Season 3 Episode 3, September 27, 1959 (also referred to as “Pappyisms” by Roy Huggins **).

**Maverick Legend of the West Robertson, Ed, rev. 2nd ed.,©1994, 2012, Pomegranate Press, Ltd., Petaluma, CA (now in Portland, OR)

Episodes of Maverick (Television series)

IMDb

Wiki, Wiktionary

Trivia.Library.com

2 Idioms,TheFreeDictionary.com

3 Merriam-WebsterDictionary.com

4. AbrahamLincolnAssociation.org

5 wytv.com

6 barrypopik.com

7 Stuart Flexner and Doris Flexner, Wise Words and Wives’ Tales: The Origins, Meanings and Time-Honored Wisdom of Proverbs and Folk Sayings Olde and New, Avon Books, New York, 1993

8 OysterEnglish.com

9 WritingExplained.org

10 Grammarist.com

11 BibleHub.com

12 Dictionary.com

It should be noted that, in Season 5, episodes from previous seasons featuring James Garner as Bret Maverick, were sprinkled in the lineup. This listing sequences the episode numbers of new episodes only.