# Trying to remember a Bloom County quotation **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 9, 2009, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trying-to-remember-a-bloom-county-quotation/492581 "2009-04-09T23:28:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2009, 11:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trying-to-remember-a-bloom-county-quotation/492581/1 "2009-04-09T23:28:45Z")
In one Bloom County strip, Oliver Wendall Jones says something along the lines of “Another beautiful theory spoiled by inconvenient facts.” I’m pretty sure I’ve not got it right, and I can’t remember the context. Can the Dopers help me? ---
**Author:** ![Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47c2d/32.png) [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)\ **Post date:** [April 9, 2009, 11:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trying-to-remember-a-bloom-county-quotation/492581/2 "2009-04-09T23:39:50Z")
I can’t help with the exact wording as it appears in the strip, but I believe either Opus or Milo pipes up after that line “Herbert Spencer said it first.” The Spencer quote as I find it online is “There is nothing so tragic as a beautiful theory foiled by an inconvenient fact.” ---
**Author:** ![Andy\_L](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c67d28/32.png) [@Andy\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy_L)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2009, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trying-to-remember-a-bloom-county-quotation/492581/3 "2009-04-10T00:05:00Z")
> [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](#): > > I can’t help with the exact wording as it appears in the strip, but I believe either Opus or Milo pipes up after that line “Herbert Spencer said it first.” The Spencer quote as I find it online is “There is nothing so tragic as a beautiful theory foiled by an inconvenient fact.” This quote "“The great tragedy of Science: the slaying of a beautiful hypothesis by an ugly fact” is attributed to Thomas Henry Huxley and I think that’s who it was attributed to in the comic ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2009, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trying-to-remember-a-bloom-county-quotation/492581/4 "2009-04-10T00:07:26Z")
Teacher: Original ideas? There are no truly original ideas lift in science, Mr Jones. OWJ: Au contraire! I myselft have an original idea! Teacher: Original Mr. Jones? OWJ: 100% original! A first! Truly unique! Allow me to present my findings! OWJ: The following formula shows conclusively how the entire world’s energy needs can be fulfilled with only two porcupines, an exercise wheel, and six tons of “raisin bran”. Truly … an original notion. OWJ: There! It all adds up! Teacher: … Except that porcupines are alergic to raisins. Teacher: Failure, Mr Jones, is hardly very original. Sit down. OWJ: The great tragedy of science – the slaying of an original, beautiful hypothesis by an ugly fact. Milo: Thomas Huxley said it first. Bloom Country Babylon - Five Years of Basic Naughtiness, p. 117 ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2009, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trying-to-remember-a-bloom-county-quotation/492581/5 "2009-04-10T02:14:56Z")
I knew you guys would come through - thanks! ---
**Author:** ![Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/e47c2d/32.png) [@Biffy\_the\_Elephant\_Shrew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biffy_the_Elephant_Shrew)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2009, 2:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trying-to-remember-a-bloom-county-quotation/492581/6 "2009-04-10T02:21:05Z")
> [@Andy\_L](#): > > This quote "“The great tragedy of Science: the slaying of a beautiful hypothesis by an ugly fact” is attributed to Thomas Henry Huxley and I think that’s who it was attributed to in the comic Thanks for the correction; I definitely should have remembered Huxley. :smack: