Life & Wisdom Quote by Ogden Nash

Ogden Nash compresses a familiar cycle into a wry truth: the act of borrowing often feels like a celebration, while the act of paying back feels like a chore. Pleasure sits at the front end of the transaction, pain at the back end, and the symmetry of his sentence makes the contrast sting. The verb choice matters. To speak of "retiring" debts, rather than simply paying them, adds a mock formality, as if the ordeal were a dignified ceremony. The politeness of the word clashes with the dread and drudgery that repayment actually entails, sharpening the humor.

The observation grew out of a culture embracing installment plans and charge accounts. Mid-20th-century America normalized buying now and paying later, and Nash, the master of light verse, turned that normalization into a punchline that still bites. He sidesteps scolding and lets structure do the moralizing: "some" suggests there are cheerful varieties of debt when a shiny object is in sight, but "none" closes the door on the idea that any debt remains fun when the bill arrives.

Beyond money, the line stretches to the debts of time, favors, and promises. Agreeing to help next week is easy when next week is far away. Accepting invitations, taking on projects, or adding commitments feels energizing in the moment; the actual follow-through is where enthusiasm fades. Nash captures present bias before psychologists gave it a name: we overvalue immediate gratification and undervalue future costs.

The couplet offers both a smile and a nudge. Before acquiring, imagine the moment of retiring. What seems like a harmless indulgence today becomes an obligation tomorrow, and the future self is the one asked to sweep up after the party. Nash does not argue that all debt is wicked; he simply reminds us that fun at the front end has a price tag on the back, and humor is his way of tapping the brake.