English

Alternative forms

• nobody ever went broke underestimating the taste of the American public
• no one ever went broke underestimating the taste of the American people

Proverb

nobody ever went broke underestimating the taste of the American people

1. Americans, as a group, do not have good taste or sophistication and can be easily amused or distracted to produce financial benefit for someone.
   • 1982 June 13, Edwin McDowell, "About Books and Authors," New York Times (retrieved 13 Sep 2015):

     “I remembered that nobody ever went broke underestimating the taste of the American public, so I set out to write the worst novel it was humanly possible to write and still get published,” he said.

Usage notes

• In a common variant version of this proverb, the term intelligence is used instead of taste.

See also

• nobody ever went broke underestimating the intelligence of the American people

References

1. ↑ Ralph Keyes, The Quote Verifier: Who Said What, Where, and When (2006), pp. 17-18.