January 10, Notable Deaths and Quotes

On January 10 in years past, the world lost David Bowie, Paul Lynde, Coco Chanel, William “Buffalo Bill” Cody, and Carolus (Carl) Linnaeus. Learn more about them through their words.

David Bowie, musician and actor (1947–2016)

“Don’t you love the Oxford Dictionary? When I first read it, I thought it was a really, really long poem about everything.” —David Bowie
Johnnny. “FMO’s Final Interview With David Bowie.” fmobserver.com, March 4, 2016, http://fmobserver.com/fmos-final-interview-with-david-bowie/.

“I went mainstream in a major way with the song ‘Let’s Dance.’ I pandered to that in my next few albums, and what I found I had done was put a box around myself. It was very hard for people to see me as anything other than the person in the suit who did ‘Let’s Dance,’ and it was driving me mad — because it took all my passion for experimenting away.” —David Bowie
“Life Lessons from David Bowie.” Interview, September 1, 2021, https://www.interviewmagazine.com/music/life-lessons-from-david-bowie.

“I don’t know where I’m going from here, but I promise it won’t be boring.” —David Bowie
Silverberg, Nicole. “Mourning David Bowie, Dead at 69.” GQ, January 11, 2016, https://www.gq.com/story/mourning-david-bowie-dead-at-69.

Paul Lynde, actor and comedian (1926–1982)

“I was real good in high school. And then in college, I don’t know, if it was cloudy or somebody’s birthday, I didn’t go to school.” —Paul Lynde
Carson, Johnny. “’The Tonight Show’ Paul Lynde Pt 2 1976.” YouTube, September 24, 2015, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2kQ9Ig4s1Zk.

“I played around a lot, I’m ashamed to say. I lost my father. Neither one of my parents ever saw me do anything. It’s an awful thing to say, but I think my father’s passing made me do something finally. I had no more help.” —Paul Lynde
Carson, Johnny. “’The Tonight Show’ Paul Lynde Pt 2 1976.” YouTube, September 24, 2015, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2kQ9Ig4s1Zk.

“I did train to be an actor, and I try to always act and give the playwright the justice he deserves because I think you’re only as good as what you say.” —Paul Lynde
Osborn, Wes. “Paul Lynde Interview (1971) on Theatre, Acting & Bewitched.” YouTube, October 13, 2018, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yIC5v-V4ues.

Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel, fashion designer (1883–1971)

“I’ve never made a penny out of publicity.  The couture business spent a fortune on maintaining publicity, which is more than nonsense, it’s an absurdity, since extravagance damages character.” —Coco Chanel
Morand, Paul. “The Allure of Chanel.” Pushkin Press, November 19, 2013.

“My hands look like they are because they are tired. They’ve seen so much. This is how I speak.” —Coco Chanel
“Exclusive Interview: Three Weeks With Coco Chanel.” Marie Claire, December 23, 2014, https://www.marieclaire.co.uk/news/fashion-news/three-weeks-with-coco-chanel-36226.

“By starting out with what is beautiful, you can always revert to what is simple, practical and cheap; from a finely made dress, revert to ready-made, but the opposite is not true. That is why, when you go out into the streets, fashion dies its natural death.” —Coco Chanel
Morand, Paul. “The Allure of Chanel.” Pushkin Press, November 19, 2013.

William “Buffalo Bill” Cody, soldier and bison hunter (1846–1917)

“They called me ‘Buffalo’ Bill because I had that buffalo contract with the U.P. and got down over 4,250 for meat.” —William “Buffalo Bill” Cody
Thomas, Chauncey. “Buffalo Bill’s Last Interview.” Outdoor Life, Recurrent, May 1917, p. 494.

“Bill Hichox was not a bad man, as is so often pictured. But he was a bad man to tackle. Always cool, always cheerful, almost, about it. And he never killed a man unless that man was trying to kill him. That’s fair.” —William “Buffalo Bill” Cody
Thomas, Chauncey. “Buffalo Bill’s Last Interview.” Outdoor Life, Recurrent, May 1917, p. 494.

Carolus (Carl) Linnaeus, naturalist and botanist (1707–1778)

“The strength of the Beaver in its fore teeth, so as to cut through the trunk of the largest aspen trees, is I believe beyond that of any other animal.” —Carolus (Carl) Linnaeus
Von Linne, Carl. “A Tour in Lapland, Volume 1.” Project Gutenberg, https://www.gutenberg.org/files/34779/34779-h/34779-h.htm, p. 91.

“As the reindeer walks along, a crackling noise proceeds from its feet. This excited my curiosity; and inquiring what was supposed to be the cause, the only answer I could get from any one was, that ‘our Lord had made it so.’” —Carolus (Carl) Linnaeus
Von Linne, Carl. “A Tour in Lapland, Volume 1.” Project Gutenberg, https://www.gutenberg.org/files/34779/34779-h/34779-h.htm, p. 311.

“The exquisite purity and good flavour of water always depend on the snow, which tends to preserve water as salt does meat. We all know how soon water is spoiled by keeping in a warm place, and, on the contrary, how long it may be preserved in a cold one. The Laplanders treasure up the snow water as if it were the choicest wine.” —Carolus (Carl) Linnaeus
Von Linne, Carl. “A Tour in Lapland, Volume 1.” Project Gutenberg, https://www.gutenberg.org/files/34779/34779-h/34779-h.htm, p. 362.