82% sureThese words were traced back to where they first appeared. That source is listed below.
What turned up
Bernard Baruch's remembered retort, recorded in Bennett Cerf's Shake Well Before Using (1948). NOT the longer 'Be who you are...' version falsely credited to Dr. Seuss, which has no Seuss citation
Work
Shake Well Before Using (Bennett Cerf)
Occasion
1948 · United States · Baruch's remembered retort to a society columnist, recorded in Cerf's anecdote collection
Sources checked
en.wikiquote.orgChecked using claude-sonnet-5, 21 August 2026Wikiquote sourced to Bennett Cerf, Shake Well Before Using, 1948, p. 249
Nothing made from these words yet — Storyfaire is where they get made.
