“When life gives you lemons, make lemonade” is an old saying from the early 1900s. “When life gives you lemons, make orange juice and leave the world wondering how you did it” is a jocular variation that has been printed on many images. “When life gives you lemons, make apple juice and let them wonder how you did it” was posted to a newsgroup in 1997. “When life gives you lemons, make grape juice. Then sit back and let the world wonder how you did it” was posted to a newsgroup in 1999.
“When life gives you lemons, make orange juice” was posted to a newsgroup in 2004. The orange juice version has been the most popular one.
Google Groups: rec.games.trading-cards.marketplace.magic.trades
Trading for Foreign Assaults
KillHart
9/28/97
(...)
When life gives you lemons, make apple juice and let them wonder how you did it.
Google Groups: alt.lifestyle.furry
A new future…
Lunarsong
9/20/99
(...)
When life gives you lemons, make grape juice. Then sit back and let the world wonder how you did it.
Google Groups: alt.startrek
New Year’s Star Trek:Enterprise Poll
Sir Toby Belch
1/2/04
(...)
When life gives you lemons, make orange juice.
Twitter
Cassi Loutzenhiser
@loudcassi
When life hands you lemons make orange juice, then lean back and watch as people try to figure out how you did that.
4:16 PM - 18 Jun 2008
Twitter
DantesSpirit
@DantesSpirit
“When life gives you lemons, make orange juice and leave the world wondering how the hell you did it”
1:42 PM - 20 Oct 2008
31 May 2009, York (PA) Daily Record, “Hats off for class of 2009 Area schools send off their seniors” by Nicki Stiger, pg. 1:
Class motto: When life hands you lemons, make orange juice. Then sit back and let people wonder how you did it.
Google Books
Make Your Own Lunch:
How to Live an Epically Epic Life through Work, Travel, Wonder, and (Maybe) College
By Ryan Porter
Naperville, IL: Sourcebooks, Inc.
2014
Pg. 173:
When life gives you lemons, make orange juice and then wonder how you did it.—Unknown
Twitter
Bill Murray
@BiIIMurray
When life gives you lemons, make orange juice and leave life wondering how you did it.
8:59 PM - 9 Mar 2017
Above, a 1934 plaque from the Big Apple Night Club at West 135th Street and Seventh Avenue in Harlem. Discarded as trash in 2006. Now a Popeyes fast food restaurant on Google Maps.
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Above, Big Apple Corner at 54th Street and Broadway in Manhattan. Google Maps. Stolen and missing, 2021-2024.
Above, John J. Fitz Gerald, from the Aug. 15, 1931, Binghamton (NY) Press, pg. 14.
Listen to Robert Emmerich introduce "The Big Apple," a hit song from 1937. Music written by Bob and performed by Tommy Dorsey's Clambake Seven with Bob on piano. Lyrics written by Buddy Bernier and sung by Edythe Wright. Audio provided by Dorothy Emmerich.
Also listen to a 1937 "The Big Apple" song by Ozzie Nelson and his Orchestra. See a 1929 photo of John J. Fitz Gerald and a 1931 photo of John J. Fitz Gerald.
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