Fragrance Quote
“Smells are surer than sounds or sights” is often credited to a German thinker. It comes from Rudyard Kipling’s 1903 poem “Lichtenberg,” named for a town in South Africa.
The Correction
“Smells are surer than sounds or sights to make your heart-strings crack.”
— Rudyard Kipling, “Lichtenberg” (1903)
Essential Details
Who Wrote “Smells Are Surer Than Sounds or Sights”? at a Glance
- Speaker: Rudyard Kipling (1865–1936)
- Source: Poem “Lichtenberg,” 1903
- Status: Public domain in most countries
- Correction: Lichtenberg is a South African town; we found no Georg Lichtenberg line
The Mix-Up
The poem is named for a town in South Africa, and the name appears to have led people to attach the line to the German writer Georg Lichtenberg. We found no such line by him. Kipling’s verse is the source.
The Line Still Fits
It is a close cousin of Proust and of Ackerman on memory. See The History of Perfume and read the quotes we could not verify.
Why it matters
The line is Kipling’s, from a 1903 poem named for a South African town.