The phrase, "There is a sucker born every minute," is usually credited to P.T. Barnum. But when his biographer tried to track down when Barnum uttered this phrase all of his friends and acquaintances told him it was out of character. Joseph Bessimer is another candidate for coining this phrase.

The comedy group Firesign Theatre paraphrased this aphorism on their album Everything You Know Is Wrong to comment on "New Age" beliefs. In it a characters says: "Now don't be afraid here in the 'New Age', because there is a seeker born every minute."