Did Oscar Wilde declare his genius to a customs officer? A famous quote atributed to Oscar Wilde is that, when he was asked by a customs officer in New York if he had anything to declare, he answered:

Did Oscar Wilde declare his genius to a customs officer? A famous quote atributed to Oscar Wilde is that, when he was asked by a customs officer in New York if he had anything to declare, he answered: > I have nothing to declare except my genius. Does this have any corroboration?

'Transatlantic Voyages and Sociology: The Migration and Development of Ideas' By Cherry Schrecker (Google Books) gives the date as 2 January 1882, and the actual quote as

> I have nothing to declare **but** my genius

(My emphasis)

Schrecker cites the book 'Oscar Wilde' by Richard Ellman (1988) and another source as 'Bradbury 1995', but having no access the the actual Schrecker book, this reference remains sketchy.