"Curiosity killed the cat, but satisfaction brought it back" is a variation of a proverb, "curiosity killed the cat", that includes the rejoinder "but satisfaction brought it back." Although the original version was used to warn of the dangers of unnecessary investigation or experimentation, the addition of the rejoinder indicates that the risk would lead to resurrection because of the satisfaction felt after finding out. The resurrection element may be a reference to the multiple lives of a cat.
Contents
Origin
On 10 August 1905, the The Galveston Daily News newspaper (page 6) printed the following quotation without the word satisfaction:
Curiosity killed a cat; but it came back.
On 23 December 1912, the earliest known printed reference to this variation of the proverb is found in The Titusville Herald newspaper (page 6):
By 15 May 1924, the proverb appears to have been well known, as this quote from The Jewell Record newspaper (page 3) indicates:
Come May 19th and 21st and see this puzzle completed. As the saying goes "Curiosity killed a cat, satisfaction brought it back."
Modern usage
The album New Values (1979) by Iggy Pop contains the song "Curiosity" written by Iggy Pop and Scott Thurston. The song includes the following lines: