"Nevertheless, it is hard not to see some Alice-in-Wonderland logic in action here. 'Good' advice cannot, except in Humpty Dumpty language, be better than 'best'."
—Philip Coggan, " 'Best advice' you might do better to ignore," Financial Times (London)
This phrase probably derives from the following scene in Lewis Carroll's "Through the Looking Glass":
"There's glory for you!"
"I don't know what you mean by 'glory,' " Alice said.
Humpty Dumpty smiled contemptuously. "Of course you don't—till I tell you. I meant 'there's a nice knock-down argument for you!' "
"But 'glory' doesn't mean 'a nice knock-down argument,' " Alice objected.
"When I use a word," Humpty Dumpty said, in rather a scornful tone, "it means just what I choose it to mean—neither more nor less."
"The question is, " said Alice, "whether you can make words mean so many different things."
"The question is," said Humpty Dumpty. "which is to be master—that's all."
