It was in 1972 when Nixon won and there was not much to laugh about. And I was speaking in Boston to a large, youthful audience…And somebody said, “How do you explain that we here in Massachusetts were the only state to vote for McGovern?” And I said, “Well, I could compliment you and say Boston is the Athens of America,” and they started to applaud dutifully, and I said “No, no, no.” I said “It’s not that.” I said “Since the beginning of the Republic, Massachusetts has been the most corrupt state in the Union and you know a crook when you see one!“
–Transcribed from a 2003 interview at the New York Society for Ethical Culture.
