Paul Harvey Riddle

Gary C. sent me this riddle which has been doing the rounds on email for quite a while, though I had never seen it before. As Gary pointed out, the interesting thing about this is not whether it really is a Paul Harvey riddle (I have no clue), or even the riddle itself. It's the claim that 80% of kindergarten kids got the answer while 83% of Stanford graduates were unable to. Instead of trying to track down whether or not a group of Stanford graduates ever has been tested with this riddle, I thought I'd do the next best thing. Take an unscientific poll of Museum of Hoaxes readers to see how many of you are able to figure out the answer right away vs. aren't able to. That'll give a rough approximation of the percentage of (presumably over-kindergarten age) people able to solve the riddle, assuming people answer the poll honestly.

I have to admit that I couldn't get the answer. I finally gave up and googled for the answer.

If you've seen the riddle before and already know the answer, then base your response to the poll on the first time you ever saw the riddle. Did you figure out the answer immediately? If you were in kindergarten when you first were given the riddle, then don't respond to the poll.

I put the answer in a link below for those people, like myself, unable to figure it out.

Paul Harvey RIDDLE:
When asked this riddle, 80% of kindergarten kids got the answer, compared to 17% of Stanford University seniors.

What is greater than God, More evil than the devil, The poor have it, The rich need it, And if you eat it, you'll die?

Send this to 10 people and then press shift and you will get the answer.
P.S. You won't believe this, but this really does give you the answer!!!!


The Answer

Psychology

Posted on Sat Feb 12, 2005


Comments

I didn't get it and I really did try. I even discussed it with my husband--I am a JD and own a successful business which (I hope) means I'm not completely! dumb...
I agree as a not very religous person, a number of things greater than god and more evil than the devil popped in my mind--money being the first thing, but the second part--the poor have it but the rich need it.
anyway, i love riddles like this where the answer once you hear it seems obvious--

what about this one--what has a bed but never sleeps has a mouth but never speaks?
the only other one i can share (I enjoyed the others listed) is the old standard-

what walks on 4 legs in the morning, 2 in the afternoon, and 3 in the evening?
Posted by ellen  on  Sat Dec 16, 2006  at  05:47 PM
The answer is "nothing". Nothing is greater then good, nothing is more evil then the devil, the poor have nothing, the rich need nothing, and if you eat nothing you will die. It's that simple!
Posted by Kim  on  Tue Jan 02, 2007  at  04:23 PM
Gee thanks Kim, we've been working on this for almost two years now. It's very lucky you happened by and gave us the answer.
Posted by Charybdis  on  Tue Jan 02, 2007  at  04:33 PM
Funny...I did get the riddle right, but not until I got to the very LAST clue and discovered that if you ate "nothing" you would certainly die. Then I worked my way backwards and felt like "nothing" could be a possible answer for every other clue. The word "nothing" was a good possible fit based on all the clues regardless of my personal beliefs. What I think is funny is that I actually wasted ten minutes of my life reading the posted comments and all the arguing about a silly riddle. If only we could harness all that passion and use it for something really important.
Posted by AL  on  Thu Jan 04, 2007  at  01:23 PM
The answer simply is nothing!!!!!! ha ha ha !!!

do you love it???
Posted by stephen buckner  on  Thu Jan 18, 2007  at  12:17 PM
Um, if there are this many people responding to this riddle, imagine how the world could be if we all put this much effort into stopping hate and discrimination? Just a thought...
Posted by Allie  on  Wed Jan 31, 2007  at  10:43 PM
Sadly, religion is the largest incubator of hate and discrimination out there. Not all religions, but certainly most.
Posted by Charybdis  on  Thu Feb 01, 2007  at  08:09 AM
I did figure it out, but I didn't know I had because my first resposne was Nothing is bigger than God. I didn't go far enough to answer the rest of it though.
Posted by Mary  on  Thu Apr 05, 2007  at  10:57 AM
:cheese:

I got the answer right away: Google!
Posted by Janet V  on  Fri Aug 24, 2007  at  10:51 AM
I had seen this a long time ago and couldn't figure it out then, and not now either. I had to click on the answer button. :long:
Posted by simplyme  on  Tue Sep 18, 2007  at  07:42 AM
i got it right away and im only ten just dont think so hard adults
Posted by sam  on  Thu Dec 13, 2007  at  03:09 PM
this is so fucking gay the answer is NOTHING!!!!!!
Posted by yo mama  on  Fri Jan 04, 2008  at  03:10 AM
The answer is nothing !!!
Nothing is greater than God,
more evil than the devil.
The poor have it,
the rich need it and if you eat
"nothing" you will die,
Posted by Carol King  on  Sat Feb 02, 2008  at  07:47 PM
please e-mail me the answer i cant figure it out
Posted by wil  on  Sun Apr 06, 2008  at  09:13 AM
The answer was immediately apparant to me, as a matter of faith, as soon as I read [what is greater than God].I am 54 years of age.
Thank God I can still think as simply as a child.
Posted by leonard phillips  on  Fri Jun 20, 2008  at  12:04 PM
i loved the riddle it was funny & sad all at the same time.
Posted by Amber L, Weber  on  Tue Jul 08, 2008  at  07:07 PM
I didn't get it. I never went to Stamford but I did go to kindergarten - 41 years ago. My kindergarten-age triplets didn't get it either and they are way, way brighter than I was at their age. In fact, I reckon it's a silly lie because the terminology and the abstrct concepts required to solve the riddle are about the level of a very bright fourteen-year-old, not a kindergarten child at all.
Posted by Anielka  on  Wed Jul 09, 2008  at  10:58 AM
I just read the first sentence and knew immediately that nothing is greater than God. The rest just fell into place. Guess my Christianity came through. I am a college grad, but that had nothing to do with my answer.
Posted by Linda  on  Sun Jul 13, 2008  at  10:55 PM
NO, I did not know figure out the answer. I was e-mailed it and it was bothering me so when I typed it in I found this page..... The first line got me because I couldn't come up with anything greater than God.. but it never occurred to me.. I am going to ask my 1st and 2nd grade children and see what response they have.
Posted by Rosanne  on  Mon Aug 18, 2008  at  12:00 PM
Hint: The answer is one thing the questions are 4 seperate ones. your right, rosanne. there isnt anything greter than God...
Posted by Me  on  Wed Oct 01, 2008  at  05:01 AM
Too bad it's just a stupid riddle and there is no God, huh?
Posted by Cranky Media Guy  on  Wed Oct 01, 2008  at  01:47 PM
i didn't get it but i did think at the time of reading it that nothing is greater than God.....my sophomore son got it right away though.
Posted by diana allen  on  Fri Jan 09, 2009  at  11:16 PM
I'm not sure but is it love? 💋 😊
Posted by (G)  on  Sat Feb 21, 2009  at  01:24 PM
Paul Harvey was infamous for embroidering his folksy anecdotes, including engaging in outright lies (for example, his tale of Mel Gibson having had his face destroyed as a young unknown and it being rebuilt by plastic surgery, to say nothing of some of Harvey's blatherings about Abraham Lincoln). It wouldn't surprise me in the least if he'd made up the statistics.

The correct answer to this riddle is "who cares?"
Posted by JFT  on  Sat Feb 28, 2009  at  11:11 PM
WHAT IT IS??
Posted by WAYNE PINKSTON  on  Mon Mar 02, 2009  at  01:37 AM
THE ANSWER IS MONEY im 13
Posted by Joe  on  Sat Apr 04, 2009  at  08:03 PM
It took me a few minutes of looking for a more complicated answer before asking myself what was greater than God? And then it was clear...
Posted by HRM  on  Thu Apr 09, 2009  at  06:33 AM
I was unable able to see that it was nothing. I had to look at the answer and process it. I find it incorrect. Poor people do not have nothing, they have each other (family). Poor people may not have money but they do not have nothing.

I feel sorry for the cynic who beleives that and they clearly did not read the powerful message of having enough humility, strife, love, and care.

Blessings to all.

PS. Not a Stanford Grad but a poor single mother who has EVERYthing I need, my family!
Posted by MarnieGayle  on  Sat Apr 11, 2009  at  07:10 AM
I liked the answer of "love" that (G) posted. It makes sense except for the eating part, but other than that it was a very creative answer.
Posted by Terra  on  Wed Apr 22, 2009  at  07:54 PM
mitch,

are you saying you believe in aliens but not Canadians? wow, your awesome! so do you think I will go to purgatory for not capitalizing this note properly? if he really exists do you think he gives a #*@! about gramar or this stupid riddle for that matter? btw, we Canadians do exist and we help just fine, my friends and loved ones are fighting in the stan still for your country's choices.
Posted by Fran  on  Thu Jul 16, 2009  at  09:57 AM
humility
Posted by ToniaK  on  Tue Jul 28, 2009  at  10:24 PM
i got it right! but googled the answer to check!
Posted by Aura Kolnik  on  Mon Mar 15, 2010  at  01:19 AM
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