Status : Unsolved
Took me a little while to find this one, which scrolled by on Twitter. It’s not Shakespeare (at least, not in that form), but I’m trying to figure out a valid source.
Here’s a pointer to Henry James, circa 1864. That doesn’t mean he was first to use the expression, though.
The full quote, as James uses it:
We live for our dreams – but meanwhile, we live by our wits.