Warren Buffett? Peter Lynch? Dear Quote Investigator: In 2008 I read an interview with the super-investor Warren Buffett in which he said you should put your money into a company that can be run by an idiot because eventually it will be run by an idiot. But that advice sounded familiar to me. Did someone …
Monthly Archives: May 2010
Golf is a Good Walk Spoiled
Mark Twain? William Gladstone? A Northern Gael? F. W. Payn? Sam Loates? The Allens? Harry Leon Wilson? Anonymous? Dear Quote Investigator: I love to play golf, but sometimes when I am playing poorly I am tempted to simply walk the course and get some exercise. When I mentioned this to a friend he told me …
Not Everything That Counts Can Be Counted
Albert Einstein? William Bruce Cameron? Hilliard Jason? Stephen Ross? Lord Platt? George Pickering? Dear Quote Investigator: Recently I saw a comic strip titled “Baby Einstein” that contained a few quotations that are often attributed to Albert Einstein. I think the following saying is very insightful: Not everything that counts can be counted, and not everything …
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Want a Friend in Washington, Get a Dog
Harry Truman? Samuel Gallu? Gordon Gekko? Dear Quote Investigator: I love dogs and live near Washington D.C. One of my favorite quotes is attributed to former President Harry Truman who experienced some bruising political battles and said, “If you want a friend in Washington, get a dog.” Could you please investigate this quote? Quote Investigator: …
A Single Death Is a Tragedy; A Million Deaths Is a Statistic
Joseph Stalin? Leonard Lyons? Beilby Porteus? Kurt Tucholsky? Erich Maria Remarque? Dear Quote Investigator: There is a vivid statement that typifies a heartless attitude toward human mortality: A single death is a tragedy; a million deaths is a statistic. These words are often attributed to the Soviet leader Joseph Stalin, but I have not found …
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Part Went for Liquor, Part for Women, Rest Spent Foolishly
Channing Pollock? George Raft? Tug McGraw? Stan Bowles? George Best? Dear Quote Investigator: George Raft was my favorite film star from the Golden Age of Hollywood. He often played gangsters and was memorable in “Some Like it Hot”. Raft was known for his high income in Tinseltown and for his wild profligacy. The quotation that …
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Better to Remain Silent and Be Thought a Fool than to Speak and Remove All Doubt
Abraham Lincoln? Mark Twain? Biblical Proverb? Maurice Switzer? Arthur Burns? John Maynard Keynes? Confucius? Anonymous? Dear Quote Investigator: Here are two versions of an entertaining saying that is usually credited to Abraham Lincoln or Mark Twain: Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak and to remove all doubt. It’s better …
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Time is Money. Benjamin Franklin?
Dear Quote Investigator: As an entrepreneur I marvel at the wisdom and concision of the following maxim: Time is money. This is usually credited to Benjamin Franklin, but I have become skeptical about attributions after reading this blog. So, I performed my own exploration for this saying and determined that it was indeed Franklin who …
Samuel Goldwyn’s Impossible Quote
Dear Quotation Investigator: Samuel Goldwyn, the Hollywood studio chief, was famous for his creatively humorous speech errors. A famous actor once asked if he could be in one of Goldwyn’s new productions. But Goldwyn did not like the actor, and he supposedly said: I can answer you in two words, “im possible.” Well, that is …
These Are My Principles. If You Don’t Like Them I Have Others
Groucho Marx? American Legislator? Anonymous? Dear Quotation Investigator: My favorite quip attributed to Groucho Marx is perfect for describing some politicians: These are my principles. If you don’t like them I have others. Was Groucho impersonating a politician when he said this? Quote Investigator: It is not clear whether Groucho did employ this joke. But …
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