John Maynard Keynes? Austin Robinson? Fictional? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: Many times I have seen the following quote attributed to John Maynard Keynes: Capitalism is the astounding belief that the most wickedest of men will do the most wickedest of things for the greatest good of everyone. I cannot find a solid citation. Also, …
Monthly Archives: February 2011
Quote Origin: A Gift Book Is an Item Which You Wouldn’t Take on Any Other Terms
Dorothy Parker? Walter Winchell? Fictional? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: Recently, I gave a close friend a book as a gift, and on the accompanying card I included a quotation that Dorothy Parker once used in a book review: This must be a gift book. That is to say, a book which you wouldn’t take …
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Dialogue Origin: “Do You Prefer Grass or Astroturf” “I Don’t Know. I Never Smoked Astroturf”
Tug McGraw? Joe Namath? Charles Edward Greene? Bill Lee? Fictional? Question for Quote Investigator: I laughed out loud when I read the answer given by Major League Baseball star Tug McGraw when he was asked whether he preferred grass or Astroturf: I dunno. I never smoked any Astroturf. This quote appeared in a newspaper article …
Quote Origin: Let Us Hope Darwinism is Not True, But If It is, Let Us Pray It Does Not Become Widely Known
Wife of the Bishop of Worcester? Wife of the Bishop of Birmingham? Wife of Samuel Wilberforce? Robert Forman Horton? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: There is a remarkable quotation that dramatically highlights the controversial intersection between science and religion in the nineteenth century. The words were attributed to a Bishop’s wife in an anecdote in …
Quote Origin: You Have Reached the Pinnacle of Success as Soon as You Become Uninterested in Money, Compliments, or Publicity
Thomas Wolfe? Orlando Aloysius Battista? Eddie Rickenbacker? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: While searching for quotations about success I found the following: You have reached the pinnacle of success as soon as you become uninterested in money, compliments, or publicity. Several web pages credit this saying to the famous writer Thomas Wolfe, but I’ve read …