Kurt Vonnegut? Winston Niles Rumfoord? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: A good friend of mine is a volunteer firefighter, and he asked me about a quote credited to Kurt Vonnegut: I can think of no more stirring symbol of man’s humanity to man than a fire engine This statement can be found on many websites …
Monthly Archives: May 2012
Quote Origin: I Paint with My Prick
Pierre-Auguste Renoir? Jean Renoir? Ōe Kenzaburō? Jeanette Winterson? D. H. Lawrence? Bernard Malamud? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: The master painter Pierre-Auguste Renoir is my favorite Impressionist artist. For many years he has been credited with the following outrageous facetious quotation: I paint with my prick. Recently, I was surprised to discover that the Oxford …
Quote Origin: Men Occasionally Stumble Over the Truth, But They Pick Themselves Up and Hurry Off
Winston Churchill? Simon Singh? Stanley Baldwin? The Reader’s Digest? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: Simon Singh is a fine author who writes knowledgeably about mathematical and scientific topics. His book “Big Bang: The Origin of the Universe” credited the following words to the statesman Winston Churchill: Men occasionally stumble over the truth, but most of …
Quote Origin: You Only Live Once – YOLO
Drake? Schlitz Beer? Fritz Lang? Honoré de Balzac? Joe E. Lewis? Frank Sinatra? Fyodor Dostoevsky? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: In 2011 a song called “The Motto” by Drake was released, and it contained this expression: You only live once. The acronym YOLO was popularized by this song, I think. But I have heard the …
Quote Origin: There Is No Right Way to Do the Wrong Thing
Toby Keith? Charles Jewett? W. Adam? Seneca the Younger? Waylon Jennings? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: A song by the country music superstar Toby Keith includes the following words in the chorus: Ain’t no right way, To do the wrong thing, The song is on the album “White Trash With Money” which was released in …
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Quote Origin: Do Good Anyway. The Paradoxical Commandments
Mother Teresa? Kent M. Keith? Dempsey Byrd? Howard Ferguson? E. T. Gurney? Lucinda Vardey? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: Mother Teresa is credited with a very popular collection of wise rules. Here are the first two: People are often unreasonable, illogical and self-centered; Forgive them anyway. If you are kind, people may accuse you of …
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Quote Origin: Everything Is Energy and That’s All There Is To It. Match the Frequency of the Reality You Want
Albert Einstein? Darryl Anka? Bashar? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: Many odd quotations are credited to the brilliant scientist Albert Einstein, and recently I have seen another peculiar example featured on Facebook and multiple websites: Everything is energy and that’s all there is to it. Match the frequency of the reality you want and you …
Quote Origin: Denial Is Not a River in Egypt
Florence Kerns? Ray Hallinan? Herb Caen? Pauline Tymon? Larry Pickard? David Crosby? Joe Bob Briggs? Al Franken? Stuart Smalley? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: The Saturday Night Live television program once featured skits with a character named Stuart Smalley who was played by the comedian and former senator Al Franken. Smalley was enamored with self-help …
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Quote Origin: Everybody Steals in Commerce and Industry. I’ve Stolen A Lot Myself
Thomas Edison? Martin André Rosanoff? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: While reading a novel about the remarkable inventor Nikola Tesla I came across a statement credited to Thomas Edison that I find very hard to believe: Everyone steals in commerce and industry. I’ve stolen a lot, myself. But I know how to steal! They don’t …
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Quote Origin: Life is What Happens To You While You’re Busy Making Other Plans
John Lennon? Allen Saunders? Quin Ryan? Walter Ward? Henry Cooke? Robert Balzer? L. S. McCandless? Publilius Syrus? Thomas a Kempis? William Gaddis? Question for Quote Investigator: Recently, a medical emergency threw all my carefully constructed plans into complete disarray. I was reminded of a remarkably astute and ruefully humorous saying credited to the musical superstar …
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