Tracing Quotations
The Stichery? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: The classic fairy tale “The Frog Prince” is told with many different variations. In the most common modern version a Princess kisses a frog, and the animal is transformed into a handsome Prince. A humorous maxim has been constructed based on this scenario: You have to kiss a …
Continue reading “Quote Origin: You Have To Kiss A Lot Of Frogs To Find Your Prince”
Mark Twain? Warren Neufeld? Bruce Babbitt? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: Fresh water is an essential resource, and the battles over water rights in the Western region of the United States can be bruising. Famed humorist Mark Twain is often given credit for an incisively funny remark about this. Here are three versions: Whiskey is …
Continue reading “Quote Origin: Whiskey Is for Drinking; Water Is for Fighting Over”
Drake? Lawrence T. Holman? Chet Huntley? Katharine Ross? Rose Tremain? Wayne Dyer? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: William Shakespeare said “All the world’s a stage”, and the metaphor of life as a theatrical performance has a very long history. The quotation that interests me fits in this metaphorical framework, but I think it was coined …