Bobby Jones? Stewart Maiden? Harvey Penick? Anonymous? Dear Quote Investigator: Sometimes a golfer who is looking down a narrow fairway becomes overly cautious when striking the ball. The resulting golf shot travels off course or is too short. There is a popular piece of advice to counter this self-defeating tentative behavior. Here are three versions: …
Yearly Archives: 2013
We Can Complain Because Rose Bushes Have Thorns, or Rejoice Because Thorn Bushes Have Roses
Abraham Lincoln? Alphonse Karr? B. Fay Mills? Roe Fulkerson? J. Kenfield Morley? Anonymous? Dear Quote Investigator: A popular quotation about achieving the proper perspective on life is often attributed to Abraham Lincoln: We can complain because rose bushes have thorns, or rejoice because thorn bushes have roses. Optimistic and pessimistic viewpoints are ingeniously contrasted in …
Believe Those Who Are Seeking the Truth; Doubt Those Who Find It
Václav Havel? André Gide? François Truffaut? Marcel Proust? John Dingell Sr.? Luis Buñuel? Amanda Palmer? Voltaire? Anonymous? Dear Quote Investigator: There is a provocative saying about leadership, discipleship, and the search for truth that is commonly attributed to the Czech statesman Václav Havel who passed away in 2011. Here are two versions: Follow the man …
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Reorganizing is a Wonderful Method for Creating the Illusion of Progress while Actually Producing Confusion, Inefficiency, and Demoralization
Gaius Petronius Arbiter? Robert Townsend? Charlton Ogburn Jr.? Apocryphal? Dear Quote Investigator: A famous book about management titled “Up the Organization: How to Stop the Corporation from Stifling People and Strangling Profits” contains a very funny and insightful quotation about reorganization:[1]1970, Up the Organization: How to Stop the Corporation from Stifling People and Strangling Profits …
What Is the Difference Between a Misfortune and a Calamity?
Benjamin Disraeli? Prince Jérôme Napoléon? Napoleon III? French Academician? Mr. Snigger? Suffragette? Max O’Rell? Paul Blouët? Apocryphal? Dear Quote Investigator: The statesman Benjamin Disraeli was famous for his witticisms and barbs. Reportedly he was once asked about the difference in meaning between the words “misfortune” and “calamity”, and he constructed a jest aimed at his …
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Don’t Bend; Don’t Water It Down; Don’t Try to Make It Logical; Don’t Edit Your Own Soul According to the Fashion
Franz Kafka? Anne Rice? Russell Brand? Apocryphal? Dear Quote Investigator: The comedian and controversial wild man Russell Brand released the bestselling autobiography “My Booky Wook” in 2007 and the sequel “Booky Wook 2: This Time It’s Personal” in 2010. The sequel had a fascinating epigraph on the first page:[1] 2010, Booky Wook 2: This Time …
If You Haven’t Got It, You Can’t Show It. If You Have Got It, You Can’t Hide It
Zora Neale Hurston? Apocryphal? Dear Quote Investigator: A quotation about success has been attributed to the prominent American author and pioneering folklorist Zora Neale Hurston. Here are two versions: Those who don’t got it, can’t show it. Those who got it, can’t hide it Those that don’t got it, can’t show it. Those that got …
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They’re Cheering Us Both, You Because Nobody Understands You, and Me Because Everybody Understands Me
Charlie Chaplin? Albert Einstein? János Plesch? Hans Albert Einstein? Eduard Einstein? Apocryphal? Dear Quote Investigator: The entertainer Charlie Chaplin and the scientist Albert Einstein were two of the most famous individuals of the last century. I have heard the following anecdote about a meeting between them in the 1930s. While traveling together they were recognized …
You Can Get Much Further with a Kind Word and a Gun than with a Kind Word Alone
Al Capone? Irwin Corey? Ted Bessell? Robert De Niro? Willie Sutton? Apocryphal? Dear Quote Investigator: The notorious gangster Al Capone reportedly had an odd sense of humor and joked about using coercion. Here are three versions of a saying that is attributed to him: You get a lot more from a kind word and a …
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Some People Never Miss an Opportunity to Miss an Opportunity
George Bernard Shaw? Abba Eban? Anonymous? Dear Quote Investigator: There is a popular phrase used to criticize individuals and groups. Here are three examples: Some politicians never miss an opportunity to miss an opportunity. He never missed an occasion of losing an opportunity. This group loses no chance to miss an opportunity. Can you determine …
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