A. A. Milne? Apocryphal? Dear Quote Investigator: “Penny Dreadful” was the name given to a class of literature which emerged in the nineteenth century and was designed to appeal to young men and boys. I am trying to trace a comical saying about the eclipse of these serials. A publisher created a new lower-priced collection …
Yearly Archives: 2014
Anyway, I Had a Better Year Than He Did
Babe Ruth? Tom Meany? Apocryphal? Dear Quote Investigator: A humorous story is told about the renowned baseball slugger Babe Ruth. He was negotiating his salary during the depths of the economic depression and was told that the amount he had requested was outlandish because it exceeded the remuneration given to Herbert Hoover who was the …
This Just Shows What God Could Do If He Had Money
Wolcott Gibbs? George Bernard Shaw? Margaret Case Harriman? Alexander Woollcott? Ivor Brown? Frank Case? Peter Fleming? Brooks Atkinson? George S. Kaufman? Anonymous? Dear Quote Investigator: A wit once travelled to the opulent country estate of a friend and was shown the surrounding grounds which were well-manicured and extensively landscaped. Several large trees had been transplanted …
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Resolve To Be Tender with the Young and Compassionate with the Aged
Gautama Buddha? Walter Scott? Lloyd Shearer? George Washington Carver? Dale Turner? Ann Landers? Bob Goddard? Anonymous? Dear Quote Investigator: The end of the year is fast approaching and some of your readers may be thinking about formulating New Year’s resolutions. I have heard a heartfelt resolution that encouraged one to be “compassionate with the aged”, …
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In the Struggle for Survival, the Fittest Win Out at the Expense of Their Rivals
Charles Darwin? History Textbook? Anonymous? Dear Quote Investigator: While reading a newspaper article I saw the following statement attributed to the famous scientist Charles Darwin: In the struggle for survival, the fittest win out at the expense of their rivals because they succeed in adapting themselves best to their environment. The article cited “On the …
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A Rainy Day, Lost Luggage, and Tangled Christmas Tree Lights
Maya Angelou? H. Jackson Brown Jr.? A 52-Year-Old Person? Dear Quote Investigator: Each of us must occasionally experience irritating situations. Maturity and self-control help to keep a person steady. A quotation touching on this theme has been attributed to the prominent poet and memoirist Maya Angelou. Here are two versions: I’ve learned that you can …
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The Person Who Never Makes a Mistake Will Never Make Anything
Theodore Roosevelt? Albert Einstein? Benjamin Franklin? Samuel Smiles? Josh Billings? Mr. Phelps? G. K. Chesterton? Robert Smith Surtees? Joseph Conrad? Will Rogers? Anonymous? Dear Quote Investigator: Mistakes are unavoidable in the life of an active and vital person. Several adages highlight this important theme: 1) A man who never makes a mistake will never make …
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They Riot in the Streets Inflamed with Wild Notions; Their Morals Are Decaying
Plato? Theodore Hesburgh? Creed C. Black? William J. Brennan Jr.? Apocryphal? Dear Quote Investigator: The following questioning and unhappy words have been attributed to the ancient Greek sage Plato: What is happening to our young people? They disrespect their elders, they disobey their parents. They ignore the law. They riot in the streets inflamed with …
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Nothing is More Unfair than to Judge the Men of the Past by the Ideas of the Present
Barbara W. Tuchman? Denys Arthur Winstanley? Anonymous? Dear Quote Investigator: The popular historian Barbara W. Tuchman suggested that it was unfair to “judge men of the past by the ideas of the present”. She credited this interesting stance to an unnamed English historian. Yet, I have been unable to determine the identity of this astute …
A Shortage of Sand in the Sahara
Milton Friedman? William F. Buckley Jr.? French Sage? Alfred E. Kahn? Anonymous? Dear Quote Investigator: The well-known economist Milton Friedman was often critical of governmental power. The following saying has been attributed to him: If you put the federal government in charge of the Sahara Desert, in five years there’d be a shortage of sand. …