Titus Livius? John Wooden? Art Linkletter? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: Everyone experiences some adversity, and that may help to explain the popularity of the following adage: Things turn out best for the people who make the best out of the way things turn out. These words have been attributed to at least three people: …
Yearly Archives: 2014
Quote Origin: The Dirtiest Book in All the World Is the Expurgated Book
Walt Whitman? Horace Traubel? Morris L. Ernst? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: Walt Whitman’s landmark poetry collection “Leaves of Grass” was shocking to some of his contemporaries, and he was told by publishers, critics, and attorneys that his work required expurgation. Whitman consented to this censorship initially, but he became increasingly unhappy and angry with …
Continue reading “Quote Origin: The Dirtiest Book in All the World Is the Expurgated Book”
Quote Origin: Wherever She Went, Including Here, It Was Against Her Better Judgment
Dorothy Parker? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: The notable wit Dorothy Parker was once asked to create an epitaph for her tombstone. Apparently, she crafted several different candidates for inscription over the years. I am interested in the following: Wherever she went, including here, it was against her better judgment. Did the coruscating Algonquin Round …
Quote Origin: Whatever You Are, Try To Be a Good One
Abraham Lincoln? William Makepeace Thackeray? Laurence Hutton? Apocryphal? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: Selecting a profession can be quite difficult, and changing your initial choice may be necessary. Yet, you should always strive for excellence. The following inspirational words are heartening: Whatever you are, be a good one. The phrase is usually attributed to Abraham …
Continue reading “Quote Origin: Whatever You Are, Try To Be a Good One”
Quote Origin: Just Close Your Eyes and Think of England
Queen Victoria? Lucy Baldwin? Pierre Daninos? Lady Hillingham? Lady Hillingdon? Jonathan Gathorne-Hardy? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: There is a well-known though unreliable anecdote about the guidance offered to brides in the repressive Victorian era. Supposedly, Queen Victoria was asked by one of her newly married daughters about possible carnal activities in the marriage bed. …
Continue reading “Quote Origin: Just Close Your Eyes and Think of England”
Quote Origin: Even If You Win the Rat Race, You’re Still a Rat
Lily Tomlin? Jackie Gleason? Bill Cunningham? William Sloane Coffin? Russell Baker? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: There is a popular quip about the competitive daily grind of the working world. Here are two versions: 1) Even if you win the rat race, you’re still a rat 2) So you’ve won the rat race. You’re still …
Continue reading “Quote Origin: Even If You Win the Rat Race, You’re Still a Rat”
Quote Origin: Every Time We Teach a Child Something, We Keep Him from Inventing It Himself
Jean Piaget? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: Jean Piaget was an influential developmental psychologist who studied the learning strategies of children. I am trying to determine if he said the following: When you teach a child something you take away forever his chance of discovering it for himself. I have not seen a precise citation …
Quote Origin: Millions Are To Be Grabbed Out Here, and Your Only Competition Is Idiots
Herman J. Mankiewicz? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: I have just returned from seeing an expensive Hollywood fiasco. While watching the film I was reminded of a vibrant telegram that a successful Hollywood writer reportedly sent to cajole another scribbler to join him. He made promises such as: “millions of dollars can be grabbed” and …
Quote Origin: Time Wounds All Heels
Groucho Marx? Marshall Reid? Fanny Brice? Frank Case? Jane Ace? Goodman Ace? Rudy Vallée? Verree Teasdale? Robert Bloch? John Lennon? Ann Landers? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: The following humorous pun about comeuppance for poor behavior has been attributed to the famous comedian Groucho Marx. The slang term “heel” refers to a contemptible person: Time …
Quote Origin: Actor: A Guy Who If You Ain’t Talking About Him, He Ain’t Listening
Marlon Brando? Gladwin Hill? George Glass? George Alan O’Dowd? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: Performers on stage and screen are sometimes stereotyped as egocentric. Here is one formulation of that critique: An actor’s a guy who, if you ain’t talking about him, ain’t listening. These words are usually attributed to the Oscar-winning star Marlon Brando. …
Continue reading “Quote Origin: Actor: A Guy Who If You Ain’t Talking About Him, He Ain’t Listening”