Dante Alighieri? John F. Kennedy? John A. Hutton? Theodore Roosevelt? W. M. Vines? Henry Powell Spring? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: Dante Alighieri composed the famous tripartite epic poem “The Divine Comedy”. The following statement was supposedly included in the first part called “Inferno”: The hottest places in Hell are reserved for those who in …
Yearly Archives: 2015
Quote Origin: The Golden Rule: Whoever Has the Gold Makes the Rules
Wizard of Id? Jafar? Brant Parker? Johnny Hart? Dick Boland? Jack Caprio? Jesse Jackson? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: The Golden Rule is a famous ethical principle that can be stated as follows: Do unto others as you would have others do unto you. Several different lampoons and parodies have been constructed based on this …
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Quote Origin: To Avoid Criticism, Say Nothing, Do Nothing, Be Nothing
Aristotle? Elbert Hubbard? William Pitt? Fred Shero? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: Receiving criticism is an unpleasant experience, but it is also inevitable. If your actions in the world are significant then you will draw detractors. This notion is cleverly expressed in the following pointed remark: To avoid criticism, say nothing, do nothing, be nothing. …
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Quote Origin: Niagara Falls: The First Great Disappointment in Married Life
Oscar Wilde? Ann Landers? Gershon Legman? Anonymous? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: In 1882 the coruscating wit Oscar Wilde came to the United States to see the country and to conduct a series of lectures. When he visited the Niagara Falls, a classic honeymoon destination, he was unimpressed. Here are two variants of a saying …
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Quote Origin: You Can’t Teach an Old Dogma New Tricks
Dorothy Parker? Life Magazine? Maxson Foxhall Judell? Edwin G. Nourse? Tom Lehrer? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: The following adage about age and recalcitrance is familiar to many: You can’t teach an old dog new tricks. I am trying to trace a comical wordplay variant: You cannot teach an old dogma new tricks. This statement …
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