Agatha Christie? Apocryphal? Dear Quote Investigator: The brilliant mystery writer Agatha Christie is one of the most popular authors in history. Apparently, she once stated that the plots for her books were constructed and refined while she was pursuing quotidian activities such as washing dishes, bathing, eating apples, and walking. Would you please help me …
Monthly Archives: July 2017
When Fascism Comes To America, It Will Be Wrapped in the Flag
Sinclair Lewis? Huey Long? Eugene V. Debs? Lonnie Jackson? A. L. Sachar? James Waterman Wise? Robert H. Jackson? Anonymous? Dear Quote Investigator: The impulses of nationalism and authoritarianism sometimes combine to produce devastating results. The following saying has been attributed to the prominent writer Sinclair Lewis and the populist politician Huey Long: When Fascism comes …
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A Pessimist Sees the Difficulty in Every Opportunity; an Optimist Sees the Opportunity in Every Difficulty
Winston Churchill? Bertram Carr? F. W. Cole? John D. Rockefeller? L. P. Jacks? Helen Keller? Anonymous? Dear Quote investigator: Here are four versions of a popular saying about differing mental attitudes: The pessimist sees an obstacle in every opportunity; the optimist sees an opportunity in every obstacle. An optimist finds an opportunity in every difficulty; …
I Don’t Owe My Public Anything Except a Good Performance
Humphrey Bogart? Apocryphal? Dear Quote Investigator: Maintaining a private personal life is nearly impossible for individuals who become famous. Gossip shows revel in presenting an endless stream of sensitive and embarrassing incidents. Apparently, the Hollywood superstar Humphrey Bogart once said in exasperation something like the following: The only thing I owe the public is a …
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There Is Less in This Than Meets the Eye
Tallulah Bankhead? Dorothy Parker? Robert Benchley? James Boswell? Richard Burke? William Hazlitt? Dear Quote investigator: The actress Tallulah Bankhead was watching an ostentatious play, and she whispered to her companion a hilarious line based on an inverted cliché: There is less in this than meets the eye. This quip has also been attributed to two …
Science Is the Refusal To Believe on the Basis of Hope
C. P. Snow? Carrie Snow? Barrington Moore Jr.? Dear Quote Investigator: Scientific theories should be constructed from carefully gathered facts and data. The empirical process requires the subordination of credulous wishes and desires. Succinctly stated: Science is the refusal to believe on the basis of hope. This statement has been ascribed to C. P. Snow …
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If I Could Remember the Names of These Particles, I Would Have Been a Botanist
Albert Einstein? Enrico Fermi? Leon M. Lederman? Anonymous? Dear Quote Investigator: During the twentieth century the field of physics advanced astonishingly quickly. Researchers discovered a large number of elementary particles. A prominent physicist quipped: If I could remember the names of all those particles, I’d be a botanist. Did Albert Einstein, Enrico Fermi, or somebody …
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You’re Not the Customer; You’re the Product
Richard Serra? Carlota Fay Schoolman? Steve Atkins? Tom Johnson? Claire Wolfe? Andrew Lewis? blue_beetle? Tim O’Reilly? Dear Quote Investigator: For decades the most powerful mass medium has been television. The internet has dramatically shifted our access to information. Nowadays, society reflects upon itself by using internet search engines. Yet, both of these fundamental channels of …
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The Worm Was Punished for Early Rising
John Godfrey Saxe? Frederick Locker-Lampson? Anonymous? Dear Quote Investigator: “The early bird catches the worm” has become an irritating cliché. I love this entertaining comical response: But the worm was punished for getting up early. Do you know who crafted this rejoinder? Quote Investigator: The work “Early Rising” appeared in the 1876 collection “The Poems …
The Early Bird Catcheth the Worme
William Camden? Thomas Fuller? Anonymous? Dear Quote Investigator: People who enjoy waking up early in the morning and going to work cite the following adage: The early bird gets the worm. Would you please explore the history of this expression? Quote Investigator: English historian William Camden published “Remaines Concerning Britaine” in the 17th century, and …