William Adams? James Boswell? Walter Scott? Jonah Barrington? Viscount Bolingbroke? Henry Van Dyke? John Bright? John J. Keane? William Wedgwood Benn? Tony Benn? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: When you are attacked with falsehoods and invective it is natural to respond with abusive language; however, viewers of the interaction may feel revulsion for both the …
Yearly Archives: 2017
Quote Origin: I’ve Been Poor, and I’ve Been Rich. Rich Is Better!
Fanny Brice? Beatrice Kaufman? Joe E. Lewis? Sophie Tucker? Johnny Hyde? Jack Herbert? Harold Gray? Bernice Fitz-Gibbon? Bob Mankoff? Question for Quote Investigator: A newly wealthy person sometimes feels sentimental about an earlier period of poverty. Yet, one well-heeled individual unapologetically proclaimed: I’ve been rich and I’ve been poor. And, believe me, rich is better. …
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Quote Origin: I Take My Hat Off To You as a Composer; I Put Back Ten Hats as a Man
Arturo Toscanini? Georges Clemenceau? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: According to legend the prominent conductor Arturo Toscanini expressed disrespect for the famous composer Richard Strauss during an incident in the 1930s. To understand this incident it is helpful to know that removing one’s hat was a gesture of respect in the European culture shared by …
Quote Origin: My Life Depended on 150,000 Pieces of Equipment – Each Bought from the Lowest Bidder
Walter Schirra? Alan Shepard? John Glenn? Wernher von Braun? Gus Grissom? Gordon Cooper? Edward R. Annis? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: : A U.S. astronaut was asked how he felt while sitting in a space capsule while preparing for launch from Earth into orbit. He replied with a trenchant comment about equipment and contracts. Here …
Quote Origin: We Cannot Direct the Wind, But We Can Adjust the Sails
Cora L. V. Hatch? Thomas Sheridan? George Whyte-Melville? A. B. Kendig? Ella Wheeler Wilcox? Bertha Calloway? Jimmy Dean? Dolly Parton? Thomas S. Monson? Question for Quote Investigator: We are buffeted by events that are beyond our control, but we can still react constructively. A popular adage highlights this flexibility: We cannot direct the wind, but …
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Quote Origin: Believe Nothing You Hear, and Only One Half That You See
Edgar Allan Poe? Samuel Johnson? William Johnson Neale? Dinah Craik? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: The following hyperbolic proverb encouraging skepticism has been credited to the master of mystery and the macabre Edgar Allan Poe: Believe half of what you see and nothing of what you hear. Did Poe craft this saying? Reply from Quote …
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Quote Origin: If We’re Lucky, Robots Might Decide To Keep Us as Pets
Isaac Asimov? Marvin Minsky? Paul Saffo? Edward Fredkin? Bruce Sterling? Question for Quote Investigator: Reportedly, a top researcher in artificial intelligence once said something like: Humans will be lucky if superintelligent robots treat them as pets. At some point a grim elaboration was appended: If humans are unlucky, they will be treated as food. Would …
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Quote Origin: Never Go to Bed Mad—Stay Up and Fight
Phyllis Diller? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: Newlyweds are sometimes given the following thoughtful relationship advice: Never go to bed while angry with your partner. The prominent comedian Phyllis Diller twisted this expression to yield a very funny line. Would you please help me to find a citation? Reply from Quote Investigator: The quip appeared …
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Quote Origin: Patriotism Means To Stand by the Country. It Does Not Mean To Stand by the President or Any Other Public Official
Theodore Roosevelt? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: There is a spirited disagreement on Facebook about whether the following statement can be ascribed to Theodore Roosevelt: Patriotism means to stand by the country. It does not mean to stand by the President. Would you please help? Reply from Quote Investigator: Several U.S. presidential administrations have been …
Quote Origin: Please Do Not Shoot the Pianist. He Is Doing His Best
Oscar Wilde? Sign in Leadville? Minister in Pooleville, Arkansas? Question for Quote Investigator: When Oscar Wilde was touring the United States he apparently saw a sign in a saloon requesting goodwill for the keyboardist. Here are three versions: Would you please explore the provenance of this appeal? Reply from Quote Investigator: The earliest instance of …
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