Tracing Quotations
Frederick W. Smith? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: During the holidays I often spot FedEx vehicles delivering packages. While the business is very successful today it faced considerable skepticism initially. According to company legend the founder Frederick W. Smith described his plans for creating the company in a paper when he was an undergraduate, but …
Continue reading “Quote Origin: I Don’t Know, Probably Made My Usual C”
Pennsylvanian Merchant? New York Merchant? Portland Merchant? Question for Quote Investigator: Today credit cards are commonplace in the U.S., but in the past many shopkeepers hesitated to extend credit to customers. Occasionally, reluctant businesses displayed a humorous sign: In God We Trust. All Others Pay Cash The phrase “In God We Trust” has a long …
Continue reading “Quote Origin: In God We Trust; All Others Cash”
Vin Scully? Keith Olbermann? Dan Patrick? Satchel Paige? Question for Quote Investigator: In the world of competitive sports an injured athlete often is placed on a list indicating that his or her health and readiness will be reevaluated each day. All of us can experience dramatic swings in well-being within twenty-four hours. One philosophical commentator …
Continue reading “Quote Origin: The Player Is Listed As Day-to-Day. Aren’t We all?”
George S. Kaufman? Ray Bradbury? Charles Norris? Bennett Cerf? Malcolm Bradbury? Question for Quote Investigator: A cigarette lighter is an impressive invention, but in some ways it is inferior to a simple match that is ignited by friction. A lighter requires fuel and a spark source; it can malfunction in myriad ways. The following point …
Ogden Nash? James Nelson Gowanloch? Frank Colby? Arthur Knight? Alfred Hitchcock? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: The popular creator of light verse Ogden Nash once crafted a poem that playfully altered a common phrase describing a thorough search: “no stone unturned”. The comical transformation produced “no tern unstoned” and “no stern untoned”. Did Nash originate …
Continue reading “Wordplay Origin: No Stone Unturned. No Tern Unstoned. No Stern Untoned”
George Bernard Shaw? Catholic Standard and Times? Ethel Watts Mumford? Oliver Herford? Addison Mizner? Arthur Wimperis? Colette d’Arville? Ogden Nash? Diana Rigg? Question for Quote Investigator: The famous playwright George Bernard Shaw has been credited with a clever bit of wordplay concerning the role of a critic. The quip transforms the following venerable idiom describing …
Continue reading “Quote Origin: A Drama Critic Leaves No Turn Unstoned”
Upton Sinclair? H. L. Mencken? William Jennings Bryan? C. E. M. Joad? Christopher Matthews? Paul Krugman? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: Financial incentives can compromise the critical faculties of an individual. Here are four versions of this insight: I think either muckraker Upton Sinclair or curmudgeon H. L. Mencken employed this expression. Would you please …
Muhammad Ali? Laila Ali? David Beckham? Aimee Lehto? Boyd Coyner? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: A forceful statement about overcoming obstacles and adversity begins with the following statement: Impossible is just a big word thrown around by small men . . . These words are usually attributed to the famous U.S. boxer Muhammad Ali, but …
Hilton Read? Theodore E. Woodward? Ele and Walt Dulaney? Harley S. Smyth? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: In medicine the symptoms of a patient are often compatible with a variety of ailments. A skilled diagnostician will use probabilistic reasoning when deciding which ailment is the most likely. Bayesian inference first highlights common maladies instead of …
Continue reading “Quote Origin: When You Hear Hoofbeats Look for Horses Not Zebras”
Gustave Flaubert? Edward Bulwer-Lytton? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: The prominent French literary figure Gustave Flaubert, author of Madame Bovary, placed great value on reading. The following statement is often attributed to him: Read in order to live. Would you please determine whether these words are apocryphal? Reply from Quote Investigator: In 1867 Gustave Flaubert …