Tracing Quotations
Anne Herbert? Chuck Wall? Ann Landers? George Carlin? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: Anyone listening to the news is confronted by disheartening phrases such as “random act of violence” and “ugly act of cruelty”. Yet, these phrases have been creatively reconstructed to produce uplifting suggestions. Here are three versions: Would you please explore the history …
Continue reading “Quote Origin: Practice Random Acts of Kindness and Senseless Acts of Beauty”
Albert Einstein? William Miller? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: The blinkered pursuit of success can lead an individual to ignore other aspects of life such as adventure, humor, spirituality, exploration, altruism, and curiosity. Albert Einstein apparently offered pertinent advice. Here are four versions: Would you please examine the provenance of this expression? Reply from Quote …
Dwight D. Eisenhower? Winston Churchill? Richard M. Nixon? Helmuth von Moltke? Mike Tyson? Anonymous Question for Quote Investigator: The World War II leader and U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower apparently made a paradoxical statement about preparation. Here are two versions: 1) Plans are useless, but planning is indispensable. 2) Plans are worthless, but planning is …
Continue reading “Quote Origin: Plans Are Worthless, But Planning Is Everything”
Victor Kiam? Home Savings Bank? Painless Withers Dental Company? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: Each opportunity in life has an expiration date. One must act quickly. The successful entrepreneur and investor Victor Kiam apparently employed the following vivid metaphor: Procrastination is opportunity’s natural assassin. Would you please help find a citation? Reply from Quote Investigator: …
Continue reading “Quote Origin: Procrastination Is the Assassin of Opportunity”
Elmore Leonard? Marty Asher? Leonore Fleischer? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: The funniest and most cogent writing advice I have ever heard was delivered by the best-selling author Elmore Leonard. According to folklore, an aspiring novelist implored Leonard to reveal the secret of his success, and he replied with something like this: I leave out …
Continue reading “Quote Origin: I Try To Leave Out the Parts that People Skip”
Margaret Mead? Donald Keys? Norman Vincent Peale? Patrick E. Haggerty? R. H. Edwin Espy? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: A popular energizing statement about small groups changing the world is usually attributed to the influential cultural anthropologist Margaret Mead. Yet, I have been unable to find a solid citation. Would you please help? Reply from …
Bill Gates? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: I saw an advertisement on the “USA Today” website that claimed Bill Gates once spoke about a technology that was ripe for invention and would be worth 10 Microsofts. The ad did not identify the technology. Did Bill Gates really make a remark of this type? Reply from …
James Matthew Barrie? Chub De Wolfe? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: When I am absorbed in performing a difficult and fascinating task I do not feel like I am working. James Matthew Barrie, the well-known creator of “Peter Pan”, addressed this phenomenon: Nothing is really work unless you would rather be doing something else. I …
Continue reading “Quote Origin: It Is Not Real Work Unless You Would Rather Be Doing Something Else”
Janis Joplin? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: Janis Joplin was an American rock star of the late 1960s and early 1970s who tragically died when she was only 27. Her vocalizations and emotional delivery were distinctive. Apparently she said: Don’t compromise yourself. You’re all you’ve got. Would you please help me to find a citation? …
Continue reading “Quote Origin: You Better Not Compromise Yourself. It’s All You Got”
Harry Cohn? Samuel Goldwyn? David O. Selznick? Jimmie Fidler? Lyndon B. Johnson? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: According to a Hollywood legend a movie mogul expressed his unhappiness by angrily upbraiding underlings. Eventually, an assistant cautioned him that delivering repeated harangues can cause stomach ulcers. The magnate snarled: I don’t get ulcers. I give them. …
Continue reading “Quote Origin: I Don’t Get Ulcers. I Give Them”