Creator: Wilson Mizner, playwright, entrepreneur, adventurer Context: Mizner died in 1933. A biography of his colorful life appeared in 1935 called “The Fabulous Wilson Mizner” by Edward Dean Sullivan. The chapter “Miznerisms” was dedicated to his witticisms. Here were three. Emphasis added to excerpts:[1] 1935, The Fabulous Wilson Mizner by Edward Dean Sullivan, Chapter 17: …
Yearly Archives: 2018
I Know of a Cure for Everything: Salt Water . . . Sweat, or Tears, or the Salt Sea
Isak Dinesen? Tania Blixen? Karen Blixen? Apocryphal? Dear Quote Investigator: The three best ways to overcome a difficulty are: (1) performing hard physical labor, (2) crying to achieve emotional release, or (3) visiting the ocean. The prominent author Isak Dinesen apparently crafted a lovely formulation for this advice: The cure for anything is salt water: …
Point of View Is Worth 80 IQ Points
Alan Kay? Andy Hertzfeld? Michael Eisner? Apocryphal? Dear Quote Investigator: The Roman numeral system is powerful enough to express numbers such as 1776 (MDCCLXXVI), but the system is terrible for performing arithmetic operations such as division. A fresh perspective is required. A positional system such as the decimal numeral system is dramatically superior for computation. …
Never Write an Advertisement Which You Wouldn’t Want Your Own Family To Read
Creator: David Ogilvy, influential advertising executive who founded the top firm Ogilvy & Mather Context: In 1963 Ogilvy published the best-seller “Confessions of an Advertising Man” which included the following advice:[1] 1963, Confessions of an Advertising Man by David Ogilvy, Chapter 5: How to Build Great Campaigns, Quote Page 99, Atheneum, New York. (Verified with …
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A Stumble Is Not a Fall
Malcolm X? Oprah Winfrey? Haitian Proverb? Portuguese Proverb? Henry Rich? Thomas Fuller? Thomas Dunn English? Anonymous? Dear Quote Investigator: While pursuing an objective one may make errors and suffer setbacks, but these impediments to progress are not insurmountable. Here are two versions of an analogical proverb offering encouragement: Stumbling is not falling. A stumble is …
That’s the Trouble, a Sex Symbol Becomes a Thing. I Just Hate To Be a Thing
Marilyn Monroe? Apocryphal? Dear Quote Investigator: Glamourous movie icon Marilyn Monroe apparently expressed misgivings about her sex symbol status because she did not wish to be viewed simply as a thing. Would you please help me to find a citation for her remarks on this topic? Quote Investigator: “LIFE” magazine Associate Editor Richard Meryman and …
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Never Disregard a Book Because the Author of It Is a Ridiculous Fellow
Lord Melbourne? Apocryphal? Dear Quote Investigator: I once saw a proverb stating that one should not ignore a book simply because the author is a foolish person. Are you familiar with this proverb of encouragement for many writers? Quote Investigator: Lord Melbourne (William Lamb) served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom in the 1830s. …
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I Guess There Are Enough of Them in the Country So They’re Entitled To Representation
Calvin Coolidge? E. E. Whiting? Harold Schoelkopf? Styles Bridges? Apocryphal? Dear Quote Investigator: President Calvin Coolidge was once told that a U.S. Senator was an S.O.B. He replied with a comical and wistful statement about group representation within a democracy. Would you please explore this anecdote? Quote Investigator: The earliest match located by QI appeared …
We Ceased To Be the Lunatic Fringe. We’re Now the Lunatic Core
Creator: Geoffrey Hinton, leading researcher in machine learning and artificial neural networks Context: In 2014 “Wired” magazine published a profile of Hinton titled “Meet the Man Google Hired to Make AI a Reality”. AI means artificial intelligence. The article discussed the recent sea change in AI research. The term “deep learning” refers to techniques using …
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Faced With the Choice Between Changing One’s Mind and Proving That There Is No Need To Do So, Almost Everyone Gets Busy On the Proof
Quotation 01: Faced with the choice between changing one’s mind and proving that there is no need to do so, almost everyone opts for the latter. Quotation 02: Faced with the choice between changing one’s mind and proving that there is no need to do so, almost everyone gets busy on the proof. Creator: John …