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: I am a stylist—and the most beautiful sentence I have ever …
Yearly Archives: 2018
Quote Origin: I Know of a Cure for Everything: Salt Water . . . Sweat, or Tears, or the Salt Sea
Isak Dinesen? Tania Blixen? Karen Blixen? Apocryphal? Question for 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 …
Quote Origin: Point of View Is Worth 80 IQ Points
Alan Kay? Andy Hertzfeld? Michael Eisner? Apocryphal? Question for 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 …
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Quote Origin: 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: Never Write an Advertisement Which You Wouldn’t Want Your Own Family To Read. You wouldn’t tell lies to your own wife. Don’t tell them …
Quote Origin: A Stumble Is Not a Fall
Malcolm X? Oprah Winfrey? Haitian Proverb? Portuguese Proverb? Henry Rich? Thomas Fuller? Thomas Dunn English? Anonymous? Question for 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: This saying has been attributed to …
Quote Origin: That’s the Trouble, a Sex Symbol Becomes a Thing. I Just Hate To Be a Thing
Marilyn Monroe? Apocryphal? Question for 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? Reply from Quote Investigator: “LIFE” magazine Associate Editor …
Quote Origin: Never Disregard a Book Because the Author of It Is a Ridiculous Fellow
Lord Melbourne? Apocryphal? Question for 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? Reply from Quote Investigator: Lord Melbourne (William Lamb) served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom …
Quote Origin: 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? Question for 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? Reply from Quote Investigator: The earliest match located …
Quote Origin: 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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Quote Origin: 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 …