Viktor E. Frankl? Stephen R. Covey? Rollo May? Thomas Walton Galloway? Sheldon P. Stoff? B. F. Skinner? Anonymous? Dear Quote Investigator: It is possible to control ones reactions and feelings even when one is faced with frightening hardships. The psychiatrist Viktor E. Frankl has been credited with the following: Between stimulus and response there is …
Yearly Archives: 2018
Quote Origin: I Would Carry Away the Fire
Jean Cocteau? André Fraigneau? Harold Acton? Ned Rorem? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: A top literary figure whose home was packed with valuable manuscripts and art objects was once asked to choose a favorite item. A vivid and heartbreaking scenario was proposed by an interviewer. The reply described the perfect salvation: Suppose flames were consuming …
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Let Them Know the Truth, and the Country Is Safe
Abraham Lincoln? Apocryphal? Dear Quote Investigator: The Newseum is a museum in Washington, D.C. featuring exhibits about the history of communication, the news industry, and free expression. A powerful quotation attributed to Abraham Lincoln is engraved into one of its walls: Let the people know the facts, and the country will be safe. I have …
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The Single Most Important Fact, Perhaps, of the Entire Movie Industry: Nobody Knows Anything
William Goldman? Will Rogers? Kevin Smith? Gus Van Sant? Robert Towne? Anonymous? Dear Quote Investigator: Predicting the box office success of a forthcoming movie is apparently impossible. It is also difficult to anticipate the critical response. These challenges are encapsulated in a Hollywood adage of exasperation: Nobody knows anything. Would you please explore the provenance …
The Future Belongs to Those Who Believe in the Beauty of Their Dreams
Eleanor Roosevelt? Addie Philko? Thomas Malory? Apocryphal? Anonymous? Dear Quote Investigator: A popular motivational statement has been attributed to the social activist and former First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt: The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams. I have been unable to find a solid citation. What do you think? Quote …
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The Eye Sees Only What the Mind Is Prepared To Comprehend
Henri Bergson? Robertson Davies? Johann Wolfgang von Goethe? Thomas Carlyle? Anais Nin? Anonymous? Dear Quote Investigator: One might see a duck when looking at the famous ambiguous image above, or one might see a rabbit. Perceiving one animal partially blocks the recognition of the other animal, and mental effort is required to switch one’s viewpoint. …
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In Every Object There Is Inexhaustible Meaning. The Eye Sees In It What the Eye Brings Means of Seeing
Thomas Carlyle? Patrick Geddes? Robertson Davies? Anonymous? Dear Quote Investigator: When you interpret a visual scene your grasp is limited by your knowledge and preconceptions. The eye can only see what it is prepared to see. The Scottish philosopher and historian Thomas Carlyle said something similar to this. Would you please help me to find …
One Sees What One Carries In One’s Own Heart
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe? Anais Nin? Anonymous? Dear Quote Investigator: During a Rorschach test a patient is shown a series of ambiguous inkblots and his or her reactions and interpretations are recorded. This assessment reminds me of an adage. Here are two versions: You see in the world what you carry in your heart. They …
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The Secret of Getting Ahead Is Getting Started
Mark Twain? Agatha Christie? Sally Berger? Anonymous? Dear Quote Investigator: To overcome procrastination one must initiate a task. Although this is straightforward advice it is an arcane approach according to the following adage: The secret of getting ahead is getting started. The famed humorist Mark Twain and the popular mystery writer Agatha Christie have both …
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Regret for the Things We Did Can Be Tempered by Time; It Is Regret for the Things We Did Not Do That Is Inconsolable
Sydney J. Harris? Sydney Smith? Anonymous? Dear Quote Investigator: Different types of regret may be experienced when you do something and when you refrain from doing something. A statement on this topic has been attributed to two disparate Sydneys: the English wit Sydney Smith and the U.S. columnist Sydney J. Harris. Would you please determine …