Tracing Quotations
Sylvester Stallone? Apocryphal? Dear Quote Investigator: Dreamers with visions of riches and success were recently encouraged by advertisements to attend a “Wealth Expo” held in Toronto which covered the topics of real estate and bitcoin. I saw a sign with a motivational quotation attributed to the Hollywood star Sylvester Stallone who was one of the …
Continue reading “Any Success in Life Is Made by Going into an Area with a Blind, Furious Optimism”
Frederick Douglass? Stephen Decatur Miller? Woody Jenkins? Apocryphal? Dear Quote Investigator: A prominent public speaker once asserted that the preservation of liberty depended on three boxes: The ballot box, the jury box, and the cartridge box. This statement employed metonymy: the “ballot box” referred to input from the populace via the electoral process; the “jury …
Eugene J. McCarthy? Shana Alexander? Apocryphal? Dear Quote Investigator: Leading journalists often display a surprising uniformity of judgement. An exasperated politician referred to reporters as birds who flocked together when deciding whether to alight on a telephone wire. Would you please explore this figurative expression? Quote Investigator: In February 1963 U.S. Senator Eugene J. McCarthy …
Erma Bombeck? Apocryphal? Dear Quote Investigator: The age of social media has exacerbated political antagonisms. A sardonic comedian once claimed that no person foolish enough to run for a high political office could be worthy of a vote. I hope high-quality candidates ignore this facetious viewpoint, but it is difficult to discount. Would you please …
Continue reading “I Don’t Want To Elect Anyone Stupid Enough To Want the Job”
Winston Churchill? Caskie Stinnett? Gary Knafelc? Vince Lombardi? Viola Layne? Earl Wilson? Joe Williams? Anonymous? Dear Quote Investigator: Diplomacy is a difficult profession that rewards sensitivity and great verbal dexterity. The following witticism has been credited to travel writer and humorist Caskie Stinnett: A diplomat is a person who can tell you to go to …
Robert Frost? Edna St. Vincent Millay? Apocryphal? Dear Quote Investigator: The acclaimed American poet Robert Frost was asked as an octogenarian what he had learned about life, and he succinctly replied: It goes on. I have been unable to find a contemporaneous citation, and a popular quotation website says that the attribution is disputed. What …
Continue reading “In Three Words, I Can Sum Up Everything I’ve Learned About Life. It Goes On”