Mary McCarthy? Apocryphal? Dear Quote Investigator: Some writers carefully map out the full plot of a novel before putting pen to paper or fingers to keyboard. Other writers begin a story relying on an incomplete character sketch and a theme. The prominent novelist and critic Mary McCarthy said she felt suspense while writing and was …
Monthly Archives: September 2018
Where Two People Are Writing the Same Book, Each Believes He Gets All the Worries and Only Half the Royalties
Agatha Christie? James Beasley Simpson? Joe Bushkin? Leonard Lyons? Apocryphal? Dear Quote Investigator: Successful collaboration is difficult to achieve for many creators. The outstanding mystery writer Agatha Christie once referred to the difficulty of splitting royalties while explaining why she did not have coauthors. Would you please help me to find her remark? Quote Investigator: …
He, Who Will Not Reason, Is a Bigot; He, Who Cannot, Is a Fool; and He, Who Dares Not, Is a Slave
Lord Byron? William Drummond? Marguerite Gardiner? Andrew Carnegie? Apocryphal? Dear Quote Investigator: My favorite quotation is a brilliant tripartite observation about rationality. Here are two versions: (1) Those who will not reason, are bigots, those who cannot, are fools, and those who dare not, are slaves. (2) He, who will not reason, is a bigot; …
Most People Would Die Sooner Than Think—In Fact, They Do So
Bertrand Russell? Sheldon? John Ruskin? Woods Hutchinson? Anonymous? Dear Quote Investigator: Cantankerous individuals who believe they are surrounded by an ignorant and unthinking public sometimes proclaim: People would rather die than think. This statement has been enhanced with a funny addition that reinvigorates the cliché. Here are two versions: Many people would sooner die than …
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Three Things in Human Life Are Important. The First Is To Be Kind. The Second Is To Be Kind. And the Third Is To Be Kind
Henry James? Fred Rogers? Billy James? Leon Edel? Apocryphal? Dear Quote Investigator: The prominent American literary figure Henry James apparently crafted an expression with a three-fold repetition of the phrase “be kind”. The influential children’s television personality Fred Rogers has been credited with a similar statement. Would you please explore this topic? Quote Investigator: A …
Drama Is Life with the Dull Bits Cut Out
Alfred Hitchcock? Leonard Lyons? François Truffaut? Steven Rattner? Apocryphal? Dear Quote Investigator: Thrill master Alfred Hitchcock made a brilliant observation about storytelling requiring the excision of “dull bits” or “boring bits” from a narrative. Would you please help me to find a citation that presents the precise phrasing for this remark? Quote Investigator: In 1956 …
You Must Learn from the Mistakes of Others. You Will Never Live Long Enough to Make Them All Yourself
Hyman Rickover? Martin Vanbee? Eleanor Roosevelt? Harry Myers? Laurence J. Peter? Sam Levenson? Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr.? Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr.? Anonymous? Dear Quote Investigator: These two simple adages have a long history: Learn from your mistakes. Learn from the mistakes of others. Some wit crafted a hilarious addendum for the second adage: You can’t …
A Newspaper Is a Device for Making the Ignorant More Ignorant and the Crazy Crazier
H. L. Mencken? Apocryphal? Dear Quote Investigator: H. L. Mencken worked as a journalist and columnist for newspapers in Baltimore, Maryland for several decades. Yet, his candid assessment of dailies was remarkably harsh. Apparently, he believed that newspapers made the crazy crazier. Would you please help me to find a citation? Quote Investigator: In 1920 …
The Aim of Education Is the Knowledge, Not of Facts, But of Values
William Ralph Inge? William S. Burroughs? Anonymous? Dear Quote Investigator: The following statement has been attributed to two very different people: William Ralph Inge and William S. Burroughs: The aim of education is the knowledge, not of facts, but of values. Inge was a professor at Cambridge and Dean of St Paul’s Cathedral in London. …
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Old Eyesore Gone At Last
Robert J. Casey? Bennett Cerf? Grady Clay? Dwight Marvin? Apocryphal? Dear Quote Investigator: Misprints and incorrect headlines in major periodicals have caused havoc in the past. One egregious tale shared by journalists is about a caption containing the word “eyesore” that was transposed with another caption. Are you familiar with this story? Is it genuine …