Nelson Mandela? Marianne Williamson? Dear Quote Investigator: A mystical motivational speech begins with this line: Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. The speech has been attributed to statesman Nelson Mandela and spiritual author Marianne Williamson. Would you please explore its provenance? Quote Investigator: In 1977 Marianne Williamson encountered the popular and controversial …
Monthly Archives: June 2019
Ideas, Like Ghosts . . . Must Be Spoken To a Little Before They Will Explain Themselves
Charles Dickens? Henry Southgate? Frank J. Wilstach? Apocryphal? Dear Quote Investigator: The popular writer Charles Dickens vividly depicted the neighborhoods, lives, and habits of the disparate social classes of Victorian England. His rich language employed clever similes such as: An idea, like a ghost, must be spoken to a little before it will explain itself. …
Patriotism Is the Virtue of the Vicious
Oscar Wilde? A. H. Cooper-Prichard? Alvin Redman? Apocryphal? Dear Quote Investigator: The Irish playwright Oscar Wilde achieved his greatest fame in London. The historically fractured and deadly relationship between Ireland and England has led some intellectuals of the isles to adopt a skeptical attitude toward patriotic fervor. Intense emotions have been inspired by both patriotism …
A Good Loser Is No Good
Robert Zuppke? Red Grange? Harry Gaspar? Robert Haven Schauffler? Anonymous? Dear Quote Investigator: Traditionally, displaying good sportsmanship and being a gracious loser has been extolled. Yet, a harsher and more controversial perspective has inspired an acerbic family of mottoes. Here are three examples: A good loser is no good. A good loser is a perennial …
When You Want To Fool the World, Tell the Truth
Otto von Bismarck? Charles Haddon Spurgeon? George Bernard Shaw? Gaston Means? Apocryphal? Dear Quote Investigator: An individual who is distrusted can tell the absolute truth and experience solid skepticism. This is particularly accurate when the truth is difficult to believe or comprehend. This observation is reflected in the following adage. Here are four versions: When …
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He Who Is Not Courageous Enough To Take Risks Will Accomplish Nothing in Life
Muhammad Ali? Apocryphal? Dear Quote Investigator: The world heavyweight champion boxer Muhammad Ali was acclaimed for his physical and verbal dexterity. One of his mottoes stated that courage was needed to take bold risks, and significant accomplishments required these daring risks. Would you please help me to find a citation? Quote Investigator: In April 1977 …
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The Very Existence of Libraries Affords the Best Evidence That We May Yet Have Hope for the Future of Man
T. S. Eliot? Jayne Ann Krentz? Alan Bennett? Apocryphal? Anonymous? Dear Quote Investigator: The Nobel laureate T. S. Eliot apparently stated that the establishment of libraries provided compelling evidence that humanity had a future. Would you please help me to find a citation? Quote Investigator: The renowned poet T. S. Eliot died in 1965, and …
You Are Not a Human Being Having a Spiritual Experience. You Are a Spiritual Being Having a Human Experience
Pierre Teilhard de Chardin? Wayne W. Dyer? Stephen R. Covey? Georges Gurdjieff? Anonymous? Dear Quote Investigator: Antimetabole is a powerful rhetorical technique in which a phrase is repeated, but key elements are reordered. A popular statement about spirituality uses this strategy: We are not human beings having a spiritual experience. We are spiritual beings having …
I Know Artists Whose Medium Is Life Itself, and Who Express the Inexpressible Without Brush, Pencil, Chisel, or Guitar
Frederick Franck? Oscar Wilde? Donna J. Stone? J. Stone? Timothy Morrissey? Anonymous? Dear Quote Investigator: Artists do not always require implements such as brushes, clay, chisels, hammers, or guitars to create works. Some artists use life itself as a medium. This fascinating notion has been expressed in a family of quotations that I have been …
All the Good Music’s Already Been Written By People With Wigs and Stuff On
Frank Zappa? Apocryphal? Dear Quote Investigator: Iconoclastic musician and composer Frank Zappa was known for his trenchant cultural commentary. Apparently, he once stated that all the good music had already been created by the composers of an earlier era who stereotypically wore wigs. Would you please help me to find a citation Quote Investigator: In …
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