Tracing Quotations
Graham Wallas? E. M. Forster? André Gide? Anonymous Little Girl? Anonymous Old Lady? Herbert Samuel? W. H. Auden? C. S. Lewis? Arthur Koestler? Christopher Hollis? Dear Quote Investigator: Pre-verbal and non-verbal thoughts are vitally important. Yet, there is an intimate relationship between thinking and using language especially when analysis and reflection are required. A family …
Continue reading “How Can I Know What I Think Till I See What I Say?”
Neil Gaiman? Jerry Garcia? Elizabeth McCracken? Robert Burton? Apocryphal? Dear Quote Investigator: I have heard two fascinating adages about artistic style: Style is the stuff you can’t help doing. Style is the stuff you get wrong. Both statements were made by the prominent fantasist Neil Gaiman who writes short stories, novels, comic books, and screenplays. …
Booker T. Washington? Henry H. Proctor? Apocryphal? Dear Quote Investigator: The famous educator and orator Booker T. Washington believed that the disadvantaged in society should be uplifted because a thoughtful program of amelioration would help everyone. During speeches Washington used the metaphor of two individuals fighting in a ditch. If one person wanted to hold …
Ray Bradbury? Erica Jong? Apocryphal? Dear Quote Investigator: The science fiction luminary Ray Bradbury relied deeply on his intuitions and his imagination to compose lyrical prose. He believed that creativity was obstructed by over-thinking and intellectualizing. The following two statements have been attributed to him: Self-consciousness is the enemy of all art. Thinking is the …
Continue reading “Self-Consciousness Is the Enemy of All Art”
Graham Greene? Doris Lessing? Erica Jong? Dear Quote Investigator: An artist who has achieved a distinctive reputation with critics and the general public is placed into a metaphorical strait jacket. Newly fashioned artworks are expected to be similar to previous artworks. Change and innovation are frowned upon. This notion can be expressed using a harsher …
Continue reading “A Reputation Is Like a Death Mask. I Wanted To Smash the Mask”
Mignon McLaughlin? Anonymous? Dear Quote Investigator: December is a season of generosity for many, but the eagerness of participants varies. A friend recently joked that she wanted to achieve a reputation for generosity as cheaply as possible. She disclaimed authorship of this quip. Would you please explore its provenance? Quote Investigator: The earliest match known …
Continue reading “We’d All Like a Reputation for Generosity, and We’d All Like To Buy It Cheap”
Joseph Campbell? Diane K. Osbon? Kurt Vonnegut? Apocryphal? Dear Quote Investigator: When I watch the news I see endless reports signaling that the world is a mess. Efforts to mend the world are necessary and laudable; however, I am reminded of the advice given by mythology scholar Joseph Campbell. The world has always been a …
Continue reading “We Cannot Cure the World of Sorrows, But We Can Choose To Live in Joy”
Bette Davis? Ruth S. Hain? Malcolm Forbes? John S. Whelan? Paul Newman? Anonymous? Dear Quote Investigator: One grows in wisdom as the decades accumulate, but the challenges to health and intellect also increase. Here are four versions of a spirited adage: Old age is no place for sissies. Getting old is not for sissies. Aging …