Helen Keller? Socrates? Plato? Seneca the Younger? Anonymous? Dear Quote Investigator: A person has two genetic parents, four grandparents, and eight great-grandparents. The number of ancestors in a generation roughly doubles when going backwards in time, and this exponential growth implies that each individual has an enormous number of ancestors. This line of reasoning suggests …
Monthly Archives: July 2020
A Notable Family Named Stein With Gertrude, Ep, and Ein
A. H. Reginald Buller? Resident of Brighton? E. V. Lucas? Carolyn Wells? Walter Winchell? Robert Conquest? Anonymous? Dear Quote Investigator: There is a comical limerick about a “family” named Stein. The three referents were prominent writer Gertrude Stein, influential sculpture Jacob Epstein, and famous scientist Albert Einstein. Wordplay was used to split “Stein” from “Gertrude”, …
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Fear of Something Is at the Root of Hate for Others, and Hate Within Will Ultimately Destroy the Hater
George Washington Carver? Alvin D. Smith? Martin Luther King Jr.? Apocryphal? Dear Quote Investigator: Prominent scientist and educator George Washington Carver believed that fear lay at the root of hatred, and hatred would eventually lead to the destruction of the hater. Would you please help me to find a citation? Quote Investigator: Alvin D. Smith …
Hate Ultimately Destroys the Hater
Henry Norman? A. P. Buchman? George Washington Carver? Alvin D. Smith? Louis N. Whealton? Frederick C. Walcott? Peter Witt? Martin Luther King Jr.? Anonymous? Dear Quote Investigator: Loathing and hostility are intense emotions which are difficult to control. Here is an applicable adage: Hatred destroys the hater. Would you please explore the provenance of this …
Love, Anger, Sorrow, and a Cough Cannot Be Hid
Dorothy L. Sayers? George Eliot? Thomas Fuller? George Herbert? George Latimer Apperson? Anonymous? Dear Quote Investigator: The ongoing pandemic reminded me of an eccentric proverb I once heard: Love and a cough cannot be hidden. The prominent mystery wrote Dorothy L. Sayers once referred to a statement like this. Would you please explore the history …
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The Floggings Will Continue Until Morale Improves
Naval Officer? Voltaire? William Pitt Lennox? Herb Caen? Howard Jacobs? Norman R. Augustine? Anonymous? Dear Quote Investigator: When an organization encounters difficulties, and its members experience low morale, it is counterproductive to enforce harsh discipline. This notion can be captured with the following sarcastic remark: The beatings will continue until morale improves. Close variants of …
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Quote Origin: Days Into Which 20 Years Are Compressed
Vladimir Lenin? Karl Marx? Louis C. Fraina? Homero Aridjis? Carlos Fuentes? Saint Peter? George Galloway? Liz Smith? Steve Bannon? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: Many societal changes do not follow smooth trajectories. Instead, change occurs via irregular starts and stops. Here are two versions of this notion: The first saying has been ascribed to Russian …
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If the Sight of the Blue Skies Fills You With Joy . . . Rejoice, for Your Soul Is Alive
Eleonora Duse? John Martin Harvey? Eva Le Gallienne? Apocryphal? Dear Quote Investigator: The prominent Italian actress Eleonora Duse believed that the joyful appreciation of nature provided evidence of a vivacious soul. She highlighted the simple beauty inherent in blue skies and blades of grass. Would you please help me to find a citation. Quote Investigator: …
If Liberty Means Anything At All It Means the Right To Tell People What They Do Not Want To Hear
George Orwell? Eric Arthur Blair? Bernard Crick? Sonia Orwell? Norman Lear? Apocryphal? Dear Quote Investigator: George Orwell apparently once made a fascinating comment about the essence of liberty. Here are two versions: Freedom is the right to tell people what they do not want to hear. If liberty means anything at all it means the …
Nothing Contributes So Much To Tranquillize the Mind As a Steady Purpose,—a Point On Which the Soul May Fix Its Intellectual Eye
Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley? Robert Walton? Victor Frankenstein? Apocryphal? Dear Quote Investigator: Finding a goal or purpose to strive for in life is wonderfully helpful; uncertainty and anxiety are replaced by mental tranquility. Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley who authored the groundbreaking science fiction novel “Frankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus” once made this point. Would you please help …