Quote Investigator® – Tracing Quotations

Quote Origin: If You Hear a Voice Within You Say, ‘You Cannot Paint,’ Then Paint All the More, and That Voice Will Be Silenced

Vincent van Gogh? Brenda Ueland? Apocryphal?

**The Starry Night by Vincent van Gogh**

Question for Quote Investigator: A famous painter exhorted aspiring artists with the following encouraging words:

If you hear a voice within you saying: “you are no painter,” then by all means paint, and that voice will be silenced.

This remark has been credited to Dutch post-impressionist painter Vincent van Gogh. Is this a genuine quotation? Would you please help me to find a citation?

Reply from Quote Investigator: The Van Gogh Museum of Amsterdam maintains a valuable database of letters which is accessible via the vangoghletters.org website. In October 1883 Vincent van Gogh sent a letter to his brother Theo which contained a version of the quotation in Dutch. Boldface added to excerpts by QI:¹

Als iets in U zelf zegt “gij zijt geen schilder” – SCHILDER DAN JUIST kerel, en die stem bedaart ook, maar slechts daardoor. – Wie als hij dat voelt gaat naar vrienden en zijn nood klaagt, verliest iets van zijn mannelijkheid, iets van het beste wat in hem is. – Uw vrienden kunnen slechts zijn dezulken die zelf daartegen vechten, door eigen voorbeeld van actie het active in U opwekken.

Here is one possible translation into English:

If something in you yourself says ‘you aren’t a painter’ — IT’S THEN THAT YOU SHOULD PAINT, old chap, and that voice will be silenced too, but only through the act of painting itself. Anyone who, feeling this, turns to friends to bemoan his plight loses a measure of his manliness — something of the very best within him. Your friends can only be those who are themselves fighting that same battle, awakening the active spirit within you through the example of their own deeds.

Below are additional selected citations in chronological order.

Quote Origin: Help Is the Sunny Side of Control

Anne Lamott? Robin Norwood? Linda Ann Loschiavo? Brené Brown? Pamela Meyer? Anonymous?

**Illustration of a marionette depicting control**

Question for Quote Investigator: The urge to help others usually indicates a generous and loving spirit, but sometimes this urge disguises a desire for power and domination. The following saying highlights this hidden motivation:

Help is the sunny side of control.

This saying has been attributed to writer Anne Lamott, family therapist Robin Norwood, social work expert Brené Brown, and others. Would you please explore the provenance of this remark?

Reply from Quote Investigator: The earliest match found by QI appeared within a 1984 article about alcoholism and codependency published in the “Santa Barbara News-Press” of California. The article quoted marriage and family therapist Robin Norwood who employed the saying; however, an unnamed friend received credit for the saying. Boldface added to excerpts by QI:¹

Control comes to the addicted person disguised as help. Ms. Norwood agrees with a friend, who told her, “Help is the sunny side of control.”

Here is an overview presenting dates, attributions, and variant phrasings:

1984 Feb: Help is the sunny side of control. (Attributed to unnamed friend by Robin Norwood)

1985: Help is the sunny side of control. (Message on a sign by an unknown creator as described by Robin Norwood in her book “Women Who Love Too Much”)

1987 Jan: Caring is the sunny side of control. (Linda Ann Loschiavo)

2000: Helpfulness is just the bright side of control. (Pamela Meyer)

2012 Apr: Help is the sunny side of control. (Anne Lamott in “Redbook” magazine)

2017 Apr: Help is the sunny side of control. (Anne Lamott in a TED Talk)

2019: Help is the sunny side of control. (Attributed to Anne Lamott by Catherine O’Kane)

Below are details for selected citations in chronological order.

Quote Origin: Russia Is Never as Strong, or as Weak, as She Appears

Winston Churchill? Otto von Bismarck? Charles de Talleyrand? Klemens von Metternich? Jozef Pilsudski? Willson Woodside? Seweryn Bialer? Paul Johnson? Thomas L. Friedman? John Lukacs? Anonymous?

**Picture of Moscow at night from Unsplash**

Question for Quote Investigator: The Russian government’s actions have repeatedly had far‑reaching effects on the rest of the world. Yet, predicting Russia’s future behavior has always been difficult. Here is a saying which highlights this uncertainty:

Russia is never as strong as she looks; Russia is never as weak as she looks.

This notion has been attributed to German statesman Klemens von Metternich, French diplomat Charles de Talleyrand, German Chancellor Otto von Bismarck, British statesman Winston Churchill, and others. I am skeptical of all these ascriptions because I have never seen a solid citation. Would you please explore this topic?

Reply from Quote Investigator: This is a difficult statement to trace because it can be expressed in many ways. Here is an overview with dates and attributions:

1946 Jun: Always remember that Russia is never as strong, or as weak, as she appears. (Attributed to unnamed European statesman by Willson Woodside)

1949 Oct: Russia is never as strong and never as weak as she seems. (Attributed to Józef Piłsudski in the “Galway Observer” newspaper of Ireland)

1981 Summer: Russia is never as strong as she looks, Russia is never as weak as she looks. (Attributed to unnamed European statesman by Seweryn Bialer)

1983: Russia is never as strong as she looks. Russia is never as weak as she looks. (Called a wise diplomatic saying by Paul Johnson)

1985 Feb: Russia is never as strong — and never as weak — as she looks. (Attributed to French ambassador to imperial St Petersburg by Graham Barrett)

1991 Sep: Russia is never as strong or as weak as it appears. (Attributed to Otto von Bismarck by Thomas L. Friedman)

1992 Feb: Russia is never as strong, or as weak, as it might seem. (Attributed to Otto von Bismarck by John Lukacs)

1994 Feb: Russia is never as strong as it seems, but it also is never as weak as it seems. (Attributed to Charles de Talleyrand by Bernard D. Kaplan)

1996 Mar: Russia is never as strong as it looks. Russia is never as weak as it looks. (Attributed to Charles de Talleyrand by Paul Johnson)

1999 May: While Russia is never as strong as it looks, it is never as weak as it looks either. (Attributed to Klemens von Metternich by Paul Johnson)

2001 Jul: Russia is never as strong as it seems nor as weak as it seems. (Attributed to Winston Churchill in the “Tulsa World” newspaper of Oklahoma)

The ascriptions to famous historical figures started to appear in the 1990s. The length of this delay indicated that this evidence was very weak. QI has not yet found substantive evidence supporting the attributions to Otto von Bismarck, Charles de Talleyrand, Klemens von Metternich, or Winston Churchill.

On the other hand, QI has focused research on English instances of the expression; hence, it is conceivable that earlier examples appeared in German, French, Polish, or another language. Future researchers may uncover helpful citations.

Below are details for selected citations in chronological order.

Quote Origin: Punks Are Basically Nice People Pretending To Be Mean, Whereas Hippies Are Mean People Pretending To Be Nice

Gordon Edgar? John Ross Bowie? Anonymous?

Question for Quote Investigator: Hippies and punks are two youth subcultures which emerged a decade apart. Both were known for questioning authority, but one wit formulated a cruel comparison. Here are two versions:

Punks are nice people pretending to be mean; hippies are mean people pretending to be nice.

Punks are good people pretending to be bad; hippies are bad people pretending to be good.

Would you please explore the provenance of this saying?

Reply from Quote Investigator: The earliest match found by QI appeared in the 2010 book “Cheesemonger: A Life on the Wedge” by Gordon Edgar. Boldface added to excerpts by QI:¹

A lot of punks say they hate everyone, but a wise friend once said to me that punks are basically nice people pretending to be mean, whereas hippies are mean people pretending to be nice. A working-class anarchist whom I went to college with once interrupted a group of punks talking about the stupidity of “normal people” by saying, “You’re talking about my family.”

The “wise friend” is unnamed; hence, the creator of this saying remains anonymous. QI suspects that earlier citations exist, and future researchers may discover them.

Below are additional selected citations in chronological order.

Quote Origin: We Take the Stars from Heaven, the Red from Our Mother Country

George Washington? Augustus Bedford? Peleg D. Harrison? Jane A. Stewart? Apocryphal?

**Illustration of the 13-star Betsy Ross variant U.S. flag**

Question for Quote Investigator: U.S. flags are displayed on holidays such as Flag Day, Memorial Day, and Independence Day. One of the founding fathers has received credit for the following symbolism explanation:

We take the stars from heaven, the red from our mother country, separating it by white stripes, thus showing that we have separated from her, and the white stripes shall go down to posterity, representing our liberty.

These words have been attributed to George Washington, but I am skeptical because I have never seen a solid citation, and the phrasing sounds too modern, i.e., nineteenth or twentieth century. Would you please explore this topic?

Reply from Quote Investigator: The U.S. National Archives operates the “Founders Online” website which provides a comprehensive searchable database containing correspondence and other writings from seven Founding Fathers including George Washington who died in 1799.¹ QI was unable to find any matching documents in this database for the quotation under examination.

Hence, QI performed a broader search. The earliest match appeared in “The American Almanac, Year-Book, Cyclopedia and Atlas of 1903”. The copyright date of this book was 1902 because it was assembled in 1902 for the succeeding year. The almanac was published by the New York American and Journal, Hearst’s Chicago American, and the San Francisco Examiner. The quotation occurred within an article titled “Flag of the United States; Its 125th Anniversary” by Augustus Bedford. Boldface added to excerpts by QI:²

It has often been said in orations that the red meant valor, the white purity, and the blue loyalty, but Washington gave us a sentiment that is even grander. Gazing upon it, he said:

“We take the star from Heaven, the red from our mother country, separating it by white stripes, thus showing that we have separated from her, and the white stripes shall go down to posterity representing liberty.”

QI does not know where Augustus Bedford obtained this quotation. Bedford did not provide a supporting citation. The lengthy period between the death of George Washington and the emergence of this quotation undercuts the attribution to Washington. Thus, the identity of the creator remains anonymous. QI hopes that future researchers will discover illuminating citations.

Below are additional selected citations in chronological order.

Quote Origin: A Mathematician Is a Machine Which Turns Coffee into Theorems

Paul Erdős? Alfréd Rényi? Jane Philcox? Suzy Schultz? Scott Westerfeld? Anonymous?

Question for Quote Investigator: Three outstanding mathematicians have been credited with the following humorous remark about their profession:

A mathematician is a machine for turning coffee into theorems.

This statement is usually attributed to the brilliant and prolific Hungarian mathematician Paul Erdős. Yet, it has also been attributed to the prominent Hungarian mathematicians Alfréd Rényi and Paul Turán. Would you please help to determine the originator?

Also, would you please explore the variant quips about writers, programmers, lawyers, and others.

Reply from Quote Investigator: The earliest match known to QI appeared in a paper delivered by Paul Erdős in 1971 titled “Child Prodigies” at “The Washington State University Conference on Number Theory”. Erdős spoke about his experience providing coffee to a youthful aspiring mathematician. Boldface added to excerpts by QI:¹

In Hungary, many mathematicians drink strong coffee, in fact Rényi once said: a mathematician is a machine which turns coffee into theorems, at the mathematical institute they make particularly good coffee, when Pósa was not quite 14 I offered him a little strong coffee which he drank with an infinite amount of sugar. My mother was very angry that I gave the little boy strong coffee.

Based on this citation, Alfréd Rényi is the leading candidate for creator of this expression. Erdős was the most significant popularizer, and nowadays he often incorrectly receives credit. Erdős referred to Lajos Pósa in the passage above. Pósa became a well-known educator in mathematics.

Below is an overview showing variants with attributions and dates:

1971: A mathematician is a machine which turns coffee into theorems (Attributed to Alfréd Rényi by Paul Erdős)

1984: A mathematician is a machine for converting coffee into theorems (Attributed to an unnamed colleague of Paul Erdős)

1987 Nov: A mathematician is a machine for turning coffee into theorems (Attributed to Paul Erdős)

1991 May 15: A programmer is a machine for converting coffee into code (Usenet poster Jane Philcox)

1997 Aug 15: A programmer is a machine for turning beer into code (Usenet poster Matt Simpson)

2003 Jan 15: A programmer is a device for turning computer programs into spaghetti (Usenet poster H. S. Teoh)

2004: Her brain was nothing but a machine for turning coffee into special effects (Novelist Scott Westerfeld)

2000 Oct 03: A computer programmer is a device for turning coffee into bugs (Attributed to Bram Moolenaar by Usenet poster Arnaud S. Launay)

2008 Jan 21: A writer is a machine for turning coffee into poems (X-Twitter handle Suzy @Suzy_Schultz)

2009 Apr 07: A writer is a device for turning coffee into prose (X-Twitter handle John Ochwat @jjochwat)

2009 Jul 22: A programmer is a machine for turning caffeine, sugar and/or cigarettes into awkward and cryptic text files (X-Twitter handle Nigel F. Kennedy @nfkennedy)

2009 Jul 22: A Software Development Engineer … is a biological machine for turning snacks & beverages into software systems. (X-Twitter handle Ravi Mandala @rmandala)

2009 Sep 07: A writer is a machine for turning tea into descriptions (Attributed to Jim Rossignol by X-Twitter handle Dave McLeod @davemcleod)

2020 Nov 24: The brain is a machine for turning glucose into mistakes (X-Twitter handle Neuroskeptic @Neuro_Skeptic)

2024 Feb 28: “lawyer: a machine for turning coffee into billable hours” (Attributed to an anonymous lawyer by X-Twitter handle Gabriel @gbrl_dick)

Below are details for selected citations in chronological order.

Quote Origin: The Theater is Not the Realm of the Real; There Are Cardboard Trees, Diamonds of Glass, Tinsel Gold

Victor Hugo? Lorenzo O’Rourke? Agnès Pierron? Apocryphal?

Question for Quote Investigator: A literary titan commented on the stylized representations employed in theatrical productions. I do not recall the precise phrasing, but this was the gist:

The stage does not embody realism. It employs cardboard trees, glass diamonds, gold tinsel, and painted faces. The sun rises from below the stage. Yet, the theater does embody truth; there are human hearts on the stage and human hearts in the audience.

This insight about theater has been ascribed to the prominent French novelist, dramatist, and poet Victor Hugo, but I am uncertain because I have never seen a solid citation. Would you please help me to find the accurate text in its original language?

Reply from Quote Investigator: When Victor Hugo died in 1885, he left his heirs with a collection of reflections which were eventually published under the title “Post-Scriptum de ma vie” (“Postscript to My Life”) in 1901. The section named “Tas de pierres III” (“Pile of stones III”) contained brief miscellaneous thoughts. Victor Hugo wrote the following about theatre and realism. Boldface added to excerpts by QI:¹

Le théâtre n’est pas le pays du réel : il ya des arbres de carton, des palais de toile, un ciel de haillons, des diamants de verre, de l’or clinquant, du fard sur la pêche, du rouge sur la joue, un soleil qui sort de dessous terre.

Le théâtre est le pays du vrai : il ya des cœurs humains sur la scène, des cœurs humains dans la coulisse, des cœurs humains dans la salle.

Here is one possible translation into English:

The theater is not the realm of the real: there are cardboard trees, canvas palaces, a sky of rags, glass diamonds, tinsel gold, makeup on the peach, rouge on the cheek, a sun that rises from beneath the earth.

The theater is the realm of the true: there are human hearts on the stage, human hearts in the wings, human hearts in the auditorium.

Below are additional selected citations in chronological order.

Quote Origin: It Takes 20 Years To Build a Reputation and Five Minutes To Ruin It

Warren Buffett? Howard Buffett? Nancy Miller? Henry F. Kletzing? Robert Quillen? Anonymous?

Question for Quote Investigator: A positive reputation is fragile. Here are three versions of a popular saying:

(A) It takes years to build up a good reputation which may be destroyed in five minutes.
(B) It takes 20 years to build a reputation and five minutes to ruin it.
(C) It takes a lifetime to build a reputation and five minutes to ruin it.

This saying has been credited to the prominent U.S. investor and philanthropist Warren Buffett, but I am skeptical. I have not seen a solid citation, and I suspect that the statement was circulating before Buffett was born. Would you please explore this topic?

Reply from Quote Investigator: Warren Buffett was born in 1930, and a version of the saying appeared in the “San Antonio Daily Express” of Texas many years earlier in 1891. Boldface added to excerpts by QI:¹

The Waxahachie Enterprise deplores the fact that it takes years to build up a good reputation which may be destroyed in five minutes.

The newspaper in San Antonio acknowledged a newspaper in Waxahachie, Texas. The creator of the saying remains anonymous. The phrasing is highly variable, and QI believes earlier instances probably exist.

There is substantive evidence that Warren Buffett employed the saying. In September 1991 journalist Nancy Miller of “USA Today” published a profile of Warren Buffet which contained the following remarks from the investor’s son Howard Buffett:²

One of the most vivid childhood memories his son Howard has of his father is a lecture on the value of a good name. “I was 11 years old,” Howard recalls. “We were driving down the street, and he said, ‘It takes 20 years to build a reputation and five minutes to ruin it.'”

Howard Buffett was born in December 1954; hence, if Howard’s memory is correct then he heard the saying from Warren in 1965 or 1966. This evidence is indirect, and QI has not yet found direct evidence in a speech, interview, or essay by Warren Buffett.

Below are additional selected citations in chronological order.

Quote Origin: Before My Teacher Came to Me, I Did Not Know That I Am. I Lived in a World That Was a No-World

Helen Keller? Anne Sullivan? Nella Braddy Henney? Apocryphal?

Question for Quote Investigator: When Helen Keller was 19 months old, she lost her sight and her hearing due to an illness. Keller experienced a breakthrough in communication at the age of seven when Anne Sullivan became her teacher and companion. Apparently, Keller gave a remarkable description of her state of consciousness before this breakthrough:

I did not know that I am. I lived in a world that was a no-world.

I have not been able to find a solid citation for this remark. Would you please help me to find a citation?

Reply from Quote Investigator: In March 1908 Helen Keller published an article titled “Sense and Sensibility (Part 2)” in “The Century Magazine” of New York. Boldface added to excerpts by QI:¹

Before my teacher came to me, I did not know that I am. I lived in a world that was a no-world. I cannot hope to describe adequately that unconscious, yet conscious time of nothingness. I did not know that I knew aught, or that I lived or acted or desired. I had neither will nor intellect. I was carried along to objects and acts by a certain blind natural impetus. I had a mind which caused me to feel anger, satisfaction, desire.

In addition, Keller wrote:

My inner life, then, was a blank without past, present, or future, without hope or anticipation, without wonder or joy or faith.

Below are additional selected citations in chronological order.

Quote Origin: We Should Regard It as a Privilege To Be Stepping Stones to Higher Things

Arthur C. Clarke? Isaac Asimov? Anonymous?

Question for Quote Investigator: Machine learning techniques have dramatically increased in power during the twenty-first century. Some contemporary thinkers fear the emergence of artificial intelligence systems which will supersede humankind. Yet, a prominent science fiction author of the previous century espoused a surprising position. The author felt no apprehension when contemplating superintelligent machines. Here are two versions of his remark:

(1) We should regard it as a privilege to be stepping stones to higher things
(2) We should be honored to be stepping stones to higher things.

Both statements have been attributed to Arthur C. Clarke who co-wrote the screenplay for the film “2001: A Space Odyssey”. Would you please help me to find a citation and determine which statement is accurate.

Reply from Quote Investigator: In September 1964 Arthur C. Clarke appeared on the BBC-2 television program “Horizon”. A companion article by Clarke appeared in “The Listener” magazine in October 1964. Clarke discussed a variety of future scenarios. He envisioned major advances in machine intelligence.

The first statement above was spoken by Clarke during the BBC-2 program. The second statement was written by Clarke in “The Listener” article. The following words were spoken during the television program. Boldface added to excepts by QI:¹

… the most intelligent inhabitants of that future world won’t be men or monkeys. They’ll be machines—the remote descendants of today’s computers. Now the present-day electronic brains are complete morons, but this will not be true in another generation. They will start to think, and eventually they will completely outthink their makers.

Is this depressing? I don’t see why it should be. We superseded the Cro-Magnon and Neanderthal men, and we presume we’re an improvement. I think we should regard it as a privilege to be stepping stones to higher things. I suspect that organic, or biological, evolution has about come to its end, and we’re now at the beginning of inorganic, or mechanical, evolution, which will be thousands of times swifter.

The text below is from the companion article by Clarke in the October 1964 issue of “The Listener” magazine. Clarke rephrased his spoken statements:²

… the most intelligent inhabitants of that future world will not be men, or animals; they will undoubtedly be machines—the remote descendants of our present computers. For all their speed and the fantastic things they can do, today’s electronic brains are mere imbeciles.

But this will not always be true; in another generation they will start to think, in every sense of the word; and ultimately they will out-think their makers. Is this depressing? I do not see why it would be. We superseded the Neanderthals and Cro-Magnons, and consider ourselves an improvement. Why should we expect to be the end of the line? On the contrary; we should be honoured to be stepping stones to higher things.

I suspect, indeed, that we have come to the end of biological or organic evolution; the future belongs to mechanical or inorganic evolution which is thousands of times swifter.

Below are additional selected citations in chronological order.