Quote Investigator® – Tracing Quotations

Catchphrase Origin: Does a Chicken Have Lips?

Wesly Brogdon? Dea Reed? Kareem Abdul-Jabbar? Bobby Foster? Dean Martin? Anonymous?

Question for Quote Investigator: When the answer to a question is obviously affirmative the respondent can employ a rhetorical phrase from a family that includes these three examples:

Is water wet?
Can birds fly?
Is the Pope a Catholic?

When the answer is obviously negative the respondent can employ one of these phrases:

Is Billy Graham Catholic?
Does a chicken have lips?

The answer to these two questions is clearly no. Billy Graham was a Southern Baptist minister. Chickens have beaks instead of lips.

Oddly, the latter phrase is now ambiguous. Some people believe it means “obviously, no”, and other people believe it means “obviously, yes”. Would you please explore the history of this expression?

Reply from Quote Investigator: The earliest match known to QI appeared in 1963 within the yearbook of a high school in Arvin, California. A student selected the statement to appear as his personal catchphrase. Unfortunately, the limited context did not delineate the meaning: ¹

BROGDON, WESLY — 2. Track, Football. 4. Ratty cars. 6. “Does a chicken have lips.”

In July 1965 a version of the phrase appeared in “The Washington Daily News” of Washington D.C. within an article about a high school basketball match. A coach emphasized the upbeat aspects of the competition, and a spectator disagreed by using a sarcastic instance of the phrase:²

… “Actually this league is only for learning basketball and for letting the kids have fun. That’s all.”

That’s what Wootten said. But when a spectator heard it, he didn’t quite agree. “Sure, sure” said the spectator, “and a chicken has lips.”

Below are additional selected citations in chronological order.

Proverb Origin: A Bayonet Is a Weapon with a Worker at Each End

John Maclean? James Hudson? James Riley? H. L. Mencken? Anonymous?

**Illustration of a rifle with a bayonet from Pixabay**

Question for Quote Investigator: Warring countries enlist workers to fight battles. Pacifists have adopted the following slogan. Here are three versions:

(1) A bayonet is a weapon with a working man at either end.
(2) A bayonet is a weapon with a worker at each end.
(3) A bayonet is a weapon with a worker at both ends.

This saying has been attributed to Scottish socialist John Maclean and English politician James Hudson. Would you please explore the provenance of this slogan?

Reply from Quote Investigator: The earliest match found by QI appeared in a March 10, 1939 article by pacifist James Hudson published in the periodical “Peace News” of London. Boldface added to excerpts by QI:¹

In war, one defends neither democracy nor the workers. A bayonet is a weapon with a worker at each end.

Based in current evidence, James Hudson is the leading candidate for creator of this saying.

The evidence supporting the attribution to John Maclean is very weak because he died in 1923, and he implausibly received credit decades after his death.

Below are additional selected citations in chronological order.

Catchphrase Origin: Is the Pope Catholic?

Carol Burnett? Charles Constantine Pise? Jim Furlong? Jim Obert? Art Lewis? Anonymous?

**View of St. Peter’s Basilica by Giovanni Battista Piranesi**

Question for Quote Investigator: When the answer to a question is obviously affirmative the respondent can employ the following rhetorical phrase:

Is the Pope Catholic?
Is the Pope a Catholic?

This reply suggests that the original question was ridiculous, but the insult is leavened with humor. Would you please explore the provenance of this remark?

Reply from Quote Investigator: Scholar Charles Clay Doyle calls this phrase a sarcastic interrogative, and he mentions other phrases in this family such as “Is water wet?”, “Can birds fly?”, and “Is the sky blue?”.¹ The wonderful website “Green’s Dictionary of Slang” lists several examples together with citations.²

The earliest match for the target phrase with the desired sense found by QI appeared in August 1952 within a San Antonio, Texas newspaper. An article about adventurer Jim Furlong described his journey sailing halfway around the world in a small sailing boat. Unfortunately, he suffered an accident that damaged his foot. Furlong was asked about his experience:³

Would he do it all over again?
“Is the Pope a Catholic,” grinned Furlong. “Sure I would. I’m already planning my next trip — and it’s going to be the biggest yet.”

QI has found the phrase “Is the Pope Catholic?” in print many years before 1952, but these earlier instances were not used as sarcastic interrogatives.

Below are additional selected citations in chronological order.

Dialogue Origin: “You Look As If There Is a Famine in the Land” “You Look As If You Are the Cause of It”

George Bernard Shaw? G. K. Chesterton? Alfred Hitchcock? Lord Northcliffe? Alfred Harmsworth? Apocryphal?

**Abstract artwork representing two different shapes from Unsplash**

Question for Quote Investigator: A slim person and a portly person engaged in the following sharp exchange:

“You look as if there were famine in the land.”
“You look as if you were the cause of it.”

The participants in this anecdote and the precise phrasing of the dialogue varies. Typically, the skinny person was the famous Irish playwright George Bernard Shaw. The rotund person was one of three possibilities: English author G. K. Chesterton, English filmmaker Alfred Hitchcock, or British publishing magnate Lord Northcliffe. Would you please explore the provenance of this anecdote?

Reply from Quote Investigator: This tale is difficult to trace because of its variability. The earliest match found by QI appeared in a newspaper in Decatur, Alabama on August 10, 1931. Boldface added to excepts by QI:¹

A fat man and a thin man were having an argument.
“From the looks of you,” said the fat man, “there must have been a famine when you were born.”
“And from the looks of you,” replied the thin man, “you must have caused it.”

The earliest instances did not mention any specific individuals. QI conjectures that the anecdote began as a joke with unnamed archetypal participants. To heighten the humor the two roles were later assigned to well-known pairs of individuals who were slender and plump. Hence, QI hypothesizes that the anecdotes featuring George Bernard Shaw were all fictitious. However, it remains possible that the anecdote was genuine, and the names were initially hidden.

Below are additional selected citations in chronological order.

Proverb Origin: Inside Every Old Person There Is a Young Person Wondering What Happened

Terry Pratchett? Ashleigh Brilliant? Cora Harvey Armstrong? Dan Sullivan? Hal Roach? Barbara Johnson? Anonymous?

**Silhouette image of an old person and a young person from Unsplash**

Question for Quote Investigator: An individual who feels young at heart sometimes looks in the mirror and is surprised to find an old person staring back. The years pass surprisingly rapidly. Here is a germane saying:

Inside every older person there’s a younger person wondering what happened.

This statement has been attributed to British fantasist Terry Pratchett and U.S. aphorist Ashleigh Brilliant. Would you please explore the provenance of this expression?

Reply from Quote Investigator: The earliest close match known to QI appeared in the “Los Angeles Times” of California in August 1976. Journalist Dan Sullivan wrote about the Los Angeles Mask Theater which consisted of a troupe of actors and artisans in their mid-20s. The character Sylvia was played by a young actress wearing a mask depicting the face of an elderly woman. Boldface added to excerpts by QI:¹

But talking with Sylvia on the bench, one did feel a species of archetype and magic. There was the reality of the old lady at your elbow and there was the reality of the actress playing her, the mask serving as a kind of bridge between them. If you looked through the eyeholes, you saw that Sylvia had very young eyes, and it almost seemed a reminder that inside every old person there is a young one wondering what happened.

Based on this citation, QI believes Dan Sullivan is the leading candidate for creator of this saying. Ashleigh Brilliant and Terry Pratchett both used the expression after it was already in circulation.

Below are additional selected citations in chronological order.

Proverb Origin: You Cannot Awaken Someone Who Is Pretending To Sleep

Mohandas Gandhi? Jonathan Safran Foer? B. N. Misra? T. S. A. Chettiar? Hakim Sanai? Yoruba Proverb? Navajo Proverb? Oromo Proverb? Anonymous?

**Depiction of a mannequin with a blindfold from Unsplash**

Question for Quote Investigator: Some people deliberately refuse to acknowledge unwelcome facts or events. They may pretend to misunderstand information, or they may simply ignore it. Here is a pertinent figurative expression:

You can’t wake up someone who is pretending to be asleep.

This saying has been attributed to Indian leader Mahatma Gandhi and U.S. author Jonathan Safran Foer. Also, the statement has been labeled a Navajo proverb and a Yoruba proverb. Would you please explore this topic?

Reply from Quote Investigator: Mohandas Gandhi did employ a version of this proverb in his autobiography, but he was not the originator. Tracing this proverb is difficult because it can be expressed in numerous ways. Here is an overview showing selected published items together with dates and attributions:

1871: Difficult to awaken people who will close their eyes and determine to sleep on (Unnamed journalist in “The Family Herald” of London)

1888: It is, therefore, mere waste of energy to awaken one, who is wide-awake, but only feigns sleep (Unnamed journalist in “Amrita Bazar Patrika” of Calcutta, India)

1910: To awaken a sleeper is easy, but the heedless is like one dead (English translation from “The Walled Garden of Truth” by Hakim Sanai)

1928: You can wake a man only if he is really asleep; no effort that you may make will produce any effect upon him if he is merely pretending sleep (Mohandas Gandhi in his autobiography)

1932: You can awake one who is really asleep but you cannot awake one who pretends to sleep (B. N. Misra in the Legislative Assembly of India)

1953: People who are sleeping can be awakened but people who are awake and who pretend to be sleeping cannot be awakened (T. S. A. Chettiar in Lok Sabha Debates, India)

1966: You can wake up a sleeping man, but you cannot wake up those who are already awake (U. M. Trivedi in Lok Sabha Debates, India)

1972: It is easy to awaken a sleeping man but not one who pretends to sleep (R. C. Majumdar in “The Calcutta Review”)

1988: One wakes a sleeper; one does not wake a pretender (Yoruba proverb)

1988: You can’t wake a person who is pretending to sleep (Oromo proverb)

1993: You cannot wake up a man who is pretending to be asleep (Saying in Somalia)

1998: You can’t wake a person who is pretending to be asleep (Described as a Navajo proverb)

2009: It’s always possible to wake someone from sleep, but no amount of noise will wake someone who is pretending to be asleep (Jonathan Safran Foer in “Eating Animals”)

Below are details for selected citations in chronological order.

Joke Origin: “Who Would Want To Be 90?” “Anyone Who Is 89”

Phyllis Diller? Apocryphal?

**Picture of a couple in silhouette from Unsplash**

Question for Quote Investigator: Physical and mental challenges accumulate as one grows older. Yet, opportunities for growth and achievement are undiminished. A comedian delivered the following pertinent joke:

Question: “Who would want to be 90?”
Answer: “Anyone who is 89.”

Would you please find out who created this joke?

Reply from Quote Investigator: Tracing jokes is difficult because the creators are often anonymous, but there is intriguing evidence for this joke. The earliest match found by QI appeared in “Reader’s Digest” in 2003. Boldface added to excerpts by QI:¹

Some people might say, “Who would want to be 90?” And I say, “Anyone who is 89.”
PHYLLIS DILLER on “Larry King Live”

Phyllis Diller was a pioneering U.S. comedian and actress who was born in 1917 and died in 2012 at age 95. Larry King was a U.S. radio and television personality who hosted “Larry King Live” on the CNN television network for more than three decades. QI believes Diller employed this joke while talking with King. She is the most likely creator.

Below are additional selected citations in chronological order.

Quote Origin: Freedom of Speech Does Not Mean Freedom from Consequences

Harvey O’Higgins? Brice Durbin? Richard L. Evans? Pat Benton? Samuel Johnson? Anonymous?

**Picture of an illuminated microphone from Unsplash**

Question for Quote Investigator: The “freedom of speech” doctrine has always been controversial. People who voice unpopular or offensive opinions sometimes face dire repercussions such as severed friendships, lost jobs, public shaming, imprisonment, and even execution. The following statement presents an implicit rationale for this social backlash:

Freedom of speech does not mean freedom from consequences.

Would you please explore the history of this statement?

Reply from Quote Investigator: The idea of freedom of speech can be traced back to ancient Athens, and the discussion of resultant penalties is also ancient. This article focuses on finding close matches to the target statement using similar phrasing and vocabulary.

In 1917 “The Century” magazine published an article titled “Freedom of Speech” by Harvey O’Higgins which contained the following passage. Boldface added to excerpts by QI:¹

What they demand, apparently, is the right to continue to circulate utterances that have been held inimical to the interests of the community. They demand not only freedom of speech, but freedom from the consequences of speech.

They cry not for liberty, but for immunity from the responsibilities of liberty. They expect to be not only free, but privileged, exempt, irresponsible, and protected by some holy right of sanctuary in a temple of established freedom which they shall be free to defile.

The phrasing of the statement differed from the one under examination. The statement in bold did not directly claim that the demand mentioned was unjustified. Yet, the context clearly indicated that O’Higgins believed that the demand was unreasonable. Hence, the statement in bold was a partial match.

The article above appeared in the December 1917 issue of “The Century”, but it was available to readers in November. A commentator in the “Fort Worth Star-Telegram” newspaper of Texas referred to the article and presented another partial match:²

Harvey J. O’Higgins has an illuminating article in the December number of the Century Magazine on the subject of freedom of speech, which makes clear how unjustifiable is the outcry of those “enemies within our gates” who desire not only freedom of speech but also freedom from the consequences of speech.

The essay from “The Century” was reprinted in other periodicals such as “The Buffalo Commercial” newspaper of New York. Hence, the partially matching statement achieved further distribution.³

Below are additional selected citations in chronological order.

Quip Origin: Everybody Should Believe in Something; I Believe I’ll Have Another Drink

W. C. Fields? Peter De Vries? Joe Sandwich? Morley Callaghan? Mary Steele? Ed McMahon? Chris Browne? Anonymous?

**Picture of bottles of alcohol from Unsplash**

Question for Quote Investigator: A paraprosdokian is a figure of speech in which the latter part of a statement is unexpected. This surprising element requires a comical reframing. For example, the following remark initially seems to be about spirituality:

A person has got to believe in something, and I believe I’ll have another drink.

This quip has been attributed to U.S. comedian W. C. Fields and U.S. novelist Peter De Vries. Would you please help me to find a citation and determine the correct originator?

Reply from Quote Investigator: The earliest match for this quip known to QI appeared in the 1967 novel “The Vale of Laughter” by Peter De Vries. The main character, Joe Sandwich, delivered the line while conversing and imbibing with the character Gloria. Boldface added to excerpts by QI:¹

The conversation had somehow gotten round to existentialism. Our Schweinhund leaned negligently back on one elbow and said, “Well, a man’s got to believe something, and I believe I’ll have another drink,” and held his glass out to the fractured Gloria, who knelt bottle in hand. He was pretending to be a wastrel. Tilting the bottle over his glass, Gloria said, “Just exactly what is um existentialism in a nutshell?”

De Vries built his reputation as a humorist via short stories published in “The New Yorker” magazine. QI believes De Vries is the most likely creator of this quip.

W. C. Fields died in 1946. He received credit by 1972. Overall, the evidence supporting the attribution to Fields is not substantive.

Below are additional selected citations in chronological order.

Quote Origin: Libraries Store the Energy That Fuels the Imagination. They Open Up Windows To the World

Sidney Sheldon? Apocryphal?

**Picture of Prague library of science, geometry, and astronomy from Unsplash**

Question for Quote Investigator: A top-selling author once powerfully praised libraries with the following words:

Libraries store the energy that fuels the imagination. They open up windows to the world and inspire us to explore and achieve, and contribute to improving our quality of life. Libraries change lives for the better.

Apparently, U.S. writer Sidney Sheldon made these remarks. Sheldon created popular plays, movies, television programs, and books. Would you please help me to find a citation?

Reply from Quote Investigator: The earliest match known to QI appeared in the May 1995 issue of the periodical “American Libraries” which published a short piece about Sidney Sheldon who was honored on his 78th birthday at the Los Angeles Public Library. The event occurred a few months earlier in February. A photo from the celebration showed Sheldon together with an executive of the American Library Association (ALA). Between the two figures was a poster created for the National Library Week of 1995.

The poster displayed the testimonial quotation under examination although some parts of the text were not visible because of reflective glare in the photo. The following line was visible on the poster. Boldface added to excerpts by QI:¹

Libraries store the energy that fuels the imagination.

The ascription to Sidney Sheldon was also visible on the poster. QI believes that this photo together with the citations presented further below provide convincing evidence that Sidney Sheldon should be credited with the quotation.

The article mentioned that Sheldon had recorded a five-minute video for ALA’s “Library Advocacy Now!” campaign, and it is possible that Sheldon employed the quotation within this recording.

Below are additional selected citations in chronological order.