John Bunyan? Paul Bunyan? Jacob Morton Braude? Frank Look? Eugene P. Bertin? Frank Ney? Titus? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: Altruism has been championed with the following saying: You have not lived today until you have done something for someone who can never repay you. This statement has been credited to the 17th-century Puritan preacher …
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Quote Origin: The Best Thing About the Future Is That It Comes Only One Day at a Time
Abraham Lincoln? Dean Acheson? Vermont Woman? Andrew Tully? Lion? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: Contemplating the future can be overwhelming when one is facing endless demands and myriad dangers. The following saying mixes humor, acceptance, and sanguinity: The best thing about the future is that it comes only one day at a time. U.S. President …
Joke Origin: “This Place Would Be Much Better If We Had Plenty of Water and Good Society” “So Would Hades”
Joke Creator: Benjamin Wade? Charles H. Hoyt? William D. Kelley? Anonymous? Location: Central Pacific Railroad? Great American Desert? Great Plains? Nevada? Wyoming? Nebraska? Montana? North Carolina? Texas? Unknown? Question for Quote Investigator: A traveler who was visiting an arid and desolate place asked a resident for his opinion of the location. The resident was enthusiastic, …
Quote Origin: The Middle of the Road is Where the White Line Is—and That’s the Worst Place To Drive
Robert Frost? Margaret Thatcher? Dwight D. Eisenhower? Aneurin Bevan? Franklin P. Jones? I. P. Reynolds? Eric Nicol? John M. Ashbrook? William Penn Patrick? Sydney Harris? Alan Craig Loughrige? Jim Hightower? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: Social relationships and political decisions often entail compromise. Yet, these intermediary policies, i.e., middle-of-the-road positions, frequently engender hostility. Here is a …
There Are Three Kinds of Lies: Lies, Damned Lies, and Statistics
Mark Twain? Benjamin Disraeli? St. Swithin? Eliza Gutch? Charles Dilke? Charles Stewart Parnell? Robert Giffen? Arthur James Balfour? Francis Bacon? Anonymous? Dear Quote Investigator: Statistical analysis can provide deep insights into an issue. Yet, carelessness or duplicity can generate misleading results. A popular cynical adage communicates this mistrust: There are three kinds of lies: lies, …
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People Will Not Say Anymore That the Greeks Fight Like Heroes But Heroes Fight Like Greeks
Winston Churchill? Demetrius Caclamanos? John Rupert Colville? Queen Frederika of Greece? Anonymous? Dear Quote Investigator: A family of statements highlights the valor of military forces. Here are two examples: Henceforth we will not say that Greeks fight like heroes, but that heroes fight like Greeks Finns don’t fight like heroes; heroes fight like Finns These …
The Best Time To Plant a Tree Was 30 Years Ago, and the Second Best Time To Plant a Tree Is Now
George W. White? Confucius? Chinese Saying? Jean Chretien? Earl Ubell? Anonymous? Dear Quote Investigator: The payoff for some actions only occurs after a lengthy delay. For example, a newly planted fruit tree requires years of growth before it can generate a bumper harvest. Also, a shade tree may require decades of maturation before it produces …
Extraordinary Claims Require Extraordinary Evidence
Carl Sagan? Marcello Truzzi? Pierre-Simon Laplace? David Hume? Benjamin Bayly? Elihu Palmer? William Craig Brownlee? F. B. Barton? William Denton? Ely Vaughan Zollars? Joseph Rinn? James Oberg? Arthur C. Clarke? Dear Quote Investigator: Tabloid newspapers have printed remarkable claims about alien abductions, mischievous ghosts, bigfoot sightings, and other anomalies. Skeptics have countered these reports by …
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All the Love Scenes Had Been Shot Like Murder Scenes, and All the Murder Scenes Like Love Scenes
Alfred Hitchcock? François Truffaut? Grace Kelly? Sam Mendes? Dear Quote Investigator: Director Alfred Hitchcock was a master of suspense and horror. For decades his filmmaking techniques have been closely studied by other directors, screenwriters, and critics. One observer uncovered a disquieting connection between Hitchcock’s portrayal of homicide and intimacy: The murder scenes are filmed like …
Tact Is the Ability To Describe Others As They See Themselves
Mary Pettibone Poole? Abraham Lincoln? Aldous Huxley? Eleanor Chaffee? Apocryphal? Anonymous? Dear Quote Investigator: The ability to perceive others as they see themselves is an enormously helpful guide for smooth and productive interactions. Here is a pertinent adage: Tact is the ability to describe others as they see themselves. This saying has been attributed to …
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