Buckaroo Banzai? Peter Weller? Earl Mac Rauch? Thomas à Kempis? W. H. Hutchings? Jim Russell? Jacqueline? C. Gordon Furbish? Jon Kabat-Zinn? Anonymous? Dear Quote Investigator: The following saying is a profound guideline for mindfulness meditation; alternatively, it is a fun absurdist joke. Here are three versions: Wherever you go, there you are. No matter where …
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Anecdote Origin: Will You Have Sugar and Cream in Your Nose?
John Pierpont Morgan? Elizabeth Cutter Morrow? Anne Morrow Lindbergh? Mary Roberts Rinehart? Art Arthur? O. O. McIntyre? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: An embarrassing incident occurred when a famous U.S. financier visited the home of a popular hostess. The financier had an obtrusive bulging nose, and the hostess had a young child who was inquisitive …
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Quip Origin: In Ancient Times Cats Were Worshipped As Gods; They Have Not Forgotten This
Terry Pratchett? P. G. Wodehouse? Dave Ochs? Dusty Rainbolt? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: Cats project an air of superiority and aloofness according to sharp observers. A humorous remark reflects this viewpoint: In ancient times, cats were worshipped as gods. They have never forgotten this. The best-selling English fantasy author Terry Pratchett has received credit …
Quote Origin: Show Me a Good Loser and I’ll Show You a Loser
Knute Rockne? Red Auerbach? Robert Zuppke? Fred Taylor? Richard Nixon? Jimmy Carter? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: Any participant in competitive sports must eventually experience defeat. The value of good sportsmanship has been emphasized by many mentors. Different terms have been employed to contrast the divergent reactions to defeat: “gracious loser”, “good loser”, “poor loser”, …
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Quote Origin: The Way That Person Believes In Themselves Is Quite Refreshing In These Atheistic Times When Many Believe In No God At All
Israel Zangwill? G. K. Chesterton? George Bernard Shaw? William Thomas Stead? H. G. Wells? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: Intellectuals often think very highly of themselves. One wit satirized this self-absorption with the following quip: The way he believes in himself is very refreshing in these atheistic days when so many believe in no God …
Quote Origin: When People Cease To Believe in God, They Do Not Then Believe in Nothing, But in Anything
G. K. Chesterton? Malcolm Muggeridge? Émile Cammaerts? Umberto Eco? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: An individual who becomes skeptical about traditional belief systems does not automatically embrace careful thought and rationality. Instead, the individual may embrace more eccentric belief systems and superstitions. Consider the following related remark: When people cease to believe in God, they …
Adage Origin: You Are Either Part of the Problem or Part of the Solution
Eldridge Cleaver? Harry Emerson Fosdick? Edna G. Fuller? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: The world faces many difficulties, and each of us must shoulder the responsibility for helping to solve or ameliorate these difficulties. Here are three versions of a pertinent adage: (1) Each individual is either part of the problem or part of the …
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Quote Origin: It Is Better To Deserve Honors and Not Have Them Than To Have Them and Not Deserve Them
Mark Twain? Humphry Davy? Robert G. Ingersoll? Cato the Elder? Hugh M‘Neile? Cassius Marcellus Clay? Thomas Fuller? Question for Quote Investigator: A person of great merit may not receive any recognition while an unworthy person may receive numerous accolades. This perverse disconnection has inspired the following ethical stance: It is better to deserve honors and …
Adage Provenance: Before You Leave the House, Look in the Mirror and Remove One Piece of Jewelry
Coco Chanel? Gracie Allen? Joan Rivers? The McGuire Sisters? Polly Bergen? Nancy Abraham? Maggie Daly? Helen Hennessy? John Robert Powers? Beatrice Molinsky? George Burns? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: Fashion sense is always subjective, but many agree that wearing too much jewelry looks gaudy and ostentatious. The style maven Coco Chanel supposedly gave the following …
Quote Origin: When Hopes Seem Hardly Worth Having, Just Mount a Bicycle and Go For a Good Spin Down the Road
Arthur Conan Doyle? Sherlock Holmes? Diane Ackerman? Jeremy Withers? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: Arthur Conan Doyle, the creator of Sherlock Holmes, was a bicycle enthusiast. He suggested that taking a spin down the road on a bicycle would dispel feelings of discouragement and unhappiness. I do not know the precise phrasing Conan Doyle used. …