Tracing Quotations
Buckaroo Banzai? Peter Weller? Earl Mac Rauch? Thomas à Kempis? W. H. Hutchings? Jim Russell? Jacqueline? C. Gordon Furbish? Jon Kabat-Zinn? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: The following saying is a profound guideline for mindfulness meditation; alternatively, it is a fun absurdist joke. Here are three versions: The 1984 movie “The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai …
Continue reading “Quote Origin: No Matter Where You Go, There You Are”
Salvador Dali? Leonard Lyons? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: Two very different statements about madness have been attributed to the famous Spanish surrealist artist Salvador Dali: (1) The only difference between me and a madman is that I am not a madman. (2) There is only one difference between a madman and me. The madman …
Oscar Wilde? Henry Wotton? Sibyl Vane? Louis T. Stanley? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: The famous wit Oscar Wilde has received credit for the following cynical dialogue, but I am not sure where it appeared: “Young people, nowadays, imagine that money is everything.”“Yes, and when they grow older they know it.” Oscar Wilde has also …
Catherine Deneuve? Kathleen Turner? Francoise de la Renta? Carolina Herrera? Ida Jean Kain? Erma Bombeck? Elizabeth Taylor? Meryl Streep? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: It is common for an individual to gain weight while growing older. Yet, dieting to maintain a slim body can inadvertently produce a face that looks angular or gaunt. Here are …
Mark Twain? Will Rogers? Tom Sims? Arthur Godfrey? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: You must stay active and alert to have a fulfilling life. Two famous U.S. humorists, Mark Twain and Will Rogers, have been credited with the following remark: Even if you’re on the right track, you’ll get run over if you just sit …
David Lynch? Margaret Atwood? Jacob Riis? Grant E. Hamilton? Wendy Wasserstein? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: The following saying encourages an optimistic focus on what matters in life: Keep your eye on the doughnut, not the hole. The influential U.S. movie director David Lynch and the prominent Canadian novelist Margaret Atwood have both employed this …
Continue reading “Quote Origin: Keep Your Eye On the Doughnut, Not the Hole”
Hans von Bülow? Niccolò Paganini? Jennie Fowler Willing? Maria Malibran? Charles Haddon Spurgeon? Anton Rubinstein? August Wilhelmj? Ole Bull? Ignacy Paderewski? Franz Liszt? Jascha Heifetz? Fritz Kreisler? Question for Quote Investigator: There is a popular saying about the enormous importance of regularly engaging in practice to maintain prowess as a performer in music and other …
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 …
Continue reading “Anecdote Origin: Will You Have Sugar and Cream in Your Nose?”
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 …
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”, …
Continue reading “Quote Origin: Show Me a Good Loser and I’ll Show You a Loser”