Tracing Quotations
T. S. Eliot? W. H. Auden? Vladimir Nabokov? Gloria Goddard? Clement Wood? J. L. Thompson? Tom Congdon? Alan Bennett? Question for Quote Investigator: The name of the major literary figure T. S. Eliot has inspired entertaining wordplay. A bookseller who visited the London headquarters of Eliot’s publisher, Faber and Faber, supposedly emerged with the following …
Continue reading “Palindrome Origin: Was It Eliot’s Toilet I Saw?”
Mulla Nasreddin? Khodshah? Khoja Nasr ed-Dîn Effendi? Harry Charles Lukach? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: In the past you have examined a family of humorous anecdotes about credulousness. The punchline of these tales was: Who you gonna believe, me or your lying eyes? There is another anecdote of this type which seems to be older: …
Continue reading “Anecdote Origin: “I Can Hear the Donkey Bray” “Do You Believe Me or the Donkey?””
Bertrand Russell? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: Many people are forgoing holidays and overworking themselves. Here is a pertinent quotation: One of the symptoms of approaching nervous breakdown is the belief that one’s work is terribly important. These words have been attributed to British philosopher Bertrand Russell. Would you please help me to find a …
Jane Goodall? Karen Karbo? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: Shortly after English primatologist Jane Goodall died in October 2025, I repeatedly saw the following quotation attributed to her: It actually doesn’t take much to be considered a difficult woman. That’s why there are so many of us. Yet, I have been unable to find a …
Lewis Carroll? Cheshire Cat? J.C. Penney Department Store? Sue? Apocryphal? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: The famous English fantasy author Lewis Carroll has been credited with a statement about nonconformity. Here are two versions: (1) I’m not crazy; my reality is just different than yours.(2) I’m not strange, weird, off, nor crazy, my reality is …
Continue reading “Quote Origin: I’m Not Crazy. My Reality Is Just Different Than Yours”
Groucho Marx? Neville Cardus? Godfrey Smith? Donald Trelford? John Gale? Michael Davie? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: A popular anecdote states that a famous U.S. comedian was taken to a cricket match. The comedian watched the field intently but without comprehension. The hosts attempted to explain some of the complicated rules of the game. After …
George Plimpton? Vance Whitt? James Grady? Margaret Thatcher? Mel Justice? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: The repercussions of activities can be asymmetrical. For example, a chronic thief must be successful in every crime, whereas a pursuing detective must be successful only once to catch the thief and initiate legal consequences. Also, the target of a …
Dorothy Walworth? Abe Martin? Kin Hubbard? Thomas Kirby? Dave Ball? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: The phrase “bury the hatchet” means to end a dispute and make peace. A humorous twist on this figurative phrase highlights enduring hostility: They buried the hatchet, but in a shallow grave. This statement suggests that the hatchet might be …
Continue reading “Quip Origin: They Buried the Hatchet, But in a Shallow Grave”
Arthur Brisbane? Wray Hunt? John A. Broadus? Dorothy Maddox? Nellie K. Blissett? T. F. Thorp? George W. Paton? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: An old proverb asserts that every question has two sides. An extended proverb asserts that every question has three sides. The third side is the truthful or factual side. Here are three …
Mary Courtland? Harriet Van Horne? William D. McBride? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: Older individuals sometimes embarrass themselves by chasing evanescent trends and trying to act young. Yet sometimes they succeed and feel rejuvenated. Here is a pertinent saying: Inside every old person is a young person trying to get out. Would you please explore …
Continue reading “Proverb Origin: Inside Every Old Person There Is a Young Person Trying to Get Out”