Tracing Quotations
Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr.? Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr.? Clinton Cushing? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: Young people emerging from rigorous training are familiar with the rules of their professions, but it takes time and practical experience to recognize and adapt to the exceptions to these rules. A sage once said the following: The young man …
Continue reading “Quote Origin: The Young Man Knows the Rules, But the Old Man Knows the Exceptions”
Lewis Carroll? Cheshire Cat? Caterpillar? Harry S. Albert? R. Elizabeth Jones? Manmatha Nath Chatterjee? Henry Miller? Theodore Levitt? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: Choosing goals in life is difficult but essential. The following absurdist proverb is pertinent: If you don’t know where you’re going, any road will take you there. This statement has been credited …
Howard H. Aiken? Kenneth E. Iverson? Gregory W. Welch? Robert Slater? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: A cynical comment about innovation states that it is not necessary to fear the theft of your ideas because people obstinately resist imaginative ideas. If your idea is original, you will have to ram it down people’s throats. This …
Yogi Berra? Abigail Van Buren? Joe Garagiola? Laurence J. Peter? Robert F. Mager? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: Selecting goals and targets is helpful. A collection of humorous sayings highlights the disadvantages of aimlessness. Here are three examples: (1) If you don’t know where you are going you will never arrive. (2) If you don’t …
Rudyard Kipling? Friedrich Nietzsche? Arthur Gordon? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: The peer group exerts enormous pressure on the individual. Achieving and maintaining an independent viewpoint is arduous. An influential thinker stated the following: The individual has always had to struggle to keep from being overwhelmed by the tribe. The thinker believed that pursuing a …
George Carlin? Jeremy Clarkson? Carol Mueller? Larry Tobin? Bill Hall? Cheryl Saban? Ben Rubin? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: Electronic devices beep when reporting notifications. Trucks beep when they are backing up. Microwave ovens beep when food is ready. A wit commented on our modern soundscape. Here are three versions: (1) Everything beeps now.(2) Now …
Author: Jerrold R. Zacharias? Abigail Johnson? S. Paul Johnson? Theodore Maiman? Anonymous? Technology: Laser? Nuclear Energy? Electronic Computer? Meteorological Satellite? Artificial Intelligence? Bitcoin? Blockchain? Question for Quote Investigator: When the first laser was built it received high praise, but the applications of the invention were unclear. A clever phrase described the situation. Here are two …
Continue reading “Phrase Origin: A Solution in Search of a Problem”
Lorraine Hansberry? Stephen King? Helene Keyssar? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: I am trying to find the source of the following dialogue. The setting was a breakfast table. One person enthusiastically described a grand plan and said, “I have a dream” or “I want to fly”. The other person attenuated the emotional intensity by simply …
Continue reading “Dialogue Origin: “I Got Me a Dream” “Eat Your Eggs””
Thomas Robert Dewar? Grafton Grabb? A Ragged Tramp? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: Everyone faces trials, i.e., adversity. A humorous remark uses wordplay to tie together these hardships with the legal system: Life is full of trials with an occasional conviction. This quip has been attributed to Scottish whisky distiller Thomas Robert Dewar, but I …
Continue reading “Quote Origin: Life Is Full of Trials With an Occasional Conviction”
Samuel Goldwyn? Bill Keisler? Bobby Wayne? Vladimir Semyonov? Sam Levenson? Laurence J. Peter? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: The following astringent remark perfectly embodies the attitude of a high-handed boss who ignores feedback: When I want your opinion, I’ll give it to you. This line has been ascribed to movie mogul Samuel Goldwyn. The statement …
Continue reading “Quote Origin: When I Want Your Opinion, I’ll Give It To You”