Author: quoteresearch

Quote Origin: It Was Only a Sunny Smile, and Little It Cost in the Giving

F. Scott Fitzgerald? Aubrey Grey? Harriett G. Hancock? Apocryphal? Anonymous?

Question for Quote Investigator: A smile can raise the spirits of oneself and others. This thought has been conveyed as follows:

It was only a sunny smile, and little it cost in the giving, but like morning light, it scattered the night and made the day worth living.

These words have been attributed to the prominent U.S. novelist F. Scott Fitzgerald, but I have never seen a solid citation, and I have become skeptical. Would you please explore the provenance of this statement?

Reply from Quote Investigator: QI has found no substantive support for the ascription to F. Scott Fitzgerald who was born in 1896.

The earliest strong match located by QI appeared in March 1893 within a poem titled “Only” published in “The Western Teacher: A Monthly Journal for Progressive Teachers” of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Below are the first two verses of the four verse poem. The author was not identified. Boldface added to excerpts by QI:[1] 1893 March, The Western Teacher: A Monthly Journal for Progressive Teachers, Volume 1, Number 5, Poem: Only, Quote Page 145, Column 2, Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (Google Books Full View) link

It was only a sunny smile,
And little it cost in the giving;
But it scattered the night
Like morning light,
And made the day worth living.
Through life’s dull warp a woof it wove
In shining colors of hope and love;
And the angels smiled as they watched above.
Yet little it cost in the giving.

It was only a kindly word,
A word that was lightly spoken;
Yet not in vain,
For it stilled the pain
Of a heart that was nearly broken.
It strengthened a faith beset by fears
And groping blindly through mists of tears
For light to brighten the coming years,
Although it was lightly spoken.

The poem above was widely reprinted in subsequent years., but QI has been unable to determine the author. Thus, the creator of the quotation under examination remains anonymous.

Additional details and citations are available in the article on the Medium platform which is located here.

Image Notes: Pictures of balloons with smiles and frowns from Madison Oren at Unsplash.

Acknowledgements: Great thanks to Shawn Sudia-Skehan and Greg whose inquiries led QI to formulate this question and perform this exploration.

References

References
↑1 1893 March, The Western Teacher: A Monthly Journal for Progressive Teachers, Volume 1, Number 5, Poem: Only, Quote Page 145, Column 2, Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (Google Books Full View) link

Quote Origin: I Never Was Ruined But Twice, Once When I Gained a Lawsuit, and Once When I Lost It

Voltaire? Mark Twain? Richard Brinsley Sheridan? John Bright? Apocryphal? Anonymous?

Question for Quote Investigator: Legal conflicts are extraordinarily expensive and time-consuming for all the participants. Even the winner of a lawsuit can suffer financially. The ill-fated contender in two legal entanglements once said something like the following. Here are two versions. The word “gained” is a synonym for “won” in the second statement:

(1) I have been ruined only twice: once when I lost a lawsuit, and once when I won one.
(2) I never was ruined but twice; once when I gained a lawsuit, and once when I lost it.

This quip has been attributed to the famous wits Voltaire (pen name of François-Marie Arouet) and Mark Twain (pen name of Samuel Clemens); however, I have never seen a solid citation, and I have become skeptical. Would you please explore this topic?

Reply from Quote Investigator: There is no substantive support for the ascription to Mark Twain who died in 1910. The attribution to Twain appeared by 2014.

Researchers have been unable to find this saying in the writings or speeches of Voltaire. The valuable 2021 reference “The Quotable Voltaire” edited by Garry Apgar and Edward M. Langille contains a germane entry which states the following:[1]2021, The Quotable Voltaire, Edited by Garry Apgar and Edward M. Langille, Section: Quotations by Voltaire, Topic: Law—Lawyers, Quote Page 163, Bucknell University Press, Lewisburg, Pennsylvania. … Continue reading

Attributed to Voltaire, almost certainly apocryphal

Voltaire died in 1778, and the earliest strong match located by QI appeared many years later in June 1826 within “The Sun” newspaper of London. A column titled “Fashionable – Intelligence” printed a miscellaneous collection of items including the following. Boldface added to excerpts by QI:[2] 1826 June 24, The Sun, FASHIONABLE – INTELLIGENCE, Quote Page 3, Column 4, London, England. (British Newspaper Archive)

BEAUTIES OF LAW.—“I never,” said Voltaire, “was ruined but twice, once, when I gained a law suit; and once, when I lost it.”

QI believes that the current evidence supporting the attribution to Voltaire is inadequate, and the originator of the quip remains anonymous.

Additional details and citations are available in the article on the Medium platform which is located here.

Image Notes: Illustration of scales of justice from jpornelasadv at Pixabay.

Acknowledgement: Great thanks to Jan Adler whose inquiry led QI to formulate this question and perform this exploration.

References

References
↑1 2021, The Quotable Voltaire, Edited by Garry Apgar and Edward M. Langille, Section: Quotations by Voltaire, Topic: Law—Lawyers, Quote Page 163, Bucknell University Press, Lewisburg, Pennsylvania. (Verified with hardcopy)
↑2 1826 June 24, The Sun, FASHIONABLE – INTELLIGENCE, Quote Page 3, Column 4, London, England. (British Newspaper Archive)

Quote Origin: Life Is Not Complex. We Are Complex. Life Is Simple, and the Simple Thing Is the Right Thing

Oscar Wilde? Robert Ross? Rudolf Flesch? Apocryphal?

Question for Quote Investigator: Modern life seems to be extremely complicated, but the underlying principles of a worthwhile life are quite simple. I am reminded of the following quotation:

Life is not complex. We are complex. Life is simple, and the simple thing is the right thing.

These words have been attributed to the famous Irish wit Oscar Wilde, but I have never seen a solid citation. Would you please help me to trace this remark?

Reply from Quote Investigator: In April 1897 Oscar Wilde penned a note to his friend Robert Ross. Wilde was unhappy because Ross had ignored the guidance specified in a previous note. Boldface added to excerpts by QI:[1]1962, The Letters of Oscar Wilde, Edited by Rupert Hart-Davis, Letter to: Robert Ross, Letter from: Oscar Wilde, Letter date: April 1, 1897, Start Page 512, Quote Page 514, Published by Rupert … Continue reading

You should have seen that my wishes were carried out. You were very wrong not to do so. I was quite helpless in prison and I relied on you. You thought that the thing to do was the clever thing, the smart thing, the ingenious thing. You were under a mistake.

Life is not complex. We are complex. Life is simple, and the simple thing is the right thing. Look at the result! Are you pleased with it?

Additional details and citations are available in the article on the Medium platform which is located here.

Image Notes: Complex presentation of the simple word “Love” from Gerd Altmann at Pixabay. The image has been expanded vertically and resized.

Acknowledgement: Great thanks to Jane Bella whose inquiry led QI to formulate this question and perform this exploration.

References

References
↑1 1962, The Letters of Oscar Wilde, Edited by Rupert Hart-Davis, Letter to: Robert Ross, Letter from: Oscar Wilde, Letter date: April 1, 1897, Start Page 512, Quote Page 514, Published by Rupert Hart-Davis, London. (Verified on paper)

Quote Origin: If Our American Way of Life Fails the Child, It Fails Us All

Pearl S. Buck? Apocryphal?

Question for Quote Investigator: The following statement has been attributed to the prominent U.S. writer Pearl S. Buck:

If our American way of life fails the child, it fails us all.

Would you please help me to find the context of this remark together with a citation?

Reply from Quote Investigator: Pearl S. Buck won a Pulitzer Prize in 1932 for her best-selling book “The Good Earth”. Subsequently, she was awarded the 1938 Nobel Prize in Literature. In 1965 she published “Children for Adoption” which contained the following passage. Boldface added to excerpts:[1] 1965 (1964 Copyright), Children for Adoption by Pearl S. Buck, Chapter 9: White, Gray or Black Market, Quote Page 193, Random House, New York. (Verified with hardcopy)

The increase in numbers of homeless, unwanted children—a result of the sexual freedom between modern men and women—is attended by a decrease in the number of adopting parents. The predicament must be faced squarely by the professionals. New solutions must be found. If our American way of life fails the child, it fails us all.

Additional details and citations are available in the article on the Medium platform which is located here.

Image Notes: Picture of mother and baby from Rebecca Scholz at Pixabay.  The image has been cropped.

Acknowledgement: Great thanks to Sue Ferrara whose inquiry led QI to formulate this question and perform this exploration.

References

References
↑1 1965 (1964 Copyright), Children for Adoption by Pearl S. Buck, Chapter 9: White, Gray or Black Market, Quote Page 193, Random House, New York. (Verified with hardcopy)

Quote Origin: We Live in a Science Fiction Age. Yesterday’s Fantasy Is Already Today’s Fact

Isaac Asimov? Leonard Nimoy? Allen Ginsberg? Jane Kramer? Donald A. Wollheim? Chester Whitehorn? Ric Ocasek? Greg Hawkes? Apocryphal?

Question for Quote Investigator: Nowadays technological changes are occurring with vertiginous rapidity, and I am reminded of statements like these:

We live in a science-fiction age. Yesterday’s fantasy is already today’s fact.

There’s nothing to be learned from history any more. We’re in science fiction now.

Surprisingly, these pronouncements were made several decades ago. Would you please help me to find citations?

Reply from Quote Investigator: Here is an overview with dates and attributions which presents a sampling of similar declarations:

1954: We live in a science-fiction age. Yesterday’s fantasy is already today’s fact. — Chester Whitehorn, Editor of short-lived “Science Fiction Digest”

1957 Jan: The bizarre fact that we do live in a science-fiction world. — Canadian Journalist James Cameron (not the moviemaker)

1968 Jun: We do live in a science fiction age. — John M. Connor, Librarian

1969: There’s nothing to be learned from history any more. We’re in science fiction now. — Allen Ginsberg, Poet

1971: I have had the disturbing conviction that we are all living in a science-fiction story. — Donald A. Wollheim, Science fiction editor

1974 May: We live in a science fiction age. — Leonard Nimoy, actor who played Spock in “Star Trek”

1975: We live, indisputably, in a science fiction world. —  James E. Gunn, Science fiction scholar and author (not the moviemaker)

1978: Everything is science fiction. And I ought to know. — Ric Ocasek and Greg Hawkes, members of the rock group The Cars

1982: I think we’re living in a science fiction world right now. — Isaac Asimov, Science fiction author

2023 May: On what date do you expect @GreatDismal to go from being science fiction writer to historian? — UK director Duncan Jones

In 1954 optimistic editor Chester Whitehorn founded a periodical called “Science Fiction Digest”. Sadly, only two issues were published before the effort failed.[1] 1993, The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction, Edited by John Clute and Peter Nicholls, Entry: Science Fiction Digest, Quote Page 1064, Column 1, St. Martin’s Press, New York. (Verified with scans) Whitehorn was convinced that the world had entered a new era of futuristic possibilities. He wrote the following in an editor’s note:[2]1954, Science Fiction Digest, Volume 1, Number 1, Editor Chester Whitehorn, Article Title: S.F.D. Notes, Quote Page 1, Publisher: Specific Fiction Corporation, New York. Note about date: The month of … Continue reading

We live in a science-fiction age. Yesterday’s fantasy is already today’s fact; and today’s imaginings, well, perhaps only 24 hours from now, they too will have come to pass.

Additional details and citations are available in the article on the Medium platform which is located here.

Image Notes: Illustration of geometric shape embedded in space from spirit111 at Pixabay. The image has been cropped.

Acknowledgement: This article is dedicated to the memory of science fiction fan and librarian extraordinaire Dennis Lien who asked fascinating questions and helped QI on many occasions. Special thanks to Charles C. Doyle who accessed the issue of “Science Fiction Digest”. Also, thanks to Ben Zimmer who told QI about the tweet referencing William Gibson. Additional thanks to Fred Shapiro who placed the quotation from Alan Ginsberg in “The New Yale Book of Quotations” where QI encountered it for the first time.

Update History: On May 18, 2023 the 1954 citation was updated with details after the hardcopy of issue number 1, volume 1 was accessed. Also, on May 18, 2023 the tweet from Duncan Jones was added to the article.

References

References
↑1 1993, The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction, Edited by John Clute and Peter Nicholls, Entry: Science Fiction Digest, Quote Page 1064, Column 1, St. Martin’s Press, New York. (Verified with scans)
↑2 1954, Science Fiction Digest, Volume 1, Number 1, Editor Chester Whitehorn, Article Title: S.F.D. Notes, Quote Page 1, Publisher: Specific Fiction Corporation, New York. Note about date: The month of the issue was not specified in the hardcopy; “The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction” (1993) edited by John Clute and Peter Nicholls states that issue number one appeared in February 1954. (Verified with hardcopy)

Quote Origin: Look for Three Qualities: Integrity, Intelligence and Energy. And If They Don’t Have the First, the Other Two Will Kill You

Warren Buffett? Anonymous? Apocryphal?

Question for Quote Investigator: Famous U.S. investor Warren Buffett once described the three traits he looked for in new employees. A worker should have integrity, intelligence, and energy. Apparently, Buffett believed that the first trait was crucial because its absence would cause the other two traits to kill a business. Would you please help me to find the phrasing used by Buffett together with a precise citation?

Reply from Quote Investigator: In 1993 Warren Buffett spoke to  graduate students at the Business School of Columbia University in New York City. Excerpts from his remarks were published in the “Omaha World-Herald” of Nebraska in January 1994.  Boldface added to excerpts by QI:[1]1994 January 2, Omaha World-Herald, Section: Business, Billionaire Talks Strategy With Students Columbia University Group Hears From Famous Alumnus Berkshire Hathaway by Jim Rasmussen (Herald Staff … Continue reading

Somebody once said that in looking for people to hire, you look for three qualities: integrity, intelligence and energy. And if they don’t have the first, the other two will kill you.

You think about it, it’s true. If you hire somebody without the first, you really want them dumb and lazy. (Laughter)

Pick the kind of person to work for you that you want to marry your son or daughter. You won’t go wrong.

Interestingly, Warren Buffett popularized this saying; however, he disclaimed credit. Thus, the originator remains anonymous.

Additional details and citations are available in the article on the Medium platform which is located here.

Image Notes: Illustration of a puzzle piece that fits nicely into a slot from AbsolutVision at Pixabay.

Acknowledgement: Great thanks to Jane Bella who encountered a tweet containing a similar remark using the word honesty instead of integrity. Bella began exploring the provenance of the statement, and she found the remark ascribed to Warren Buffett. Next, she contacted QI to learn more about the saying.

References

References
↑1 1994 January 2, Omaha World-Herald, Section: Business, Billionaire Talks Strategy With Students Columbia University Group Hears From Famous Alumnus Berkshire Hathaway by Jim Rasmussen (Herald Staff Writer), Quote Page 17S, Omaha, Nebraska. (NewsBank Access World News)

Quote Origin: Measure Their Progress, Not From the Heights to Which They May In Time Attain, But From the Depths From Which They Have Come

Frederick Douglass? Apocryphal?

Question for Quote Investigator: Whenever a person is being evaluated it is necessary to consider the adversities that have impeded their progress. One should measure the heights achieved, but one should also consider the original challenging depths experienced by an individual. The famous orator Frederick Douglass said something like this. Would you please help me to find a citation?

Reply from Quote Investigator: On May 30, 1882 Frederick Douglass delivered an address at Decoration Day in Rochester, New York. The “Rochester Daily Union and Advertiser” newspaper published a transcript of the speech which included the following remarks. Boldface added to excepts by QI:[1]1882 May 30, Rochester Daily Union and Advertiser, Decoration Day: Address of Frederick Douglass at Franklin Square, Quote Page 3, Column 8, Rochester New York. (Old Fulton accessed fultonhistory_com … Continue reading

Unquestionably the condition of the freedmen is not what it ought to be, but the cause of their affliction is not to be found in their present freedom, but in their former slavery. It does not belong to the present, but to the past. They were emancipated under unfavorable conditions. They were literally turned loose, hungry and naked, to the open sky . . .

Those who now carp at their destitution, and speak of them with contempt should judge them leniently, and measure their progress, not from the heights to which they may in time attain, but from the depths from which they have come.

Additional details and citations are available in the article on the Medium platform which is located here.

Image Notes: Picture of mountainous terrain in Munkebu, Norway from Guillaume Briard at Unsplash. The image has been cropped.

Acknowledgements: Great thanks to researcher Lisa Najavits and the Boston University (BU) library system. The version of this saying presented in the 1993 and 2006 citations appears on many webpages without a supporting citation. Najavits wished to obtain a solid citation; hence, she contacted the BU library system where a librarian was able to successfully trace a different version to the May 30, 1882 Decoration Day speech by Frederick Douglass. Najavits contacted QI and suggested that an article about this expression would be a valuable addition to the website, and QI concurred.

References

References
↑1 1882 May 30, Rochester Daily Union and Advertiser, Decoration Day: Address of Frederick Douglass at Franklin Square, Quote Page 3, Column 8, Rochester New York. (Old Fulton accessed fultonhistory_com on May 4, 2023) link

Quote Origin: Read, Read, Read. Read Everything—Trash, Classics, Good and Bad, and See How They Do It

William Faulkner? Stephen King? R. M. Allen? Lavon Rascoe? Lauren Passell? Ben Yagoda? Anonymous?

Question for Quote Investigator: A prominent novelist was once asked for advice by an aspiring author. The scribe offered the following crucial guidance:

Read, read, read. Read everything.

Highbrow, middlebrow, and lowbrow material were all deemed acceptable choices for scrutiny. Would you please help me to find out the name of this sage? It might be celebrated U.S. writer William Faulkner or popular horror maestro Stephen King.

Reply from Quote Investigator: In 1949 William Faulkner won the Nobel Prize in Literature. Two years earlier in April 1947 he spoke about writing to students of the English Department at the University of Mississippi. He delivered advice during a question and answer session. Boldface added to excepts by QI:[1]1980, Lion in the Garden: Interviews with William Faulkner 1926-1962, Edited by James B. Meriwether and Michael Millgate, Year: 1947, Interview: Classroom Statements at the University of Mississippi, … Continue reading

Q: What is the best training for writing? Courses, experience, or what?

Faulkner: Read, read, read. Read everything—trash, classics, good and bad, and see how they do it. Just like a carpenter who works as an apprentice and studies the master. Read! You’ll absorb it. Then write. If it is good, you’ll find out. If it’s not, throw it out the window.

The text above is from “Lion in the Garden: Interviews with William Faulkner 1926-1962”. This book reprinted notes taken by student R. M. Allen who was present when Faulkner spoke.

Additional details and citations are available in the article on the Medium platform which is located here.

Image Notes: Silhouette of a person reading from Aaron Burden at Unsplash.

Acknowledgement: Great thanks to Kelvin Muchiri whose essay about reading and writing on the Medium platform led QI to formulate this question and perform this exploration.

References

References
↑1 1980, Lion in the Garden: Interviews with William Faulkner 1926-1962, Edited by James B. Meriwether and Michael Millgate, Year: 1947, Interview: Classroom Statements at the University of Mississippi, Start Page 52, Quote Page 55, University of Nebraska Press, Lincoln, Nebraska. (Verified with scans)

Quote Origin: This Is Only a Work of Fiction. The Truth, As Always, Will Be Far Stranger

Arthur C. Clarke? Stanley Kubrick? Mark Twain? J. B. S. Haldane?

Question for Quote Investigator: Rapid computer hardware and software developments combined with extreme speculations about a technological singularity have led some science fiction writers to complain that envisioning the future has become too difficult. I am reminded of the following disclaimer for a novel:

This is only a work of fiction. The truth, as always, will be far stranger.

Do you know which science fiction author made this remark?

Reply from Quote Investigator: In 1968 science fiction author Arthur C. Clarke published “2001: A Space Odyssey” which depicted humanity’s first encounter with extraterrestrials. The work was written in conjunction with the movie of the same name directed by Stanley Kubrick. In the foreword to the novel, Clark suggested that humanity would meet “our equals, or our masters, among the stars”. Boldface added to excerpts by QI:[1]1968, 2001: A Space Odyssey by Arthur C. Clarke, (A novel by Arthur C. Clarke based on the screenplay by Stanley Kubrick and Arthur C. Clarke), Section: Foreword, Quote Page 7 and 8, Arrow Books: An … Continue reading

Men have been slow to face this prospect: some still hope that it may never become reality. Increasing numbers, however, are asking: ‘Why have such meetings not occurred already, since we ourselves are about to venture into space?’

Why not, indeed? Here is one possible answer to that very reasonable question. But please remember: this is only a work of fiction. The truth, as always, will be far stranger.

The foreword ended with the initials A.C.C. and S.K. for Arthur C. Clarke and Stanley Kubrick, but QI thinks that Clarke was the primary author of the foreword.

Additional details and citations are available in the article on the Medium platform which is located here.

Image Notes: Glass sphere from Drew Beamer at Unsplash. The image has been cropped.

Acknowledgement: Great thanks to AcademiaDreams and Jane Bella whose tweets led QI to formulate this question and perform this exploration.

References

References
↑1 1968, 2001: A Space Odyssey by Arthur C. Clarke, (A novel by Arthur C. Clarke based on the screenplay by Stanley Kubrick and Arthur C. Clarke), Section: Foreword, Quote Page 7 and 8, Arrow Books: An Imprint of the Hutchinson Group, London. (Verified with scans)

Joke Origin: A Clear Conscience Is Usually a Sign of a Bad Memory

Mark Twain? Steven Wright? Senator Sorghum? Philander Chase Johnson? Neal O’Hara? Felix Nieto del Rio? Anonymous?

Question for Quote Investigator: A morally upright individual strives to maintain a clear conscience. Yet, satisfying this goal is not always praiseworthy:

Often a person with a clear conscience merely has a poor memory.

This quip has been credited to famous humorist Mark Twain and popular comedian Steven Wright. I am skeptical of these attributions because I have not seen convincing citations. Would you please help?

Reply from Quote Investigator: The earliest strong match for this joke located by QI appeared in 1902 within “The Evening Star” newspaper of  Washington, D.C. The punchline was spoken by the fictitious Senator Sorghum. Boldface added to excerpts by QI:[1] 1902 July 21, The Evening Star, Shooting Stars: A Delicate Distinction, Quote Page 4, Column 3, Washington, D.C. (Chronicling America)

A Delicate Distinction.

“That friend of yours seems to have a clear conscience.”
“No,” answered Senator Sorghum, “not a clear conscience; merely a bad memory—which with some people answers the purpose much better.”

QI hypothesizes that U.S. journalist and humorist Philander Chase Johnson crafted the above instance of the joke. He worked at the “The Evening Star”, and he created the character Senator Sorghum. Also, in 1906 he published a collection of barbs and quips under the title “Senator Sorghum’s Primer of Politics”.[2]1906, Senator Sorghum’s Primer of Politics: Or, Helpful Hints on the Science of Not Getting the Worst of it by Philander Chase Johnson, (The phrase “clear conscience” is not present in … Continue reading However, Johnson did not place this particular remark into his book.

This jest is difficult to trace because it can be expressed in many ways. Here is an overview listing the key vocabulary employed in different versions over time:

1902 Jul: bad memory
1911 Oct: poor memory
1915 Dec: convenient memory
1917 Apr: short memory
1923 Jan: forgetful
1933 May: dumb

Mark Twain implausibly received credit by 2008. Steven Wright received credit by 1998 several decades after the joke entered circulation.

Additional details and two precursors are available in the article on the Medium platform which is located here.

Image Notes: An illustration of a brain with colorful splotches from ElisaRiva at Pixabay. The image has been resized.

Acknowledgements: Great thanks to William Ahern and Sara Cadman whose inquiries led QI to formulate this question and perform this exploration. Ahern pointed to the 1911 citation together with the 1939 and 1947 citations in “The Reader’s Digest”. Cadman mentioned the modern attribution to Steven Wright. Also, thanks to Charles Clay Doyle, Wolfgang Mieder, and Fred R. Shapiro who conducted research for “The Dictionary of Modern Proverbs” and located citations beginning in 1949. Additional thanks to researcher Barry Popik who focused on the attribution to Steven Wright and found citations beginning in 1998.

References

References
↑1 1902 July 21, The Evening Star, Shooting Stars: A Delicate Distinction, Quote Page 4, Column 3, Washington, D.C. (Chronicling America)
↑2 1906, Senator Sorghum’s Primer of Politics: Or, Helpful Hints on the Science of Not Getting the Worst of it by Philander Chase Johnson, (The phrase “clear conscience” is not present in this book), Henry Altemus Company, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Google Books Full View) link