Tracing Quotations
Albert Einstein? George Bernard Shaw? Stuart Chase? S. I. Hayakawa? Robert Anton Wilson? Minot Judson Savage? Donald Kennedy? Percy Williams Bridgman? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: We are often admonished to use common sense, but a wit once pointed out the drawback of relying on this simple guideline: Common sense is what tells you the …
Continue reading “Quote Origin: Common Sense Is That Which Tells Us the World Is Flat”
Winston Churchill? Michael A. Chary? Katharine Elizabeth Crane? Jay E. House? John Ward Studebaker? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: The following cynical remark about the electorate has been attributed to British statesman Winston Churchill: The best argument against Democracy is a five-minute conversation with the average voter. I have never seen a solid citation, and …
Peter Cook? Russell Brand? George Weiss? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: Looking up at the vast star-filled night sky makes many people feel humble. But a humorist flipped this cliché and stated that the myriad stars were insignificant. This notion has been attributed to English comedian Peter Cook and English personality Russell Brand. I have …
Alexander von Humboldt? Moritz Goldschmidt? Edward O. Wilson? Phil Cousineau? Martin Kues? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: Often people with a misguided, narrow, or dogmatic view of the world have never fully experienced the world. The following saying functions as a warning: The most dangerous worldview is the worldview of those who have not viewed …
D’Arcy Wentworth Thompson? Kenneth E. Boulding? John Hospers? Daniel Dennett? William H. Calvin? William Pittenger? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: Scottish biologist D’Arcy Wentworth Thompson often receives credit for the following concise statement about biological structures: Everything is what it is because it got that way. Thompson authored the influential 1917 book “On Growth and …
Continue reading “Quote Origin: Everything Is What It Is Because It Got That Way”
John Horton Conway? Mariana Cook? Alexander Masters? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: A prominent mathematician once said something like the following: Mathematics is simple. Cats are complicated. Would you please help me to find the correct phrasing and the name of the mathematician? Reply from Quote Investigator: Channel 4 of the BBC broadcast a series …
Jack London? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: A popular U.S. novelist provided the following advice to aspiring writers: Keep a notebook. Travel with it, eat with it, sleep with it. Slap into it every stray thought that flutters up into your brain. These words have been attributed to Jack London who authored the novels “White …
Continue reading “Quote Origin: Keep a Notebook. Travel with It, Eat with It, Sleep with It”
Vincent van Gogh? Brenda Ueland? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: A famous painter exhorted aspiring artists with the following encouraging words: If you hear a voice within you saying: “you are no painter,” then by all means paint, and that voice will be silenced. This remark has been credited to Dutch post-impressionist painter Vincent van …
Anne Lamott? Robin Norwood? Linda Ann Loschiavo? Brené Brown? Pamela Meyer? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: The urge to help others usually indicates a generous and loving spirit, but sometimes this urge disguises a desire for power and domination. The following saying highlights this hidden motivation: Help is the sunny side of control. This saying …
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Winston Churchill? Otto von Bismarck? Charles de Talleyrand? Klemens von Metternich? Jozef Pilsudski? Willson Woodside? Seweryn Bialer? Paul Johnson? Thomas L. Friedman? John Lukacs? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: The Russian government’s actions have repeatedly had far‑reaching effects on the rest of the world. Yet, predicting Russia’s future behavior has always been difficult. Here is …
Continue reading “Quote Origin: Russia Is Never as Strong, or as Weak, as She Appears”