George Washington? Philip M. Crane? W. Cleon Skousen? Paul Broun? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: The following statement about armaments has been attributed to one of the Founding Fathers of the United States: A free people ought not only to be armed and disciplined, but they should have sufficient arms and ammunition to maintain a …
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Palindrome Origin: Was It Eliot’s Toilet I Saw?
T. S. Eliot? Samuel Beckett? 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 …
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Anecdote Origin: “I Can Hear the Donkey Bray” “Do You Believe Me or the Donkey?”
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: …
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Quote Origin: One of the Symptoms of Approaching Nervous Breakdown Is the Belief That One’s Work Is Terribly Important
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 …
Quote Origin: It Actually Doesn’t Take Much To Be Considered a Difficult Woman. That’s Why There Are So Many of Us
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 …
Quote Origin: I’m Not Crazy. My Reality Is Just Different Than Yours
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 …
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Dialogue Origin: “How Do You Like the Cricket Match?” “It’s Great. When Does It Start?”
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 …
Quote Origin: We Only Need To Be Lucky One Time. You Need To Be Lucky All the Time
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 …
Quip Origin: They Buried the Hatchet, But in a Shallow Grave
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 …
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Proverb Origin: Every Question Has Three Sides: Your Side, My Side, and the Right Side
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 …