Tracing Quotations
David Lynch? Margaret Atwood? Jacob Riis? Grant E. Hamilton? Wendy Wasserstein? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: The following saying encourages an optimistic focus on what matters in life: Keep your eye on the doughnut, not the hole. The influential U.S. movie director David Lynch and the prominent Canadian novelist Margaret Atwood have both employed this …
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Isabel Allende? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: Children are independent beings who cannot be rigidly controlled by the expectations and desires of parents. Children need unconditional love. The prominent Chilean-American writer Isabel Allende once made this point while comparing children with trees. Would you please help me to find a citation? Reply from Quote Investigator: …
Alex Blechman? Ray Bradbury? Neal Stephenson? Mark Zuckerberg? Abe Murray? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: Science fiction is filled with cautionary fables and dystopian visions such as the murderous HAL 9000 computer of the movie “2001”, the relentless T-800 robot of the movie “The Terminator”, the disorienting cyberspace of the short story “Burning Chrome” by William …
Mark Twain? James Ross Clemens? Lowell Gleason? Roger Durrett? Apocryphal? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: Mark Twain enjoyed smoking cigars. The following three closely related quips have been attributed to the famed humorist: (1) If I cannot smoke in heaven, I shall not go there.(2) If there are no cigars in heaven, I shall not …
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Ulysses S. Grant? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: Distinguishing between true friends and fair-weather friends can be difficult. A former U.S. president stated that he cherished most those who remained friends when he was facing adversity. They relieved the gloom of his darkest hours. Apparently, Ulysses S. Grant said something like this. Would you please …
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Jacqueline Carol? Lilian Baylis? John Lennon? Athol Fugard? Charles Olson? Maud Carpenter? Ronnie Barker? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: Exasperation or excitement produces the following exclamation which provides a capsule description of the human adventure: Life with a capital F. The “F” corresponds to the initial letter of the four-letter word for fornication. Yet, the …
Gary Marcus? Sam Altman? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: The progress achieved in artificial intelligence (AI) during the 21st century has been remarkable. Billions of dollars have been spent to build supercomputers and to train AI systems. Yet, the rate of future progress is uncertain. A skeptic stated: Deep learning is hitting a wall. An …
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Jimmy Carter? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: The things in life that you cannot directly see or touch are the most important, e.g., truth, justice, courage, compassion, and love. Apparently, former U.S. President Jimmy Carter said something like this. I do not know the precise phrasing. Would you please help me to find a citation …
Voltaire? Cardinal Richelieu? Étienne François de Choiseul? Catharine Sedgwick? Marie-Henri Beyle? Lionel de Rothschild? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: Bankers in Switzerland are world-renowned for their financial acuity. Here are three remarks which illustrate this perception: (1) If you ever see a Swiss banker jump out of a window, jump after him; there is a …
Kurt Vonnegut? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: Engaging in art is not lucrative. The proportion of artists who become wealthy is minuscule. Yet, the psychological and spiritual rewards are immense. A prominent writer apparently said the following: The arts are not a way to make a living. They are a very human way of making …