Marvin Minsky? Seymour Papert? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: The remarkable breakthroughs in artificial intelligence in the twenty-first century are based on digital neural networks. This area of machine learning was pioneered by Warren McCulloch and Walter Pitts who created an artificial neuron model. Also, researcher Frank Rosenblatt moved the field forward with his work …
Author Archives: quoteresearch
Quote Origin: The People Have Spoken — The Bastards
Dick Tuck? Mo Udall? Dick Cavett? Question for Quote Investigator: A disappointed political candidate delivered a provocative concession speech which combined bitterness with humor: The people have spoken—the bastards. This line has been attributed to Dick Tuck who was a campaign strategist, prankster, and fabulist. This statement has also been credited to Arizona politician Mo …
Continue reading “Quote Origin: The People Have Spoken — The Bastards”
Quote Origin: I’d Like To Pay Tribute To My Four Writers: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John
Fulton J. Sheen? Milton Berle? Bob Hope? Arthur Godfrey? Question for Quote Investigator: A show business anecdote states that a popular religious television show of the 1950s once received a prestigious award. When the host of the show attended the ceremony, he noticed that fellow awardees were acknowledging the writers who were employed to help …
Quote Origin: People Don’t Really Read Your Books; They Only Say They Do To Keep You From Feeling Bad
Mark Twain? C. E. M. Joad? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: New authors often receive lavish praise from friends, acquaintances, and relatives, but the plaudits contain suspiciously few details. A famous writer once said: People don’t really read your books; they only say they do to keep you from feeling bad. This statement has been …
Quote Origin: Common Sense Is That Which Tells Us the World Is Flat
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”
Quote Origin: The Best Argument Against Democracy Is a Five-Minute Talk with the Average Voter
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 …
Quote Origin: As I Looked Out into the Night Sky, Across All Those Infinite Stars It Made Me Realise How Insignificant They Are
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 …
Quote Origin: The Most Dangerous Worldview is the Worldview of Those Who Have Not Viewed the World
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 …
Quote Origin: Everything Is What It Is Because It Got That Way
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”
Quote Origin: Mathematics Is the Simple Bit. It’s the Stuff We Can Understand. It’s Cats That Are Complicated
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 …