Rabindranath Tagore? Rabbinic Saying? Arabic Proverb? Talmud? A. Huebsch? Leo Rosten? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: Knowledge accumulates, and the education of each generation of children must include the latest information and capabilities. Here are two versions of a saying that expresses this idea: (1) Do not confine your children to your own learning, for …
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Adage Origin: Nobody Notices When Things Go Right
M. Zimmerman? Paul Dickson? Allan L. Otten? Bob Garing? Futurama? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: The loudest and most voluble commentators often combine relentless criticism with meager praise. An unhappy worker crafted the following adage: Nobody notices when things go right. This statement is sometimes called “Zimmerman’s Law of Complaints”. Do you know anything about …
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Quote Origin: It Was Worse Than a Crime; It Was a Blunder
Charles Maurice de Talleyrand-Périgord? Joseph Fouché? Antoine Boulay de la Meurthe? Napoleon Bonaparte? Jean-Gabriel Peltier? Germaine de Staël? Emmanuel Comte de Las Cases? Walter Scott? Ralph Waldo Emerson? Question for Quote Investigator: In 1804 the Duke of Enghien was accused of aiding Britain and plotting against Napoleon. Enghien was found guilty and executed. This rapid …
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Quote Origin: A Hero Has the Wisdom and the Maturity to Use the Power Wisely
Christopher Reeve? David Michael Petrou? Clark Kent? Kal-El? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: An actor who played Superman was asked about the enduring popularity of the character. The actor stated that the appeal was not based solely on power. Instead, true heroism was shown by the wisdom and maturity displayed while wielding power. Would you …
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Quote Origin: Change the Way You Look at Things, and the Things You Look at Change
Wayne Dyer? Max Planck? Benjamin Wheeler? Gilda Wheeler? Wendy Church? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: When you change your viewpoint on life the entire world can be altered. Carefully deciding where to focus your attention and your efforts is crucial to leading a successful life. Here is a pertinent adage: Change the way you look …
Quote Origin: Every Writer Has a Lifetime Ration of Three Exclamation Points
William Maxwell? Annabel Davis-Goff? Elmore Leonard? Helen Dudar? Benjamin Dreyer? William Safire? F. Scott Fitzgerald? Sheilah Graham? Christopher Morley? Terry Hersom? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: The stylistically appropriate use of exclamation points is a contentious topic. One writer proposed the following comically extreme self-contradictory rule: Kill all exclamation points!!! Style guides have presented the …
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Quote Origin: God’s Only Excuse Is That He Does Not Exist
Stendhal? Marie-Henri Beyle? Friedrich Nietzsche? Albert Camus? Prosper Mérimée? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: An atheist who was angry about the state of the world crafted the following comically paradoxical saying: The only excuse for God is that he does not exist. This remark has been attributed to the French Romantic novelist Marie-Henri Beyle (known …
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Joke Origin: “Do You Serve Lobsters Here?” “Yes, We Serve Anyone”
Life Magazine? Milton College? Joan Kochanowski? Norman Brinkmeier? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: There is a family of wordplay jokes in which a customer asks a waiter about the availability of seafood. Here are three examples: “Waiter, do you serve shrimps here?” “Sure. We don’t care how tall you are. Sit down.” “Do you serve …
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Proverb Origin: It Is Better to Die on Our Feet Than to Live on Our Knees
Emiliano Zapata? Dolores Ibarruri? Franklin D. Roosevelt? Ernest Hemingway? Aeschylus? François-Noël Babeuf? Joseph Heller? Luciano J. Rivas? Rafael Tellez Giron? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: A popular saying extolls courage and condemns subservience even when conditions are challenging: It’s better to die on your feet than live on your knees. This motto has been attributed …
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Quote Origin: If We Knew What We Were Doing, It Would Not Be Called Research
Albert Einstein? Charles F. Kettering? Wernher von Braun? Luis de Florez? Charles Erwin Wilson? David C. Hazen? Question for Quote Investigator: There are no guaranteed outcomes when research is conducted. The results might be valuable or worthless. The following saying reflects this uncertainty. Here are two versions: (1) If we knew what it was we …
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