Tracing Quotations
Coco Chanel? Marcel Haedrich? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: A cookie created with a cookie cutter is easily replaceable, and this fact lowers its perceived value. This baking utensil is employed in a metaphorical insult targeting lack of originality, e.g., cookie-cutter clothes and cookie-cutter houses. Understandably, people like to view themselves as irreplaceable. Yet, to …
Continue reading “Quote Origin: In Order To Be Irreplaceable One Must Always Be Different”
Satchel Paige? Billy Sunday? Hal Boyle? Apocryphal? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: Prayers are typically offered when a dangerous situation is encountered or when a disturbing event occurs. Yet, prayers of joy and thankfulness are also appropriate when something positive happens. The following metaphorical guidance is pertinent: Don’t pray when it rains if you don’t …
Continue reading “Quote Origin: Don’t Pray When It Rains If You Don’t Pray When the Sun Shines”
Henry Ward Beecher? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: The famous nineteenth-century clergyman, social reformer, and orator Henry Ward Beecher offered some intriguingly modern health advice. He felt that people should “consult Doctor Sun more”. They should frequently enjoy the open air, sunlight, and rain. Would you please help me to find a citation? Reply from …
John Barrymore? Walter Sichel? William Powell Frith? Anonymous Scene-Shifter? Johnston Forbes-Robertson? Arthur Machen? Cedric Hardwicke? Errol Flynn? Question for Quote Investigator: The theater world has long been known for complex tempestuous relationships between cast members on and off the stage. One comical tale concerns the ambiguous relationship between Hamlet and Ophelia presented in William Shakespeare’s …
Oscar Wilde? H. G. Wells? George Bernard Shaw? Michael Walzer? Arnold S. Kaufman? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: Some forms of socialism are implemented via a participatory process. An engaged citizenry would attend meetings, learn about different approaches, discuss topics, formulate policies, build consensus, and vote. These tasks can be quite laborious. Here are two …
Continue reading “Quote Origin: Socialism Would Take Too Many Evenings”
Winston Churchill? Will Rogers? Jock Falkson? Ann Landers? Ewan McGregor? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: One’s sensitivity to the opinions of others often changes as one matures. The following statement has been attributed to statesman Winston Churchill: When you’re 20 you care what everyone thinks, when you’re 40 you stop caring what everyone thinks, when …
Continue reading “Quote Origin: When You’re 60 You Realize No One Was Ever Thinking About You”
P. T. Barnum? Pat Williams? Billboard? Ford Saeks? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: Human attention is a scarce commodity. Considerable effort is required to attract potential customers to a new business or product. Here are two versions of a pertinent saying: These statements have been attributed to the famous showman Phineas T. Barnum. What do …
Continue reading “Quote Origin: When You Don’t Promote, a Terrible Thing Happens . . . Nothing”
Herbert Beerbohm Tree? Albert Chevalier? John Clayton? Johnston Forbes-Robertson? John Golden? James Wallen? John Alfred Calthrop? Charles Dillingham? Anonymous? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: Successful producers and directors are regularly sent screenplays and scripts by individuals with high aspirations. Unfortunately, these products of creativity are often terrible. One theater manager in the 1800s responded with …
Continue reading “Quote Origin: Dear Sir, I Have Read Your Play. Oh, My Dear Sir. Yours Faithfully”
Pablo Picasso? Françoise Gilot? Carlton Lake? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: The famous Spanish painter and sculptor Pablo Picasso contemplated the dissimilarity of the animals created by God, e.g., the giraffe, the elephant, and the cat. He concluded that God had no consistent style. Would you please help me to find a citation? Reply from …
Ralph Waldo Emerson? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: Anxiety and self-doubt can sabotage one’s attempts to achieve success. The transcendentalist philosopher Ralph Waldo Emerson said: Self-trust is the first secret of success. Would you please help me to find a citation? Reply from Quote Investigator: In 1870 Ralph Waldo Emerson collected a set of his …
Continue reading “Quote Origin: Self-Trust Is the First Secret of Success”