Tracing Quotations
Mark Twain? Clara Clemens? Justin Kaplan? Harlan Ellison? Darrell Schweitzer? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: Famous author Mark Twain was grief-stricken when his daughter Susy died at age 24. The following expression of bitter despair has been ascribed to him: If there is a God, he is a malign thug. Oddly, no one has presented …
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James Watson? Holly Hunter? James L. Brooks? Steven R. Craig? Michael Dell? Ed Burns? Orlando Taylor? Selena Gomez? Taylor Swift? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: The molecular biologist James Watson earned a Nobel Prize as a member of the team that elucidated the helical structure of DNA. He did not claim to be uniquely brilliant; …
Mark Twain? Biblical Proverb? Apocryphal? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: Conflict on social media is now endemic, but it is not really new. Acrimonious exchanges between participants during the primeval days of online forums were known as “flame wars”. Famed humorist Mark Twain has received credit for a germane cautionary remark: Never argue with a …
John Lennon? Roland Orzabal? Nicky Holland? Tears for Fears? Question for Quote Investigator: The famous songwriter and musician John Lennon has received credit for the following lines: Love is a promise Love is a souvenir Once given Never forgotten, never let it disappear My mother who is very knowledgeable about the Beatles says that these …
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William Ralph Inge? Fulton J. Sheen? Leonard Cohen? Charles Haddon Spurgeon? E. Luccock? Joseph R. Sizoo? Question for Quote Investigator: Any organization that aspires to multi-generational longevity must not become enmeshed in evanescent enthusiasms and fashions. Long-term steadiness and perspective are required. Here are two pertinent sayings: This notion has been credited to two prominent …
Wilson Mizner? Samuel Thomas Hauser? Edward O. Wolcott? Silver Dick? Anonymous? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: A self-satisfied gambler once approached a poker table and asked to join the game. The dealer shook his head while saying, “This game is probably too big for you”. The irritated gambler placed ten large denomination bills on the …
Continue reading “Quote Origin: Give the Gentleman One White Chip”
Fanny Brice? Alice Roosevelt Longworth? Beatrice Lillie? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: Giving birth to a child is an intense physical ordeal. A witty woman employed the following simile: Having a baby is like trying to push a grand piano through a transom. This remark has been attributed to the prominent Washington socialite Alice Roosevelt …
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Quotation Said By: David Lloyd George? Douglas Haig? Max Aitken, 1st Baron Beaverbrook? Susan Riley? Alan Walters? Barb Aimed At: Edward Stanley, 17th Earl of Derby? John Turner? John Major? Question for Quote Investigator: The opinions and responses of some people are easily swayed by domineering individuals with emphatic goals. Suggestable people may shift viewpoints …
George Orwell? Jan Kalina? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: A joke which ridicules an oppressive institution can help to undermine it. George Orwell once wrote about the subversive capabilities of humor and stated that a trenchant quip was analogous to a “tiny revolution”. Would you please help me to find a citation? Reply from Quote …
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Francis Bacon? Bernard Baruch? Mary Gordon? Nina Wilcox? Walter A. Clark? John W. Carswell? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: One witty and vibrant individual who maintained a youthful outlook throughout a long life uttered a statement in the following family: This saying has been attributed to pioneering philosopher of science Francis Bacon and U.S. financier …
Continue reading “Quote Origin: Old Age Is Always Fifteen Years Older Than I Am”