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 …
Author Archives: quoteresearch
Quote Origin: Give the Gentleman One White Chip
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 …
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Quote Origin: Giving Birth Is Like Pushing a Piano Through a Transom
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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Quote Origin: Like the Feather Pillow, He Bears the Marks of the Last Person Who Has Sat on Him
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 …
Quote Origin: Every Joke Is a Tiny Revolution
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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Quote Origin: Old Age Is Always Fifteen Years Older Than I Am
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 …
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Quote Origin: One Writes Out of One Thing Only—One’s Own Experience
James Baldwin? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: According to the prominent author and social critic James Baldwin the craft of writing depends fundamentally on channeling experience. He employed the metaphorical phrase “the last drop, sweet or bitter”. Would you please help me to find a citation for his statement? Reply from Quote Investigator: In 1955 …
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Quote Origin: The Duty of Newspapers Is To Comfort the Afflicted and To Afflict the Comfortable
Mr. Dooley? Finley Peter Dunne? William Randolph Hearst? Willmott Lewis? Frederick W. Burnham? Clare Boothe Luce? Kara V. Jackson? Lawrence Weschler? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: Here are four phrases describing the duty of a newspaper or religious institution: Would you please explore which phrase was crafted first and determine the identity of the creator? …
Quote Origin: I Work From About Seven Until About Noon. Then I Go Fishing or Swimming, or Whatever I Want
Ernest Hemingway? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: Did Ernest Hemingway drink heavily while he was writing? How many hours did he spend working each day? Can you find an interview containing quotations that illuminate his drinking and writing habits? Reply from Quote Investigator: Shortly before Hemingway died in 1961, he participated in an interview conducted …
Quote Origin: We Both Were Crazy About Girls
Groucho Marx? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: Groucho Marx apparently once said that he pursued the affections of a woman for two years until he finally discovered that the woman was doing exactly the same thing: pursuing the affections of a woman. Would you please investigate this claim? Reply from Quote Investigator: The 1967 collection …
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