Tracing Quotations
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 …
Continue reading “Quote Origin: One Writes Out of One Thing Only—One’s Own Experience”
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? …
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 …
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 …
Continue reading “Quote Origin: We Both Were Crazy About Girls”
Robert Benchley? Marc Connelly? Corey Ford? Bennett Cerf? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: A financially unstable comedian once asked his long-time bank for a large loan. He was dumbfounded when his request was granted, and he immediately withdrew all his money from the institution while giving the following explanation: How can I trust a bank …
Continue reading “Quote Origin: I Don’t Trust a Bank That Would Lend Money To Such a Poor Risk”
Winston Churchill? Harold Laski? George William Russell? Gertrude Mathews Shelby? Felix Frankfurter? Salvador de Madariaga? Robert Cecil? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: When a government or organization faces a difficult decision, its leaders must consult with expert thinkers and scientists; however, the resultant actions should not be dictated solely by the experts. Capable leaders are …
Continue reading “Quote Origin: Experts Ought To Be On Tap and Not On Top”
Gertrude Stein? Joanna Lee? Fred Neher? Kate Osann? George Gobel? Bo Derek? John E. Gibson? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: Twisting timeworn adages produces new comical sayings. Altering a hoary remark about wealth and happiness yields a maxim for shopaholics: Anyone who says money doesn’t buy happiness doesn’t know where to shop. The prominent literary …
Continue reading “Quote Origin: Whoever Said Money Can’t Buy Happiness Didn’t Know Where To Shop”
Groucho Marx? Jack Oakie? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: Encountering a black cat may bring you good luck or bad luck according to a complicated rule dictated by superstitious beliefs. The nature of the omen depends on whether the cat was traveling from left to right or the reverse. It also depends on whether the …
Thomas Jefferson? W. W. Ziege? Elbert Hubbard? Orison Swett Marden? Anonymous? Question for Quote Investigator: Several spiritual traditions assert that thoughts and beliefs can directly alter the world. Maintaining a positive outlook is highly desirable as indicated in the following proposition: Nothing can stop a person with the right mental attitude from achieving his goal; …
Englishman? Frenchman? Lord Byron? Apocryphal? Question for Quote Investigator: The quotidian activities of life induce lassitude and even despondency in some people. I have heard that an eighteenth century suicide note placed blame upon the following perpetual exercise: I weary of all this buttoning and unbuttoning. Is this tale genuine or apocryphal? Reply from Quote …
Continue reading “Quote Origin: Tired of Buttoning and Unbuttoning”