Josh Billings? Elmira Gazette? Charles Frohman? Anonymous? Dear Quote Investigator: Soon people will be making resolutions for the New Year. The popular U.S. humorist Josh Billings reportedly made an apropos remark about steadfastness. Here are two versions: Be like a postage stamp. Stick to one thing until you get there. A postage stamp is a …
Author Archives: quoteresearch
The Place Where Your Talent Meets the World’s Needs Is the Job God Has in Mind for You
Aristotle? Marcus Bach? Albert Schweitzer? Anonymous? Dear Quote Investigator: Did the ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle secretly work at a job placement agency? Probably not, but a popular family of sayings about career choice has been attributed to him. Here are three examples: Where your talents and the world’s needs cross, there lies your calling. When …
Diplomacy Frequently Consists in Soothingly Saying “Nice Doggie” Until You Have a Chance to Pick Up a Rock
Will Rogers? Walter Trumbull? Franklin Rodman? Frances Rodman? Robert Phelps? Wynn Catlin? Harold Winkler? Robert Phelps? Dear Quote Investigator: The reassuring words of a diplomat may sharply diverge from the true agenda of the envoy. The following metaphor depicts hidden hostility: Diplomacy is the art of being able to say “nice doggie” until you have …
Liberty Don’t Work as Good in Practice as It Does in Speech
Will Rogers? Apocryphal? Dear Quote Investigator: The popular American humorist Will Rogers once made a memorable remark about liberty. Unfortunately, the precise phrasing was not memorable enough. Here are several versions: Liberty don’t work as good in practice as in speech. Liberty don’t work as good in practice as it does in speech. Liberty don’t …
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Plays Are Not Written—They Are Rewritten
Steele MacKaye? Dion Boucicault? W. S. Gilbert? Sanford B. Hooker? David Belasco? Daniel Frohman? William M. Tanner? Walter Winchell? James Thurber? Michael Crichton? Dear Quote Investigator: A magnificent work of art emerges in its final form like Venus from a scallop shell; no modifications are required according to one unrealistic approach to creativity. Numerous writers …
I Don’t Know, Probably Made My Usual C
Frederick W. Smith? Apocryphal? Dear Quote Investigator: During the holidays I often spot FedEx vehicles delivering packages. While the business is very successful today it faced considerable skepticism initially. According to company legend the founder Frederick W. Smith described his plans for creating the company in a paper when he was an undergraduate, but the …
In God We Trust; All Others Cash
Pennsylvanian Merchant? New York Merchant? Portland Merchant? Dear Quote Investigator: Today credit cards are commonplace in the U.S., but in the past many shopkeepers hesitated to extend credit to customers. Occasionally, reluctant businesses displayed a humorous sign: In God We Trust. All Others Pay Cash The phrase “In God We Trust” has a long history. …
The Player Is Listed As Day-to-Day. Aren’t We all?
Vin Scully? Keith Olbermann? Dan Patrick? Satchel Paige? Dear Quote Investigator: In the world of competitive sports an injured athlete often is placed on a list indicating that his or her health and readiness will be reevaluated each day. All of us can experience dramatic swings in well-being within twenty-four hours. One philosophical commentator stated: …
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Quote Origin: If Matches Had Been Invented After Lighters They’d Be the Sensation of the Twentieth Century
George S. Kaufman? Ray Bradbury? Charles Norris? Bennett Cerf? Malcolm Bradbury? Question for Quote Investigator: A cigarette lighter is an impressive invention, but in some ways it is inferior to a simple match that is ignited by friction. A lighter requires fuel and a spark source; it can malfunction in myriad ways. The following point …
No Stone Unturned. No Tern Unstoned. No Stern Untoned
Ogden Nash? James Nelson Gowanloch? Frank Colby? Arthur Knight? Alfred Hitchcock? Anonymous? Dear Quote Investigator: The popular creator of light verse Ogden Nash once crafted a poem that playfully altered a common phrase describing a thorough search: “no stone unturned”. The comical transformation produced “no tern unstoned” and “no stern untoned”. Did Nash originate these …
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